mike & caryn's vcd

we are working on a vcd for all of you who support & pray for us...
it's got pics from our time recording languages for the Jfilm together, as well as some thailand pics, & even some from mike's single days...anyone have any last minute suggestions or requests? (i need them, well, today or tomorrow -- sorry for the late notice... :)
look for yours in the mail in the next month or so, or email us if you'd like to receive one & don't already get our mailings... we'll see what we can do!

reading

books caryn is reading these days....
for women only by shaunti feldhahn
isaiah by God (through the prophet isaiah... for a women's study)
let the nations be glad by john piper

books caryn would like to be reading, but isn't (or has started recently, but stopped for lack of time, intelligence, or motivation):
the divine conspiracy by dallas willard (read the prologue & loved it, so...)
church history in plain language by bruce l. shelley (read various chapters that looked interesting, but we musn't be selective with history)
(anything) by george macdonald (especially his children's books, but she needs to find them*)
ruthless trust by brennan manning (needs to read it.... again)
... if anyone has any time, motivation, or intelligence they would like to share, she would gladly receive it.

oh! and maybe with your encouragement, mike will compile a similar list (though he is terribly busy right now, in his defense).

*she could download some for free on www.gutenberg.org, but hasn't yet.

great weekend

while mike enjoyed some intense r&r (taking a silent retreat at a local monastery), i had a wonderful visit with my cousin, alyssa, who flew up from her study abroad program in bangkok... we had a full weekend shopping (we closed down the night bizarre friday & saturday nights), hiking to see hilltribe peoples, riding an elephant, bamboo river rafting, & catching up on life... despite our close family relationship, this was the first time we'd "met"since before alyssa was old enough to remember... i was delighted to learn that she is involved in campus crusade on her college campus, an avid outdoors-woman, reader, & deep-thinker -- i loved having her company for the weekend.... here we are scoping out a local rock-climbing site on sunday (where we let mike & ginger come along).... hope she comes back soon!

ginger's language skills

to answer the most frequently asked question on this blog, we have a thai-speaking dog. we were wondering because - though she seems like such a good dog - we can't get her to "do" anything in particular. here she is with our friend, ben (pronounced "bin"), who has just commanded her to lay down... in thai. i guess we have another great reason to learn the language.

impressed by the usps

a sweet friend of mine sent all of this all the way to thailand for only $9 (there was a Christmas card, too, but it's hanging up at the office :)!! and it came in about 2 weeks (the really impressive part). ask for the "global priority large envelope"... there will be a prize for the most creatively packed envelope. just kidding, but we don't want to discourage you, either :)... all for now.

a note about this blog

dear friends, family & curious on-lookers...
welcome to the online journal of our time in chiang mai, thailand... well, some of our time here. this is where you can come to learn about our new life & friends here, thailand & its culture (as we experience it), and hopefully enjoy some pictures & feel a bit closer to us (we feel closer to you just knowing you are reading -- and we LOVE getting your comments!!).
many of you may know a bit about the work we came here to do & are curious to hear about it... unfortunately, you won't find much of that here for security reasons... the internet just isn't the place to talk about it... BUT if you would like to receive regular email updates & prayer requests on our work (more frequent than our paper letter, 1-2 per month), please email us at , & we will sign you up...
thanks for being "here" with us!
love- m&c

culture shock?

maybe it's catching up with me... i (caryn)...(I was there too...just in case anyone was wondering where that crazy husband was the whole day...) spent most of the morning yesterday in the hospital (NOTHING SERIOUS! you go the hospital here for minor stuff), which was an experience in itself: it was national "children's day" last weekend. the hospital lobby (& the rest of the city) was swarming with waist-high Thais playing games and spilling drinks & food, entertained by clowns & singers and being entertainment themselves -- i could have shot myself when i realized i brought my camera, but left the memory stick at home... especially when i saw a half-dozen thai girls (5-10 years old) in full traditional dress & makeup performing the national dances (have you seen "anna & the king" or "the king & i"? the (thai, not ballroom) dancing is exactly the same!)
anyway, after visiting the allergist to get a video probe threaded into my sinuses (so he can tell me to avoid dust & pollution - where does HE live?), i decided to visit an orthopedist for a nagging pain/tightness i've had in my leg/back for the past 6 years... i'm thinking, "maybe they'll incorporate more eastern/holistic medicine here." after a very short exam (3 minutes, max), he gave me 3 names for my problem & 4 drugs (including codeine) to cure it.... the doctor seemed knowledgeable & spoke pretty good english, but couldn't really answer my questions... i started to cry... this made communication even more difficult: not only can i not talk, but i am trying sort out in my head whether it's culturally appropriate to cry in public, much less in front of a doctor (very respected in thai culture). then i went to the pharmacy to pick up my "may cause drowsiness" drugs... the pharmacist did not understand me, nor i her... i started to cry again & wanted nothing more than to leave & crawl in bed the rest of the day. i am quite sure they were both quite knowledgeable & were giving me good care -- it's not their fault i don't speak thai!! i guess little things like this just start to build up... they told us in cross-cultural training to expect it, but when it happens...

meet ginger!

isn't she a beauty?
this pure-bred golden retriever was abandoned by her last owner (can you imagine??). she was rescued by a local shelter which is run by dern, the guy who we bought the truck from.... he practically begged us to take her -- it didn't take much convincing!
mike has wanted a dog just about his entire life, so we are hoping ginger is half as happy to be with us as we are to have her.
she's just over a year old, really mild-mannered, seems well-trained, and only barks when people approach our gate (which makes caryn feel secure :).

more narnia thoughts

last night we went to a small group of thais & foreigners to discuss disney's remake of the cs lewis classic... here were some of the remarks/reactions:

"aslan used regular people with faults to do great things..." (thai member)

"i liked tumnus - how he changed his mind and did the right thing." (thai)

"father Christmas gave each person the very gift they would need to do their part." (american)

a member of the group shared about someone they knew (thai) who "had to leave the theatre when aslan was being killed" (they returned after this scene)... they had recently started following Christ & were overcome by the parallel to His death.

the discussion leader commented that we are reminded by lucy's character that we must enter the "kingdom of God" like a little child (mark 10:15)...
this made me think about susan -- how she was more "grown-up" and how often her own common sense or desire to do the "right thing" kept her from doing the very thing she needed to do... she continually urged the others to turn back home and avoid "a war"...
what a contrast to lucy! her very innocence & young enthusiasm is what made her so loyal to aslan... and even caused tumnus to turn from his wicked ways & break free from the hold the white witch had on him.

The Rutledge Family

We had lunch with our friends Dan, Mam & Garuna last week, and they shared a bit of what they've been up to lately...
Mike knows Dan from when they were single guys on the Film travel team together... Now, Dan & Mam are a part of the Akha Outreach Foundation in Chiang Rai, working primarily with their home for Akha children (The Akha are one of the "hill tribes" of Northern Thailand). Along with their staff, they take care of over 100 marginalized children and help to run a Bible school there...
One of the most inspiring things about this family is Mam's story... here's a part of it in their words:

"When [Mam] was about 8 years old, her father started to become addicted to Opium... As his addiction grew, the family began to see their resources diminish. Her father would take and sell one of the cows, or pigs, for a small fee, so that he could go buy more Opium to smoke... Once all the livestock and chickens were gone, her father would take the money that her mom had earned working in the fields and use that to buy Opium... Soon there still wasn't enough money to buy the Opium, and so in an attempt to obtain the drug that was controlling his life, he sold one of his daughters (Mam's older sister) into prostitution. Shortly after she was sold into prostitution, she contracted AIDS and died. Mam was fortunate to be able to come and live at House of Grace, a home designed to help girls who are in danger of being sold into prostitution. She came to live at the home when she was 12 years old and during her stay at the home she was able to hear about Jesus Christ and eventually gave her life to Him... Her father was still addicted to Opium and their family was still suffering both financially but also in their relationships with each other... Whenever she would go home, he would be there smoking Opium and she begged him to think about what he was doing to the family. After many long years of prayer and hardship, Mams' dad finally gave up Opium... while he was fighting the battle to stay sober, he turned his life over to Christ, and since that time Christ has been working mightily in not only his life, but also in the lives of the whole family. Today the hatred that was branded into Mam's heart for her father has been replaced with love and forgiveness. Her father too has seen his life renewed and works hard to provide for the family he hurt for so long."

Dan & Mam actually met while he was with the travel team recording the Film in the Akha language. Today they serve Christ together by helping to rescue others from a fate similar to that of her sister's. The Bible school students they work with are busy translating the script of The Story of Jesus for Children. We hope to help with its recording during our time here.

If you are interested in hearing more about Dan & Mam's ministry and how you can be a part of it, please email: .

a shout out....

to all of you visiting our blog & making comments!
y'all make blogging fun :).
love - mike & caryn

MY dream vehicle -- UPDATE 1/13

i'm not sure when i fell in love with the vespa... on my trip to italy? or the first time i saw audrey screaming through the streets of rome on one?

imagine my delight when i saw these classic little beauties buzzing amongst the plastic-looking scooters of chiang mai! unfortunately, they are a bit pricey here (compared to honda's style-less alternative), but i am hoping for a bargain one day...
a BARGAIN we found!! a local art student, who goes to church with a friend of ours, heard i was looking for a vespa.... he needed to exchange his for something that would transport his projects! we got a great deal, & mike should be on his way to pick it up now! hopefully this will be me soon! :)

mike's new toys -- UPDATED 1/12 (diesel price)

we finally found a vehicle... exactly what mike was looking for! an older nissan ("datsun") 4X4 with 4 doors...
2.7 liter turbo diesel... great for getting us & friends up mountains to the surrounding villages, where we would love to do some film showings.

(Mike blogging here)...we have had a few questions since posting this so I thought I would answer them...

What year and how many miles? The truck is a 1990 with 138,000 km...so far.

How much is diesel...? Diesel here costs 24 Baht/liter or $.60/liter. Since 1 gallon [US, liquid] = 3.785 liters...that makes diesel about $2.27/gallon.(****we went by a gas station and realized that I had remembered the price of gas incorrectly...it is actually close to the price in the states because the govt. here subsidizes the price of diesel.)

...and is it very available? You can buy diesel at every fuel station here...it is what the majority of vehicles run on.

I also wanted to comment on buying a vehicle here...the first piece of advice I received was to trust no one. The dealerships here have a reputation of taking genuine factory parts off of vehicles and replacing them with 'knock off' parts...they then sell the genuine parts for more money. This is a feasible way to make money here because the labor is soooo cheap. Needless to say...I felt a little trapped. Through a string of friends we found someone we can trust and he was selling this truck that he had imported from Japan when it was new...we thank the Lord for letting us find this one! Please pray that it will be used for Kingdom expansion...

watch out, you disease-carrying insects. mike is on duty with "the zapper"... just plug this baby into any 220 outlet for a few hours, then aim your john macenroe in the direction of whatever you want to zap. very effective & satisfying when you hear the little pests get vaporized, we must say.

my pet projects

here's what i have been working on...

got the big room painted... a nice "mocha" with lots of cream (just the way i like it).... we swapped out the pink(!) curtains with some from an upstairs bedroom & added a little decoration, using some Christmas presents from a gift exchange & other things i've found around here....
also thought you might want to see the contraption that makes our water drinkable. (notice how low the sinks are?? i am very tall compared to most thais.)

just finished up making curtains for the "red" room...

a little analysis...

for traci... who inspires me.

4 jobs you've had in your life: 1. waitress...by far my favorite 2. librarian...i thought this was my dream job after 12 months of working with college students 3. thrift store clerk...didn't end up taking much cash home, but oh the finds! 4. photography assistant...not as glamorous as it sounds.

4 movies you can watch over and over: 1. Roman Holiday...because i am a princess in disguise, too 2. So I Married an Axe Murderer & Shrek 3. Gladiator & Braveheart...& it's a good thing because mike & i DO 4. Pride & Prejudice (the A&E version) & Persuasion (ok, so i couldn't pick just 4)

4 places you've lived: 1. Fort Lauderdale, Florida 2. Timisoara, Romania 3. Hinckley, Ohio 4. Chiang Mai, Thailand

4 TV shows you love to watch: 1. ummm... 2. uhhh... 3. well... 4. i watched 3 straight hours of a "pimp my ride" marathon last year & gave up tv again after the end of every episode made me cry.

4 places you've been on vacation: 1. Italy (pisa, venice, rome, & cinque terra -- definitely my favorite) 2. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada 3. Berryville, VA 4. Alaska (all around)

4 Websites you visit daily: (I don't really visit anything daily, but these are most frequent lately) 1. Bible Gateway 2. Project Gutenberg 3. Shiela Walsh 4. Citylife ChiangMai.

4 of your favorite foods: 1. Chocolate 2. A juicy, fatty T-bone 3. Pickles & Tomatoes 4. Anything at Houston's

4 places you'd rather be: 1. surfing, somewhere pretty without sharks 2. this is hard - i really like it here 3. Northern Italy or the south of France 4. Eastern Europe

4 albums you can't live without: 1. Enter the Worship Circle, Second Circle 2. Waterdeep & Indelible Grace (any album) 3. Third Day, Conspiracy No. 5 4. Lisa Ono Dans, Monile (a new favorite)

Next 5 tagged: 1. Mikayla June &/or her mom :) 2. Carly 3. Mike 4. Sandy B 5. Ali (Caleb Evan in utero)

language class

mike & i had our first thai class yesterday... after learning (& practicing for 2 hours) a few dozen consonants and 16 of their 32 vowels, we have high hopes of one day learning to say something besides the very necessary, "hello", "thank you", and "not too spicy"...
as with their culture, the thais have a very polite language.. at the end of every sentence, you add a word with no english equivalent (though close to "please") depending on whether you are a girl ("kha") or a boy ("khrap")...

สวัสดีค่ะ sa wat dee kha........................hello (spoken by a girl)

ขอบคุณครับ khaawp khoon khrap.......thank you (spoken by a boy)

ไม่เผ็ด mai phet kha.............................not spicy (spoken by caryn frequently)

buffalo camp

one morning a few weeks ago, we ventured out to the local buffalo camp ... for 200 baht (about $5), we saw a buffalo show (this is the only place in the world you can see musicians on buffalos), learned about & experienced how buffalos are used to do work & participated in the entire process of rice growing (i should say, mike did while i watched for the most part), and actually got to ride a buffalo!
the people were very kind & seemed excited to educate us.
here are some of my favorite pics.
doesn't mike make a studly rice farmer?
he was asked to return in 3 months for the harvest...

holidays

Here are some pics of the local ministry's Christmas party... We ate two huge pigs, played games, exchanged gifts, and then each group had to come up with a skit...

Athletes in Action acted out the Christmas story... a "farang" baby got too close & was snatched up for the starring role after "Mary" gave birth!
We found out about the skits when we arrived, so our team stood up & sang "O Holy Night"... i know, boring.
For New Years', we got together with some friends & ate some more, played a spirited game of Star Wars Trivial Pursuit (actually we watched as 2 of the guys played, for we had nothing to contribute),
then watched tons of fireworks go off all around us.

all for now... i took some pics of the house, but didn't like how they turned out, so i will try again later!