Hey everyone!
Paula says that we need to post something new....and I agree....so here I am rambling because I can't put pictures on here at this computer in a muggy internet cafe.
We are in Cambodia... It's Chinese new year celebration this weekend so there is very much traffic. We visited the "killing fields" today as well as the prison where they kept and tortured people. It was so very saddening. No wonder this country is so poverty stricken and 50% of the population is under 15. So many beggars and crippled people.
Tomorrow Randy and Michael head on back to Bangkok and then Tuesday they fly home.
We"ll be here in cambodia for several more days before heading back to chiang mai.
BYE BYE!!!

Some More Happy Boys

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One evening after church service .
Randy turned 21 Wednesday so we had a little party and here are his birthday presents. :) The shirt is the Karen traditional shirt that many still wear ... it's all hand weaved.
Linds and Rach riding on the back of the truck. We had a very very full truck load!!!
One day we helped level some ground for a new hostel. Hard work with many breaks . :)
Eating in one of the villages. The Karen always eat on the floor.

Matt with a little Karen child at one of the church services. Everyone sits on the floor.


This is our good friend and guide and driver Wright Dee and positive Matt.

The difference is made:)

We're back.

The UMAD team has just finished its first trip. We visited 4 hostels in 5 days. We are giving the packs to the Karen, a minority tribe here in Thailand (they also live in Burma). The hostels are kind of like a boarding school. Since most of the Karen live far back in small mountain villages, they send their children out to larger towns for an education. The children live at these hostels with a hostel father and mother and possibly other staff; during the day they attend school.

One great part of the trip was that we were immersed in Karen culture; we saw how they live. The days were nice, sunny and warm; but as soon as the sun went down the temperature dropped, and the nights and mornings were rather friged. Every morning we got a nice, very COLD, shower. Kenny summed it up best, "It (the shower) is all about the end result." The cold water almost knocks the breath out of you, but afterward you feel invigorated.

We passed out close to 500 bags on the trip. The children were so very respectful and gracious to receive them. We were able to attend 3 church services on the trip and at each place we sang and spoke abit.

Thanks for your prayers; we had a wonderful trip. We saw many needs, maybe when we get back home we can share them with you all and maybe we can help to fill the needs.


Michael
For UMAD team

Leaving for a trip

WE are about ready to leave for a trip to the outback. 8 of us are going from chiang mai to the hill country to hand out the packs that we put together. Sorry I don't have the greatest pics in the world up yet but when we get back we will hopefully have more cool pictures to put up. Thanks all for the yarps. WE will also be having time to share with the children as we pass them out and some of them come from Buddhist villages. THanks all for looking and have a happy time back in the states.

Here is a little somthing something we did on Saturday:0 We ended up putting together 1500 more UMAD packs over here, thanks to all you fine people who donated money towards the project. So with the bags we brought from the states we put together around 2000 bags. PTL

Our First Motel we stayed in the Thailand 

a view of how high and how cold it was 

Buck with his load 

Out our airplane window 

Halfway Around the World in 36 Hours

What a wonderful hassle free trip (You must have been praying) we had. The airlines now have TV monitors in the seatback of the seat infront of you. All of our check in luggage came through at the right place at the right time. We made it to Bankok by 12 midnight on Wednesday and had a wonderful stay at Motel. In the morning we ate their scrumptous breakfast spread and caught the quick flight north to Chiang Mai.

Right now I am jet lagging . . . . and I am not allowed to go to bed for another 30 minutes . . . . I also have writer's block.

Okay here is our schedule for the next week.

13th Friday go shopping for supplies for more bags.

14th Saturday work on putting together at least another 500 bags UMAD bags

15th Sunday Rest and Worship

16th Monday Hit the Road

We will then be delievering bags for next 5 days to 500 some children who live in hostels which is something similar to an orpanage except alot of the children do have parents who live out in the jungle but want to send there children to school but can't afford it. If that makes any sense.

Thanks for your prayers.

Michael for the UMAD Team

Heading out tomorrow

Well folks, nobody knows this blog exists yet but it does, We are leaving for a 4 week trip to chaing mai. Heading out at 5 oclock Tuesday Morning. The cast is, Buck, Michael, Rachel, and I(Lindsey). We lost one of our team before it started, an expired passport found the day before flight was the culprit:(

Over