I feel like so much has happened since I last updated. Yesterday we went carolling while giving out tracts and invites to the Christmas party – a job for me and someone else in the team who are a little musically challenged! In the afternoon we joined a couple English classes to perform a skit about Jesus’ birth and to teach English by playing Christmas games.  The second class I went to was small – only six students until two turned up ext...

Yes, that is a baby crocodile I'm hugging.Today's our day off so, after a much-welcomed sleep-in, we went to the crocodile farm, where we marvelled at the big crocs and held a little one. Lunch was a picnic on board a raft-style boat which took us around Thailand's biggest marsh.Sunday our sub-team stayed in Phitsanulok longer than expected because one of our team members was too sick to travel back. A few of the team members have been a bit ill ...

Camp was a great success. We had lots of Thais, a bunch of Chinese, a group of Singaporeans, a handful of Kiwis, a few UKians, two Aussies and a Brazilian. Definitely merited its title as an “international” camp. We had: silly games… skits and studies about the true meaning of Christmas… coconut palms by the lakeside… crazy games… salty, sticky, ricey “porridge” for brekkie… little thatched-roof huts...

Sunday we had church; completely in Thai of course, but the pastor’s wife kindly sat at the back with us and translated. It was actually very similar to a NZ church service, but with one added extra: food and fellowship afterwards. Mostly everyone sticks around afterward for a feed, and it’s a great community builder. Maybe something we need to think about introducing in NZ… One kind churchgoer offered us a lift home in his... not quite sur...

So we returned to Nakhon Sawan along with a huge bunch of NU students who were coming for the combined CU party in the park. The transport? Songtheow. We thought there’d be a few, or two at least, but no, all 34 of us piled into a single songtheow! Though this one was a bit larger than the norm, it was still a tight fit. And a bit of a worry for us when the police stopped us. But, after checking the driver was licensed, it was all go again. The trip dou...