New Zealand

Flying out of Bangkok less than 24 hours before government opposition forces shut down the airport, we were glad to arrive in New Zealand for the last leg of our trip before Christmas.

New Zealand has two major islands, appropriately named the North Island and the South Island. Though about equal size, the North Island has 3 million inhabitants and the South Island only 1 million. And of course, the two regions have a friendly rivalry. (When we were about to take the ferry from the South Island to the North Island, one of the Southerners said "So you're leaving New Zealand, eh?")

After four months of planes, trains, and taxis, we decided to try something different... 3 weeks in a camper van. Turns out that camper vans are something of a tradition in New Zealand as both Kiwis and tourists rent them in all shapes and sizes to see the spectacular outdoors of this beautiful country. On the South Island, we'd guess that at least 60% of the vehicles we saw (outside towns) were camper vans. We found a company that needed to get a 4-berth camper van (complete with stove, refrigerator, toilet, and shower) from Christchurch to Auckland so they gave us 50% off the going rate and threw in 3 mountain bikes.

Starting in Christchurch, we traveled south around the coast to see the amazing views... lush green hills with sheep dotting the hilsides - 40 million of them - to keep the grass looking freshly mowed, deep blue skies, fluffy white clouds, and pristine coastlines made for postcard views around every corner.

At the bottom of the South Island, we stopped at a nature preserve to see some yellow-throated penguins...

... and then stopped in Invercargill in honor of Burt Munro to see the motorcycle he used to set the under-1000cc world record, 183.6 mph, at Bonneville in 1967, a record that still stands today. Burt Munro was 68 and was riding a 47-year old machine when he set his last record. If you don't know Burt's story, watch "The World's Fastest Indian" with Anthony Hopkins.

As we wound our way up the west coast, we spent a day at Milford Sound, a stunning fjord carved by glaciers, followed by a trip to Franz Josef Glacier.

In Queenstown, we saw where bungy jumping was invented. At 134 meters (440 feet), they have the second highest bungy jump in the world (exceeded only by a 216 meter jump in Africa). Q: Of the three of us, guess who jumped? A: Lots of talk, no action. Only because it cost $120; it had nothing to do with free-falling 440 feet!

In the middle of the South Island, we stopped at Castle Hills, the place where the final battle scene for the first Narnia movie was filmed. The rocks rise like castle parapets from green meadows under azure blue skies. They have intriguing shapes and smooth rounded surfaces that make them inviting to climb. It's an -size rock playground.

While heading up the East Coast, we stopped in Kaikoura to snorkel with seals. We spent an hour swimming side-by-side with New Zealand fur seals, often less than a foot away. With their whiskers and eyes that look like huge black marbles under water, they are very cute and inquisitive.

On our way up the East Coast, we spent a day touring wineries - on mountain bikes - in New Zealand's famous Marlborough District. Six wineries and wine-tasting sessions with a 1 to 3 mile bike ride between each one made for a scenic and fun day pedaling through the vineyards. If you ever go, save room for a gourmet meal at the Allan Scott winery.

Just before we hit the top of the South Island, our camper van broke down. We limped into Nelson on a Saturday with no service stations open until Monday. We were fortunate to find Brent Pahl, an independent mechanic and beer connoisseur. For normal fees, plus a 12-pack of his favorite beer, Brent worked Saturday and Sunday to replace our wheel bearings so that the fingernails-on-blackboard screeching sound stopped.
Thanks for getting us on our way, Brent!



After a 3-hour ferry ride, we arrived on the North Island. We passed through Wellington on the way to Wairoa to meet Captain Hayden Ricketts of the New Zealand Army. David met Hayden when they took the Scuba Diving Instructor course together in Australia, Hayden cooked us a fantastic meal, including fresh scallops he picked up on a dive the previous day. After a couple hours of diving stories and reminiscing about Australia, David said g'bye to his mate and we headed north to the Bay of Islands (stopping to ride some mountain biking trails and relax in one of New Zealand's many natural hot springs).

With all the talk about diving, plus Steve's memories of his intro dive in Thailand, Steve decided to get his Open Water Scuba Diving certification. We stayed in Kerikeri for the 4 days while Steve took the course. Between classes, we had lots of other stuff to do. In one 24-hour period, we surfed, dived, and golfed. Result: exhaustion, but great memories. For Steve's final open water certification dive, the Dive Instructor let David (who is also a certified Dive Instructor) serve as Dive Master alongside him. Having David in the water for Steve's last few tests on "graduation day" made it ever more fun and meaningful. Hopefully we'll get to dive together several more times on the second half of our trip.


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As we prepare to head back to the U.S. for Christmas, we're grateful for all the ways God blessed and protected us in the last 5 months. We're thankful for our families and friends and look forward to celebrating Jesus' birth over Christmas. We have countless memories of the people we've met, the places we've seen, and the experiences we've shared together. As we reflect on our trip, we're inspired once again by the stories of the people we met... those who have little but who are striving with all they have to make a better life... and those who are giving their lives to help others who are poor, orphaned, or oppressed. We pray for God's blessing on all of them and ask for His help to show us what our role is in helping to meet the needs of others in this world that now seems smaller, more personal, and more connected than ever before.

We hope that you and your familes have a wonderful Christmas and that you treasure all the blessings that God has given you.

Best wishes,
Steve, Joe, and David

Chiang Kham, Thailand

This is Sayan and Siriporn Kusavadee. They moved to Chiang Kham, Thailand in 1989 because they felt that God had told them that He had work for them to do there (even in several dreams), but they didn't know what it was. Sayan took a pastor position at a small church paying $48 a month. Opposite their house and church, Siriporn would notice men walking down the street with younger girls, often returning without them. When Siriporn asked around, she was stunned to learn that their street was where people would go to find prositutes. She and Sayan also learned that girls were being sold into prostitution. Many were"prepared" in Chiang Kham and then sent to other parts of Thailand or other countries to be prostitutes. The girls were often taken against their will through coercion. Or poverty-stricken families would sell teenage daughters into the sex industry out of desperation so that they could afford to support their other children. Sayan and Siriporn's hearts broke as they learned the tragic details.


Wanting to do something, they decided to take a few girls into their home who they knew were at risk of ending up on the streets. They started by taking 5 girls into their family from local hill tribes whose families could not support them. They took them into their home and cared for them. Today, their "Home of Blessing" Ministry cares for 120 girls, ages 8-18, and has cared for over 500 girls in the last 19 years.


The girls usually come to Home of Blessing just after they complete 6th grade, because that's when free government schooling ends for girls in Thailand. That's when they are most at risk of being sold into prosititution. Sayan and Siriporn work with the chiefs of local hill tribes to find out which girls are most at risk so they can take them in before it's too late.

All the girls we met were amazing. They radiate joy and the feeling of a tight-knit family that is inspiring. They rise at 5:00 am to pray and worship each weekday before school. We would wake up to their singing and it was like hearing a chorus of angels at the beginning of each day. And when they pray together, they really pray together... with every girl parying their own prayers out loud at the same time. They prayed for each other, for their families and villages, for food and a plentiful rice harvest, and for us!


When they all pray out loud together, you can sense their faith that God will answer their prayers. Our prayers seemed feeble in comparison. And they tell story after story of how God has provided for them. Like the time a German who had visited 3 years earlier contacted them to tell them that Home of Blessing had been on his heart and that he raised enough money so they could build a new dormitory for the girls.

In the week we were there, we got to know several of the girls, especially since many of them spoke some English. We taught English, played sports with them (they are fearsome soccer, volleyball, and ping pong competitors!), and tried to show them that we cared about them. All the girls we met had a deep faith in God and were constantly trying to put their beliefs into action. Like one of the discussion groups we saw... after reading about forgiveness, they were asked to forgive those who had wronged them. We saw many of the girls sobbing and, at first, thought we were just seeing an emotional group of girls. Then we remembered just how much they were being asked to forgive, especially if their parents were considering selling them into prostitution.



We also got to meet Jeff and Eleanor, a newly married couple from the U.S. who decided to spend the first two years of their marriage doing mission work. They are investing their lives to teach English and love the girls at Home of Blessing. Like Sayan and Siriporn, they were completely welcoming to us and even let us help them teach their English classes. Their dedication to serve the girls for at least 2 years was inspiring to us.


One of the highlights was getting to help harvest the rice. We were there for the one time of the year when they cut, bundle, gather, and thresh rice from their own fields (which provides 6 months supply for the girls). Everyone was very patient with us as we learned how to bundle, tie, and gather rice sheaves. And while it was fun for us to harvest for a couple days (at about half their efficiency), it would be back-breaking work to grow and harvest rice year-round.


At the end of the week, we were sad to leave our new friends. Sayan, Siriporn, Jeff, Eleanor, and all the girls had been such gracious hosts (including the most delicious Thai food we've ever had from Siriporn's kitchen!). When they all prayed for us on Sunday before we left, it was like being surrounded by angelic voices who were aksing God to take care of us. We will never forget it.


If you would like to support Home of Blessing, you can send tax-deductible donations to:

International Prayer Ministries, Inc.
615 Knollwood Circle SE
Conyers, GA 30094-4422
For: Home of Blessing in Chiang Kham, Thailand (Sayan Kusavadee)

One additional note to our Thailand story:

We flew from Bangkok to New Zealand on November 24. One day later, on November 25th, government opposition forces took over the Bangkok International Airport and shut it down, stranding over 100,000 travelers. As of December 4, the airport is still shut down and Thailand is in a state of political turmoil. The Constitutional Court has dissolved the government due to electoral fraud and banished the prime minister from politics for 5 years. Wow! We think the girls at Home of Blessing have a special place in God's heart because we know firsthand that their prayers of protection for us worked!

- Steve

Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand

Aft taking a taxi for 3.5 hours from Siem Reap, Cambodia to the Thailand border (that's right, a taxi... $35 for the whole trip), we took a van to Bangkok. Then we had to take David to the hospital.

Don't worry, there's nothing seriously wrong with David (well... some would dispute that). He's been having problems sleeping for most of the trip. I suggested that he get an overnight sleep study at Stanford Hospital since they have a sleep disorders clinic that helped me sleep a lot better.

Then I remembered an article I read about Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok. Bumrungrad, one of the best hospitals in the world, attracts people from across the globe to its excellent physicians and facilities plus extremely low costs - up to 90% off U.S. hospital rates. Some of the largest corporations and insurers in the U.S. are now putting Bumrungrad on their list of approved hospitals because the quality of care is so high and the costs so low. Many people cover the airfare costs many times over by flying to Bangkok for major surgery. (If you want to learn more about Bumrungrad, read the excellent article from Fast Company magazine at http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/125/medical-leave.html.)


When we arrived at the main lobby of Bumrungrad International Hospital, we were stunned. It's more like a 5-star hotel than a hospital, complete with full Starbucks on multiple floors. With some patients who were clearly Western, some who wore the flowing robes and veils of the Middle East, and some who were obviously Asian, it's clear that Bumrungrad attracts a global clientele.

After a couple weeks, it seems that David's sleep is improving with help from a prescribed nasal spray to help him breather easier, so we're hopeful that this problem will soon be solved.

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While we were in Thailand, we knew we had to visit some of the world-famous beaches near Phuket. We went island-hopping on a long-tail boat:


While snorkeling and scuba diving (Steve's first time!) in the beautiful blue-green waters, we saw over 50 varieties of exotic fish, beautiful coral formations, and two kinds of sharks. It was awesome.


Here are some of the amazing beaches of southern Thailand..


But in the midst of paradise, there were also sad stories. The places we visited were among the hardest hit during the tsunami 4 years ago. Most of the beach towns we visited were wiped out and had to be completely rebuilt. We met many shopkeepers who lost everything and had to start over. One woman who now runs a travel agency had opened a beachfront hotel just 3 months before the tsunami hit and she lost it all. Now she works 16-hour days, 7 days a week as she tries to start over.

We heard many such stories of hardship and resilience... like the staff at a beach hotel on the island of Ko Racha. Many were refugees who fled Burma to find a better life. But since they are illegal immigrants, they can't step foot on the mainland of Thailand or they risk steep fines or deportation. Like the shopowner, they work 16-hour days almost every day to try to make a life for themselves. Over and over, we met Thai people who were incredibly friendly, hard-working, and resilient. We know that the people we met will persevere to rebuild their lives in spite of the tragic losses they've experienced.

- Steve