Living it Up

I feel a little guilty even showing the pictures of where we have been staying the last few nights. After 4 nights of getting our blood sucked out by killer mosquitos at the last place we decided that for Cari's birthday we should up the ante a little and stay somewhere nice, but this was not going to be easy. First of all it's high season and second of all I'm cheap. Well when Cari gets motivated she can do almost anything as I am finding out. She marched into a 4 star hotel that was being opened that day and realizing they had no customers yet cut a great deal that allowed our family to stay in one the nicest places we could find in Krabi. Maybe she should be selling cars???
Our visit at Orchid Resort was simply amazing. We were their first guests and the whole place was ours. They even set up a table at the pool for Cari's birthday as if it was national holiday; presenting her with flowers and a birthday cake.
Monday we left for cheaper but still nice accomodations just down the road. They have a sea kayak that the guests can use free of charge so Meghan and I took a 2 hour journey to a private cove. We had a great time together and made it back before the lightening and rain storm hit hard. Well all in a beach day. Enjoy the pictures and try not to resent us.
God Bless,
Kurt

Counting My Blessings

Its Easter Sunday and I can’t think of a better way in remembering the sacrificial love of my savior Jesus than by counting my blessings. This trip to start is an answer to prayer. It is almost unbelievable how many things had to be put into place to pull off a 4 month trip around the world with a family of 5. There is so much to be thankful for I will simply make a list hoping to touch on some of my praises to God.
 I praise God for Cari, my partner, friend and wife
 I praise God for my children Jessica, Meghan & Cole
 I praise God for my brother Craig’s support in running the business while I’m away
 I praise God for the love of grandparents for my children
 I praise God for the many people in ministry overseas who have opened up their homes and given of their time to our family
 I praise God for the prayers and encouragement of so many friends
 I praise God for my co-workers
 I praise God for the medical treatment Cari received
 I praise God for the finances to make this trip possible
 I praise God for opening my eyes to the day to day lives of people in third world countries
 I praise God for intense family time that has revealed some of my shortcomings
 I praise God for giving me the time to just be and see from another perspective
 I praise God for His amazing creation and all the beauty we have beheld
 I praise God for His love for mankind and how it is demonstrated through others
I have one short story to add to my praise. Yesterday Cole and I took off in the morning for a day of rock climbing at the famous Railey Beach limestone rocks. Our time together was off the charts. To see my son climb 75 meters up a rock wall and really give it his all was something to see. I realized that even though as a family we do almost everything together that I rarely do the one to one time which is so badly needed with my kids and with Cari. Needless to say it was a day of praise.
To God be the Glory,
Kurt

Sunburnt beach bum by Cole

These last two weeks were full of fun. We went to the beach snorkeling, swimming and hanging out. I went rock climbing with my dad. I have been able to play with monkeys.
The beach in Phuket was great for snorkeling. It took me a while to get used to using the snorkel. It was a long swim to get to the rocks where the fish were. I went with my mom. I saw all sorts of different fish. There were really long fish that were dull except for colorful fins. I saw yellow and white and black fish and schools of tiny silver fish. It was a lot of fun. The water was warm and turquoise. It was really hot outside and we got sunburnt like nobodies business. We spent time indoors at a big mall where we saw a movie, Spiderwick it was a good movie. It was nicer to see a movie in Thailand, it was a really clean theater, you got to choose your seats, popcorn and m&ms and drinks only cost 99 baht which is just $3.00. It was nice to kill time in an airconditioned room.

We moved to a different town called Krabi, the beach area is Ao Nang. The town is nicer because you don't have to run across streets for your life from the traffic. The beach is not as good the water is cloudy. The good part about the beach here is that there is monkeys at the end of the beach. They live there by a stream and you can buy bananas and peanuts to feed the monkeys. They grab the food from your hand and jump on you.

I went rock climbing with my dad today. We took a long tail boat to a big rock climbing area Railay. Then we put on our gear. We got a harness, climbing shoes and a bag full of chalk for our hands to make us climb better. It was my first time climbing a real rock. It was fun, once you got on the top it felt like you conquered the rock. I did 4 climbs.

Our last couple weeks in Thailand have been a great time in Thailand!

Sun, Malls and Taxis

Have we said how hot it is here? It has been a cooker and yes I realize there are hotter places and that my poor friends back home would love some sunshine their way, but this heat is not for me and by looking at Meghan and her sunburn I think she would agree.
We are currently finishing a week at the beach in Phuket, Thailand before we head to Krabi to visit some World Concern projects carried over from the Tsunami disaster. The place we are staying is nice, but their advertising is a little misleading when they say the sands of the beach are at our doorsteps. Its actually a 25 minute walk on a busy, no sidewalk street, which is why we take taxis everywhere. With a family of 5 a Corolla size car is pushing the family personal space issue, but these taxis have air conditioning and is better then walking so we focus on that.
When we do arrive at the beach its beautiful, especially when you look at tropical blue water and the beautiful white sand and not the crowded beach of topless and speedo wearing Europeans that find way too much personal freedom in their retirement years for my liking.
After our first day of roasting ourselves to a nice shade of lobster red we take the tight fitting taxi to a bigger town for Cari's follow-up blood test at the hospital. Within an hour Cari has had the blood work done (everything looks good)and results sent to her doctor in Bangkok for the whopping total of $16. We then go to the nearby mall to enjoy 2 hours of aimless walking in the midst of air conditioning.
The rest of week takes on the same routine. One day getting fried at the beach, and the next finding something to do in a cooler environment. We did get some snorkel gear and have had a blast swimming with the kids and looking at the fish. Jessica for the most part has stayed in the shade and read any book she can get her hands on, making her reading habit as costly as our daily taxi service.
I have to confess this week has been the hardest. With no clear focus and so much downtime I am really at a loss. I miss work or at least a sense of purpose which is a sad state I realize when I have my amazing family by my side.
-Kurt

Cambodia

Last week I went to Cambodia with my dad, brother and sister we left my mom in Bangkok National Hospital.
The trip there was not too bad, three hours in a van. We had a long wait at the border. We were busy the whole 4 days there visiting some really awesome ministries. I will tell you some of what Cambodian Hope Organization is doing in Cambodia. The first day we visited six schools on a mat that C.H.O. has started. I helped pass out school supplies to the students and the teachers. Kings’ Children’s Center students raised money to buy these and we delivered them to all 6 schools. At the school I also blew up balloons, sang songs like “Father Abraham “ and the “hokey pokey” with all the kids. It was fun and the kids really enjoyed it. The students also preformed songs for us. I took lots of pictures.
The students at the school had very little, just a notebook and a pencil. They had school outside on a tarp. There was a white board but nothing else. There was not even a bathroom. The kids went to school 2 hours a day five days a week. The teacher goes to 4 different schools everyday to teach for 2 hours at each school. The teachers are very dedicated
My favorite thing I saw was the community house. C.H.O. has built this home for Cambodian children that have been in really bad situations across the border in Thailand. The people at C.H.O. work with them, their families and their villages so that they can go home again. While we were there visiting we were able to play a lot with the children. I had a couple girls that stayed by me and we played duck, duck, goose and other games including a banana song I just learned that day.
I really like C.H.O. and what they have done to take care of their people. We were tired, dusty and hot everyday but enjoyed seeing and doing what we did.

~Meghan

A Week in Review

This past week has brought more than we could have imagined. Cari going for a 6 day stay at the hospital here in Bangkok ranked #1 for family excitement, but there are a few other nuggets to share as well.
The kids and I said "goodbye" to Cari and left Wednesday morning for the 3+ hour drive to the Cambodia border so we could spend 3 days with 'Cambodia Hope Organization' in the city of Poipet. What an amazing ministry run by christian nationals. They are involved all over Poipet helping vulnerable children and their communities. Meghan will be posting her comments about the 'School on a Mat' program and some insight on her views so I won't go into too much detail.
Poipet is the most desperate place so far on this trip I have witnessed in regards to living conditions. Poverty is everywhere and yet the whole boarder of this city facing Thailand is filled with the lies of luxurious casinos. I believe the saddest thing I saw was the viewing of a cartoon to grade school children on how to look out for adult predators. Its almost unreal that a 5 year old would need to see this video, but yet again I am thankful that the C.H.O. team was showing it, because the problem is real.
We returned Saturday afternoon to our guesthouse in Bangkok to find Cari waiting for us. What a blessing to see her walking around and in much better health. The doctor said she will need 2 follow up visits this month for blood work, but gave the green light for travel, so we are off tomorrow to lay on a beach or by a pool on the island of Phuket for 5 days.
Once again on behalf of our family I want to thank everyone for their prayers, because they have been heard and answered.
-Kurt
P.S. Cole and Jessica have not started a life of crime as the picture above may suggest, but rather were keeping the dust and smoke of Poipet out of their lungs as we drove much of the time in the back of a pickup.

Update

Well I think of all the times I have wished for a little peace and quiet in my life...and this was not one of them, I guess you need to be careful what you wish for!!

It is Thursday morning here at Bangkok National Hospital and my condition continues to improve- so much that I feel way to good to be in the hospital! If it were not for the middle of the night check ups and being a human pin cushion I could almost be fooled that I was relaxing in a lovely hotel. (oh..and the fact they won't let me leave my room and the food and...) anyway I am trying to feel as if I were on a vacation in nice hotel room.

The care I am receiving has been excellent and I have two very good doctors that are being cautious and conservative with my situation. I am hopeful of being released on Saturday and being cleared to continue to travel with a few precautions. In Meghan's words they are waiting until my "blood is like skim milk instead of chocolate milk". That analogy was totally lost on my doctors here but I thought it was cute. In the meantime I will continue to catch up on my Thai soap operas and read the books that Jessica scrounged up at the guesthouse for me.

Kurt and the kids continued with our plan and are in Cambodia now. Today they are visiting the Cambodian Hope Organization School on a Mat program and will deliver the school supplies the kids and families at King's Children's Center were able to provide. They have promised to take lots of pictures for me! They will return to the Bangkok area on Saturday and we will continue from here to South Thailand when I get the green light.

I really appreciate all the prayers, email and well wishes so many of you have sent this direction. There are many more positives then negatives and I feel very blessed to be able to say that!

Different Stories

This article is about 2 people that shared 1 similarity and that was they both faced life threatening health issues if not properly treated; outside of that fact their lives could not been more different.
The first person I wish to tell you about is my wife Cari, who along with our family has been visiting Thailand and Laos for the past 4 weeks. On Sunday the 2nd of March Cari confided in me that her right calf was causing her a great deal of pain and that it had steadily gotten worse over the past 48 hours. After a quick discussion we decided to visit a hospital within walking distance of our guesthouse in downtown Bangkok. Within 3 hours the doctors had already performed their first test on Cari which confirmed her suspicion that it was a blood clot. She was instantly admitted and has been cared for with great results. She is to expect a full recovery and will be released God willing this Saturday. Without a doubt a community of doctors and prayer warriors have come to the aid of my wife, and we as a family are truly grateful.
Well the second person I wish to write about is a 1 year old boy named Lem from a small village in Southern Laos. Lem was found by World Concern staff about a week ago on the floor of his home surrounded by family mourning his upcoming death. Lem was losing the battle against malaria. The story does not end or start there. A week prior to this Lem was in a medical clinic getting some basic treatment that seemed to be making a difference. With the hope of Lem's recovery and the fear of a $10 medical bill Lem's parents sneaked their boy out of the clinic and back home. Unfortunately Lem relapsed without the necessary treatment and 2 days after the World Concern staff rushed Lem back to the hospital for care he passed away.
The reason I tell these two stories side by side is to bring some clarity to our world of the have's and have not's. I realize that Cari will be fine because of our finacial resources and an education that enabled her to diagnose a problem and know how to get help versus Lem's family that had no understanding about how their health care system worked (the government would have written the cost of care off) nor the means to raise $10 bucks. In 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 Paul talks about giving until there is equality and then in 1 John 3:16-18 it is written that we are to die for our brothers and give away our material possessions to those we see in need. These passages talk of what it means to follow Jesus and live a sacrificial life. I pray that Lem draws me one step closer to a life that reflects that of my Savior.

Blood Clots and Praises

Cari on Sunday night was admitted into the Bangkok National Hospital. She had severe pain in her right leg and recognized that it could possibly be a blood clot. The test confirmed her suspicion and she now faces up to 10 days in the hospital. Now for the great news. The hospital is 1 block from the guesthouse we are staying at and has all the medical 'know how' and medicine to treat her (had we still been in Laos she would have been in deep trouble). By Cari recognizing the type of pain early she avoided the danger of the clot reaching her lungs.
God has been with us every step of the way and by all means this should be viewed as a praise to Him for His continued goodness and a reminder to all of us of we take for granted. Please give thanks to God and ask for peace and comfort for Cari.
-Kurt

Planes, Trains and Automobiles and everything in between

It is hard to believe but we have been traveling for a month now- Time here has gone by way too fast and I find myself thinking if the rest of the trip goes this quick we will be home too soon!
When I think about the last month what stands out is all the really amazing things we have seen and that despite it being difficult at times I am thankful we have traveled from place to place the way we have.
Let me see.... since arriving we have traveled by Big plane, little plane, taxi, limo van, overnight train, tuk tuk, jumbo, slow boat, car, elephant, regular bus, the bed bus (yes, that is what it is...a bus filled with bunks for overnight travel- really quite funny) Traveling in all these ways has allowed us to really see real life off the tourist track here in SE Asia- and with the exception of the 9 hour bus trip from Luang Prabang to Vientiane (LOOOOONG trip on a not so air-conditioned bus, up and down moutains the whole way with a driver who thought he was Mario Andretti or something) I have loved every one!

We are back in Bangkok now after our time in Laos. We traveled almost the length of Laos on buses of some sort. We had a great time in Vientiane with the Davy's despite the slight interuption (see previous post) then headed down to Salavan on the overnight bus- the Bed Bus, we had a lot of fun and not a whole lot of sleep. There is one large mattress-like thing at the end of the bus that sleeps five- five seemingly very small people-not larger people with legs-but it worked well for our family- we piled on and giggled for a long time- I can not imagine sleeping like that if a stranger was next to you, but all over the bus people just piled on and fell asleep.

In Salavan we were fortunate enough to go see a World Concern project in a village a couple hours out of town. After 2 hours or so of bumpy dirt roads that you shared with water buffalo, families of pigs, roosters, dogs and goats we arrived at the village. It is really outside of my abilities to accuratly describe all we saw and how fasicnating it is too see the life in the village and along the way. The village has no electricity or running water and two latrines for the 58 families. The latrine we used shared space with hens laying their eggs, imagine my surprise! We were able to be part of a community meeting where they told us (through an interupter) how World Concern projects has changed their lifes. They now have a medicine box for use by the villages, a rice bank, a school and a small loan/micro-finance bank that is used by the villagers for starting small business ventures. Seemingly simple things but life changing for them.

The houses were mostly one room thatched huts set high on stilts with the families animals living underneath (and in some cases inside) The villagers prepared a meal that was quite lavish by their standards and showed us around.
The kids in the village were shy but warmed up when we handed out candy and Kurt started taking pictures and video and showing it back to them, we learned that it may have been the first time some of them have seen something like that. I had so many questions to ask and really wish that we all spoke the same language!

Overall my impression is that although they live a simple life beyond our imagination the kids were well cared by moms and dads and extended family, there was a lot of pride shown in the way the houses and surroundings were kept and everyone down to the small children worked tremendously hard. All in all these villagers had a brighter exsistance thanks to the efforts of WC staff-

Interruptions Are Part of Life

The sermon I heard last week in Laos was that 'interruptions are a part of life'; meaning that they should not be avoided, but rather seen as part of ones day. It really hit home for me that God and the lives of those around us often come together through the avenue of an interruption.
Last Tuesday our family had a minor interruption when I developed some strange pains that started in my stomach and ended up really making the area around my kidneys very uncomfortable. At the last minute we decided to visit a local doctor who then told our host Francis Davy that I needed to be driven that night back into Thailand for tests. Like a great brother Francis took drove me nearly 3 hours to a great Thai hospital and Shirley his wife kept our family for another night at their place. The kids and Cari didn't mind at all- they really enjoyed playing in with the family and their new puppy.
The hospital ran multiple tests and gave me the best of care. It was the first time I had ever spent the night in a hospital for myself and on a scale of 1 to 10 this was a 10 for hospital visits. It seemed at times more of a 5 star hotel then hospital- what a treat, great service, Francis was able to spend the night there in a connecting room, I was even given a large gift basket full of food goodies and other stuff- definatly not in America anymore! I was discharged the next afternoon with no clear explanation other than I had had a small fever and that most likely the pain was from a small ulcer in my intestine. My guess it was too much spicy food for 3 weeks (I love Thai cooking).
In the end we all felt blessed to have been taken care of by the Davy family and that after 48 hours I was feeling 100%.
-Kurt