Buderim Trip

This is a blog a posted up on the teams blogspot...but i thought I'd adapt it and post it up here on mine too.

Buderim weekend is the topic at hand! :-)

I know that I can definitely say this on behalf of the team that this whole support raising process has been a massssssssive learning curve and one where God's faithfulness, strength, love, grace, humility and sovereignty has far out-shined what we could have possibly provided...and has made Him all the more beautiful as we see Him working in and through us! It is such a humbling process where you learn so much about resting in God.

...So back to Buderim... :-)

Naomi, Rod, Pete, Josie and myself piled into Naomi's beast of a car and headed up to Grace Christian Church Buderim, to share with them what we will be doing in Thailand. This church is one that Uni Impact students call home while attending a one month camp in jan/feb called Summer Beach Project. It was such a blessing to go back and visit - you are always welcomed with open arms. We even acquired a team tag being 'Team Thailand'... I quite like it! We had so many good conversations with people there and the Lord was gracious to provide us with more people supporting us in prayer and finance.
Once we had chatted for quite some time, we took our leave and headed towards the beach! :-) Who wouldn't make the most of the opportunity to hang out together for a bit at the beach!! It was good fun. We found a street named Roderick St which led us to a beautiful little beach at Caloundra. We ate some fish and chips then went for a dip and chillin on the sand :-)

It's 3 weeks today until we leave! I cannot believe that it has crept up so quickly! Wooh!

Please be praying for us in these final weeks as we prepare to leave.

• Most of the team are snowed under with assessments and exams. Please pray that they will be abiding in Christ during this time and resting in His strength.
• I'm working right up to the day before we leave. So please pray that I will remained focused in what I have to do at work (and not get too sidetracked with the excitement of leaving) I also have logistic things to try and sort out...which can be challenging when most places are only open from 9-5.... :-S
  
• Please pray for diligence in following up all of our supporters. I know that I still have a few people to catch up with in the next 3 weeks.
• Posh (David Richards, who's leading the team) arrives back on Sunday from 2 weeks in America...then he has to fly out again in 2.5 weeks to Thailand. Please pray for his adjustments between cultures and jetlag and that he will feel ready to leave in 3 weeks time.
  
• Praise God for the support team that he has raised! Pray that they would be faithful in praying for us while we are in Thailand.

That's all i can think of for now. Someone else can jump on and share from their perspective... hint! :-P

Your Sister in Christ signing out
Sam

The silliness had already started on the trip up...

Josie couldn't wait to get her teeth into it! Or was she just thinking about lunch later...?

Posing nicely for the camera now...but still cheeky as ever!

Nomes and Pete waiting eagerly

Rod and Pete Chatting to a Church member

Josie chatting to a church member

The scenic view

The Street that led us to the Beach....show us the way Roderick!

Josie found nemo

....no explanation needed

Girl Power!

Is he flexing?

My First Blog :-)

So...I'm going to try and keep this page updated while I'm in Thailand with people I meet, places I go and anything interesting that happens :-)

To get the ball rolling I thought I might start posting now with a few things that we've been up to as a team during prep.

First Stop...CCP Retreat 13/14 October 07

We all piled into 3 cars (in typical impact style...girls in one car....guys in the other...but it was great girl catch up time!) in Grace college car park bright and early 8am Saturday morning for a sprint up the mountain to Mt Tamborine.
The air was fresh the sun was warm....we were set for a productive weekend! And that it was. During this short period of 24 hrs we managed to squeeze in

• morning tea/checkpoint
• 3 talks and an extensive prayer period
• some interesting team building activities
• a short stroll, filming our video to send over to thailand introducing ourselves
• cultural/packing/weather/money/schedule info
• dinner, desert, a game of pick up sticks....the most serious and intense game i have ever played...each turn took about 5 mins...
  
• bed, sleeeeeeeep
• wake, eat, QT, clean, leave by 9am arrive

ONE BIG HUGE SIGH!!! Needless to say i rested most of sunday!

It was great to be able to spend a large portion of time with the team and have the chance to get to know each other a bit better.

Thats all from me for now.

Here are some pics from the weekend...Me almost stacking it as i landed from leapfrogging over spaceman

A spontaneous game of 'kick the soccer ball' right near this steep slope down the mountainside...we nearly lost the ball a few times.

The Pete, Birdman and Rod strutting on the way back...

The elaborate method which we used to get that tennis ball into a bucket about 10m away.... (if you can't make it out...thats two ropes pulled taught just the right distance apart for the ball to roll down) It worked....eventually.

Just a little sequence of our leapfrog exercise.

The most handsome little man, coming on our trip. Mr Benjamin Richards

A truck that just happened to be at the campsite. (For those who don't know the two in the photo are Matt and Naomi Bird)


Spacedog (Nick Wright) being a kangaroo.

The intense game of pick up sticks...check out the concentration....
And it looks like birdman is sticking his stick up Rod's nose....