Lori Florida

After 3 days of hard work our team was ready to spend Saturday sightseeing.  Dave and Diane had a great day planned for us.  It is important for our team to work hard and be able to see ministries from the inside out.  It is also important for them to be able to experience the culture of the country and have a chance to fall in love with a new, unfamiliar place.  Far more than 50% of full time missionaries have been on short term trips in the past.  Our hope for the teens that we take overseas on these trips is that the fear of the unfamiliar will lose it’s power.  That they will suddenly be able to envision themselves being happy in a place other than the one they call home now so that if God calls them overseas they can face it with adventure adrenaline instead of shaking knees.  We also want them to see the needs of the world face to face and realize that they have something to offer those needs. And we hope that the time they spend laughing with and watching our missionaries will i

Our team arrived in Chiang Rai at lunchtime Wednesday (midnight Tuesday EST) after a very short night’s sleep the night before in Bangkok.  On minimal sleep over those 48 hours of globetrotting, our team hit the ground running in Chang Rai.  Dave and Diane treated the team to a local favorite, Cow Soy, for lunch.  It seemed our team had a love/hate relationship with the Cow Soy.  It’s spice was a challenge for a few tummies but most bravely tried it and many found a new favorite. Our next stop was CFPM - Children and Family Prison Ministry.  The Fords have partnered with Alung, a local Akha man, and his wife who have started CFPM to address the needs of children whose parents are in prison.  Alung grows, roasts and sells coffee in order to care for 11 children who wouldn’t have a loving home without CFPM.  They have a vision to not only care for the children but also facilitate and support family reunification when the parents are released.  They are working on new buildings that incl