Posted in 11: Malaysia by Jeff Bray on 5/20/2012
This month I am once again teaching English with a little bit of painting thrown into the mix. It is a fairly laid back month but it certainly brings a different aspect that I have yet to experience on the Race. We are in the town of Gua Musang and helping at a center that specializes in teaching English and character building. The center is run by Christians but because of the heavy Muslim influence, they are not able to openly share that with the public without having their ministry affected. Because of this, our experience in ministry this month feels different. We are not allowed to wear any Christian clothing, say the name of Christ, or talk about anything that would lead people to believe we are Christian. It really makes you appreciate the freedom we have in America. Not that it is illegal to talk about Christ here, because it isn't. But it is the fact that the community can have such a powerful impact on Christians.
Some of the girls playing chess
The owners of the center have to be creative in the way they minister to the students. Students come from mainly Muslim and Buddhist families and so they focus on showing them love through actions and teaching them how to live a moral life. Hopefully through time the kids and their parents will begin to ask questions and lead them into conversations about Christ. Please be praying for the center and all the students that come through. God can do some awesome things in this community!
Below is a glimpse of my weekly schedule with some pics. The reason my schedule isn't that packed is because the classes are divided amongst the seven members of my team. We each have our class times and stick with the same ones for the month. I am also working on a promotional video for the center which is what I work on when I am not teaching.
Monday:
• 3-4pm (Tutoring kids in History and Geography)
Tuesday:
• Nothing. I sometimes help with other classes if needed or work on the video.
Wednesday:
• 4-6pm (Teach English to 9-11 year olds)
Thursday:
• 11-Noon (Tutoring kids in History and Geography)
• 5:30-7:30pm (Teaching English to 5-7 year olds)
• 8-10pm (Teaching English to 9-11 year olds)
Reading with some of the kids
Friday:
• 11:30-12:30 (Tutoring a kid in Science)
Saturday:
• Work day at the center (painting, cleaning, ect.)
Painting the outside of the center
Sunday:
• Off Day (So far we have gone caving and to a tea plantation called the Cameron Highlands)
Team at the Cameron Highlands
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Posted in 10: Cambodia by Jeff Bray on 5/11/2012
I have arrived safely in Malaysia and I will post a blog about what we are doing here soon. Below is a blog about our time at the killing fields in Cambodia. Lindsey wrote the blog and I took the photos. I hope it gives you a new understanding on what the country has been through and why us teaching English to the kids is such a big deal and a blessing from God.
The Killing Fields. Sounds intense, right? There are over 300 hundred so called "Killing Fields" throughout the country of Cambodia. During the 1970s a Communist dictatorship had control of the country, in an effort to create equality among all the people of Cambodia everyone was forced to move out into the country side and become rice or other crop producers. Anyone who had an advanced degree, wore glasses (because they made people look intelligent), or in any way seemed "above" others was put in prison and killed. One-fourth of the population of Cambodia died during the reign of the Khmer Rouge (the Red Khmer- Red for Communism, Khmer for the native people of Cambodia). Tens of thousands were murdered as political threats, but many died of disease and starvation because of forced labor. The people of Cambodia are still suffering the effects of this genocide; they are decades behind their neighboring countries in almost all academic, medical, and technological fields. Most of the country doesn't have electricity, paved roads, good schools, or even access to medical care.
Skulls of the victims.
In order to remember the people killed by the Khmer Rouge the current Cambodia government has documented and memorialized some of the previous killing fields, turning them into a place to learn and reflect on this time in Cambodia's history. My teammates and I visited one of these killing fields outside of Phnom Penh, Choeung Ek. Thousands of people were killed in just this one killing field, men, women, children, government officials, soldiers of the Khmer Rouge, and even a few foreigners. One of the 80 mass graves contains the remains of over 100 women and children, the women with no clothing, and the babies with heads smashed in from being beaten against a tree next to the grave.
Clothes found in the mass graves.
Gruesome thoughts, but it was a reality so many of the people of Cambodia. None of the victims were killed using guns, (bullets were too expensive) so they were bludgeoned in the head with various farming equipment or had their throats slit using palm branches and then covered with DDT just in case some of them were buried alive. We listened to story after story of murder, rape, and torture as we walked around this now peaceful field that is the resting place for so many. Bones and clothing continue to be exposed as more of the soil washes away each rainy season, almost like a continued reminder of what happened in this place.
Bones and cloth that have surfaced recently from one of the grave sites.
We then visited a prison called S-21 where prisoners were held chained to the ground in tiny cells, or strapped to bed frames and tortured for hours and days at a time until they confessed to whatever crimes they had been accused of. After their confession they were transferred to the previously mentioned killing field and brutally murdered with farm equipment.
Political prisoners as well as every day people were held here: men, women, and children. When a prisoner was found to be guilty of whatever crimes they had been accused of their entire family was then killed as well to prevent anyone being able to bring revenge on the Khmer Rouge in later years for the death of family members.
Some of the victims of the Khmer Rouge.
The children we taught in our English classes are the future of this country. Some of these children want so badly to learn more; they show up early for class so they can hear us speak English to the other classes. These children have so much to do, and so little preparation. I pray over this country and its next generation as they continue to rebuild their nation, as they grow and develop into the doctors, government workers, lawyers, business owners, pastors, and parents of Cambodia that the Lord will bless them, that He will make Himself known in that country and that He will wash over that whole nation with His mercy and grace. There is so much potential in Cambodia, I've seen just a small example in our village, but what I see gives me hope, gives me faith in the Lord's plan for them and their nation.
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Posted in 10: Cambodia by Jeff Bray on 5/7/2012
First, I would like to say that it is day number 300 on the Race!
Ok, now to the good stuff. As you may have guessed, I was without internet this month so I will do my best to summarize month 10 for you in Cambodia. I have decided that I will give you a rundown of the month by giving you a breakdown of our daily schedule since each day was pretty much the same.
But first, here is some general info about my month. This month was one of the most primitive/difficult months regarding our living conditions which were the most challenging part of the month. It was the hottest month on the Race and there was no escaping it. We slept on the floor in a church (a fairly nice one room church) in the town. Our beds consisted of mosquito nets draped over plastic chairs. We had no running water which meant we had squatty potties and bucket showers (but hey, at least the squatty potties where porcelain!). We also had no electricity except from 8-11pm which was an adventure in itself. This meant we only had usage of fans during that time. Add to the fact that the mosquitos stayed out to attack ALL day long and you have a month that tested all of us. With that said, I would say it was one of my top three enjoyable months on the Race.
The church we stayed in all month
On another note, if you ever wanted to know what it is like to be a celebrity then you should visit this place. As we would walk down the street every child would shout “hello, hello, hello!” until we were out of site. This wasn't a one-time occurrence either. The same kids would do it EVERYDAY. On many occasions we would have several kids following us to wherever we went which was fun. Everyday kids would gather around our church and wait for us to come and play with them or give them some attention. The people here are also super friendly and anytime you looked at them and smiled you were guaranteed a smile back.
High-Fives all around!
As for ministry, we taught three English classes a day to the kids in the area. We also did some house visits but we mainly did the teaching. Outside of our set ministry some of us made our own ministry for the month by investing and spending time with the neighborhood kids. Most of their families are Buddhist and discourage them from Christianity but their families were always smiling and happy when they saw us hanging out with their kids. Hopefully that opens a door for the local pastor to witness to the families further.
 Teaching
So that's enough of that. Here is the basic rundown of the day:
8:30-9:00am Breakfast at our contacts house. We ate outside for all of our meals.
9:00-11:30am Time to rest, do laundry (by hand), or go on house visits depending on what pastor had planned. The house visits were to members of the local church. We would encourage them as many of them were the only Christian in their family and faced emotional persecution by them almost daily.
11:30-12:30pm Teach English class. This was a blast! We taught from a curriculum and we had fun helping them learn while also teaching them about things that they have no concept of (ex: snow). I showed a home video of snow back in Ohio and they were all amazed that something like that existed. How else could I explain the vocab words in the book like snowboard, skis, and ice skates, lol.
My 11:30 kids
12:30-1:30pm Eat lunch. Always delicious!
1:30-5:00pm Go to the river (an everyday occurrence and most of the time there were cows chilling in the water with us), play with the neighborhood kids, and rest in my hammock.
Walk to the river
5:00-7:00pm Teach two more English classes. Again, super fun.
7:00-8:00pm Eat dinner. Yum!
8:00-11:00pm ELECTRICITY time! With fans! During this time we would spend time as a team and watch some movies, take our bucket showers and charge electronics.
As for our final month of ministry, we will be flying from Cambodia to Malaysia on May 9th. I do know our town and what we will be doing but because Malaysia is a sensitive Muslim country, I will wait to talk with our contact on the information I can share publicly. It is an “open” country but for the safety of his ministry we need to be careful what we share.
Love you all and I will see you soon!
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Posted in 10: Cambodia by Jeff Bray on 4/14/2012
That's right. Here in Cambodia it's the holiday season and it recently turned the year 2556! Because of the holidays, our squad has spent the past days in Siem Reap, Cambodia relaxing because our ministry sites do not need us until the holidays are over. It has been a much needed rest that the Lord has blessed us with!
We had fun exploring the ruins of Angkor Wat in addition to relaxing and catching up with each other after being separated last month due to manistry. I am back with my old team and beginning the 16th we will be working with the Kampong Cham Children's home in central Cambodia. I don't know much more than that, but please be praying for us and our ministry. As is the usual case, I am not sure if I will have internet this month so I will do the best I can to keep you updated!
God Bless!
Angkor Wat at sunrise. It was such a beautiful and fun day!
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Posted in 09: Thailand by Jeff Bray on 4/7/2012
Well Manistry is now over and it's sad to see it go. We all grew in many ways this month and we are looking forward to bringing what we learned back to our teams. We will be leaving for Cambodia on Monday so please be praying for safe travel.
This past week we were in Mae Sariang which is a town close to the Burma border. We helped clean and paint and then we went for a two day trip down river (the river separating Thailand from Burma) to a small village. We played soccer, spent time with the kids, and prayed. It was an awesome week.
Below is a video highlighting Manistry month. Enjoy and Happy Easter!
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Posted in 09: Thailand by Jeff Bray on 4/1/2012
I want to thank you all for your prayers this past week. We really enjoyed our time along the border and it meant a lot to have you interceding for us while we ourselves have spent time praying for the Burmese people. The elections have now concluded in Burma and all seems to have gone well. Aung San Suu Kyi is said to have won a seat in the parliament which is a praise and will hopefully be a step towards democracy in Burma.
Photo I took of a Karen girl in their traditional face paint outside of the refugee camp
We have been back in Chiang Mai for a couple of days to relax and then we will be heading towards the border to the town of Mae Sariang. This past week we were in the border town of Mae Sot and we were able to finish sanding and staining two houses at Life Impact that will soon be the girl's home. It was such a blessing to serve there and interact with all of the children while we worked. Many of them assisted us and I will have to admit that most of them did a much better job than I did :)
All of us in front of the house we sanded and stained
Last week we also visited a Burmese refugee camp and met some teens (ages 13-20) who escaped the oppression in Burma. Some of them had to walk 5 days to reach Thailand and they have witnessed things that we can hardly imagine. It was humbling to interact with these kids but it was also encouraging to hear them speak on their futures. Many of them wanted to be teachers, doctors, and even singers. All of them with the mindset to going back to help their people.
Photo with the teens
On Friday we had the opportunity to cross the border into Burma and spend time in prayer and intercession for the country. We spent about 3 hours praying for God's light to spread and declaring Burma His. It was an honor for us to be there at such a crucial time for the country and we have no doubt that God had us there, at that time, for a reason. It was a time that was special for me and I know God has great things planned for this nation.
At the border entering Burma (The alternate name for Burma is Myanmar)
Karen people in Burma
As for some fun, we have gone to several waterfalls, rode some elephants and a bamboo raft down a river. I rode a full size elephant but the picture below is of me riding the baby. It looks like we are both falling over but I can assure you that I was the only one to fall :)
Again, thank you all for your prayers.
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Posted in 09: Thailand by Jeff Bray on 3/31/2012
Witnessing the woman give her money to the blind man was the beginning to an eye-opening night. What came next helped us men realize what our girls have been dealing with this month and helped us understand the reality of the sex industry.
All of us guys spent time in prayer and decided to do a prayer walk through the red light district of Chiang Mai where some of our girls have been doing ministry. Before we even stepped foot into the district I had a conversation with a man that shows the desperate need for Christ in this country.
I was sitting in a little plaza with some of the guys and we were conversing with a couple of other men (one from Poland and the other from the States). Both of them were drunk and I listened to the guy from the States talk about how he hated being married and that his in-laws were a huge annoyance (he has been in Thailand for five years because he married a Thai woman). He talked about other random stuff and then his focus shifted to two young (they were clearly 13-15 years old) white girls looking at items on a market booth with their mom. He made some crude comments and implied that he would love it. One of us made the comment that they seemed a little young and his response was; “I just imagine they're 18”. We gave disapproving looks and then the conversation shifted back into drunken randomness. It was sad to see a married man openly not care about his wife and the innocence of those girls. With that said, I did not hate him, but I felt sorry for him and I prayed for clarity in his mind and for the anger and pain to be lifted from him. It was only the beginning to what we would see in the district.
As we walked down the street lined with bars and massage parlors we could feel the darkness and oppression. There were prostitutes sitting in the front wearing provocative clothing and putting on a smile trying to entice us men in. We simply smiled, prayed, said “hi”, and then continued on. We saw middle-aged men openly making out with the girls with no shame. That was the thing. There is no shame here. Men openly walk down the street with the girls and don't care what people think. It's crazy!
Some of the prostitutes would grab our arms and try to give us a light tug into their bar as we passed by. What is their story? How long have they been trapped into this lifestyle? These were some of the thoughts that went through my mind as I looked into their eyes.
We walked up and down the street a couple of times praying for the girls, for the men, and for the children that are subjected to this crap. Young boys would be selling food, gum and other things on the street like vendors at a baseball game. Is this the kind of place for a boy to grow-up in and be exposed to? Heck no!
Towards the end of our prayer walk we turned down a side alley that was lined with more bars. The lights were dimmed, the music was loud, and there were many pool tables and plenty of spaces to sit. The girls were changing their posture as they saw us coming, putting on a fake smile and giving us compliments. A sad sight to say the least.
As we continued to walk down this alley we saw one of the most heartbreaking things we have ever seen. To our left sat a heavy-set white man (in his 50's or 60) on a small couch. He was surrounded by several prostitutes who were smiling and laughing with him. Humoring him I am sure. On his lap sat a 5-6 year old Thai girl. Sickening, yes. And believe me, it wasn't the innocent looking male figure with a child. She had a bouquet of flowers in her hand that we assume were from him. She seemed happy but she probably doesn't know any better. If you could see this atmosphere, you would understand that that little girl shouldn't have been even close to this place. All I could do was look and pray. Pray that the little girl would not be hurt. That she would be free from the slavery and bondage of that place. Pray for the man that he would realize his actions and come back to his heavenly Father who loves him more than those prostitutes ever could. It is a sight that will be burned into my mind for as long as I live. A reminder that they need us. They need my prayers.
In addition to that, we saw many prostitutes that looked no older than 15 or 16 playing pool dressed in clothing no one should wear. So much darkness, so little that us guys could do in the moment. What we could do was pray and intercede for both the girls and the men. We could take what we saw and tell it to others so that they too could be praying. Nothing is more powerful than that!
I can't imagine how our girls can witness this scene every night and still be strong enough to keep going. Tonight made me admire them and I thank God that He is giving them the strength and abilty to walk in those bars every night and bring the Kingdom.
I thank God for tonight. I thank Him that I was able to see our broken world without a filter and pray. Was I a little angry? Yes. But I mostly felt a peace and hope that God is moving no matter how dark it seemed. I did not hate these men but felt bad for them. They are in need of the love of Christ and they, like the girls, are children of the living God who He loves very much. I pray that they may find the way back to their heavenly Father who can rescue them from their dark place.
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…” - 1 Peter 3:12
OUR GOD SAVES
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Posted in 09: Thailand by Jeff Bray on 3/31/2012
Before I post a blog about our past week of MANistry, I want to tell you about the night I had on the streets of Chiang Mai.
Several days ago I walked out of a 7/11 store and a little girl came up to me begging for money. I gave her some of the change I had in my pocket and continued on to our guest house. The next day, as we were praying at a church in Burma, I remembered that girl and felt like I could have done more. I could have gone into the store and bought her food. It was a small thought, but I felt that the next time I came across something like that I would take more of a tangible action.
Skip ahead to tonight and I saw a mother and her young son and daughter begging on the front steps of a Burger King. They are visibly poor and seem to be homeless. Clearly depending on the donations from those passing by. I saw this same woman a little over a week ago when we were in Chiang Mai and I immediately knew that this was my chance to act.
But before I approached her, I witnessed something that was one of the most humbling things I have ever seen. A blind man was shaking his donation cup as he slowly walked down the sidewalk. People walking quickly past him as he sang and waited for the sound of the coins to hit his metal can. Now, the woman that I have described in front of Burger King took some money out of her cup, gave it to her daughter (about age 5) and told her to put the coins in the old man's cup. Crazy! They took what little they had and blessed that man even if it meant losing money crucial to their daily living.
Well after witnessing that act, I was even more determined to buy food for this family. I approached her and asked her if she would like some food. She said yes and I asked if three hamburgers would be ok for her and her kids. She said yes again and so I went inside and purchased three hamburgers. I came back outside and gave her the bag and told her God Bless. She was so thankful! I have never felt more humbled or joyful than I did in that moment. I love how you can see God in the everyday, mundane times in life. I guess it goes to show that if we take the time to stop and look for God, we WILL see Him.
The woman and her kids (She agreed to the photo)
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Posted in 09: Thailand by Jeff Bray on 3/22/2012
We have arrived at the border town on Mae Sot. On our first day here we went to Life Impact International (http://www.lifeimpactintl.org/#/home). To tell you who they are and what they do I have copied the following from their website:
Our mission is
TO CHANGE A LIFE,
WHICH IN TURN HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE THE WORLD
We accomplish this through...
PREVENTion programs for "at-risk" children and youth, displaced peoples,
refugees and orphans.
RESCUE-ing children sold into prostitution or child slavery and those who are
victims of abuse, abandonment or extreme poverty.
HEALing the lives of orphans, soldiers, women and men through outreaches, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, children's homes and orphanages.
We will be spending the next couple of days there working on some projects such as staining and sanding. We have also been able to have some interaction with the kids which has been cool. Simply hearing their stories is heart-breaking and they could really use your prayers.
The kids need our prayers.
One of the girls we learned about is a 4 year old named Lilah. The first two years of her life were spent in prison with her mother. This is because there are laws that allow the mothers to keep their kids in prison with them until the age of two and her mother was in prison for that time in her life. Also, her diet consisted mostly of chocolate (my kind of kid, lol) and when she arrived at Impact she was always wondering where all the chocolate was. I am happy to say that she is now a smiling and beautiful child with possibilities ahead of her. Simply watching her and the joy that she has is something that makes you realize that we do have a God of hope and love. Below is a picture of me with Lilah (left) and another girl from the home. Please pray for the kids at Impact and future kids as they need our intercession.
The Burmese people need our prayers.
The election for a potentially new leader will be in about a week and the people are hoping that Aung San Suu Kyi (who is a women that was placed under house arrest for about 20 years and was recently released in 2010) will be elected. She is the hope for the people right now in their attempts to rid themselves of the military regime that now oppresses them. Pray that God's will will play out and that positive things will result from the elections because there is the potential for violence, chaos, and corruption. God is bigger than any military regime and let's all join in prayer to free a nation in desperate need of that freedom.
Our girls and the women of the sex trade need our prayers.
Pray for strength, wisdom, and discernment as our girls enter the bars to bring hope, freedom and the love of Jesus to these women enslaved in the sex tourism industry. I encourage you to check out my teammate's blogs below and read about their experiences and pray for them. You can also support them financially as they can take the girls out for a night to invest and speak life into them.
http://amandahoward.theworldrace.org/
http://jamosandemilymitchell.theworldrace.org/
http://lindseycook.theworldrace.org/
http://oliviagill.theworldrace.org/
http://allysinpryzeny.theworldrace.org/
Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. To my girls I want to say that I am praying for you and I know that you have the boldness, strength and love to show those girls the Kingdom of God. I love you and know that us guys are praying for you nightly. I can't wait to hear your awesome testimonies when we get back together in a couple of weeks.
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Posted in 09: Thailand by Jeff Bray on 3/20/2012
Before I discuss things going on here in Thailand, I want to tell you about when I will be coming home to the U.S. I will be landing at LAX (Los Angeles) on June 9, 2012 at 6:50pm. It is amazing to have an official date for the end of the Race. I guess it makes it real that this journey will come to an end but hey, it just leads right into another journey right? I look forward to seeing you all!
Ok. Now for Thailand:
We arrived in Chiang Mai early on Monday morning and we have had a couple of days to rest and see some of the town before we go to the border town of Mae Sot for 5-6 days. It is there where we will jump into ministry by interacting with the Karen people group from Burma. We could be doing anything from helping the locals with projects to playing with the kids at their refugee children's home. All of us men are looking forward to learning these people's stories and encouraging them with the love of Christ.
After our time in Mae Sot we will return to Chiang Mai for a couple of days and then head to the town of Mae Sariang. I am not sure how internet will be at those locations but I hope to update you as much as I can. Below is a little more information on the Karen from our ministries website. I hope that it will provide you with a better understanding on the situation and who we will be working with this month.
Many Karen people have migrated over the years in to Thailand from Burma. The main reason so many have moved into Thailand is because of the genocide and attacks of the Burmese military government. It has been stated that the goal of the government is to exterminate or assimilate the Karen and other ethnic groups by the year 2012. This tyrannical regime goes into villages and kills, rapes, steals, and kidnaps children who often are forced into the military. The Karen and other people groups are herded and hunted in many ways. The regime seeks to dominate, and relocate the mountain people, and find it difficult to tax and control them. Many Karen consider it civil disobedience to maintain their way of life in the remote areas where they have lived for hundreds of years. It is difficult for agricultural villagers to defend themselves and their families against the military regime that spends 70% of their tax revenue on arming the military which has no external enemies. Karen villagers often only want peace and to be able to raise and educate their children in the village. Please pray for Karen families who are run out of their villages with gun fire at their backs looking for a safe place to live. Many villagers have no choice but to cross into refugee camps along the Thailand border.
Please be praying for us and our interactions with these people. Pray that God's presence will be felt and that many will find their peace and rest in Him.
On a lighter note, on our day off here in Chiang Mai, us men were able to visit a waterfall in the Thai jungle. We had lunch, climbed the falls and watched Josh get bit by a tree viper. It was a fun day and we made a quick video of the experience which you can watch below. What isn't told in the video is that the snake was not actually dead until we killed it again down the road. We realized this when it started slithering on the floor, lol. We promptly pulled over and I smashed its head with a rock thus making it officially dead. And that is just the beginning to MANistry.
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