Team Possible

GREAT NEWS!!!

2012-01-11T22:56:00.004-06:00

Our itineration cycle of raising support is almost over! We just got news from AGWM that we are officially at 98% of our monthly support needed. We only need approximately $150.00/month in new support. We do have several people that have committed to give but have not yet sent their money in, so please keep them in your prayers that they would be able to follow through with their pledges. Though we have enjoyed our time here among friends and family, it is time to move towards the next chapter God has in store for us. Thank you to all of you who have stood by us through first term and our time here in the US!

Our support base and prayer networks are growing and we expect great things to come! We have applied for our visas and we are drawing closer to the day we can buy our tickets. In order to purchase tickets, we are still in need of $15,000 which covers airfare, visas, travel in country, moving expense and initial living expenses for our family of 5. Please continue to pray as we are needing this money to be sent in to AGWM by the end of this month. The price of tickets are steadily increasing, so the sooner we can buy the tickets, the better.

If you are interested in what we will be doing this next term, please feel free to read What's Next on our Blog.

We so appreciate you and are grateful to be your hands to the people of Thailand!

With much love,

Team Possible

The Scott Family

Prayer for Team Possible

2011-10-27T09:03:00.000-05:00

Friends of Team Possible,

We are so blessed to have such a great group of people that support and encourage our family in this Ministry - we are incredibly grateful! What a wonderful team we all make together! Thank you for all you do to make our ministry possible!

We have a deadline coming up to get our funding in place to go back to Thailand and want to give you an opportunity to be a part of what we are doing.

We are so excited for our new ministry in Thailand. We will be working in the northern tribal regions sharing the love of Christ through economic and community development to improve quality of life. As their physical needs are being met, we plan to build relationships and establish home bible study groups and churches. We strongly believe this will make a huge difference in the prevention of the Human trafficking that is using these poor, uneducated villages as a harvest ground.

Could you please pray about committing to give monthly to our ministry. If you feel led to give, please e-mail (troy.scott@agmd.org) us with the amount and your address so we can add you to our supporters list. I can fill out all the paper work. Or if your prefer, you can complete the forms at the following links below. You may also give monthly using a debit or credit card. Thank you so much

Monthly Giving Form

Monthly credit/debit card donation

Secure Online Gift

If you are already giving and would like to continue to give, please respond as well in order for us to keep our records current.

Thank you again for all you do and are willing to do in order for Team Possible to be able to continue our ministry to Thailand.

Together We CAN!

Love from the Scott Family,
Troy, Cheryl , Nathaniel, Naomi and Natalie!

Team Possible

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Slave Trade in Thailand...We can make a difference.

2011-07-10T16:22:00.004-05:00

We believe we can make a difference.

The problems that face the rural tribal people in Northern, Thailand run deep. Animism, drug and alcohol abuse, lack of education & self worth, along with poverty, leave many with a feeling of hopelessness. Many families who struggle with these issues, in desperation, turn to selling their own children as a source of income in hopes of easing their financial burden.

Our plan is to go into these villages and focus on meeting “felt” needs in order to build relationships. While our teams are in the villages, we also plan to work with the village to find a viable source of income. We will then work to bring education into the villages and encourage them to share with other villages what God has done for them. After doing some basic community projects we will begin holding “quest” meetings to let the villages know why we came and answer any questions they have about us and Christianity. Once we see peoples hearts turning to Christ, we will turn these meetings to bible studies and eventually church plants.

Together we can make this vision a reality. Will you help send us?

Please Pray about helping us begin this new ministry to Thailand’s rural poor. Email troy.scott@agmd.org

Team Possible

The Scott Family

A Taste of Thailand - TONIGHT

2011-06-25T09:22:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that the Taste of Thailand event is tonight at 5:00pm at Maranatha Church. Please lift this event up in prayer – AND come if you can!

Take the opportunity to get A Taste of Thailand by trying delicious food (we have hot dogs available as well) watching live music and Authentic Thai dancers, taking a walk down the night bazaar where you can buy hand made local and international products and get a quick manicure or foot massage.

There is also a closed bid auction that features a 3 day/2 night stay at the Lodge on the Yellow River for up to 9 people, valued at over $600.

Every $10/mo commitment given, you will receive an entry into a separate drawing for a 3 day/2 night stay at the Lodge on the Yellow River, also a $600+ value. ( $50./mo = 5 entries)

Thank you Lodge owner Larry Beyer for your generous donation. The Lodge on Yellow River

Please come and bring all your family, friends and neighbors. It is going to be a fantastic night you will LOVE!
Maranatha Church is located on Forest Blvd (Hwy 61) just a mile north of Forest Lake. (From I-35 heading N – take Hwy 8 exit and go N. Take first exit ( immediate left, 1st right, left at stoplight). on 61. Coming from the north Take Wyoming Exit (go E – left to Hwy 61 (Forest Blvd) and turn S – right)

If you have questions or need further direction, please call Troy 651-230-8002.

It is a night you won't forget!!! See you there!

Newsletter & Pray Requests

2011-06-22T13:02:00.000-05:00

Friends of Team Possible -

We are so blessed to have such a great group of people that support and encourage our family in our Ministry! What a wonderful team we all make together! Thank you for all you do to make our ministry possible! These last couple of weeks God has blessed us incredibly with so many people willing to help and serve at our fundraiser. Many generous individuals have stepped up and gifted us with some amazing items for our Closed Bid Auction as well and we are so thankful. God is amazing.

Prayer Requests: With our benefit coming up on June 25, we wanted to ask that you take a moment to lift a few things up in prayer.

1. Volunteers. We need a few more volunteers - the more we have, the smoother everything will go.

2. Advertising... We need to keep getting the word out there. We think this is going to be the talk of the town - and nobody will want to miss it!
3. Auction – That people would have the ability to be generous on their bids– the more money we raise – the quicker we can get back to Thailand!

4. Pledges – We only need $2000/mo. If we get all of our pledges in by the end of the month – we will be able to purchase our Tickets back to Thailand!

Exciting News: Anyone who commits to give a minimum of $10 a month will be entered into a drawing for a 3 day/2 night stay at the Lodge on the Yellow River in Danbury, WI for up to 9 people, valued at $600.00. (See photo below. Click the picture or link to view Lodge details) For every additional $10/mo, you are given an additional entry. $50.00/month = 5 entries. (Travel to and from Lodge and personal expenses are not included.) Thank you to Lodge owner Larry Beyer for this wonderful gift and incentive to give, we are so blessed. You must notify us by e-mail and have your first check or Debit/Credit Card Withdrawal form received by AGWM on July 15 in order for your pledge to qualify for the drawing. Already a financial partner? –You can still qualify for the drawing. Just send us a note telling us that you are wanting to continue to give along with the amount you are committing to give and you will automatically be entered! E-mails must be received by July 15 in order to qualify.

If you would like to be a part of our team by giving monthly, or a one time cash donation please go to one of easy to follow links below:

Monthly Giving Form

Monthly credit/debit card donation

Secure Online Gift

Thank you again for all you do and are willing to do in order for Team Possible to be able to continue our ministry to Thailand.

Together We CAN!

Love from the Scotts,
Troy, Cheryl , Nathaniel, Naomi and Natalie!

Team Possible Blog

Team Possible Prayer & Praise Update

2011-06-18T12:33:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the Scott Family!

First, we want to thank you so much for your continued support for our families journey back to Thailand. We couldn't possibly be where we are without you all. Your prayers and encouragement mean the world to us and we are honored to have you as a part of our team!

Praise Reports:

We have so enjoyed being back in the States this last year. We have travelled to 4 states, spoke in over 70 churches, met and visited with over 90 pastors. This last month alone, we had 13 new churches commit to giving to us – Praise God. We have been so blessed to have opportunities to share how God used us in Thailand along with the vision for the future, to meet wonderful new people, and reconnect with friends and family that we hadn't seen or hugged in over 3 years!
All of our travels have been wonderful and safe. Thank you so much for those of you who have been praying for those areas – God has been so faithful!
The kids just completed their 11th grade (Nathaniel) and 7th Grade (Naomi) years in school with both of them doing extremely well academically and made some wonderful new friends – thank your for your prayers for that area as well!
5 churches are excited about sending teams to work with our ministry – and funding any project they work on. God is so faithful – we can't wait to get back and get started!

Prayer Requests:

Our pledge drive begins next week. We only need $2000/month and $31,000 cash to come in by the End of July so we have time to purchase our Airline tickets to return by the end of August. Please pray that God will touch individuals hearts and compel them to give. With Him – anything is possible – even in this economy!
Please pray for CHEAP airline tickets!!!
ATaste of Thailand Benefit next Saturday. There are several areas of prayer:

This is going to be an AMAZING event – and if we have enough volunteers AND attendees – this could very well be what gets us back to Thailand by this August. Will you join us in prayer for these things?

Again, thank you so much for your commitment to Team Possible. We wouldn't be here without your continued prayer and financial support. May God overwhelm you with his blessings as you continue to serve with us!

Serving Him together,

Team Possible

Troy and Cheryl Scott

Prayer for Team Possible and A Taste of Thailand Benefit

2011-06-03T13:29:00.001-05:00

Friends of Team Possible - we are so blessed to have such a great group of people that support and encourage our family in this Ministry - we are incredibly grateful! What a wonderful team we all make together! Thank you for all you do to make our ministry possible!

A quick praise report. Troy had a fantastic couple of Trips down to Alabama and Florida last month. In the process, 10 churches picked us up for support as well as the possibility for 5 more. Plus, 3 churches from Minnesota. We haven't heard the amounts yet, so are excitedly anticipating what that means for our return date in August. God is so good and we give Him all the credit – He is amazing!

I am sending this e-mail to all of our supporters as we have a HUGE benefit coming up on June 25 at Maranatha in Wyoming, MN. There are many of you who don't live near us, but I wanted to give you an opportunity to be a part of it, even if it is only through your prayers for our needs.

The benefit is coming up quickly and there are a few things that you could do that would REALLY help this benefit be a Huge SUCCESS. Please let us know if you are able to help with any of the following areas.
1. Volunteer at the event - set up, decorate, cook, help with kids, clean up.... The more volunteers we get, the quicker and easier everything will go – we will even accept help from the youth!
2. Advertising... We need to get the word out there. Would you be willing to spread the word by posting our event on your face book page, and sending out an e-mail to all your local friends and family... AND talking it up amongst your friends - even if you aren't able to be there yourself. Also, would you be willing to invite people to the Event from the FaceBook Event page (A Taste of Thailand Benefit - there are 2 event pages, but you only need to invite your friends on one of them!) We think this is going to be the talk of the town - and nobody will want to miss it!
3. Donations, If you have something FANTASTIC to donate, or you know someone who does, or have the money to buy a wonderful prize (ie: a dinner for 2 at a nice restaurant, or a weekend getaway package at a nice resort, a car ;} ) that would be WONDERFUL! We are having a Closed Bid Auction as well as a Grand Prize Give Away and are looking for some great prizes to include.

If you can help in any or ALL of those areas we would greatly appreciate it. The countdown has begun for our return and think this event could be just what we need to get us back there by August! Yahoo! We are excited to hear from you and how you may be able to help!

A couple of other quick areas of prayers are:

Safety in our travels as we continue to speak in churches around the country through the end of summer.
Finances: we still need about 20% of our monthly commitments to be signed and come in for us to leave by August.
Cash fund, we still need about $35,000 for our cash funds –( airfare, visas (temporary & work), 3 months living expenses in Thailand, etc.) to come in as well.

If you would like to be a part of our team by giving monthly, or a one time cash donation please go to one of easy to follow links below:

Monthly Giving Form

Monthly credit/debit card donation

Secure Online Gift

Thank you again for all you do and are willing to do in order for Team Possible to be able to continue our ministry to Thailand. Together We CAN!
Love from the Scotts
Troy, Cheryl , Nathaniel, Naomi and Natalie!

What's Next

2011-05-21T22:30:00.001-05:00

What’s next?

Thailand has difficulty in sustaining national Pastors in the rural areas because they can’t survive in their economy without employment outside the village. These villages are far from any place that may have employment, making it virtually impossible to afford to live.

While ministering the last couple of years, we were stirred in our hearts to think about what could ministry look like if we were to reach out to the tribal people of Thailand. During one weekend trip to a village, we had an exciting idea planted in our hearts. What if a village could have a way to make an income that could support a pastor allowing them to remain there? A new vision was born - a compassion ministry. We could help a village determine what resources it has in order to develop a source of income. A portion of the proceeds from the new income source will go towards the person running the program (the pastor) and a portion towards a community center that will also be used as a church - instilling the principle of tithing. The villagers will then be encouraged to participate in the building of their community project and will be taught to reach out to neighboring communities to help them build a stable economy as well. We believe this will work toward the elimination of the welfare mentality that has come about in many communities, and will encourage reaching out to others, another Biblical principle. We also believe that a solid income source for a community along with education of the worth of children and women, will aid in the prevention of turning to the sex slave trade as a financial option.

Without sharing our vision with anyone, Troy was approached and asked to be the liaison to the tribal people in the northern region of Thailand when we return this term. There are many missionaries that are ministering throughout Thailand, but none from our organization are currently working with the northern tribal people. What an exciting answer to prayer.

The wheels are in motion for our return to Thailand in August. It is essential that we return as quickly as possible. We were able to find a christian family to sublease our house in Thailand until the middle of July of this year. If we aren’t able to return, we could lose the lease to the house but more importantly, jeopardize all of our possessions in it. In addition, this coming school year is Nathaniel’s last year of high school. He greatly desires to be able to graduate with his friends in Thailand, and as his parents we would love to see this happen.

As we continue to walk in faith, would you consider becoming a prayer and financial partner with us?

Building His Kingdom Together,

The Scott Family

TEAM POSSIBLE

Team Possible's First Term Highlights

2011-04-21T22:10:00.001-05:00

Scott Family Ministry to Thailand

* Began Thai children’s church w/12 volunteers. (Within 9 months Cheryl handed over ministry to a Thai National)

* Taught English 1 day a week for 1 year to Thai children ages 5-9 as an outreach to the local families.

* Outreaches to Karen Hill Tribe people and the Hope House Children's home.

* Started coffee shop ministry (handed off to Thai national within 11 months)

* Hosted a couple & several teams from the Minnesota, Wisconsin & Tennessee.

* Cheryl led worship at AGMF Conference.

* Cheryl spoke at a Thai church for Thai Mother’s Day

* Taught English to a Thai girl now attending college in Wisconsin (We have had several opportunities to have her to our home while here in the states - including Christmas where we were able to share with her the REAL meaning of why we celebrate!)

Completed Building Projects

2 Bible School dorm rooms
Ceiling for girls dorm at Children’s Home
Built a Coffee Shop (ministry to Univ. students)
Built a boys dorm for a Children’s Home
Painted the Inside of existing church
Kitchen cupboards for aThai Pastor’s home
Retaining wall around foundation for Akha village church
New church building for a second Akha village
Painted school house in Karen Village
Consulted on new construction of church in Southern Thailand.
Consulted on remodel of MIME Center in Bangkok

Team Possible Update

2011-04-21T21:44:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the Scott Family!

Happy Spring...I think!

Here is the latest newsletter from the Scott family. As always, we hope that you are enjoying receiving our updates. However, if you are receiving these letters and wish to be removed, please let me know and I will take care of it.

We have a couple of prayer needs if you wouldn't mind interceding on our behalf.

Travel:

One of the biggest needs we have right now is for speaking engagements and appointments with Pastors. It is required that we speak in 8 churches a month – and this time of year it is VERY difficult for churches to squeeze missionaries into their already full services. Please pray for God's guidance, direction and divine appointments as we seek to share what God has done in and through us these last few years, as well as our vision and calling for the future.

Financial:

We have currently raised a little over 70% of our budget. We only need about $2500/mo in pledges and a cash budget of $29,000. We have some fund raisers in the works, so please pray that we would have people who are excited to help, step forward and that there would be an amazing turnout at each event. Please also pray that the remainder of our pledges come in so that our family can leave for Thailand as scheduled this coming August.

We also would love to add you and your needs to our prayer list. If there is anything that you need prayer for, please let us know!

As always – we thank you so much for your commitment to our team through your prayers and financial generosity. May you be blessed for all YOU do for us and our team! We love you!

Building God's Kingdom TOGETHER,

Team Possible

Cultural Differences

2011-04-05T13:08:00.002-05:00

Many People have questions about what life is like in Thailand . It is so easy to explain when it comes to food or weather, but culture on the other hand is rather difficult to explain.

So, I was thrilled to see this information because it really does explain things rather simply - but incredibly accurately.

The graphics are copyright Yang Liu, a Chinese raised in Germany. Many of these stereotypes are applicable to other eastern and western cultures.
Blue --> WesternerRed --> Asian

Confronting a Problem

Sense of Self

Weekend Activities

How to Express Anger

Queue when Waiting

Status of Leader

Relationships

Punctuality

Transportation

Images are from the book "Ost trifft West" (East meets West)

Hermann Schmidt Verlag Mainz

-Differences between Germans and Chinese

- A diary of Yang Liu

@Yang Liu Design, www.yangliudesign.com

Yang Liu was born in 1976. In age of 13, she moved with her parents to Germany. With age of 17, she started her studies at the University of Arts in Berlin. After her master degree, she worked as a designer in Singapore, London, Berlin and New York City. 2004 she has started her own design studio. While she is giving workshops and lectures on several international conferences, she was as well as teaching at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Glasgow school of Art. Her works had been awarded with several international design awards and are shown in Museums and became partof the collections.

Hope you enjoyed getting a little insight into Thailand's culture! :)

Blessings,
Team Possible

The Need for Missions in Thailand

2011-03-17T15:43:00.002-05:00

TEAM POSSIBLE NEEDS YOUR HELP

Will You join us?

Our Plan to Return to Thailand this August is in full motion, but we need your help!

God has called...we have answered...will you send us?

To join our team click the monthly donations, monthly credit card donations or secure online gift to the left of the screen.

May God bless you richly as you step out in faith and give so that His purposes can be done through our ministry!

Building God's kingdom together,
Team Possible

TLC Center

2011-02-19T22:12:00.000-06:00

Slave Trade

2011-01-06T11:19:00.001-06:00

By Troy Scott

When we think of the slave trade we are ashamed at what we as a country did to innocent people who were captured, shipped and sold so that they could do hard labor that we did not want to do. Today most Americans think Slavery is in our past and for those who were shipped to these shores over a hundred years ago it is. However there is a new slave problem that we have a part in. Military bases in countries like Thailand helped create a market for a slave trade that is now bigger than that of America’s past. Sadly human trafficking in part started or at the very least increased with the demand for prostitutes in areas where America had military bases. To get an idea of how big this problem is worldwide; only the multi-billion dollar drug trade is bigger when it comes to illegal activity. The trade in humans is not far behind and it is taking place in almost every city in the world. Children are sold for as little as $30 into the sex trade; both girls and boys. Many are forced into using drugs, carrying drugs(Mules) and work in sweat shops or farms.

What can we do about this problem? Creating laws and prosecuting those involved is very important. Unfortunately many countries do not enforce our laws and corruption in many countries is rampant, so the biggest perpetrators get away. This makes me think the best way to minimize the problem and save many from this horrific existence is to educate the potential victims and to help communities out of the poverty that fuels this type of trade. This is not a quick fix that will eradicate the problem overnight but I would argue that change can and will happen, if we focus on the potential victims and what causes them to end up in the hands of the traffickers. Saying this, I do not feel we should ignore those caught up in the trade already but that I have a heart to see no one else get caught up in this darkness.

This is just one of the many reasons we minister in Thailand. We want to see all come to know Jesus and we want to see the hurting healed and the precious little ones safe in loving, healthy homes.

At the Foot of the Cross

2010-12-23T15:35:00.000-06:00

November Team Possible Update

2010-11-07T22:50:00.000-06:00

Seasons Greetings from Team Possible!

As we continue celebrating our Thankfulness to God and begin the Holiday season which celebrates our Saviors birth, we think it only fitting to take a moment to Thank all of you who so diligently continue to pray and give financially to our family. As we look at the journey that we have had over the past 5 years, we know that it wouldn‘t be possible for us to be where we are with out you. You are what makes all of us a team – and we know the sacrifices that you make in order for us to be the faces of Team Possible - for that, we are truly thankful. Our prayer for you is that God pour out amazing blessings on you as you continue to serve Him through your financial and prayer support!

Praise Report:

Home and Vehicles :
We were so thankful to arrive back in the states safe and sound and be greeted with the news that a couple had lovingly opened up their home to allow our family of 5 to live with them until we found something more permanent. What an amazingly generous family! After 2 months of searching, our family moved into a home in Forest Lake, MN, only a few minutes from our home church and many dear friends. At the same time, we were given back our old van as well as the loan of a second vehicle, which is wonderful considering Troy will spend most of his days on the road, potentially leaving Cheryl and the kids without a vehicle. What a wonderful provision from our Heavenly Father.

Unexpected Blessings:

Earlier this year, Cheryl was approached to teach English to a Thai friend’s cousin. We heard that this young lady would be leaving for the US to attend University for a year and needed to work on her English. Cheryl agreed and taught her for the last few months that we were in Thailand. Just before leaving, we just found that she (Kluay) would be attending University in Eau Claire, Wisconsin a couple hours from our hometown. In August, Kluay arrived and our family was able to pick her up from the Airport and care for her for a few days before we dropped her off with her Host family in Wisconsin. This last weekend, Kluay came to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with our family. We had a large family gathering, decorated gingerbread (graham cracker) houses, watched a Christmas parade, and decorated our Christmas Tree. She had a great time and coming back for Christmas. Kluay is Buddhist, so we are praying for opportunities to share the love of Christ with her and that she will come to know Him. It has been a blessings to know that God is still using us to make an impact on Thailand, even though we aren’t physically there!

Ministry:

Many people have asked us about the ministries that we started in Thailand, and what is happening with them while we are away. Our goal in ministry has always been to try to establish a strong well working ministry and then find someone with a passion for that ministry to take over. The reason that we do this, is because we never want a ministry to be completely dependant on us. With the climate of many countries being so volatile - especially surrounding Thailand, we decided that we would always try to pass on our ministry to a national within a year of starting the ministry. This way, a ministry would never have to come to a halt because we were forced to leave the country for any reason. The only exception, is our ministry to facilitate short term teams. Teams that we lead come to work on projects that we promote and will be personally working on, so we don’t feel the need to pass on the responsibilities to someone else. As for the other ministries that we started - The children’s ministry and the Coffee Shop, both are being run by Christian Thai Nationals. May times, people have a passion to help, but they just don’t know what to do. What we do is find a need, create a ministry, pass on the vision, and find a quality leader to take over. God has been faithful to find strong, faithful and committed leaders, and I believe He will continue to do so! God is Good!

Future in Thailand:
Our family is so excited about the future that God has presented to us. Before leaving Thailand, our family was asked to consider being the liaisons to the tribal people for the Thailand Assemblies of God. That excited us incredibly, as we were already feeling the pull to work more with the unreached people groups in Northern Thailand. We had already began to talk with pastors about the possibilities of focusing on the needs of the tribal people in the villages as a way to open their hearts to the Gospel. Many organizations are forcing people to convert to their “religion” in trade for help. We believe that when we share the “Love” of Christ by meeting their physical needs (ie: clean water, avenues of income for their community etc) they want to hear more about the one who sent us! We don’t need to twist their arms - they will WANT to know Him!

Prayer Requests:

Travel:
One of the biggest needs we have right now is for speaking engagements and appointments with Pastors. It is required that we speak in 8 churches a month – and this time of year it is VERY difficult for churches to squeeze missionaries into their already full services. Please pray for God’s guidance, direction and divine appointments as we seek to share what God has done in and through us these last few years, as well as our vision and calling for the future.

Financial:
We are so thankful for all of you who so diligently pray for our needs. Our biggest need right now is financial. It has been very difficult to schedule with churches to speak, but when we have, many have not taken an offerings for us, or the offerings have been very small. Our personal, business and travel expenses are running over $4000 a month, but we are only getting a little over half of that each month - simply -we are going into debt. Please pray that Churches and individuals will be willing to give in order for us to operate in the black.

As always we feel so grateful for your prayers, and we desire to lift up your needs as well if you would like. Please let us know if there are any needs and prayer requests that you have, so that we too can lift you up to our Heavenly Father! J

Thank you to all of you who have welcomed us in your homes and churches - we would never be out here without your incredible generosity. May God bless you for all you do and all the ways you serve Him.

Building God's Kingdom together,

"Team Possible"

The Scott Family

Songkran

2010-04-17T04:46:00.005-05:00

Songkran is one of our families favorite holidays here in Thailand. It is a 3 day event that celebrates the start of the Thai New Year. Songkran originates from the Thai Buddhist tradition of sprinkling holy water on elders and Buddhist statues as a symbol of spiritual cleansing. It has lost a lot of its spiritual significance with the younger generations, and has now simply turned into a huge country-wide water fight. Thais travel to large cities to participate in the huge water fights there. In Chiangmai, the city is filled with people in the backs of trucks, songtheows and standing along the streets with squirt guns, hoses and buckets of water ready to soak each other. Since this is the hottest time of the year, being doused with the water is incredibly refreshing. Our family celebrated by Troy filling up the truck bed with water, and us riding around the city soaking everyone in site, while being soaked in return. The occasional ice water being thrown on us took our breath away, but must admit, was most welcome. We had a great day of celebration and are thankful for a refreshing activity for a tremendously hot time of year!

Natalie's Hospital Stay

2010-04-09T02:57:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the kids break from school, instead of going away for a couple of days for a little R&R - we had a bit of a change in plans. Woken at 5 am from screams of pain, we rushed Natalie to the hospital for what appeared to be a relapse of a Urinary Tract Infection that she had only 10 days earlier. Thankfully, she is home and doing really well.

Thanks for all your prayers for our family!
Blessings,
The Scott Family

Update on Political situation

2010-03-15T01:11:00.001-05:00

Protests Urge Resignation of Leaders in Thailand

Wason Wanichakorn/Associated Press

Supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the ousted prime minister, gathered during a protest on Sunday in Bangkok.

By THOMAS FULLER

Published: March 14, 2010

BANGKOK — Tens of thousands of protesters poured into Bangkok on Sunday demanding that the government step down in what was one of the largest demonstrations in Thailand’s recent tumultuous history.

Convoys of farmers in pickup trucks and busloads of families wearing the protesters’ trademark red shirts blanketed a district of ministries and government offices.

“We are here to announce class warfare, in peace and for democracy,” Nattawut Saikua, a protest leader, told a roaring crowd not deterred by the scorching sun and 90-degree temperatures.

Organizers estimated the crowd at 250,000 people and said more were on the way by road and riverboat. The police estimated the number of protesters at 120,000 but said that was likely to increase. The protest leaders have vowed to continue their demonstration well into the week if their demands are not met.

In four years of political turmoil here, the divisions in Thai society have been complex and manifold. But on Sunday, protesters and their leaders portrayed the demonstration as a struggle of the poor and disaffected against a government supported and controlled by the elite.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, a former economics professor educated at Oxford, was described in speeches by protest leaders as the son of “privilege” who had evaded military service and now presided over a veiled dictatorship.

“They have never felt pain,” Mr. Nattawut said of the governing class. “We don’t have their connections, but we’re ready to die.”

Mr. Abhisit came to power in December 2008 with military backing after a court forced the dissolution of the previous government by disbanding a political party loyal to Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted in the military coup four years ago.

Mr. Abhisit’s government, which has two years left in office before it must call elections, has poured money into rural development projects, but Mr. Abhisit remains unpopular among voters in the rice-growing area of northeastern Thailand, a stronghold for Mr. Thaksin.

In his weekly television address on Sunday, Mr. Abhisit rejected the protesters’ demands to step down, calling them “unpractical.”

“I cannot accept any demand that is considered a threat,” he said. “I came to power in a constitutional way.” He added, “I have the right to complete my term.”

The depth of the distrust of the elite and the sense of victimization was on display among protesters at the rally on Sunday. Vendors sold hats that read: “Whatever you do is right. Whatever I do is wrong.”

“We’ve come to ask for justice and democracy,” said Sompaan Nhongbor, 63, a rice farmer from the northeast who drove to the protest in a pickup truck jammed with 12 people and a large bag of sticky rice to sustain themselves.

“We’re not doing this for Thaksin,” Mr. Sompaan said. “If Thaksin were a bad person, we would be chasing him out, too.”

The protesters, or redshirts, as they are called here, say they had more opportunities during the five years when Mr. Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon, was prime minister. They credit him with creating a heavily subsidized health care system and with cracking down on illegal drugs.

Voters from the northeast still speak bitterly about the 2006 military coup that ousted Mr. Thaksin, a move they say was carried out by the Bangkok establishment.

A Thai court decided in February that the government could seize $1.4 billion of Mr. Thaksin’s assets because he had used his position in government to advance his business interests.

Many here say they perceive the decision as continued persecution of Mr. Thaksin by a shadowy elite.

Mr. Thaksin addressed the rally by video on Sunday night from an undisclosed location outside Thailand, The Associated Press reported. “The people who caused the problems in the country these days are the ruling elites,” he told the crowd.

Near Parliament, there were hundreds of trucks, bearing license plates from across the rural heartland, serving as makeshift kitchens.

Many Bangkok residents say they fear the demonstrations will turn violent; some wealthier families left, while others stayed indoors. But most parts of Bangkok, a vast metropolis of about eight million people, were calm and unaffected by the protest.

Verdict Unlikely To Heal Divide

2010-02-26T11:49:00.000-06:00

Verdict on Thaksin billions unlikely to heal divide

Mr Thaksin still enjoys a loyal following in Thailand

Thailand's Supreme Court has confiscated much of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's family fortune, but, as the BBC's Vaudine England in Bangkok reports, the verdict is unlikely to end his appeal or heal the country's deep political schisms.

Back in 1976, Dr Weng Tojirakarn was a young student leader in protests that ended with the military opening fire and killing many of his fellow demonstrators.

He fled to the hills, where Thailand's Communist Party offered a haven for many in the radical intelligentsia of the time.

Not necessarily communist, several of those activists have since become leaders of the red shirts, like Dr Weng. Some, such as Chaturon Chaisang, were even members of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's cabinets.

Equal rights

For men such as these, the Supreme Court verdict against Mr Thaksin's private wealth is of no importance whatsoever to the struggle.

I'm not fighting for Mr Thaksin. I'm fighting for my country to be a genuine democratic system

Dr Weng

"Mr Thaksin is just only one person in this country," says Dr Weng.

"He may be an ex-prime minister but he is nothing to do with what I'm fighting for, because I'm fighting for the genuine democratic system in Thailand."

Dr Weng wants a system where "real political power must be in the hands of the people and all man is created equal, every citizen must have an equal political right and also economic chance".

"But that never happened in Thailand," he says, adding that he looks to Britain or Japan for states where the monarch is supreme and democracy thrives.

"I'm not fighting for Mr Thaksin. I'm fighting for my country to be a genuine democratic system," says Dr Weng.

To that end, Dr Weng shuts up his small, poorly decorated doctor's clinic off a frantic highway in northern Bangkok every weekend and drives back to communities of the rural poor he once ministered to as a radical young student.

There he and other leaders of the red-shirted United Front for Democracy (UDD) hold what they calls schools, to raise the political consciousness of the people.

The arguments put across and discussed with varied communities focus on the injustice of the coup in 2006 that deposed a freely elected leader.

Genie released

These lessons have added pungency as they are delivered to communities that voted for Mr Thaksin, once they realised he was going to fund small businesses, provide cheap healthcare, and generally support his voter base beyond the urban centres.

To many in Thailand, that style of governance - where a shirt-sleeved Mr Thaksin, without pomp, would tour rural areas and listen to people's problems - was new.

THAKSIN TIMELINE

2001: Elected prime minister

19 Sept 2006: Ousted in military coup

25 Sept 2006: Corruption investigation begins

11 June 2007: Thaksin family assets frozen

25 Aug 2008: Prosecutors ask Supreme Court to seize frozen assets

21 Oct 2008: Sentenced in absentia to two years for conflict of interest in land deal

26 Feb 2010: Supreme Court seizes $1.4bn (£910m) of Thaksin family's contested assets

But to some Thais - who cannot imagine that their servants should have a vote equal in power to their own - it was threatening.

Their preferred exercise of power has been through a strong military, monarchist bureaucracy - a system Mr Thaksin cut through.

The anti-Thaksin yellow shirt protesters who helped usher in the current government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajiva openly spoke of wanting a new system where some people's votes counted for more than others.

This is why a billionaire businessman and his cronies can be in the same alliance as men such as Dr Weng, all of them convinced they are fighting for genuine democracy.

"This is a united front - meaning we have to co-operate where we can co-operate. What we can't co-operate on, we put aside," says Dr Weng.

Analysts are agreed that many Thais are more politically aware these days.

They call it the genie that cannot be put back in the bottle, or the toothpaste that cannot be squeezed back into the tube.

They also note that the wellsprings of anger and the sense of disenfranchisement engendered by the 2006 coup are only growing deeper and more bitter with each setback to the man they regard as the only one who cared for them.

For this reason, any hope Mr Abhisit's government might have that the latest court ruling against Mr Thaksin will fatally weaken his support base, could be in vain.

'No rabble'

Some argue that a possible lack of money to fund further red shirt demonstrations could lose it numbers and damage its ability to stage massive protests capable of bringing down the current government.

Coup rumours as ruling looms

Profile: Thaksin Shinawatra

Others argue the anger will only grow and fester, becoming more dangerous over time, with or without the money.

So far the red shirts are holding to their line that they are not the violent rabble the government calls them, and their decision to hold off on any protests until the middle of March is a principled one to reinforce their point that they are not lackeys of one rich man and his wealth.

Others say they have postponed the protests because they could not be sure of getting adequate numbers to the capital - an ability likely to be diminished with the prospect of less funding in the future.

Dr Weng and his colleagues say they have been developing a red shirt movement without the benefit of any of these frozen funds.

Mr Thaksin will not be alone in seeing the judicial actions as "very political". He insists he is innocent, and a fighter, and will not be deterred.

The latest court verdict against him appears unlikely to change the political balance much either way.

Nor will it heal the divisions in this country. Brought to the boil by Mr Thaksin, many of those divisions long predate his emergence, and are likely to outlast him.

Thaksin Court Update

2010-02-26T11:47:00.001-06:00

Thailand top court seizes part of Thaksin fortune

Security was increased in Thailand ahead of the court's verdict

Thailand's Supreme Court has ruled that former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's family should be stripped of more than half a contested $2.3bn fortune.

The court said $1.4bn (£910m) of the assets were gained illegally through conflict of interest when Mr Thaksin was prime minister.

The funds were frozen after Mr Thaksin's elected government was overthrown in a military coup in 2006.

Mr Thaksin, who is living abroad, has denied any wrongdoing.

The Supreme Court said "to seize all the money would be unfair since some of it was made before Thaksin became prime minister".

ANALYSIS

By Vaudine England, BBC News, Bangkok

By choosing to confiscate some, but not all of Mr Thaksin's known assets, the court has managed to dampen arguments from his "red shirt" supporters that the entire judiciary is suborned to a military-bureaucratic elite which intends to finish off Mr Thaksin once and for all.

But it will also weaken the government's demonisation of Mr Thaksin. It appears to be saying that the former prime minister did cheat on the hiding and increase of his fortune, but he was significantly and legitimately wealthy when he entered office. He remains a rich man by any standards.

What this verdict will not do is heal the divisions in this country, polarised by Mr Thaksin's hugely popular appeal and the threat this poses to the military-bureaucratic elite. The 2006 coup that deposed him continues to damage the legitimacy of the current military-backed government of Abhisit Vejajjiva - this basic issue also goes well beyond one man and his money.

Ruling unlikely to heal divide

The court took several hours to deliver its verdict, with security forces on high alert amid government predictions of violence by Mr Thaksin's red-shirted supporters if the court decision went against him.

The judges said that Mr Thaksin shaped government mobile phone and satellite communications policy to benefit his firms.

He abused his power to benefit telecoms company Shin Corp, which he owned then, earning wealth from shares sales in the company through "inappropriate means", they ruled.

The sale of Shin Corp to Singapore state investment firm Temasek in January 2006 was one of the main catalysts for widespread protests calling for Mr Thaksin to resign, and the government applied for the seizure of the proceeds from the sale.

The court dismissed defence arguments that the anti-corruption commission that instigated the proceedings against Mr Thaksin was illegitimate.

Mr Thaksin addressed his supporters from Dubai after the verdict.

"This is total political involvement. The government knew the result in advance," he said, according to Associated Press.

"I've been prepared for the result since yesterday. I knew that I would get hit, but they are kind enough to give me back 30 billion [baht]."

He had previously told them he would continue his political fight against the "military-bureaucratic elite" that deposed him - with or without his family fortune.

He has said the money he and his family earned was acquired legally. The full extent of fortune is unknown, but he is thought to be very wealthy.

Tensions in Thailand remain high. Tens of thousands of extra police have been placed in and around the capital, and in areas of the north-east of the country where some of Mr Thaksin's supporters are based.

THAKSIN TIMELINE

2001: Elected prime minister

19 Sept 2006: Ousted in military coup

25 Sept 2006: Corruption investigation begins

11 June 2007: Thaksin family assets frozen

25 Aug 2008: Prosecutors ask Supreme Court to seize frozen assets

21 Oct 2008: Sentenced in absentia to two years for conflict of interest in land deal

26 Feb 2010: Court seizes $1.4bn of $2.3bn in contested assets

Coup rumours circle ruling

Profile: Thaksin Shinawatra

There were only small numbers of Thaksin supporters outside the court. The pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), which leads the red shirts, has said it has no plans for any demonstration until mid-March.

Local media had predicted huge disruption, counting down to what they called "judgement day".

The judges looked at whether Mr Thaksin illegally deposited his fortune with family members because he was not allowed to hold company shares while prime minister, and whether his administration implemented policies to benefit his family's businesses.

They have also considered whether telecoms liberalisation measures unfairly benefited the country's main mobile phone service provider, then controlled by Mr Thaksin's family.

And they have investigated whether he unfairly promoted a $127m low-interest loan to neighbouring Burma to benefit a satellite communications company also controlled by his family.

Thaksin Shinawatra verdict is being read by Thai court

2010-02-26T06:43:00.000-06:00

Thailand's Supreme Court is delivering its verdict on whether to strip former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's family of more than $2bn (£1.3bn) of assets.

One of the nine judges has said Mr Thaksin illegally concealed shares in his family-owned Shin Corp telecoms firm while still in office.

The funds from the sale of the firm were frozen after Mr Thaksin was overthrown in a military coup in 2006.

Mr Thaksin, who is living abroad, has denied any wrongdoing.

Security forces are on high alert amid government predictions of violence by Mr Thaksin's red-shirted supporters if the court decision goes against him.

Key pre-condition

The BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok says the court will be ruling on whether or not Mr Thaksin abused his power during his time as prime minister.

THAKSIN TIMELINE

2001: Elected prime minister

19 Sept 2006: Ousted in military coup

25 Sept 2006: Corruption investigation begins

11 June 2007: Thaksin family assets frozen

25 Aug 2008: Prosecutors ask Supreme Court to seize frozen assets

21 Oct 2008: Sentenced in absentia to two years for conflict of interest in land deal

Coup rumours as ruling looms

Deciding that Mr Shinawatra and his now ex-wife concealed their shares in Shin Corp is a key pre-condition to deciding if there was conflict of interest in the sale of the firm in early 2006, while he was still in office, our correspondent says.

The court has also dismissed defence arguments that the anti-corruption commission which instigated the proceedings against Mr Thaksin was illegitimate.

The court is expected to take several hours to finish delivering its verdict, finishing after the Thai stock market closes ahead of a three-day weekend.

Mr Thaksin, now living in Dubai, says he will continue his political fight against the "military-bureaucratic elite" that deposed him - with or without his family fortune.

'Judgement day'

Local media have been predicting huge disruption, counting down to what they call "judgement day".

But some government and opposition figures have sought to calm fears.

Red-shirted supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra want their leader home

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who is in charge of national security, tried to play down the wider significance of the case, saying it concerned only Mr Thaksin's wealth.

"Thaksin must respect and accept the rule of law as well as other Thai people. It's not possible for the whole Thai nation to respect the law but not Thaksin," he said.

Mr Thaksin's supporters have said they resent being painted as a violent rabble and insist they are fighting for democracy and against military-backed government.

"It [a judgement] would not put an end to Thailand's crisis because now Thaksin's supporters, the red shirts - the UDD - they have evolved into their own force to be reckoned with," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist from Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

The judges have looked at whether Mr Thaksin illegally deposited his fortune with family members because he was not allowed to hold company shares while prime minister, and whether his administration implemented policies to benefit his family's businesses.

They have also considered whether telecoms liberalisation measures unfairly benefited the country's main mobile phone service provider, then controlled by Mr Thaksin's family.

And they have investigated whether he unfairly promoted a $127m low-interest loan to neighbouring Burma to benefit a satellite communications company also controlled by his family.

Team Possible News

2010-01-25T23:51:00.000-06:00

The newest addition to TLC Java...

Read all about what's happening with TLC Java in our latest Newsletter!

Team Possible Newsletter Winter 2009-2010

Team Possible Holiday Update

2009-12-19T23:06:00.000-06:00

It is so hard to believe that this year has gone by so quickly. We feel so blessed to be where we are and are thankful for such a great group of supporters that are surrounding us.

Merry Christmas!

We want to take a moment thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement this past year, it has meant the world to us. We have had the opportunity to touch so many lives because of your staying closely in touch with our prayer needs and we know that we couldn’t possibly do all that we do without your participation!

We just love this time of year, as it give us the wonderful opportunity to reflect with our family why we celebrate, and offers us great opportunities to take our eyes off of ourselves, to focus on others and to give to those in need.

Christmas Outreach:
One of the ways that we have focused on others this year is spending time at the Hope House, Home for Children. Every opportunity that we could, we went to the base of Mt. Inthanon where the Hope House is located. When we visited, we tried to bring things that were needed, but more importantly, spent time playing with the kids. This Christmas our family will be spending time (usually reserved as “family time”) to go and bless the children at Hope House by bringing some new dishes, soccer balls, and a badminton set. We also purchased colored pencils, a drawing pad, eraser, pencil sharpener and candy to give in a gift bag for each of the kids. We plan to play games, give the gifts, and bring a traditional Thai dinner of Chicken and Sticky Rice (not what most of you will be eating this holiday, but special to the kids) . These gifts are being given because of the generous gifts from some of our financial supporters. We will also be bringing along some of the things we Americans associate with Christmas like cookies, popcorn, hot chocolate and hot apple cider! We hope the kids will enjoy this Christmas with our family as the directors of the Hope House will be out of the country for the first time since they started the Hope House ministry. Please pray for the light to shine through us, and that these kids and the host family will have a Christmas they can cherish as a memory for years to come! For some of these kids it will be the first Christmas ever!

Upcoming Ministry Opportunities:
Next month Troy will be traveling to Baan Tong Chai (a remote mountain Hmong village) to look at the property and begin making plans for a church that we will be building with the help of a team coming from the U.S. Troy is excited to be working with teams again! There are also other projects he will be working on, so please pray that we find teams able to come and help. Cheryl is busy running TLC Java and helping at the kid’s school and being the mom of our 2 ½ year old. She is praying about some ministry opportunities that have her really excited and we will fill you in on details as things become more clear. Please pray for God’s leading and guiding as she steps forward.

Praise Update:
Last month we were given a generous financial gift that should help us out for the next few months. God has done amazing things providing for all of our needs – and are thankful to those who are giving financially – we couldn’t be here without you. Our support giving is still down almost a $1000/mo, so if you could please pray for us in that area, we would really appreciate it.

TLC Java is running beautifully. We have seen an increase of customers and are having wonderful opportunities to get to know people and share. We know that God has big plans for this ministry and are thankful for all of your prayer support. Please continue to pray that our customer base would continue to grow and that we would have an increase in volunteers to help fill the need that we have for workers.

If you or anyone you know would like to keep up to date with our ministry on a more regular basis Cheryl and I have a Facebook ministry page called “Team Possible Network” that anyone is free to join where we try to consistently post pictures and tell of upcoming events!

Thank you for all you do. We pray for God to pour out His blessings on you this holiday and hope you have a WONDERFUL Christmas!

The Scott Family
Team Possible
Your Missionary Builders to Thailand

Thanksgiving Praise and Prayer Update

2009-11-19T10:52:00.003-06:00

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we just want to take a moment to say that we are so Thankful for your faithful support of our ministry. We are grateful to have such a great team behind us and feel blessed to have you as a part of our ministry family. May he bless you beyond anything you could imagine for yourself! We love you.

Praise Update:

Recently, we (Troy and Cheryl) have been tag teaming the Coffee Shop ministry. Having Troy join the TLC Java team was a necessity at first, as Cheryl got very sick with no one to fill in for her. Once Troy was trained in, he found that enjoyed the interaction and conversation with the Thai students and joined the team full time. This has been a great burden lifted from Cheryl as she spent most days and many evenings at the coffee shop and away from the family. We are still praying for more workers. Cheryl may not have to carry the burden alone, but it still means valuable time apart and lots of time away from the family.

We have been excited to see what God is doing at TLC Java. One former college student in particular (Rot – pronounced Rote) approached Troy the other day asking if he could volunteer at the coffee shop. When he first started coming, several months ago, he told us that he didn’t have very many friends, and that he wanted to get to know us better. Since then, he has joined the English classes that TLC offers and comes to visit us in the coffee shop almost every day. He has found a new family at the TLC, and wants to be around us more. Because he is Buddhist, we are not sure how to incorporate Rot, but know that God is doing something. Please pray for wisdom for us as we find a way to make him feel like family, and still keep a standard for Christian workers in the coffee shop.

Troy hasn’t quite finished his language learning, but has began the process of making contact with people who want to bring teams to this area. There is one team in particular that is planning a trip out in March to help build a church in a Hmong village (Baan Tongchai), about 6 hours south of Chiangmai. This is a remote village out in the middle of nowhere. This will be a traditional building made of teak that was harvested on the land that they will be building on. There will be no hotels, electricity, running water, beds, McDonalds J, so, pretty much - no luxuries whatsoever. We know that this kind of trip isn’t for everybody, but the team that is coming is very excited to have this kind of experience.

We are blessed to have so many opportunities to minister here in Thailand. God is faithful and can’t wait to see what He has in store for us.

Prayer Requests -please be in prayer for us in the following areas;

Our financial situation is still dire. The money coming in monthly is $1,000.00 less than the amount committed to us when we came. Fortunately, we had a fund that was large enough to supplement us for this first year and a half that we have been here, however it has quickly diminished. If the additional funds do not begin to come in, we may be forced to return to the states earlier than planned to raise support again.

Please be in prayer that those who committed to give to us, will be able to follow through with their commitments. And/Or
New supporters would join our team so we won’t be forced to return to the U.S. earlier than planned.

TLC Java.

More Christian Thai’s would volunteer for this ministry.
Those volunteering would grow in their walk with God and learn how to be a witness by their actions, not just their words.
More people would come to the coffee shop, and bring their friends.
We would have more opportunities to share about Jesus and to show God’s love with those who are already coming to the coffee shop, Like Rot (pronounced rote)

Short Term Teams

God will send teams interested in working in this region.

Construction
Children’s Ministry
Teaching English
Evangelism/Outreach
Compassion
Orphanage

God would direct us to finding the right projects for each team
God would provide all the physical and financial needs of each of the teams that come.

Again, Thank you so much for all you do – we are blessed to have you on our team.

Happy Thanksgiving,

The Scott Family

Full, but fulfilling

2009-11-19T09:04:00.003-06:00

This week has been a busy one for our family. Everyday, Monday through Friday, Troy and Cheryl alternate working TLC Java, and incorporate their Language learning. With the many hours that are necessary for one of us to be there daily, we found that having our Thai teacher come to us is vital to our language learning process. In the midst of all of that, we have family coming this week for Thanksgiving, so we decided to take on the task of repainting our living/dining and entry areas. The decision came rather quickly as we noticed the beautifully handwritten markings of our 2 1/2 year old daughter on almost every wall. :D At any rate, we have crammed in a weeks worth of paining into 3 days - making our lives hectic, but our home nice and cozy!

In the midst of the busy week, we found the coffee shop short on coffee - so a quick trip to the mountain village to buy coffee became a necessity. Taking Natalie, Troy journeyed up the mountain making a quick visit to the Hope House Orphanage. The kids are so great, and just love Natalie - it is fun to watch their faces light up whenever they see her. The trip was short trip, (5 hours) but a good one. Troy had a great chat with the Father that is caring for the 19 kids that are living at the orphanage. God is doing great things there and we can't wait to see how God is going to use us at the Orphanage in the future!

Blessed by Him!
Team Possible

Communication

2009-11-10T00:33:00.004-06:00

Today we had another great day of discussions and prayer with our team here in Thailand.

Our main topic of discussion this morning was the importance of communication and learning to connect with those who are of a different generation. These days there are so many ways to communicate; newsletters, e-mail, skype, facebook, etc. Some people like lots of information, others say they don't want so much. Hmmmm. We know that it is impossible to please everyone, but we sure would like to try.

As we focus on the needs of this community and try to communicate with those who are giving and praying for us, our goal is to be effective in all areas.

What do YOU think? Do you like to hear from us often? Do you like to hear all the details? Do you prefer e-mail or paper via snail mail? We would love to hear from you. If you have a facebook account, join the Team Possible Network and tell us what you think. Or you can comment on this page. We will try to determine the most popular form of communication and see if it is effective.

Looking forward to hearing from you...
Team Possible

Day of meetings and prayer for Thailand

2009-11-09T02:25:00.006-06:00

Today was a day of meetings and prayer spent with other workers here in Thailand. It was a great opportunity to find out what everyone is working on and to focus on our future Goals. It is exciting to see what God is doing here.

God is really stirring His people and moving in incredible ways. Some of the ministries that are happening here are; outreach, college ministries, church planting, leader development and training, children ministries and more.

One of our personal ministries is focused on college student outreach. Almost a year ago, a team from from 2 churches in the U.S. came and built us a beautiful Coffee Shop for our ministry inside of the TLC Center. The coffee shop is open Mon-Fri 11am - 8:30pm. and is located just blocks away from Chiang Mai University. It is a beautiful area that has room for large and small groups to congregate. We are hoping that people of all walks of life will love to "hang out" with their friends. As always, we hope for opportunities to "show" the Love of Christ in order to open the doors for opportunities to share about Him.

Please pray for volunteers for this ministry as well as people to come in and enjoy this wonderful space He has provided. God is good and we are blessed to be called His!

Blessings,
The Scott Family

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Team Possible Update

2009-08-19T02:09:00.007-05:00

Greetings from the Scott Family!

It is hard to believe that our family has been in ministry for almost a year and a half here in Thailand. It has been an amazing time for our family and we are so thankful that God has used us in so many ways. This is just a brief overview of the past year and a half.

March 2008 – Moved to Thailand, searched for housing and started Language School.
May 2008 : began the process of starting a children’s ministry at our Thai church. The ministry grew quickly , consisting of nursery for newborns to 2 year olds, Sunday School classes for children 3-5 and 6-11, having 15 – 25 children weekly and 12 volunteers. This ministry headed by Cheryl, but helped by Troy and occasionally Nathaniel and Naomi. (In April 2009 Cheryl handed over this ministry to a Thai National)
June 2008 began teaching English as a Second language to children ages 5-9 as a ministry outreach to the local families. This ministry was started by Nathaniel, with Naomi, Troy and Cheryl’s help. (This ministry continued through the school year and ended when summer break began in June 2009)
August 2008 – First outreach to the Karen Hill Tribe people on Doi Intinon, and the Hope House Children's home. Our family was able to play games, sing songs, teach some English and buy some coffee from Karen Village.
October 2008 – Hosted a couple from the states along with overseeing our first building project to the Hope House Children’s home (ceiling, lights and fan in girls dorm room) which was funded by the couple. (The Martins)
February 2009 – Hosted our first team from the States and oversaw several large building projects for the team. The first 2 large projects were to 2 dorm rooms for Bible Students, as well as building a coffee shop for a ministry to College Students at the University of Chiangmai, as well as several other smaller projects. The third major project was to build a dorm for the boys at the Hope House Children’s Home complete with bathrooms!
April 2009 – Began coffee shop ministry at TLC (ministry to University Students).
June 2009 – Third outreach to the Hope House Children’s Home (met the 10 new kids that were able to come because of the new dorm) and a trip to the Karen village to buy Coffee. (We want to bless them with our business).
July 2009 – Led worship at AGMF Conference, and began preparation for future teams.
August 2009 – Spoke at Thai church for Thai Mother’s Day, Troy continues to work towards taking his 6^thgrade equivalency test in Bangkok.

Items of Prayer:

Ministry:

Continued service here in Thailand, the ability to do whatever He calls us to and to do it well.
New teams that are planning on coming out this year and next – finding the right need for each team and the funding necessary for each member
Coffee Shop Ministry – opportunities to build relationships with the students and to share Christ with them.

Personal

Continued health and safely.
Our Children – spiritual growth and opportunities for them to show the Love of Christ to others.
C. Balance – For us as parents to have time to do our ministries (and to do them well), along with making time for our kids AND to have time for fun!

Thank you for all that you do for us, prayer and financial support. We wouldn’t be here without you. We love you!

The Scott Family
Team Possible

Team Possible Summer '09 Update

2009-08-02T10:11:00.006-05:00

To celebrate and commemorate our time here, our family put together a video that encompasses what we have done and are doing in Thailand. We hope that you enjoy watching.

We love you,

The Scott Family
Team Possible

Dos and Don'ts in Thailand

2009-03-07T04:36:00.006-06:00

Our family hosts and facilitates short-term teams from the States that come to Thailand for outreaches. We put a video together to give a few helpful hints to individuals that will be coming here. We call it this video; "The Dos and Don'ts of Thailand". We had a lot of fun putting this together and a few people that saw it have asked that we put it on the web for viewing. Let us know what you think!
Hope you Enjoy it!

Blessings,
TEAM POSSIBLE
The Scott Family

Team Possible Update

2009-02-20T06:40:00.003-06:00

First we just want to say a huge thank you to all of you who are so faithful in your prayer for us. We feel so incredibly blessed to know that we have such a wonderful prayer covering! We are blessed!

PRAISE:

These last 6 weeks have been the highlight of our missionary career here in Thailand as we were able to host our first missions team from the United States. As a family we made a fun video of all the dos and don’ts in Thailand, prepared a scavenger hunt – “Amazing Race” style, and took care of all the ministry, construction, housing, food and job material prep. It was a TON of work, but SO much fun at the same time.

The team that came to work with us is from our home church, Maranatha (we call them the “A Team”) , from Forest Lake MN. They were here for only 10 days, but God did miraculous things through their hands – It was amazing to watch.

The first ministry we took them to was a construction project at the church we attend (the TLC) here in Chiangmai. We spent 4 ½ days on this project. Here is what they did:

· Built from the ground up, 2 dorm rooms with a small bathroom attached to each for the Bible school that will begin in a week. This was not an easy task – as they had to start with the framing and roof which had to be welded together. The Bible students used to sleep in the Sunday School classrooms which meant there was no place for the church kids to be during the 4 months the Bible School is taking place.

· Painted just about every room in the building; the Sanctuary, Sunday School rooms, coffee bar, entry way and offices. It doesn’t sound like much – but believe me – it was a LOT!

· Formed steps and walls, poured concrete and tiled the entire front entry and an area around the back entrance, to make places for scooters to park as well as making it easier to enter the building.

· Installed cupboards in the kitchen.

· Built a coffee bar in the main entry area of the church. Built the walls, installed cupboards, tiled the counters, and built a soffit around the entire area. This is going to create a HUGE ministry opportunity for this church. The TLC is built right next to Chiangmai University. In Thailand, it takes a long time to build a relationship with someone before you are able to witness and share the gospel. Having a coffee shop will allow the students to come into the church, sit down, have a coffee, do their homework, study and build some relationships with the staff at TLC. Many also love to learn English and talk to English speakers, so the TLC is going to begin to teach an ESL (English as a Second Language) class – which will also draw people in. Pastor Apple was brought to the Lord through an ESL, so she has a huge burden to get this going.

Many on the team and TLC church members helped with cutting tile, mixing mud, moving dirt, transporting materials, sweeping, cleaning, running to the store and helping do whatever was asked.

The next ministry the the “A Team” did, was at the Hope House Orphanage. This is the same orphanage that our family began ministry to with the TLC, last summer. The team tore down some previous walls that were falling apart, and put up new walls and roof, bought some plants and played with the kids. (This portion of the ministry was mostly funded by a lovely couple in the US – the Martins.)

The final ministry, we took the team to was the Karen Village near the top of Doi Inthanon (the tallest Mountain in Thailand) where our family also had done previous ministry last summer. The main purpose of this ministry was to just entertain and have fun with the kids. Relationships are everything to Asians, so building a bond with these villagers is extremely important to us! The team provided a bowling game, ring toss, soccer, and football toss. They played relay games, and tag, face painted, made balloon hats, and gave lots of candy as prizes! The kids had a FANTASTIC day – and the parents as well. The day ended with lunch at the village and a trip to the center of the village where the team was able to purchase hand crafted items as well as coffee grown and roasted right there. Also, at the last minute, we were asked if we could paint a preschool classroom that had been built in the village – and without complaint the team jumped right in and did it! In their dress clothes!! What amazing servants!

I’m sure I missed a few things, but as you can tell, a LOT went on in those 10 day. We were so blessed to have such a tremendous group of people. They worked SO hard during their time here and always had a great attitude. Many of them struggled with sickness and one man was involved in an accident where a LARGE piece of concrete fell on his head, sending him to the emergency room. (Which by the way he only received 10 stitches and didn’t feel pain the next day.) Through all of it, we NEVER heard one word of complaint. Not only were they incredible servants, they raised ALL of the funds (except the Hope House project) to do the projects that they worked on, AND left almost half of the funds necessary for us to purchase the equipment and supplies needed to open the coffee shop. They were an amazing blessing to our ministry here.

We were also blessed to have our friends, Mark and Janie Durene here to help guide us to many of the right material stores, interpreting, bringing goodies and just being there on the jobs to help do whatever we needed. They were a tremendous help and we feel incredibly blessed that God has such great people here in Thailand to be around.

PRAYER:

· Health – Troy and I (sick while team was here and still trying to recover)

· Naomi – 2^nd fever in 2 weeks – healing and that it would stay away.

· Recovery for our friend Mark (head injury from Concrete) that he would continue to feel no pain, and NO other issues would arise.

· The hanging of plumbing, ceiling, painting, A/C install and electrical for Dorm rooms to be complete at TLC before Bible students move in Saturday.

· Finances – Our support has dropped significantly because of the economy. Please pray that our supporters will have their needs met and be able to give.

Thank you again for all your prayers! God is SO good!

Much love,

The Scott Family

TEAM POSSIBLE –

Seasons Greetings from the Scott Family

2008-12-12T03:15:00.008-06:00

Seasons Greetings from the Scott Family

We are having a hard time believing it is Christmas already, especially since it is warm out and there is no snow. Quite different from those Minnesota winters we are used to! At this time of year we like to reflect on why we celebrate Christmas. Some of the questions we like to ask our children are: Why do we decorate a tree? Why do we put up lights? Why do we send cards? Why do we give gifts to each other, when it isn’t our birthday? Some pretty good questions, and over the years have heard some very funny and some real cool answers. We enjoy discussing all the why’s with our children, which has ended up being a fun family tradition.

The highlight of our year would definitely have to be finishing up our fund raising and coming to Thailand. It was difficult to have to leave our family and friends, but know that this is where God has called us, and there is no place we would rather be. Besides, with the internet, it almost feels like we are just down the street! :)

We want to take a moment to say how much we appreciate all of our friends and family. We feel extremely honored to be able to serve God here in Thailand and we couldn't be here without your love, encouragement and prayers. For YOU we are grateful!

We love you and pray for abundant JOY for you during this season and the year to follow!

Much Love,

Troy, Cheryl

Nathaniel, Naomi & Natalie

Thailand reverts to old-style politics

2008-12-12T02:59:00.001-06:00

Newin Chidchob (right) has decided to side with the Democrats

By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Bangkok

"It's over, Boss." With those three words, veteran politician Newin Chidchob finally broke the deadlock that has paralysed Thailand for the past three years.

They were uttered in a phone conversation with Thaksin Shinawatra last week, the man to whom Mr Newin had been faithful for almost eight years, as the exiled former prime minister pleaded with him to reconsider his decision to defect to the opposition Democrats.

Mr Newin was also the first to break the bonds of money and genuine loyalty which have made the Thaksinistas the most powerful political force in Thailand for the past decade.

And he shattered any final illusions that might still have been harboured here that, a decade ago, Thailand's politics had entered a new age with the adoption of a new, populist constitution, and the rise of a new, populist party.

For Newin Chidchob has now reverted to type - the type being a provincial strongman, schooled in the rough-house politics of one of Thailand's roughest neighbourhoods, Buri Ram, who simply sells his team of MPs to the highest bidder.

This is what Mr Newin (who was named by his father after the notorious Burmese General Ne Win) did before the formation of Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai party in 1998. It is what every other provincial godfather did.

Corruption scandals

Thaksin Shinawatra brought a new style of politics to Thailand

These men dominated business and politics in their regions, offering voters a tantalising vision of abundant new development money if their votes gave the faction a shot at a cabinet position.

They would then collect as many loyal MPs around them as they could after the election campaign, which they funded generously, and offer the support of those MPs in parliament to whichever prospective government made them the most attractive offer.

This practice delivered Thailand a succession of short-lived, messy coalition governments in the 1990s, better known for corruption scandals than good governance.

It was under such governments - in which Mr Newin participated - that Thailand sleep-walked into the catastrophic 1997 financial crisis.

Appalled by the calibre of their politicians, Thailand's middle-class applauded the birth of a new constitution in the same year - the country's 16th, but the first to be drawn up after extensive consultation with NGOs and other representatives of civil society.

A party emerges

This constitution was the first to enshrine protection of human rights and freedom of expression. It created a number of independent bodies that were given legal powers to rein in corruption.

But the new charter also had another objective. Several of its articles, like the one restricting MPs' freedom to jump from one party to another, were intended to strengthen political parties in the hope that Thailand would progress to a more stable parliamentary system, as in western Europe.

Its drafters hoped this would nurture a new breed of clean, professional politicians to replace the corrupt old godfathers.

Newin (right) was once an enemy of Democrat leader Abhisit (left)

One of those goals, producing stronger parties, was realised with surprising speed.

Thaksin Shinawatra, an ambitious provincial businessman who had made a fortune from telecoms, and managed to keep it during the financial crisis, built a new-style party called Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais).

It used modern marketing methods and a raft of new, populist policies to win the support of the rural electorate. It encouraged mass party membership, and its appeal went right over the heads of the godfathers, making Mr Thaksin an instant political superstar.

The godfathers did not go away. Instead, recognising this new political phenomenon, they opted to move under the Thai Rak Thai umbrella. Newin Chidchob was one of them.

Mr Thaksin's wealth and personal popularity gave him a far stronger hand in dealing with the godfathers than any other party in Thailand's history, so his governments were not crippled by the demands of coalition partners, as his predecessors had been.

In 2001 he became the first prime minister in Thai history to complete a four year term in office. In the 2005 election he became the first prime minister to win an outright majority.

He inspired passionate loyalty among his lieutenants, among them Mr Newin, and he left the Democrats, Thailand's oldest party, floundering.

Thailand seemed to have put the era of weak coalition governments behind it.

Fading force

The story of how Mr Thaksin turned a position of such strength into his situation today - where he is a fading political force, stuck in exile - has been written about extensively elsewhere.

Months of anti-government protests look set to deliver a return to the past

But it is only now, when the newspapers are carrying front-page photographs of the clean-cut Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva giving a bunch of roses to Newin Chidchob, once the mortal enemy of the Democrats and every bit the old-style godfather, that it is clear Thailand has come full-circle.

After three years of turmoil, old politics is back, where politicians of whatever persuasion can climb into bed with whoever gives them a shot at power.

It is a depressing scenario, one which finally buries all the high hopes that were raised by the 1997 constitution.

Doubtless many of those now embracing old politics again, perhaps even Mr Abhisit and Mr Newin, do not feel particularly good about it.

Blame for this will be fired in many directions - at Mr Thaksin, at the military, at the Democrats, at the monarchy even, whose role in recent events is till unclear.

But at a time when Thailand is confronting its worst economic outlook since the disastrous events of 1997, old politics is unlikely to give it a government capable of meeting the challenge.

Thai parliament to elect new PM

2008-12-11T02:55:00.000-06:00

Abhisit Vejjajiva says he is confident of forming the next government

Parliament in Thailand will vote next Monday to choose a new prime minister, says the speaker of parliament.

The leader of the opposition Democrats, Abhisit Vejjajiva, says he has enough support to head a new government.

But the banned governing party, now reformed under the name Puea Thai, says it has backing to seize power again.

Last week, the Thai courts forced PM Somchai Wongsawat from office and disbanded the governing party over electoral fraud.

Parliamentary speaker Chai Chidchob said that King Bhumibol Adulyadej had endorsed a request from the Democrat Party to hold Monday's extraordinary session of parliament.

The Democrats, who were defeated in the last general elections in December, will propose to parliament that Abhisit Vejjajiva becomes the next prime minister.

They say that as many as 40 MPs from the former governing People Power Party (PPP) loyal to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have defected to them, as have several smaller parties.

The new PM will be the country's fifth leader in a little over two years.

Thailand has been in political deadlock for months as anti-government protesters have mounted a campaign to remove the governing party.

They accused the PPP of being a proxy for Mr Thaksin, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

The protest culminated in a week-long occupation of Bangkok's main international airport that left 300,000 foreign tourists stranded.

The opposition called off its action after last week's decision by the constitutional court to disband the PPP.

Thai opposition 'set for power'

2008-12-10T02:53:00.000-06:00

Abhisit Vejjajiva says he has enough support to be the next PM

Thailand's opposition Democrats say they have the support of enough members of parliament to form a government.

As many as 40 MPs from the former governing party have defected to the Democrat Party and its leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, in the last week.

The courts dissolved the governing party and banned PM Somchai Wongsawat from politics over electoral fraud.

A special session of parliament is expected to vote next week to elect a new prime minister.

The Democrat Party will propose to parliament that Abhisit Vejjajiva becomes the next prime minister.

But many of the members of the banned former governing party have formed a new party, Phuea Thai, and insist they can also form a new government.

Airport blockade

The power struggle at the heart of Thai politics comes after a tumultuous few months in which anti-government protesters campaigned to bring down the prime minister and the whole administration.

They claimed the ruling People Power Party (PPP) was merely a proxy for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

They recently blockaded Bangkok's main international airport for more than a week, leaving 300,000 foreign travellers stranded and dealing a huge blow to the tourist industry.

The blockade only ended when the Constitutional Court ruled that the PPP had committed electoral fraud, and barred Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and other senior party members from politics.

Now the battle has moved to parliament, and the Democrats, who lost to the PPP in the last general elections in December, are seizing their chance.

One of the most powerful faction leaders in Thaksin's camp has gone over to the other side, taking as many as 40 MPs with him.

Together with some of the smaller parties that have also switched loyalties, that gives the opposition Democrats 260 seats out of the parliament's 480, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

In a sign of the passions generated by the crisis, an unexploded grenade and two coffins were found outside the home of an MP, Boonjong Wongtrairat, who has defected from Phuea Thai to the Democrats, Associated Press news agency said.

The Democrats, fronted by the youthful and cosmopolitan Abhisit Vejajiva now seem poised to form a government for the first time since they were defeated in a landslide election by Mr Thaksin eight years ago, says our correspondent.

Thai parties in power struggle

2008-12-08T02:49:00.000-06:00

The Democrats have handed in a request for a special parliament session

The main opposition party in Thailand has called for an emergency session of parliament to prove it has sufficient support to form a new government.

The Democrat Party will propose that its leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, becomes the next prime minister.

Thailand's ruling party was dissolved last week by the courts, after being found guilty of electoral fraud.

But some of its members have formed a new party, Phuea Thai, and insist they can also form a new government.

The BBC correspondent in Bangkok says any administration that emerges is likely to be a messy coalition.

Airport blockade

The power struggle at the heart of Thai politics comes after a tumultuous few months in which anti-government protesters campaigned to bring down the prime minister and the whole administration.

They claimed the ruling People Power Party (PPP) was merely a proxy for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Democrats want their leader to be the new prime minister

They recently blockaded Bangkok's main international airport for more than a week, leaving 300,000 foreign travellers stranded and dealing a huge blow to the tourist industry.

The blockade only ended when the Constitutional Court ruled that the PPP had committed electoral fraud, and barred Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and other senior party members from politics.

Now the battle has moved to parliament, and the Democrats, who lost to the PPP in the last general elections in December, are seizing their chance.

They say they have wooed several smaller parties away from the PPP, and have enough support to form a coalition government.

Democrat Party whip Sathit Wongnongtoey told the French news agency AFP: "The party will ask for parliament to reconvene in an extraordinary session... the name who will be proposed as prime minister is Abhisit [Vejjajiva]."

Representatives from some small parties have confirmed they have switched sides, but analysts say that allegiances could easily change back again - something that Puea Thai is hoping will happen in the coming days.

Puea Thai has not yet named its candidate for prime minister.

King's health

Adding to the sense of crisis around Thailand's ongoing political struggles, Thailand's deeply revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej was too sick to make his traditional speech on the eve of his birthday on Thursday.

Thais had been looking forward to hearing from their much-loved monarch, who has long been looked to for guidance in times of turmoil.

Another recent development is the return of Thaksin's ex-wife to Thailand on Friday.

She claims to have gone back for personal rather than political reasons.

But news of her return surprised analysts, because she was given a three year jail term in July, after being found guilty of tax evasion, and left the country while on bail after filing an appeal.

Thai demonstrators leave airports

2008-12-02T22:04:00.000-06:00

The protesters agreed to leave the airports after the prime minister fel

Anti-government protesters have begun leaving Bangkok's main airports after an eight-day siege that paralysed government and stymied tourism.

They packed up bedding and began leaving the international and domestic airports as cleaners moved in.

The People's Alliance for Democracy called off the protests and after a court banned Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from politics.

The protests have left thousands of tourists stranded in Thailand.

The country has lost millions of dollars in revenue.

Top Thai court ousts PM Somchai

2008-12-02T00:07:00.000-06:00

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he accepted the rulin

A Thai court has ruled that PM Somchai Wongsawat must step down over election fraud, a ruling he has accepted.

His governing People Power Party and two of its coalition partners have been ordered to disband and the parties' leaders have been barred from politics.

But it is unclear if the ruling ends a months-long political crisis, since other coalition MPs have vowed to form another government under a new name.

There are unconfirmed reports of a deal to open an airport closed by protests.

Anti-government protests at Bangkok's main Suvarnabhumi international airport, and the smaller Don Mueang airport, have stranded tens of thousands of travellers, bringing the country's important tourism industry to a standstill.

Agreement was reached to resume cargo flights from Suvarnabhumi on Tuesday, and a leader of the anti-government protesters was reported to say that passenger flights would be allowed as well.

Protesters angry at the decision demonstrate outside court, while those occupying the airports celebrate

Officials said the airport would be closed to passenger flights until 15 December, reports the BBC's Quentin Somerville at Suvarnabhumi.

Both airports have been occupied by the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) since last week.

Just hours before the constitutional court's ruling, an anti-government protester was killed at Don Mueang airport, the country's domestic hub, in a grenade attack.

'Political standard'

PAD supporters accuse Mr Somchai's administration of being corrupt and hostile to the much-revered monarchy, and want the entire government to resign.

They also accuse Mr Somchai of being a proxy for his brother-in-law, exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr Somchai accepted the court's verdict, saying he was now "an ordinary citizen".

ESCALATING CONFLICT

September 2006: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ousted in military coup

February 2008: Samak Sundaravej sworn in as prime minister

August 2008: PAD protesters occupy government buildings, demanding the government step down

September 2008: Mr Samak dismissed for violating conflict of interest law. Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, becomes prime minister

October 2008: Thaksin given a two-year jail sentence for corruption in his absence

26 November 2008: Anti-government protesters take control of Bangkok's main airport

2 December 2008: Thai court rules that PM Somchai should be banned from politics, and his party should be dissolved

Thai crisis exposes class struggle

Q&A: Bangkok protests

Extra planes for stranded Britons

Earlier on Tuesday, a protest by hundreds of red-shirted, pro-government supporters forced the constitutional court to move its final hearing to Bangkok's administrative courthouse.

After fewer than three hours in session, the head of the nine-judge panel, Chat Chonlaworn, announced that the court had found the People Power Party (PPP), the Machima Thipatai party and the Chart Thai party guilty of vote-buying, and unanimously agreed to disband them.

Dozens of the PPP's executive members, including Mr Somchai, were also found guilty of personal involvement and banned from politics for five years.

Judge Chat said that he hoped the ruling would "set a political standard".

Outside the court, where a large crowd of pro-government activists had gathered after learning of the relocation, there was a furious reaction.

Prime Minister Somchai's supporters accused the judges of sabotaging democracy and going against the people's will.

One former minister said members of the PPP who had escaped the political ban imposed on its leaders would regroup and form another coalition government.

"The verdict comes as no surprise to all of us," Jakrapob Penkair told the Reuters news agency. "But our members are determined to move on, and we will form a government again out of the majority that we believe we still have."

Other PPP members said they would seek a parliamentary vote for a new prime minister on 8 December.

Under the constitution, the disbanded parties are legally allowed to re-form under different names and form a new coalition, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

Divisions exposed

The court's ruling will provoke anger throughout the heartland of the government's supporters in the north and north-east, says our correspondent.

The ruling may not appease the PAD, especially if the governing coalition reforms under a new leadership without fresh elections being held.

FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME

Empty planes leave Bangkok crisis

2008-11-29T23:28:00.000-06:00

Thousands of passengers have been stranded by the protests

About 40 empty planes have flown out of Bangkok's international airport after authorities reached a deal with protesters camped there for seven days.

Thousands of travellers have been stranded since anti-government groups took over two airports last week.

The deal allows a total of 88 planes to be flown out to other Thai airports, where it is hoped they can evacuate some of the blockaded tourists.

The crisis has economically damaged the country since it intensified last week.

Hundreds of anti-government protesters continue to blockade Bangkok's two airports, closing the capital to commercial air traffic.

Meanwhile, a protest leader, Chamlong Srimuang, said the protest camp around the prime minister's compound in central Bangkok would be closed in order to send more people to strengthen the siege of the airports.

He said it was not safe to stay at Government House following the lobbing of grenades at the protesters on Sunday.

Thailand's deputy premier for economic affairs is reported to be meeting senior figures in commerce, industry and tourism today to discuss the damage being done by the protest siege.

As the backlog of stranded foreigners grows with each day, foreign embassies are beside themselves with frustration, says the BBC's Jonathan Head at Bangkok airport.

Foreign airlines

A spokeswoman for Airports of Thailand said: "Thirty-seven aircraft have left Suvarnabhumi (international airport) since the first aircraft of Siam GA (a regional airline) took off on Sunday evening.

"International airlines will have to contact us to take those stranded aircraft out of Suvarnabhumi."

Twelve planes belonging to foreign airlines are stranded at Suvarnabhumi, as well as 29 from Thai Airways, 16 of Thai Airasia, 15 from Bangkok Airways, and 22 aircraft from other airlines.

With thousands of British citizens among the estimated 100,000 travellers, a spokesman for the UK's Foreign Office said: "Bangkok's two main airports remain closed but airlines have been able to arrange flights and transfers to and from alternative airports.

In pictures: Bangkok blockade

Read stranded tourists' accounts

Send us your comments

"Some British nationals have been able to fly out but not in the necessary numbers.

"We have continued our consultations with airlines and Thai authorities... and action is being stepped up to enable people to travel in greater numbers, for example via Chiang Mai."

Chiang Mai, in the north, is 700km (435 milies) by road from Bangkok, while the other option - Phuket, a resort in the south - is 850km (530 miles).

France has said it will send a "special plane" to fly its citizens out of Thailand on Monday, with "those in the most pressing situations...given priority," AFP news agency reported.

Air France-KLM has already said it would fly travellers out of Phuket.

A few airlines have been using an airport at the U-Tapao naval base, about 140km (90 miles) south-east of Bangkok.

On Sunday more than 450 Muslim pilgrims stranded at the international airport were taken by bus to the base where they were to board a plane for the annual Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Spain and Australia have been arranging special flights to evacuate their citizens.

Thailand's tourist industry is losing an estimated $85m (£55.4m) per day, and the government warns that the number of foreign tourists arriving next year may halve, threatening one million jobs.

The protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are a loose alliance of royalists, businessmen and the urban middle class.

The opposition want the government to resign, accusing it of being corrupt, hostile to the monarchy and in league with exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thai PM 'to act against protests'

2008-11-27T11:45:00.001-06:00

Local states of emergency have been declared around the airports

The Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has said he will take action to end anti-government protests in Bangkok's two main airports.

In a TV address, Mr Somchai said the police would be assisted by some military units in halting the protests.

Emergency rule has been declared around the two airports.

Thousands of passengers have been left stranded by the protest action, just the latest stand-off in a long-running political struggle gripping Thailand.

Protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) occupied a government complex in the capital for months.

At the start of this week said they were embarking on the "final battle" of their campaign to unseat the government, and they have vowed to resist attempts to disable their airport protests.

'Temporary' emergency

Mr Somchai was speaking to the nation after an emergency cabinet session was held in the city of Chiang Mai.

"It is wrong for protesters to take the entire Thai nation hostage," Mr Somchai said, according to AFP news agency.

"The government is not intending to hurt anybody... and the emergency will be temporary," he added.

The [ruling party]'s strategy for months now has been to turn the other cheek to the PAD's provocations

Jonathan Head
BBC correspondent in Bangkok

In pictures: Thai crisis

Thailand teeters on the brink

The prime minister said air force and naval units would be deployed to assist police in ending the protests, which he said had caused "massive damage".

Under emergency rule, troops may be deployed, groups of more than five are forbidden from forming, subject to immediate arrest, and a media blackout can be enforced.

Protesters remain resolute that their show of force will continue.

"We will not leave. We will use human shields against the police if they try to disperse us," PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila told Reuters news agency.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville says moving the protesters will not be easy - they have shown they are willing to put up a fight, and have already called on supporters to set up roadblocks near terminal buildings.

Reports from Bangkok say tank movements there have sparked fears of an impending military coup.

On Wednesday Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat rejected a call by army leader Gen Anupong Paochinda for new elections to end the political deadlock, saying his government was legitimate. Gen Anupong has denied any coup plot.

Economic blow

The protesters have occupied both Suvarnabhumi international airport and Bangkok's domestic airport, Don Mueang.

On Thursday, the Associated Press quoted Tourism Minister Weerasak Kohsurat as saying stranded passengers with "urgent needs" could be flown out of military bases around Bangkok.

POLITICAL TURMOIL

September 2006: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ousted in military coup

February 2008: Samak Sundaravej sworn in as prime minister

September 2008: Protesters call for Mr Samak's resignation, saying he is a proxy for Thaksin

9 September 2008: Mr Samak dismissed for violating conflict of interest law. Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, becomes prime minister.

October 2008: Thaksin given a two-year jail sentence for corruption in his absence

Chaos at seized airport

Q&A: Bangkok protests

The blockade comes at the height of the tourist season and threatens an industry which is one of the country's biggest earners.

Thailand has been in political turmoil since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

The PAD - a loose alliance of royalists, businessmen and the urban middle class - claim that the government is corrupt and hostile to the monarchy.

They also accuse it of being a proxy for Thaksin, who remains very popular among Thailand's rural poor.

Fresh elections at the end of 2007 failed to resolve the crisis, when a party made up of former allies of Mr Thaksin returned to power.

And since August PAD protesters have launched an all-out assault on the government, occupying government buildings and seeing former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej forced out of office, though on an apparently unrelated matter.

Thai army calls for new elections

2008-11-26T10:05:00.002-06:00

Protesters say they will not leave the airport until the PM resigns

The head of Thailand's powerful army has asked the government to dissolve parliament and call new elections.

Gen Anupong Paochinda denied the move amounted to a coup, and called on anti-government protesters to withdraw from Bangkok's international airport.

But the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which took over the airport on Tuesday after months of protests, said it would not leave.

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is set to speak shortly, reports say.

See layout of Bangkok's airport

Mr Somchai, who returned to Thailand earlier in the day from an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru, landed in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

He told reporters there that he had not yet made any decision on dissolving parliament, AFP news agency reports.

POLITICAL TURMOIL

September 2006: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ousted in military coup

February 2008: Samak Sundaravej sworn in as prime minister

September 2008: Protesters call for Mr Samak's resignation, saying he is a proxy for Thaksin

9 September 2008: Mr Samak dismissed for violating conflict of interest law. Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, becomes prime minister.

October 2008: Thaksin given a two-year jail sentence for corruption in his absence

Chaos at seized airport

Q&A: Bangkok protests

Shortly after he arrived, a man was killed in the city in a clash between pro- and anti-government supporters, police said.

Thailand has been in a state of political stalemate since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

Fresh elections at the end of 2007 failed to resolve the crisis, when a party made up of former allies of Mr Thaksin returned to power.

However, Gen Anupong said the government was still in control.

"This is not a coup," he told a news conference.

"The government still has full authority. These points are the way to solve the problem which has plunged the country into a deep crisis.

"If a coup could end all the troubles, I would do it."

Evacuated

Earlier, the head of the PAD, Sondhi Limthongul, said his group would only agree to talks if Mr Somchai resigned.

Stranded international tourists have been evacuated from the airport.

Briton Rachel Kyte, who spent 13 hours there trying to fly to the US, said that a lack of information had raised tensions among travellers.

"People were starting to get frustrated and tired," she told the BBC.

The protesters, meanwhile, have brought in food and blankets to the airport, suggesting they have no plans to leave.

The group have also been occupying a government compound in the capital since August, claim that the government is corrupt and hostile to the monarchy.

They also accuse it of being a proxy for Mr Thaksin, who critics say is still very influential.

The PAD is a loose grouping of royalists, businessmen and the urban middle class opposed to Mr Thaksin.

Their campaign has caused massive disruption to key state institutions, including parliament.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, in Bangkok, says that the government appeared to have adopted a strategy of allowing the PAD to attack government buildings while avoiding clashes, in the hope that it could wear the protesters down.

BANGKOK AIRPORT CLOSED

Thousands of PAD protesters storm the airport

Protesters seize the air traffic control tower and airport closed

At least 3,000 passengers stranded for 16 hours in terminal building

Latest reports say terminal building has been evacuated

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Thai leader rejects election call

2008-11-26T09:41:00.001-06:00

Mr Somchai vowed to stand firm despite pressure from the military

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has rejected calls by the country's military chief to stand down.

Army leader Gen Anupong Paochinda had asked him to call snap elections to end months of political deadlock.

But Mr Somchai said his government was legitimate and that he would continue to work for the country.

The actions of protesters who have occupied Bangkok's main airport and forced its closure were illegal, the prime minister said.

"I reassure the people that this government, which is legitimate and came from elections, will keep functioning until the end," Mr Somchai said in a televised address.

Thailand has been in a state of political stalemate since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

Fresh elections at the end of 2007 failed to resolve the crisis, when a party made up of former allies of Mr Thaksin returned to power.

The protesters, who belong to the People's Alliance for Democracy, have been calling on the government to step down since May.

Thai protesters shut down airport

2008-11-26T02:14:00.001-06:00

Hundreds of protesters have taken over the main departure terminal

Flights from Thailand's international airport have been suspended after hundreds of anti-government protesters stormed the building in Bangkok.

At least 3,000 passengers are said to be stranded at Suvarnabhumi airport, with all access roads blocked off.

The demonstrators say they now control the airport, and demand that airlines seek their direct permission to land.

It is the latest move in a campaign by the opposition People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to oust the government.

Hundreds of demonstrators, armed with sticks and baseball bats, stormed through police lines on Tuesday.

Airport director Serirat Prasutanon said operations had been "totally shut down" since early on Wednesday, and that 78 outbound and incoming flights had been affected.

Anyone who wants to overthrow or resist the government is attempting a rebellion

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat

"We are trying to negotiate with them to allow outgoing passengers stranded by the protest to fly," he was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

"The incident has damaged Thailand's reputation and its economy beyond repair."

One stranded tourist told the BBC: "I don't know what happened to my flight. They won't talk to us. I'm angry and sad, because I have two small children - they're sick, so we want to go home."

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says the protesters may have been hoping to prevent Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from returning from the Apec summit in Peru.

Mr Somchai told reporters in Lima: "Anyone who wants to overthrow or resist the government is attempting a rebellion."

Thinly veiled tactic

It came as demonstrations in central Bangkok turned violent, leaving at least 11 people injured.

Thai TPBS television broadcast pictures of the violence on the main road to the capital's old airport. The footage showed shots being fired from a truck into crowds after rocks were thrown.

At least two handguns could be seen and people standing with the gunmen raised up a picture of the revered Thai king, whom the PAD claim to be supporting.

A man was also seized by anti-government supporters and what appeared to be a large knife was held to his throat.

TPBS said its cameraman had been threatened at the scene and that PAD personnel attempted to seize his tape.

On Monday, PAD protesters converged on Bangkok's old Don Muang international airport, from where the cabinet has been operating since its offices were occupied three months ago.

Organisers say the protest is a "final battle" to bring down the government.

Our correspondent says the government appears to have followed a strategy of allowing PAD to attack government buildings while avoiding clashes, in the hope that it will wear the protesters down.

The government has so far resisted calling in the army. Analysts says it is a thinly disguised aim of the PAD to provoke such a move.

Protesters surround Thailand's parliament building

2008-11-23T21:58:00.000-06:00

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have surrounded Thailand's parliament building in what they say is a "final battle" to topple the government.

The protesters have been occupying the government compound in the capital, Bangkok, for months.

The protests are led by the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which claims the government is corrupt and hostile to the monarchy.

The rallies forced the day's parliamentary session to be cancelled.

The current Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat, who has been attending the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit in Peru, has said he has no intention of resigning.

Violence fears

Police said around 18,000 demonstrators had taken to the streets, blocking roads leading to parliament. Some groups had marched on the police headquarters and the finance ministry.

Map of central Bangkok

The protesters were dressed in yellow shirts and headbands and carried national flags and portraits of the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

This is the final showdown

Protest leader Somsak Kosaisuk

MPs were forced to cancel a parliamentary session, in which they would have discussed a number of important regional agreements. Their original plans to debate proposed changes to the constitution had prompted the PAD to call Monday's mass protest.

House speaker Chai Chidchob said the session was cancelled because most MPs had been unable to get into the building - and appealed for calm.

"I promise that there will be no violence today, not a single drop of blood will be seen," he told parliament radio. "I ask for all sides to stop the movement now. If you love the king, please return home."

There are fears that the protests will see a repeat of the clashes in October, which left two people dead and some 500 injured. It was the worst violence in Bangkok for 16 years.

Thousands of police were out on the streets on Monday, but police chiefs said they were better prepared this time.

They have been offered 15 fire engines to use for crowd control, instead of the explosive tear gas grenades which caused such severe injury during the last demonstration.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok said the protests have been peaceful so far, but added that there are an awful lot of people out on the streets and the PAD leaders are using fiery rhetoric in their speeches.

One, Somsak Kosaisuk, told protesters: "This is the final showdown. We have been here a long time. We have been patient. But they have robbed the country to the point where it can't take it anymore. I promise you that will soon end."

Long-running grievances

The PAD is aiming for a repeat of 2006, when its protests led to a military coup that unseated former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

They accused the telecommunications billionaire of being corrupt and abusing his power.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is related to Mr Thaksin

Mr Thaksin's allies won the first post-coup elections in late 2007. The PAD accuse the government of being a proxy for the former prime minister.

Police said about 10,000 pro-Thaksin supporters had descended on a Buddhist temple just outside Bangkok on Sunday to support the government.

The PAD wants to replace Thailand's one-man, one-vote system with one in which some representatives are chosen by professions and social groups rather than the general electorate.

The new government says it wants to start negotiations with the PAD.

But it is also pushing ahead with controversial plans to amend the constitution - a key grievance of the protesters who see it as part of a plan to rehabilitate former PM Thaksin.

Mr Thaksin, Prime Minister Somchai's brother-in-law, remains in exile overseas. He was sentenced in absentia by the Supreme Court in Thailand last month to two years imprisonment on a corruption charge. In July, his wife received a three year jail sentence for tax fraud.

Thai crisis exposes class struggle

2008-11-17T11:56:00.000-06:00

By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Bangkok

For weeks the yellow-shirted protesters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have hogged the limelight in Thailand.

Pro-government supporters are fighting back with their own rallies

With the backing of powerful military and palace figures, they have helped unseat one prime minister and two members of his cabinet.

The embattled government, led by allies of controversial former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has in vain protested that it was popularly elected less than a year ago.

Now it has started fighting back with a series of mass rallies by its own red-shirted followers.

This is a dangerous contest between two power-hungry political factions who see it as a zero-sum game, in which they either win everything, or lose everything.

But it has become much more than that.

The rift has split Thai society, along regional and especially along class lines.

'Dress in red'

It is Monday morning, in a quiet backstreet in Udon Thani, provincial capital of a north-eastern province bordering Laos and a known Thaksin stronghold.

Radio DJ Kwanchai Sarakam is taking calls. He is a firebrand Thaksin loyalist who already faces criminal charges over his involvement in a clash with PAD supporters in July. But his callers are just as fired up.

If the PAD cannot convince me their version of democracy will help grass-roots people like me, then I will fight them to my last breath

Farmer Ankham Ratanasingha (left)

The first is an old lady, with a warning for the military. "Listen to me, soldiers," she shouts down a crackly phone line, "if you dare try another coup, forget about getting roses, because I will dress myself entirely in red - red hair, red panties, red bra, red fingernails - and jump in front of your tanks. You will have to run over me, a grass-roots woman, and crush me to death."

Other calls follow in a similar, if less melodramatic, vein.

The show finishes with a rousing song, scorning "educated people" for their ignorance and lack of manners.

Kwanchai threatens to bring a red-shirted army to Bangkok to declare war on the PAD. He says there will have to be bloodshed before Thailand can get through this crisis. He almost seems to relish the prospect. But the sense of being engaged in a class war is commonplace on both sides of this struggle.

Rich-poor divide

"You see these people here - they are all educated people," one man told me at a PAD gathering in Bangkok. "But the ones who support the government party, they are all uneducated, especially from the north and north-east."

This is a typical comment from the PAD, implying that the millions of rural people who consistently vote for pro-Thaksin politicians are either bribed or do not understand what they are doing.

Anti-government rallies have been held in Bangkok for weeks

It is the justification the PAD gives for demanding a parliament which is part-appointed.

Such an attitude infuriates Ankham Ratanasingha, who runs a small farm with her husband just outside Udon Thani.

She had to leave school at 10 years old, but takes pride in having educated her two children to university level.

"If the PAD cannot convince me that their version of democracy will help grass-roots people like me, then I will fight them to my last breath," she said. "They should treat us with respect, not as people they can just squash under their feet."

"The problem of Thai political crisis is a class struggle", says Attajak Satayanutak, an academic from Thaksin's home town Chiang Mai.

"We have a wide gap between rich and poor. The poor did not receive anything from the state for a long time. Then, for the first time, Thaksin gave this opportunity for them."

The affection for Thaksin Shinawatra has held up remarkably well in the north-east, a poor and arid region known as Isaan.

Local people say his populist policies, like universal healthcare and the village loan scheme, brought big improvements to the quality of their lives.

But time and again they cite something else - dignity. They told me he offered them the hope of improving themselves, without making them feel small, or humble.

If the military mounts another coup, this time the country will split, and there will be civil war

Thaksin supporter

His darker sides - abuses of power, human rights violations, arrogance - were brushed aside as less important.

Isaan has long been the butt of jokes in Thailand. It has a culture and language closer to that of neighbouring Laos than the central plains around Bangkok. It supplies much of the cheap, migrant labour to the capital.

But it has one valuable asset Thaksin Shinawatra identified as he began planning his bid for power in the late 1990s - voters, around one third of the total.

He was the first politician to court them directly, with appealing policies, rather than relying on the local godfathers to deliver their support.

In doing so, he has awoken a new political self-awareness in a previously passive region. And Isaan people are furious about the comments they are hearing from the PAD in Bangkok.

"Those who think Isaan people blindly follow Thaksin Shinawatra have an outdated image of our region," I was told by Puttakarn Panthong, a local politician who is not affiliated with Mr Thaksin's party. "They have better education now, and they understand who and what they are voting for."

Stuck in exile

So at the first of the big rallies in Bangkok, the former prime minister's phone-call, from somewhere overseas, was the most eagerly awaited moment of the night.

Politician Chaturon Chaiseng's song made the link with past class struggles

A huge roar went up from the 60,000 red-shirted faithful as his voice came over the speakers, asking: "Have you missed me?" There were more than a few tearful faces in the crowd.

But this was also a carefully-choreographed event, intended to send out a signal to the PAD and its royalist backers, that they face formidable opposition. The crowd was far larger than any the PAD has managed to attract this year.

Aside from Mr Thaksin, the highlight of the night was a song sung by Chaturon Chaiseng, one of the most respected politicians in the Thaksin camp.

He was also once a left-wing activist who took up arms against the military during the communist insurgency of the last 1970s.

And the song he chose was written by one of his comrades-in-arms, which tells of the sadness of a young rebel unable to return home.

The reference, or course, was to Mr Thaksin, stuck in exile, facing a two-year prison sentence if he comes back.

But it also connected his poor, rural followers today, with the class conflicts of Thailand's past.

Behind Mr Chaturon they held up the words "NO MORE COUP" in bold red letters. It seemed more of a warning than a plea.

One man turned to me and said: "If the military mounts another coup, this time the country will split, and there will be civil war."

Loy Khrathong

2008-11-13T03:15:00.009-06:00

The Loy Khrathong Festival is one the most popular festivals for the Thais. It takes place right after the rainy season ends, when the weather is nice, and the moon is full.

"Loy" means "to float" "Khrathong" is a lotus-shaped vessel made of banana leaves. The Khrathong usually contains a candle, three sticks and some flowers and coins. In school the kids made a Khrathong, only this one was for education, not with a "spiritual" meaning.

This festival is where people offer thanks to the "Goddess" of the water. By moonlight, people light the candles and joss sticks, make a wish and launch their Khrathongs on canals, rivers or small ponds. The Buddhists believe that their sins and bad luck will float away with their Khrathong.

During this time, they also shoot off fireworks and send up paper lanterns. This wasn't a part of the original tradition, so we aren't sure if there is special meaning that goes along with this particular occasion. Normally, when Buddhists send off fireworks, it is to scare away "evil spirits" and we haven't found out why they send up the paper lanterns. Here is a picture of us at an outlook over the city watching the fireworks and lanterns going up. It was a beautiful sight.

We obviously don't "celebrate" Loy Khrathong as Christians, however this occasion was a great way for us to understand the Thai people and culture and to enjoy the beautiful sight of constant lanterns and fireworks being sent up. We feel blessed to be here!

Blessings,
The Scotts

Orphanage Project

2008-11-06T19:40:00.000-06:00

A couple of months ago we got an e-mail message from a lovely couple, Gerry and Sandra Martin, in Minnesota, that had plans to come to SE Asia and wanted to know if they could come see what we are doing here in Thailand and if there is a specific project that they could give towards. We had the perfect project, Hope House Orphanage. So in Early November Gerry and Sandra came to visit us.

Gerry and Sandra wanted to be able to meet the kids at Hope House, but the kids were in school most of the day. We decided to take them on a tour of the Karen Village which wasn't far from Hope House. The jam packed day began with us picking up the Martins at their hotel and then drove 20 minutes to pick up the director of Hope House, Jeph. We drove another hour and 45 minutes into the hills and up Doi Inthinon, the tallest mountain in Thailand. The Karen village is almost at the top of the mountain, which made the winding drive long and slow.

Well, we couldn't go through the day without at least one incident. As we were driving up the dirt road to the village, we noticed that the road was muddy, much muddier than we anticipated. The rainy season was in full swing and the result was an extremely deep muddy road. As we were driving up the hill, the back wheels began to spin off to one side, veering the van off of the road. Three of us (two of us in flip flops)tried to push the van out, but to no avail. Jeph went for help and with 3 of them (all much stronger than I) and a little ingenuity, they were able to get the van back on the road.

Once arriving at the village, preschool was taking place, so the Martins were able to observe a class in session. Natalie also sat in on the class! :D The kids recognized Troy, Natalie and I from the last trip that we had made - they even sang Head Shoulders Knees and Toes for us which we taught a couple months earlier - it was so sweet!
Just as we were getting ready to move on, the kids had to lie down for a nap, so we had Natalie join them there as well! It was so cute!

Yes, it was distracting for the kids to have us there, so after a couple of minutes we picked Natalie up and took a tour of the rest of the village.

The house to the right is typical for this village. They live in the room above the stilts (the entire family). The families are usually small because they can't afford to feed many children. If they have animals, as this family does, it is usually able to run free, or is tied up underneath their house along with work supplies, laundry, wood for their stoves and what ever else they can't fit upstairs in the room.

Please pray for this community. There are other missionaries (Jeph and Apple) that have also made this village their ministry focus, but it has been a long hard journey to get the people to open up to Christianity and Jesus. We plan to help them as much as possible.

After showing the Martins this village we headed down the mountain and had lunch at a roadside cafe (at a gas station).

After lunch we headed to Hope House to see the children. The kids greeted us at the door with joy and of course grabbed Natalie "the main attraction"! :D

While the kids played with Natalie, we showed Gerry and Sandra the projects that their money would pay for.

There is no ceiling in the girls dorm, so there is nothing to keep heat and mosquitoes out in summer, and cold out in winter.

Gerry and Sandra's money will go towards the ceiling in this room! If there are any extra funds available, we will get the girls a ceiling fan too! :D

We would also like to replace the septic system. During times of high usage, the two tanks leak and make the ground muddy and smelly. NOT a healthy situation all around! That will be the second project that the money will go towards (if there is enough).

After looking at the project we had an opportunity to visit with the children and pray for each child individually. It was precious. It was hard to say goodbye, but it was late, and we still had a log drive ahead.

We picked up Nathaniel and Naomi on our way to drop off Jeph and headed to dinner where we were able to enjoy authentic Northern Thai cuisine. It was wonderful.

We had a very full and extremely blessed day. We are honored to be serving a mighty God with people like the Martins who are willing to give so generously of their time and finances!

Please pray for the Hope House Orphanage. There are many needs there and not many funds coming into this region to pay for them. Also please pray for funds for our ministry to continue so that we do our part by bringing teams to help with these projects and in whatever way God leads!

Blessings,
Team Possible.

click here to read about the Longneck Karen

2008-09-07T06:22:00.000-05:00

An outreach to the Karen Hilltribe in Chiangmai

2008-09-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

In August our family had an incredible opportunity to go on an outreach with our new church TLC . The TLC decided to choose a group of people that they will regularly minister to. The community that they chose is the Karen hill tribe.

A couple of years ago I wrote an article in our newsletter about the Long-neck Karen. I believe this group is from the same tribe although they no longer wear the rings for the long-neck.

After Nathaniel and Naomi played some games with the kids, we sang worship songs, and helped serve the children lunch. After eating, we watched the children play with puppets, watch a presentation of the “The Prodigal Son” and our family taught 2 songs; Jesus Loves Me and Head & Shoulders Knees & Toes. The staff wanted us to teach a song that would help the kids learn English—Head & Shoulders fit the bill! :) Our team also brought food, clothes and bracelets for the children.

We had a wonderful day of ministry and look forward to many more in the future!

About the Karen; The Karen began to move into Thailand around the 17th century and occur in large numbers in the western part of Northern Thailand, in particular on the ranges west and south of Doi Inthanon. The main groups in Thailand are White Karen composed of the Skaw and the Pwo sub groups.

The Karen live in villages of around 25 houses raised on stilts. The villages tend to cluster. Each household consists of the parents and their unmarried children. Married daughters and their families may also live in the same house. The highest authority is the village priest who runs the village along with the elders.

The Karen have rituals to live harmoniously with the "Lord of the Land and Water", as well as with nature spirits in the rocks, trees, water and mountains that surround them. They also have guardian spirits and believe in the soul.

Their desire for harmony with nature may partly account for why the Karen have evolved the most ecologically sound system of swidden agriculture. They use a system of rotation over a large area of land and do not cut all the large trees down when they clear a plot.

They are also the only group to have built terraces to grow wet-rice.

Karen cloth is hand-woven on back-strap looms and is predominantly red with white, blue or brown vertical stripes. Stitching is clear and decorative. The men may wear simple forms of this material in a sleeveless tunic (or northern Thai clothing), while the women wear more elaborate styles on their sarongs.

The women's blouses are made of dark homespun cotton with horizontal embroidered patterns decorated with seeds woven onto the lower half. Unmarried girls of the Skaw group wear plain white shifts.

Those of the Pwo are more decorated. The Karen are famous for their use of beads for ornamentation.

information obtained online: http://www.chiangmai1.com/chiang_mai/karen

Summer pics

2008-07-25T05:32:00.000-05:00

These are some fun pictures that we took of the kids this summer! Aren't they cute kids?! :)

This summer, after a Conference in Cha-Am, Thailand, we were able to walk the beach before heading home. While on the beach we came across a whale that had washed on shore. Sorry if it is an image that is difficult for you to handle. We took a picture with Nathaniel so you could tell how small it was.

It is hard to believe that this is a whale, but it is.

Love to ALL
The Scotts "Team Possible"

New TLC church building

2008-07-21T03:44:00.001-05:00

This is Troy and Pastor King giving a tour of the new TLC church building to our Boss and his wife Russ and Patsy Turney.

Here is a picture from the outside of the TLC
Church/Bible School. It is absolutely beautiful!

In this picture - back row:
Russ Turney and wife Patsy, Troy, Pastor King and wife Apple
Front row:Nathaniel, Cheryl holding Natalie, and Naomi

The TCL Church/Bible School was the first project that Troy was scheduled to Project Manage when we were asked to come to Thailand. Since we were unable to gather our support quick enough, the project went on without us, so we didn't arrive until the finishing touches were being done on the project. We are sad that we missed the construction of the facility, however there are more projects in the works that we will be a part of, so "may pen ray" - means "No worries". :)

Left to right:
Nathaniel, Cheryl holding Natalie, Troy, Naomi (in front) Pastor King, and wife Apple

Blessings,
Team Possible