Team Thailand first full day reflections...

Hello from hot and steamy Thailand...in that order! Team is doing great...hear from them yourself...

Bryan...

We were extremely grateful for the hospitality of the team at globalscope from breakfast all the way to dinner! We had a great time walking around campus and the. Playing sports with the students! Gotta chance to play 🏀 basketball with the students! Great time connecting with the student community!

James...

Super fun and exciting first day here in Bangkok! Getting to meet the Grapevine ministry family was a blast and the day was made with a number of fun basketball games at the University. The guys at the courts were extremely kind and we enjoyed meeting them and look forward to seeing them again throughout our time here.

Nick...

Today we got a better idea of what it really looks like to be on mission here the next couple weeks. We enjoyed walking around the campus and hearing about the culture from Mark, James, Putter, and Mini! I had some authentic Pad Thai which was great! We also got to get a clearer picture of the missionaries history in the afternoon. It really seems like God is going to be working through building connections with the students through things like our pickup basketball, 9 square, art, and frisbee! I’m excited to see how God uses those connections and stirs some curiosity as we share about Grapevine!

Jeremy...

Today in Thailand, 

Was such an amazing first day to really get a feeling of what the next week and a half is going to look like. Great kickstart of this mission with such great conversations, really getting an understanding of the culture and what this mission truly means for the Bernardinos as well as James! We had great opportunities to play pickup basketball with some of the local college students, they were amazing and so friendly! Mark told us today that Thailand is called the land of smiles, and you can truly see that with how friendly everyone is. The Lord is going to do amazing things here and you can truly see it!

Ari...

First day in Thailand and we have already seen the Lord moving! The Bernardinos and James have been so welcoming to us. Their kids have been so much fun to play with and get to know as well. Got the chance to play 9 square with some students on campus today and they had so much fun. Seeing their laughter and enjoyment was AWESOME! God is doing great things 💗

Jaime...

What an adventure today truly was!  This is truly the ‘land of smiles’.  Every place we encountered along our day provided smiles and warmth.  Our hosts, the Bernardino’s and James welcomed us and we had a fantastic morning breakfast and time playing with their sweet kids!  We walked all throughout the campus and jumped into playing volleyball and basketball with students so easily!  We enjoyed cafe time, meeting some more students and learning from our hosts more deeply about Buddhism, the Thai culture, Christianity’s role here and their journey to becoming missionaries.  Learning about the makeup of the students at the university that we will be engaging with all week was so interesting! We later spent a few more hours playing frisbee and nine square in the park.  Ended our night back reflecting over dinner at the grapevine house! Feeling blessed and that we are an also a blessing… to all we meet!

Wendy...

Princess and her helpers made us an awesome breakfast this morning. During the end of our prayer some of the guys joined in a pick up game with some students.  The students rotated who played, so they would all get a chance to play against the Americans.  Others joined in a volleyball game.  Heading to lunch afterwards, the Grapevine people helped us order, as very little was  in English. Everyone is very friendly here. Had to go back to the dorm to change shoes after mine fell apart. We meet up with everyone at Starbucks where I  met an art student. We chatted and invited her to join us later.She liked the idea and said she would bring friends! From there we came back to Grapevine to learn more about their mission. God is up to some wonderful things here!

Back to the park after that. Some played basketball,  some 9 square,  and some did drawing and painting. The students seemed eager to join in the activities.

 Waiting on dinner back at Grapevine.  I know we all we sleep well tonight!

Scott...

Day 1 in Thailand:  Started with an amazing breakfast provided by our hosts.  Princess and a Grapevine resident Putter cook a awesome breakfast.  We walked and prayed as walked the Thammasat University!  Identified areas to do basketball, 9 square, art in the park and Frisbee.  Recieved a great overview of Thai culture and Grapevine ministries John15:5.  We split up and had 9 square and art in the park, where we invited those in the area to play.  We had great fun teaching 9 square and learning names.  They are so open to playing and have great laughter.  We mentioned we would be back and introduced them to Grapevine.  The students are open to new things and this will open doors to share the love of Jesus and build relationships.