Thai ’08 Journal 23

The Mission College nurses returned to Bangkok this morning. This left our nurses free to join the teams at the farm and the English Camp. Two of them joined the English Camp, and the rest came to the farm and picked corn. We did 2 pick-up loads in 2 hours; and they loved it. They would have loved to stay a bit longer. There was simple satisfaction to be involved in a project that brought immediate, tangible results. They also met the injured farmer; and that also gave even more impetus to work – there was a human, visible cause. All of this was topped off with drinking coconut water and eating the coconut meat. The regular team also picked sweet sop.

Those at the English Camp had a great day as well; and the rest of us joined them in the afternoon for their send-off and “thank-yous.” The VP for Student Administration, the Chaplain, and Assistant Chaplain, also came. The Principal of the High School and others thanks us for our services and invited us to come again next year. They also had gifts for the English Camp team.

Fred, Kim, I and a number of the students took time to get massages. This evening the former President Dr. Siriporn took the 3 of us, staff, out to a fabulous restaurant. It is her support and vision that has made this trip come to fruition. I met with her Cabinet in 2005 and talked about my missiological vision for partnership with the Thai people to do wholistic “evangelism.” But in particular, we visioned together the possibilities of our campuses working with various academic departments, and campus ministries in various endeavors around Muak Lek and throughout Thailand. We were both excited at the success of this first trial run.

Yesterday the Mission College Board of Trustees voted to rename the school, “Asia-Pacific International University.” This was also one of her “babies” that she worked for during the 10 years of her presidency. How great to see that also come to fruition. In her retirement she is working on making the nursing school really international. Her vision is to have some of the students come and spend some time at WWU, as part of their studies. Ideas, ideas, ideas! That’s where great things start!

Oh, and Bonnie did work out Bhima and her mom’s ticket. They now leave on Monday.