Or Koh Samet, Ko Samed, Koh Samed, or just about anything else that is an approximate spelling of the island that we are staying on.
It seems they are all acceptable.
You would think that maybe someplace official like the tourist information center would know but they too have conflicting signs mere meters from each other.
(Just multiply feet by about 3)
Oh, and yes, I said island.
Our next ministry time will be in several different locations in Thailand and since squads A&B (January) have just finished a month here, debrief time was scheduled in a relaxing atmosphere.
I realize that it might sound soft and fluffy at first… warm soft ocean waters, pristine beaches, lush rainforest, etc. but one must understand the rigors of the tropical heat and humidity, the stresses of deciding which ridiculously cheap Thai place to eat, the terrors of navigating a mo-ped through the only paved street on the island, and last but not least, which flavor ice-cream to get.
At this point I would like to remind everyone that I am undeniably from the South.
It gets hot down there early in the year and stays that way for quite some time, but there is no heat and humidity quite like being 12 degrees from the equator.
In light of this, I would like to submit a small list of things to do in the island heat… Sleep and sweat.
Stand and sweat.
Yawn and sweat.
Eat and sweat.
Get dressed and sweat.
Drink water and sweat.
Go swimming and sweat.
Not move and sweat.
Sit in front of a fan and sweat.
It’s a good list.
Jovial mood aside, squads A&B have had an incredibly intense month working with several prostitute ministries and squad C has been working on downloading and organizing 3 months in Africa, while simultaneously preparing for the spiritual warfare to be faced in the months ahead.
Being in a place to relax for a couple of days is truly a Godsend.
AIM leadership and our prayer counselors have been pouring into us and making themselves available to help wade through the past and find solid rocks for the future.
We are sincerely grateful to them for not only their guidance but spirit of empowerment as well.
On Sunday, September 2nd, the four C teams will return to the YWAM (our contacts) base in Bangkok and on the 5th, go to our ministry assignments.
Our current plan is to send teams D.O.Z. and Concrete to Phuket, team Awaken to Bangkok, and team Lego to Pattaya.
This is where things get crazy.
Because this type of ministry is so female focused, the four guys (Silas, Sean, Mark and myself) will not be with our teams this month, but rather will focus on building our relationship with each other as brothers while taking an opportunity to do some individual work using other ministries and helping AIM to grow some more contacts in this region.
This will be an extremely important month for every single person on my squad as we continue to forge our identity as a team and individual and discover our roles.
We will all be stretched and are looking forward to what God’s hands are going to do with willing clay.
Koh Samet
N 12o 34.065′
E 101o 27.867′
31 ft
