Merry Christmas!

A few years ago, Irislee and I had an epiphany about how we celebrate Christmas.

Living in North America, it’s hard to resist the pull of materialism, the obligation of gift-giving and the hectic peace-less lifestyle.  When we first heard about Operation Christmas Child, we wanted to give, but didn’t know how we would afford one more thing during the Christmas season.  After a few discussions, we realized we wanted to make Christmas better reflect what we believe about the birth and message of Jesus.  He gave up heaven to come to earth and live among us.  Surely we could make some sacrifices too!  We could use the money we would normally spend on each other and give it away instead.  Over the years, we’ve sent boxes to Operation Christmas child through Samaritan’s Purse, Project Seeds to Guatemala and Boxes of Love to Zambia.  Some years, we’ve even chosen Christmas giving gifts from Samaritan’s Purse, Gospel for Asia and World Vision for our extended family members.  No one has ever complained, but instead thanked us for giving to those in need on their behalf.

Have you ever heard of Advent Conspiracy?

It’s a great idea that has changed the Christmas season for thousands of people!  Check it out here.

One fantastic idea for this Christmas specifically is the Christmas Giving Catalogue idea developed by Omega Global.  Omega Global is a one-year discipleship program (directed by Zach Wylie) from Summit Pacific College, and students in this program are coming to Thailand this spring to volunteer in various parts of the country.  As part of their pre-trip planning, they want to raise money for some of the projects Imagine Thailand is currently running and so they’ve put together a fantastic Gift Catalogue.  I’ve attached the link below:

Christmas Giving Catalogue

Follow the instructions on page 4 and make an impact in Mae Sot, Bangkok, and Takua Pa!

On a personal note, thank-you for your interest and support in all things Imagine Thailand.  This has been another significant year in Thailand and Burma.  The Thai elections, the continually changing politics of Burma, and the devastating floods would top the chart in events followed by the international media.

 It has been a significant year for Imagine Thailand as well.

• The many missions teams that visited 1 or more of our 4 regions of involvement (Bangkok, Takua Pa, the Deep South, and Mae Sot) and our interns have been important in creating momentum for our team on the ground.
• We hosted our first Discovery Tour – a humanitarian tour of Thailand for those concerned about social justice and interested in how Imagine Thailand responds to social justice issues throughout the country. Deeply impacted by the experience, some of the tour participants raised thousands of dollars for water systems in Mae Sot upon returning home.
• We began training our first full-time community development directors who will move to the Deep South in 2012.
• Kelvin Chan who interned with us in the fall of 2011 is revamping and expanding our educational process for our tutoring center in Takua Pa…more on this in the spring.
• We established The Pie Shoppe in Bangkok (providing good English meat pies!) to help raise funds for Imagine Thailand.
• We continue to develop the The School of Leadership in Mae Sot, preparing it for a launch in 2012.

These examples illustrate that our directors Peter and Cavelle Dove and our Imagine Thailand team are constantly creating new ways to deepen Imagine Thailand’s commitment to the people of Thailand and Burma.

For our family here in West Kelowna, we have enjoyed another full year of training teams, creating support for projects, and spreading the word on what is happening in Thailand and Burma.  We’ve established relationships with a number of schools, churches, and colleges who have graciously allowed us to take away “regular programming” time in order to hear our stories about the thoughts and dreams of people we’ve met in Southeast Asia.

We’re already looking forward to a full slate of plans for 2012 that we will keep you informed about through our blog.  By way of reminder, it’s not too late to sign up for Discovery Tour 2012 (January 17-29th).

From us…the Koch Kamotion…

Derek, Irislee, Ellie, Isaac, Hannah, and Olivia…

we wish you and yours a Merry Christmas, filled with the peace, joy and love of Jesus, and a Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because I sent out the original post in the middle of August, I thought I’d re-send it now because everyone is back from holidays and summer activities!  We’d love you to join us for…

Discovery Tour 2012.

For those that came last year, Discovery Tour 2011 was an amazing experience that gave everyone an excellent up-close-and-personal view of everything Imagine Thailand.

One participant wrote that “Discovery Tour is a very fun, educational tour… You get to learn about Imagine Thailand and see some of the country too, in a safe and organized way.  The whole tour was so organized.”

From a dad with young children… “We thought it was superb for our kids…. Our kids loved every day; we were grateful for how the team cheered our kids on!”

Someone who had already been a supporter of Imagine Thailand  and came to see first-hand how her support was being used wrote, “It was great to actually see a ministry you support and hear about.  It was worth that in itself.  Excellent idea to have an organized time to do so.  Plus, I also think it’s a great way to experience the country, through people who live there and know what’s good and what to do and see.  For those non-world travellers it’s a nice way to be introduced to the country.”

On January 17-29, 2012, Peter and Cavelle Dove, the founders and directors of Imagine Thailand, Derek and Irislee Koch, the North American representatives of Imagine Thailand, and the Imagine Thailand Thai staff will take you on a journey you won’t forget.  Where will you go?  The tour will include Takua Pa in the south of Thailand where we are involved in a number of educational ventures with children who survived the tsunami of 2004.  You’ll visit Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand and Imagine Thailand’s headquarters.  A delicious coffee awaits you at Imagine’s Passport Cafe.   A trip to Mae Sot and a number of Burmese schools along the Thai-Burma border will give you a clear understanding of the crisis in which Burma finds itself.

Along with good food, clean and comfortable accommodations, a few tourist stops, and the rich interaction with Thai and Burmese culture, Discovery Tour 2012 promises to be a trip of a lifetime.

For more information or to register for this amazing experience, click here:  Discovery Tour 2012 or visit our link on our Imagine Thailand website.

Hope to see you there in January 2012!

Last night, Irislee and I sat outside looking at the stars.  It was late.  Time for bed.  We walked in, checked on our sleeping children, and realized sleeping children were not to be found.  All four of our kids were still fully awake.  In bed, but fully awake.  Today is the first day of school and with a million thoughts rushing through their minds about classrooms, friends, and potential teachers, sleeping was an impossibility.  As the oldest two ran to the bus stop this morning and the youngest two climbed into our van, it was clear that adrenaline would keep them alert until the end of today.  I’m waiting for the crash sometime early tomorrow morning.

We spent a lot of time preparing our children for September.  We went clothes shopping.  Online shopping greatly reduced the painful experience of walking through shopping malls!  We also bought school supplies.  Finally, we met with each child individually and talked about their feelings, our expectations, and then we prayed with each one.  Then this morning, Ellie, Isaac, Hannah, and Olivia zoomed off to three different schools.

While I’m writing this blog, I’m putting together an online Christmas catalogue to help raise support for Burmese schools in Mae Sot.

Once again, I’m caught between two worlds.

Here in the Okanagan our teachers are on strike.  They’re still teaching but they have eliminated a lot of the other tasks in which they normally participate (supervision, writing report cards, after-school activities, for example).    I’m not making a judgment on their decision to do so.   I’m simply noting that expectations of teachers in Mae Sot and those of teachers in the Okanagan are a world apart.

Here’s one product you’ll see in the Christmas catalogue:

What’s going on in this picture?  These teachers are in the middle of a Hygiene 101 course offered by Imagine Thailand.  You’ll notice that there are no sinks.  Water is carried in these basins from the well, city pipeline, or water filtration system and placed on these basin stands.  This whole set-up, including a large supply of soap, costs $100.00.  Through donations, we can create a school setting where students can wash their hands regularly and hygienically.  A bit of soap and clean hands and the incidences of disease will decrease.

Here’s a picture of a group of teachers you wouldn’t want to shake hands with…at least not until they’ve completed their training…proper hand-washing techniques!

As for teaching supplies, classes are bare so here’s what we’re trying to secure for each preschool teacher in Mae Sot:

This whole resource kit includes…

 15 scissors ~ teaching children to cut shapes

Tool set ~ imaginative play

Animals ~ imaginative play, counting, teaching family, teaching small/medium/large, short/tall, colours

Doctor set ~ imaginative play, colours

Cooking/tea set ~ imaginative play, colours, things in the kitchen

Ocean world underwater set ~ imaginative play, colours, float/sink

Small ducks – math concepts, colour, imaginative play

Funnels – imaginative play

2 large bowls for sand/water play

Storage bags

Blackboards

The cost for this amazing kit?  $100.00.

Thanks to your support in the past and the support you continue to give, the expectations of teachers in Mae Sot and the fulfillment of those expectations will rise step by step.

*******************

PS.  If you can’t wait for the Christmas catalogue and want to give right away, you have two options:

a) Write a cheque to Emmanuel Church – mail it to Emmanuel Church, 2600 Hebert Rd. West Kelowna, BC V4T 2J6 and write HANDS THAILAND or TEACHER RESOURCES  THAILAND on the cheque memo line depending on which project you want to support.

b)  Give online – follow the link  http://imaginethailand.org/donate/.    Follow the DONATE link through to “Donate by Area of Ministry” and fill in the amount.  On the comment line write “HANDS THAILAND or TEACHER RESOURCES THAILAND depending on which project you want to support.  

Because I sent out the original post in the middle of August, I thought I’d re-send it now because everyone is back from holidays and summer activities!  We’d love you to join us for…

Discovery Tour 2012.

For those that came last year, Discovery Tour 2011 was an amazing experience that gave everyone an excellent up-close-and-personal view of everything Imagine Thailand.

One participant wrote that “Discovery Tour is a very fun, educational tour… You get to learn about Imagine Thailand and see some of the country too, in a safe and organized way.  The whole tour was so organized.”

From a dad with young children… “We thought it was superb for our kids…. Our kids loved every day; we were grateful for how the team cheered our kids on!”

Someone who had already been a supporter of Imagine Thailand  and came to see first-hand how her support was being used wrote, “It was great to actually see a ministry you support and hear about.  It was worth that in itself.  Excellent idea to have an organized time to do so.  Plus, I also think it’s a great way to experience the country, through people who live there and know what’s good and what to do and see.  For those non-world travellers it’s a nice way to be introduced to the country.”

On January 17-29, 2012, Peter and Cavelle Dove, the founders and directors of Imagine Thailand, Derek and Irislee Koch, the North American representatives of Imagine Thailand, and the Imagine Thailand Thai staff will take you on a journey you won’t forget.  Where will you go?  The tour will include Takua Pa in the south of Thailand where we are involved in a number of educational ventures with children who survived the tsunami of 2004.  You’ll visit Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand and Imagine Thailand’s headquarters.  A delicious coffee awaits you at Imagine’s Passport Cafe.   A trip to Mae Sot and a number of Burmese schools along the Thai-Burma border will give you a clear understanding of the crisis in which Burma finds itself.

Along with good food, clean and comfortable accommodations, a few tourist stops, and the rich interaction with Thai and Burmese culture, Discovery Tour 2012 promises to be a trip of a lifetime.

For more information or to register for this amazing experience, click here:  Discovery Tour 2012 or visit our link on our Imagine Thailand website.

Hope to see you there in January 2012!

The Canucks are playing for the Stanley Cup!

Being unable to concentrate on much else, I thought I would tie our latest post into the theme of sports.  By the time this post is completed, Game 7 may have come and gone, but right now, along with 1000′s of Canuck fans, I’m anxiously counting down the hours until Game 7 begins.   When it comes to sports,  no nation on earth escapes the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”  At times stories emerge about how different nations react to less than expected athletic performances.

Many of you may be aware that after North Korea’s dismal performance in the World Cup exactly a year ago this month, reports began to surface that the North Korean soccer team was publicly berated by the Sports Minister while students, journalists, and 400 government officials watched the spectacle.  Apparently, after “betraying” his country and Supreme Leader, the coach was forced to become a builder and was expelled from the Workers’ Part of Korea!     If there is a humorous side to this story, it’s about how the  government handled the screening of North Korea’s World Cup games.  Being sensitive to potential humiliation, the government chose not to show North Korea’s opening World Cup game live and delayed the screening of the game.  However, after North Korea lost a close match (2-1) to world soccer power Brazil,  the government felt confident in its team and boldly aired the next game against Portugal.  Unfortunately, North Korea lost that one soundly  7 – 0.  Admittedly, the defeat would have been an embarrassing situation for a government obviously not familiar with the ups and downs of soccer and one that is always looking for an excuse to share a bit of propaganda with its own people. The government lost its temper.

Canada doesn’t escape the charge that we take our sports too seriously sometimes.  In 2004, Paul McCallum missed a field goal against the BC Lions and the Saskatchewan Roughriders eventually lost the game.  McCallum’s home was pelted with eggs, people dumped menure on his neighbour’s property (wrong address?), and McCallum and his family received death threats. Unlike North Korean government officials, the Roughriders club officials and the mayor of Regina, in support of McCallum, denounced the vandalism as “hooliganism.”  Still, McCallum didn’t remain with the Roughriders for long and moved on to…the BC Lions!

Even in Burma, where the majority of news focuses on the fight for democracy, sports are taken very seriously.  My family and I happened to be in Laos for the Southeast Asia Games in the fall of 2009 and watched football in the national stadium.  What an amazing experience to cheer Laos to a victory over Indonesia with 1000′s of passionate Laotian fans.  By the end of the Games, Burmese athletes won 12 medals and finished in 8th place out of 11 competing nations.  Actually, the exact wording from Burmese commentators was “only” 12 medals.    In a country where all news information is censored, it is remarkable that such apparent freedom to criticize the country’s athletic program was permitted.  Interestingly, it appears that even in this cruel military dictatorship, a proper and perhaps critical evaluation of a nations’ athletic programs is somehow considered acceptable as opposed to criticizing the governments’ treatment of its citizens.  One journalist mentioned that athletic training programs in Burmese schools had been cut and there was a decline of interest in sports.  It was also noted that among reasons for the Burmese athletes’ dismal performance,  the regime’s interference with the football team’s player selection process was part of the problem. Now that sounds more like the Burma I know.   On a side note, Wikileaks recently revealed that the former Burmese dictator Snr-Gen Than Shwe considered buying the Manchester United Football club for $1 billion (US).  Can you imagine that alliance?

Back to Canada…I wonder what will happen to Luongo if we lose Game 7?  I know, I know.  Stop picking on our goalie. It’s not his fault alone if we lose.   Yes, I realize that.  But when the chips are down, we’re always looking for a scapegoat.  Just be glad for his sake that he lives here in Canada.  After all, when you look at what happens to athletes in other countries, a little manure never hurt anyone.