Hello everyone,

Spring has sprung!  Today is May 1st.  Flowers are blooming.  The sun is showing up more than the clouds, and we’ve  changed our blog layout.  Hope you enjoy it.

This year has been filled with all kinds of adventures already and I wanted to let you in what has happened and what’s around the corner!

Discovery Tour 2012

The New Year began with Discovery Tour 2012…an opportunity for people of all ages to travel to Thailand and visit the zones in which we focus our time and energy.   We were particularly excited that my parents came along this year…their first time in Thailand.  This year’s tour was our second annual and we’re planning our third one schedule for January 2013.

Surprising Changes in Burma

Burma continues to surprise the world.  A number of preliminary overtures by the government towards democracy have caused a number of nations to take a second look at engaging Burma in dialogue and in adjusting sanctions.  Burma’s President U Thein Sein, the new leader of Burma has most recently been named one of the top 100 influential people of 2012 by Time Magazine.  Aung San Suu Kyi, iconic democratic leader and General Secretary for the National League for Democracy (NLD) has won a parliamentary seat in a recent by-election.  In fact, 43 of 44 seats contested in recent by-elections were won by the NLD.  The level of influence the NLD can exert in Burma’s new parliamentary system (the first in 23 years) is yet to be determined.

Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2012

NLD Wins By-Election

Song for Imagine Thailand 

I hope you’ve had a chance to listen to Brent Tyler’s song “Imagine Life”.  Brent wrote the song as part of the Kelowna Global Citizens’ Week musical competition.  For one week in February, Kelowna Global Citizen’s Week focuses schools, businesses, and community organizations on local and humanitarian issues.  A number of song writers were partnered with organizations who work in relief, rehabilitation, and development.  Each song writer wrote a song about the focus of the organization with whom they were partnered.   This arrangement gave both the song writer and their organization increased exposure.  All songs were uploaded to Youtube and the musician that received the most hits won free studio time.  Brent won second place and we plan on using his song for Imagine Thailand videos in the near future!  Here’s the link to the song:

Brent Tyler…Imagine Life

I’m a book!  

Two weeks ago I became a book!  Well, actually I became part of a “human library”.  Still not clear?  At one of our local middle schools, the librarian organized an event inviting small groups of students to interact with people from our community in 15-minute segments of time.  The community participants talked about their jobs and life experiences.  The event was set up in the school library and the 10 presenters were placed in different areas of the library while students “signed out books”, and “read” them. Approximately 130 students signed up.  I really enjoyed telling students about Imagine Thailand and how students could make a difference in the world at their age.  According to the organizer…

“Human Library events were first developed in Europe to allow readers to meet with people from diverse backgrounds in an effort to break down stereotypes and prejudices. These events have been successful in bringing community members together, fostering diversity, and changing attitudes. In a 21st Century Learning environment, Human Library events also reinforce the role of a library as a Learning Commons, an important place to bring diverse people together, to provide meaningful social action among students and community members. Students will be given the opportunity to hear diverse stories, and converse with a wide variety of community members.”

So there you have it.  I’m a book.

Imagine Thailand Fundraising Banquet

If you happen to be in West Kelowna on Sunday, May 27th, join us for our Imagine Thailand Fundraising Banquet.  Our Thai market opens at 4:00pm, followed by an authentic Thai dinner at 5:00pm (the chef is from our favourite Thai restaurant!).  Besides enjoying a bit of Thai culture, the purpose of our evening is to let our guests know the latest news about Imagine Thailand and to raise money for humanitarian projects in Thailand.  Ticket prices are $10.00/person or $25.00/family.  We’d love to have you come.  Tickets are on sale at Emmanuel Church and also through email at derek@imaginethailand.org.

     Just before Christmas, Irislee and I met with Richard and Christine Wengenmeier to talk about their trip to Thailand this past July.  Christine is a teacher at George Pringle Elementary School in West Kelowna, BC.  Last year, she brought together the entire school and raised money for a water system at Pyo Khin elementary school in Mae Sot.  Pyo Khin Elementary school hosts 140 students between Preschool and Grade 4.  Christine organized coin drives and popcorn sales and has helped her students develop friendships with the Burmese students by asking her students to write cards to them.  The students at Pyo Khin school have already written back!  But there’s more…while on their holiday in Thailand, Christine and Richard visited Pyo Khin school (see slide show below)!  We asked them about their experience so we could share it with you.

 What were the students and teachers like? 

The students were very eager to meet us.  They were a bit shy but once we smiled at them, they warmed up to us very quickly.   Once classes started, they were very focused on learning.  They didn’t need smart boards or video to grab their attention.  They had big, big smiles and behind those smiles, they had few teeth (dental issues).  They sang songs to us… like the “abc” song.  We noticed that many of them were really good artists.  Everyone wore clean uniforms.  The teachers were friendly.

What was the school itself like? 

The school was simple and had only the most basic supplies and equipment.  There were few teaching resources available.  The preschool area was quite small for the number of kids in the preschool program.  We noticed that there were no pencil sharpeners.  Students were sharpening their pencils with razor blades.  We bought sharpeners for the school.

What did you do while visiting Pyo Khin School?

We met each of the teachers and the headmaster (principal) and then visited the classes.  Each teacher gave us some of their classroom time to teach.    In each class, we played games with lots of actions and taught English through playing those games.  In one class we observed the students writing the letter “a” over and over again in their notebooks.

 What impacted you the most? 

We were amazed at the happiness we saw at the school.  The living standards are so low and yet happiness was seen everywhere.

Have you changed somehow because of your visit?

Yes.  We were reminded to be happy with a life of simplicity. Life is not about “keeping up with the Jones’.”  We don’t need to keep striving to own what other people already own.  Our philosophy in life has become “We don’t need a lot to be happy.  We just need each other.  We could live anywhere in the world as long we we’re together…wherever your family is there is your home.”

Our idea of social justice changed as well.  Focused efforts make a difference.  When we focus on one area over a long period of time rather than focusing on many areas around the world, deep change can happen.  This is George Pringle’s second year of involvement with Pyo Khin and now the students are writing letters to each other.  Relationship is important.  The personal aspect feels like this project is more effective.  We don’t need a lot of hype to make this happen.  Giving comes from the heart.

And of course, giving is always a learning process.  During our first school popcorn sale in September, I noticed something interesting taking place.  The students who were selling the popcorn were holding their own purchased popcorn while selling to the student body because they didn’t want miss out on the popcorn sale itself.  After it was all over, I explained to them that it didn’t matter whether we got something or not.  We are the leaders.  A good lesson about sacrifice and delayed gratification was taught.

Any final thoughts?

I wish I could have stayed longer.  I’d love to go back and I want George Pringle Elementary to keep this partnership going.

My own final thoughts.

We’re grateful to Christine and George Pringle Elementary School for their partnership with us.  If you or your school would like to establish a similar partnership, please let us know!

 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.