Tape Head

Yesterday we planned a youth event for 7-12 year olds. We did a simple skit, some funny songs (anyone know the Bananas song?), teaching, and games. BearHunter and I had a large part in the game planning, drawing on our experience with junior highers. The children loved the Tapehead game which we have played with our church back home. Each team wraps tape (sticky side out) around the head of their designated runner. These looked like turbans today. They then race to a pile of small itemsa nd roll their heads around in it, trying to pick as much as possible to their heads. The teams then pull off the items from their heads and return back for another go. The team with the most items wins.

Walking across the court with an orange between their legts was pretty funny, too. Some of these kids have skinny leds and therefore difficulty retaining the orange as they walked or jumped.

Friday night in CHiang Mai the local Christian had a huge prayer meeting in celebration of the king's 60 years of reign. We all met at theThaPae Gate, entrance to the old city. Many people wore yellow shirts, the royal color. Dance teams accompanied the worship songs with flags, tambourines, and choreographed movements. All the songs were in Thai! But we recognized some tunes and sang along in English.

BearHunter's in the Library

Surprise, surprise, eh? BearHunter has always loved libraries. Now he's helping to build one out of mud and straw. They make the bricks by hand on site. When our group arrived the walls were already up on the structure, the Solomon Library at the church school. Now, a few weeks later, the roof is on completely. To make skylights, portions of the corrugated fiberglass sheets were replaced with a plexiglass type material which allows light through the roof. Our team's job was making the indoor furniture including computer, keyboard and book shelves. The shelves were first formed with bamboo and sticks to make a frame. Then mud and straw mixture was plastered around it and allowed to dry. That simple! One chair was made by piling two bags of mud and covering them with mud/straw. The girls on the team did some relief murals on the outside wall of the library. They made bigger-than-life sized trees, animals, flowers, and symbols. Last Friday the muddy floor had been cleared, smoothed and dried, almost ready for opening.