Globalscope

Raef’s Internship

Posted on the November 4th, 2008 under Thailand by Patrick Gerber

My name is Raef Chenery. For the last year I have been working at The Grapevine with Globalscope Thailand as their intern. My internship is nearly over and I was asked to share a few departing words about my time here. The following are some of my most memorable experiences in Thailand.

This is a picture taken at The Grapevine one night when we had four of our Thai students participate in a skit version of The Dating Game. It was a very funny night. One of the reasons I love this picture is because the three guys participating in this event are three of my closest friends here in Thailand: Milk, Bank, and Anas. I have spent a lot of time with each of them, and it is going to be very difficult to leave such good friendships behind. The Lord has done a lot in each of their lives.

This picture was taken last Christmas. I love this picture, just because it is a fun picture. I think we were at the airport dropping exchange students off to go home. That was my first Christmas away from home, and I was nervous that it was going to be very difficult. But the staff at Grapevine made me feel like Bangkok was my home, and the Thai students, being concerned for me, gave me extra attention during the holiday season. The holidays ended up being a time of great strength for many of my relationships here in Thailand, and I was grateful for every moment that I spent.
This picture was taken during a Thai holiday called SonKrong (That’s the best I can spell it with English letters). If you step outside, you risk being drenched in water and covered in a weird clay by anyone and everyone on the street. It was so much fun being part of the celebration. Unfortunately my wallet and keys got stolen. All the students came together though and helped me. In the end, a police officer had caught the thief and managed to return my stuff to me. If you don’t know about Bangkok, it is extremely unlikely that I would ever see my wallet again. The day was a blast though and another great opportunity to spend with students. Watching them come together to help me find my wallet was a blessing.

There’s much more I could say about a year with Grapevine, but I will close by just thanking God for every opportunity I have had to be a part of the ministry and the work God is doing through Grapevine in Thailand.

Going Green

Posted on the September 4th, 2008 under Thailand by Patrick Gerber

“Going Green”.

One of our closest students, Bank, is very serious about the environment. So serious that he single handedly organized a tree planting event on the campus of Thammasat University. Bank eagerly invited The Grapevine to get involved, so we eagerly did. Bank informed us that he had successfully acquired 888 trees to be planted. We were a bit alarmed at that number, but being the go getting, “do it yourself” Americans that we are, we prepared to spend the whole day digging in the dirt. Of course, most Thai people are not as silly as us Americans and would never burden their good friends with the task of planting 888 trees in one day. When we showed up, the grounds crew had already planted all of the trees, our role was to just scrape mulch over the newly planted roots and pose for pictures. Bank had gotten some help in organizing the event and, in spite of the rain that day, it turned into quite a party complete with refreshments, prizes, and about 100 working class Thais. We were the only ones who came prepared to dig holes and plant trees and, as a result, got some interesting “smiles” from everyone else who were dressed for work that day.

This was one of the most exciting things to happen this semester, thanks to our friend Bank. It was also a great culture learning experience for us Americans who usually go into situations thinking, well, just like Americans. We are often taken back, even those of us who have been here for a while, at just how different things really are here. Hanging out with modern, westernized young people sometimes tempts us to forget that we are in a different world. Thank God for Bank, who gave us an opportunity to be reminded that we are guests here and that most people think, and act, very differently than us.

When it comes to our purpose here, it is a challenge to continually work to get our own culture out of the way of the Gospel so that Thais can see more of Jesus and less of our culture. We pray that the Holy Sprit is constantly “translating” our lives into ones that clearly reflect God’s character, even if we look as silly as we did that day. God bless Bank.

-Andy