Teaching OT in faraway places

In the expectation that we’ll meet interesting people, and see strange sights, while we are away, and in the hopes of sharing some of the experiences with you we will be taking a Canon TX1 with us.

It’s a nifty little gadget, fits in my shirt pocket, takes still or video images, with a good (10x optical) zoom. It will record video in either normal or HQ mode, and we hope to be able to upload some (compressed with Flash) while we are away and more (maybe better quality) when we get back. As a test of what’s possible, here is a pretty good version of a short clip I took out of the study window (just handheld, so jerky, sorry).

We’ve entered the last phase of getting ready. The check-lists are getting ticked off:

• notes and digital reader/anthology sent to CTS   √
• tickets arranged and bought √
• flight details sent to CTS (BTW we’ll have a cell phone while there and the number will be +94 724210739) √
• arranged with Karen Bible School that they will find us at the Guest House in Mae Sot on 3rd March √
• visas (we have just discovered that to stay more than a month in Thailand we’ll need visas, yesterday the Royal Thai Consulate was still closed for Christmas/summer holidays…)
• vaccinations - we have most of them but need blood tests to check some are still working (they took the blood this morning)
• anti-malarials √ (at least, we have arranged to get the prescriptions)
  
• water treatment (we are wondering if one of the neat new UV pens will do the trick)
• first aid kit

So, we are getting there. It feels a bit like being missionaries again, preparing to go to places very different from home. So far despite our rather disorganised and last minute approach God has been gracious and no major problems.

CTS are constructing a fine new buliding

We have our itinerary for the visits to Colombo Theological Seminary and the Bible School in a refugee camp for anyone who wants to pray for our travel here are the travel dates:

• depart Auckland 4th Feb
• arrive Colombo 5th Feb
• to London 17th Feb
• to Bangkok 27th Feb
• return to Auckland 6th April

The teaching dates at Colombo Theological Seminary are 8th - 16th Feb, so we’ll have a couple of days to get acclimatuised before teaching starts. Our dates for the camp are not yet finalised, even with email getting anything set up definitely is difficult. (A mixtrue of culture and conditions their end make definite plans in the future difficult to organise.)