Oh hey y'all!

It's been just over two weeks since I got here in Thailand, and so far it has been absolutely incredible! The  first few days were hard, leaving my family after only two weeks of being home was a hard decision, but I know this is where the Lord wants me to be! Jesus has been pouring out so many blessings this last couple of weeks, and I feel His hand on my team like crazy! My team is made up of 10 people, 2 guys and 8 girls. It seems so crazy that I decided to travel the world for a year and three months with people I had never met before now, but they already feel like family.

My team :)

We started this long journey together in Bangkok, and then took an overnight bus to Chiang Rai, a northern province in Thailand, bordering Myanmar. The best part was this wee little box we got, with one piece of fried chicken, and two little pastries. Oh and the seats collapsed all the way down. Nothing cures jet lag like eight hours of sleep and junk food. When we got to Chiang Rai we could feel an immediate difference. The YWAM base we're staying at is surrounded by lush mountains and impossibly green rice fields. You can smell life and growth everywhere you go. 

Six of us girls are living together in a room with bunk beds, and we each have 6 little cubbies. It's enough to hold my 50 pounds of belongings, and our room feels like home and has been such a blessing. If I want to, I can take a hot shower everyday and clean drinking water is everywhere on the base. Our classroom also has air conditioning, which has turned out to be an amazing blessing on those 36 degree days.

My little bed for 6 weeks. Buzz lightyear sheets, YES.

We started class after a couple days of getting settled in and exploring Chiang Rai a little bit. After taking a 15 minute Sung Tao (a truck with seats in the back) you can go to downtown Chiang Rai, known for it's night bazaar. Full of life, colour and the smells of good food, it was so amazing. I love the area so much, and how there's city life, and country life so close together. 

Night Bazaar

Our first class is Photo Communications 1. We're all learning as much about photography in 6 weeks as we can, and so far it's been so amazing. Learning about something I really want to know about, and getting challenged with assignments has been so fun, and I already feel like I've learnt so much. Everyone is on a different levels of photography, and we all learn from each other. We always focus on using our photography for something bigger than ourselves, and making a difference in the world through raising awareness about different injustice issues. I'm really finding a passion for it, and I love being surrounded by 9 other passionate photographers.

Our first outreach has been Home of the Open Heart, a home for women and children living with or directly affect by HIV. The staff there is amazing, and the 12 children living there have really started to warm up to us. They're all so full of life, and I always leave feeling so thankful for everything I have.

Josiah, one of the boys from Home of the Open Heart

Last weekend we were able to celebrate and be apart of the Songkran Festival, Thai New Year. The festival runs from the 13 to the 15 of April, and is celebrated with a national water fight! Being blonde made it so I was constantly soaked, and laughing constantly. Jill, Kelsey, Katie and I met an amazing Thai family who let us share there water on the side of the street. By the end of the day they had shared so much more with us. They gave us food, and water, and let us ride through the crazy packed streets of Chiang Rai in the back of their truck. Throwing water at every other passing truck, and becoming friends with Ing, their 10 year old daughter was so fun, and my favourite memory in Thailand so far. Thai people are so incredibly friendly and generous, and I will never forget this family!

For more pictures : http://mariellelouizesaays.tumblr.com/

This was happening on every street!

So far I am so in love with Thailand and the people, and I'm loving every second of this incredible journey. I'm travelling all around the world, learning about photography, standing up for what I believe in and being a voice for this who don't have one. Most importantly I'm doing it all with my best friend, my everything, Jesus Christ. And life with Him is so much more exciting than any other life I can think of. Ahhhh Jesus is SO good! Thank you to everyone praying for me, and encouraging me! I appreciate it all more than you know.

All for His glory

Marielle

Hey Everyone!

I just got to Thailand almost a week ago, and so far it has been amazing! Rice fields, surrounded by lush green mountains and the smell of life all around. I'll be writing a more detailed update soon, but right now I'm just going to post my support letter for the PhotogenX Around the World Track. It explains the program a little bit, and my heart behind being here. :)

All for His glory.

Marielle



Hey Everyone!

“...if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10

While I was in Cambodia, I got a taste of what it means to help those in need and to spread the living water of Jesus. I saw and heard what true injustice was, and it started a passion in my heart to reach out to those who are suffering from injustice. On April 5th I have the opportunity to become a part of The PhotogenX Around the World Track, a program which runs for a year and three months. During this year my Team and I will focus on fighting injustice through photography, learning how to fight injustice in the long term and showing love and reaching out to the lost, the starving and the afflicted. “Our Vision Statement: The purpose of this track is to Know God and Know yourself, see the face of God in the faces of the world, explore cultures and communities, connect with ministries around the globe, be intentionally discipled, grow in your strengths and thrive as equipped leaders, use media to expose injustice and empower lives, study the Bible in-depth, and experience current events in faraway places. We don’t want to travel the nations and take pictures for our own purposes. We want to see the Kingdom of God come to the earth in tangible ways every day through your team. Amen.”

For this year, I will be doing six weeks of training, followed by six weeks of outreach. During these outreaches I will be doing various things to help those who are afflicted, starving and desperate. All of these will start by showing the love of Jesus, which is the most powerful thing in this world. Each outreach will address the need in each specific country and we will also be doing weekly outreaches in the areas where the training courses take place. There are so many places in the world that are full of suffering, and through this program we will be reaching out in tangible ways to these people in desperate need.

If you would like to partner with me, either financially or in prayer, both are so needed, and so appreciated! If you would like to become a supporter of my calling I will be sending monthly email updates, and I also have a blog I will be regularly posting to, www.mariellelouize@blogspot.com. If you have further questions about the program you can reach me by email, marielle.louize@gmail.com or phone, 250 372 2504. Thank you!

All for His glory, 

Marielle Saayman