Imagine an area from Vancouver, BC to Portland, Oregon--almost 500 km--under water. Every house, business, industry, road or hospital under as little as 10cm and as much as 4 metres of dirty and polluted water.  That would be news wouldn't it? Imagine a population the size of Vancouver proper--every man, woman and child (660,000 for those reaching for Wikipedia) losing their work over night with no prospect of returning for months, no unemployment insurance and no bank account. That would be news, wouldn't it?  Imagine a city the size of New York City and Greater Toronto combined told to evacuate while you can. That would be news wouldn't it?  But it's not.  Buried deep in the National Post or New York Times you'll find an update, and yes, finally the Globe and Mail has caught on, but let's face it, floods are not good disaster stories. They take too long, drag out, leave too many people alive.  It's death by a thousand cuts. But that's the story here. Those numbers listed are still conservative, for we all wait for the final, painfully slow act in this drama--Bangkok's fall.

   Even for us, at times it's hard to take this flood serious.  The days here are sunny, warm and finally summerlike.  Images of the flood have inconvenienced pedistrians slogging through calf-deep roadways, or kids swimming in the canals. But for those submerged, it's much worse. Take the lady who refused help to be evacuated early this week.  The next day she called for help when the water had risen to her neck.  But by then it was too late. No one could reach her. The speed of the water's entrance won't be matched by its exit--some communities still sit in chest high water forty days after the flood.

   This is the flood that never ends.  Raining when it should have been sunny, our summer hot season was the soggiest on memory.  Flooding began in the North two months ago, and the water run-off of endless tropical storms has accumulated in the Central Plains, pushing south through the only exit it has--Bangkok. How much water? Imagine a lake 75% the size of Lake Ontario draining through your home town. Now we have canals and dykes and rice fields to drain it all off, but the problem is we can't drain it fast enough and the force of that Great Lake is pushing itself through walls, and levees and containment walls.

   For our family so far it's been an inconvenience.  Our condo building is full of sandbags and last week the building mangement set up a jetski in the front as an emergency measure.  We've closed Passport Cafe and our British Pie Shop; moved all furniture up to the 2nd floor and built a flood wall; prepared our home for flooding and stored precious photographs;  our three kids are at home since school is closed for at least three weeks (or so they say); we've stocked up on basic food and supplies, but still we are not wet.  For hundreds of our church members this is not the case. For millions of other Thai, they are out of home, without work and faced with the task of rebuilding once water is completely drained in December. Countless homes with their contents are under water.  On Wednesday we listened to stories from Pastors of flooded churches in Central Thailand and Greater Bangkok. All were under water.  Church members either survive by living on the second floor of their home while waiting for help or are relocated to other provinces to wait. Lots of water means no work. No work means no food.

   Lots of water also means not enough water--drinking water that is.  The primary needs here right now is lack of clean, drinkable water, food and boats to get these valuable necessities to standed people.  Fortunately, we can help some.  Our experience over the last three years with providng clean water means that Imagine Thailand is now installing water stations at over 22 church locations in Greater Bangkok.  The systems can use the city water sources, clean the water and community members can take it away in plastic bags (bottles are at a premium) wrapped Thai style with elastic bands.   Of course these machines don't come free.  We have committed to over $22,000 worth of systems and are installing as fast as possible, but we need help.  For the size of machine we install, the total cost is about $1000.  If you or your church is interested in helping with these cost please click on the button below.  It will take you to the erdo.ca website.

   Thanks for you standing with us in prayer ad financial support. If you want to follow us on Twitter for updates about current events in  Thailand and happenings with Imagine Thailand.  For family news you can follow on Facebook, and for general info look up www.imaginethailand.org. For those who want to see Imagine Thailand first hand, plan to participate in the 2012 Discovery Tour.  More info is on the website.    

Peter and Cavelle Dove
Imagine Thailand

Have you ever wanted to have first hand experience of what God is doing in Thailand, but didn’t know how best to do that? Have you desired to see for yourself the impact of partnership in a local Thai Community? Or have you been curious to see Thailand, but want to be more than just a tourist? Then we’d like to invite you to the Imagine Thailand Discovery Tour.

The Imagine Thailand Discovery Tour offers the opportunity to see all that Thailand has to offer from a unique, purpose-filled perspective. More than a tour - this is a vacation with a purpose. You’ll embark on a 12-day journey that will take you and your friends to Bangkok, Phuket, and out-of-the way communities along the Thai-Burma border and Southern Thailand. You’ll not only see Asia’s most dynamic city and some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, but also what is God is doing through Imagine Thailand in three regions of this diverse and dramatic country.

During the tour, you will:

• Visit communities and campuses not accessible to tourists.

• Meet local Thai and Burmese people.

• Learn about the 2004 Tsunami and the present situation.

• Learn firsthand about the Burmese refugee and migrant situation.

• Travel during the best time of year: cool season.

• Be fully escorted by Rev. Peter & Cavelle Dove and national Imagine Thailand staff.

• See what God is doing in the lives of many firsthand.

• Enjoy the astonishing beauty and diversity of Thailand.

Space is limited and we’d love to host you – register today.  

Follow the links below and you'll discover all the amazing details about this amazing opportunity!

Discovery Tour Brochure

Discovery Tour Information Sheet

Discovery Tour Sign-Up Sheet

                                                                                                    2  เมษายน 2554

 เรียน  ศิษยาภิบาลคริสตจักร
 เรื่อง  รับบริจาคเพื่อผู้ประสบภัยภาคใต้
               
                  ERDO เป็นองค์กรคริสเตียนที่มีส่วนช่วยเหลือผู้ประสบภัยทั่วโลก ซึ่ง ERDO เองเคยมีส่วนร่วมในการรวบรวมเงินถวายจากพี่น้องคริสเตียนไทยเพื่อช่วย เหลือในที่ต่างๆเสมอมา ไม่ว่า ที่ประเทศเฮติ เมื่อคราวแผ่นดินไหวปีที่แล้ว หรือ ประเทศพม่า เมื่อครั้งพายุนาร์กีสพัดถล่ม และอีกหลายที่หลายแห่ง
                  ในเวลานี้ เป็นที่ทราบกันว่าทางภาคใต้ของประเทศไทย ได้ประสบปัญหาน้ำท่วม  ฝนตก  ดินถล่ม การคมนาคมหลายๆทางต้องถูกตัดขาด มีหลายครอบครัวต้องพลัดพรากและสูญเสีย 
                  ด้วยเหตุนี้เอง ERDO จึงใคร่ขอเชิญชวนพี่น้องในคริสตจักร มีส่วนช่วยในการถวายตาม เพื่อพี่น้องของเราภาคใต้จะมีกำลังใจและลุกขึ้นอย่างมั่นคงต่อไป ท่านสามารถถวายเพื่อพระกายเดียวกันผ่านทางการโอนเงินเข้าบัญชี

ธนาคารกรุงเทพ    สาขาพระราม4     บัญชีออมทรัพย์

ชื่อบัญชี  :   Emergency relief and development overseas (Thailand) foundation  

เลขที่บัญชี : 031-0-19524-3   

โดยเงินช่วยเหลือที่ได้รับบริจาคทั้งหมดจะถูกแบ่งเป็นสองส่วนเพื่อ

1.  ส่งตรงไปยัง "กลุ่มคริสเตียนกลางนครศรีธรรมราช" เพื่อซื้อเครื่องอุปโภคบริโภค และแจกจ่ายไปยังผู้ประสบภัยในจังหวัดนครศรีธรรมราชโดยตรง

2. ส่งตรงไปยัง "องค์การคริสตจักรร่วมพระคุณในประเทศไทย" ซึ่งตั้งอยู่ในจังหวัดสุราษฏร์ธานี ในบริเวณใกล้เคียงกับพื้นที่ที่เสียหายอย่างหนัก เพื่อซื้อเครื่องอุปโภคบริโภค และแจกจ่ายไปยังผู้ประสบภัยในจังหวัดสุราษฏร์ธานีโดยตรง

                                                                                                 ด้วยความเคารพรักในพระคริสต์



We believe that the best way to see, feel and experience Thailand is to visit it for yourself. That's why we're excited to launch our second Imagine Thailand Discovery Tour, coming in January 2012.

Have you ever wanted to have first hand experience of what God is doing in Thailand, but didn’t know how best to do that?  Have you desired to see for yourself the impact of partnership in a local Thai community?  Or have you been curious to see Thailand, but want to be more than just a tourist?  Then we’d like to invite you to on the tour.

The Imagine Thailand Discovery offers the opportunity to see all that Thailand has to offer from a unique, purpose-filled perspective. Join us on a fully-escorted, 12-day tour of Bangkok, the Thai-Burma border and the area of Southern Thailand still recovering from the 2005 Asian Tsunami. Click here for more details.

Your generous support is needed to help meet the staggering needs for basic necessities and then for recovery and reconstruction activities. Donations to ERDO by February 12, 2010 for Haiti Earthquake victims will qualify for the matching dollars by the Canadian government.

A magnitude – 7.0 earthquake devastated the capital city of Haiti, Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the nation of Haiti in more than 200 years and has crushed thousands of structures, from schools and homes to the National Palace and the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters. The death toll is currently estimated at 200,000 with 250,000 injured and 1.5 million left homeless.

Imagine Thailand's partner organizations, the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) and Emergency Relief and Development Overseas (ERDO) are responding to the crisis and need your support. We are receiving funds on their behalf in Thailand.

We are grateful for the safety of PAOC missionaries Michel and Louise Charbonneau as well as other Canadian personnel Tami Goslow and Bob Thornley. We are grieved to learn of the death of Pastor Gandy St-Hilarie who worked closely with Charbonneau’s. Pastor St-Hilarie was in charge of the weekly feeding program and was also involved in the ChildCare Plus sponsorship program. We are also saddened to learn of the confirmed death of one of our Child Care Plus sponsored children. It will be several weeks before we can confirm the whereabouts of all our sponsored children, as many families have fled Port au Prince and the rescue and recovery efforts are on-going.

A tent city on the Haiti-Dominican border.ERDO is responding as the humanitarian agency of the PAOC with practical help for the victims. On January 20^th an Emergency Medical Response team arrived together with a truckload of food, water, gas and medical supplies. They will be working with the Charbooneaus to treat the many wounded who are in the ‘tent city’ just outside the Ministry Centre. ERDO is now planning for major food relief response through the Canadian Food Grains Bank and other relief aid in partnership with Canadian Churches in Action. We are focusing on the many thousands living in the tent cities that straddle the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

There is still a critical need for funding to help ERDO respond to basic human needs and help with recovery and reconstruction in the months to come. Please send your donation to ERDO’s Haiti Earthquake Response.

In Thailand:

Bank:  Bangkok Bank
Address:  990 Rama IV Road, Bangkok, 10500
Account name:  Emergency relief and development overseas (Thailand) foundation
Account number:  031-0-19524-3

In Canada:

Click here to donate to ERDO online or find out other ways to give.

For questions or more information, please contact Imagine Thailand.

แผ่นดินไหววัดแรงสั่นสะเทือนได้  7 ริคเตอร์เมื่อวันอังคารที่ 12 มกราคม ที่ผ่านมา ได้ทำลาย พอร์ต      โอแพรง เมืองหลวงของเฮติ  นับเป็นแผ่นดินไหวครั้งรุนแรงที่สุดในรอบ 200 ปีของเฮติ และได้ทำลายสถานที่หลายพันแห่ง นับตั้งแต่โรงเรียน บ้านเรือน พระมหาราชวัง และสำนักงานใหญ่ขององค์การสหประชาชาติ    ยอดผู้เสียชีวิตในเวลานี้มีประมาณ 200,000 คน ผู้บาดเจ็บ 250,000 คน และผู้ไร้ที่อยู่อาศัยราว 1.5 ล้านคน

Dan Bursey

Dan Bursey is convinced that one song can make a difference this Christmas, and he wants you to help him prove it.

When Bursey, a singer/songwriter from Lewisporte, Newfoundland, finished producing a new Christmas song, “Hallelujah Carol,” he wanted to do something different to release it. He decided to sell it on his website and donate all the proceeds to fund a water filtration system for a school on the Thai-Burma border. His goal: $2,500.

“I wondered if there was something I could do with the song to make a very practical difference,” said Bursey. “I have a connection to people who work in the schools along the border and I’m aware of the tremendous need, so it made sense to raise money for a project there. It doesn’t take a lot of money to drastically improve the lives in an entire community.”

His connection is with Imagine Thailand, a non-profit organization with Canadian roots that works in Thailand to assist victims of terror, tsunami and cyclone survivors, and refugees fleeing oppressive governments. The organization supports children who have come to Thailand to flee the violence and economic hardship in neighbouring Burma.

Bursey describes his song as “a rootsy acoustic song that’s reminiscent of the traditional carols, but gives the listener a fresh take on the classic Christmas Story.” Bursey is confident he can reach the goal of 2,500 people purchasing the song on his website, www.danbursey.com, between now and December 24.

“We get excited when people like Dan come alongside us and these children,” said Cavelle Dove, also originally from Newfoundland, of Imagine Thailand. “We are all about encouraging people to make a difference in their world--whether it’s a widow in a refugee camp, a university student in Bangkok, or a musician in Lewisporte.”

Six ways to be involved:

1. Go to Dan’s website, www.danbursey.com, and be one of 2,500 people to download the single “Hallelujah Carol” for $1.50.   All of the proceeds from the sale of the single go towards the purchase of a water purification system for school children in Thailand (PayPal's fees make up the difference in price).
2. Check out www.imaginethailand.org to see first-hand how this organization is making a difference.
3. Email 10-15 of your friends that you think would like the song, and tell them about how they can be a part of this too. 
4. Add the following to your Twitter/Facebook/Myspace status:
   “Can one song provide clean drinking water for a whole community? I say yes! Go to www.danbursey.com to find out how.”
5. Add Dan to your Twitter account (@danbursey) so you can be updated regularly on how close we are to our goal.
6. Make the song a part of your Christmas playlist for years to come.

Children impacted by the tsunami hold up the letters L-O-V-E during the craft activities portion of the camp.

Held at a Thai Navy base that doubled as a sea turtle rehabilitation centre, the first day was team building—including three hours of millitary training by the Navy. On the second day, the children came for games, music, art and English. The third day was again spent with the children, this time doing sports and games on the beach. The next day, we put on an evening event for the children and their families in their own community. Finally, the students and volunteers had a few hours to relax on the ocean before the 12 hour bus ride back to Bangkok.

Caravan of Love Slideshow for Community Night from Imagine Thailand on Vimeo.

Trips like this are impact both the university students and the children that come. The students have a chance to see a different reality of life in Thailand and make a difference—if only for a short time—in the life of children. Our hope is that it inspires them to do more—and they have. Additionally, the children get to spend time playing games, swimming in the ocean (we heard from many children this is rare—their parents fear another tsunami) and just being, well…loved--as the name of the camp says. This isn’t a one-time event either: Imagine Thailand works with most of these children on an ongoing basis at our learning centre where children can get support with homework, English, computers and accessing the Internet.

Caravan of Love was the third trip with Chulalongkorn University students to the tsunami area in 2009. If you'd like to be part of a future trip as a student, leader or donor, please contact us.

Click here to visit the gallery.

The team of university students, Imagine Thailand staff and volunteers gather for a group photo on the last day of the trip.Click here to visit the gallery.Children impacted by the tsunami smile for the camera.