Naksu Tournament

I traveled to the Naksu MMA Tournament in Bangkok yesterday and had the most exciting time that I have experienced here in Thailand. God gave me the opportunity to see the fighters that I have been training in action. Not only that, but I was given the privilege of working the corners for a total of about five or six fighters who all did an outstanding job.

First up, was the under 18 bracket and the fighter who fought first was in shape and very strong. He dominated his opponent for two rounds and won his first MMA fight! I was so proud of him. Then we had a couple of guys that had just stepped into the ring for the first time and they gave a great showing. They stayed strong and fought well, these guys had just entered and had no real trainers, so... they did awesome and had a lot of guts.

Then, our main events from the Khon Kaen Fight Club were up and both of these guys, Tor and Aam totally dominated their opponents and won each by decision. I was so proud of them. It was awesome to see the fruit of their hard work of training pay off. I am so proud of these guys!

Thailand (what I have learned)

This journey has taught me so much. The practice of living a disciplined life everyday is extremely important.

Here I am in Thailand. Believe me, I did come to a point where I wanted to give up, throw in the towel, and go home. But God's strength kept me here. I have learned that, to live a life of victory for God you have to humble yourself in every circumstance. Be a product of learning. This 6 month journey has changed my life and I am so thankful for the opportunities that I have gotten to help God. God has shown me so much. And I will continue to learn for the next month and a half even more until I get back to America. I am so thankful to be here and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to work with these people. Praise Jesus!

Nong Khai

We recently came back from an unscheduled trip to Nong Khai. The main reason that we went was due to the red shirt demonstrations that were taking place in Khon Kaen. They had lit one of the local government buildings on fire and broke a lot of the windows. They had also threatened to burn down one of the major department stores and the Robinson Mall (Central Plaza). At the department store (Big C, like Walmart), they had lit tires on fire in the parking lot.

The reason for the destruction has been due to problems with the governmental decisions. But, I feel that the riots have turned into terrorism. People have been injured and killed in Khon Kaen due to these attacks. We retreated to a place near the border of Laos for a couple of days.

Fight Club Party

I was able to enjoy a party with the Khon Kaen Fight Club last night. We went to a fun restaurant and ordered some great Thai food. We talked about the upcoming tournament that a few of the fighters will be competing in and we got to see an elephant.

I apologize for being away for so long but things have been kind of hectic for me here in Khon Kaen. Anyways, I was able to hang out with one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters in the world. Kaoklai Kaennorsing came with us to eat. He recently won the WBC Muay Thai title from Chinese fighter, Magnum Sakai on March 14th.

I have been stagnant at his boxing gym for the past couple of months due to a hand injury but I will return on Monday.

So...after dinner, we headed to a friend's house and we prayed for my friend who believes that he has been infected with the HIV virus. He hasn't been tested yet, but I believe that this is not true. Please pray for him.

I have hit my 2 month mark. See you in America soon!

Songkran Festival

Oh my gosh America! This has been the most exciting three days of my entire life. I have never experienced anything like this ever before.
The past three days have been the celebration of Songkran in Thailand. This is their biggest holiday of the year and it is how they bring in the New Year! They do this by throwing water on everyone! I spent tuesday, wednesday, and part of thursday soaked with water! Everywhere I went, while I was driving, people would splash me with buckets of water!
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we rode around in the back of my friend's truck with a barrel full of water. As we drove through the streets, people would pour buckets of water on us and put baby powder on our cheeks. It is especially fun for the Thai people if they get a falang (foreigner) wet or put baby powder on his/her cheeks.
This festival is complete chaos. The streets are just filled with people who run around soaken wet. Some have warm water and some have barrels with huge ice cubes in them to make the water cold. They spray people with hoses and I even got sprayed by a water truck with a fire hose! It was so much fun!
Throughout these days, it is very difficult to get from point A to B without getting hit with a bucket of water! It is hard to describe in words! All I can say is that you have to experience it! This is a good vacation time for any foreigner to come here in April!
Check out my facebook page for a wet video of us!