Blog posts have been few and far between around here lately. I’m currently working through some ideas on how to better share with all of you what’s going on and what the Thai people/ ministry in Thailand is like.

As updates continue to come from the blog there are several other ways to keep up with us and our ministry!

Facebook provides a great way to stay connected with us as we share pictures, links, videos and status updates. Many of you already use Facebook to connect with us between the blog posts, but if you haven’t done so yet, head on over to our Facebook pages to check it out!

Much like Facebook, Twitter is a social networking site built around the idea of making small status updates easy. Sara and I could be at the market and have a photo taken and uploaded to Twitter along with a short message in less than a minute! Check us out at http://www.twitter.com/two10eleven and http://www.twitter.com/unglamorouslove

Skype provides a great way for us to communicate with you…. FOR FREE! Skype provides free video and voice chat from the Skype software to any other computer in the world with a decent enough internet connect! So, go to Skype.com, download their free software, and GIVE US A CALL! We’d love to talk with you personally or set up a time to connect with your church on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night!

Yes, that’s right, I just linked to myself in my own blog! The reason I did this is to let you know of some of the cool things around here you can use to stay up-to-date on what’s going on. Obviously, there is this blog which many of you come to several times a week just to see if there is an update. Thank you for that! But, did you know there is an easier way to receive this blog posts? You can subscribe to receive these posts via email! Every day that there are new blog entries added, you will receive an email version of that entry! It’s as simple as clicking the link above!

Also, did you know you can sign up for an electronic version of our prayer newsletters? Check it out at the bottom of our Thailand page. Simply fill in the form with your contact information and you should receive our next prayer newsletter! And if you are looking for a convenient way to get involved financially with our ministry in Thailand, you can also GIVE ONLINE! Simply click the contribute button at the bottom of this page!

You guys continue to bless us with your prayers and interest in how we’re getting along in Thailand! Thank you so much!

And always, get involved by leaving a comment!

Ummm... I just found a 7-8 foot King Cobra snake in our yard! Blargh!

November 18, 2010 1:10 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@two10eleven

Brook Sarver

______________________________________________________

Remember the last time we had a snake in our house and Sara ran around the house like a scared 7 year old?  Well that was more snake experience than we ever really wanted to have.  I mean, I’m not scared of snakes.  I just don’t like them.  They creep me out.  Not to mention that snakes in Thailand are no garter snakes like we were used running over with the lawn mower growing up.

King Cobra

Sadly, our first Thailand snake saga wasn’t our last.  Last week I was back behind our new home here in Bangkok tending to some laundry that Sara had put up to dry in the intense Thai sun when I heard some rustling in some weeds around our water tank.  This isn’t the first time we’ve heard animals messing around under our water tank, so I went to have a closer look.  Usually we would find an assortment of frogs and lizards (and to be honest, probably even a rat or two).  But this would be no usual day.  It didn’t take long to see the dark color of a snake starting to take off across our yard as I came closer….  And this was no small snake either.  At least 7 feet long and probably closer to 8 feet in length!  Not only that, but it’s body was nearly as big around as my wrist!

As soon as I saw it, I knew it was a King Cobra.  After our previous snake encounter I did quite a bit of reading up on my Thai snakes trying to figure out why in the world a snake would come in our home.  At least this time it didn’t come into our home, but seeing as King Cobra snakes are one of the most poisonous in the world, it could have done a lot of damage had I got in a wrestling match with it.  In fact, they have even proven able to kill a water buffalo and elephants with a single bite!

I quickly ran inside yelling for Sara to bring the camera but by the time we both got outside with our cameras, the snake had left.  And, like any good & curious missionary, we spent the next 40 minutes in the Thai sun looking all over for it.  We tore through our yard, bushes, pots, our neighbors’ yards, drain pipes, etc.  Still, it just seemed to vanish before our eyes.  And, honestly, I can say that I’m glad.  I’d rather believe that it was just visiting our yard and is now gone for good rather than find out it has a nest and 14 little snake babies under the bush in our front yard!

So, just when we thought our lives in one of the largest cities in Asia would help keep all the snakes away we find out we were mistaken.  And come to find out, I guess they aren’t all that uncommon here in our area of the city.  Most of our friends and neighbors said that this wasn’t the first time they had heard of or seen a King Cobra…  Oh boy!

So I guess now we should start a checklist of creepy crawlies that we’ve had deal with in Thailand.  It seems like ThaiPulsedotCom’s YouTube Channel would be a good place to start.

Here’s hoping our King Cobra snake friend doesn’t come back anytime soon, but if it does, we’ll have the camera ready…

Leave a Comment!

Ever since moving into our new place my hands look like this and hurt after just 5 min shower. Anyone know why? http://twitpic.com/2f8hh7

August 16, 2010 1:03 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@two10eleven

Brook Sarver

Old Man hands?

I recently posted the Twitter / Facebook message above in hopes to find an answer to an issue I’ve been having since moving into our new place here in Bangkok.  I literally spend 5 minutes in the shower or helping do the dishes and my hands wind up looking like I just swam a triathlon in January…

I really don’t know what is going on.  Could it be this country boy’s reaction to Bangkok’s Chlorinated water?  An allergy of some sort?  Fungal infection?  Leprosy?

I’m not ruling out any possibilities at this point.  Still, I thought it best to post up on my blog in case some SE Asian, missionary doctor happens to come across this blog and save my hands’ lives….

Oh, and it hurts when it turns this way.  Not a sharp pain, but an aching pain as if to say “Ouch!  It hurts when my skins folds up on itself into deep crevasses and pretends it is those little Silica Gel packets in the toe of your new pair of shoes you just bought!”…

…Yeah, I may have issues…

Any thoughts?

I’m sure most of you have heard at least something about the political turmoil brewing in the past month or so here in Thailand.  What started as a peaceful, large gathering turned violent–leaving police, protesters, army men dead and injured.  It’s a sad state that Thailand finds itself in.  Now more and more people are gathering in the nation’s captial of Bangkok to protest other redshirt protesters, defend their political parties and show support in numbers either for or against the current government.  This video clip by CNN does a good job to give a bit of the background of these protesters and images from Bangkok in recent weeks.

(RSS readers, click through to see the video)

If you’d like to read more about the details of the clashes, the bombs going off in and around Bangkok, or stay up to date on what’s currently happening here in Thailand, check out a few of the links below…

CNN news stories on Thailand
The Bangkok Post – Thailand’s main English newspaper

Twitter – the best way for up-to-the minute updates
@bangkokpundit
@terryfrd
@veen_NT
@tulsathit

And of course, you can always find up-to-date info from my twitter feed @two10eleven or Facebook page.

Thanks for all your prayers for us and the Thai people.  This nation could sure use them about now…

Leave a Comment!

I can’t give you much, but I can give you 20 seconds from our worship service this morning captured on my iPhone…

How was your Sunday?

As updates continue to come from the blog there are several other ways to keep up with us and our ministry!

Facebook provides a great way to stay connected with us as we share pictures, links, videos and status updates.  Many of you already use Facebook to connect with us between the blog posts, but if you haven’t done so yet, head on over to our Facebook pages to check it out!

Much like Facebook, Twitter is a social networking site built around the idea of making small status updates easy.  Sara and I could be at the market and have a photo taken and uploaded to Twitter along with a short message in less than a minute!  Check us out at http://www.twitter.com/two10eleven and http://www.twitter.com/unglamorouslove

Skype provides a great way for us to communicate with you….  FOR FREE!  Skype provides free video and voice chat from the Skype software to any other computer in the world with a decent enough internet connect!  So, go to Skype.com, download their free software, and GIVE US A CALL!  We’d love to talk with you personally or set up a time to connect with your church on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night!

Yes, that’s right, I just linked to myself in my own blog!  The reason I did this is to let you know of some of the cool things around here you can use to stay up-to-date on what’s going on.  Obviously, there is this blog which many of you come to several times a week just to see if there is an update.  Thank you for that!  But, did you know there is an easier way to receive this blog posts?  You can subscribe to receive these posts via email!  Every day that there are new blog entries added, you will receive an email version of that entry!  It’s as simple as clicking the link above!

Also, did you know you can sign up for an electronic version of our prayer newsletters?  Check it out at the bottom of our Thailand page.  Simply fill in the form with your contact information and you should receive our next prayer newsletter!  And if you are looking for a convenient way to get involved financially with our ministry in Thailand, you can also GIVE ONLINE!  Simply click the contribute button at the bottom of this page!

You guys continue to bless us with your prayers and interest in how we’re getting along in Thailand!  Thank you so much!

And always, get involved by leaving a comment!