My name is Raef Chenery. For the last year I have been working at The Grapevine with Globalscope Thailand as their intern. My internship is nearly over and I was asked to share a few departing words about my time here. The following are some of my most memorable experiences in Thailand.


This is a picture taken at The Grapevine one night when we had four of our Thai students participate in a skit version of The Dating Game. It was a very funny night. One of the reasons I love this picture is because the three guys participating in this event are three of my closest friends here in Thailand: Milk, Bank, and Anas. I have spent a lot of time with each of them, and it is going to be very difficult to leave such good friendships behind. The Lord has done a lot in each of their lives.



This picture was taken last Christmas. I love this picture, just because it is a fun picture. I think we were at the airport dropping exchange students off to go home. That was my first Christmas away from home, and I was nervous that it was going to be very difficult. But the staff at Grapevine made me feel like Bangkok was my home, and the Thai students, being concerned for me, gave me extra attention during the holiday season. The holidays ended up being a time of great strength for many of my relationships here in Thailand, and I was grateful for every moment that I spent.


This picture was taken during a Thai holiday called SonKrong (That’s the best I can spell it with English letters). If you step outside, you risk being drenched in water and covered in a weird clay by anyone and everyone on the street. It was so much fun being part of the celebration. Unfortunately my wallet and keys got stolen. All the students came together though and helped me. In the end, a police officer had caught the thief and managed to return my stuff to me. If you don’t know about Bangkok, it is extremely unlikely that I would ever see my wallet again. The day was a blast though and another great opportunity to spend with students. Watching them come together to help me find my wallet was a blessing.

There’s much more I could say about a year with Grapevine, but I will close by just thanking God for every opportunity I have had to be a part of the ministry and the work God is doing through Grapevine in Thailand.

Here are some pics of our 4th of July Party at Grapevine in Bangkok Thailand. We had lots of fun singing patriotic songs, eating funnel cake, spitting watermelon seeds and, of course, shooting off fireworks. Milk bought these fireworks in Chinatown. And it's totally legal to set these off in residential areas.

I love being a girl!

I love being a girl! Every month at Grapevine we have a girls sleepover called "The Period." It's a great time to eat chocolate, and cry, and watch sappy movies, and talk about issues specific to girls. Our themes have included, "The Mirror" a look at self image, "Uplift and Support" encouraging each other, and "Love and Chocolate."

It's all about the LUV

Second semester ends in February in Thailand. (March, April, and May are the summer months here.) Since we emphasize Jesus' love at the Grapevine and since February is the month of pink, pink love, it's a great time for a Love Banquet to wrap up the year with our friends at Thammasat U.

Last year was the year of the dog (Chinese calendar), so we had Puppy Love as our theme. This year it's the year of the pig, so we went with "Will you be swine" and "I love you pig time." Is that stupid? Probably, but you can't stop us. Next year is the year of the rat. That might be harder to work with.

Grapevine is a Christian club for students, but you don't have to be Christian to hang out with us. In fact, most of the students at Grapevine are Buddhist. (I always love explaining that to new people. "This is a Christian club, but most of the people are Buddhist.") Our team, a few Thai Christian students, and exchange students live out the Gospel and let our Buddhist friends get a sneak peak of what life in Jesus is like. And they get to have fun while they do it.

The Love Banquet wraps up the year, but the relationships go on. This has been a good year for relationships. Some of our friends have gotten so much closer to Jesus. Others at least know a real live Christian. Pray that God will ferment all that good stuff while they are away over summer.