Back to the East

Heading out Sunday morning back to Bangkok. The Lord gave me a real blessing with this month in the US. I am completely grateful that our God is a personal God who listens and responds. Who speaks so we can hear. That makes me think of my Thai friend at the restaurant in Asheville. When I tell him about my relationship with GOd, he asks me to tell God to give him a call on the telephone. Then he'll believe.

Please pray for my travels back and return to Thailand. Thank you, faithful prayer-ers.

Update on Church

Skyped with my teammate, Kieow, last night. Good to hear that God is growing his church there. There's a new family attending. Since the Thai leadership have been taking full responsibility of the church, Kieow says it's feeling like something new and good. Exciting to hear that God is answering my prayers to grow his church there and sustain it through this transition. Praise God!

I can drink the water?

I think I'm getting dehydrated because I keep forgetting I can drink the tap water!

Where am I?

While visiting friends in South Carolina over the weekend, I passed a nursery selling palm trees. Somehow the sight of palm trees threw me in a loop. Palm trees? Here? Wait, where am I? For a brief second, my mind scrambled to locate again, kinda like GPS whenever you take a wrong turn. :)

My mind has scrambled around for a location as well each morning I have been in the US. Of the 24 nights in the US so far, I have slept in 5 different places. I am thankful for my generous friends who offered their homes to me and the chance to travel around a bit to see family in Charlotte, friends in Asheville, South Carolina, and MTW folks in Atlanta.

Praying for Missionaries

I'm at the MTW office in Atlanta, Georgia this week. I heard a sweet story from the receptionist that was so endearing. There is this one elderly lady who prays for all of us MTW missionaries and our ministries nightly with her prayer group. By phone, they go through a list, praying for all of us.

A true blessing as a missionary is receiving all these prayers. Thank you. A couple from a supporting church just came through the MTW office and came by where I'm working to say hi. They told me their pastor prayed for me and my ministry from the pulpit on Sunday.

May God receive these prayers and use them to grow his church in Thailand.

Thai, Chinese, and the Transformers

Hung out with a couple of my friends who work at the local Thai restaurant recently. We went and ate Chinese at PF Chang's. Schmancy but delicious food. We were speaking in Thai while eating Chinese! So confusing for my head! Half the time, I'd answer the waiter in Thai!

Afterwards, we went to see Transformers 3 together. I wondered how hard it was for them to understand since there weren't any Thai subtitles like there are when I watch movies in English in Thailand. I definitely was the only laughing most the time. I wondered if its bothersome as much to others around us, if when we're talking during the movie, we are talking in another language? :)

Good times.

Thai Truffles

I ate a Thai truffle two nights in a row at some chocolate place in downtown Asheville. Green chiles, lemongrass, ginger, and coconut all wrapped up in some chocolate! Tastes like chocolate Thailand! :)

There was also a truffle called "Buddha" but it didn't look anything like him.

Thailand in Asheville

Stopped by my favorite Thai restaurant here yesterday. What fun to see the owner and waiter there again. They are good friends of mine. We spoke in Thai together. N. shared some "flower water" with me called "nam gra jiap". A normal drink in Thailand, it's kinda like juice or tea, but made from a flower and probably some sugar. Such fun to catch up the relationships that started about two years ago, when I first stopped by there needing help with some homework for my microfinance class. I left with a load of food and plan to hang out Sunday. The owner made me promise to visit again before I left the US. :)

Update from America

By the way, we call the place I am now "America" in Thailand. But with other folks living overseas, we call this place "The States." Yet while I'm here, we call here "the U.S." It's hard to remember which one to use when. :)

Been in Asheville since Friday. It's GREAT to be with friends. Great and wonderful happenings:
-Celebrated friends' lives at two showers: one for a baby and one for a bride
-Went blackberry picking and then made a PIE!
-Gone running outside every morning and seen the sunrise over the mountains.
-Talked my head off and processed with SO MANY good friends
-Worn a fleece every single day because I think it's cold in July.
-Driven a car and listened and sang LOUD to the radio

Adjustments to "America":
-3 traffic violations, but thankfully no police have witnessed me pulling out once on to the left-hand lane and I have stopped twice at red lights and then turned left while the light was still red!
-Felt like my neck was going to break last night while talking to tall guys. There are really tall men in this country and I actually feel short! How wonderful!
-I asked someone how they got to Asheville from DC, by bus or plane? He answered, car, obviously! But I forgot that people drive here! I still think in public transportation!
-While talking to a 3 year old, I replied to his question in Thai. When a couple friends didn't understand something I said, I started explaining it again using Thai instead. My brain is definitely wired in another language still!

GOOD TIMES!

Fun at the River

We took four long-tail boats through the water to see the islands in the area.
After reaching the river, I took a chance to pose and drink some Pepsi. Hehe. No. Being the only American on the trip, I was photographed often. :)
The bamboo rafts on the side of the river were fun to play on.
Then we played in the water a long time.
Do you notice that Thais rarely wear swimsuits. Only once while swimming, have people all put on suits. Usually we wear our normal clothes, and are never too revealing.
After a while, I took a break on the side of the river with a couple of the leaders. B., in the middle, is a church member who came with us. She is well loved by the students and I am grateful for how God called her to help with this ministry. When the students come to church, she is there too! And on the right is NaamFon, the campus ministry leader. Continue praying for her healing from her surgery in April, please.

Service Project at School

More from college student retreat to Phetchaburi...
We greeted the students when we got to their school that afternoon. The student leadership were delegated out the responsibilities of the day and did a great job.
Helping clean up the school was one part of our job. We cut bushes, painted fences and playgrounds. The paint seemed very watered-down, but it worked.
Then we led a whole field day. This game involves both teams fastening clothespins to their backs and then trying to steal the other team's clothespins before they stole yours. Very fun.
We slept over at the school. I got to see a day start in a Thai school the next morning. Greeting kids as they came in, I saw kids coming to school by walking, bike, and vans. I also was admiring our surroundings, so green compared to Bangkok!
The "morning announcements" are done outside on a microphone while all the kids stand in lines by gender and grade level. They asked me to help them with the "English word for the day."
Definitely a good time to spend with the college students. Here's me and T. My big smile is due to the fact I just got to play soccer with a bunch of students! I astounded them with my mad skills.

My Influence on the Next Generation

Since I'm here in the US on vacation, and not doing ministry each day, I thought I'd use this time to catch you up on some fun pictures from the campus retreat. One of my methods for getting to know kids from any culture is making faces at them. The friendships grow quickly when I cross my eyes or twist my hands around my face. Soon after, all kids want to imitate me, so teaching begins.
This kid wants to learn how to do it first, so the other boys line up behid him.
After this guy, I start teaching the guy beside him. Notice the stare I'm getting from the first kid. He's still trying to figure me out.
Success! Notice the other kid is still staring.
The adapted version, with the tongue stuck out too. Behind him is the other kid helping teach the other girl how to do it.
See how fast the students become the teachers.
And now she can make the crazy face too!

I enjoyed being at that rural elementary school during our college service-oriented retreat. Kids are awesome!

Reached Charlotte

I've arrived safely to the US. :) Good easy flights. Glad to see my family. Really sleepy now, so I'll write more including nice stories later. :)

Visit to the US!

In five hours, I'm getting on an airplane and heading to the US for the whole month of July. What a great surprise and blessing to me. I just got permission for the trip last Sunday. Looking forward to seeing my family and friends! I don't have plans to be traveling around much, so feel free to email/comment and say hi. From this time "off", I hope to have some really good time to share my heart and take counsel from godly friends. I'd appreciate your prayers for rest in the Lord and rejuvenation from Him. As for the travel coming up, please do pray for health during the next 24 hours of flying and that all goes smoothly as I stop through Tokyo and Houston on my way back to Charlotte.

Today marks ten months of serving in Thailand for my second term. I shared that with my friend, N., after I told her I was leaving for the US for a month and she said, "What? You just got here!" Time flies, I guess?