Meet My Study Buddy

Bram Mee lives next door with her older sister and parents. The bottom floor is a restaurant, while they live on the top two floors. The store opens at around 11 for lunch, and stays open until about 2am offering karaoke! Last night, I went to sleep to the sound of a voluntary karaoke-er. Her dad also spends the other part of his time driving a motorcycle taxi.

The last two months, while learning the Thai alphabet, Bram Mee has been my study buddy. The teacher offered those "Connect the Dots" and learn to write worksheets. Bram Mee and I would be found at the kitchen table reciting our letters and following the dotted lines. Its been a good time of learning together.

When we're finished, she pretends our couches are elephants and "rides" them. Its sweet to have a kid around.

A roach on my toe!

Last night, while filling up my water bottle before bed, my housemate, Yu, so gently let me know that a roach was on my toe! As long as your finger, and about as common as geckos, they live in my house. I screamed slightly and let Yu know she could kill it herself. She tried to kill it with the electrical tennis racquet we use to kill mosquitos but it didn't work. I went to bed and left her with it alone.

In Thailand, you will have fleas in your socks, red ants in your bathtowel, black ants in your silverware drawer, geckos in your bedroom, and roaches on your toes! A squeal always relieves me some, and then I thank God again that my Thai housemates are so strong and courageous. Though I tried to be braver with bugs, sadly, I still shriek.

Thai Camping Tip in Newspaper

During breaks at language school, I read the English Thailand paper. This article had some interesting, funny, and disturbing insights about Thai camping.

A lot of novice campers find it difficult to get themselves to sleep in the wilderness. To overcome this problem, some people resort to alcoholic drinks, sleeping pills or other drugs.

But this is not a wise thing to do. Of course, the forest is not a dangerous place, but like anywhere else, emergencies can occur. Imagine what would happen if your camp was ravaged during the night by forest fire, flash flood or a herd of elephants. While everybody else would be running for their lives, you would perhaps be lying unconscious in your tent. It is very likely that you may never see the light of the day again.

The best and safest way to get sleep is to free your mind of all worries (including the one that you'll not be able to sleep). Empty your mind of all thoughts as soon as you lie down. This needs practice.

Adventures on Elephant Island

Ying, one of my housemates, and I enjoyed a week trip together home to see her family and vacationing at a nearby island. God blessed us with good conversation growing us together and a good travel companion. Thank you for your prayers.

Ying and I met Katelyn on the ferry. After a few minutes, she asked me "What do you depend on for your faith? That question led to awesome conversation. At the end, I gave her my Bible for her to read as she strives to understand how God loves her. Pray for her please.

This elephant wanted to pick me up! So fun!

Canoeing to an island that made me feel like I was on the set of Lost.

Ying's family invited me to visit them for the New Year holidays, spending four days in the district bordering Cambodia. Ying's parents are planting a church there. Please pray for their church plant and their family.

I was encouraged seeing Ying's family's church plant. Having a typical invitation as a missionary, I was asked to sing a special Christmas song in English SOLO!, share my testimony about how I am a misionary, and teach Sunday School! I survived them all, thanks be to God!

Junk Food Fatalism

I confess, I ate at McD's today. Its really a wierd situation I call "Junk Food Fatalism." Before I came to Thailand, I had prepared myself for not having anything of luxury here. The missionary reputation is that of living in a hut with only rice to eat, but do remember I live in Bangkok. The city of skyscrapers and public transportation. Yet, I was still surprised at the first sighting of a Dairy Queen or a McD's. I keep thinking any day now, they will disappear because they don't really exist. I am in Thailand, how can I be able to eat a blizzard or a McNugget? Yet, I do. Soon, the excitement will wear out hopefully, but until then, I will enjoy my McNugget every so often after a whole four hours of Thai language where my face was so scrunched up the whole time from confusion, I'm positive I have gained wrinkles. The funny thing today was that McD's was playing "O Night Divine" today, two weeks past Christmas! So funny.

Good News Through Noodles

Jesus ate a lot with people, I've been thinking about that lately. He ate at Pharisee's house, at Lazarus's house, and with Zaccheus. A lot of the conversations I've had this week have been at noodle shops eating as well. Across from our office on the corner is one noodle shop that we stop and eat at even if we're not hungry so we can love those people who work there. Naa is about to have a baby in a month and the baby's not growing too fast because she must work so much. Pen and she both have shared the struggles of that with us. I pray we may show them the peace that comes from trusting God with life's struggles.

Also across from my house is another noodle shop. I stop often to say hello and wave because they see me leaving and coming back to my house everytime I do everyday. The lady, Boom, struck up a conversation about her interest in Christianity the other day with me. And that has led to some great conversations since....and great moments for my roommates to be strengthened in sharing about God with their fellow Thais, since my language limits me. My job is to sit, smile, pray, and eat my noodles.

Named after a Bus

Melanie is just too long of a name here in Thailand. I do live in Bangkok, who's actual name is the longest name of a city in the whole world (Guinness Records). Everyone has really long names, but they take nicknames of food and animals and the like.

Yesterday I began my last module of full-time language learning with my new teacher deciding right away to shorten my name to "Me" (short e). Most people don't shorten their name, they make a new one. The problem with shortening my name is that "Me" means "bus." Yep, I'm now named after a bus at school. And I'm sure soon everyone will be calling for the bus, oop, that's me! :)

I told them I'd rather be named after watermelon or something. :)