Team Retreat

Headed off to a team retreat today through Saturday. It's our Annual Team Pray & Plan Retreat. Please keep us in your prayers as we discuss this past year and make goals for the upcoming year. It will be a good time for the whole team to be together. Pray God gives me endurance for the long days while I am still recovering from jetlag. Thanks!

Can I handle the Spice?

A "curry" with eggplant, cabbage, and greens cooked with pork in a broth of some sort. (Don't ask me, I can't cook!)

Okay, so I might have bragged a bit while in the US about my ability to handle spicy food. What can I say? After having my mouth burn for so long, I adapted or would not have survived. Though I've tried, I could not keep up my abilities in the US, and they have dissipated. (Is that the right word? I'm trying to keep up my English skills while here.)


Last night was the first test. I ordered "Geng Ob" from my next door neighbors' restaurant. This dish is one of my favorites, but I ordered just a little spice blaming it on my need to adjust. Its from the NE side of Thailand where my Thai housemates are from, which has food full of flavor and SPICE! After just the first bite, I knew I'd have to take it slow. Thankfully no housemates were there to be ashamed at my inability. I couldn't finish it, but I will persevere! Tomorrow night, I go to Mahathai's prayer meeting. I'll probably eat dinner at my favorite cook's house. She's the best, but she's also who has taught me to handle spice after my mouth burns for that half hour. Keep up the prayers!

Calling my Teacher

Yesterday, I called my old language school about registration for classes. Who was to pick up the phone but my former teacher?!! I started to use all my best Thai speech for him since he's the one who taught me how to speak! I asked him how he was doing, and he said he was feeling a bit sick. I tried to tell him in Thai that I hope God took away his sickness fast, but instead I said something like I hope he disappears! We both laughed. Then I had the gall to ask if he thought my language had gotten better!
Anyway, I will head over to the school on Monday to be tested and placed in a class. Then I will speak with my team leader about how much time he thinks I can put into language learning. My first class will start September 23. Please pray for my testing time. I want to make good decisions regarding how much time to invest in more language learning and which classes to take.

Noble, Pure, and Lovely

My teammate, who picked me up at the airport, encouraged me to spend some of my first few days in prayer, reflecting on my time in the US and considering how I want to use my time in ministry here. I am so grateful for his wisdom. So today I marched myself over to the nicest Starbucks within 20 minutes (by van), and sat down for some good prayer time.

MTW gave me an excellent "Re-Entry" book for when I went back to the US. Good reflecting questions that I decided to use in the reverse (coming back to Thailand instead of the US). Today, I spent the majority of my time on these verses, Philippians 4:8-9, "Finally brothers, whatever is true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy--think about such things....And the God of peace will be with you." I made a list under each heading of "true", "noble," "pure," etc. and listed what I am grateful to God for during my time in the US. SO MANY things! In doing that, I was reminded again of God's faithfulness. Please pray my time is protected for prayer over the next few days as I ask the Lord to show me what he taught me while in the US and how he wants to use me now in Thailand.

First Sunday

I was "welcomed home" today at church. I love it when everyone says that. It's nice that they recognize this place as home for me as well. (There are so many homes for me!) Here's a few superlatives:

Best hug: would be from Nong. She just hugged me and started crying. Since I left, she has become a Christian. She said she couldn't believe I was coming back. When I left last year, she's the one that said, "Hurry back soon!"

Best first words: Rhianna, one of my teammates, saw me on the back of a motorcycle on the way to Mahathai kids' bible club. She put down the van window and screamed out at me. :) She said everyone was looking and she made a spectacle of herself. I didn't mind. I was just happy to see her.

Best view: That would have to be a tie. When I stand facing out from the Mahathai community center, I can see the palm trees waving under the blue sky. Then as I rode the bus out to our "Wal-Mart" called Tesco Lotus, I enjoyed the swampy grasslands blowing in the wind.

Most shockingly different: The roads. As I said, the gov't is having to put new pipes in for drainage since that huge flood last October caused horrible pot holes. Add that to the normal dodging of water during rainy season, and I have to think a lot about how to get around. I had to take a bus down a short road last night, since I couldn't wade through the water.

Challenging: Most people say my language is great. Thanks to my friends at the restaurant, I remember a lot. But it's hard to have big gaps in my vocabulary. I feel so silly trying to explain things. Today, at Lotus, I tried to explain my need for a power plug adaptor. It took 5 minutes and I left without one. :)

Hailing from Land O' Thai!

I made it here! Wow, what a trip! I am SO tired, but good. The airplane trip was so much better than the last trip I remember. Thanks for your prayers for my knees. They are healing really well. I didn't have someone beside me on the 14 hour flight so I was able to stretch out!

So far, I've been to our team prayer meeting this morning and then to kids bible club at Mahathai. The streets here are full of potholes since that flooding last October. That's really shocking. I feel like part of me has never left. So much of the same but a lot different too. I will try to put it all in words over the next few days.

As for now, I smile over muddy feet (rainy season), hugs, and reunions!

Leaving in 23 Hours

Leaving on a plane from Charlotte in 23 hours. Spending time with family. Weighing suitcases and packing the last one. Woohoo! Wanted to update everyone!