More Memories

Since I just discovered how to add video to a blog, here are clips of moments we captured while in Thailand that I feel are worth sharing.


Performing the step routine at our assembly program at a school in Kantharalak.


Students at Ram 2 University singing the worship song "All in All" in Thai.


A view of the streets of Bangkok from the back of a tuk tuk, which was definitely the best way to get around!



Our interpreter, Taan, reciting the official name of Bangkok: at 65 syllables or so, it's the longest city name in the world!

One Week Later...

Well, I have been home for one week and I finally figured out how to add a slideshow to my blog. It's right there in the upper right-hand corner, and if you click on a picture you can actually go through the pictures and read the captions that I just spent about an hour writing. :)

Also, feel free to check out the first of the videos put together by our team leader, Andy Carter. The link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNx7ohP__Ug. It gives just a taste of what we experienced there. Pay close attention to the clip of Sunday worship where we're all trying to learn a Thai dance...it's pretty hilarious!

I really do still miss Thailand and all of the people there and I can't wait to go back. But slowly I'm getting adjusted to life in America again. And I know it's only a matter of time before God calls me to go again...whether to Thailand or on a new adventure. And I can't wait.

Home Sweet Home

After spending Sunday in one of Bangkok's largest markets and getting some great deals on souvenirs, we went to the airport around eleven o'clock at night to check in for our first flight. Thus began the longest day of my life: Monday, July 28th. The day I saw the sun rise and set. . . twice. The 35-hour-long day. Anyway, now I'm finally at the end of this long day, safe at home and ready to take my first hot shower in a long time and then crawl into bed. But I feel that I should first reflect on this trip as a whole.

I must say that it was extremely hard leaving Thailand and even now I'm missing the people and all the colorful taxis and shops and markets lining the streets. I'm also really missing my team members (even the ones who sometimes got on my nerves). It's crazy how a two-week missions trip can bring people so close together. I feel like we became a family and God brought us together and used us to touch many lives in Thailand. I still am amazed at how many seeds we were able to plant while in Thailand. In the five days that we were in schools, we passed out more than 3,000 Bibles to students. And the best part was watching them open them right up and start reading. Like I said, what we did in these two weeks was plant seeds, and the people of Thailand still need prayer. The people at Kantharalak Church have a vision for their nation, from building a Christian school and orphanage to shelters and discipleship centers. Now that we have planted the seeds, just pray that God will allow them to grow and spread all across the nation of Thailand so that we are helping the Thai people to reach their destiny in Christ.

Last Day in Thailand

On Friday after visiting our last school, we had dinner at a Thai barbecue and I tried squid (which was actually not bad, except for being slimy). Then we packed up and rode on a bus for 8 hours to get back to Bangkok. We went to the Avana Hotel to spend the night only to find that our rooms wouldn't be available until Saturday night, so we spent the night in the hotel lobby... :) When we woke up, we loaded into two vans and drove into Pattaya, which is about two hours from Bangkok and is a largely tourist area. We planned to ride elephants there but it was too expensive, so we got to see the elephants and then we got on a boat instead and got to go parasailing. That was something I've always wanted to do and it was amazing! After that, we took a boat to an island where we spent the whole day at Pattaya Beach and I got to swim in the ocean for the first time! It was so incredible and it just made me realize how much I don't want to leave here. Tomorrow we'll be shopping in Bangkok and then we'll head to the airport tonight for our first 5 hour flight, and then we'll have our 14 hour flight to Chicago, and finally the last leg of the journey which will bring us back home.

I Heart Thailand!!

We have now been in Kantharalak village since Friday, and we were welcomed with a warm reception from the pastor's family. On Friday we glued stickers onto Bibles to be passed out later on and we walked into town. Saturday was an amazing day--first we planted rice and then we swam in a waterfall. That night, we visited a non-Christian home for dinner and we ended up performing some of our dramas right on the spot, since crowds gathered in the streets upon our arrival. It was awesome to meet all the kids and their parents and give them high-fives! On Sunday, the church service was amazing--people worshipping in Thai and English and praising God together. I preached a message about God's blessing that I had prepared just for the Thai people, and that went pretty well (once I got used to working with my translator, Ram). After church, we went back to the waterfall and I jumped off from the very top. Now that was a rush!When we got back to the church, we ate dinner and for dessert we had. . . grasshoppers! Yes, I actually tried one and it was quite delicious! Yesterday was our first day in the schools, and I taught two English classes (with my group) and in the afternoon, we had an assembly where we performed our step routine and I gave my testimony. After a series of other dramas, a salvation call was given and 100 kids raised their hands and prayed the sinner's prayer. Afterward we passed out 200 Bibles and spent about a half hour signing them and getting our pictures taken with the kids (they absolutely loved us--and I felt like a rockstar!) Today we were in a high school, so the kids were a little more shy and quiet, but we still passed out lots of Bibles and it went well. We have 3 more schools to visit this week, along with a few more homes. On Friday we'll be back to Bangkok for a few days before heading back home. This has been an amazing experience. I love the people here and they seem to be crazy about us Americans, too. My Thai is improving, slowly. Now I can count to 100 in Thai! Please continue to pray for our team and the people of Thailand. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again, but there's so much more to tell! To hear a little more about what we've been doing, you can visit Cheryl's blog at www.priestsbyname.blogspot.com.

Planes, Trains & Crazy Automobiles

On Monday morning, we woke up bright and early to make our first flight. Everything went well, and all of us made it to Bangkok safe and sound and completely exhausted. I must say that you don't realize how long fourteen hours is until you've spent it on an airplane. When we got to the airport in Bangkok, we went through customs and then wandered around for about an hour before finding our rides in the back of a truck. We got to the Avana Hotel around 1 am on Wednesday morning and then had to get up at six to get ready for the day. We had orientation today, and we did a bit of shopping at one of the largest malls in the world. We also had a scavenger hunt that led us on a fun little spree through the insanely dangerous streets of Bangkok. Honestly, it's not just that the cars drive on the left side of the road. They actually drive in the middle, and taxis and buses are always stopping. Pedestrians run out into the street without even looking and scooters and cars are forced to stop on a dime in the middle of an intersection. I'm surprised I haven't witnessed an accident yet. Anyway, our little scavenger hunt gave us the chance to talk to some college students and experience the exciting (but very badly smelling) market. It was a lot of fun and there is so much more to tell, but I am exhausted and I'm going to go shower and then go to bed so I can get up early in the morning for our tour of some Buddhist temples and the Grand Palace. More later, I promise!

Sorng Wan (2 Days!)

This is probably the last chance I'll have to get to a computer before I leave, so I just wanted to let everyone know I am all packed up and ready to go! Tomorrow after church we'll be headed to my aunt's house in Detroit to spend the night, and then on Monday we'll be up bright and early to head to the airport for our marathon of flights. I am unbelievably excited to think that the day after tomorrow, I'm really going to be on my way!! Please continue to pray for safe travels for myself and the rest of the team.

Sorng ah-tit (2 weeks)

Exactly two weeks from today I and twenty-one others will be on our way to Bangkok!! Well, actually we'll be on the second leg of our journey, from Chicago to South Korea, and then on to Bangkok. I just got back from the health department for the last of my immunizations (this one was for typhoid and my arm is extremely sore). My nerves are starting to kick in a bit, especially when I read over the packet of information the health department gave me with precautions like:

Don't brush your teeth with the tap water.
Don't have ice cubes in your drink.
Don't eat anything unless you boil it, cook it, or peel it. (not even fruit!)

I'm sure that I will be eating only safe foods and I know God will keep us all safe. But I also know I'm going to want some ice cubes in that 100-degree heat!

Starting to Pack

Well, the suitcase is out and I'm starting to sort through the various items I've been collecting over the past few months. . . travel-size hand sanitizer, travel-size Tide detergent, travel-size baby powder. . . you get the picture. I'm deciding what things I'll need in my carry-on (in my case, even a toothbrush is a must, since I'll be on a plane for almost 24 hours) and what things I'm not allowed to have in my carry-on (as far as liquid goes, I can only have a quart-size plastic baggie with 3 oz. containers inside, I think).













Anyway, I walked into my bedroom to grab my backpack which will serve as my carry-on bag, and I nearly screamed. There, sitting right on top of my backpack. . . well, I guess you could call it sitting, I'm not really sure. . . was some kind of a lizard! I panicked and ran out of the room, naturally. Then I willed myself to go back in, and after various failed attempts to capture the creature, I watched in horror as he (or she) slithered away. Not an experience I want to relive, but it will probably happen again, since I have no idea where the lizard went. Oh, well. Now it's back to my packing--it's incredibly exciting to think that in just a couple weeks, my suitcase will be all packed up and ready to go!

One Month to Go...

Today marks one month until I depart for Thailand on a missions trip with 22 others from around Michigan. It will be my very first overseas missions trip, and hopefully the first of many! Today was also our very last team meeting and we practiced dramas (one in which I portray a tree!) and our testimonies, as well as a step routine we hope to perform for the Thai people. Cheryl and I also had some tasty pad thai. . . yum!