Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Hot season has officially arrived here in Thailand. Words cannot express the intensity of the heat we experience everyday. Its like we live inside an oven. We mostly sweat morning to night. A/C is a luxury here. Lately it has been in the 100’s. We are trying to survive by drinking lots of water and taking lots of showers. In the next couple of weeks there will be a water festival that helps cool everyone off. Songkran Festival. Basically it’s a big water fight. We’ve been advised to not drive our bike near the city because people will throw buckets of water on you. They will even open up your car door and pour it right in. Should be interesting. Pray for our safety. 

Its hard to believe that our journey here is almost coming to a close. I feel as though we are just starting to solidify our relationships with people in our organization and our Thai friends and now its time to leave. Not to mention that we are basically fluent in Thai now. (well, that might be a stretch. ha) We have mastered riding three big girls (aka foreigners) on our motorbike so one could say that we are basically Thai. All we need now is a dog in the basket and a baby to hold.
The last weeks we hope to finish strong and say goodbye well. We desire to encourage those who are continuing to live here and praying that God will continue to work in the lives of those we have met. We are believing that seeds we have planted will continue to grow after we leave.

The last months we have been and will continue to work with Community Health Evangelism. CHE’s vision is to empower the Thai people with practical skills and develop their relationship with Christ. We have been blessed immensely to be part of this community. These Thai Christians have been great to work with. They truly desire to see their surrounding community impacted for Christ. Dara and I help with ironing sheets, moving furniture, planning kid camps, and going out into the community to assess the felt needs of the people. We walk alongside the Thai staff, helping them practice English and trying to help in a practical way too. We have really enjoyed visiting in the Villages. It has been such an experience listening to their stories, struggles, and praises.

As we reflect over our time here it is evident that God’s hand has been upon us. He has led us in a way to draw us closer to him. Its been difficult at times but when you are in the presence of God it is always sweet. Thank you for your prayers and support. We send much love from Thailand!!!