Christmas!

Wow! Once again, my life has felt like a whirlwind for the last month or so.
One of my favorite things is that I got to go back to the orphanage in Sangklaburi from December 8-10 (thank God for Thai holidays!). We had a Christmas day camp for the orphans and community children. God's faithfulness is so evident at House of Hope. The House of Hope kids are more confident and much cleaner than the community children. You can see the love of Jesus in their lives. I love how they are so easily entertained by playing games together. They do have toys, but they don't know "what they're missing" in terms of technology. They are content with what they have and they work together as a family. As I mentioned before, they love to praise the Lord by singing songs and they put us to shame with how many Bible verses they have memorized. It was so humbling to be with them again. In the evening, we got to give many Christmas gifts to the children. It was a blessing to see their faces light up when they opened their gifts.

Even though Thailand does not recognize Christmas as a national holiday, I did not miss out on Christmas festivities. From huge Christmas trees in the malls, to the "Pass the Cheer" logos at Starbucks, to the Christmas decorations at school, I have been surrounded by reminders of Christmas. I am very blessed, however, because my school has a Christmas break. Most Thai schools do not have time off. I was able to take two Thai friends to two different Christmas parties. At each party, time was given for sharing about Jesus being the true meaning of Christmas. I thank God for opportunities to expose them to the meaning behind all of the Christmas hype (outside of the church, most Thai people think that Christmas is only about Santa Claus and Christmas trees). One of these friends is very open to the Lord and I pray that God continues to draw her to Himself.

The other highlight of this season was my dad's visit from the U.S. Thank you Jesus for the blessing and thank you Dad for taking the time and spending the money. My first Christmas away from the U.S. was great. I know it could have felt very sad, so I am so glad my dad came. We had a great time together! We went to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and my dad got to experience lots of Thai food (and the occasional Western meal--especially on Christmas--it was fabulous!). We went to a cultural show and saw lots of Thai and hill tribes dances. I think my dad's favorite part of the trip in Chiang Mai was the elephant camp. They have taught the elephants to paint pictures and the pictures are very good considering they were painted by elephants. We saw some colorful orchids at an orchid farm and went shopping at the night bazaar. We bargained with the vendors and mostly got good prices for the things we bought.

As the new year approaches,I believe the Lord is giving me some specific goals to work towards. I am believing Him for souls to be saved and asking Him to shape me in the way I look at other people and interact with the body of Christ. Thank God for the way He molds us and makes us more like Him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Since my last blog, I've started studying Thai. I'm going to have my 4th lesson tomorrow. I'm learning correct grammar and pronunciation, which is great since I was just picking up bits and pieces before now. I'm not living in a complete immersion situation because I teach English all day and my co-workers are native English speakers, but I still manage to find people to practice Thai with. For example, I went to my favorite restaurant last night and a man at the next table asked if I spoke Thai. I said that I speak a little bit and he proceeded to practice his English and give me ample opportunities to practice my Thai as well.

Talking to that man turned out to be an answer to prayer because I've been praying to get to know the restaurant owners (It's a mom and pop place that has delicious food. I also like the fact that I can get stir fry and rice for less than a dollar--but it's very common to eat for a dollar or two here.) for a while. I got to meet the owner's sister and I hope to talk to the owner more also. I am really praying for the area that I live in and for the vendors/store owners that I go to the most frequently. I pray that God allows me to show His love to them more and share the hope I've found in Him.

I'm a little sad to be missing Thanksgiving in the US with my family, but I am getting to celebrate it here. I am truly grateful for the many people who've opened their arms and hearts to me here. Even though I'm far from home, I feel very loved and accepted.

Ok, now back to Thanksgiving celebrations. My first celebration was last weekend with my cell group. We had five nations represented and food from all of those nations as well. We had Japanese tempura, Filipino macaroni soup, American Stove Top Stuffing (Thanks, Dad for sending it to me!), Thai barbecued chicken, and Korean style pancakes/pizza (complete with kim chi and seafood mixed in). We had such a good time together. I made a new Japanese friend and practiced my Thai. Our aim for the party was to reach out to our non-Christian friends, and I think that we accomplished our goal. Praise the Lord!

My next Thanksgiving will be this Saturday with my American co-workers. We're shooting for a traditional Thanksgiving meal--turkey with all of the trimmings. I'm excited!

Xtreme Camp

So many great things have happened since I wrote my last blog. I went to Xtreme Camp with 1200 youth and young adults from all over Thailand . I loved jumping and dancing with them as we worshipped the Lord. The emphasis of the camp was to pray for revival in Thailand and to act on our prayers by reaching out to the youth around us. Speakers from around the world taught workshops and morning and evening sessions to equip us to be more effective in ministering to people.

At the camp, I made some new Thai friends and spent most of my time with a group that came from Vietnam. Most of them speak very little English (and I don't speak Vietnamese), but we were still able to communicate and we became very close.

After I returned from the camp, my church went to a park to evangelize. I was amazed at how effective this was. We had simple conversations with people, and as the Lord opened the door, we shared the Gospel with them. I think around 6-8 people accepted Christ that day. I was paired with a Thai girl who did most of the talking (because my language skills are limited). The 3 college students we talked with were very inquisitive about God. They prayed prayers of salvation (they said they want to try out Christianity--it's a start) and we exchanged phone numbers. God is so awesome! I am praying that the Lord reveals Himself to them and shows them that He is the only True Way.

I have heard from different people that there seems to be less resistence to the Gospel here than there was before. I think many people are curious to hear it because they have not really heard the Gospel before. I have had the opportunity to share different Bible stories with a Thai friend and she is so surpised and impressed by the miracles God has done.

The last great experience was a recent event called the "Bangkok Call." Many churches came together to pray for the nation of Thailand. Five different praise and worship bands played and we prayed for many things. It was like a continuation of Xtreme Camp! The event was held outside, so many passers by stopped to see what was happening.

And a not so spiritual experience, but one worth sharing...
I finally tried ice cream in a sub sandwich roll (many street vendors sell it). The vendor put sweetened sticky rice in the roll first, he scooped in multiple flavors of ice cream, and he finished it with chocolate syrup. It was actually really good! Who would've thought?

Cotton candy crepes and holiday adventures

After 8 straight days of English camps, I was ready for a vacation. We had two English camps at school before the holidays and I helped with an English camp for the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)once school was out. I enjoyed being with the kids and getting to teach them songs and games, but it was very tiring keeping up with 1st and 2nd graders.

I was blessed to be able to travel to Phi Phi Island (in the south of Thailand) with some friends for 3 days. We took the bus (overnight for 11 hours if you get a direct bus) and stayed in a bungalow on the beach. We payed about nine US dollars per night for the bungalow, which is great considering we had mattresses with mosquito nets, a fan, and we shared bathrooms with all of the other bungalow dwellers. It may sound primitive, but my friends and I really enjoyed it. We relaxed on the beach, went hiking 2 times, and kayaked in the Andaman Sea. The water is very clear and you can see tropical fish and coral from the surface. God's creation is so incredible! While the scenery was beautiful and it was fun to be with my friends, I have to say that the other highlight of the trip was the food. They cater to foreigners there, so we got to eat American breakfast and real sub sandwiches (these are luxuries, I promise).

Taking the bus was really good for me because I was able to see the countryside of southern Thailand and see the people who live there. There is a greater concentration of Muslims in the South than in Bangkok, and most of the southern Muslims wear distinctive dress to set them apart. I live near a mosque in Bangkok and I hear the calls to prayer more than the required 5 times per day, but sometimes I forget about their presence. Recently I have been more aware of the cultural and religious diversity of my area, however. There are many Indians (who are probably Hindus) who live in my area, and most of the Thai people around me are Buddhists. The Lord is putting a greater burden in my heart for the people around me, especially those I buy food from on a regular basis. I pray that the Lord uses me to share thte hope of Jesus with them very soon.

Oh, I almost forgot about the cotton candy crepes. I went to a Western style palace built by King Rama V in the late 1800s and then to the ancient temple ruins of Ayutthaya (one of the historical periods/royal dynasties in Thailand)on Saturday. That area is famous for a particular dessert that comprises crepe-like bread with cotton candy-like sugar strings. Arroy mach (very delicious). Some of my Thai co-workers took me on this trip. It was fun and I know that God is allowing me to share His love and truth with one of them. Praise the Lord!

After practically living at school for two weeks, this week was great. Remember the student reports I mentioned? Let's just say they took a long time to write. And if you ever have to grade 3 exams per student for 86 students, don't wait until the weekend before the grades are due to grade them. Not a good idea--never do it!

I was able to teach an after school class this semester and one of the students really caught on when I prayed at the start of class. He would try to anticipate what I was going to say, so I asked if he wanted to pray. He prayed most of the same things I usually pray and I thought he was only mimicking me. One day, however, it was another student's birthday. The first boy prayed that day and he asked God to help the other student have a good birthday and he prayed some other things that are not the same as what I usually pray. I was surprised. I pray that the prayers he prays will mean something to him someday, even if they do not mean anything to him now.

Today I was able to go to a park with my cell group. It was great to be surrounded by green instead of the pollution of the city. We relaxed together and then took some time to talk to people in the park about the Lord. We gave them Gospel tracts as well to help them understand what we were talking about. I pray that we are able to follow through with our plan to go every month. We had one non-believer with us and we were able to share the Lord with her as well. Khap Khun Pra-jow! (Thank you Lord!)

I am excited to have a 3 week break from school starting in one week. Please pray for me as I will be leading songs and games at an English camp with Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)October 6-8. I am excited to be able to help and to share God's love with children ages 8-12.

Chicken feet 2

Does life ever get away from anyone else? Sometimes I feel like everything flies by and my feet aren't really on the ground. I used to feel unbelievably stressed when this happened, but I'm doing ok this time. I know things will come back into balance.

My birthday was August 27th and lots of people made sure that my first birthday in Bangkok was very special. People at school said a special prayer for me in our Thai morning devotional. Many of my church friends and a few of my school friends came to my birthday party that night. Not only that, but I've realized that Thai people believe strongly in giving gifts. I got gifts every day the week of my birthday from people who could not come to my party. I was so surprised. All in all, it was a birthday I'll never forget.

The semester is winding down at school, but it's the busiest time of the year. We are giving our final examinations for the next two weeks and then writing student reports for a week after that. These are not short reports either. I get to write several sentences about each student, as well as comment on 8 specific areas of their language abilities. Good times:)

If you ever get the chance to eat bananas in a place where they are actually grown, you need to do it. It will change your view of bananas forever. I had eaten several varieties of grilled and fried bananas, but I finally ate a plain banana a few weeks ago. I'm addicted. Bananas here are sweet and almost juicy. The flavor is amazing.

And chicken feet 2...
One of my Thai friends had chicken feet this morning for breakfast and offered some to me. Being the person I am, I tried them. I was pleasantly surprised. The consistency is really strange, but the spices his mother used to cook them made them taste delicious. Chan chop teen gai nit noy (I like chicken feet a little bit).

Chan chob Krungtep mach mach. (I like Bangkok very much).

Mind the Gap

For anyone who's ever been to London, the statement "Mind the Gap" is very familiar. It means to pay attention to the space between the platform and the London Underground. I heard this message once at the Sky train station here and thought, "How could anyone fall through the small space between the platform and train?" My question was answered last week when I stepped into the gap and fell down to my hip. I know the Lord was protecting me because a Thai man pulled me out and I got onto the train without any problems. Let's just say that it was a miracle that I was at a station where the doors stay open longer than other stations and nothing really bad happened. Praise God for his protection!

I was blessed to go to a camp with my church here a week ago and the Lord refreshed me spiritually and challenged me with the theme of a greater harvest.

I have to go soon because I think that the internet cafe I'm in is closing. I just want to praise the Lord for allowing me to get a refrigerator, air conditioning in the living room, and a stove this week! I wish I could say more, but it will have to wait for next time.

Mission trip and Thai dancing

It's been a busy few weeks! The highlight was a trip to Songklaburi, a village near the border with Myanmar (formerly called Burma). I went with my Filipino churchmates. I was shocked that we fit 18 people and three massive bags in and around the large song tao (a roofed pick-up truck with two padded benches in the back and a luggage rack on the roof) that we took from the bus station to the orphanage. There are 26 children at the orphanage and most are refugees from Burma. The kids are so smart. Most speak Karen (or a different tribal language), Burmese and Thai. They know lots of English songs and English Bible verses, as well as other bits and pieces of English and Tagolog (the language of the the Filipino woman who runs the orphanage). The really striking thing is that they love Jesus Christ. They enter into worship quickly and they are very sincere.
While at the orphanage, I was almost never alone. There was usually a child at my side or sitting in my lap. They were so hungry for affection. We gave different material gifts to the kids, but I think the best gift we gave them was the time we spent with them.

Last weekend was the 155th anniversary of my school and it is a very big deal. They had vendors of all kinds all over the campus and several stages were set up as well. Different bands and groups performed all day long (Saturday). My part was to learn a Thai dance with other foreign teachers. The school rented traditional Thai costumes for us to wear and we performed in the chapel in front of a very large audience. It was a great experience and unlike anything I've done before.

Five girls from Lee University just arrived to student-teach at BCC for 2 1/2 months. It will be fun to have them here.

Pood pasathai dai nit noy ka. That means I can speak a little Thai. I am learning more all of the time from my friends. It's good to be here.

The not-so-Thai side of life

Ok, so about half of my foreign co-workers are British or Australian and Thailand largely uses British English. This being the case, I learn new vocabulary quite frequently. Did you know that it is correct to say "do maths" rather than "do math"? They say "maths" because it is short for "mathematics." I no longer ride the elevator. Instead, I take the "lift." Oh, and for my students to understand me, I have to tell them to put their "rubbish" in the "bin" (not trash in the trash can).

My latest crazy food experience was Cambodian escargot, as a Thai teacher called it. It was so spicy that I could not taste anything and I tried not to think about the texture or the fact that I was actually eating snails:) Not too bad for a one-time experience, but it's not something I plan to repeat soon.

The highlight of the week was seeing friends from Lee University. Three girls from my major, Intercultural Studies, were on their way back from their internship in Siem Reap, Cambodia. They had a couple of days in Thailand and my friend Eric and I got to spend an evening with them. It was nice to talk about Lee and the ups and downs of living in another country.

For my dad's sake (for those of you who don't know, he's in the cattle business), I'll mention that I got to eat steak last weekend. One of the Christian teachers invited me to her home for a gathering of friends from her church. All of them have students at BCC and several of the guests spoke English. We had a mix of Thai and American food and I got to make the kanompang gratiem (garlic bread). Lots of fun!

The Yellow People

I have officially joined the yellow people. Every Monday, the majority of people in Bangkok wear yellow polo shirts with the royal insignia on them. Ever since the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol's coronation in 2006, Thai people have worn yellow shirts every Monday because he was born on a Monday. If the yellow shirts don't convince you of the Thai people's love for their king, then the life-size pictures along the highway and the pre-movie king video at every movie theater should do the trick. I wore my yellow shirt for the first time on Monday of this week. My school was giving us yellow shirts for free, so I did not want to spend money to buy one. The other perk to wearing a yellow shirt is that female teachers are allowed to wear pants if they wear a yellow shirt. Woohoo!

I recently found out that it is indeed against the law for motorcycles to drive on the sidewalks in Bangkok. I used to think it was legal because it happened so frequently. When walking on the sidewalk, you have to keep your eyes and ears open. You have to be very vigilant because you may only have a moment's notice to dart out of the path of an oncoming motorcycle (slight dramatization added for effect). The worst are those that approach from behind. I finally asked a Thai friend about the motorcycles and he said it is illegal to drive on the sidewalk. Who knew?

The highlight of this week was a day of prayer called "Hunger for Purity." Approximately 200 people from many Thai churches came together to pray for Thailand. About half of those who attended were youth and young adults. It was amazing to see them passionately worshipping and crying out to God. They are not afraid to express themselves through dance (both spontaneous and choreographed) to the Lord. The powerpoint had the song lyrics in Thai and English and my friend translated the prayer topics and messages for me. It was very refreshing to spend the day with other believers in prayer for cleansing and revival in Thailand.

Song Taos and Thai daily life

My Thai word for the week is "song tao," which literally means "two rows," but is actually a noun. It is a small pick up truck with two rows of seats along the sides for people to sit on. I like to ride song taos to and from the sky train station every day because they move very quickly and take alternate routes to avoid heavy traffic. Any type of transportation on the streets of Bangkok provides opportunities for your life to flash before your eyes, so every day is an adventure. I try not to take motorbikes as they are the most risky, but there is no foolproof way to get around. Oh well, such is life!

I've realized that I only remember the Thai words people tell me when they are words I was wanting to learn. Sometimes people tell me many words at one time, and I usually forget them all. I've learned the days of the week and some other basic vocabulary words, which is encouraging.

I'm doing the culture shock thing a little bit (not because I want to). I miss being able to jump into my car and go somewhere close by to buy food, clothes, toiletries, or whatever I need. Here, I have to find out where I can find the thing I need and then how to get there, i.e. which bus, train, etc. to take. It is a long process that can be very exhausting. Still, I am way too afraid to drive here, so I will not be learning to drive British-style any time soon.

I got to share my testimony with the foreign elementary school teachers at my school two weeks ago. It was really amazing how God used it to challenge another Christian teacher to share a testimony of what the Lord has done in his life as well. He was previously not very vocal about his faith with the other teachers, but now he is opening up more, which is very good because he has been at BCC longer than I have. He wanted to start a prayer group with other foreign Christian teachers, which we have had for two weeks now. I got to speak today in our meeting.

I will close with something I heard recently from a Thai minister. He was addressing the foreign teachers at BCC. He mentioned many reasons that people could come to Thailand. Some were things like experiencing a new culture, helping a developing nation, or running away from something (namely God) in one's own country. He told us that he was sure that the reason we came to Thailand is because of the free sauna we experience every time we step outside. He is not kidding. It happens every day.

Barbecued fish, wyteboard markers, and ministry

Today has been a good day. I ate barbecued fish for dinner (yes, I said barbecued fish...it tastes really good) and had a companion on my commute home from work ( a Thai co-worker who is a Christian and speaks English). Besides that, I was blessed to lead some praise and worship songs for the Native English Speaking Teachers' session in Revival Week at Bangkok Christian College. All the students go to chapel each day and watch a presentation by a music, drama, and dance ministry group from northern Thailand. The presentations use Thai history and Bible stories to share the love of Jesus Christ. In addition, all the faculty and staff attend evangelistic meetings during part of their lunch break. It was clear that most of my co-teachers did not want to be at the meeting, but I believe the Lord is using the songs and truths spoken to make them think about Him and eternity.

I have enjoyed taking part in various ministry opportunities, such as singing back-up for the praise team at my church last Sunday. I also know that the Lord is allowing me to speak about Him to my students and co-workers at various times. I know that many seeds are being planted.

On a less serious note, I would like to inform everyone who uses disposable whiteboard markers that you are missing out on the fun of refilling and reusing whiteboard markers ( the brand here is called Wyteboard Markers, hence the blog title). Recycling is very important here and we do not throw away our markers when they run out of ink. Oh, no. We use medicine dropper-like objects to rewet the fibers inside the markers. The first time I did it, I forgot about the medicine dropper and tried to pour the ink directly into the marker. Let's just say the my ringfinger and fingernails were no longer white:)

My friends and I found a Mexican restaurant that serves food Chipotle style! It doesn't taste the same, but it is still Mexican food! I've been twice.

There's not much else to say, so I will leave you with a few thoughts in Thai:

Mai pen rai (it's ok, never mind)
and
Phrajow way pon (God bless you)

Never buy polyester bedsheets!

I know most Americans would never think of buying polyester bedsheets, but I could not read the label. It was all in Thai and somehow I did not see through the plastic that the sheets were not cotton. The first night in our new house, I did not have pillows (the store forgot to deliver them with my bed) and I had polyester sheets. It was very hot and difficult to sleep. The next day, I went to a better store and found not only a fitted sheet, but a flat cotton sheet as well (flat sheets are difficult to find here). I know it sounds crazy, but I have never been more thankful for cotton in my life.

I am making more Thai friends all the time. Praise the Lord! Wanee ben wan an gan. (Today is Tuesday) I'm learning more Thai from different people, which is really good. Whenever I'm with Thais and they sing a praise song that I know in English, I sing it in English while they sing Thai. A Thai teacher at BCC has asked me to write the words to some of the songs for her in English. She wants the student church at BCC to sing songs in English sometimes--partly for me and partly so that the students can learn them in English too. Many of them are English speakers.

Ok, so I have to write about the new student church at BCC. A church is being planted by students and faculty at BCC. It is on Thursdays from 4:15 to 5:30. I have heard that it is difficult for some students to go to church on Sundays, but they are able to go on Thursdays. Students lead the praise and worship and play a major role in the planning and facilitation of the services. A teacher preached the sermon, but they would like students to preach eventually. The church was birthed out of a high school cell group that has been in existence for many years. It is very exciting to see the students' love for the Lord. There were about 40 people at the first service, including teachers and university students and high school students outside BCC.

Today, I was talking with my director at school and she said that she had a headache. I asked if I could pray for her and she said that was ok (she is not a Christian, although she has been very exposed through working at BCC). After I prayed, she immediately said that she felt a little bit better. I was surprised (I should not have been, but I was). This is the second time she has challenged me to trust and believe God more. I believe the Lord is going to do a work in her and in many of my co-workers.

I got a taste of home when I ate Mexican food with my friend Eric, his roommate, and some other Thai friends. We had a great time eating and talking, especially about Pentecostalism and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Thais are Christian and are interested in seeing their church go to a deeper level of passion for the Lord. It was a great night.

I know the Lord is ordering my steps and using me in many ways that I am unaware of. God is so good!

You know you've been in Thailand too long when...

You know you've been in Thailand too long when...
You see an insect crawl out of your salad and you continue eating it (the salad.
You consider the lizard in your apartment to be your roommate.
You enjoy squid eggs more than regular squid.
You consider crazy bus and truck drivers that endanger your life to be part of the experience.
You get excited when you see street vendors selling bugs so you can take pictures.
You like to drink out of a bag.

Just kidding! I have had all of these experiences, but I know I have not been in Thailand too long.

Things have been very busy here. I am starting my 5th week of teaching and I know most of my students' names. Praise the Lord! My 5th grade classes usually understand me when I teach them, but my 4th graders are still catching on. I'm still learning about classroom management and other things, but I realize that it's all a part of the process. Please pray for me as I will be starting to teach an after school class tomorrow.

I've had some really positive experiences with my students, which really helps me keep going. One day, I was talking to my friend Sarah in the US and I asked her to pray for breakthrough with my 4th graders. That day, the class went very smoothly, the students enjoyed themselves, and they seemed to understand everything. It was so encouraging. It gives me hope that there can be more days like that.
On a lighter note, I was shocked when my 5th graders started singing Disney love songs and knew all of the words. I was checking their homework books and laughed out loud as they sang Beauty and the Beast, Pocahantas, and Aladdin songs. It was great! It seems like they are only interested in superheroes, but I guess not!

Praise Report!
My roomates and I found a house! The rent is very cheap. We have to buy a good amount of furniture, but it is worth it because of the inexpensive rent. It is very large by Thai standards and we will have plenty of space to invite people over. We have been painting and cleaning it for the last three weekends and we will hopefully move in this week. The whole situation shows that God has given us favor. The owner of the house is friends with a Thai woman in our church and she gave us a good price because she knows our friend. Also, my school sent a van to help us move our belongings. We did not have to pay to rent a truck. I am amazed by the Lord's goodness to us.

I'm still adjusting to being here and still trying to figure out my schedule. Sometimes these things stress me out, but God is with me and is helping me speak life and trust Him to lead me.

I almost forgot to say that I have been able to go to a devotional/prayer meeting with the Thai Christian teachers before school. I expected to go and not understand anything, but one of the teachers translated for me the first time and continues to translate for me. I cannot tell you how much it encourages me to fellowship and pray with other believers at my school. I realize that God is in control and will use all of us to make an impact on the next generation of Thai leaders.
My friend Eric from Lee University (and a fellow Coloradan) arrived a couple of weeks ago and is teaching in the same department that I am. I also met a girl from Tennessee who is Christian and is teaching at BCC also. The Lord answered my prayer for American Christians! I feel a little bit selfish praying that way, but I am so glad they are here with me.

It is really good for me to sit down and think about all of the ways God has blessed me. It helps me keep the right perspective.

First week of teaching!

This week has been full of emotional ups and downs. I started teaching last Wednesday and found that many of my students did not understand me. It was frustrating and I felt unprepared. However, many people encouraged me by reminding me that my students had been on vacation and had not heard English for 2 months. In addition, I am brand new to them and they probably have to get accustomed to my accent. Now that I have taught them for three days and have started getting to know them, I am more comfortable with the situation. I speak much more slowly and I try to take everything in stride.

As I began working on lesson plans, I felt very unsure of myself because I have limited training and experience as a teacher. I started asking my fellow teachers lots more questions than I had been. I also decided that I have to keep moving forward instead of letting my fears keep from doing anything. As I have been stepping out, the Lord has been meeting me. He has been giving me ideas and providing resources from other teachers to help me with my lessons. God is so good! I love the verse that says that even we are faithless, God is faithful because He cannot deny Himself!

The really crazy part of teaching is learning my students' names. Their names are things like Teerapat and Warinthorn. They have shorter nicknames too, but I was told by one teacher that it is better to call them by their full names. Since then, other teachers have said it is better to use their nicknames. I think it is more a matter of preference, so I am using their full names just to keep continuity with how I started.

On my second day, I told my students that we were going to pray and I folded my hands together to help them understand. They really did not understand and it took me a long time to get them to close their eyes. I prayed a very simple prayer.
After I said "Amen," they still had their eyes closed. I had to explain that "Amen" means it is the end of the prayer. I am now asking them to say Amen after me so that we will have less confusion. Overall, I realize that the Lord is allowing me to teach them about Him from the ground up. What an opportunity! Please pray for me to have wisdom and insight about how to do this. Please pray that I will choose to believe the best and not get discouraged as I live out and share my faith with my students and fellow teachers.

On a lighter note, I thought some people might find it humorous that Starbucks sells sausage and mayonnaise buns here, along with brownies, cheesecake, and other pastries.

I am continuing to seek the Lord about where and how to be involved in ministry outside of my job. I am blessed to have many Christian friends at two churches.

The Beach and Starting My Job

This week has been more structured in that I started working, but work has felt very unstructured. We had several meetings during the first few days and we were supposed to start planning our lessons and decorating our classrooms. As a brand new teacher, I am not very clear about what to do about lessons and decorating, but I know that God is in control and He will help me ease into it. Several of the teachers in my department are new this year and we are all learning together.

One of my co-teachers is a Christian and another Christian teacher from Lee University is coming soon. I know that there are other Christians in other departments, but there are very few in my department. I am also one of 5 women in my department. I am really praying for my fellow teachers and asking the Lord to guide me in building relationships with them. I believe God has me in this school for a reason.

Friday was a special service with 4 other Christian schools. One of the best things about the service was a children's group playing a Thai instrument called an ankalung. It was like a human xylophone! Each child held two ankalungs. The ankalung has two wooden pipes with a 6 inch space between them. Part of the side of each pipe is carved out and the children shook their instruments to produce a sound. For any music lovers out there, the program was similar to a handbell choir. They played hymns that I recognized. It was great! The meal and entertainment after the service were very different...my co-teachers and I were not sure what was going on.

I got to go to the beach on Saturday with my churchmates (as my Filipino friends would say)! We played in the ocean at Rayong Beach and saw an elephant. I payed about 75 cents to feed it.

Interesting food:
Adidas (pronounced just like the sports brand name): chicken feet boiled with garlic, sugar, oyster sauce, etc. Not too bad--once I got over the fact that it was chicken feet:)
Banana hearts: The flower of banana trees that will eventually become bananas. They are cut off when they are young cooked with spices and eaten as a vegetable --it was spicy but tasted very good!
(both cooked by my Filipino friends)

After eating lunch at Rayong Beach, we went to a fruit farm. We had lots tropical fruit. Arroy mach ma (very delicious in Thai). Some of the types of fruit were: durian, dragonfruit, jackfruit, mango, rambutan, mangosteen (my favorite), pomelo, pinapple, guava, papaya, and grapes (not tropical, I know). Spending the day with my churchmates was wonderful. I am really glad that I am here.

One week down, lots more to go!

The first few days in Thailand were difficult. I realized that I am really living here for an entire year. It's also very different to be here without any other Americans. Because of the 2 year gap since my last trip, I felt like I had to get reaquainted with my roommates. I am very comfortable opening up to them now, but it was hard at first.

I've already seen some strange things and experienced some different things as well. I'll try to keep it brief by putting them in categories.

Strange sights:Blue, red, and yellow rice! (pictures to follow)Salad with mayonnaise for salad dressing(in the US, some mayo jars have "salad dressing" as a subtitle to Mayonnaise. They take it literally here)"Mexican" steak--chicken, pork, fish or beef steak with a green chile looking substance--but it's not green chile!

Different experience:Riding in a bus that is the back of a pickup truck--it has a roof over the passengers in case it rains.

I was able to visit Bangkok Christian College and sign my contract. There's no turning back now:)I will be teaching 4 sections of 5th grade and 1 section of 4th grade. Meetings and orientation start tomorrow. I'm glad to start having a regular schedule.

On Saturday, I went with my roommates to a cell group that meets across town. There is one new believer and 2 nonbelievers in the group, as well as several Christians. I am learning a lot about ministering to nonbelievers from my roommates.

Sunday was a busy day. I attended two different churches--one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I got to see lots of old friends at the church in the afternoon. I will probably not be able to attend both every week. Please pray for direction about which church I should get involved with. I got to go to Starbucks with my Filipino friends after church!

Praise Report: I have American friends here! I met a female American missionary on Sunday night. Also, a guy from Colorado that I went to college with will be teaching at my school. He is coming in 2 1/2 weeks.

Prayer Requests:Affordable housing for my roommates and meDirection about ministry and other involvements outside of work
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No plane ticket!?

My flight from Seoul, Korea to Bangkok, Thailand had to be switched because the original layover was not long enough for my bags to make the flight to Bangkok. The agent at the check-in counter in the US booked me on a flight that was on Monday night, but I would not get to Korea until Tuesday night because of the 13 hour time change. I did not know this until I arrived in Seoul and after being redirected to 3 different airlines and walking across the airport several times, I finally bought a new plane ticket.
The good news is that I arrived safely and am now staying at the Church of God SE Asia office in an apartment on the 5th floor. Praise the Lord! So far I'm feeling good as far as jet lag is concerned.