tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84258412026252236062024-03-05T16:07:36.030-08:00Thailand adventuresEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-48817777261489660712012-09-11T14:52:00.001-07:002012-09-11T14:52:27.703-07:00What my new life as a missionary looks like...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our church is located in a government housing projects area. On weekday mornings and afternoons, I teach private classes to adults. They're kind and generous. A couple have taken me out to lunch or dinner. We've had some great conversations about my life and what God has done for me. This a great starting place for sharing the Gospel.
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Starting at 5 pm, the calm environment shifts to one of high energy and excitement. The elementary students come ready to sing songs and play games. I make sure they learn something too. I'm pretty strict if they don't pay attention while I'm teaching. High school and adult students follow and my teaching day ends around 8:30 pm. (I don't teach all day long, only 4-5 hours)
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On Wednesday, we have cell group, a small group Bible study, at 7:00 pm. It's a great time of fellowship. Our focus is on evangelism and discipleship of new believers. We host parties for birthdays and holidays. It's a great time to introduce our high school and adult English students to the concept of a small group and to let them see the difference Jesus has made in our lives.
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On Sunday, I attend the Thai worship service. I take turns teaching kids' church. We have Thai people who teach the Bible story, and my missionary teammate and I lead games and arts and crafts.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All the children who come to kids' church live in the neighborhood surrounding the church. None of their parents come to church yet. We provide lunch for the kids and celebrate birthdays every month. We make a cake, which is a big deal in Thailand. Most Thai people don't have ovens and don't know anything about baking. I think the kids feel very special when we ask what kind of cake they want and then take the time to make it ourselves. Thank God for the opportunity to show them that they'r valuable to God and to us.
I love what I'm doing. It's wonderful to have the time and energy to truly get to know people in our community. I'm so thankful the Lord has allowed me to make the switch to full time missions.
If you would like to partner with me in reaching Thai people for Christ, you can support me in the following ways:
-PRAY! The nation of Thailand will not be changed without a major move of God.
-Host a small group event (maybe your Sunday School class or Bible study group) where I can share about the work the Lord is using me to do in Thailand
-Give
Tax deductible contributions can be made to Church of God World Missions.
Checks can be sent to : Church of God World Missions
P.O. Box 8016
Cleveland, TN 37320
Please include a note that the contribution is for me and write my project number as well: #065-0799
Online contributions can be made at www.cogwm.org. In the "Project" field, please type my name and #065-0799.
Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me and been a friend to me. I'm so thankful you're in my life.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-91591082436731868162012-08-02T15:33:00.002-07:002012-08-02T15:33:29.384-07:00Christmas in Thailand<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUBTYbucQGo5QR7vlKcuZ0kFrAgQm-m3VFJ6VMp_My_UZGisia8Qll_e2XF7GsJopgIbl_wS2-gYCmcdrzWAuJuyohH2He5r3pFIo6HahnprN1fwiW0SjjK1zTRVis7eguCoonUG1UCU/s1600/405923_2357114894503_1449167788_31855997_1792962055_n.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUBTYbucQGo5QR7vlKcuZ0kFrAgQm-m3VFJ6VMp_My_UZGisia8Qll_e2XF7GsJopgIbl_wS2-gYCmcdrzWAuJuyohH2He5r3pFIo6HahnprN1fwiW0SjjK1zTRVis7eguCoonUG1UCU/s320/405923_2357114894503_1449167788_31855997_1792962055_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702709023662372802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNEzYxfQYt95tHYTEKPrrlqMPSQwIXZvfLHHYvSzMtwlZBfReKnz3OgdVrtNCe8Iok3XlW57XyiTwWu4sgEDsG0C_Z8iRg8UZ9V9vj9Aov49ltju2_22gIZJ3Ivd8QKrsOw8bJjMWylU/s1600/390923_2382380763398_1367087994_32080564_1480228283_n.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNEzYxfQYt95tHYTEKPrrlqMPSQwIXZvfLHHYvSzMtwlZBfReKnz3OgdVrtNCe8Iok3XlW57XyiTwWu4sgEDsG0C_Z8iRg8UZ9V9vj9Aov49ltju2_22gIZJ3Ivd8QKrsOw8bJjMWylU/s320/390923_2382380763398_1367087994_32080564_1480228283_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702709009637034834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bemD_uN_E5Cy8AbTm2H6u16KNFU4usTNm1cpTSYWbGSzptQsTTsdu-X2UfsuVD6j3zTe34RmOrF2-KjT8jMFRbH6HrteZ8YpQ-5ty8YZy5wICK7zL82IbW2SQP-5vEt1OBRfClLBdeg/s1600/381377_2382353362713_1367087994_32080509_1945439793_n.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bemD_uN_E5Cy8AbTm2H6u16KNFU4usTNm1cpTSYWbGSzptQsTTsdu-X2UfsuVD6j3zTe34RmOrF2-KjT8jMFRbH6HrteZ8YpQ-5ty8YZy5wICK7zL82IbW2SQP-5vEt1OBRfClLBdeg/s320/381377_2382353362713_1367087994_32080509_1945439793_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702709005475121778" /></a><br />I don't know if it's the heat or lack of Christmas traditions in Thailand, but sometimes it's hard to get into the "Christmas spirit" here. But then I have to ask myself, "Am I just looking for Christmas decorations and music, or am thinking about Jesus' birth?" There's actually not an absence of Christmas decorations or Christmas music in Thailand. There is an absence of nativity scenes and recognition of Jesus' birth as the reason for the celebration though. <br /><br />Thai Christians have challenged me when it comes to the meaning of Christmas. Christmas isn't an official holiday here, so most people go to work and/or school on Christmas. Still, Christians make it a point to evangelize at Christmas. Most Thai people know about Santa Claus and the reindeer, but they don't know the real reason for celebrating Christmas. It's a great starting point for sharing the Gospel. Our church and mission team put together many evangelistic events and I want to share a few of the highlights. <br /><br />We put together a Christmas fair to invite people from the community to come to the church. The most popular things were the yard sale, games for kids and free food. We've had one girl who came to the fair start coming to our English classes. <br /><br />We also taught our elementary school English students to sing Christmas songs in English. They invited their parents to a special presentation. After the kids sang, we explained why we celebrate Christmas and then gave the kids Christmas gifts. And what Christmas celebration would be complete without food? We had a few other events as well. I pray that the people who came to our events experienced the true Light of Christmas.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-37242241022129247942012-08-02T15:29:00.000-07:002012-08-02T15:29:07.227-07:004th of July...Thai styleWhen you love outside the US, you've got to find a way to celebrate American holidays, right? If I go through the day knowing that my friends and family at home are celebrating and I'm not, I'll be sad all day. So why not introduce my Thai friends to American celebrations? Everyone likes parties.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is why I decided to throw a 4th of July party for my English students. They got very involved...they helped decorate and even wore red, white and blue clothes like I asked them to. We ate lots of food (it was all American, but not exactly 4th of July fare...but the Thais didn't know the difference). I did go out of my way to make apple pie though. It was my pie making debut (everything from scratch, even the crust). Not too bad for my first time.
We played some games and sang a song. After that, I presented a brief explanation of why we celebrate the holiday and then used the opportunity to share a little bit about the Lord. I explained that while most people think America is a Christian nation, not every American is a Christian. This is important because many people from non-Western countries think that all Americans are Christians, therefore every tourist, American movie and American song represents Christianity in their minds. I also explained that Christianity isn't an American or European belief. Some of them were surprised when I said that Christianity comes from Asia (Jesus was Jewish, not American:).
We had a great time together. Parties and events like this one are great ways to build relationships with our students and introduce them to our Savior and Hope.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-70658263363759256372012-04-11T08:35:00.002-07:002012-08-02T15:10:28.206-07:00The end of an era...and the beginning of a new one<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYXyaGgM7VLyongWtFOJ_gSJpmeA-S0ASHvPAsmNYl9P8U_-dv_wmjDQwrdxpuLzfUSFYJu6h2Xn6P8mpnpc0O9_r7VLnuubXjTI56s9WbpVvBFxRiQ234kLeYeav1YwSuD9CLpfa8PA/s1600/DSCF5130.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYXyaGgM7VLyongWtFOJ_gSJpmeA-S0ASHvPAsmNYl9P8U_-dv_wmjDQwrdxpuLzfUSFYJu6h2Xn6P8mpnpc0O9_r7VLnuubXjTI56s9WbpVvBFxRiQ234kLeYeav1YwSuD9CLpfa8PA/s320/DSCF5130.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730191096447463154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0V4nyv-AUVzVnm7fvkAHUTbbBe6etjwKi4qDegslPJ19KxZtItTSm4I178hUmdYV7UALFUG5z01RSFmc4V61F2to_Q18pUOn0f6EwV7Ifs7DHUQKsCo785TEeDtJH3ytIHdZGim9i5X0/s1600/DSCF5125.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0V4nyv-AUVzVnm7fvkAHUTbbBe6etjwKi4qDegslPJ19KxZtItTSm4I178hUmdYV7UALFUG5z01RSFmc4V61F2to_Q18pUOn0f6EwV7Ifs7DHUQKsCo785TEeDtJH3ytIHdZGim9i5X0/s320/DSCF5125.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730191080452229618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfRQ_3po6hsurpJ07v4WnTiUn8zQeO-9QhCAGG9g5bk6S1KWiTWDVgb40acl6oSY8tj2qV3JweOXC0-_dOSASOg5nLp4leRDUnDxDk2NN7gHYodJ-zEmIM4MWqPljbze6sB_ifB0g4AA/s1600/DSCF5353.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfRQ_3po6hsurpJ07v4WnTiUn8zQeO-9QhCAGG9g5bk6S1KWiTWDVgb40acl6oSY8tj2qV3JweOXC0-_dOSASOg5nLp4leRDUnDxDk2NN7gHYodJ-zEmIM4MWqPljbze6sB_ifB0g4AA/s320/DSCF5353.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730191075989783522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQMl4nntpTGJqZPNxwRtkggBQpGTiFmj-cr4QJepcWvGREgM9T7V7ItpWWygmEvDQITDhj4QFwXFR8VDsmfiOHJk9aD9eK4sg7mNX0kts4lZQMjLzZCeq7ZaZ1_VXE_mKs0tfW27U6iQ/s1600/DSCF5343.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQMl4nntpTGJqZPNxwRtkggBQpGTiFmj-cr4QJepcWvGREgM9T7V7ItpWWygmEvDQITDhj4QFwXFR8VDsmfiOHJk9aD9eK4sg7mNX0kts4lZQMjLzZCeq7ZaZ1_VXE_mKs0tfW27U6iQ/s320/DSCF5343.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730191069193708018" /></a><br />The last few weeks have felt surreal. I taught my students for the last time at the end of March and had my last day at school on Tuesday. My students had different responses on my last day. One asked to hear me speak Thai (because I'm not allowed to speak Thai in class but they know I can). I told them (in Thai) that they have been great students and I'll miss them. Students in a different class made really sweet goodbye cards for me. Apart from the card I've posted a picture of, another student wrote: "Thank you for cind (kind) and for study me. I no have present, but I have heart." It was so cute! After five years, it feels a little strange to be moving on. <br /><br />Yet, I'm so excited for the next step. I've been serving in my local church for the last few years and truly enjoying it, but now I realize that my heart wasn't fully in what I was doing. I always did my best, but so much of my time and energy was spent at school that I didn't have much left over to give at church. In the last few days, I've noticed a change in my heart. I've been really excited to spend time with the kids from the church and felt a greater need to be close to the people in my cell group. Now there's so much more space in my heart and mind for ministry. <br /><br />Last Sunday, we taught the kids about the disciples meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus. When Jesus broke bread, their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus. After telling the story, I made biscuits with the kids. I brought my oversized toaster oven from home so we could bake them. The kids really enjoyed mixing up the dough, rolling it out, and using a glass to cut out the biscuits. Most Thai families don't have any kind of oven. Baking is a novel concept to them. <br /><br />Today we had a had a visitor (a friend of one of our members) come to our cell group. He came because he wants to practice speaking English. We sang some Thai and English worship songs. I asked one or our members to explain the meaning of the song "My Redeemer Lives" in Thai. In the process, he shared the Gospel with our new friend Oh. Because Oh isn't a believer yet, we decided to skip our normal lesson and spend some time sharing about our personal experience with God. We wanted him to feel welcome, so we gave him a bit of an introduction before jumping into a lesson from the Bible that he most likely wouldn't understand. After we took turns sharing, Oh said that he had walked past the church many times and always wondered why there's always music and so much noise. He comes from a Buddhist background and thought our worship seemed irreverent. He said he was glad to find out what the church is all about and why Christians do what they do. We also talked to him about how to improve his English since that's why he came to church. Thank God for the opportunity to share the Good News!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-997823061863626452012-02-13T05:06:00.000-08:002012-02-13T05:40:09.775-08:00Bearing Fruit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAH4mgCkKK2QYorzq2oMRYawXJ1ayT0w7ekGw37qDxw0nVv_-WRh-4S-fIDBqozGb57vOcpCYDcwdQQt7qu07ZxFeO-jeR3e6I_mYILQCq3DBFPDcv0FlXPXAc3XcH-3g9Y8ure7hbkA/s1600/DSCF4970.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAH4mgCkKK2QYorzq2oMRYawXJ1ayT0w7ekGw37qDxw0nVv_-WRh-4S-fIDBqozGb57vOcpCYDcwdQQt7qu07ZxFeO-jeR3e6I_mYILQCq3DBFPDcv0FlXPXAc3XcH-3g9Y8ure7hbkA/s320/DSCF4970.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708612929504689026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQFRceb5MREVY2OAIqY0dvgQXzZfxbvitZXYuDmWPfHjRZRWZpA1MAWrAE2wHvCyj9QRkaQ9N8EgBhu-2r9Ia5mMtkD85Z2CFfMEXzq2m3jGCvoGe4XgcUdG3kq1D7ZCBYe4-TStwpCM/s1600/DSCF5021.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQFRceb5MREVY2OAIqY0dvgQXzZfxbvitZXYuDmWPfHjRZRWZpA1MAWrAE2wHvCyj9QRkaQ9N8EgBhu-2r9Ia5mMtkD85Z2CFfMEXzq2m3jGCvoGe4XgcUdG3kq1D7ZCBYe4-TStwpCM/s320/DSCF5021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708612920916376994" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6QwB-vZVV26QhC_WnaFSBKdtq1_7XiqFUpo6qbU7k6UOMa9V7z6RY848uyCYWMinE1AIMz0qVtaxNzVZUFJZBQTnFyETuVeWZlc9DAznqkLKPGXrw8RWcAZsD05_1UOliKlGJCtdXJo/s1600/394432_180485365383367_100002657138374_296418_926399908_n.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6QwB-vZVV26QhC_WnaFSBKdtq1_7XiqFUpo6qbU7k6UOMa9V7z6RY848uyCYWMinE1AIMz0qVtaxNzVZUFJZBQTnFyETuVeWZlc9DAznqkLKPGXrw8RWcAZsD05_1UOliKlGJCtdXJo/s320/394432_180485365383367_100002657138374_296418_926399908_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708612912638395298" /></a><br />Christmas came and went, and now it's almost Valentine's Day. Christmas felt so busy last year, but after stepping back and thinking about all that happened, I can see that God was working and using every event I was part of to advance His Kingdom.<br /><br />One of the highlights of Christmas for me was seeing our new believers bearing fruit and growing in their faith. During an evangelistic Christmas party, two of our new believers explained the events surrounding Jesus' birth to the guests at our party. We needed a little help with translation and they stepped up to the plate. They were also the driving force behind our community Christmas fair, which was another attempt to get to know the people in the neighborhood around the church. As you can see from one of my pictures, our cell group also sang some special songs in the Christmas service. It was neat to see everyone work together to proclaim the message of Christmas to those who've never heard it before.<br /><br />Last weekend, a small group of people from my church went to the House of Hope orphanage, which is near the border with Myanmar. It was such an amazing experience. The children have come out of very humble circumstances and are so thankful for everything they have. They said thank you for taking time to visit them, for cooking for them, for playing games with them, and for giving them gifts. Money was recently raised to build beds for the boys, and our cell group had the opportunity to donate sheets.<br /><br />The woman who takes care of the children told me that when she asked the kids about their fears, many said they are afraid of not having food to eat. I've taken so much for granted in my life, and hearing that is such a powerful reminder that I need to be thankful for everything God has given me, including food to eat each day. At House of Hope, the kids don't have to worry about whether or not they'll have food each day, but one little boy still eats a lot at every meal. He's used to having to eat all he can when there's food to eat. <br /><br />One of our new believers was so moved by spending time with the kids and she had to stop several times while sharing a testimony with them because she was so overwhelmed by emotion. I believe God is putting a burden in her heart to make a difference in these children's lives. It's awesome to see God working in her life.<br /><br />The trip was incredible. The children are so loveable. You can see that they love God and depend on Him for everything. They're truly grateful for everything they're given. Visiting House of Hope is such a humbling and rewarding experience.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-17233099562290069572011-11-25T06:10:00.000-08:002011-11-25T06:55:00.141-08:00Thanksgiving<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyve7mhktpjiYGPEcQJsV7xJtS6a7LjvuZhlHGdSim0t6AynC1h2DzFM19ULfbIF9rfWehKjvXWPNqa1ZefhwWStX1UkdsutKlWgwH_zFdSIEbKHRJt73WykhwyQXTKJYrwseoZQ-gsL0/s1600/DSCF4767.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyve7mhktpjiYGPEcQJsV7xJtS6a7LjvuZhlHGdSim0t6AynC1h2DzFM19ULfbIF9rfWehKjvXWPNqa1ZefhwWStX1UkdsutKlWgwH_zFdSIEbKHRJt73WykhwyQXTKJYrwseoZQ-gsL0/s320/DSCF4767.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678946637715569218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxr7EU3LvLVmdbDwBApKO7aLhPnALmu0QfsvfIkkEnHx2WH8VqqxQiEDSJhy2Nrmx7tSX_4IvdW24rPTIwGSUjMlaiLIlG6cfRR_CdG3lQZqIjywzmwRIVsqLaOT9x7b-Cfn_UFHY_KE/s1600/DSCF4752.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxr7EU3LvLVmdbDwBApKO7aLhPnALmu0QfsvfIkkEnHx2WH8VqqxQiEDSJhy2Nrmx7tSX_4IvdW24rPTIwGSUjMlaiLIlG6cfRR_CdG3lQZqIjywzmwRIVsqLaOT9x7b-Cfn_UFHY_KE/s320/DSCF4752.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678946631062181026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV98vgW6wbgSp03sXVzujk_WAvAbt-CtE2GaDYWzxavwa4xudG8RZz_ehHmzFRJT46Xj7dlsbGSOA4YhBcz6cOqgd4corwQbKJWO5BcVEy6BV-S0HfDra-kfo04Dj04pS6VrmYZLgEVo/s1600/DSCF4740.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV98vgW6wbgSp03sXVzujk_WAvAbt-CtE2GaDYWzxavwa4xudG8RZz_ehHmzFRJT46Xj7dlsbGSOA4YhBcz6cOqgd4corwQbKJWO5BcVEy6BV-S0HfDra-kfo04Dj04pS6VrmYZLgEVo/s320/DSCF4740.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678946614421484834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcQxIonXJ7v8BzERlBZd3KCrDFa3S97z-BfEGgZJOb7mK9rODtZ7-cdzuFdhbj7rXuQnK6vJOOvbBD6gLceU37-NHb2PeaEqBUQhdEm4Iz33rIIQYB1nup4pJ3ngBQS7U7NIIOC2YNNo/s1600/318557_10150453901650661_165962710660_10783282_890081269_n.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcQxIonXJ7v8BzERlBZd3KCrDFa3S97z-BfEGgZJOb7mK9rODtZ7-cdzuFdhbj7rXuQnK6vJOOvbBD6gLceU37-NHb2PeaEqBUQhdEm4Iz33rIIQYB1nup4pJ3ngBQS7U7NIIOC2YNNo/s320/318557_10150453901650661_165962710660_10783282_890081269_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678946609412142018" /></a><br />Thanksgiving has come and gone again. It was very special for me this year. Because school was cancelled, I had time to prepare a semi-authentic Thanksgiving dinner for my Thai cell group the day before Thanksgiving. We invited our English students and 7 of them came. They really enjoyed trying food they haven't tasted before. I also got to explain the history behind Thanksgiving. To conclude, I shared that Christians (our students aren't Christians yet) believe that God created the world and everything we have comes from Him--even down to the families we are a part of and the friends we have. Everyone had the opportunity to share what they're thankful for. It was a great time to strengthen our relationships with our students and share the love of God.<br /><br />On a slightly more comical note...<br />I told the Thanksgiving story in Thai and I said that 90% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. After the 3rd or 4th time I said the word turkey, my friend told me that I was saying it in the wrong tone. I was saying "sleepy chicken" instead of "turkey."<br /><br />After 5 years of waiting, I finally got to have turkey on Thanksgiving. My friend and I went to a "real American Thanksgiving dinner" with some Thai teachers from our school. One of their former students went to cooking school in the US and he wanted to cook for all of his friends. It was one of the best Thanksgiving meals I've ever had. For dessert, we had traditional pies, plus homemade sorbet, graham crackers and marshmallows. Who knew you could make your own marshmallows? <br /><br />Every time I stop to think about what I'm thankful for, I think of my family and friends at home and here in Thailand. It's difficult to be away from home during the holidays, but having great friends here makes it a lot easier. I'm also really thankful for my apartment. So many Thai people are living at flood relief centers right now and many still live in their flooded homes.<br /><br />I've had 2 opportunities to take food, water and other supplies to families living in the flood zone. My church rented a huge flatbed truck to drive through some lower flood waters to get to one flooded area. We had to load everything onto boats and then take it into an area that doesn't get much outside help. Most donations are taken to relief centers. A church near this flooded area coordinated our deliveries. It was humbling to see people using large slabs of thick styrofoam or large wash tubs for rafts and boats. Some people had real boats, but all were in great need. Please join me in prayer for the flood victims and the Thai government. <br /><br />I joined my school's flood relief effort on Thanksgiving day. We went to a relief center and played games with the children. We gave away lots of snacks and toys, which helped brighten the children's day. We also gave useful supplies to the adults. <br /><br />I thank God for using me to bring hope to those in need. I believe He is bringing good out of a desperate situation and drawing Thai people to Himself.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-53198966088642357262011-08-15T03:45:00.000-07:002011-08-15T04:17:29.651-07:00Going native?!?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXlJheftBNIg7BdLfZ6v50C9WENlw3MjnbHSA-7tJpTagb9Ca72sPQUo9r4KZU_KF603iwi6oPUnsm8LjWPuVHN65goUjriiNR4pzY5OKLsoaTJEyoLWfQ5L61eCK4_C9HfDxSWWNaOU/s1600/DSCF3703.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXlJheftBNIg7BdLfZ6v50C9WENlw3MjnbHSA-7tJpTagb9Ca72sPQUo9r4KZU_KF603iwi6oPUnsm8LjWPuVHN65goUjriiNR4pzY5OKLsoaTJEyoLWfQ5L61eCK4_C9HfDxSWWNaOU/s320/DSCF3703.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641040074669926194" /></a>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyjWeCXKRZcfm-AhySxZkPfftMNltfsx1UYKzb-JYydqC-mFxjFbrwd65OHLsaNclWRgLpHj-JgiwK9fgkFL6zAAxjBzftu31r7icrzMoEVvMTwdOmSW9kOgGbYPDGFHVrZWVQ9iBF8o/s1600/DSCF3666.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyjWeCXKRZcfm-AhySxZkPfftMNltfsx1UYKzb-JYydqC-mFxjFbrwd65OHLsaNclWRgLpHj-JgiwK9fgkFL6zAAxjBzftu31r7icrzMoEVvMTwdOmSW9kOgGbYPDGFHVrZWVQ9iBF8o/s320/DSCF3666.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641040071214738962" /></a>
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<br />I think lots of my American friends would already say that I've gone native, but I think I have something new to top my existing list. I moved to a studio apartment near my school a few months ago. It's great--cheap rent, high security (you have to scan your keycard before you can push any elevator buttons), a restaurant that delivers to my room, and laundry facilities. I didn't think about how Asian it actually is until I was describing my bathroom to an American friend. There isn't a designated shower area--the whole bathroom is the shower. I stand in front of the sink when I shower and if I put up a shower curtain, there'd be no room for me to fit in the small space between the shower head and the sink (as you can see from the picture). I don't mind it actually, but I do have to squeegee the floor after every shower because I don't like getting my feet wet every time I enter the bathroom.
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<br />The school year started in May and I've really enjoyed my students this year. I'm not supposed to speak Thai in the classroom, so some of my students don't know that I can speak Thai. I think those that know seem to forget when they're upset and call me "jai lai," which means "mean" in Thai. This happened one day and I reprimanded my student for it. I asked if he could say that to his Thai teachers and he looked at me with a horrified expression and said no. I have some very sweet students in the same class who immediately said "teacher jai dee tee soot nai loke" to make me feel better. It means "you are the kindest teacher in the world." They were exaggerating but it was very nice of them to say.
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<br />A first or second grade student who I don't actually know came up to me one day and said "hair...is...fantastic." I think he was commenting about my curly hair, but he could have just been expressing his appreciation for hair itself:). It was cute.
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<br />The missionary team at my church has started teaching English classes during the week so that we can get to know more people in the community. I teach one group of 4th to 6th graders and one group of 7th to 9th graders. We had a special event for the students and their mothers last Wednesday to celebrate Mother's Day (Thailand's Mother's Day is August 12). We had over 50 people! The elementary students learned to sing English songs about mothers and presented them at the event. We gave small gifts to the mothers and a Thai female pastor spoke briefly. Most Thai people will receive a blessing, no matter what religion it comes from. We closed the presentation by praying for all the mothers and their children. After it as all over, we served food and had time to get to know some of the families. Thank God for the seeds that were planted. There is a mission team coming this week and we're having some more community events. I'm believing God to move in people's hearts as we continue to build relationships and share the hope we have in Christ. Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-70223785479108286032011-04-18T19:49:00.000-07:002011-04-18T20:42:35.649-07:00Cambodia: Lakes and Snakes!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCb0se7RwXA5OxY40GMDa56WRNKHBw430svSWN2nXzDFXRfTcTzoBw_ACrkydO_fcp5ht0yly1Tu-G9ghrTAMgklIJCtaH2TDsLR2NC3ofLPUX41E2bPwa7EenlwjmRTnZbxmQ4kIQmc/s1600/197153_10150218344589554_832529553_9067136_431787_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCb0se7RwXA5OxY40GMDa56WRNKHBw430svSWN2nXzDFXRfTcTzoBw_ACrkydO_fcp5ht0yly1Tu-G9ghrTAMgklIJCtaH2TDsLR2NC3ofLPUX41E2bPwa7EenlwjmRTnZbxmQ4kIQmc/s320/197153_10150218344589554_832529553_9067136_431787_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597134982484613218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69gU2M6Y59IHGdn-uKeb7y8rkX2hoD-fsro1rRG5wlw6LG5T90Nz7vAmH7h277GReE52G6cbnOvWi9U6_TeTNZsileN0PBccUbUP1UVe9WW2Ngs2Yns_f1SLd3_r_DiyElrwM1_bHkm4/s1600/199869_615450410946_66503758_33483830_744612_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69gU2M6Y59IHGdn-uKeb7y8rkX2hoD-fsro1rRG5wlw6LG5T90Nz7vAmH7h277GReE52G6cbnOvWi9U6_TeTNZsileN0PBccUbUP1UVe9WW2Ngs2Yns_f1SLd3_r_DiyElrwM1_bHkm4/s320/199869_615450410946_66503758_33483830_744612_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597134982123160978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhndIup92mChsbC8NQCRMR2zPpHG1wNG_XGCFvN1F9CMU-MZRQ-bzr-zt5WQHxkXsNfNB72Wp5XfnK4yyunh88HJ_elBOEiDd4OA_yQ9vay5EPeg9QYWgMZ6XcFTAC4RWMZzeAXUy0YY/s1600/176726_593861185926_66504854_33435978_833789_o.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhndIup92mChsbC8NQCRMR2zPpHG1wNG_XGCFvN1F9CMU-MZRQ-bzr-zt5WQHxkXsNfNB72Wp5XfnK4yyunh88HJ_elBOEiDd4OA_yQ9vay5EPeg9QYWgMZ6XcFTAC4RWMZzeAXUy0YY/s320/176726_593861185926_66504854_33435978_833789_o.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597134981738413010" /></a><br />The last few months have been very eventful as the school year came to a close and I got ready to go home to the US.<br /><br />Before the school year ended, I took 7 other teachers to visit House of Hope, the orphanage I often visit near the border with Myanmar. We held an English camp at the Christian school nearby for two days and rode bamboo rafts down the Mekong River. It was a lazy and relaxing ride until our picnic break got rained out. The local guides worked harder to stay out of the rain than all of us foreigners. It was quite funny.<br /><br /> The most memorable part of the trip was spent at House of Hope though. We took the kids swimming in the river in their village twice. They climbed and swam all over us. Some brought their shampoo and soap and took their baths right there! On the second evening, we treated them to dinner and made Chocolate Mud, a dessert made of chocolate pudding with Oreos and gummy worms. They loved it. They sang beautiful worship songs for us in English and took turns telling us thank you for playing with them, taking them to the river, and for providing their dinner. I thank God that the non-Christian teachers who went with me had the opportunity to see how God's love can change children's lives. It meant a lot to me to be able to share my passion and burden with other people who also want to make a difference. The other teachers helped raise money and gather donations before we went.<br /><br />Along with gifts of school supplies, we gave the kids crocheted finger puppets. They told stories and played games with them for 2 hours. They don't have video or computer games, yet they find ways to entertain themselves. It's quite a lesson to learn.<br /><br />Ok, so onto the snakes. Church of God Southeast Asia had a Relational Leadership Summit in Siem Reap, Cambodia at the end of March. The purpose of the summit was to build relationships and networks to further advance God's kingdom in Southeast Asia. At the summit, I got to spend time with friends from college, which was lots of fun. I still haven't talked about the snakes have I? There's a lake near Siem Reap called the Tonle Sap. It's the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and home to over one million Vietnamese refugees. Unfortunately, the lake dwellers struggle financially and use any means possible to make money. Some sell sodas and fruit to tourists, but a more creative way to earn money is to display their pets, which are HUGE SNAKES! They drive their boat right up next to yours hoping that seeing a massive snake up close will move you to give them some money. I had some Cambodian Riel and thought they needed it more than I did, so I gave it to them. After that, they stayed right next to us, while all the other American tourists squirmed uncomfortably, hoping that the boat with the snake would go away. Oops! I'm afraid I caused them to hope and stay close by for a while.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-58859962921276204492010-12-30T21:41:00.000-08:002010-12-30T22:20:31.443-08:00Christmas and beyond!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgtbgOoUYRhO0rvAr3tq9xOPnwmvyw_uBfbCTk6_wTHLmKGuFdFcEXoMj4FPD_1kIjzs5L7qCLaZF5BzMsHXuyFazqztOLC9uCLQAmTO-HuItNObc3T592xyK0bFmzsp5CKHXM1JCK1E/s1600/chrrabbits.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgtbgOoUYRhO0rvAr3tq9xOPnwmvyw_uBfbCTk6_wTHLmKGuFdFcEXoMj4FPD_1kIjzs5L7qCLaZF5BzMsHXuyFazqztOLC9uCLQAmTO-HuItNObc3T592xyK0bFmzsp5CKHXM1JCK1E/s320/chrrabbits.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556724081805094978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w_IdRXtQKDh_e3EunLrl-NzCfXk9lJcb5lcPQZIihgylHjlUCBguRfmOL_zKWIeOYxN9Yi9scOkiPzBt8jEJh8a_cps2fANuvHrgmflDtSX3CrTGeFj4OOv2F49pbGgb8WvXlx3B8fM/s1600/DSCF3327.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w_IdRXtQKDh_e3EunLrl-NzCfXk9lJcb5lcPQZIihgylHjlUCBguRfmOL_zKWIeOYxN9Yi9scOkiPzBt8jEJh8a_cps2fANuvHrgmflDtSX3CrTGeFj4OOv2F49pbGgb8WvXlx3B8fM/s320/DSCF3327.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556724076686642514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_RpZQuAYmbx-2KXkV9qtJyw-3DOdYIEEqLk-ndYw6mvT01NzLDA3uHezl39GvB9uoRrMYYK5EXKqLwU4NLgqrBR5zkwvWRbgvEqfxcmueGnNx4ltg1vpURFPo5558HG0gwHfmHVUyP8/s1600/DSCF3321.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_RpZQuAYmbx-2KXkV9qtJyw-3DOdYIEEqLk-ndYw6mvT01NzLDA3uHezl39GvB9uoRrMYYK5EXKqLwU4NLgqrBR5zkwvWRbgvEqfxcmueGnNx4ltg1vpURFPo5558HG0gwHfmHVUyP8/s320/DSCF3321.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556724073442751346" /></a><br />This year I really had to remind myself why we celebrate Christmas. I think I was homesick at first and every time I would see Christmas decorations in early December, I would think "It doesn't feel like Christmas, it's 90 degrees outside, what are they thinking?" I was a bit of a Scrooge. Finally, I started focusing on Jesus' birth and how thankful I am that God sent His Son to earth. It's amazing that the Son of God lived a human life and understands how I feel. And to top it off, He died a horrible death on the cross just to save me. That's amazing love! When I thought of all that, I started to get into the Christmas spirit. It's a good thing too, because Christmas was coming whether I was ready or not!<br /><br />We did Christmas activities with our students at school during Christmas week and my students enjoyed playing Nativity bingo and making snowflakes. The teacher's Christmas party was memorable because many foreign teachers dressed up as Christmas hula dancers and performed. We acknowledged the fact that there can't be a white Christmas in Bangkok and sang "Christmas Island" and danced the hula. Some also dressed up as reindeer for "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." We finished the performance with "Silent Night" to follow the school's Christmas theme "Blessed Night."<br /><br />I had a Honduran-Thai-Argentinian-American Christmas. Many friends from church went to a Latin American friend's house on Christmas Eve and had a feast. I brought pumpkin pie, which was my favorite thing because it reminds me of home. We played games, read Scripture and sang Christmas songs until midnight, which is the Latin American tradition. My dad sent me flowers and I got to talk with him, brother and sister-in-law. I ended Christmas day by eating hamburgers with my Filipino friends at a mall in Bangkok and enjoyed looking at the Christmas rabbits (I have no idea how the 15 ft. tall rabbits in the mall relate to Christmas, but that's the theme the largest mall in Bangkok chose this year:).<br /><br />The highlight of my Christmas vacation was going to visit an orphanage in Sangklaburi (near the border with Myanmar). The kids are so amazing! They are all from Myanmar (formerly Burma). Most still have families in Thailand or Myanmar, but their parents cannot afford to send them to school and they have been able to get Thai IDs, which allow them to study in a Thai school. I went to teach English (it worked out that the teachers in their village school wanted time off and declared the 27th to 3rd holidays. Only a village school could do that--classes in Bangkok went on as usual). I also got to lead their evening devotions. We went to the river to swim on my last day. Tourists come to that river to ride bamboo rafts and ride elephants. We played on the rafts that were not being used and one elephant owner brought his elephant to the river for a bath. I even jumped off a 20 ft. cliff into the river. Now I can say I've cliff-jumped, but I don't think I'll do it again. I'm definitely not a thrill-seeker. <br /><br />The kids have experienced the love and blessings that come from God. They pray fervently and worship God from their hearts. They can speak Thai and Burmese. They understand English very well and some also speak tribal languages like Karen. I was touched by the story of one 8 or 9 year old boy. His parents left him in bed when he was 1 year old because their village was being attacked by soldiers. His grandfather came back for him but he lost all contact with his parents. He went to live at the orphanage a few years later. The head of the orphanage found the boy's father in Bangkok and took him to spend two weeks with him last summer. At the end of the two weeks, the father and son weeped when they had to part, but the father knew that his son has a better life at the orphanage because he can go to school. The father wouldn't be able to send him to school in Bangkok. This little boy is joyful and loves to have his picture taken. I thank God for helping him overcome, despite his difficult circumstances.<br /><br />As I listen to people singing karaoke and celebrating New Year's outside my apartment (in the middle of the day), I think of the many blessings God gave me in 2010 and look forward to new opportunities to serve and grow in 2011!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-58792976723631151452010-12-12T05:54:00.001-08:002010-12-12T06:40:14.677-08:00Time Flies!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSONjWnypIpy6pdcMMlWwh-aRGOfTvXkZfqsbnOCrcWa-i_-TJXofLH_TPeUzyj7Vg0ArTl3gppTyj-VWC_nRZfHLX8dR3rwO1CTJ_ypZvC9AFyJHxODi3X4N_2OutTIIzPc8DQ7Iesg/s1600/DSCF3280.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSONjWnypIpy6pdcMMlWwh-aRGOfTvXkZfqsbnOCrcWa-i_-TJXofLH_TPeUzyj7Vg0ArTl3gppTyj-VWC_nRZfHLX8dR3rwO1CTJ_ypZvC9AFyJHxODi3X4N_2OutTIIzPc8DQ7Iesg/s320/DSCF3280.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549804638590802290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGW0LqA_yFVHJG9oa4rkrLeyn_WsmKv8mnrD1BWCFZMU9RygeA2DcZj4VAzSB-3Q6TFSHHSFdTEwHUdGefhyphenhyphenzS3Co1s17mohzfok4LUCakZEK-BYbyYXoHL4bhTx5kl8JBVPw3g2xnek/s1600/DSCF3192.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGW0LqA_yFVHJG9oa4rkrLeyn_WsmKv8mnrD1BWCFZMU9RygeA2DcZj4VAzSB-3Q6TFSHHSFdTEwHUdGefhyphenhyphenzS3Co1s17mohzfok4LUCakZEK-BYbyYXoHL4bhTx5kl8JBVPw3g2xnek/s320/DSCF3192.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549804631376345074" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_yNVCVzRt2DU16KGmquJMT70jhUFxUkbv2F8Tj4is-ZJrHUZURLBH8OWFmGSzLLYYl4s9z9CEyKrUpWOIiIafTKqSBNECZamm0mP6rd0ZuoYDIrXlXtmEpy7I6ZoY2VYoXn5jE_HfSk/s1600/Bull%2527s+Eye.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_yNVCVzRt2DU16KGmquJMT70jhUFxUkbv2F8Tj4is-ZJrHUZURLBH8OWFmGSzLLYYl4s9z9CEyKrUpWOIiIafTKqSBNECZamm0mP6rd0ZuoYDIrXlXtmEpy7I6ZoY2VYoXn5jE_HfSk/s320/Bull%2527s+Eye.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549804620432077762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JqlXi5A_PG7t4bKlAeOYleMKwkRnpiLWtHP7b2nD4tIkoh5feHUkL1JMfKjBMmKROSE49bcuR5vKwrqzX0ZTyaUyHxbn01pqH39xx6QOHnRCJD_e3WIlB5uikjs-F8_uAqEv3EQjx-k/s1600/DSCF3295.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JqlXi5A_PG7t4bKlAeOYleMKwkRnpiLWtHP7b2nD4tIkoh5feHUkL1JMfKjBMmKROSE49bcuR5vKwrqzX0ZTyaUyHxbn01pqH39xx6QOHnRCJD_e3WIlB5uikjs-F8_uAqEv3EQjx-k/s320/DSCF3295.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549804603979584018" /></a><br />I can't believe it's almost Christmas! Time has flown by so quickly! So much has happened...I feel like I'm really Thai now...I've seen one of the Thai princesses and I've gone to 2 Thai military bases. Our school dedicated a new building on October 29th and the King's oldest daughter came. She did the ever-important "ribbon-cutting," but in our case she pushed a button that opened some curtains to reveal the sign on the new building. This was a major event for my school. I don't have any pictures because we weren't allowed to take any during the ceremony, but it was truly an august occasion!<br /><br /><br />I went to a camp in Sakeow (northeastern Thailand near the Cambodian border)in October and we stayed on a military base. Many of our 9th grade students went through basic military training, learned about wilderness survival, learned how to grow rice and mushrooms, and shot M-16s. Six native-English speaking teachers (including me) got to go along and hold an English camp for kids on the military base. We had a great time teaching the kids there. One of the highlights of the trip was going to the shooting range and learning to shoot M-16s. I got two bulls-eyes! We also got our faces painted with camouflage face paint and ate all of the wilderness survival food. Most of it was very good, but I drew the line at grilled frogs and eels! <br /><br />I went to another military base last weekend at the end of a "Little Cowboy Camp." It was fun to see 5th and 6th grade students dressed up in western clothes watching a cowboy show and roasting marshmallows, hot dogs, and Thai pork balls over the fire. It was an English camp and I went along to help with some of the activities. On the last day, the students got to ride horses and ride on the tanks on a military base. <br /><br /><br />The equivalent of "Christmas break" in the US takes place in October in Thailand. We took advantage of the time off to hold a three day vacation Bible school for kids in my church's neighborhood. We called it "Kids of the Kingdom" and taught about Saul, David and Solomon. I was in charge of the crafts. My favorite craft was making Solomon's temple out of homemade play dough. Most of the kids crafted their play dough into shapes similar to the picture I showed them, but one made a medieval castle. All in all, I am glad that some new children came and we strengthened our relationships with our regular attenders.<br /><br />I had the opportunity to reflect on all the blessings the Lord has given me in November. Asian Christians know that we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US and many like to take the same opportunity to thank God for all He has done in their lives. My school has a student church every Thursday and I got to share about Thanksgiving traditions as well as a short sermon on gratitude on Thanksgiving day. <br /><br />Additionally, I'm very grateful for good friends here. Some of my co-workers and I had a Thanksgiving celebration on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It wasn't traditional, but it was sooo delicious. One of my South African friends made lamb stew and duck l'orange in addition to the mashed potatoes and stuffing that some of us brought. We had apple pie and pumpkin mousse to top off the meal! <br /><br />God has given me so much to be thankful for--eternal life, purpose, a loving community, a great job, and so much more!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-83849530188925977992010-09-20T05:30:00.000-07:002010-09-20T06:21:24.661-07:00My birthday and recent ministry<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qS9lcNg2Z5TQxW9e-bvUX2yg7lizdPUxv9SvuZtU6D5aa5HcM_zgh-r5hYXsDgNWEenXxcKlvmAvK4s9hjAHPWfhUY-brNi5jFF4kkOzT8EbKrJCDT3mC_sRiD297ChvRQ3hyphenhyphenjZCl-o/s1600/DSCF3118.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qS9lcNg2Z5TQxW9e-bvUX2yg7lizdPUxv9SvuZtU6D5aa5HcM_zgh-r5hYXsDgNWEenXxcKlvmAvK4s9hjAHPWfhUY-brNi5jFF4kkOzT8EbKrJCDT3mC_sRiD297ChvRQ3hyphenhyphenjZCl-o/s320/DSCF3118.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518984728120649474" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtqexIYkLHe9rP36oln2g8XN6YpIE1UWlbN41DjrEH-HMIg7DMXAsUeWMzbfI0fodyK9WGxEM3Wc-cvsEo3g9PJbaY5-_ItIfGsnZ9m7LKRoOD0N7IZlL3EFh_2zFgJGXphNirdKNdRM/s1600/DSCF3134.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtqexIYkLHe9rP36oln2g8XN6YpIE1UWlbN41DjrEH-HMIg7DMXAsUeWMzbfI0fodyK9WGxEM3Wc-cvsEo3g9PJbaY5-_ItIfGsnZ9m7LKRoOD0N7IZlL3EFh_2zFgJGXphNirdKNdRM/s320/DSCF3134.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518984692565347266" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZRfllHyzytAWY_drC16nYL_oi-cF611eL6hduxmMHj6hn4F-Xvpo3ST2kZc12Y8G9CCibe0wrflVl3PytMolCy0Ik66YgvZsiyxGNguwM-8LAeBZwPixI4z9C9g4Jt3Ik0f8zI-YHPg/s1600/DSCF3089.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZRfllHyzytAWY_drC16nYL_oi-cF611eL6hduxmMHj6hn4F-Xvpo3ST2kZc12Y8G9CCibe0wrflVl3PytMolCy0Ik66YgvZsiyxGNguwM-8LAeBZwPixI4z9C9g4Jt3Ik0f8zI-YHPg/s320/DSCF3089.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518984690393791234" /></a><br />Since birthdays only come around once a year, it pays to make them special and make the celebration last as long as possible, right? I think that's what I did this year. I got to celebrate 3 or 4 times with various groups of people. Lots of lunches and dinners out with friends from work and church comprising many nationalities--American, Thai, Filipino and Chinese. Every year I am reminded of God's goodness in my life. I live far away from my biological family, but I always feel like I have a family here. I am thankful for the many people God has put in my life.<br /><br />I share my birth month with my school, but I'm much younger. My school turned 158 this year and the celebration was big. Instead of learning and performing a Thai dance, my department put together a showcase of American music through the decades, starting from the 1950s to the present. I got to be a '50s doo-wop back up singer, a cowgirl, a member of the Village People, sing a Frank Sinatra/Celine Dion duet, and a member of Sister Slege, singing We Are Family. Needless to say, it was lots of fun to practice and perform.<br /><br />I haven't written much about the ministries at my church, but they're a big part of my life. Along with Thai leaders, I get to serve with a couple from Latin America. They are a major blessing to the people in our church and the surrounding community. We have children's church every Sunday with about 20 children from unchurched families. A Thai seminary student teaches the Bible lesson and I teach a related craft every other Sunday. We had vacation Bible school in April and we're planning another one for October, which is the midyear break for schools here. We try to provide different activities for the kids because they will spend time with us at the church any time the doors are open. Sometimes the boys play soccer after the service on Sundays with the missionary from Honduras. We bought a ping pong table last week and so far it's been a big hit with the kids. Our goal is to show them the love of Christ in as many ways as possible.<br /><br />We have a cell group every Wednesday. It's still very small, but we have one young woman who has not received the Lord as her Savior yet, but she is very open to the Lord and asks many questions. I believe the Lord is drawing her to Himself. We also have an English class for a small group of middle school students that meets twice a week. We have a team of teachers taking turns teaching them. <br /><br />I have included pictures of some of the people I performed with for the school anniversary, the children at my church and the English class we teach at my church.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-78846195235361852332010-07-26T23:19:00.001-07:002010-07-26T23:54:54.217-07:00The last three monthsI think my blog has become more of a newsletter. I used to post often because everything in Thailand seemed so new. Lots of the foreign-ness of Thailand has worn off for me, but there are days when it's abundantly clear that I'm still a foreigner. For example, I got caught in a heavy rain storm on my way home one night. The street my friend and I were walking on was flooded up to our ankles and there were no taxis or song taos (pick up trucks with 2 rows of seats in the back and a roof covering the seats) available. We decided to keep walking, but we got a little lost in the process. We asked a man how to get to the main road and he said to follow him. We arrived at his motorcycle and he offered to give us a ride. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't be a problem for two of us to straddle the back of his motorcycle and go with him. However, we were both wearing pencil skirts and didn't think we could both fit sitting sideways. He said it was still a long way to the main road and we should go with him, so we did. I believe it was God who kept us glued to the seat because we were both afraid we would slip off any minute. I arrived at the sky train station bedraggled because we couldn't use our umbrella on the motorcycle. Everyone else in the train looked neat and well put together, as Thai people always do. When I told my Filipino roommate about what happened, she just said "oh." My Thai friend at work said the same thing. Apparently monsoon rain storms and flooded streets are an everyday occurence in Asia and no cause for alarm. So what's the point of the story: I'm still a foreigner, no matter how good my Thai is or how adjusted I feel to Thai life. <br /><br />My dad came to visit at the beginning of the month, which was great. We went to House of Hope orphanage for the dedication of their new house. The house is very humble by American standards, but they are so grateful to have it. There are two rooms for the girls and one or two for the boys and now they have separate boys and girls bathrooms. I guess they took turns before. The kids sang many songs and performed some human videos. I've said it many times, but I love worshipping with them because they're so sincere as they sing and lift their hands and hearts to the Lord. <br /><br />My dad got to enjoy the finer things in life here, like inexpensive massages and good food. My friend took us sightseeing in Bangkok, which was fun. I had never been to the Vivanmek Mansion, the largest golden teakwood building in the world (I think). I've seen my dad twice this year, which is a record since I've moved to Thailand. I'm grateful that I could spend quality time with him.<br /><br /><br />To give you an update on Bangkok since my last blog...<br /><br />Life in Bangkok is back to normal. We started school on May 24th. I like my students. I teach one class of 2nd grade this year and they are so cute (they are the smartest kids in all of 2nd grade at our school, so they're fun to teach). Bangkok is getting cleaned up quickly as there are lots of people volunteering to repaint and clean up the affected areas. <br /><br />I just came back from northeastern Thailand because we had a 4 day weekend. Thank God for an opportunity to get out of Bangkok and to visit friends. That's all for now.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-77432916816556315782010-05-20T23:52:00.000-07:002010-05-21T00:19:17.514-07:00The end of the red shirt protests<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPCvu6mAcBT1BoXfDRlUamJJvfzc6PSJZq0DmCDUnahbZYb906OseZfkTr579FpT4S2YhMzhV-_rdNi1Xah4ddVG0tHSetjiLX0IAte9vYlso4TlAKVhu665orYv1oKpwUbOo2D_mI04/s1600/zen+burned.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPCvu6mAcBT1BoXfDRlUamJJvfzc6PSJZq0DmCDUnahbZYb906OseZfkTr579FpT4S2YhMzhV-_rdNi1Xah4ddVG0tHSetjiLX0IAte9vYlso4TlAKVhu665orYv1oKpwUbOo2D_mI04/s320/zen+burned.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473618804960469330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQbRkkHnfUQV9e8yXYrlvtvAdB-Ec86TZL4sOnbERPaYHVXHLhT_RFfVS8Iw8Pzlddvs3wSul4yTpmitqqbqHWKUZqJBZQzPW7w6vTyZE0Tjeuj-krqETtasn6d4ZinaL2W4XIOhpVxA/s1600/Rama+4+damage.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQbRkkHnfUQV9e8yXYrlvtvAdB-Ec86TZL4sOnbERPaYHVXHLhT_RFfVS8Iw8Pzlddvs3wSul4yTpmitqqbqHWKUZqJBZQzPW7w6vTyZE0Tjeuj-krqETtasn6d4ZinaL2W4XIOhpVxA/s320/Rama+4+damage.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473618798775996706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-Pd1lKvUQORq6_YmaayOOHpb4zQny4ro7xBEF9FDbu4dAeahxUH4uftwAek5s_TiiDcb0tsNoUTV7o16L8Aj-R9p4QhClak_zzxF8F_5hbUEJmndNUOJAPjg0Pj1aH9D89NZ70J-ITs/s1600/tires+on+Rama+4.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-Pd1lKvUQORq6_YmaayOOHpb4zQny4ro7xBEF9FDbu4dAeahxUH4uftwAek5s_TiiDcb0tsNoUTV7o16L8Aj-R9p4QhClak_zzxF8F_5hbUEJmndNUOJAPjg0Pj1aH9D89NZ70J-ITs/s320/tires+on+Rama+4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473618786700263154" /></a><br />It appears that the height of the drama and violence surrounding the red shirt protests has passed. The protesters were bused home yesterday with 200 baht in their pockets (from the government I might add) to buy food on the trip home. <br /><br />It will be nice to get back to life as usual. My school was scheduled to start the new school year on May 11, which was pushed back to the 17th and then the 24th. I've been told that it may be pushed back to June now. This last week was declared a holiday by the government and I went to the beach with a couple of friends to get away from the craziness in Bangkok. We had a good time, but chose a bad day to come back. We came back last Wednesday, which was the day that red shirt leaders surrendered to the government and the protesters evacuated the protest sights. That sounds ok, right? The problem is that some of the protesters disagreed with their leaders and started burning buildings in Bangkok, 36 to be exact, and violence continued. 52 people have died in the last 6 days and 407 have been injured. <br /><br />At this point, the government and the red shirts have not come to an agreement. The prime minister has proposed a 5 point plan for reconciliation that he intends to push through. A special task force has been assigned to rebuild the city and offer assistance to businesses that were adversely affected. Two major malls were destroyed by fire and many other businesses in the commercial district have been closed for weeks now. <br /><br />All I can say is praise the Lord for bringing an end to the protest. I am grateful for the Lord's protection throughout the entire ordeal. I am praying now for unity and reconciliation for the people of Thailand. They are very divided politically. I am also praying that Christians in Thailand step up and share God's love during the rebuilding and restructuring process. I pray that Thai people will be more receptive to the light and truth of Jesus Christ. <br /><br />The area surrounding my church became a late protest sight and was ravaged by fire and violence. I haven't been there in the last week, but from the pictures I've seen, I think it will be quite shocking. I've included one picture of a burned mall and two from the area near my church.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-83464746260430380792010-04-27T11:38:00.000-07:002010-04-27T12:06:20.099-07:00Going (and leaving) home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcMDBeaXlwRUXm6-t-ItmA3qgxAS7B3_9nQ5qNEYN9vPD7waqgX7IAeKW9Ki6VgFE2CviR8BDB408J1D519iwTtzPVOXketPWMIUgbpzrf9E0Oau5-_Z7T6CoFdKUDm5rdZf0QTQ4lPs/s1600/DSCF2912.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcMDBeaXlwRUXm6-t-ItmA3qgxAS7B3_9nQ5qNEYN9vPD7waqgX7IAeKW9Ki6VgFE2CviR8BDB408J1D519iwTtzPVOXketPWMIUgbpzrf9E0Oau5-_Z7T6CoFdKUDm5rdZf0QTQ4lPs/s320/DSCF2912.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464895161281995794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ASf22kTOhcyPaBShQEpjuJBojeT_A2UiWr8WYr760DJcn3fJc-VJDo9NUN3U3qq3L5kdVGBy-S8YVM0iz-_CgCE4TWJg-xZLnHpt6L6Ijm3Zlyw4cc6pIgEPt2UX2GXUVfhCaq-HwPw/s1600/DSCF2902.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ASf22kTOhcyPaBShQEpjuJBojeT_A2UiWr8WYr760DJcn3fJc-VJDo9NUN3U3qq3L5kdVGBy-S8YVM0iz-_CgCE4TWJg-xZLnHpt6L6Ijm3Zlyw4cc6pIgEPt2UX2GXUVfhCaq-HwPw/s320/DSCF2902.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464895146533253074" /></a><br />I guess I have 2 homes now. I have spent the last month at home in Colorado with my dad and have been reconnecting with people. I am so blessed to have so many people to call my friends and family. I am forever connected to this place and these people, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm putting down roots in Thailand too. As I leave one home, I know that I'm going home at the same time. Thailand is a part of me now. Many times my Thai friends ask me if I can eat a certain kind of Thai food or if I have a certain habit that many Thai people have. When I say yes, they usually say "bpen khon Thai laaow." That means I'm Thai already. I know I will never look Thai on the outside, but I believe that in some ways I am Thai on the inside. <br /><br />However, I will not trade the time I get to spend in the US. I love driving and going anywhere I want, usually without crazy amounts of traffic. I love eating cereal and milk--milk that tastes normal. I love eating as much cheese as I want to without feeling guilty about how much money I'm spending. I also love that I can easily buy clothes and shoes that fit me. And while I am fascinated by listening to and learning Thai, it's nice to go to church and understand every word of the sermon and every word of every song. The best thing is reconnecting with friends and family members. We may not talk for a long time, but when we do, it's natural and we can always pick up where we left off. They know my "history," so lengthy explanations are not necessary. <br /><br />I am so grateful for people's hospitality. It means a lot when people take me into their homes or take time to stop whatever's going on in their lives to spend some quality time with me. Time is the best gift anyone could give me.<br /><br />Time with my cousins, going to the ladies' retreat, visiting friends in Colorado and Cleveland and Nashville, Tennesee, and staying with my dad are priceless experiences I won't quickly forget. I thank God for all He has given me and pray that I will never take them for granted. <br /><br />I added some pictures of the beautiful scenery in Tennessee and Colorado. I love the waterfalls (big and small) in the US amd I love nature in Thailand and almost everywhere I've been. God is so creative!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-59066525620399233802010-02-27T07:18:00.000-08:002010-02-27T08:00:29.657-08:00First post of 2010!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0iEXmECJya-kaH_9AcYMx9zCxSsZC_AQ6aWG5HSe5VqY88i5QRMEWgRTGQvh7hZYEyy0HsgqOj_Z7KIuc1bQX1IpAWs_AkMuO6BTEU-oN1kRqyoLEOr_R0_qD57ock7jYlGWwbX5Yy0/s1600-h/DSCF2387.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0iEXmECJya-kaH_9AcYMx9zCxSsZC_AQ6aWG5HSe5VqY88i5QRMEWgRTGQvh7hZYEyy0HsgqOj_Z7KIuc1bQX1IpAWs_AkMuO6BTEU-oN1kRqyoLEOr_R0_qD57ock7jYlGWwbX5Yy0/s320/DSCF2387.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442953419595372610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyp9BIckksMYhjSMiOeuqjVlUphEpKX4tMH4GriKi9xeuHwBTQtcNn7AozqktiIUXE4dJarEsIp-aoQL3bxsXelwurm3PXacM7ZvabNUN-YIdta-uPNhYzfXcCcV1e9JgvQULOqjJbufE/s1600-h/DSCF2556.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyp9BIckksMYhjSMiOeuqjVlUphEpKX4tMH4GriKi9xeuHwBTQtcNn7AozqktiIUXE4dJarEsIp-aoQL3bxsXelwurm3PXacM7ZvabNUN-YIdta-uPNhYzfXcCcV1e9JgvQULOqjJbufE/s320/DSCF2556.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442953027638142082" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjEWy4obLZrQecn5qDhWoEoJ_Tu19GHkCyjMMYMUwP1TZiEZkDIooZLZ7leNLfU8Udn9zLHHu7dhnCktSkqVWHME9TrDtOQcAFgzGbXw6w9DGWBwyxcTK_X14vYBCr6t8idMWMyWWYAg/s1600-h/DSCF2536.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjEWy4obLZrQecn5qDhWoEoJ_Tu19GHkCyjMMYMUwP1TZiEZkDIooZLZ7leNLfU8Udn9zLHHu7dhnCktSkqVWHME9TrDtOQcAFgzGbXw6w9DGWBwyxcTK_X14vYBCr6t8idMWMyWWYAg/s320/DSCF2536.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442951854449718882" /></a><br />About a week after my last post, I slipped and fell at home and fractured my ankle (November 2009). Needless to say, I missed my first week of teaching in the second semester and went back to school the next week. After 6 weeks of wearing a cast (one was green and one was pink:), too many taxi rides to count, lunches brought to my classroom, 3 weeks of using crutches without a cast, and one month of walking with one crutch, I'm finally free! I thank God for all the friends who helped me along the way. It was quite an ordeal, but I believe the Lord used it to literally slow me down and remind me that fellowship with Him is the most important thing in my life. Everything I do has to be an overflow of God's grace and presence in my life--otherwise there's very little meaning or purpose for what I do. <br /><br />Christmas was full of celebrations with friends and sharing the real meaning of Christmas with Thai people. I had the opportunity to help my missionary friend with her Christmas program in the public school where she teaches English. We had a small Christmas program with a Nativity drama and Christmas songs and then divided the kids into groups to make Christmas cards, sing Christmas songs, and listen to the story of Jesus' birth.<br /><br />My new Thai language teachers are the students in my Sunday school class at church. They help me when I don't know the correct word to use and they correct my pronunciation. Our kids' church team prepared a small Christmas presentation for them to perform. They dressed up in makeshift costumes, performed the nativity story and sang 2 Christmas songs. I thank God for the relationships He is allowing us to build with some of the children in our community. <br /><br />On December 26th, I went to northeastern Thailand with some teachers from my school for a short missions trip. There was lots of delicious food because we went to our friend's parents home. We ate sticky rice for every meal, drank homegrown passion fruit juice and homemade soy milk, and ate homegrown tamarind. However, we didn't go for the food. We held a Christmas party for the children in the community and over 85 children came. We had a large dinner and then lots of games and songs. After those activities, I got to tell the story of Jesus' birth (through a translator and with pictures projected on a screen) and then we gave gifts to all the children. Some of the kids came from the small church there, but most did not. It was a great opportunity to share the love and truth of Jesus with them. The next day we went to two small provincial schools and had a similar Christmas program for them. The children enjoyed all the activities, but I pray that the seed of Jesus' love fell on good soil. <br /><br />I had the opportunity to sing in 2 weddings in January. One was a Thai wedding and one was for my Filipino pastor. In February, we started preparing our students for their final exams and gave their exams. I finished all of my grades and written reports last week. Thank God that's over! I will work for 3 more weeks at school and then come home to the US for "summer" vacation. I'm looking forward to seeing snow in Colorado and of course, spending time with my family and friends there.<br /><br />I heard an interesting language story this week. In our most recent round of final exams, the first grade students were asked to memorize their telephone numbers for their English speaking exam. One boy was very confident and said "My telephone number is circle, circle, circle, eight, two...<br />He may not have used the right words, but he certainly spoke English!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-73386343248933083392009-10-28T06:54:00.000-07:002009-10-28T07:24:42.865-07:00Holiday (British for Vacation) adventures<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjicTtFe-lGrI2bEWG-WqUHTE8APhPeNwzM9HnEd0VmkeZKOMQ7P8qjM5QIi1oDlWAQe6QFHye1V6uCuak9cdww2wlTJhTXsMwX45BE0ciwkndzT17F7hQHrw2tMNw-RQM3ddu6TiegII/s1600-h/DSCF2121.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjicTtFe-lGrI2bEWG-WqUHTE8APhPeNwzM9HnEd0VmkeZKOMQ7P8qjM5QIi1oDlWAQe6QFHye1V6uCuak9cdww2wlTJhTXsMwX45BE0ciwkndzT17F7hQHrw2tMNw-RQM3ddu6TiegII/s320/DSCF2121.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397656129305185778" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghueWXLfiS20E8TVfBgQ1Bvvm3Wy-DywO-XJWslVLThdwvUpONbL07NCJ4gLX9h2KWqCy4cmDtXRQ1N48VzhkVvn7f5YdAjgd4r6QAWYQ9Yf3JVnUD8eI8ITVJLhsJ-AKQFvmS0aZTB6Y/s1600-h/DSCF2099.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghueWXLfiS20E8TVfBgQ1Bvvm3Wy-DywO-XJWslVLThdwvUpONbL07NCJ4gLX9h2KWqCy4cmDtXRQ1N48VzhkVvn7f5YdAjgd4r6QAWYQ9Yf3JVnUD8eI8ITVJLhsJ-AKQFvmS0aZTB6Y/s320/DSCF2099.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397656121201943442" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7RTjBPsWzRF3_4Dbnkb-SoMQIRs_LHls1GjsbTi4xXjY5Z5shTX-HJua80vtT3UcF-qf-5P68E0mKVxp7p5VFhJ3GhWD5HfQvBVIKAHnohzaBjA5C8hYv0uTqjtLJKbstuh9zBVhkS8/s1600-h/DSCF2070.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7RTjBPsWzRF3_4Dbnkb-SoMQIRs_LHls1GjsbTi4xXjY5Z5shTX-HJua80vtT3UcF-qf-5P68E0mKVxp7p5VFhJ3GhWD5HfQvBVIKAHnohzaBjA5C8hYv0uTqjtLJKbstuh9zBVhkS8/s320/DSCF2070.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397656112617842674" /></a><br />School is starting again on Monday, but I had a great holiday (in British English, "holiday" refers to vacation or time off from work or school. I hear "holiday" more often than "vacation" or "break." I also say "lift" more than "elevator" because I constantly remind my students to "be quiet in the lift." My English is becoming Britishized...it also has some heavy Thai and Filipino influences. I guess that's life in a foreign country :).<br /><br />I went to Hong Kong to visit a family friend on my school break. We had a great time! We rode the tram up Victoria's Peak and we could see all of Hong Kong. It was an amazing view (as you can see from the picture). We went to Lantau Island the next day and took a cable car up the mountain. We had a beautiful view of the bay and the islands. The island is covered in trees, so you can't see much of it until you get to the top. We went back to the city that night and watched the light show from the Avenue of Stars. We even happened across Jackie Chan's hand prints, so I took a picture of course. We went to Ocean Park the next day and saw some different ocean wildlife and rode a few rides. It's a very nice theme park, but make sure you take the escalator to the top of the hill. If not, you'll have a very long walk...I know from experience. We did some shopping at the Ladies' Market that night and I got some great deals on a purse and a watch! I think my favorite part of the day was eating at California Pizza Kitchen though. It was soooo good! Hong Kong is a great city. You can go almost anywhere by train and you can use the same pass to ride the trains and the buses. It's also very clean. I really enjoyed the trip!<br /><br />I got to go on a church retreat with my Filipino church the following weekend and it was also a great time. We went to a boy scout camp (all Thai students are required to be in girl scouts or boy scouts). There were lots of totem poles and statues of Native Americans. They had covered wagons and animal skulls. It was interesting how hard they tried to make it look American. <br /><br />We went "trekking" one morning and I felt like I was in the jungle! We were surrounded by tropical trees and the path was muddy. I'm used to hiking in the dry mountains of Colorado. It was fun to experience something new. The only downside was prickly branches that were often protruding onto our path. I tried to move one with my arm and ended up with lots of the small "prickles" in my arm! They were acually quite harmless. They stung a little at first, but once I pulled them all out, I was fine.<br /><br />I've spent the last few days preparing my new classroom (in a brand new building--Praise the Lord!) and classroom materials for the second semester. We start on Monday!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-69766160896065221962009-09-07T06:00:00.000-07:002009-09-07T06:44:02.334-07:00Fun cultural experiences<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWHBFa-BWOIW2jcz6UatUwUUeCCTE5FmRIzrDL44AtdHYBJW5RIXlKIZBZ5KbztV91eh3eQO3UkEW0hKfDc3kvqi7YH1apYmGAKuRBUu6gvGXIfOaaOgSy_NUjpKAOxZ2unDfxq5jBlU/s1600-h/DSCF2037.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWHBFa-BWOIW2jcz6UatUwUUeCCTE5FmRIzrDL44AtdHYBJW5RIXlKIZBZ5KbztV91eh3eQO3UkEW0hKfDc3kvqi7YH1apYmGAKuRBUu6gvGXIfOaaOgSy_NUjpKAOxZ2unDfxq5jBlU/s320/DSCF2037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378718418423185954" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNA79K2jHPPoGmNsG1d9qYDJBQk1OOrJc7CelGuCno2cw87M8x51SA1IXa5g9tN0Ivrv_BeQ_913PUto8ZU5HiQHiuCJE81Yj7Xh8UyxJSQrrY-0M7sDgbwjd8QrfsqWsrqXz_86JZzQ/s1600-h/DSCF1911.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNA79K2jHPPoGmNsG1d9qYDJBQk1OOrJc7CelGuCno2cw87M8x51SA1IXa5g9tN0Ivrv_BeQ_913PUto8ZU5HiQHiuCJE81Yj7Xh8UyxJSQrrY-0M7sDgbwjd8QrfsqWsrqXz_86JZzQ/s320/DSCF1911.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378718412164015858" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrc9DrTosOPBozHSEke06TjltvFIzNQK9Q5jukAdao2-ZnXqQxPZhyphenhyphenKYOv9dFNqul3apS9sp7lbi_5tg6UapRJhWeov3giCERSRjWErctKO3AZcR9OCfl7FjM3pqLKgxnKpN0RjIDUVIo/s1600-h/DSCF1967.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrc9DrTosOPBozHSEke06TjltvFIzNQK9Q5jukAdao2-ZnXqQxPZhyphenhyphenKYOv9dFNqul3apS9sp7lbi_5tg6UapRJhWeov3giCERSRjWErctKO3AZcR9OCfl7FjM3pqLKgxnKpN0RjIDUVIo/s320/DSCF1967.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378717232815401970" /></a><br />It's been way too long since I've posted a blog. I decided that it's time for an update. I've been having fun teaching my 3rd grade boys. They call me Teacher Emily, which is the appropriate way to address teachers here. I had to teach them about punctuation and how to use periods. One way is to put a period at the end of Mr. or Mrs. To help them understand, I used my name as an example. They'd never heard of anyone with the last name Green, so they thought that was very funny. One boy especially liked calling me Miss Green and now his whole class uses it when they greet me at the beginning of class. Who knew that my name would attract so much attention?<br /><br />Lots has happened in the last few months, so I'll just try to mention the highlights. My birthday was August 27th and I couldn't believe how many people remembered and greeted me at school and church, but also on Facebook (those little reminders are great). The day ended with a dinner at my house with friends from church. My Nepali friend made burritos, which made the night! They were fabulous! I also did another Thai dance in August for our school's 157th anniversary. It was lots of fun. <br /><br />I started attending a Thai church on Sunday mornings in January. I don't fully understand the services, but I'm getting a lot of practice reading and listening to Thai. We've started a children's church and we have some kids from the neighborhood attending. They're very open to the Gospel. Praise the Lord! I think they are hearing it for the first time!<br /><br />There is a Lisu church that meets after the Thai church and before the international church that I'm a part of (they all use the same building). Lisu is a tribal group of people living in northern Thailand and Myanmar (formerly Burma). They asked me to speak in their service at the end of August. I had a translator, of course, and I didn't understand any part of their service except the two English songs they sang. Still, it was a very rich experience. Thank God for the opportunity to share His Word my Lisu brothers and sisters. Their written language is composed of English letters, but many of them are backwards or upside down. It's very interesting to look at.<br /><br />Last weekend, the international church (mostly Filipino) I attend took a mission trip to Koh Si Chang, an island east of Bangkok. We led the activities in an English camp for middle school and early high school students on Saturday and attended a local church on Sunday. I had the privilege of bringing three Christian American friends with me who are student teaching at my school in Bangkok. It was good for them to see what life is like outside Bangkok. They were really sports as we truly "roughed it" by American standards. On Sunday morning, the four of us got to sing a song in the service. I was really stretched that day because my Filipino pastor asked me to translate his sermon from English to Thai. I would not have volunteered for that position, but I guess my Thai is better than most people who went on our trip. I didn't come close to translating it perfectly, but the Thai people understood me and said "Amen" to what the pastor was saying. Thank God for using me and allowing me find out that I can do more than I thought I could.<br /><br />The end of the semester is quickly approaching. This is our exam week. We have one more week of teaching after this. I'm looking forward to my two week vacation in October.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-9909252806416204682009-05-11T03:29:00.000-07:002009-05-11T04:04:06.239-07:00The rest of my "summer" vacation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuibJmVB2mebkvHsS2OFd8tMgxCprfPq5VMSC6tI6lzqiDk-31_F2qoleuUkIWOcgmIkE73que9tmiRyaWPMA1y5rj7MSSkYNISqmRIr5b1t-4DqPYoyGWfBdD5GfduiT7uLzZk9WUy6c/s1600-h/DSCF1849.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuibJmVB2mebkvHsS2OFd8tMgxCprfPq5VMSC6tI6lzqiDk-31_F2qoleuUkIWOcgmIkE73que9tmiRyaWPMA1y5rj7MSSkYNISqmRIr5b1t-4DqPYoyGWfBdD5GfduiT7uLzZk9WUy6c/s320/DSCF1849.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334520396915875138" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXA0IL1bbslkWU_DA8Iy8xRWZJWfBO-DQThctPlZgG7EkYu2nbVQFMsbyIwZV31iH20dBsg4DZUBFZac-HHMjZ2vUjjDrkgkcHJAtH82_R3C3qwJhyphenhyphen6ld9Rxg6iK2gqtCXQmKVDv1WA8/s1600-h/DSCF1802.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXA0IL1bbslkWU_DA8Iy8xRWZJWfBO-DQThctPlZgG7EkYu2nbVQFMsbyIwZV31iH20dBsg4DZUBFZac-HHMjZ2vUjjDrkgkcHJAtH82_R3C3qwJhyphenhyphen6ld9Rxg6iK2gqtCXQmKVDv1WA8/s320/DSCF1802.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334520390339058818" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-MA0le6n0iSCec_XRosUL1Mnyr3yyRH1EE3ZH8fj1M3WYnqUoVryPPfl9SHiY30fVntspnUTxvVvNVnw9PFx9DqPCIHDKeoad227xdp0F9D4XoPyuiWoqWqvZun3bnHNgEmTp7wu6Mo/s1600-h/chiang-mai-song-kran-festival.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-MA0le6n0iSCec_XRosUL1Mnyr3yyRH1EE3ZH8fj1M3WYnqUoVryPPfl9SHiY30fVntspnUTxvVvNVnw9PFx9DqPCIHDKeoad227xdp0F9D4XoPyuiWoqWqvZun3bnHNgEmTp7wu6Mo/s320/chiang-mai-song-kran-festival.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334520388551582354" /></a><br />After staying for 3 weeks in the US, which was amazing, I spent one day in Thailand before going to the Philippines. It wasn't an ordinary day, however, because it was the end of the biggest holiday in Thailand. Songkran Festival, which is the Thai New Year and water throwing festival, is April 13-15. I went to a pottery village with some friends that day, but I got soaked coming and going when I was in the bus. As you can see from the picture, you're not really safe anywhere you go. People stand on the sides of the streets with buckets of water and Super Soakers poised to spray everyone who passes by. They also throw water in open bus windows and sometimes put a tan-colored powdery mud-like substance on people's faces. It's a really fun holiday and throwing water is very appropriate because April is the hottest month of the year, with temperatures in the 100s. <br /><br />After my one day of celebration, I went to the Philippines for my friend's wedding. Her father and brother are officers in the military and they stay on a military base in Manila. I stayed on the base with their family. The wedding was beautiful. After the wedding, we went to their house in another province and then went to a beautiful mountainous area called Baguio City. I decided to take a souvenir photo in a traditional costume because the proceeds benefited a senior citizens' group in the area. Not wanting to take the picture by myself, I asked the older women (who were also dressed up) to join me in the picture. I had to pay for that too, but the total price was less than a dollar and it went to a good cause, so I decided it was a good idea. I've never seen a souvenir photo for that cheap in the US (I did use my own camera for the picture, which I think contributed to the low price:). <br /><br />I spent a few more days in Manila with a different friend from my church in Thailand after that. We had a great time and visited another beautiful mountainous area outside Manila. I managed to escape eating the Filipino delicacy "balot" yet again, which I consider a big accomplishment. Balot is a fertilized egg in which the chick is about ready to hatch. They enjoy eating the baby chick. I think I'll pass. I did eat ube jam, which is made from purple sweet potatoes. Although I wouldn't usually put potatoes in jam, it was very good. <br /><br />I'm back in Bangkok now and preparing for my first day of a new school year tomorrow. Back to the classroom!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-12871321123896357382009-04-08T14:17:00.000-07:002009-04-08T14:17:37.321-07:00A Night in Thailand (in Colorado)<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H37yrA-nDt3EjogLMrKqMejkRDeAc_dCUqVTj3mgFZ-6MtbMFfHYAINMslTTl8n1Yvk4n1H3nKXYC5rbpfqUDUEoNEjs0ixUftOfT18Qc_XETt0cU8lkbTm8EaWEMHeFx5xrIoy9kbw/s1600-h/DSCF1742.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H37yrA-nDt3EjogLMrKqMejkRDeAc_dCUqVTj3mgFZ-6MtbMFfHYAINMslTTl8n1Yvk4n1H3nKXYC5rbpfqUDUEoNEjs0ixUftOfT18Qc_XETt0cU8lkbTm8EaWEMHeFx5xrIoy9kbw/s320/DSCF1742.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0 px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EQnKuCw21zdw2EAa3XF8_Kxv2_8Wqu13po-unpGu02F_ef3k74wgZecBWlwxFxfNaGANSPBQBD9fSmk8j7RVMZPn0Pw6zmvk8uy1McJHJDUXdbFXdJgCzBOr06BV5hh3l7U1MHplvSM/s1600-h/DSCF1724.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EQnKuCw21zdw2EAa3XF8_Kxv2_8Wqu13po-unpGu02F_ef3k74wgZecBWlwxFxfNaGANSPBQBD9fSmk8j7RVMZPn0Pw6zmvk8uy1McJHJDUXdbFXdJgCzBOr06BV5hh3l7U1MHplvSM/s320/DSCF1724.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip597e_s978wTHgzRQDp0wAe3kEILsInaK5WiudlXcGc6w0FXnqwPnFRC4mQXJ-dyjXFnYo9oBnzeoeUY_6ip4cOG35nZP73vZ0dDAlcY_dWGs6thWoOw5lj0Yha4sp1poNXDK_4RN2VU/s1600-h/DSCF1706.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip597e_s978wTHgzRQDp0wAe3kEILsInaK5WiudlXcGc6w0FXnqwPnFRC4mQXJ-dyjXFnYo9oBnzeoeUY_6ip4cOG35nZP73vZ0dDAlcY_dWGs6thWoOw5lj0Yha4sp1poNXDK_4RN2VU/s320/DSCF1706.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><br /><br />Coloradans experienced a taste of Thailand on March 28th. We enjoyed pad thai, green papaya salad, and mango and sticky rice with coconut milk. Hopefully, people left smarter after taking part in the Thailand trivia competition. Some very smart attendees left with wooden elephant key chains in hand (some of them may not have been smart, but they know how to use their i-Phones and Blackberries:). <br /><br />I am so glad I got to share about one of my passions in life, the House of Hope Orphanage. The children are beautiful, but more than that, they love Jesus. They know that He is the reason they have overcome lives of poverty in Burma and they know that He has good plans for their lives. We were able to raise funds to build them dormitories. Praise the Lord!<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-5180558214444989682009-03-07T23:22:00.000-08:002009-03-07T23:43:43.903-08:00Last post before I come home!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9Fc5Ftu1Fp-4TS7KocVRYkDlnnd37WTojmXknhQdnd4jYWlY0zrsnPB4OYXVSuv84fwgzAFkq-rIrWRSWHHiPdSA6FIlPC71UruaOiPB1vtEvqs8oukV2GsijdlW8xrQqVGxSZKWTEM/s1600-h/som-tum.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9Fc5Ftu1Fp-4TS7KocVRYkDlnnd37WTojmXknhQdnd4jYWlY0zrsnPB4OYXVSuv84fwgzAFkq-rIrWRSWHHiPdSA6FIlPC71UruaOiPB1vtEvqs8oukV2GsijdlW8xrQqVGxSZKWTEM/s320/som-tum.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310717946353959186" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRX9Ap39aKCjWQImGmq09L0wzsuXg8n3-LFqRVKWB6BE1Oh71hbn7B5qPdC1FdQ1mGvcBT8OW1rJxwbdw8ZRmJqNulqvZcWsdF6Ev1Ajit2h1wRpsT3bgbdpWQTve2Q21VY2fF2_rOh0/s1600-h/lizard.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRX9Ap39aKCjWQImGmq09L0wzsuXg8n3-LFqRVKWB6BE1Oh71hbn7B5qPdC1FdQ1mGvcBT8OW1rJxwbdw8ZRmJqNulqvZcWsdF6Ev1Ajit2h1wRpsT3bgbdpWQTve2Q21VY2fF2_rOh0/s320/lizard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310715354666879218" /></a><br />Just like November and December, January and February flew by! Lizards like the one in the picture are very common in my house. I accidently stepped on one and its tail came off and started twitching violently (the tail, not the lizard). It was pretty gross. The lizard tried to get away. I thought that it might be ok because I remember learning that lizards and reptiles can regenerate their tails and lost limbs. I continued to see this tailless lizard for a day and then I came home to find its carcass being devoured by ants! Sorry for the disgusting story, but I just thought I would add a little excitement to the other things happening in my life. We also had a rat last month. I bought the sticky trap ( I think because of Thai beliefs in reincarnation they prefer to trap the rat without killing it). My roommates took the caught rat outside. I'm grateful I didn't have to do this. I'm not very brave when it comes to creatures that run and hide inside my house.<br /><br />I seem to have become the token foreigner who will dress up and do Thai dance at my school. I have done this three times this school year! I actually enjoy it, but I'm surprised that they continue to ask me. There was a som tum making competition with some other Christian organizations in Bangkok. Som tum is a salad made from unripe papaya, fish sauce, peanuts, garlic, chilis, tomatoes, fresh green beans, and dried shrimp. There's another variety from Laos that people here like that substitutes fermented fish sauce and preserved crab for the regular fish sauce and dried shrimp. I really enjoy eating the first variety, but the smell of the second one usually discourages me from eating it. Nevertheless, the competition requires one som tum maker and one dancer. I was the dancer. As soon as I started dancing, all the people from my school cheered. It was really fun.<br /><br />I visited House of Hope Orphanage again and my friend took lots of pictures that will be useful for fundraising. As always, the children's love for Jesus is amazing. They are very sweet kids and I want to do all I can to help them.<br /><br />THe last two months have been filled with giving final exams, writing student evaluations, and English camps. I got to go out of town for a week for English camp, which was fun and was a nice break from my somewhat busy schedule. <br /><br />I'm getting ready to come home for about three weeks! I'm making all of the final preparations now. I can't wait to enjoy some American food, drive a car, and just feel "normal" for a few weeks.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-9442806714329772852009-01-03T18:38:00.000-08:002009-01-03T19:14:15.311-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivN63IkHKUcE5NsU1AHzhTNtRH7trNH1gk-fPwKcAux0ObAMCmeNbt9TrUZMytIu1DvepiKb7eT5zrhUCWvJPSKBjAqB8FjaRuZbYgw2Y9QGfcH4CdO0rXCoMUN-C8EAzwTCNvA2Zo8ow/s1600-h/ube.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivN63IkHKUcE5NsU1AHzhTNtRH7trNH1gk-fPwKcAux0ObAMCmeNbt9TrUZMytIu1DvepiKb7eT5zrhUCWvJPSKBjAqB8FjaRuZbYgw2Y9QGfcH4CdO0rXCoMUN-C8EAzwTCNvA2Zo8ow/s320/ube.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287268959395596658" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF9dYNib-CzmZl9HUTalBMgVNO42Otkw4DOri9qFsXpSeBA88m9uL8ATlW8Buv1yRp-QWBmLg5IXACVHRfmFRDrU8KymV0IGLAn1aQuGuvRS-JX9j8eBkPGRSb-RveQiz_ttTn68ciJY/s1600-h/tricycle.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 79px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF9dYNib-CzmZl9HUTalBMgVNO42Otkw4DOri9qFsXpSeBA88m9uL8ATlW8Buv1yRp-QWBmLg5IXACVHRfmFRDrU8KymV0IGLAn1aQuGuvRS-JX9j8eBkPGRSb-RveQiz_ttTn68ciJY/s320/tricycle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287268956659805650" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhN_G-04UfkRvz6w7ATYunH-4ZDe3P4eMH1j6uW1oQfp9jG3cgHMpeMSMF3zp3KZeEYxARFVxY1uIe3XueUF4TpqyEc5oJqsn7W8c_DGDHYXwudNatnciZlIA5BjQqXxY5wyfF9FesEg/s1600-h/jeepney.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhN_G-04UfkRvz6w7ATYunH-4ZDe3P4eMH1j6uW1oQfp9jG3cgHMpeMSMF3zp3KZeEYxARFVxY1uIe3XueUF4TpqyEc5oJqsn7W8c_DGDHYXwudNatnciZlIA5BjQqXxY5wyfF9FesEg/s320/jeepney.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287268953480479522" /></a><br />November and December flew by! I can't believe it's already January 4th(in Thailand--my post says the 3rd because it's on American time)! I started studying Thai twice a week in Novemeber because I want to take it more seriously and be able to go beyond basic conversation. My housemate and I are studying together and I really like our teacher. <br /><br />We had Thanksgiving services in both of the churches I attend, which surprised me since Thanksgiving is an American holiday (the US had a major impact on the Philippines and the leaders in both churches are from the Philippines). I got to sing a special song in one church and had the privilege of leading worship as well. I was inspired and made Stove Top stuffing and a modified Thanksgiving meal for my church. Everyone loved it and asked how I made it ( I told them to buy the box of stuffing mix:) I was very happy to have a Thanksgiving meal with some American friends too--we even had pumpkin pie. It's the little things that make a difference.<br /><br />For the last three years, Thai churches have made a big effort to help Thai people understand that Christmas is more than Christmas trees and Santa Claus. All the malls here are decorated and play Christmas music (which I love because it reminds me of home). However, many people don't know about Jesus' birth. There is a concentrated effort to sing Christmas carols and share the story of Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection in public places, such as malls and parks. My church worked with the other Church of God churches here to prepare a Christmas presentation as well. We practiced for two months and got to sing in a mall and a large presentation in a park on Christmas day. They showed part of the Jesus film and some pastors shared the gospel between different music and dance presentations. <br /><br />For Christmas, I got to teach my students about Jesus's birth. They know the story in Thai, so I was mostly teaching them the English names of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and all of the other people in the Christmas story. Additionally, we had a large faculty Christmas party on the 23rd of December. All of the English departments are asked to perform, along with some of the other departments. My department head asked me and two other teachers to dress up and lip sync a song by a popular Thai band. It was fun, and many people recognized the band we were impersonating just from our costumes. <br /><br />After the party, I got to join about 100 high school students and several Christian teachers in Christmas caroling and giving gifts to homeless people(we went in small groups to approach people). We had to wake some of them up, but they were usually very happy when we gave them gifts. <br /><br />I flew to the Philippines on December 26th to spend New Year's with one of my good friends from church. I attended two weddings of church friends and spent a few days in the province of Bulacan (an hour and a half outside Manila). The people there don't see foreigners very often, so people were usually surprised to see me... and it showed. Everyone in the province was very kind and the children were sweet. We played games with them and taught them several action songs. I also got to experience new forms of transportation...a jeepney (picture #3) and a tricycle (a motorcycle with a sidecar -picture #2). We ate lots of Filipino food, but the most interesting food was ube or purple yam (picture #1). It was boiled, mashed, and mixed with coconut and sugar. It was delicious. <br />I am glad I've finally experienced many of the things I've heard about for so long from my Filipino friends.<br /><br />I'm looking forward to the new year. I believe God has new things in store for me. I thank Him for His provision, protection and guidance last year. God is so compassionate and merciful. I praise Him for who He is and for all He has done.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-26462311004096940952008-10-22T07:19:00.000-07:002008-10-22T07:51:22.344-07:00Holiday adventuresI have just been on vacation (holiday as my British friends call it). Before I was officially on break, I got to teach 290 2nd and 3rd grade boys (in groups of 10) to make banoffee pie (a pie that has bananas and toffee). Our school had 2 English camps that ran for a total of 6 days. I was "Chef Emily" (complete with a chef outfit). The students went to different places in "English Town," such as the cafe, post office, TV station, hospital, school, etc. and learned English through various activities. We also took them to Safari World, which is a mix of Sea World, a safari park, and a zoo. It's a great place for kids.<br /><br />Once school was out, I went to visit friends in Vietnam and Cambodia. I highly recommend going to visit locals in a foreign country because they know where all the best food is. My Vietnamese friends were so hospitable and wanted me to try so many different kinds of food. I thought that liver pate was only for the hi-so (high society), but everyone in Vietnam eats it. We had it on sandwiches and I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted pretty good. I also tried century eggs (you can look that one up). They eat several kinds of noodles and fresh "wrap your own" spring rolls (not fried). They use lots of fresh vegetables and green herbs, especially sweet basil, which is my favorite. <br /><br />In Vietnam, I rode all over Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) on the backs of my friends' motorbikes (most people don't have cars). However, the laws requiring helmets and a maximum of 2 people on a motorbike are strictly enforced. I got to go swimming near a waterfall and tour the Mekong Delta region as well. We rode in small boats up and down the canals and learned about how local food, such as rice paper and coconut candy, is made. My favorite things about being in Vietnam were reconnecting with my friends there and speaking in their church young adults group. <br /><br />In Cambodia, I got to visit my friend Sarah from Lee. She is teaching in a village one hour from Siem Reap (home to Angkor Wat). We visited Tonle Sap, which is a lake that is home to many Vietnamese refugees who cannot live in Cambodia or Vietnam. I really enjoyed staying with her host family in the village and visiting her school. <br />My favorite food was banchaiyo, a Vietnamese style pancake with pork and lots of vegetables. The only resemblance it has to a pancake is that it is made of some type of flour. It may not sound good to a Westerner, but it is very delicious.<br /><br />Next week will be the beginning of our second semester. I'll teach until the end of February and be free to travel home for a few weeks at the end of March. The first half of the school year has gone very fast.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-36163878625525131252008-09-06T06:55:00.000-07:002008-09-06T07:26:23.600-07:00A Celebrity?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczHJL5itYv7KFiwGDn2JOrKfinmWAHGAjoxl7nwJQwesymI9805oVQ2XZIvTuylYTuGe4WPLfcEMLHFxew_fzrA-L_o3pg-IYNja6YGsWQbUH0_5_B08Vmv05AL8dlNDG5srzTYqz5Y4/s1600-h/DSCF1238.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczHJL5itYv7KFiwGDn2JOrKfinmWAHGAjoxl7nwJQwesymI9805oVQ2XZIvTuylYTuGe4WPLfcEMLHFxew_fzrA-L_o3pg-IYNja6YGsWQbUH0_5_B08Vmv05AL8dlNDG5srzTYqz5Y4/s320/DSCF1238.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242911931697269650" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5efTdbCM3X5ZwrsJkMVUgbn3AJjm3_Go9eB35AInIm4YOpi802dqy4GQRTZza_fpI0-TO_kD3RStRqYk-sYFo7lCW92ofImrVmSXou3ywGVdBsAYjbC778b2eEvC89Vb2X0bUyIRfO4/s1600-h/DSCF0487.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5efTdbCM3X5ZwrsJkMVUgbn3AJjm3_Go9eB35AInIm4YOpi802dqy4GQRTZza_fpI0-TO_kD3RStRqYk-sYFo7lCW92ofImrVmSXou3ywGVdBsAYjbC778b2eEvC89Vb2X0bUyIRfO4/s320/DSCF0487.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242910099684664722" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-b_LWST74IihNlcQONL2MFyIqcO8l7ofZD7nd7phQg39kK07NY6uaXYqOM_PIzhajFBIvilwkIrhvL-tw4LcnhqxRc7WN6hiRpJH2zrATD1Gv0FscWHikiphpOtdN42DuTj_4tVrkB4/s1600-h/DSCF1205.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-b_LWST74IihNlcQONL2MFyIqcO8l7ofZD7nd7phQg39kK07NY6uaXYqOM_PIzhajFBIvilwkIrhvL-tw4LcnhqxRc7WN6hiRpJH2zrATD1Gv0FscWHikiphpOtdN42DuTj_4tVrkB4/s320/DSCF1205.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242910119266959794" /></a><br />I felt like a celebrity. I must have had 30 people lined up to get my autograph. Ok, this did happen, but let me put this statement into context. As a requirement for Thai social studies classes, students must learn how to "wai" properly. A wai is putting one's palms together and bowing one's head out of respect to an elder or authority (you've probably seen it in Asian movies). Students have to "wai" twenty teachers/school staff persons and get their signatures to prove that the students really did what they were supposed to do. More than 30 2nd and 3rd graders were lined up to get my friend's signature. I thought I would help her out and start signing the students' books, but it turned out that they all lined up for both of us and the lines continued to grow. I think I signed my name for 10-15 minutes. Oh, the joy and humor of living in another country:)<br /><br />This month was filled with cultural experiences because I got to do another Thai dance this year for our school's 156th anniversary (as you can see from the pictures at the top of this post). The first picture is from last year. I liked this costume much better than my costume this year. However, the dance we learned this year was more complicated than last year's dance and I feel proud of our group for working so hard to learn it. The men in the pictures are co-teachers from my department. <br /><br />I also celebrated my birthday this month. My students sang "Happy Birthday" to me two times and many people at work wished me a happy birthday. I got to go to Sizzler with my friends (Sizzler here is really good--especially the unlimited salad bar) on my birthday and I got to celebrate at home with my church friends the next day. I cooked Mexican food for the party at my house and I ended up showing everyone all the different ways you can melt cheese. We had nachos, quesadillas, and tacos. It was great. The top picture is of my roommates and other friends on my birthday. (Aren't you proud of me for finally putting pictures on my blog? Just kidding)<br /><br />Finally, I am so grateful to God for opening new doors for me to serve in the churches that I attend. I have gotten to facilite or "MC" twice in the church that I attend in the afternoon and I got to speak in the Thai/English service that I attend in the morning. I've also gotten to share some American dishes with my Filipino friends because we eat dinner together every Sunday after church. I've made Texas chili and beef stew. Both went over very well, praise the Lord!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-23486979808048605232008-08-01T01:30:00.000-07:002008-08-01T01:58:13.427-07:00Summer (sort of)While everyone in the US has been enjoying the summer, I've been teaching because I already had my summer. However, it's still felt like summer because I've gotten to go to two camps and travel a little bit. <br /><br />For two months each year, a flower called "dtaa grajiow" blooms in Thailand. I went to see it with a group of Thai teachers one weekend. We also saw the "Stonehenge" of Thailand (yes, they stole the name from the original) and went to a Thai silk outlet (I have a dress being made right now:). The trip was fun until our van broke down and we were late getting home. It turned out ok though, because we arrived in Bangkok at 11:45 p.m., right before the Sky Train closed and I was still able to go home that night. <br /><br />On the 4th of July, I went to an English camp at the beach in Pattaya with 40 American high school and university students and over 100 Thai university students. We had McDonald's cheeseburgers, apple strudel, and watermelon for dinner. We had sparklers, but they said it was too late at night to organize everyone and use them. Nonetheless, it was fun to be with other Americans for the weekend. I made a lot of new American and Thai friends (Facebook is great for friends you can't see often). We had "cultural" nights in the evenings, including a drama and small group discussion with the Thai students. We talked about true satisfaction and what we often do to attain it. The highlight of the weekend was 8 Thai students choosing to accept Jesus as their Savior. It was especially good because they had been considering it for some time as they talked with Thai Christians. I pray that they get plugged into the church and grow in their faith.<br /><br />The other camp I attended was with my church. It was very small, but I had many opportunities to get to know people in my church better. Within the last few months, I have really felt like I'm 'in' at my church more than I was before. It's been a little bit difficult because I'm a.)not from the Philippines and b.) not able to speak Tagalog. Several of my friends have told me that they did not talk to me much at first because they were afraid I would be critical of their English or they just didn't feel comfortable speaking only English because they were afraid they couldn't think of all the words they want to say. People seem to be a lot more comfortable with me now, which is good. <br /><br />I'm off to my Thai lesson (I have a new teacher), so I have to stop here.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425841202625223606.post-68288325644559375402008-06-17T06:53:00.000-07:002008-06-17T07:22:14.639-07:00A couple of weeks ago, my former professor from Lee University came to visit some students who are doing an internship in Cambodia. We all met for dinner, and my professor asked me which aspects of Thai culture I have bought into and which ones I haven't. I had a hard time answering him right there because I don't always think quickly on my feet. I've thought more about that and realized that I probably have a pretty substantial answer. <br /><br />1.Food<br />Sometimes, I eat rice 3 times a day! The other day, I was eating Hong Kong noodles for breakfast in my office with chopsticks and my co-worker asked me "If someone would have told you five years ago that you'd be eating noodles with chopsticks for breakfast, would you have believed them?" I said "absolutely not." Even last year, I didn't eat Thai food for breakfast. At this point, I realize that I don't have time to cook a substantial American-style breakfast, so it's better to buy Thai food and eat breakfast in my office. <br />However, I have not bought into everything. I ordered food the other night to take home and I thought I was getting pork (sometimes that's the only option if you want meat--I'll explain in a second). I got home, and realized that along with my pork (and vegetables, mint leaves, chili, etc.), I got pig intestines. After picking out all of the intestines and taking the large amounts of fat off the meat, I probably ate ten baht worth of the thirty baht I paid for my "nam tok moo." <br /><br />2. Market Shopping<br />Every time I ride the bus past Khlong Toei Market, I think, "I really don't want to go there because it smells horrible." It's a "wet market," which means that they have fresh meat and seafood, along with produce and lots of other things. The prices are really good though. I was cooking for my church, and I was on a budget, so I decided to brave the market. After buying everything I needed and finding that people were generally helpful, I decided that I need to go to the wet market more often. I had a really good experience.<br />Average Thai people buy their clothes in flea market type settings. Some markets are huge with hundreds of stalls to choose from, and some are relatively small as they are set up along busy streets. While it's a little bit hard to find clothes big enough to fit well, I've become like the Thais and I would rather shop in a market than in a department store because I can save a lot of money. I think I might have to give in and buy shoes in department stores, however, because it's rare to find shoes that fit me well in the markets. <br /><br />3. Transportation<br />I take buses, song taos (pick-up trucks with seats in the back), the Sky Train, the subway, taxis and motorcycle taxis everywhere I go. (I don't have a car and I'm not very excited about Bangkok traffic or driving on the left side of the road. I guess I haven't bought into that one) I'm trying not to take motorcycle taxis very often because I generally feel like I could die at any moment (but they're so convenient that sometimes I forget the danger when I'm in a hurry). After riding on the sidewalk on a motorcycle two times recently, I've realized that I have to use a different method of transportation on that route. <br /><br />4. Language<br />When I'm with Thai people I don't know, I try really hard to speak Thai and listen to what they're saying. I don't catch everything, but I usually understand enough to continue the conversation. When I'm with people that speak English well, I'm kind of lazy. I don't usually practice Thai with them because I know that we will save time if we speak English. My Thai lessons are on hold for the moment because my teacher had to go back to her province. Hopefully we'll start again soon. <br /><br />I think that's more than enough for now. I'm really enjoying teaching 3rd grade. I think this year is going better than last year because I actually know what I'm doing and because my students are more respectful and interested in learning than my 5th grade students were last year. <br /><br />This week is Spiritual Revival Week for the students and teachers in our school. I'm leading praise and worship with the elementary native English-speaking teachers. Pray for me to show the love of God and be confident, no matter what the attitudes of my co-workers are.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16962775687526609156noreply@blogger.com2