I'm sitting at our debrief location on a little Island off the gulf. It is incredible. We are staying right on the beach and it is BEAUTIFUL. I am listening to the waves crash and looking at a perfectly empty beach. How can someone not believe in God and look at the ocean? Such power and beauty. It's breath taking and was made with such precision and care. Mmmmm I want to stay forever!
Sadly, in almost 24hrs exactly we will be boarding a plane and bound for the US. Wow. How did that happen? 2 months down and a life time to go. In 2 short months God has flipped everything I've know upside down. My prayer is that when I return I don't just push away what God has shown me, but instead I propel into a life of change. A life of living for others, of not being consumed by the world and possession; a life of obedience. This life is temporary, but Heaven is eternal. At the last ministry we were at Brynn and I lead a study by John Ortberg called "It all goes Back in the Box". This was his main point and he used the example of going to a hotel. You don't go stay at a hotel and decorate it, hanging all your art work and family photos on the walls. (Motel 6 has their own lovely art work picked out to coordinate with your bedspread). You wouldn't spend your own time and money decorating it. Why? Because you know it is temporary. Just like this life. Everything is temporary. Everything, except people. So why spend your time on things that are temporary, when you can spend it loving people and making disciples as God asks? We need to turn off the TV, the internet, our phones, etc. for a bit and spend sometime with people. These last few months I haven't checked my phone once...ok so its half way across the world...I've used the internet maybe once or twice a week, and I've watched almost no TV (minus the Thai dramas playing in every restaurant and watching Harry Potter with the girls at Abba house lol :) ). I've found I have formed some of the closest relationship in such a short time. Why? Because my distractions are limited...and we all know how distracted I can get. :) I know coming home I will be thrown back into life in the US, but I hope I remember how beautiful these last two months spent loving people constantly have been. I've grown, changed, and experienced so much joy. So please pray as I adjust back into life back home. Pray I adjust well but don't forget what God has changed and revealed to me.
I've found a family in our team, a home in another culture, and a God greater than I ever realized. It has been an incredible adventure. I want to say thank you to all my supporters whether it was financially or through prayer. You all are the reason I am here. You all are the reason someone felt God's love for the first time or someone was encouraged and loved and served. And you all are the reason God has opened my heart and eyes to so much of the world I didn't know existed. God provided for His children, thank you for being part of that provision for me. I hope one day I can serve and bless you as well.
I plan to keep blogging about my THailand adventures when I get back since so much has been left out. So keep your eyes open for some fun stories of trips to a Thai ER, night bus madness, a potential musical performance, and much more! :)
Oh and a quick shout out to my Dad the Hero...once again...We've used all the Aloe and Sunscreen you bought me “just incase” in the last day and 1/2! Life savers... My next blog was going to be titled “Anut Karen is Right” b/c I didn't even have a tan line after 2 months...but I think I might have gone a little darker than off white after the last 2 days!! I might prove her wrong yet...I might actually be able to get tan...) it might just be in weird splotches all over my body from the salt water washing of weird bits of sunscreen, but I'm not picky its color! :)
Love from Thailand one last time,
Good night and Swadee Kha!
KL
Monday, July 18, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The ants came marching one by one...smash...there is no time for hurray.
OK so this is part one of about 10 blogs...So sorry it's been so long. We only have one computer between all of us now that we are at Abba House and our days are so full and I spend most of my breaks sleeping. Speaking of sleeping...I've never slept this much in my life (and you all thought it was bad when I fell asleep during staff meetings and prayer...), every second I get a break I just want to sleep. I'm blaming the heat...and the ants. They stress me out 24/7. At Abba house they are everywhere!!! Speaking of ants...5 just arrogantly walked across my pillow. What nerve. Everyday I have to pray for grace and mercy on them so I don't just crush them and plot to sweep them off the second floor. So I've moved from Mosquitoes to ants... I'm not even going to talk about the swarm of fire ants I rescued the trashcan from...
Anyway... This post is going to be a recap of our time at Lighthouse. Wow. I don't even know where to start. We lived at Lighthouse for 4 lovely weeks. We made amazing friends with the World Race team and I might even have a business partner out of it. :) We finally got to meet P'Emmi, the woman who founded Lighthouse. She got back from visiting the states the day before we left so we got to here her story which is incredible. She is from a hill tribe, her parents died, and then her family disowned her b/c they thought she was cursed and the reason for her mother's death. So she lived with her a different grandfather, but he hurt himself badly and couldn't take care of her so he brought her to a Christian orphanage. Meanwhile, her other family sold her to one of the pimps that come from the city to the tribes. When he came to collect and she wasn't there (and the family had already spent the money) he came looking for her. The orphanage was able to raise the money to pay him back and she was able to stay. She went to college and started making a lot of bad choices, her mother from the orphanage came and sat her down and told her straight to her face, "If you continue running from God and living your life this way, you will end up in Hell." I was like wow that was harsh, but she said because it came from the one person that had cared about her, the one person that had loved her all these years, she knew it was because she loved her and she knew it was true. So she decided to turn her life around. She got a scholarship to come to the US, and when she came back she felt called to start this ministry and the coffee shop Wongen. She is soooo incredible and hilarious. But what I love most about her and her testimony is that she gives God the glory for all of it.
So we were able to be a small part of her story and Lighthouses future. :) Now I want you to meet my friend Hong. Hong is 29 years old and works at Kat's Bar (haha I was right at home). She is half Chinese and half Thai. She speaks both languages fluently, and is so much fun. I first got connected with Hong one night at the bar when we were playing pool with some of the other girls. She told me I had a "baby face" (patted it) and then told me I had the voice to match. LOL One thing I learned from Hong is honesty. The next week she told Brynn that she looked like a boy and asked if she had showered. (Ps. Brynn smelled fine.) One thing you learn really quick about Thai culture is never to be offended. They tell you you are fat one second and the next thing out of their mouth is that they love you.
One night we decided to bring art supplies to the bar and we sat down outside the bar at a table and asked if anyone would like to paint. Hong sat down with a few others and began to paint. It turns out that she is incredibly talented. We came back early the next night before customers got there and painted again. She came running in holding sketches for us to paint. We were able to paint and talk. She asked us what we thought of all the American men that came and about the ones that were 60, 70, 80. We told her it made us sad and asked her what she thought. She said she thinks it is really sad, and most of the older ones just want companionship, someone just to talk to and pay attention to them. It was so sad. I wanted to cry.
The next night we showed up to paint, but her boss said that we couldn't (it was distracting her from the customers). It turned out to be a huge blessing because she suggested we meet up in the afternoon. So Brynn, Rachel, Boy, and I met her at Burger King. We painted and she did our make up (remember how she called Brynn a boy...she thought this was much better...I'll post pictures soon). You know how some make up looks better depending on eye shape, skin color etc. For example, Estrella can wear bright colors on her eyes and she looks incredible...but then you transfer that to me...well let's just say the boys would be starring alright... Well the same goes for Asian makeup. By the end we had eyeliner to our ears and caterpillars for eye brows and fabulous red lips. Hong looked fabulous, but let me tell you we were a bunch of lookers. Let's just say the look didn't transfer quite as well...but we sure had a fun Burger King photo shoot. The next day she invited us to get the look ourselves and took us makeup shopping and to the market. It was really fun and she kept just putting everything we could imagine in our hands saying, "This is good, This is good." It was so hilarious and awesome.
The next night we met her to go to the mall and shopping. We had to have a team meeting before we left (some issues that needed to be dealt with came up). So we were 2 hours late. I was disappointed we were so late, but the meeting was really good and brought us together as a team and was so impacting in our functioning as a team. Unfortunately that doesn't translate well when you are the one waiting for 2 hours and can't figure out were we are...Hong was a bit annoyed (remember she likes to point things out lol) and only got to eat with us before she had to leave to go get ready for work, but she had brought Fon another friend from the bar, so we got to hang out with her and watch the movie. Then Fon took us shopping (don't worry I only bought two pairs of shoes for under $10 put together). Fon is really really sweet and we had a lot of fun with her. She also came to the market with us the day before. Her English is really good and she is so sweet and generous.
That night was our last night at the bars. I walked in and the first thing Hong does is poke me under the eyes and says, you need to go to sleep (I told you it wasn't just me!), go home. She is sooo funny. We stayed for about two hours and every time she walked by she poked me in the eyes and told me to go home..."you need sleep." And then would show anyone near the bags under my eyes lol.
Brynn and I for the first time weren't having a great night conversation wise, so we decided to pray. Wow it was so humbling. Julie and Boy went and prayer walked as well. Someone famous said, "Prayer is not preparation for the greater work, prayer is the greater work." It is so true...thank you famous, wise man. Everyone else started having amazing conversations and the evening turned out to be one of the best. It was so hard to leave. These women have become my friends. They have taught me a lot about life and joy. I'll miss them dearly. I hope God has plans for our paths to cross again. I keep finding business possibilities. Hong speaks Chinese and if her English improves she would be great working with manufactures and she is a beautiful artist and could work in design. Plus she's a go-getter. Nothing holds her back, and she is not afraid to be blunt. :) Jeremiah 29 has been a huge theme while over here. I know God has great plans for their lives. I hope one day they will get to know Jesus better and surrender their lives to him.
Well we will see what God has in store with these relationships. I hope to one day see the fruit, but if not I know there will be a harvest. We got to love on so many girls. Every night they would tell us we were different, that we weren't the same as the rest. They saw Christ in us. We got to love them and not ask for anything in return. It was truly a life changing experience. My views changed on people. Anyone can be your friend. I now hate the word prostitute. All it leaves you with is a profession and takes all your humanity. These women are warm, loving, and full of joy. They have hopes and dreams. Most are just tying to support their families. Some are doing it so their siblings can go to school and not have to end up in the bars. No one has any right to look down at them. Yes what they are doing isn't right, but they are just trying to survive. They make anywhere from 2,000 baht to 10,000 a week. Minimum wage is like 1,000 baht a week. This is why it is so appealing.
Everyone needs the Gospel. These women, but even those closest to you that you don't want to offend. If I could love these girls in the bars with Christ's love and bring them his gospel, than why can't I do the same in my life back in the states? We all need Jesus. What are you going to say when we stand before God and they turn around and ask, "Why didn't you tell me?" "Why didn't you try harder?" Jesus died and then came back with a message (I'm guessing it's important if he came all the way back from the dead to tell us :) ), He said go and make disciples of every nation. Every nation. That includes our work, our family, but also Africa, Russia, Europe...every nation. This is what God has been teaching me over here :). I'm reading Radical by David Platt. It is so good...but will mess you up and convict you. So read it but prepare yourself for craziness!! :)
OK here is an opportunity for those that want to make a difference in the bars. A girl from the world race team, met a few girls that want rescued out. Here is the final part of the 7 part blog that tells about the story. It is incredible! We prayed for a harvest and here is way! http://emilytuttle.theworldrace.org/?filename=help-wanted-maes-story-part-4 But As you will read, these girls are here illegally, and will need housing and a job. So lighthouse needs to raise $2,000 immediately to make them legal and provide for them...in less than a week. And continually funding for their futures. So if you can give, please do. Give up your Starbucks for the day. :) This will be able to put them in recovery and into a discipleship program and give them a new life!!! Hopefully this is just 2 of many to come. :) I hope you read the story from the beginning. It's powerful. And I hope you can give. Thank you friends! God blesses us so we can bless others :). xx
Well I'm off to teach English! Yes they let me teach people to spell... scary. They also gave me a pulpit...that will come in the next post :) hahaha
Lots of love!
KL
Anyway... This post is going to be a recap of our time at Lighthouse. Wow. I don't even know where to start. We lived at Lighthouse for 4 lovely weeks. We made amazing friends with the World Race team and I might even have a business partner out of it. :) We finally got to meet P'Emmi, the woman who founded Lighthouse. She got back from visiting the states the day before we left so we got to here her story which is incredible. She is from a hill tribe, her parents died, and then her family disowned her b/c they thought she was cursed and the reason for her mother's death. So she lived with her a different grandfather, but he hurt himself badly and couldn't take care of her so he brought her to a Christian orphanage. Meanwhile, her other family sold her to one of the pimps that come from the city to the tribes. When he came to collect and she wasn't there (and the family had already spent the money) he came looking for her. The orphanage was able to raise the money to pay him back and she was able to stay. She went to college and started making a lot of bad choices, her mother from the orphanage came and sat her down and told her straight to her face, "If you continue running from God and living your life this way, you will end up in Hell." I was like wow that was harsh, but she said because it came from the one person that had cared about her, the one person that had loved her all these years, she knew it was because she loved her and she knew it was true. So she decided to turn her life around. She got a scholarship to come to the US, and when she came back she felt called to start this ministry and the coffee shop Wongen. She is soooo incredible and hilarious. But what I love most about her and her testimony is that she gives God the glory for all of it.
So we were able to be a small part of her story and Lighthouses future. :) Now I want you to meet my friend Hong. Hong is 29 years old and works at Kat's Bar (haha I was right at home). She is half Chinese and half Thai. She speaks both languages fluently, and is so much fun. I first got connected with Hong one night at the bar when we were playing pool with some of the other girls. She told me I had a "baby face" (patted it) and then told me I had the voice to match. LOL One thing I learned from Hong is honesty. The next week she told Brynn that she looked like a boy and asked if she had showered. (Ps. Brynn smelled fine.) One thing you learn really quick about Thai culture is never to be offended. They tell you you are fat one second and the next thing out of their mouth is that they love you.
One night we decided to bring art supplies to the bar and we sat down outside the bar at a table and asked if anyone would like to paint. Hong sat down with a few others and began to paint. It turns out that she is incredibly talented. We came back early the next night before customers got there and painted again. She came running in holding sketches for us to paint. We were able to paint and talk. She asked us what we thought of all the American men that came and about the ones that were 60, 70, 80. We told her it made us sad and asked her what she thought. She said she thinks it is really sad, and most of the older ones just want companionship, someone just to talk to and pay attention to them. It was so sad. I wanted to cry.
The next night we showed up to paint, but her boss said that we couldn't (it was distracting her from the customers). It turned out to be a huge blessing because she suggested we meet up in the afternoon. So Brynn, Rachel, Boy, and I met her at Burger King. We painted and she did our make up (remember how she called Brynn a boy...she thought this was much better...I'll post pictures soon). You know how some make up looks better depending on eye shape, skin color etc. For example, Estrella can wear bright colors on her eyes and she looks incredible...but then you transfer that to me...well let's just say the boys would be starring alright... Well the same goes for Asian makeup. By the end we had eyeliner to our ears and caterpillars for eye brows and fabulous red lips. Hong looked fabulous, but let me tell you we were a bunch of lookers. Let's just say the look didn't transfer quite as well...but we sure had a fun Burger King photo shoot. The next day she invited us to get the look ourselves and took us makeup shopping and to the market. It was really fun and she kept just putting everything we could imagine in our hands saying, "This is good, This is good." It was so hilarious and awesome.
The next night we met her to go to the mall and shopping. We had to have a team meeting before we left (some issues that needed to be dealt with came up). So we were 2 hours late. I was disappointed we were so late, but the meeting was really good and brought us together as a team and was so impacting in our functioning as a team. Unfortunately that doesn't translate well when you are the one waiting for 2 hours and can't figure out were we are...Hong was a bit annoyed (remember she likes to point things out lol) and only got to eat with us before she had to leave to go get ready for work, but she had brought Fon another friend from the bar, so we got to hang out with her and watch the movie. Then Fon took us shopping (don't worry I only bought two pairs of shoes for under $10 put together). Fon is really really sweet and we had a lot of fun with her. She also came to the market with us the day before. Her English is really good and she is so sweet and generous.
That night was our last night at the bars. I walked in and the first thing Hong does is poke me under the eyes and says, you need to go to sleep (I told you it wasn't just me!), go home. She is sooo funny. We stayed for about two hours and every time she walked by she poked me in the eyes and told me to go home..."you need sleep." And then would show anyone near the bags under my eyes lol.
Brynn and I for the first time weren't having a great night conversation wise, so we decided to pray. Wow it was so humbling. Julie and Boy went and prayer walked as well. Someone famous said, "Prayer is not preparation for the greater work, prayer is the greater work." It is so true...thank you famous, wise man. Everyone else started having amazing conversations and the evening turned out to be one of the best. It was so hard to leave. These women have become my friends. They have taught me a lot about life and joy. I'll miss them dearly. I hope God has plans for our paths to cross again. I keep finding business possibilities. Hong speaks Chinese and if her English improves she would be great working with manufactures and she is a beautiful artist and could work in design. Plus she's a go-getter. Nothing holds her back, and she is not afraid to be blunt. :) Jeremiah 29 has been a huge theme while over here. I know God has great plans for their lives. I hope one day they will get to know Jesus better and surrender their lives to him.
Well we will see what God has in store with these relationships. I hope to one day see the fruit, but if not I know there will be a harvest. We got to love on so many girls. Every night they would tell us we were different, that we weren't the same as the rest. They saw Christ in us. We got to love them and not ask for anything in return. It was truly a life changing experience. My views changed on people. Anyone can be your friend. I now hate the word prostitute. All it leaves you with is a profession and takes all your humanity. These women are warm, loving, and full of joy. They have hopes and dreams. Most are just tying to support their families. Some are doing it so their siblings can go to school and not have to end up in the bars. No one has any right to look down at them. Yes what they are doing isn't right, but they are just trying to survive. They make anywhere from 2,000 baht to 10,000 a week. Minimum wage is like 1,000 baht a week. This is why it is so appealing.
Everyone needs the Gospel. These women, but even those closest to you that you don't want to offend. If I could love these girls in the bars with Christ's love and bring them his gospel, than why can't I do the same in my life back in the states? We all need Jesus. What are you going to say when we stand before God and they turn around and ask, "Why didn't you tell me?" "Why didn't you try harder?" Jesus died and then came back with a message (I'm guessing it's important if he came all the way back from the dead to tell us :) ), He said go and make disciples of every nation. Every nation. That includes our work, our family, but also Africa, Russia, Europe...every nation. This is what God has been teaching me over here :). I'm reading Radical by David Platt. It is so good...but will mess you up and convict you. So read it but prepare yourself for craziness!! :)
OK here is an opportunity for those that want to make a difference in the bars. A girl from the world race team, met a few girls that want rescued out. Here is the final part of the 7 part blog that tells about the story. It is incredible! We prayed for a harvest and here is way! http://emilytuttle.theworldrace.org/?filename=help-wanted-maes-story-part-4 But As you will read, these girls are here illegally, and will need housing and a job. So lighthouse needs to raise $2,000 immediately to make them legal and provide for them...in less than a week. And continually funding for their futures. So if you can give, please do. Give up your Starbucks for the day. :) This will be able to put them in recovery and into a discipleship program and give them a new life!!! Hopefully this is just 2 of many to come. :) I hope you read the story from the beginning. It's powerful. And I hope you can give. Thank you friends! God blesses us so we can bless others :). xx
Well I'm off to teach English! Yes they let me teach people to spell... scary. They also gave me a pulpit...that will come in the next post :) hahaha
Lots of love!
KL
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Then the bugs came...
If you know me you know I don't do bugs. If a stink bug comes within 10ft of me I am immediately immobilized. Well let me tell you about the last 24hrs. OK so its 12:30am and we find out from the other team that McDanald's delivers...You have to realize that all we do is sweat out salt and never eat it, so naturally the sound of horribly salted french fries was like crack to an addict. We get them and I'm just sitting there not trying to taste the staleness (b/c the driver got lost and we don't speak Thai and our address is in Thai...you can't "sound out" Thai...its symbols), but instead relish the first american fattiness I have tasted in weeks. At some point I must have dropped a drop of plum sauce (they don't carry honey) on the arm of the chair. I put my arm down and when I brought it up I scratched my forearm. I realized I missed getting the rest of my paint off my arm from face painting earlier. OH wait, nope, gotcha...not paint, MINIATURE ANTS!!!!! I put my arm in a colony of ants that had come to the plum sauce...it wasn't paint in my nails, but squished ants!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OMG OMG OMG....I had an entire nation of ants all over my arms and in my nails and about 10% were still living and crawling around!! then I look down and the arm rest is just covered in Ants!!!. And this is why we aren't allowed to eat inside...now I follow that rule. I thought it was the most horrifying moment of my life until....
We are getting ready to leave to go to dinner and Boy (my newest BFF and our translator) motions me over to show me something. He says, "Look, I killed a scorpion." In case you didn't read that last word right, let me repeat it...a SCORPION!!! I asked him where he found it and he said in our shoes! There was a scorpion in our shoes! (Let's just say I quadruple check when I put shoes on now.) He said he coaxed it out and away from them and then took his flip flop and smashed it and then stepped on it (just to make sure). OK When I say flip flop, I mean $2 Old Navy Flip Flops (but Thai version, bc I don't think they have old Navy here). And they weren't new sturdy ones, nope, they were about July ones...you know when they are perfectly broken in and in a few weeks rocks will split through... All I can say is, is that boy is brave (no pun intended). Did I mention it was the size of my hand? So it would have fit nicely in one of my shoes.
Ok so a few minutes later after all the scorpion drama has died down, we finally leave. We are 10ft out of the gate when someone throws out there hand to stop us. There are GIANT snails in the middle of the road. GIANT...the size of a small apple. Just chilling in our driveway. Eating a piece of corn (who knew snails liked to hang out with corn on the cob?). Julie touched the shell of one and we got to watch it sneak back inside.
OK so after all the snail drama has calmed down, we continue off to our favorite restaurant for dinner. (They know us so well, that they now always have a table set up for us with extra stools). We get to the restaurant and Brynn options for the stool. I grabbed her arm and said don't sit! There was the biggest Daddy Long Leg I have ever seen, just sitting on her seat like he owned the place. Of course we are girls so we freaked out and the owner came over and brushed it off and laughed "with" us. It was pretty funny, but seriously its legs were at least three inches long fully extended.
Then we went on a prayer walk around the bars and no joke about 10 cockroaches ran across my path. Not to mention the one we found in our room the week before that hid in Brynn's suitcase. Don't worry we have video of Noah killing it.
Gecko's don't really count as bugs per-say (no clue how to spell that) but there are at least 10 who find their home in our house and in our bathroom. At the end of our prayer walk Rachel was trying to catch a baby gecko (she is determined to catch one before we leave Thailand). Noah and I walked up behind her and I said, " Rachel. I wouldn't reach any higher..." There was a giant butted spider (probably deadly) inches from her hand. She did a freak out dance and ran away. Wehoo 2 saves from spiders in one night, I'm worn out.
OK that's all the bug drama for now. I'll try to write more ministry based stuff soon. It's hard to put it all in words, b/c I can't really explain it all/ haven't processed all we are doing. When we are in the slums it seems so normal and natural to play with the kids and laugh with the moms. At the bars it just seems natural to paint watercolor pictures and joke and play pool with prostitutes. God has taught me to not be afraid. They are all his children and all people. They are funny and sweet. I was so afraid they wouldn't want to be my friend or talk to me, but God has changed my views entirely. It is wonderful. So to write about them as ministry is hard, because they just seem like my friends. I think it will hit me really hard when we are back home, and all of a sudden all the poverty isn't the norm anymore. Until then I'll tell you what I can!
Love you all! I need to go night night b/c I'm leading devotion in 7 hours :(. Feel free to leave comments. I love reading them and it helps me not miss home as much :)
xx
Lil Bug whisperer.
P.S. a gecko just ran across the wall I'm sitting in front of. OH and I've eaten more rice in the last three weeks than in my entire life combined. Oh and I forgot...The count is in...I have 34 mosquitoe love bites on my left leg and 41 on my right...and that's only from the knee down. They ate me through my clothes!!! OK good night for real this time.
We are getting ready to leave to go to dinner and Boy (my newest BFF and our translator) motions me over to show me something. He says, "Look, I killed a scorpion." In case you didn't read that last word right, let me repeat it...a SCORPION!!! I asked him where he found it and he said in our shoes! There was a scorpion in our shoes! (Let's just say I quadruple check when I put shoes on now.) He said he coaxed it out and away from them and then took his flip flop and smashed it and then stepped on it (just to make sure). OK When I say flip flop, I mean $2 Old Navy Flip Flops (but Thai version, bc I don't think they have old Navy here). And they weren't new sturdy ones, nope, they were about July ones...you know when they are perfectly broken in and in a few weeks rocks will split through... All I can say is, is that boy is brave (no pun intended). Did I mention it was the size of my hand? So it would have fit nicely in one of my shoes.
Ok so a few minutes later after all the scorpion drama has died down, we finally leave. We are 10ft out of the gate when someone throws out there hand to stop us. There are GIANT snails in the middle of the road. GIANT...the size of a small apple. Just chilling in our driveway. Eating a piece of corn (who knew snails liked to hang out with corn on the cob?). Julie touched the shell of one and we got to watch it sneak back inside.
OK so after all the snail drama has calmed down, we continue off to our favorite restaurant for dinner. (They know us so well, that they now always have a table set up for us with extra stools). We get to the restaurant and Brynn options for the stool. I grabbed her arm and said don't sit! There was the biggest Daddy Long Leg I have ever seen, just sitting on her seat like he owned the place. Of course we are girls so we freaked out and the owner came over and brushed it off and laughed "with" us. It was pretty funny, but seriously its legs were at least three inches long fully extended.
Then we went on a prayer walk around the bars and no joke about 10 cockroaches ran across my path. Not to mention the one we found in our room the week before that hid in Brynn's suitcase. Don't worry we have video of Noah killing it.
Gecko's don't really count as bugs per-say (no clue how to spell that) but there are at least 10 who find their home in our house and in our bathroom. At the end of our prayer walk Rachel was trying to catch a baby gecko (she is determined to catch one before we leave Thailand). Noah and I walked up behind her and I said, " Rachel. I wouldn't reach any higher..." There was a giant butted spider (probably deadly) inches from her hand. She did a freak out dance and ran away. Wehoo 2 saves from spiders in one night, I'm worn out.
OK that's all the bug drama for now. I'll try to write more ministry based stuff soon. It's hard to put it all in words, b/c I can't really explain it all/ haven't processed all we are doing. When we are in the slums it seems so normal and natural to play with the kids and laugh with the moms. At the bars it just seems natural to paint watercolor pictures and joke and play pool with prostitutes. God has taught me to not be afraid. They are all his children and all people. They are funny and sweet. I was so afraid they wouldn't want to be my friend or talk to me, but God has changed my views entirely. It is wonderful. So to write about them as ministry is hard, because they just seem like my friends. I think it will hit me really hard when we are back home, and all of a sudden all the poverty isn't the norm anymore. Until then I'll tell you what I can!
Love you all! I need to go night night b/c I'm leading devotion in 7 hours :(. Feel free to leave comments. I love reading them and it helps me not miss home as much :)
xx
Lil Bug whisperer.
P.S. a gecko just ran across the wall I'm sitting in front of. OH and I've eaten more rice in the last three weeks than in my entire life combined. Oh and I forgot...The count is in...I have 34 mosquitoe love bites on my left leg and 41 on my right...and that's only from the knee down. They ate me through my clothes!!! OK good night for real this time.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Invasion!
We've been invaded!!! Our cute little chateau has been invaded by 13 other people!! OK so that sounds a little dramatic, but it was our cute little home and we were becoming a cute little family. Mamma Noah and Momma Julie (Noah prefers momma over poppa...we aren't exactly sure why...but considering he let me paint his big toe orange with a teal N on it and he wears Kara's necklace around...it fits him now) and Uncle Boy and then all their little chick-lets. Actually they seem really neat, maybe they will become our extended family. They are on some world race ministry thing, 11 countries in 11 months. Crazy! They all seem really awesome and will be a great addition to our ministry. :)
Anyway. So today was our first official day off...so natural we played with Tigers and did cartwheels in the rain. I'd say it was quite a successful one. We went to Tiger Kingdom in the morning; it was awesome, but I'm morally conflicted. One part is saying awesome I just took a cat/kat nap with tigers and the other is saying I just paid money (aka funded the continuing of) letting people keep tigers in cages and hit them with sticks. I'm pretty sure the big ones were either drugged or all the life and joy had been sucked out of them. The baby ones still had their innocence though... But I did whisper encouragement in their ears and got some really great pictures with them. At one point one of the babies was crawling up me eating my hand while another one was trying to eat its tail but mistook my foot for its tail...a slight ouch but very funny :)
Then we went and ate lunch with our Taxi driver Ping Pong...he is so funny! He drives us around everyday and is amazing. Julie and him are best friends...he's a joker so they bond very well. Then we came home and took a much needed nap. We now have air conditioning...except we couldn't figure out how to work it...who knew 30 degrees C was like 86 F...woops my bad, no wonder it was blowing hot air and we were sweating even more than normal (which I didn't know it was possible for anymore sweat to come out my pores). Then we headed to church. It's called The Light, and meets at the Wongen Kafe that we hang out at. It was really good and this week we split up into small group for the sermon section and we got to do an English one so we actually understood the message which was nice. Then we headed home and were going to get dinner and hit up the night market.
On the way to market a man on a bike rode up and started talking to me. He offered me food and jumped off his bike. A little sketch but randomly turned out to be super awesome. Julie and him started singing the Eagles and then he sang us a song he wrote. It was really good, he's a musician but doesn't have a guitar at the moment so he can't get a job. Julie asked if we could pray for him and he said yes please :) We invited him to dinner, but he declined. We then ran into him later and he asked us when the rapture was coming. lol It was hilarious.
We had to skip the market and just do dinner b/c it started raining...and when it rains it pours. Julie went and bought us all ponchos. By the time we got home the road was almost flooded to our knees. So naturally we went and put on shorts and t-shirts and went and played in the street. Brynn, Rachel, Kara, and I had the entire neighborhood out to watch us. I'm sure they were all thinking, "Who are those crazy white girls doing cartwheels in a foot of water? Haven't they ever seen rain before? And don't they know that the goal is to not get wet?" We actually made a guy fall over on his moped...it was soooo funny. He stopped and turned back to look at us and then fell over. He probably thought we were girls gone wild, not little missionaries...just kidding...don't worry we were wearing black shirts not white t-shirts... ;) We came home with all sorts of new species growing on us I'm sure. Don't worry we showered and disinfected.
OK here is the general update...I'm being eaten alive. One day Brynn is the victim of all things bugs and the next thing I know they discover my feet. OMG I have sooooooo many bites all over my heels, the side of my feet, my ankles...the latest...right smack in the middle of my bum and one in my armpit...really mosquitoes? really? Awkward get out of there.
The bars are good. We are making lots of friends. Sadly our English lessons aren't going as well as planned...no one has yet to show up. But we aren't getting discouraged, God has opened some other doors and we've been able to make a lot of friends on campus as well because of it. What we are realizing is that some times tasks that seem the least of importance, God is using the most. The other day we handed out flyers on campus for the cafe and the entire time we kept complaining saying this is so pointless. Then we get back to the cafe and a ton of students we had given a flyer to were there and want to come to English class...weird right?! God is so good :) This reminds me of a line of Sr. Custodian's opening duties from Job's daughters "It teaches that the smallest task deserves the same attention as one of more importance and should be promptly and cheerfully performed." So true and very humbling.
We are having soooo much fun and love Thailand! We are teaching Boy lots of important phrases such as: the song: "Neaner neaner neaner, I speak Thai and you don't.", the phrase: "You are a tool.", how to make the doi doi noise with your hand against your mouth and saying girl over and over (we call it his "call"), and lots of other high class sayings. My favorite is making him do news reports about our trip. He wants to be a reporter so I give him a mic and make him be from the BBC. Its great fun. Don't worry we don't torture him or anything...
OK more later...I'm off to bed. Oh one more thing. We did face painting in the slums the other day...SO MUCH FUN! I loved it. I will say though I've never painted so many Winnie the Poohs in my life, and I'm not sure Brynn so many flowers. Rachel's was the best...she got requested by a 3 yr old to paint a watch on her wrist. Julie got painted by a 3 year old...she had tattoo sleeves of pre-school art down her arms by the end. It was hilarious. Kara and Sam were the photographers and everyone one else spectators. It was quite a lot of fun...till we started getting eaten alive that was. :) Those mosquitoes are cra cra.
Ok Miss you all! Yesterday I got a little bit homesick...I miss hearing my family's voice whenever I want...
But here are some of those pics!
Love and miss you! xx
KL
Anyway. So today was our first official day off...so natural we played with Tigers and did cartwheels in the rain. I'd say it was quite a successful one. We went to Tiger Kingdom in the morning; it was awesome, but I'm morally conflicted. One part is saying awesome I just took a cat/kat nap with tigers and the other is saying I just paid money (aka funded the continuing of) letting people keep tigers in cages and hit them with sticks. I'm pretty sure the big ones were either drugged or all the life and joy had been sucked out of them. The baby ones still had their innocence though... But I did whisper encouragement in their ears and got some really great pictures with them. At one point one of the babies was crawling up me eating my hand while another one was trying to eat its tail but mistook my foot for its tail...a slight ouch but very funny :)
Then we went and ate lunch with our Taxi driver Ping Pong...he is so funny! He drives us around everyday and is amazing. Julie and him are best friends...he's a joker so they bond very well. Then we came home and took a much needed nap. We now have air conditioning...except we couldn't figure out how to work it...who knew 30 degrees C was like 86 F...woops my bad, no wonder it was blowing hot air and we were sweating even more than normal (which I didn't know it was possible for anymore sweat to come out my pores). Then we headed to church. It's called The Light, and meets at the Wongen Kafe that we hang out at. It was really good and this week we split up into small group for the sermon section and we got to do an English one so we actually understood the message which was nice. Then we headed home and were going to get dinner and hit up the night market.
On the way to market a man on a bike rode up and started talking to me. He offered me food and jumped off his bike. A little sketch but randomly turned out to be super awesome. Julie and him started singing the Eagles and then he sang us a song he wrote. It was really good, he's a musician but doesn't have a guitar at the moment so he can't get a job. Julie asked if we could pray for him and he said yes please :) We invited him to dinner, but he declined. We then ran into him later and he asked us when the rapture was coming. lol It was hilarious.
We had to skip the market and just do dinner b/c it started raining...and when it rains it pours. Julie went and bought us all ponchos. By the time we got home the road was almost flooded to our knees. So naturally we went and put on shorts and t-shirts and went and played in the street. Brynn, Rachel, Kara, and I had the entire neighborhood out to watch us. I'm sure they were all thinking, "Who are those crazy white girls doing cartwheels in a foot of water? Haven't they ever seen rain before? And don't they know that the goal is to not get wet?" We actually made a guy fall over on his moped...it was soooo funny. He stopped and turned back to look at us and then fell over. He probably thought we were girls gone wild, not little missionaries...just kidding...don't worry we were wearing black shirts not white t-shirts... ;) We came home with all sorts of new species growing on us I'm sure. Don't worry we showered and disinfected.
OK here is the general update...I'm being eaten alive. One day Brynn is the victim of all things bugs and the next thing I know they discover my feet. OMG I have sooooooo many bites all over my heels, the side of my feet, my ankles...the latest...right smack in the middle of my bum and one in my armpit...really mosquitoes? really? Awkward get out of there.
The bars are good. We are making lots of friends. Sadly our English lessons aren't going as well as planned...no one has yet to show up. But we aren't getting discouraged, God has opened some other doors and we've been able to make a lot of friends on campus as well because of it. What we are realizing is that some times tasks that seem the least of importance, God is using the most. The other day we handed out flyers on campus for the cafe and the entire time we kept complaining saying this is so pointless. Then we get back to the cafe and a ton of students we had given a flyer to were there and want to come to English class...weird right?! God is so good :) This reminds me of a line of Sr. Custodian's opening duties from Job's daughters "It teaches that the smallest task deserves the same attention as one of more importance and should be promptly and cheerfully performed." So true and very humbling.
We are having soooo much fun and love Thailand! We are teaching Boy lots of important phrases such as: the song: "Neaner neaner neaner, I speak Thai and you don't.", the phrase: "You are a tool.", how to make the doi doi noise with your hand against your mouth and saying girl over and over (we call it his "call"), and lots of other high class sayings. My favorite is making him do news reports about our trip. He wants to be a reporter so I give him a mic and make him be from the BBC. Its great fun. Don't worry we don't torture him or anything...
OK more later...I'm off to bed. Oh one more thing. We did face painting in the slums the other day...SO MUCH FUN! I loved it. I will say though I've never painted so many Winnie the Poohs in my life, and I'm not sure Brynn so many flowers. Rachel's was the best...she got requested by a 3 yr old to paint a watch on her wrist. Julie got painted by a 3 year old...she had tattoo sleeves of pre-school art down her arms by the end. It was hilarious. Kara and Sam were the photographers and everyone one else spectators. It was quite a lot of fun...till we started getting eaten alive that was. :) Those mosquitoes are cra cra.
Ok Miss you all! Yesterday I got a little bit homesick...I miss hearing my family's voice whenever I want...
But here are some of those pics!
Love and miss you! xx
KL
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Ministry Begins...
OK Day two of Ministry. Wow God has been so generous and gracious to us these last two days. Yesterday was our official first day of "ministry work". We went to the Slums that are behind where we live and walked around and said hi to people. It was fascinating. I was talking to Boy, our translator who is from Chiang Mai, and he said he didn't know Chiang Mai had slums (he said he only thought they were in Bangkok). So yesterday was his first day in them too. I thought that was really interesting and a really neat experience for him as well as for us. If you are my parents you are probably thinking, WHAT?! you walked around the slums, is that safe? But actually I felt really safe and comfortable. It's not like walking around in the "ghetto" in the US. It is a completely different dynamic. Within each little area there is a Village. They all live as a family. They are truly living in community. It was beautiful. The kids were playing on the dirt road and a few road bikes. Their parents sat in the doorway watching them as they worked. Some preparing food, some sewing, some just sitting enjoying. Everyone seemed so peaceful and happy. Everyone says hi (well Swatdee kha) and gives you the "y" (Hands in a prayer position and a slight bow). They were in such poverty but so happy and kind. One thing about Thailand I've found that is very unique is that everything is very open. Most of their houses had rolling gates similar to store fronts you'd see in a city. That was their door. So their entire living room was on display. Not every house but quite a few. One thing I love about Thailand is they work off the Honor system. In Bangkok no one even locked up their bike! They are a very trusting culture. Something I think we could all learn and bring home :).
After our walk we ate dinner and went home to change. At 8pm we headed to the bars. Also know as the red light district. Scary right? But no it was the same thing. Everyone was so sweet and nice. It felt so safe. Before we left we all went off and prayed. Brynn and I sat on our bed and prayed and then prayed Psalm 91, which is a prayer of protection http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2091&version=NLT (click here to read). God was so faithful and his protection was so evident. I really saw why the power of grounding ourselves in prayer was so important. We split up into groups of 2-3 and each picked a bar. What you have to understand is that probably 95% of the girls in the bars are prostitutes. So Brynn and I prayed and asked the holy spirit to direct us to a bar. We walked into "Kooky Bar" and ordered a RedBull. Two girls that didn't look a day over 16 greeted us; their names were Mae and Mean Mean (everyone in Thailand goes by nicknames, not their real names). Their english was very limited but they invited us to play Jenga. We played and laughed for about an hour but then they were asked to go somewhere so they left and we played with Pancake a boy that was working there as well. As we played a little boy came up and poked me in the back and then hid behind a chair. He was selling flowers and I realized we had met him in the slums earlier that day. He went up and started playing with the knocked over Jenga blocks. He was probably 7 or 8, but I was enamored by his precision and artistic ability as he stacked the blocks in patterns. Then he put them together and played Jenga (he didn't want us to help). He placed each block in perfect precision on top. I was speechless. I wanted to bring him home and send him to art or architecture classes. He was soooo talented, but in reality will probably never see college or hold a paint brush. It broke my heart.
We then walked and met up with some others in the group. Noke (who is the caretaker where we are staying and part of the Light House ministry) introduced us to some of her friends that she had met on previous trips to the bars. The bar was called "Kat's Bar" a bit ironic. Especially since I taught them to play tick-tack-toe and we had a Cat's game with Kat at the Kat bar...lol We sat and talked and laughed with them for hours. They had been given English lessons with teams before us. They asked if we would continue and teach them during the week. One of the girls informed me that it was her last week of working at the bar and that she was going to start working at Wongen Kafe (the cafe the ministry we are working with works with). It was so incredible to see how those that went before us had really made an impact in a place where there seemed no room for Hope. We got to see the fruit of a seed that was planted, but Christ harvested. That is one less girl having to sell her body to support her family.
I think what struck me the most was their ability to bring so much joy to the conversation. When we left I felt like we were already friends. I couldn't see these girls as prostitutes. God crushed my former thoughts of these women. I realized these were God's children and even though they were probably so broken inside they still were overflowing with joy, His joy. Psalm 30:5 says "Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." There is no way anyone that experiences what they do should be able to continue to be so joyful in life. I had envisioned these girls that were numb and scared, but they were laughing and so excited to talk with us. God is so much greater than I give Him credit. He continues to shine His joyful light into their darkness.
We will go back to night. I ask for your prayers as we do. Pray for these women, pray for us, and pray for the men. Pray for our hearts toward these men, that we can remember that God has extended the same Grace to them as he has us. We are all covered by the same savior and by the same love. It is so hard not to look at these men in disgust, and instead with compassion. An older gentleman, 72 to be exact, sat with us while we spoke with these girls. He had kids and was from France. He sat with his hands on a beautiful and incredibly sweet Thai girl, we knew his intensions and so did she. Everything in me wanted to tell him to go home and ask him if his kids knew where he was. I was so frustrated. He wasn't the only one. We met others, saw others. It was heartbreaking, but I know God is greater than all of this. Please continue to pray.
On a lighter note, today we hung out on campus and met a ton of Thai students. It was SO fun. I now have Thai friends on facebook!!! I'm hoping we will continue to get to hang out and speak truth in their lives while serving them.
I'll tell you more later, but I have team Dev-o time (devotional) so we can prepare for tonight. Love you all!
xx Kat
After our walk we ate dinner and went home to change. At 8pm we headed to the bars. Also know as the red light district. Scary right? But no it was the same thing. Everyone was so sweet and nice. It felt so safe. Before we left we all went off and prayed. Brynn and I sat on our bed and prayed and then prayed Psalm 91, which is a prayer of protection http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2091&version=NLT (click here to read). God was so faithful and his protection was so evident. I really saw why the power of grounding ourselves in prayer was so important. We split up into groups of 2-3 and each picked a bar. What you have to understand is that probably 95% of the girls in the bars are prostitutes. So Brynn and I prayed and asked the holy spirit to direct us to a bar. We walked into "Kooky Bar" and ordered a RedBull. Two girls that didn't look a day over 16 greeted us; their names were Mae and Mean Mean (everyone in Thailand goes by nicknames, not their real names). Their english was very limited but they invited us to play Jenga. We played and laughed for about an hour but then they were asked to go somewhere so they left and we played with Pancake a boy that was working there as well. As we played a little boy came up and poked me in the back and then hid behind a chair. He was selling flowers and I realized we had met him in the slums earlier that day. He went up and started playing with the knocked over Jenga blocks. He was probably 7 or 8, but I was enamored by his precision and artistic ability as he stacked the blocks in patterns. Then he put them together and played Jenga (he didn't want us to help). He placed each block in perfect precision on top. I was speechless. I wanted to bring him home and send him to art or architecture classes. He was soooo talented, but in reality will probably never see college or hold a paint brush. It broke my heart.
We then walked and met up with some others in the group. Noke (who is the caretaker where we are staying and part of the Light House ministry) introduced us to some of her friends that she had met on previous trips to the bars. The bar was called "Kat's Bar" a bit ironic. Especially since I taught them to play tick-tack-toe and we had a Cat's game with Kat at the Kat bar...lol We sat and talked and laughed with them for hours. They had been given English lessons with teams before us. They asked if we would continue and teach them during the week. One of the girls informed me that it was her last week of working at the bar and that she was going to start working at Wongen Kafe (the cafe the ministry we are working with works with). It was so incredible to see how those that went before us had really made an impact in a place where there seemed no room for Hope. We got to see the fruit of a seed that was planted, but Christ harvested. That is one less girl having to sell her body to support her family.
I think what struck me the most was their ability to bring so much joy to the conversation. When we left I felt like we were already friends. I couldn't see these girls as prostitutes. God crushed my former thoughts of these women. I realized these were God's children and even though they were probably so broken inside they still were overflowing with joy, His joy. Psalm 30:5 says "Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." There is no way anyone that experiences what they do should be able to continue to be so joyful in life. I had envisioned these girls that were numb and scared, but they were laughing and so excited to talk with us. God is so much greater than I give Him credit. He continues to shine His joyful light into their darkness.
We will go back to night. I ask for your prayers as we do. Pray for these women, pray for us, and pray for the men. Pray for our hearts toward these men, that we can remember that God has extended the same Grace to them as he has us. We are all covered by the same savior and by the same love. It is so hard not to look at these men in disgust, and instead with compassion. An older gentleman, 72 to be exact, sat with us while we spoke with these girls. He had kids and was from France. He sat with his hands on a beautiful and incredibly sweet Thai girl, we knew his intensions and so did she. Everything in me wanted to tell him to go home and ask him if his kids knew where he was. I was so frustrated. He wasn't the only one. We met others, saw others. It was heartbreaking, but I know God is greater than all of this. Please continue to pray.
On a lighter note, today we hung out on campus and met a ton of Thai students. It was SO fun. I now have Thai friends on facebook!!! I'm hoping we will continue to get to hang out and speak truth in their lives while serving them.
I'll tell you more later, but I have team Dev-o time (devotional) so we can prepare for tonight. Love you all!
xx Kat
Sunday, May 29, 2011
My mullet curls and my food comes on Leaves...
Sawatdee kha! (hello)
Well. I'm in Thailand. Who would have thought. I'm trying to learn less is more so this is an attempt at a summary...let's see if it happens.
Things you should know:
1. Squat-tay Pot-tay...aka toilet on ground with feet marks on each side that you squat over. Did I mention Thai's don't use toilet paper? So I've been fortunate to have had a large enough bladder to hold it till we get home to the western toilet that lives in our room, so I've refused to use one yet...but I'm sure my luck will run out soon enough. But don't think I'm safe yet...you can't flush toilet paper...even in our precious western toilet. So there is this nice little waste basket that lives next to it and yes we put it in there....SO GROSS. But its ok.
2. Miniature Ants...Everywhere!!! Yesterday we were laying on our beds talking and all of a sudden I look down and see that the corner of my bed and half my pillow are covered in Ants. OMG I almost died! But PTL for wet wipes...
3. Food. We go to the market and eat every meal. Its awesome! Imagine cooking an awesome meal at home...then imagine showing up at a stand and having the same meal for less than a $1 and no clean up. Yes sometimes you're not sure you are eating chicken, but other than that its great. Yesterday I ate noodles for breakfast and they came wrapped in a leaf. Last night I ate something off a stick that was supposedly chicken but from the size of the spine, ribs and what I swear was a full wing, I'm guessing bat. We saw a Thai Chicken in a pen on our walk yesterday and they are really skinny...but really tall, so there is not way that was chicken. Other suggestions from the team were Rat, Hamster, and dog.
4. Dogs and cats. You know how we have foxes that run around or mice? They have dogs and cats. Wild cats! Millie and Calli would never be able to tough it here. Cats literally just wonder through the market and dogs are just chillin' on the side of a road. The only "pet" I saw was a pig chained up and I was informed that it wasn't probably a pet. I chose to ignore that its leash chain was connected to the side of a restaurant. So for my sanity and the innocence of heart I am saying pet.
4. Markets...why don't we have these? You can get a pile of cooked duck heads (don't worry when they serve you it they cut it up and throw out the beak) or you can go for the pig leg with all the shin and hoof attached or some live eels or roasted insects or my favorite tiny hot peppers (see ssection labled peppers below). Right next to all of this in the next tent are some of the cutest clothes I've ever seen (don't worry mom they only come in a size zero (so I can't buy them)...remember I'm in Asia. Seriously everyone is so tiny). But what I could buy was a Cath Kidston purse!!! Yes that's right. I kept seeing them everywhere and then I found it! So instead of $110 I got it for $25. It was a beautiful day. And very practical...I needed a day bag that went across my body ok? It just happens to be my favorite designer and floral.
5. Transportation. So we get picked up from the airport (ps the coolest building ever...how is that in a 3rd world country?) in a covered truck...aka a truck with a bench on each side, a roof, and a gate across the back. Don't worry of course there were no seat belts and it was all open on the sides. It reminded me of a ghetto version of the tram we took at universal studios. We got taken to the night bus in this too...in rush hour for 2 hours...I'm not sure how we didn't die from the fumes. So the buses we road around town? No one talks! Seriously. It is rude to talk on a bus! And we had like an hour ride to the train to take us to the temples. We got shushed a lot by our tour guide. Thank goodness Thai's have a lot of grace for "farangs" aka foreigners. We rode a boat too. The water is Brown. Brown. This is probably why we can't drink any water from the tap. Its crazy most of the people that live on the water are in extreme poverty. Like metal scrap houses. So different from the US. To drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai we took a 10 hr night bus. Let me tell you something, the Thai's know how to make a bus. Seats that recline fully, have a pop up foot rest and come with pillow and blanket provided. It is so strange, I'm in a third world country with extreme poverty and extreme luxury.
6. Rain...You think you know rain until you come to Thailand during their rainy season. Flash flood has an entire new meaning. Rain drops so big that in less that 5 mins you are wading through the streets up to your mid-calf. The adorable little floral raincoat from Target is not totally waterproof I found out. Better than nothing but...i was still soaked. Dad that plastic rain suit...GOLD here. The first time it rained we were on a prayer walk going to a bunch of the Buddhist temples in Bangkok. The second was Yesterday in Chiang Mia. Our dirt road to our house was flooded and we had to wade through it to go get dinner. The streets were so flooded that when cars drive by you can only seen half of their tires and I have no idea how all the motorbikes drive in it.
7.(which should be #1) Heat. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG it is sooooo hot and humid here. Everything sticks to you all the time. My hair is so curly and with my horrible hair cut I got...it looks like a mullet. I change clothes probably 4x a day and shower at least 5x. I know...you are all so proud. I have never felt so gross in my life. And guess what? Culturally they don't wear shorts above their knee or tank tops!!! 99% of everyone I've seen has been wearing jeans and 60% of those are SKINNY JEANS...can you imagine? And girls were wearing cardigans. And they weren't sweating...so weird. I'm intrigued. But my SPF 50 is doing its job. I don't even have a tan line (side note...they sell whitening cream! You know where we would look for self tanner...they have whitening cream. The whiter you are the higher your class and the more beautiful you are. So sad, b/c we all can't get over how beautiful and tan they are.) Oh and dad thanks for all the bug spray...we will use it all and the bug relief stick is in high demand...Brynn's bug bites are the size of silver $$.
8. Housing...Ok so one thing I love about Thailand is that there aren't "bad" parts of down exactly. Its all mixed in which gives it a much safer feeling. There will be a beautiful sky scrapper apt building and right against it are scrap metal houses. There will be a nice shopping center and right in front of it people have stands selling chicken. There are luxury cars driving next to rusted old work trucks. It is so beautiful. They live life together.
9. Everything is soooo Cheap...The average meal costs the team 250 Baht. That equals a little over $7...That covers our entire team! There are 7 of us! That means that each of our meals is about $1. Its crazy!!! And a 2L bottle of water is like 25 cents. Its crazy. And the food is AMAZING and the portions are perfect and normal.
10. Peppers. OK so Bik, who was our tour guide in Bangkok is from the south and said that all he has eaten is spicy food since he was born...so remember he has a crazy spicy tolerance. So he takes us to dinner at the market and orders a bunch of dishes for us to try. He says one is on the spicy side. I'm eating it and go to take my last bite of it and pick up what appears to be a red and green pepper. I think to myself, I shouldn't eat this, but naturally put it in my mouth. I'm chewing and swallow and think that wasn't bad. About 2 secs later I can feel this heat rising in my mouth...OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG my tongue had knives stabbing it. I almost died. I was shaking and crying and laughing and screaming all at the same time. I was chugging water and eating ice cream and nothing would make it stop! Apparently the smaller the pepper the hotter it is well I had not 1 pepper but 2, 1 inch long peppers. It burned for at least 20mins. I had to suck on ice cubes to keep it numb the entire rest of the meal. Then Bik who was dying laughing informed me they were for decoration not eating...who puts decoration in a sauce? He then jokingly ate one to make me feel better, but chewed it twice and spit it out! Now if he can't eat it who can? Well me apparently. Don't worry I'm alive, just a few taste buds and brain cells short.
OK so much for that summery. You are probably wondering, isn't she on a mission trip? Where is all the ministry she's doing? Well we start tomorrow when our translator gets here :) These last few days were spent learning about the culture and praying and team bonding. So the next blog post will probably be more ministry focused. Don't worry donors you didn't pay for a vacation! ;) Also I'll tell you about fisherman pants next time too.
Oh one more thing...You know how I'm short and well my feet don't touch the ground...imagine flying for over 17 hrs with your feet dangling...OMG my Kankles are insane!!! My feet and ankles were so fat that I couldn't even put my TOMS back on. They've gone down a bit but are still fatty. After the bus ride they were so bad again I couldn't get my Chacos on...Thank goodness for adjustable straps...
OK so my nicknames so far are lil pepper, lil flasher (oh I walked all over Bangkok with my skirt caught up in my backpack...not once, but twice...thank goodness for spandex shorts.), lil kankles/lil fatty foot, and more to come I'm sure...
Ok well we are off to the market for Lunch! Oh one more thing...I get up by 7am every morning! Can you believe it? I was the first one up this morning!!! Love you all and miss you dearly!
Love from Thailand! xx
Lil Blogger
Well. I'm in Thailand. Who would have thought. I'm trying to learn less is more so this is an attempt at a summary...let's see if it happens.
Things you should know:
1. Squat-tay Pot-tay...aka toilet on ground with feet marks on each side that you squat over. Did I mention Thai's don't use toilet paper? So I've been fortunate to have had a large enough bladder to hold it till we get home to the western toilet that lives in our room, so I've refused to use one yet...but I'm sure my luck will run out soon enough. But don't think I'm safe yet...you can't flush toilet paper...even in our precious western toilet. So there is this nice little waste basket that lives next to it and yes we put it in there....SO GROSS. But its ok.
2. Miniature Ants...Everywhere!!! Yesterday we were laying on our beds talking and all of a sudden I look down and see that the corner of my bed and half my pillow are covered in Ants. OMG I almost died! But PTL for wet wipes...
3. Food. We go to the market and eat every meal. Its awesome! Imagine cooking an awesome meal at home...then imagine showing up at a stand and having the same meal for less than a $1 and no clean up. Yes sometimes you're not sure you are eating chicken, but other than that its great. Yesterday I ate noodles for breakfast and they came wrapped in a leaf. Last night I ate something off a stick that was supposedly chicken but from the size of the spine, ribs and what I swear was a full wing, I'm guessing bat. We saw a Thai Chicken in a pen on our walk yesterday and they are really skinny...but really tall, so there is not way that was chicken. Other suggestions from the team were Rat, Hamster, and dog.
4. Dogs and cats. You know how we have foxes that run around or mice? They have dogs and cats. Wild cats! Millie and Calli would never be able to tough it here. Cats literally just wonder through the market and dogs are just chillin' on the side of a road. The only "pet" I saw was a pig chained up and I was informed that it wasn't probably a pet. I chose to ignore that its leash chain was connected to the side of a restaurant. So for my sanity and the innocence of heart I am saying pet.
4. Markets...why don't we have these? You can get a pile of cooked duck heads (don't worry when they serve you it they cut it up and throw out the beak) or you can go for the pig leg with all the shin and hoof attached or some live eels or roasted insects or my favorite tiny hot peppers (see ssection labled peppers below). Right next to all of this in the next tent are some of the cutest clothes I've ever seen (don't worry mom they only come in a size zero (so I can't buy them)...remember I'm in Asia. Seriously everyone is so tiny). But what I could buy was a Cath Kidston purse!!! Yes that's right. I kept seeing them everywhere and then I found it! So instead of $110 I got it for $25. It was a beautiful day. And very practical...I needed a day bag that went across my body ok? It just happens to be my favorite designer and floral.
5. Transportation. So we get picked up from the airport (ps the coolest building ever...how is that in a 3rd world country?) in a covered truck...aka a truck with a bench on each side, a roof, and a gate across the back. Don't worry of course there were no seat belts and it was all open on the sides. It reminded me of a ghetto version of the tram we took at universal studios. We got taken to the night bus in this too...in rush hour for 2 hours...I'm not sure how we didn't die from the fumes. So the buses we road around town? No one talks! Seriously. It is rude to talk on a bus! And we had like an hour ride to the train to take us to the temples. We got shushed a lot by our tour guide. Thank goodness Thai's have a lot of grace for "farangs" aka foreigners. We rode a boat too. The water is Brown. Brown. This is probably why we can't drink any water from the tap. Its crazy most of the people that live on the water are in extreme poverty. Like metal scrap houses. So different from the US. To drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai we took a 10 hr night bus. Let me tell you something, the Thai's know how to make a bus. Seats that recline fully, have a pop up foot rest and come with pillow and blanket provided. It is so strange, I'm in a third world country with extreme poverty and extreme luxury.
6. Rain...You think you know rain until you come to Thailand during their rainy season. Flash flood has an entire new meaning. Rain drops so big that in less that 5 mins you are wading through the streets up to your mid-calf. The adorable little floral raincoat from Target is not totally waterproof I found out. Better than nothing but...i was still soaked. Dad that plastic rain suit...GOLD here. The first time it rained we were on a prayer walk going to a bunch of the Buddhist temples in Bangkok. The second was Yesterday in Chiang Mia. Our dirt road to our house was flooded and we had to wade through it to go get dinner. The streets were so flooded that when cars drive by you can only seen half of their tires and I have no idea how all the motorbikes drive in it.
7.(which should be #1) Heat. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG it is sooooo hot and humid here. Everything sticks to you all the time. My hair is so curly and with my horrible hair cut I got...it looks like a mullet. I change clothes probably 4x a day and shower at least 5x. I know...you are all so proud. I have never felt so gross in my life. And guess what? Culturally they don't wear shorts above their knee or tank tops!!! 99% of everyone I've seen has been wearing jeans and 60% of those are SKINNY JEANS...can you imagine? And girls were wearing cardigans. And they weren't sweating...so weird. I'm intrigued. But my SPF 50 is doing its job. I don't even have a tan line (side note...they sell whitening cream! You know where we would look for self tanner...they have whitening cream. The whiter you are the higher your class and the more beautiful you are. So sad, b/c we all can't get over how beautiful and tan they are.) Oh and dad thanks for all the bug spray...we will use it all and the bug relief stick is in high demand...Brynn's bug bites are the size of silver $$.
8. Housing...Ok so one thing I love about Thailand is that there aren't "bad" parts of down exactly. Its all mixed in which gives it a much safer feeling. There will be a beautiful sky scrapper apt building and right against it are scrap metal houses. There will be a nice shopping center and right in front of it people have stands selling chicken. There are luxury cars driving next to rusted old work trucks. It is so beautiful. They live life together.
9. Everything is soooo Cheap...The average meal costs the team 250 Baht. That equals a little over $7...That covers our entire team! There are 7 of us! That means that each of our meals is about $1. Its crazy!!! And a 2L bottle of water is like 25 cents. Its crazy. And the food is AMAZING and the portions are perfect and normal.
10. Peppers. OK so Bik, who was our tour guide in Bangkok is from the south and said that all he has eaten is spicy food since he was born...so remember he has a crazy spicy tolerance. So he takes us to dinner at the market and orders a bunch of dishes for us to try. He says one is on the spicy side. I'm eating it and go to take my last bite of it and pick up what appears to be a red and green pepper. I think to myself, I shouldn't eat this, but naturally put it in my mouth. I'm chewing and swallow and think that wasn't bad. About 2 secs later I can feel this heat rising in my mouth...OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG my tongue had knives stabbing it. I almost died. I was shaking and crying and laughing and screaming all at the same time. I was chugging water and eating ice cream and nothing would make it stop! Apparently the smaller the pepper the hotter it is well I had not 1 pepper but 2, 1 inch long peppers. It burned for at least 20mins. I had to suck on ice cubes to keep it numb the entire rest of the meal. Then Bik who was dying laughing informed me they were for decoration not eating...who puts decoration in a sauce? He then jokingly ate one to make me feel better, but chewed it twice and spit it out! Now if he can't eat it who can? Well me apparently. Don't worry I'm alive, just a few taste buds and brain cells short.
OK so much for that summery. You are probably wondering, isn't she on a mission trip? Where is all the ministry she's doing? Well we start tomorrow when our translator gets here :) These last few days were spent learning about the culture and praying and team bonding. So the next blog post will probably be more ministry focused. Don't worry donors you didn't pay for a vacation! ;) Also I'll tell you about fisherman pants next time too.
Oh one more thing...You know how I'm short and well my feet don't touch the ground...imagine flying for over 17 hrs with your feet dangling...OMG my Kankles are insane!!! My feet and ankles were so fat that I couldn't even put my TOMS back on. They've gone down a bit but are still fatty. After the bus ride they were so bad again I couldn't get my Chacos on...Thank goodness for adjustable straps...
OK so my nicknames so far are lil pepper, lil flasher (oh I walked all over Bangkok with my skirt caught up in my backpack...not once, but twice...thank goodness for spandex shorts.), lil kankles/lil fatty foot, and more to come I'm sure...
Ok well we are off to the market for Lunch! Oh one more thing...I get up by 7am every morning! Can you believe it? I was the first one up this morning!!! Love you all and miss you dearly!
Love from Thailand! xx
Lil Blogger
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