[week one]

Yesterday marked our "one week" anniversary in Bangkok. The first week was important to start developing relationships, recover from jet-lag, and orientate ourselves to the city. While we still don't know where everything is, we can go to Victory Monument to get smoothies or noodles, we know where the closest shopping and grocery stores are, and we can navigate the BTS (/Skytrain). Dylan, one of the other missionaries, even showed me how to get to "Soi Ha" a local street market that sells affordable fruits and vegetables, as well as the nearest Starbucks (for Claire... and Doug when the team comes!).

[left to right: Aom, Claire, me, Noo, and Kung]

[Buying fresh fruit smoothies at Victory Monument... only 15 Baht!]

Today, however, is the beginning of week two. And I think week two will prove to be a lot more interesting than week one-- if this morning was any indication! Today, I crossed the street alone for the first time. I took the BTS solo for the first time. And I got lost for the first time. In all fairness, I knew exactly where I was... it's just that no one else could find me. (Mom & Grandma, don't worry! I found my way home :) )

Today, I also had my "hit the wall moment" as Doug calls it. I've felt exhausted all day and, for the first time since I've been here, I really felt frustrated by my inability to do things for myself. Moving to another country feels like regressing back into my childhood. I'm not independent anymore. I need other people all the time to help me figure out where to go and what to buy. Some of the foods are also so foreign that I have to ask how it is to be eaten. Do I eat the skin? Not eat the skin? Is that thing on my plate that came with my meal edible? Is all of it edible? etc. It is exhausting. And today, I felt it. So, I took some time to nap... okay, I took two times to nap, and tonight I'm going to bed early also.

It is no coincidence that Claire and I decided a few days ago to begin a book study on Sifted-- which we selected per Josh and Tasha Via's recommendation (well, not to us personally, but they recommended it on twitter!). So between my naps today (stop judging!) I read the introduction and chapter 1 and it was such an encouragement. Wayne Cordeiro describes sifting as:

A process that forms new character, tearing away old perspectives and putting fresh truth in its place. Former habits are discarded and wrong tendencies are abandoned... it produces clarity about who we are and what we do, giving definition to the work of ministry that produces long-term results and fruitfulness... Scripture tells us that the challenges we face in life happen for a reason, and the process of sifting refines us, revealing our weaknesses, exposing our self-dependence and inviting us to greater faith in God and greater dependence on his promises.

While getting lost hardly qualifies as "sifting", I do think that this next year of my life will involve sifting. Being away from the familiar and being unable to rely on my own "know-how" is an interesting place to be... but I think it is a good place. In Thailand, I only have God (and His Church) to rely on. (I'm not sure why I even want to say "only God" when that is obviously more than enough.) This experience is showing and revealing to me how much I depend/rely on other things. Because when those "things" aren't there... it is glaringly obvious. This area is something you can be praying for me about (and Claire, also).

For the many of you who are faithfully praying for me, thank you. It is such an encouragement to know that there is an army of my brothers and sisters lifting up Claire and me. There is so much more I want to share with you all, but I promised myself to get plenty of sleep tonight! (We are getting up bright and early in the morning to visit "The Well"-- a ministry for women who are brought out of the bars in Thailand.) So until later...