[month five]

Today is a big day for a lot of reasons...

- Today is the 5 month anniversary of when Claire and I left Fredericksburg for Thailand. When I say that the time here is flying, I do mean flying! It's hard to believe that we've been here for 5 months already... and yes, I know I'll probably say that every month until I leave.

- Today, the "D.C. Three" (as Lorena fondly called us) was disbanded, as there are only two now. Laura left us today to return to America. I greatly dislike all these goodbyes; it seems like there is always someone leaving! But I am grateful for the time I did get with Laura, and the opportunity to get to know her better... and to know her, is to love her. I have been very blessed by her. It is evident that in only 3 months, she has already made a big impact here. She has also been an iron-sharpening-block for me and I have benefited greatly from her wisdom and relationship with God. She has helped me process all-things-Thailand, provided comic relief, and been a thoughtful friend. It was hard to say goodbye to her today, but it helps knowing all that God is calling her to once she returns. She has been well-stocked with hugs from me, so if you see her, feel free to request one of them!

[LaLa, as we have nicknamed her, and our last night at the guest house. We treated her to a farewell evening on the town! Complete with French desserts and a night-view of the city]

- Today marks the one-week mark until the BKK Half-Marathon! With only 7 days left, there is still time to pledge. All of the money raised will go to help the Kelley family in their adoption process... and the giving is done online through YouCaring, so no hassle! If you want more information, click here.

- Tonight I had the opportunity to help lead the Sunday Bible Class. John Lapos was giving his doctoral dissertation in Malaysia and was unable to teach, so he asked me to lead the group in his stead. The first part was for new believers and John asked me to talk with them about how to share their testimony. Two of the people who attended the class were not believers, so when it came time for them to write down their testimonies, I asked them to write, instead, what they knew about God. When it was time to share, one of these two, Mr. Wiichai, proceeded to share the Gospel with me. He is so close to accepting Christ. He reads through the book of John on his own, and says that he does have a desire to know Christ. Tonight he said that he hopes that soon he will be ready to become a Christian. He is someone that a lot of people have invested in and had conversations with. When the Spotswood short term team was here, Ryan spent a couple hours with Mr. Wiichai answering his questions and talking to him about the Gospel. Repeated interactions like that have led him to have a pretty extensive knowledge of the Bible... and it seems like his heart is being softened into accepting what his mind already knows. Please be praying for him!

Other news and updates...

- November 19th I will start a new session of Thai school! Please pray for me. I am very excited about being intentional in learning more Thai, but 20 hours/week in class leaves my head feeling pretty mushy.

- Term 6 has begun! I finished my first week of Term 6... and I'm so excited!! I have 7 classes, and 3 tutees this term. My classes all have such awesome and unique dynamics. I think that this term will be my favorite so far. I think part of it is because I am becoming more familiar with the curriculum and in the classroom, but a lot of it has to do with my students also. I have taught some of them previously, so we have a rapport. I'm more of a known quantity, now. And, all my classes seem to have a great sense of humor and think I'm funny also. A double-win.

- Claire and I were adopted for Thanksgiving! We will be having a home-made feast with the LifePoint staff at Tiffany and Steve's home. I'm sure this will get its own post when it happens, but needless to say, we are thrilled we won't be homeless for the holiday!

That's all for now! Thank you so much for following along on my time here and for your faithful prayers. Sending lots of love and humid weather your way... :)