[month ten]

I feel like as soon as I bought my ticket back to America, time has been whizzing past! So, here I am, with only one "month update" left before I return state-side. Can we just take a minute and let the fact that I've been here ten months sink in??

Okay, so here are 4 highlights from the last month (I didn't always remember to take pictures, so I'm borrowing some from my friends... thanks friends!)

1. Beach: Koh Samet
A 2.5 hour van ride out of the city, and we arrived at this lovely island. It was full of character, Songkran festivities, and not so many tourists. Plus, we travelled everywhere by truck. Trucks, trees and the sea. It does my heart good.

[A few of my lovely sisters in Christ // L-R: Claire, Erica, Diane, Aom, Chelsea, Me, Monica // Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

[While riding in the back of these didn't provide much protection against the children with hoses spraying us, it was totally worth getting wet! And as most of the roads were dirt/mud, they were the perfect transportation choice.]

[We went to a fire show... and met one of the fire-breathers! He let me hold his fire-torch for the picture. I love fire... // Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

[Photo Credit: Claire Cecil]

[Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

[The waves on this beach were very placid, perfect for our canoeing excursion! // Photo Credit: Claire Cecil]

[Boat trip home after a lovely 2-day trip! // Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

2. Songkran

If you're not sure what Songkran is... check it out by clicking here! If you don't want to read all that, here's the short version: It's the Thai celebration of the new year, spanning 5 days where people throw water (or powder) on you and sometimes... there are bubbles. I wish I could make it sound more spiritual than a giant water fight with hundreds of your fellow Thailandians... but that was pretty much all it was. It was, hands down, my favorite Thai holiday. What a blast!

Part I: CentralWorld

[Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

Part II: Water Park!

[Claire and I joined some of our LifePoint family for a day trip to a near by roof-top waterpark! Complete with slides and a lazy river. Only $3. One of the perks of living in a big city.]

3. Family Dinner Night
We have a new and awesome family (the Hoods) who have come to the Guesthouse as Guesthouse managers. They are Australian, so fun, and have three adorable sons. Their first act as Guesthouse manager was to rename the Guesthouse from "Guesthouse" (because really, we aren't "guests"... we live here) to "Community House". If you know me, you know how important community is, so, needless to say, I'm excited about the change! We had our monthly family dinner night this month which included a full house (The 5 Hoods, Lorena, Betty, Luke, Patrick, Claire and I... plus a guest appearance from Bakery!). There was mexican pie, deep dish chicago-style pizza, baked beans, nutella stuffed cookies, brownies... so much food. But more than the food (and the food was definitely a highlight!) it was a wonderful chance to get to connect with this family and hear their heart for the Lord and ministry and how God brought them to Thailand and to our Community House!

[The pizza was super cheesy!]

4. Relationships
I remember Doug telling me once that you don't always choose who you invest in, they choose you. That has been something that I've thought about a lot since being here. Building friendships isn't always easy. The language barrier can be hard. Sometimes we have different interests. But my thought has been that, if God puts a person in my life, I want to be faithful to cultivate that relationship as much as I can. That has meant a lot of surface level investment with a lot of people I only see once or twice. But, sometimes they stick around. God has continued to bring some of the same people back into my life... Air, Kaew and Mam to name a few. I am so thankful for their friendships and for the conversations God opens up for us to have. Like Doug also says, "Quantity time breeds quality time." Sometimes I'm just spending time with them, seeing movies or hanging out. Other times, we have great conversations. Regardless, I hope that through our conversations and life-on-life contact they can see the difference that Christ makes in my life!

[Air and I // Photo Credit: Claire Cecil]

Thanks so much for your 10 months+ of support and prayers! You all are awesome! Praise God for your faithfulness to help further the Great Commission in Thailand.