My last day here.

Well today is my last day here and it is almost over. I wish that I can stay longer but at the same time I am excited to get to see most of my kids soon. Yay!

Today I went shopping with P A and Wun. We had a good time and I am excited about the stuff that I got.

Jennifer spent the night last night and we talked for a long time. She got to do more venting. I think that venting is good for the soul. Well kinda. Once you get it out then you need to put it behind you but whatever. Anyways, while we were talking a bunch of Thai ladies came upstairs and went into P Dton and P Goi's room. They are the pastors of the church here.

After a little while they came out and asked me and Jen to go with them in the foreigner staff bedroom and have Jen translate for them. So we go in and ask Wendy, a Chinese American, if she could pray for Buap. Because before Buap became a Christian she had gone to the Chinese Buddhist temple and asked three spirits into her life to help her find a new job and to help her family. Well now that she is saved they are still there and she wanted Wendy to pray for them to leave. Wendy told her to pray and repent for asking them in and ask God to forgive her and then we would pray and agree with her. We also told her that she had authority over them and that if she ever sees them again to rebuke them in Jesus' name.

Towards the beginning I got a small kine picture. It was her but it was a big tree. Like an oak or something. Then while we were praying the picture became clear and complete. The tree was her. The tree had big roots going down into a river. A big river not a trickling stream. The tree was swaying in the wind and that was her worshiping God continually. Her roots went deep into the river and the river was God washing over her and cleansing her and feeding her. That was the picture.

Jen and I had a good time being together and I was glad that I got to be with her. This morning we went and I got a hair cut and she got her hair done. It was good. My hair cut is really good and it was only 4 dollars.

Tomorrow is the last day!

I leave Thailand on Sunday. That means that tomorrow is my last full day here.

Yesterday was a better day. I was talking to Wun and she was telling me about the hard time they are having with one of the ministries that they started 6 months ago. I just encouraged her a lot about it and we had a good conversation. We made plans to go to the store and buy stuff to make Tom Yum Gai after we go to the community and play with the kids. Then we were going to make it when we got back.

Well that plan got messed up because Tik, Ornin, Muyung and P Hut came to see me and they wanted to take me to eat. I felt bad about Wun But she understood and told me that they were my ministry and that I should go with them. We had a good time and after we ate I took them to see Anon formerly known as Anthony, to get some Roti. 

The girls were really excited about seeing me and we had a good time. It was cool to get to see them. I was the first one to meet them and I was the one who brought them to the Good News Study Center. I am proud to see them still around. But it is kinda disappointing to see them not too interested in Jesus. But I know seeds are being planted. I can only pray now.      

Liz is gone

I am supposed to have a journal everyday. Well I have not done it. And I still have not found out why I am here.

Two days ago Liz and I went to go to the floating market. We left the base and got on a bus that would take us to the southern bus terminal. Then we got on another bus that would take us to the floating market. The first bus was an hour and a half long then the bus to the floating market was 2 hours long. The town where the floating market was was very disappointing. The street was very wide and made of dirt. Which was ok but it was so big that dirt was everywhere. And most of the time it was wet so it was muddy.

There was nothing to do there. Liz and I finally found a place to eat it was over priced and the food was really bad. I think that they thought that we didn't want any spicy because we were white. But oh well.

There was nothing to do so we just sat (or layed on our beds) all night long talking up a storm. One thing we discussed was maybe God sent us all the way to Thailand to make us rest. Maybe? Just maybe.

I think that there is something happening that I can't see or feel. There has got to be. I just don't know what it is. One thing that P Dton told me was that he was so glad that I came to visit them. When he heard me say that to them he said that he almost cried. I was surprised. Then he told me later that everyone is happy when I laugh. But with his accent I thought he said that everyone was happy went I left. Then I realized what he meant and couldn't help but laugh.

Maybe I am making a difference.

What am I doing here?

It has been awhile since I updated. I wish that I can say that we have been busy but I can't.

I have been praying a lot about why I am here. I don't understand. I hope that God will tell me.

I got to talk with my friend Jen. She was here with me the first time I was here. She moved here a year and a half ago. She just told me a lot about what is going on in her life and her problems and heart aches. I am glad that I was here so that she could talk about it with me. So that she had somebody to talk to.

Maybe that is why I am here. I be a listening ear for those who are here. Jen, Fai. Fai is from here and she is living in Mae Sot. She has been there for 2 months now. This was her first visit back and she was only here for three days or so. One night we stayed up really late. And she talked to whole time. Telling me about the people there who are giving her problems. It was good I think for her to be able to talk about it.

Maybe that is why I am here. I don't know.

Getting lost, sick and beat up

Well from the title let me assure you that I am not sick or beat up. But today me and Liz got lost. What is new with the two of us. It seems that getting lost is one of our favorite things to do besides eating Thaifood.

I picked up Liz at the airport on Tuesday. We went to the Good news Study Center and talked to Kelly and it turned out really good. The Thai staff have allowed up to stay in their room and that is a blessing. They are not making us pay but they ask that we put money in the offering at church. That is great. God totally provides.

That day we went down the street and got some roti from Anthony. He makes great Roti. I don't remember what else we ate. Actually I think that was it. That night before we left the center we were walking out of the doors and there I see Tik Ornin and Muyoung. The girls that I met and brought to the center last time I was here. They have been emailing me and they always ask when I am comming back and I always tell them that I can't. They did not know that I was comming. They must not have got the email. So I stop and just look at them. At first they did not recognize me. I have lost weight, am darker and I think prettier than last time. So they stopped and looked and then said, "Christine?" So I said "Hi" All of a sudden there was screaming and big hugs and I thought that I was going to fall over and get trampled. It was great fun.

Yesterday Liz and I went and saw a movie and went shopping and did what ever. Then today we went to eat toast and sweetened condensed milk and then we decided to go and walk around. Then we thought we can walk back to the center. It turns out that we got lost and had been walking for over an hour the wrong direction. Do we caught two busses and made it back in time to take a nap and go to a community near by and play with some kids. That was fun. The team was late because Fai got sick and fainted down the street from the base and so they had to make sure she was ok.

Then after we got back from the kids outreach Liz and I decided to go get something to eat. As we were walking on to the road we saw a guy lying on the ground and there were three guys kicking him in the back and the head. Then some cops came and two of the three guys ran away the other guy as we walked past had on hand cuffs.

It started to rain really hard so we went inside the internet cafe and now here I am. I think I starting to freeze so I have to go.

Waiting for Liz

Well here I am at 7:26am Bangkok time and I have three hours to kill before Liz is supposed to get off the plane. I did not get to stay at the Good News Study Center last night which was fine. I think that the Thai people felt bad about that. They should not be the ones to feel bad because I was the one who just popped up out of nowhere. They were not prepared for me. Which is understandable.
 
Anyways, I stayed at a place down the road from the base. (Good News Study Center = Worldbase) I had to pay 330B equivalent to $8.25. Which is not to bad for the US but I think that it was pricey for Thailand. Well, not for Thailand but for me in Thailand. I would rather pay about 120B or $3. I know I am cheap. I should have been born Pake.
 
This is the money that I have spent so far:
 
$20.20 US at the airport in Honolulu on Chocolate covered Mac nuts for Kelly and everybody at the base.
$39.00 US exchange into Baht. = 1,398.25B exchange rate $1=39.95B
 
  20B on the bus to Bangkapi
    5B on the bus from Bangkapi to Ramkhamhaeng
  23B Mangostein (the best fruit that God made)
  30B internet last night
  10B Roti (Indian type tortilla thing that had chocolate powder and sugar and sweetened condensed milk.) mmm
330B hotel room
    5B water that I am drinking now
 
Total Baht =  423B = $11 almost
 
I really need to eat some Thai food. Som Tom and Tom Ka sounds really good right now. I already ate the Mangostein. Oh it was so good.
 
Anyways back to my day so far. I had the hotel give me a wake up call at 4:30am but I think that they called at 4am because by the time I got down to the lobby to check out it was 4:15. So I checked out because I didn't know if I would be back in time to check out by noon. Then I walked to the center and sat a round for awhile. Then at a little after 5 we left for the airport. The FMS team this year was leave for home. I was glad I was not leaving. That will be soon enough. Well I went with them because I would get a free ride to the airport because I have to pick up Liz at 10:30 or so.
 
 Jen Stevens is here. I was glad to see her. She told me that she thought about me a lot. That made me feel good. I hope that they are glad that I am here. I hope that they don't feel put out. Jen told me about Nikki. I knew that Nikki got sick and was in a comma but I thought that she was better. I guess it turns out that she has short term memory loss. I guess it is not really really bad like on 50 first dates. But still that is not good. She got some sort of Malaria and meningitis. It messed with her brain. I guess she is lucky that she is still alive. Other people were getting this illness at that time and most were dying from it.
 
 So I hung out with everybody and they all left around 6:15am. I walked around the airport for awhile and then decided to cross the street. So I went out. I didn't want to sit in the airport in Thailand when I was only going to be here for two weeks! And now here I am in an internet cafe. Whatever. I want to find some Som Tom on my way back to the airport. I walked a long way and I hope that I don't get lost on the way back. I don't think I will. I keep on getting looks and people want to help me or get me a ride. They don't understand that I am not a normal person who wants all the American luxury. I like the third world atmosphere. Although Thailand is not third world anymore, it is a "developing" country. Anyways I love just walking down the street and seeing all the people and cars and vendors and dogs and garbage. I know I am weird. What can I say that is the way God made me.   
 

Finally made it!

Well I finally made it to Thailand. Although I don't know why I am saying finally because the flight seemed to go by so fast. On the flight I was so excited about the take off I was disappointed because I couldn't help but fall asleep right before it happened. Was a bit sad. But I got to experience leaving Taipei.
 
I left Honolulu at about 8am on Sunday morning and arrived 15 hours later in Bangkok at 4:15 Monday afternoon. I walked out of the Airport and was invited to take a taxi for 650 Baht or $16.50. I knew that was an outrageous price so I politely declined. Then I saw that there was an airport bus. I had a feeling that it was going to be over priced also but I thought that the workers would know about how to catch a regular bus. So she told me to walk down the road to the bus stop outside of the airport and catch a #95 bus to Bangkapi (a street) then catch another bus to Ramkhamheang. Where the Good News Study Center is. That is what I did and it seemed that it took longer to make this journey than it was to fly here. It wasn't really that bad.
 
I had emailed Kelly, the missionary here, a few weeks ago when I knew that I was going to be coming and asked if I was going to be able to stay at the base. I only got one email back saying that they had changed the dorms into class rooms and that there might not be room for me there. I was not sure about what was going to happen so I was prepared for anything. 
 
I showed up at the world base and they had no idea I was coming. I was not surprised. It was ok though. I feel bad, I feel like I am putting them out. Tomorrow I will go pick up Liz at the airport and talk to Kelly and see where we will be staying. It would be nice if we can stay at the base but we might not be able to. God will provide for me and I know that is true.
 
I wasn't very excited the whole way here. It didn't seem very real to me. Then it hit me when I walked out of the airport and felt the warm humidity (which wasn't as bad as I was expecting or remembering it to be) I couldn't help but start laughing. It was a great feeling.