..Arrival!!..

Well I've been in the sweaty country for 3 days now! Up to this point I've just been settling, adjusting and observing. Tomorrow classes start, craziness beings and relationship building begins!! I've learned here that not being able to speak Thai does limit you quite a bit since English isn't so present. BUT, thankfully God transcends the nations and that He is the same God here in this place as little Bend, Oregon.

Now is the intensity of Bangkok - we take taxis mostly for transportation. I just feel I need to share my 2nd taxi experience. Let me warn you: problems come when the driver doesn't understand where you are wanting to go. So we were on our way back to "The Center" which is my new home/school/church on Ramkahmhaeng Soi 30. No matter how many times told this wonderful man in Thai where we wanted to go, he just did not understand because of our accent. But you see..he did not tell us he didn't know. Instead he decides that he needs to grace us with singing. This dear man obviously didn't enjoy the radio. No. So let me tell you about this singing...picture humming/moaning/speaking/singing all in one, in Thai. I felt like I was living a very mbad American Idol audition in real life but he was taking this serviously. It wasn't consistent though...it came in bursts. I cannot tell you the effort it took to keep myself composed. But really it was useless. When my friend Cindi turned around to look at me, I lost it completely. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Poor, poor taxi man. I feel really bad but I honestly couldn't control myself. Now after the singing subsided, we find ourselves WAY far from home. Not at all where we were supposed to be. The amazing singing might have just been a distraction to take us away from where we actually wanted to go or he may really not have understood us. I will never know. We eventually got home but it took a bit longer than it should have.


So in addition to my taxi experience the adventures have begun. But in sitting backing and watching life here the past 3 days this is my first and very strong observation: this country of beautiful, smiley people need Jesus desperately. In this city of around 12 million people (and that is just big number to people until you are actually in the midst of the 12 million and it becomes incomprehendable), the Christian population is so little. I've heard different statistics but it's approx. 98% Buddhist and the rest is other. In the US where I'm so used to to going to a big city to find a big population of Christians, that's not the case here. Followers of Jesus are rare. It's not necessarily because they aren't being reached but it's the hardness of the hearts.

What's does it take to reach these people? Faithful, long term relationship building and more laborers.

I keep on being reminded of this verse today- "The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers in to his harvest." Luke 10:2

So pray with me for the church of Thailand for increase in faithful followers and disciples of Jesus to be able to reach out the HUGE population of a hard people to reach.

..Last Moments..

I sit here in the Seoul airport trying to figure what to do with myself before I get on to my last flight taking me to my new home, Bangkok, and thinking about all my last moments at home. I didn't really get many pictures, but the last few weeks have been saying lots of goodbyes to friends and family.

In about 20 mintues I will be off to a new place with new friends to meet and a new bed to sleep in. Scary but so exciting. Goodbye US (and Seoul)!

When I have more time, I will post about my fun vacation in Hawaii the past 2 weeks!