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So, maybe someday things will slow down…or maybe not! It seems like exciting things just keep happening. Not that I am complaining or anything. It definitely makes time go by quickly. I will once again try to give you a thorough update without boring you with too many details but including enough of them to at least make it an interesting read.:)
Malaysia
The month began with a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. So, Kim and I hopped on the overnight train from Ubon to Bangkok where we caught our 2 hour flight to KL (as the "cool" people call it). The main purpose of the trip was to get Kim's visa from the embassy there which turned out to be a lot more successful than the attempt in Laos a month earlier. The rest of the time that we were there was spent seeing the sights and doing lots of shopping at the markets, as well as consuming more than our share of American cuisine that we can't get in Ubon. We gorged ourselves at places like, McDonalds, Kenny Rogers Roasters, A&W, Cinnabon, and TGIFridays! Oh man, I don't think food has ever tasted so good! I definitely spent the most on one meal at TGIFridays than I have since I left the states, but it was definitely worth it. Other than the food, we spent a lot of time walking and riding the Light Rail which took us to places like the Petronas Twin Towers, which are currently the tallest in the world, the KL Tower, which looks like the Space Needle in Seattle, and a Muslim Mosque where we met a very interesting man. Overall, KL was a wonderful place and it was nice to have so many people who spoke English for a change. The culture was different from either the US or Thailand and I'm glad I was able to experience it. Check out pictures of all the fun in KL on my website!
Bangkok
Upon our arrival in Bangkok from KL, we met up with the rest of our team who had made the trip out for Bum's (I'll tell you more about her in the next paragraph for those who don’t know who she is) graduation on October 10. Again in Bangkok we made sure to get our fill of American fare with more McDonalds, Outback Steakhouse, and Subway. Yum! Other than that, we went to a gigantic outdoor market that is about the size of four football fields…shoppers paradise! No, I didn't spend too much money. :) Unfortunately, Steve and Greta had about $200 stolen from them by a pick-pocket. Then on top of that, they lost their new digital camera. Not a great time in Bangkok for them, so pray that God will provide a way to get another camera and they won't feel the impact of the stolen money. The last day in Bangkok was our sightseeing day where we took a tour of the canals in Bangkok via canal boat and along the way stopped at a snake farm, royal barge, and The Grand Palace. The visit to Bangkok was fun, but I am definitely glad that I don't live there and we were able to leave after a couple of days. There are also many pictures of these fun events (including me with a boa constrictor) on the website.
Bum
Bum (pronounced Boom) is our new wonderful roommate and friend! She graduated from Bible College in Bangkok and is now living in Ubon. She speaks excellent English. Teaching us Thai and helping at the church are part of her responsibilities along with helping us get along in everyday life. She is so much fun to be around and we always have tons of fun together. She is definitely a great asset to life here in Thailand. We talk about Utah quite often because, as some of you know, she lived there for 9 months in 2001. I was living in Colorado at the time so we never met until I came to Thailand.
The North Eastern Polytechnic College
This is the school where Kim and I begin teaching on November 3. We met with the Chancellor of the school on October 1 at which point they said that they would like to have us there. We will each be teaching three classes that are 3.5 hours long, one each day Wednesday thru Friday. My classes consist of two English Level 2 classes and one English Level 4 class. Should be interesting as we are still waiting to get all of the curriculum and course schedules, but that is Thailand for you. Just roll with the punches. :) They also don't have a printed calendar of holidays, etc completed yet, so that is still up in the air as well. It will be very different because they do not give time off for Christmas, but I'm pretty sure we will have some time off for New Years. I guess this is where the real excitement begins!
Church
We are getting more and more involved at the church which is great. Even though there is still a language barrier, I am feeling more connected and like I am gaining some new friendships. We had the first get-together at our house after Bible Study a couple of weeks ago. We ordered pizza for everyone and made root beer floats. Yum! We did find out that not all Thai's like pizza that well, but some of them love it. Pizza is expensive here for a Thai person so they don’t get to eat it that much. That must be why they don’t like it because I can’t think of any other explanation. :) The coolest part is that three people have accepted Christ while we have been here! Praise God! That is very exciting! We will also begin teaching English at the church 4 times a week. Each night we will teach three classes (elementary, intermediate, advanced). Steve and I will be teaching the young kids (6-11 year olds), Kim will be teaching the intermediate, and Greta will teach the advanced class. The church is printing brochures with our lovely faces on them, as well as advertising with a large sign outside of the church. We are hoping that this will have a large impact and be a great outreach! Pray for that!
Kid's Camps
We helped with two kids camps in one week. Man that was exhausting, but very fun! The first camp was with other Mekong Churches in the area. We all loaded up in trucks and headed down to a National Park in the southern part of the province. What a beautiful place! It was fun to get out of the city and into nature. We took the kids to a waterfall that was gorgeous and they enjoyed that immensely! I don’t think I have ever seen kids have so much fun in water before! The second camp was with Bum's school. Everyone traveled to the furthest east point in Thailand for a retreat. Kim, Bum and I helped with the kids while the adults held some meetings. We even managed to befriend some people from Norway who were staying at a resort nearby. They were kind enough to take us there to enjoy the swimming pool and the American cuisine.
Random Stuff
Our car/truck – we inherited a great little car that we call "Pat" (takeoff from SNL, is it a car or is it a truck?!?) I'll have to get some pictures on the website soon so you can see what I am talking about.
Fireworks – It is unbelievable how much some Thais like fireworks! We hear them many times each day and I'm not sure why. How much fun can it really be to listen to them "boom" and man are some of them really obnoxious. If I didn't know better I would think that I lived in a war zone.
Weather – We are apparently entering the "cool" season, whatever that means. Basically, the rain stops and the humidity "drops" to closer to 50% and there is a breeze at night. But, I still find it hot considering if I were at home it would be closer to 45 degrees rather than the usual upper 80's and lower 90's here. Although, I am not sad to be missing the snow for the first time in my life.
Bakers - I have been able to see the Bakers on a regular basis which always lifts my spirits. We have gone to Sisaket a couple of times to experience the cheapest steak dinner anywhere and wander around the Sunday night market. And this past week, Randy celebrated his birthday by coming to Ubon to get a tooth worked on. So we took him and Rita to lunch and then later in the day Dean, Bum and I drove to Sisaket and went to dinner with them at a fabulous shrimp place. It's great to have friends from home so close by!
Keeping Busy - We have found other random ways to keep busy around here, including finding a swimming pool at one of the hotels where we can play around for a while to cool down. I have also been attempting to do aerobics at the local park. I say attempt because I really am not very coordinated in that area and then you add in the fact that all the directions are in Thai. I'm sure that it’s a sight to see for sure especially since I already stick out because I am a farang. Oh well.
Todd - I had another fun little surprise. My friend Todd was in Thailand for about 8 days and he gave me a call while he was here. Unfortunately, he was in Chiang Mai and I was unable to make it up there to see him, but it was nice to talk to him while he was in Thailand. Thanks for calling Todd!
New Picture Galleries
Be sure to check out the new pictures in the following new galleries: Malaysia, Bum's Graduation, Touring Bangkok 1, Touring Bangkok 2, Kid's Camps, and Miscellaneous. http://www.webspawner.com/users/imaducky2/index.html
Prayer Requests
1. Communication within the team along with unity. Right now things are going well between all of us.
2. Kim and I will begin teaching at The North Eastern Polytechnic College on Wednesday, November 3. Pray for confidence in teaching ability as well as quickly building relationships with the students. Pray for effective teaching.
3. All of us will begin teaching English at the church as well. We will be teaching 4 days a week, 3 classes a day (elementary, intermediate, advanced). Pray that this will go well and we will find some great curriculums and that this will be a great outreach opportunity.
4. The church rent is going up 2000 Baht ($50) a month which is a lot of money for this little church. Pray that God provides the funds and the church will trust in Him through this.
5. I am still trying to learn the Thai language. We have been so busy that this is getting a little neglected. It has been fun though to learn new words from our new Thai friends. Last week, Bum began teaching us for an hour each day.
6. Health – Well, I did it. I finally got sick. It was just a bad cold, but I would rather not get another one any time soon.
7. Pray for my family as they are still adjusting to me being gone. Pray that we don't miss each other too much. (And oh yeah, Happy 30th Anniversary Dad and Mom!)
8. Pray for Thai people, that God will open their hearts to Him and they will see the truth of Jesus.
9. Pray that culture shock will not hit too badly. There have been some tough days along with great days.
10. Pray that ultimately everything I do will glorify and honor God! That people will see Jesus through me.
Praises
1. Kimss visa came through in Malaysia. Yeah!
2. Safe travel to and from Bangkok and to and from Malaysia. We used many modes of travel (car, overnight train, airplane, light rail, taxi, motorcycle taxi, canal boats, etc.) and made it through them all safely.
3. That God always works things out in His time.
4. Good relationships amongst the team.
5. To experience God in another culture and know He is the same and in control.
6. The problems with my wrists seem to be gone. Praise God! Thanks for your prayers!
Words of Encouragement
Psalm 86:11-13 (NLT)
Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
that I may honor you.
With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
I will give glory to your name forever,
for your love for me is very great.
You have rescued me from the depths of death!
Psalm 89:1-2, 5-8 (NLT)
I will sing of the tender mercies of the Lord forever!
Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
Your unfailing love will last forever.
Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.
All heaven will praise your miracles, Lord;
myriads of angels will praise you for your
faithfulness.
For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord?
What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?
The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God.
He is far more awesome than those who surround
his throne.
O Lord God Almighty!
Where is there anyone as mighty as you, Lord?
Faithfulness is your very character.
Psalm 115:1 (NLT)
Not to us, O Lord, but to you goes all the glory
for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Jude 1:24-25 (NLT)
And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy. All glory to him, who alone is God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to him, in the beginning, now, and forevermore. Amen.
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3. October 2004
