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September was another exciting and crazy month! I can't even begin to tell you everything that happened, but I'll do my best and hopefully I won't bore all of you with too many details.
Driver's Licenses
Well, the month started off still in Chiang Mai and with hopes of getting driver's licenses along with motorcycle licenses. Yikes! Driving in Thailand is crazy! Think of all the rules of the road that you know and throw them out the window and you have driving in Thailand. The automobile license was no problem, all we had to do was show them our US license and they issued us a 1 year Thai license. The motorcycle license on the other hand is a different story. We were required to take a written as well as a driving test. We studied for about 15 minutes and then took the written test and we all passed, barely, but we passed. Next came the driving test. Now keep in mind that I had been on a motorcycle twice around a neighborhood block and now I am expected to make it through a course that requires some skill. To say the least I was a little bit nervous, but I hopped on the motorcycle and took a shot at it. The first test was turning right, not too hard. Then I was supposed to drive across a raised block about 50 feet long by 1 foot wide without driving off, a little more difficult. Then another right turn followed by weaving through 5 cones without hitting any of them or falling off the bike, not too bad. After that the rest of the course consisted of a couple more turns and stops, which I am pleased to say that I am able to stop...that is important. Once you go through the course once you have to do it all over again just to make sure that it wasn't a fluke I guess. The first time I made it through easily, but the second time I drove off the raised block towards the end. Luckily, the guy wasn't watching at that moment so he didn't see! So, I have a motorcycle license! Kind of a scary thought!
That was by far the most exciting part of the month, but the rest wasn't dull either.
Cooking School
The last weekend we were in Chiang Mai, we learned to cook some Thai food! In about four hours we made 6 dishes along with one dessert. Now, that's a lot of food! It was a lot of fun to see how Thai's cook. We started off by making our own green curry paste from scratch, by grinding the herbs, chili peppers, etc. by hand to be used in a green curry dish served over rice. Along with that we made a spicy prawn soup, chicken soup, Pad Thai noodles, Cashew Chicken, and a veggie dip. Then for dessert we made some black sticky rice with coconut milk and sugar. Yum!
Dinner River Cruise
We all went on a dinner river cruise in Chiang Mai which was a lot of fun. For a couple of hours we just cruised up and down the river eating and enjoying the "cool" night air along with each other's company.
Laos
Soon it was time to hit the road. On September 8, we loaded all our stuff into the car and headed towards Ubon Ratchathani which will be home for the rest of our time in Thailand. However, we needed to make a stop in Laos to try and get Kim the correct visa so she can actually teach. She is still here on a tourist visa. Now, if you look at a map, Laos is not exactly on the way from Chiang Mai in the far north to Ubon in the lower Northeast. We made a detour of about 2.5 hours each way. I found the ride quite comfortable as I laid on top of all the luggage piled in the back of the station wagon. Someone has a picture of that somewhere, but I'm not sure where. Our day in Laos was quite unsuccessful. First of all it was interesting being in a communist country. The conditions in the capital city of Vientiane were worse than in some of the outskirts in Thailand. We were able to use our Thai Baht as money with the exchange rate being 254 Lao Kip to 1 Thai Baht and 40 Thai Baht to 1 US Dollar. Our first stop was to the Thai Embassy which still wouldn't give Kim her visa. We really had no other reason to stay in Laos but we decided to do some sight-seeing while we were there and had paid $30 to get into the country. Then the rain came. Now, I,m not just talking about a light rain. I'm talking about a considerable downpour. We were determined though so we caught Tuk-tuks (3 wheeled taxis) to a few sights including the National Museum and the National Monument (both pictured on my website). Completely drenched by the rain we decided to head back to Thailand and end our visit to Laos. We spent the night just over the border and made our way to Ubon the next day.
Housing
Upon arrival in Ubon we were prepared to have a house waiting for us that would accommodate our needs and would allow all four of us to live together. However, things aren't always as you plan. The house ended up coming with a Grandma who was to live in the bottom level. That was a surprise! Well, with no other options at the moment we stayed at that house for the night to find that the neighbor has 6, count them six, dogs who like to howl and bark all night! Not good! That about sealed the deal to look for other houses. We first found a house for Steve and Greta which needed a lot of work to make it livable, including painting inside and out along with a thorough cleaning. Luckily in the meantime, Dean knew some people who let us stay at their house. After we got Steve and Greta's house finished it was time to move on to a house for Kim and I. There was a house that we had seen that looked very nice from the outside but we couldn't get inside to see it. Well, to make a long story short this house is great! The inside is very nice it just needed a super-duper cleaning job which we had help with from some church members. So, after about a week and a half in Ubon we finally had a house to live in. Yippee!
Sisaket
After arriving in Ubon the first day, we headed to Sisaket province which is about 60 kilometers from Ubon to help my good friends, Randy and Rita Baker with a weekend English Camp at Kamphaeng School in Utunphomphisai. It was great to be with some familiar faces from home! We mostly just observed the camp and helped out with some of the games to get an idea of how to run an English Camp. It was a lot of fun. The rest of the team left after the first day to head back to Ubon to deal with the housing situation that I mentioned above. I had the excellent opportunity to stay with the Bakers in Sisaket for a few days to rejuvenate and refocus and just spend time with people I know and love. I was able to experience what their life in Sisaket is like and eat at some of their favorite restaurants and go to some fun markets.
The Mekong Church
I have been able to go to church twice now and I am really enjoying being there! Even though I don't know the words to the songs they are singing it is awesome to know that God does and they are worshipping God through it! Our God is amazing! We have also gone to a few Thursday night Bible Studies for the college age group. It's been great to get to know some of them and they always have meals together after church and Bible Study. I had my first Korean barbeque and that was cool. It's more of an event than a meal since it takes a couple of hours to finish. The last couple Thursdays, we taught English for an hour before the Bible Study which was a lot of fun. Itss great to be getting involved with the people and ministry at the church.
The Neighborhood
We live in a great neighborhood. Our next door neighbor is a politician so we don't see him much, but the neighbor next to him is a wonderful old lady. She is so cute and comes down to visit us often even though we can't understand each other. She even helped do yard work when we were getting ready to move in. Already, she has come over when the pastor's wife, Lin, was here and Lin had the opportunity to talk to her about God and give her a Book of Luke. God is already providing awesome opportunities! Across the street from us is a giant field set up for soccer or other fun games. During the day, the cows spend their time there eating and sleeping and whatever else cows do. Then in the evening it is open for games. Also, it provides a great view of the sunset to not have any houses to block the way.
The Housekeeper
One of the most humbling experiences I have faced yet is having a housekeeper. We found a wonderful lady from church who needed a job. She lives off of odd jobs that she can find. She started cleaning our houses and doing our laundry on Monday and it is a weird feeling to have someone cleaning up for you. I struggle with feeling bad for making someone clean up after me and feeling grateful that I have the resources to help her out and provide an income for her. I can't even begin to explain the experience because I don't have the words. I want to do so much more for her. I feel like we are taking advantage of her because in American money we aren't paying her much, but in Thai Baht it is a significant amount. It is hard to reconcile the difference in my life and hers. I don't know what to do with it. I pray that God can use me to brighten her life and provide for her beyond just the basic wage. Someone had to show her how to use the washing machine because she had never used one before. On top of that she is illiterate and can't read or write Thai let alone English. Right now I am unable to communicate with her beyond hello and offering her water to drink and food to eat. It's good motivation to learn Thai.
The Food
So here is probably the hardest thing for me, eating Thai food everyday. It's so long McDonalds as long as I am out here in the Northeast. The closest McD¡¦s is over 3 hours away! Oh well. I have tried more things than I thought I would, I just can't handle the hot stuff, which takes out almost everything here in the Northeast which is known for it's spicy food. When they fix lunch after church they try to have a mild dish for the "farang" (term used for foreigner especially with light skin color), but I still often end up eating a bowl of rice. But, the good news is that the grocery story carries some American food! Not much but some. Most importantly I found Kraft Ranch dressing, Hershey's chocolate syrup, Skippy or Jif peanut butter (not cheap!), Miracle Whip for tuna sandwiches, and Betty Crocker cake and cookie mixes! With a diet like that I may come back 50 pounds heavier...I better stick with the Thai food whenever possible. Besides, it is cheaper to eat Thai food at a restaurant than to eat American food at home. I will be in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in less than a week so I'll get my fill of American fast food then I'm sure. :)
Random Thoughts
1. Minimum wage here is less than 200 Baht a day which equals to be about $5.
2. I will never get used to hearing someone say, "Hey Connie, there's a baby cow in the front yard" or "Look, there's an elephant outside."
3. Many of you thought and joked about how when I am in Thailand I will feel tall since most Thai's are short. However, that is not the case. Most Thai's over the age of 15 are taller than me or at least as tall. Oh well, sigh... And I thought that it would be good to buy pants over here and they wouldn't be so long. That is also not the case.
Prayer requests
1. Kim's visa - Kim and I are going to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia October 6-9 to try to get her visa there. Please pray that she will get it this time. It is important that she have this so she can start teaching in November.
2. Safe travel to and from Bangkok and to and from Malaysia.
3. Communication within the team along with unity. Right now things are going well between all of us.
4. Kim and I need to make a decision soon on which school we will be teaching at. Pray for wisdom to know where God wants us.
5. The church rent is going up 2000 Baht 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.
6. I am still trying to learn the Thai language. We have been so busy that this is getting a little neglected while we are getting settled. It has been fun though to learn new words from our new Thai friends. Once we are completely immersed I think language will come a little easier.
7. Health - Sickness seems to be going around but I have thus far avoided it. Pray that continues.
8. Pray for the problems with my wrists. It is an old problem that hasn't bothered me for almost seven years. I'm not sure why it is coming back or what to do. My left wrist is practically immobile, not bending much in any direction. Pray that they will quit hurting.
9. Pray for my family as they are still adjusting to me being gone. Pray that we don't miss each other too much.
10. Pray for Thai people, that God will open their hearts to Him and they will see truth of Jesus.
11. Pray that culture shock will not hit too badly. There have been some tough days along with great days.
12. Pray that ultimately everything I do will glorify and honor God! That people will see Jesus through me.
Praises
1. For two great houses to live in.
2. 2 cars and 2 motorcycles for transportation.
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.
Words of Encouragement
These verses have been encouraging to me over the past month and hopefully they will be equally so for you.
Psalm 63:1-8 (NLT)
A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.
[1] O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
[2] I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
[3] Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself;
how I praise you!
[4] I will honor you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
[5] You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
[6] I lie awake thinking of you,
meditating on you through the night.
[7] I think how much you have helped me;
I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings.
[8] I follow close behind you;
your strong right hand holds me securely.
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2. September 2004
