A Bitter Sweet Goodbye

Sorry it has taken me so long to finish my blog! I had a family reunion in Branson, Missouri right after I got home from Thailand and then I’ve been preparing for school and my apartment doesn’t have internet yet so it’s been a little difficult to finish my blog! But I decided to write it on campus and I’ll try and post pictures as soon as I get Internet on my laptop! Here is a little my final week in Thailand summary!

Well the last week in Thailand was probably the best week! On Thursday we went to see Harry Potter 7 with Net, Tide, and Aung. This was such an incredible experience, we got to get really personal with them and just hang out and be friends. It was so much fun and we took really fun pictures and just had a great time investing in them! The movie was great and it was such good fellowship!

On Friday we had our Farewell party and it was so great to see all of our friends together! Some of the girls that attended our first few weeks of cooking class came to the party and made us these super cute journals and put their pictures in them! It was so amazing to celebrate our last few days with the people that we had met and been loving on!

Saturday the team and I got to ride elephants and it was so incredible! It was a lot less bumpy than I thought it would be! It was such an incredible experience and so much fun. I love elephants and it was so great to sit in a little chair thing on the elephant and ride up a little mountain. It was such a great way for the 4 of us to get to spend some time together before we all departed to our different colleges!

Sunday was Sticky Waterfalls, which is this waterfall that kind of looks like bubble wrap and you can walk up and down the waterfall without slipping or anything! It was so great and Net and Aung joined us on this fun adventure which made it even more fun. We got to hang out with all our Thai friends from Baan Kanoon one last time before we left and before we actually went down the waterfall we had worship and Quintin, the missionary family dad, gave a message in Thai. It was such a great start to the day and then at night we went to Walking Street for the last time! This time Tide, Aung, and Net were all able to join us and it was so amazing to spend our last night with them. They each gave us little gifts and it was just so incredible to see how we had touched their lives. Net was crying as we all had to say goodbye and it just touched my heart to see how much we meant to her.

Since we left, I have kept in touch with Net, Tide, and Aung on facebook and just keeping up with them! It was a different transition to come back to Texas but I’m so excited for what God has in store for me at Texas State University! I will be leading an International Ministry so it would be awesome if you could be praying about that! Thank you so much, love you all!

Texas Bound

Well tomorrow morning I will be boarded a plane and headed back to Texas! We have done so many exciting things these past few days! I have ridden an Elephant, been to Sticky Waterfall which is a waterfall that can climb up and down, seen Harry Potter 7, and spend a lot of time investing in friendships! I have so many pictures and stories to share but right now I need to finish getting ready to leave! I still need to pack and print out some things and then fill out some forms. So tonight I will not write any stories but as soon as I get some time when I get home, I will be posting my last blog about Thailand! Thank you for all your prayers and I can't believe 2 months is already over! I miss everyone so much so I'm really excited to get home and see all my family and friends but also sad to be leaving all the new friends I have made! Please pray for safe travels home!

My Friend Net

Net is a young woman that I have had the privilege of sharing my life with. I met her in my 2nd English class; she went out to eat with me and 3 other students. When we got back that night I was talking to P’ Dream and told her that I really thought God was going to do something huge with this girl. And 5 weeks later we are closer than ever. I never would have thought I would grow this close to someone I just met but it has been so incredible how God has used our time together wisely.

Alicia and I have been to lunch with her on campus every week and today was our last lunch with her! It definitely is not our last time to see her though because we already have plans to see Harry Potter 7 together with some other Thai friends on Thursday. She is also going to try and go to see a Waterfall with us on Sunday. God has really blessed me with this relationship. Net is a wonderful girl and is searching for something. Net doesn’t know what she’s looking for but she’s not satisfied with what she knows about Buddha.

Today we had the chance to really witness to her. Together, Alicia and I broke down the gospel and shared with her about Jesus and who God really is. Before we shared we asked her what she knew about God and Jesus. She told us that, “God gave love and helped many people. He keeps people healthy. He loves every people. He teach people to make good things.” We were excited that she had heard good things about God so sharing the gospel was really incredible but it was definitely overwhelming. It was hard for her to really understand but I know that God will stir in her heart when the time is right!

I am just so thankful that God gave us the opportunity to witness to her and to continue this friendship. Net and I are already friends on Skype and we plan on continuing our friendship long after I head back to Texas! Thank you God for this relationship and I ask you all please keep praying for her! Net is very special to me and she needs prayer for her heart to be open to accepting the Gospel and wanting to know Jesus personally!

Another Visit to the Slums

Later that evening we went to visit the Slums again. This time we got to teach the story of how Satan tried to overpower God and was banished from Heaven. We told the story in English and one of the kids translated it into Thai because we had it in writing, however, we couldn’t really ask questions but I know that God was stirring in their hearts. We went on to play various games including this really fun game with baby powder!

The kids had such a blast and their faces were white as snow; but more than that their hearts cried out with so much joy and laughter. It was so great to just be the light of Christ and let the Spirit move in the slums. These kids don’t have earthly possessions, we’ve seen most of them in the same outfit every time we see them, their houses don’t always have doors and they have to walk through tons of mud to get to their homes.

However, they are filled with more joy than any rich kid I have ever met. Their hearts are so filled with love and appreciation. They love when we go just to play with them. I’ve learned a lot from these kids, they have very little material possessions but their hearts hold so much more than money could ever buy.

I ask you pray for them to experience God in a profound way. That they will overflow with the love of Christ and that God will be moving in their hearts and drawing them in to be His children. What a blessing it has been to serve these children!

House of Blessing

On Saturday I had the opportunity to visit a Children’s Home called House of Blessing. This home is for children of many backgrounds, some kids do not have parents at all, some kid’s parents are in jail, and some kid’s parents just cannot provide for them. They live in this home 24/7 and most live for 365 days a year. Some of the kids will take a trip to visit their families once a year but this is only about 30% of the children.

Even after visiting their family, they still return to this home because this is the only place they will get fed and get an education. The kids at the home vary from newborn babies to University students. They have had many cases where kids will grow up in this home and then come back to work there! It was so beautiful to hear those stories. These kids are getting a place to live and people who care deeply about them.

Their corridors are not very nice, and they are actually going to move to a nicer place soon but these kids are so thankful for a place to live. This home has provided so much for these children and I was so blessed to get to witness God’s work in that place. The kids were so adorable and so much fun! The first time they met you, they all wanted to hold your hand. It was so precious and they were the sweetest kids!

Wat Doi Suthep

On Saturday Chiang Mai University had all of the freshman walk up Doi Su Tep. Doi Su Tep is a mountain! It is about a 15 kilometer walk which is a little over 9 miles. These students walked up in the dead heat! It was crazy but awesome to see. I went with a group of people about 3km up the mountain and handed out water to the students as they passed by. One of our Thai friends, Tide, was leading a group of Statistic majors up the mountain and we got to see him briefly! He has to keep walking but it was good to say hello. My Thai friend Aung from our cooking class also joined us and it was so great to spend more time with her.

Aung is a young woman I had the privilege of going out to dinner with after our cooking class. She took me out to eat and then took me shopping! We were together for hours and just had a great time talking about family and just life in general. Please be praying for our friendship, I am so excited to see what God has in store for us!

Yesterday, Alicia, Amy, Shauna, and I rode a Song Taew (which is the main mode of transportation, and I'm not sure how to spell it) up to the top of the mountain where Wat Doi Suthep is. Wat means temple in Thai so Wat Doi Suthep is a temple located at the top of the mountain, it is a big tourist attraction and Buddhist followers usually visit the temple once or twice a year. I ask that you please pray over the pictures below, the pictures of of idols and statues they worship and the things we saw in the temple. It was very heart turning to see people worshiping things of this world and knowing that what they were worshiping will ultimately fail them and they will be left feeling empty. I ask you pray that they will seek the real truth. We prayer walked through the temple and I ask you pray that more followers of Jesus will be praying over that temple. Thank you so much for being such strong prayer warriors, God is really moving in this place and I know it's because of the prayer and support you guys have given each and every person placed in this place. Thank you so much.

Monk Visit

Today we got to witness people making merit which means doing good things as mentioned in religious doctrine. There are three ways of making and gaining merit, to give alms, to maintain religious commandment and to pray. Today we say many people giving alms.

Monks walk around with a bowl and people place well prepared food in the bowls or they bring flowers which the monks carry around. People sell flowers and food so that people will buy it and give it to the monks as alms.

This is very common in the Thais' way of life and it is mentioned in two parts of Buddha history and became a tradition. After placing the food in the monks bowl, they bow down and the monks pray for them and then continue on their walk.

The monks walk up and down this street from 6am-7am everyday in order for people to gain merit. It was definitely a cultural experience which I was very thankful to have the opportunity to witness.