ready-set-pivot.

i am home.

i have thought about what i would write on my "welcome home" summary and reflection blog. somehow i thought that by this time i would have something brilliant, poignant, concise and perfect to say.

not the case.

after 2 days at the beach and 18 hours en route i expected to be able to transition well back to life in the US. God has given me grace, but i am still at a total loss for words. so, bear with me- i want to share with you the grandeur of this experience in my life, but it may not be smooth, even after 2 weeks home.

during one of our last weeks in bangkok, someone from the alabama team asked me what one word i would use to describe my time there. in the moment i said "impactful". but now, a thousands of miles away, the word is nothing short of "pivitol".

pivitol because i learned so much about another culture and people our God created in love. because i was stretched and grown in ways i didn't know i could be. i feel the growing pains, but can't yet identify where they are coming from.

pivitol because i really learned that people have inherent value because they are created in the image of God. with this value they are worth getting to know with no alterior motives and need to know the love of Christ. while sharing the gospel may seem like an alterior motive to some , it isn't- yet another thing i learned.

pivitol because i care so much less about myself and the things i previously worried about: my appearance, how others percieve me, how things will work out in my future.

pivitol because i care, by the grace of God, more about things of worth: loving people, trusting God, being joyful in Him, and bringing Him pleasure in all i do.

finally, pivitol because i have been confirmed about my future overseas.

pivitol. yet, i am afraid that somehow these things really were only temporary or that i might shift back into pre-pivot-position.

there is so much that i have learned and much of it probably has not even sunk in yet. knowing full well i will sound cliche, i think this was the best experience of my life!

so for more concrete information. since my last update was just pictures i'll fill you in on what the last few weeks of my time in bangkok consisted of!

about 2 1/2 weeks before the end a team from alabama came to join us in what we were doing and to help with english camp. ru connection puts on an english camp about twice a year with a focus of connecting students to the ministry, to eachother and of course, teaching english. it was great to get to know the team of 5 from alabama and see how God works through so many people and in awesome timing. it was humbling for me to allow these people into the "work that i had been doing". i realized that it was not my work, but His and He uses whoever is willing! thanks, alabama!

english camp: awesome! it had pretty much all the qualities of standard summer camp, except it was at the gulf of thailand.

there were games, relationships, embarassing tasks, so many pictures, and just awesome times!

we had about 40 students come and many of them were students ru connection had not yet made a connection with.

the camp was from thursday to saturday. sunday, many of the students came to church! part of it was because it was our last sunday there but mostly it was the goodness of God that drew them!

one of the students that had been with ru connection for a long time and who had been journeying toward the Lord for a long time gave her heart to the Him on that sunday. i was blessed to be there. it taught me that He is always working and that i get to be a part of the work during many different stages. for some of the students i was there to plant seeds. for others i was there to help encourage growth or maybe weed a little bit. she had shared with me some about her process and questions and it was exciting to be there to witness harvest and new life!

that evening the students threw us a going away party. little did i know that there would be much embarassment. we, the farangs, were required to take part in a few humiliating tasks! they were not actually humiliating...just a lot of fun!

we recieved and gave out friendship bracelets and said our official goodbyes. it got pretty wet for me! and i was impressed by how the friendships of two months or shorter with a language difference had become so meaningful to me.

finally, a few days ago i got news that this previous sunday another student gave his heart to the Lord! he was one of the students that began coming to english hour while we were there; so he had only been in contact with ru connection for about 1 month. there is so much in his story that is exciting to me!

so. with that final summary and reflection i want to thank all of you who have been reading this. thank you for partnering with me in this awesome journey. i am grateful that you have been a part of all of this! thank you for your prayers and support. it has been really encouraging to know that i had a strong network behind me!

in His grace,
abby

almost home...

Adventures in Thailand!

What a weekend! What a month!

Yesterday afternoon we made it safely back to our humble Bangkok abode from a whirlwind weekend in Chiang Mai. We flew up north Thursday night and drove back on Monday. While there we got to do so much, I feel so blessed! So, here's the run down of our excitement!

Thursday night at around 10pm the boys took us on a scooter ride around town...no, they don't have a license or anything. But I won for looking the dorkiest in the helmet.

Friday I got to meet up with Sarah- what a small world. She goes to my church at home and was working with the team in C.M. Then we hung out with the team doing their usual- teaching, partying, etc. It was fun to see their routine! THEN Friday night we went to Ryan's Muay Thai boxing fight. It was straight out of the movies, weird lighting, run-down arena, betting, weird music...Ryan won in the first round (there are usually five) when he fought a trainer and long-time boxer. Whoa.

Saturday... one of the best days- EVER! We drove about 1 1/2 hours to ride elephants. The weather was perfect, not to hot and overcast.

After the elephant adventure, we drove about 20 minutes further and went white water rafting. That's right. White water rafting, in Thailand! I don't have any pictures of this for obvious reasons. But I think it must be my new favorite thing to do. I was in a raft with April, Elaina and our skipper, King Kong. We felt as though we were in good hands with a name like that. And he called us "his girls"; therefore, we are now "King Kong's Girls". We learned the 5 commands quickly: Forward, Backward, Move Right, Move Left, and of course, GET DOWN! Now that is my kind of playing!

After all of this we went to a 4th of July party hosted by the consulate. Nothing too exciting, but I ate subway and ice cream and watched fireworks.

Sunday we went to church and then ate dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant followed by some shopping at the night bazaar. I bought all 5 seasons of The Office!

Then bright and early Monday we drove back to Bangkok. It was such a fun weekend and great to be with the rest of the team, but I am glad to be back here.

Being in C.M. with a big group really made me appreciate my situation. I knew I was getting a different experience than the rest of them not only because of the location, setting, but also because of working only with April. I think it has given me a much more realistic view of what cross-cultural work will be like in the future. Also, I haven't had to worry about all the dynamics of working with many other people- God has been so good to let April and me work well and happily together! Needless to say, I am abundantly thankful for my experience in Bangkok. I think it is just what I needed. HE knows what is best for each of us!

This is our last week of English classes. A team from Alabama is coming in to help with English camp next weekend so our schedule will change yet again. Next weekend is English camp...so we get to go to the beach- AGAIN! Hey, someone's gotta do it;)

So, with 5 weeks down and only 2 to go, I have much to look forward to and much to process. I trust that I will have guidance in processing all that I need to and that all that has happened will not be without fruit. For that I am excited, grateful and humbled.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support during my time here. I know that your support has made so much of my experience possible.

In HIS Grace.

Oh, Happy Father's Day, Poppa!!!

Well...where to begin? It seems that nothing and everything of importance have happened in the week since I last posted.

I thought that my schedule would be about the same from week to week- wrong. It is generally the same, but mostly flexible! We teach English classes on Tuesday and Wednesday and have English Hour at the university on Thursday and Friday. But there always seems to be something changing. It is good for me, it must be!

Teaching has been quite a challenge for me. I have never considered myself a teacher...I think I made my friend cry once while trying to teach her to knit. But I know that teaching English is necessary these days, and is a door wide open to the rest of the world and into the lives of countless students. Therefore, I will teach English to the best of my ability with a willing and joyful spirit!

My students are wonderful...it must be cliche to say this, but difficult as it is to teach, the students make it all worth the while. My class consists of 3 pre-intermediate students (and the level is a very rough gauge, for some are better than others). They are just great and I really love getting to know each of them. They help me to taste new things every week too!

We are trying to have a Bible study on campus in English, as Dennis says in a thick southern accent," We are just casting different kinds of bait to see what works." Well, no fish bit on Thursday...hopefully next, or the following! Instead we talked with the one of the ladies we have been working closely with. It was really great to hear her heart, past, and vision for the future.

Yesterday we went to JJ Market...probably the biggest market ever! We were there for about 3 hours and we only saw a small fraction of it. And I thought America was overrun with consumerism! I got some sassy souvenirs for some sassy ladies I know, saw a skirt that I bought in America, had a great mango smoothie, and fried chicken skin. It was a fun day.

I wish I could tell each of you how this trip has been impacting my heart, hopefully we will be able to talk about it in person because I am just so excited. So, maybe instead of telling you here some of these pictures will help.

"For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens." Ps. 96: 4-5.

Love and Peace.

The Sacrifices I Make...

2 and a 1/2 weeks down, not enough to go.

I have had quite an eventful few days! Hopefully this gives you an idea of what I am doing here in Thailand, but don't get the wrong idea...we are doing a lot of work teaching English:

Monday: floating market! About a 2 hour drive away, but don't ask me where it is. We took a boat tour and didn't buy anything- very economical and beautiful!

There are Wats at almost every turn in Thailand. Here is one on the river. There is also an elementary school on the grounds- we stopped and looked around.

I am not sure if it is appropriate to take pictures of monks or not, but I think there are some things you can get away with when you are a "ferang" or "white foreigner".Tuesday: now our designated "hang-out with students day". So we went over to the university and met up with some of our students and "helped them with their English homework". This turned into some fun conversation and meaningful sharing. One girl is very close to making a decision for Christ and was asking me some important questions. We talked about reading the Word for understanding, direction and a deeper relationship with the Lord, baptism and other things along those lines. It was a joy to share with her and hear from her!

Thursday: weekly English Hour at the main university campus. The second time around was better than the first! Then dinner with the students after. I don't know what I ate. But it was good. Same story as always!

Friday: what a busy day!!! First we went to the freshman campus (yes, they have their own campus) and did our first English Hour there. This will be weekly. We had about 10 students! I taught pro-nouns- "you" is hard to explain. Then we went to the church and taught our first real English class. Man-o! I had 3 students and they were roughly pre-intermediate. What a learning experience...for me. These classes will be twice a week.

Saturday: what a day!!! April and I were summoned to the beach. What a chore. There is another missionary working with slum neighborhoods who needed our help for "family fun day at the beach". They needed extra hands for the 30+ kids. So, we did our duty and went to the beach.

Needless to say, we were exhausted after a long day after the beach- but it was so worth it!

Today (Sunday) after church, Kris took us to a mall and we got foot spas- yet another hardship of cross-cultural work in Thailand. It was an awesome thing!

Sorry this is so long, but I hope this gives you a taste of my life in Thailand!
Love to all of you reading this, I am glad you are sharing in my joy by reading along!

In His grace.

ducks have lips

being in the land of smiles for a little over a week now there are some things i have noticed. so, the following are some preliminary observations.

• when thais say "not very spicy" it is about 4 chilies on the american menu (at least to me).
• not only do thais drive on the other side of the road, they drive according to who is pushiest. scooters have free-reign, there are no lanes for them. changing lanes may be a traumatic event.
• there are some new and unheard of items on thai menus, such as fried duck lips (actually not bad), but meat such as turkey is unusual.
• thais love to eat. meals usually happen every few hours, with snacks in between. it is social. the meals are the same for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• thai fashion uses very interesting english phrases, like: "married with tissue" or "to be in love is to cease to by". they are acutally quite thought provoking!
• thai doors are not as beautiful as european doors, and i definitely cannot photograph them like my sister!
• picking your nose is not uncouth, but picking your teeth is. therefore, instead of toothpicks, many people have a very long pinky-fingernail for their nose.
• community and relationships are important- it seems rather easy to make friends, or at least good aquaintences.
• "there is nothing to do in thailand but shop," local thai.
• i am an english teacher as a default of being a native english speaker. the students we work with will introduce us to other students and say, "he/she would like you to teach him/her english," and walk away. what a learning experience!
• rainy season is cooler. it was 85 degrees this morning at 7:30.
• thai salesmen/women are very pushy.
• squatty-potties are to be expected. sitty-potties are a luxury. bring your own t.p.
• i love thailand and the people!

Surprise, Surprise: I Post Again!

So, I was not expecting to be able to post again so soon- not only was I not anticipating having time, but I was not anticipating having much to write about. But I do!

As I mentioned in the previous post, we spent Monday at the freshman campus advertising the English Hour we will help facilitate. During this time we met A LOT of new students and got to know some of the student leaders of the group. Most of these students are new believers and are very involved with the group, the church and relationship with one another.

Tuesday, we moved into our apartment- now would be the time to post pictures, but I haven't taken any yet. It is at the top of some offices of the people we are working with, the 5th floor, to be exact. It was recently turned into an apartment with one main living space that has our beds, closet, fridge and desks. Through the sliding door is a tiny bathroom and a little kitchen- all perfectly serving our needs.

We have also gotten the run-down on what we will be doing. English Hour is run both through the university and through the church. It meets at the upper-classmen campus on Thursdays, and the freshman campus on Fridays for two hours each. After each "hour" we eat and hang-out with the students, which is a really fun time! They love to get us to try new foods and watch us intently to see if it is too spicy...tonight it was! I am sure that we will be doing more on the other days of the week, but we have not gotten into a schedule yet, something I am looking forward to!

(Some views of the main campus- I didn't take them!)

There are a few students, the leadership team, that we have gotten to be friends with already....and it has not even been a week! They all speak pretty advanced English and are SO much fun to be with. I am really impressed with how friendly most Thais seem to be and how quickly they make friends. I am confident that solid relationships will form and that they will be not only earthly beneficially but eternally as well.

Maybe I am setting unrealistic expectations for any future cross-cultural work, but things have been so very smooth for us these past few days; for that I am grateful. As of yet I have not experienced any unpleasant culture shock, or serious homesickness (sorry Mom & Poppa!). I just tell myself that I am living in the honey-moon time of cross-cultural living and that if I were to stay longer I would experience these things. Maybe someday. But for now I like being on a honey-moon!