Gone a week!

So my team left a week ago today at about this time (BC Time) so there has been alot happening since then. We have seen some touristy sights, done some shopping at different markets around the city on our days off (Saturday and Sunday afternoon) and done some construction work...

Yesterday was the first day we did construction and it was pretty intense. We are digging a sump hole for them and it has to be about 2 meters deep and about 3 meters wide! So they are pretty big. The one was already partly dug and it was just watery and clay at the bottom but we still had to get it a little more. And then the other hole was brand new and we ended up digging down a couple feet! So it is slow work and in the heat it is pretty tough. But our team worked well together and we would switch off hoeing the dirt when someone needed water or just to take a break. Some of the other girls were tying braces together with wire for the other stories. And some of the other girls yet were inside the church doing registration for English classes starting in the summer. For lunch we had rice and spicy beef and some other spicy meet so it was a good time. I am loving the Thai food here, it is soooo great!

Today we were out and about doing more construction stuff. Today the girls were on the top floor (3rd) on a black surface held up by beams. The black absorbs the sun so it got pretty hot up there ,but we had water and some umbrellas. We were getting handed rebar and whatnot form the guys down a level and our job today was tying all the rebar together once we got it laid. So it was a pretty straightforward job but it was up on the hot roof! But it is always fun that we have such a good group of students to work with. The pastor of the church here (I dont' know his name, we just call him Pastor) is super funny! The Thai's are always joking around and laughing and just having a good time. They are such hard workers and can be serious but they also joke around alot and he is really funny. Another girl that I met and have taken a liking to is a girl named Woon! She is a singer and she's so nice. She is the translator and will be traveling with us up north too, so I am excited to get to know her better!

But overall, I am really really liking Thailand. I love the people and the culture and the food. It is so beatiful. The people are lovely and so friendly! They are always smiling at you. Today one of the other missionaries here told us that the Thai's are always smiling. It's funny to see a car accident because both people will get out of the vehicle and be smiling at each other. Of course it's a I want to kill you smile but they are still smiling. Anywyas I am running out of time here at the internet cafe so I will end this here....I miss you all and will write a gain soon. The internet cafe is near our place and relaly cheap so it works out.!

BANGKOK!!!

Hello there all you readers! I am thrilled to be writing this to you from Bangkok, Thailand. I am loving it here so much. It is so hot and really humid it is great! Right now I am at the church. We had a morning service in Thai and then we had lunch here, and then I just finished teaching some people how to sing!!! Crazy! All those years of music lessons really paid off. Now I don' tknow what the group is doing but I am up here in Michel-lyn's office writing emails. So yay! Ok, so thai food is amazing, i love it so much. I have tried so many new things but they are all so delicious, i love them.

Our first full day here we went to the Royal Palace (Thailand still has a King) and toured around and that place is amazing. It is all made up of tiny colored mirrors all hand cut and what not, it's so crazy! I took alot of pictures so i know some of you (mom) will enjoy lookng at that! I even took some of the shrubberies. Then we just took alot of modes of transportation to get back. In one day we took the sea bus, tuk tuks, skytrain, and a bus. All of which wwere super cool and pretty crowded!
The next day we went shopping and I bought so much stuff but it is so cheap. I got a real leather wallet for like 15 dollars...and a sweet purse for liek 3 dollars. Yah, it's sweet I love it! And then yesterday we came to the church to clean it up for the service today. And then we went home and crashed it is hot so it drains all your energy out of you.

Tomorrow is when we actually start construction. The guy who is "lookign after" us name is Yo and he is super cool. he jokes around with us and everything, it's fun. The Thai people in general are all joksters and super funny it is suprising but fun. And there are english signs posted everywhere and almost everyone is able to speak it so it's pretty easy to get around. On our second day here we saw an elephant just walking donw the street (with a rider) of course on the road of our guest house, it was pretty sweet. And then last night we were eating dinner and an elephant and a rider and a persona came right up to the door of the restaturant. They have bags of food that they ask you to buy to feed their elephant, it's cute, but yah i wouldn't do it.

so much has happened while we are here and i am getting closer to people alreacy and I am totally enjoying it here and actually getting used to the heat. I look forward to going down south to the beaches and whatnot, but that is for the end of the trip. IT will also be neat to go up north to the little towns and teach english to the gaffers. keke. Oh yah and we might get to go to the forests and jungle up north where Rambo was filled by Burma. So that would be cool too!But yes, Dennis is trying to get some wireless internet so that we can check it at the guest house but yah, we haven't done that yet. But i guess if that doesn't happen i might just have to go without or else come check it when we are at the church. But I guess I should head back to the group.

I love you all, and I look forward to seeing you again...

The Airport

So I am in the airport...so exciting. But yes, just a quick one to let you know that we are boarding in about an hour and I am so excited. I will try to write on here as much as I can. There are couple computers along so yah.... oh, i love you all and I will talk to you soon! Have a good month and I would appreciate a ton of prayer! :)

Stress

The worst time of year to do any thinking is at this time. I usually try to leave all the thinking alone til after all the schoolwork and exams are done, but this time it seems NOW is when I need to make the most decisions or think and analyze things. I have been thinking so much about all my realtionships lately. It's so hard near the end of the year to keep trying to maintain the friendships that you have here. After 2 weeks who knows how often I am going to be seeing these people, I just want to concentrate on my work or other stuff and not work at the friendships, but I know now is one of the most important time to have friends. And it is very important to make new friends too, which I have been working on, and thoroughly enjoying.

One of the big things I have recongized in myself this semester, partialy becuase people pointed out, is just the fact that I have stepped out of my comfort zone a bit more. I asked God last semester or at the beginning of this semester to help me to do that so that I could further his kingdom....Thailand!!! Different things that I have done or thought about doing even is so not what I would have done before and I know that I am only doing it now because God has encouraged me and given me the strength and I am so thankful for it. I am becoming the person that I have always wanted to be and the person I think God wants me to be too. Thailand is a huge step for me, who knows what will happen there? Who will I meet? Maybe going on this missions trip will help me to see a different calling on my life from what I had anticipated.

One thing I wish I was more gifted in was the theological area of the church and Christianity. I know the basics, but I have a paper due on Friday on a statement of faith of a cult compared to a statement of faith of orthodox Christianity. I am dreading starting it just cuz I don't knwo much about that. I know there's research and everything, but still.

But anyways, I thank God everyday that I am here. Making new friends, hanging out with old ones, learning things beyond what I ever thought I would study at school, growing closer to God and learning new things about him all the time. Anyways, I am so thankful I came back for a second year at school here. It has been long, but I have grown so much! So thanks be to God! :)