Beauty in the Small Things

What is happening in Thailand? Time keeps moving and it’s sometimes hard to keep up. Even when things get stressful I really try and slow down and try to notice things I usually wouldn’t when I’m hurrying or stressed about various different things. And when you take time to actually slow down and take notice of your surroundings I almost guarantee you will notice something that you never noticed before and it might even end up blessing you in ways you couldn’t image.

This week we got to go back with the big kids! I always have so much fun with them because they always have the most interesting things to say and just always seem to make me laugh. One of the first days the entire play time I was bombarded with questions about the Titanic. Of course since these were little kids the questions had easy answers but sometimes they do get confused about some things. They were almost convinced that the Olympics were a type of shark or boat. Then when I proceeded to tell them that it was actually people who trained really hard at a certain thing to compete against other people they were even more confused so then we continued on the topic of the Titanic. For the rest of the week it was relatively the same as the previous weeks. We got there around two thirty, we played until three thirty. One on one lessons started at three. Three thirty to four thirty was lesson time, four thirty to five was dinner( and our little snack time) and then from five to five thirty we played outside with the kids. This week we were half in charge of making the lessons because one of the girls had to go to the Philippines to get her visa. So we made lessons on and off based on what was needed. On Wednesday however someone came and did a lesson and craft and at first we were a little confused but then we figured out that she would come once a week on Wednesdays to teach the kids a lesson and then to some sort of PE with them after dinner. But Liv and I got to start this fun little game. It wasn’t even a game I don’t think but it’s something that we did for fun. There were these trees in the yard that had little pods on them and I wound end up breaking the pods off the trees so the kids could break them and then get the seeds out of them. It was a lot of fun for both the kids and us because it kept both of us entertained. Then each day the bucket of seeds would get bigger and we would keep making it bigger. Monday afternoon Liv and I went to Pantip and I found out that there was a second level?!? So we went up there and I found a place that sold like an ice cream roll concoction with an egg waffle so I had to try it because I had never had an ice cream roll before. And as soon as I tried it I was immediately in love with it. It tasted so good and then later on in the week I proceeded to get another one😂 Friday instead of a lesson we wrapped gifts that the kids had got in the morning with the other group. It was fun but also a little frustrating because you know how kids want to do everything by themselves but sometimes it can go disastrously. But instead of getting stressed or annoyed I just let it happen and it was actually a lot of fun! Then that night we did a slideshow night and it was one of the best things ever! So the premise of this was to make the most unhinged slideshow you could think of and then present it to the team. Let me tell you I laughed so hard my sides hurt and it was actually the best things ever. Since it was Emery’s bday on Thursday the whole team decided to go camping at Doi Suthep because it is one of the traditions that she does with her family on her birthday. So we packed up our big packs and headed to Doi Suthep for the weekend. One important thing to mention is that this is a peak 5,000+ feet above sea level. And since the weather was cloudy as we drove up this mountain it got foggier and a lot colder. When we arrived two hours later it was raining and cold. We remained hopeful that the rain would let up and the sun would come out. Spoiler alert: it in fact did not. It was raining and cold the entire time we were there. We proceeded to set our tents up in the rain and then decided to go on a hike up to the peak even though it was raining and we were advised to wait until morning. However, since YOLO I guess, we decided that it would be a fine and dandy idea to still go. So we set off to climb the trail. And let me say it was just absolutely gorgeous. Even though we were all completely soaked we made the best out of it and saw the most beautiful view even if we couldn’t see much. And even though it wasn’t the best time of my life I can safely say that now I’m looking back on it, it was worth being uncomfortable because we made some really good memories as a team.

I was reading Romans 8 and this chapter tells us about life through the Holy Spirit. The most encouraging thing about this chapter is that it says nothing can separate us from God. Absolutely nothing! That means even if you don’t feel loved by God or feel lonely or feel like you did something that would make Him not love you. That this is a lie from the enemy and you need to rebuke that! God said it himself that  neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God. So just be aware the next time that you don’t fee loved, know that you are loved by the creator of the universe.

  (Beautiful sunsets of course!)

(The cloud forest!)

(Rolled ice cream😋. I would highly suggest trying it if you’ve never had any before.)

P.S. I just want to apologize about the late couple of posts. I hope to get back on schedule pretty soon!