Hi Thailand!

I started my day very bright and early at 2am. I decided to wake up early because I couldn’t really sleep and trying to would just make me stressed out. And since we had to wake up at 4 am anyway it all worked out. During those early hours I got to call both of my sisters and I really needed that. After everyone woke up I went down to the sanctuary to pack the rest of my stuff which didn’t take too long. After that I help Emery for ten minutes to stuff her sleeping bag in the bottom of her big back and we got it! Since we had cleaned most of the buildings the previous night we had only left sweeping the sanctuary which took about 15ish minutes. After that we got curry puffs for breakfast which I didn’t eat because I’m not a fan of spicy things for breakfast and all that was left to do was wait for our bus to arrive to take us to Thailand. The bus arrived around 610 and we had a quick prayer before boarding. It took about an hour and a half to get to the Malaysian border which I was awake for that about of time. Thankfully everyone got through the border easily and after that we boarded the bus again just to get off a couple minutes later at the Thailand border but thankfully we didn’t have to take our stuff with us. And again everyone got through quickly, we then hopped back on the bus again for a four hour bus ride to Hatyai junction where we would wait for our train. I slept on and off during the bus ride but soon enough we were there and the next thing to do was wait the next six hours for our train. I continue to sleep on and off using my backpack as a pillow which was surprisingly comfortable. A couple hours and I was getting very very hungry however the other two groups who had gone out for food earlier hadn’t come back yet so unfortunately I couldn’t leave. However the soon came back and I went with JJ and Alleah to KFC to get some food before I had a full on breakdown. We returned with the food about fifteen minutes later and i immediately started eating and finished it quickly. However during this I found out that our team would be going on a later train and wouldn’t be seeing one of the other teams until Christmas. So when the time came for the rest of the team’s goodbye, they were very tearful. After they left the only thing now was to wait while we sat with our emotions, but eventually everyone was fine. Then the time finally came eight hours later and our train arrived and we very quickly boarded. For about the first hour everything was going good but then I became very tired and tried to sleep, this however proved to be a challenge because one of three things. One all the lights are constantly on, two all the windows are open making it very noisy and three the train frequently stops. All of these combined plus the seats being small it has been hard for me to sleep for more than forty-five minutes at a time. Thankfully though the train car we are in isn’t too cramped so there is a two person row for each person to nap in. We have now been on the train about seven hours and I have just about given up on trying to sleep so I’ve just been writing and then watching some shows. But Thailand definitely feels more like we are in a different country than Malaysia. Malaysia felt very Americanized or at least the city we were in but Thailand there is barely any English things except for the fact that I’ve seen the most Americans in the 15 hours I’ve been in Thailand then the month in a half in Malaysia. Now the next thing is to wait for our stop in Bangkok and who knows how many hours that will be. I continued to sleep on and off until about five or six am where I finally gave up. I think it was because the train kept stopping and that woke me up plus it was very loud without my earbuds in and it was very overstimulating for me. I watched shows, played music and looked out the window. Although near the end I felt very gross and just wanted to clean up. And finally around eleven am we arrived in Bangkok at the train station. So it was a total a 16 hour train ride🙃 I felt so exhausted and immediately went to the bathroom to clean up and I felt a little better afterwards. Then we got some food cus I was hungry and barely functioning and then some hot chocolate from dunken’ and now the next thing we do is wait for the train to Chang Mai. And we also get to travel with the other teams besides the one that left already. At two o’clock we got on the train to take us to our final destination-Chiang Mai! The train ride wasn’t too bad although there was too many bugs….again. But all along the tracks the whole was beautiful mountains and gorgeous landscapes. I even got to see the sunset! It got dark pretty quick around 6ish and that’s when the bugs came.🥲 But I got to talk someone I had been wanting to talk to for a while and that was really good for me. Then I fell asleep and I was just knocked out and I was so grateful I was able to actually sleep. When I woke up again we were pretty close to Chiang Mai and pretty much everybody in our car was gone and everyone was sleeping. So I just listened to my music until we got to the train station which was about an hour. Finally fourteen hours later we arrived at the train station at 4:05 am. We then silently celebrated and then said goodbye to the other teams and headed to the car that would take us to we would live for the next month. Total travel time? 47 hours! And that wraps up my second travel day. See you next time!

Our first couple of days in Thailand were just rest and I was so very grateful for that. Since we arrived at four am on Tuesday we all showered and then immediately went to bed. Unfortunately we did have to be up four hours later for introduction but that was some of the best sleep of my life. Then at eight we woke up and learned a little about Chiang Mai. Two important words we learned were hello and thank you. If you are a male you say “Sawadee Khrap” and “Sawadee Kha” if you are female and this is hello. Then thank you is “Khap Khun Khrap” if you are male and “Khap Khun Kha” if you are female. After we went down the seven flights of stairs to a little cafe where they had Chai! For the rest of the day it was rest and exploring the city. Then for dinner we had some of the best food I’ve ever had in my life and witnessed a beautiful sunset from the roof where we eat. Then next two days were also rest days since we didn’t start ministry until Friday. On Wednesday we went to a night market and I fell even more in love with Thailand. I think it was like what I was expecting Malaysia to be but so much better. Then finally on Friday we started our ministry. Our team is split up into two smaller teams one for the morning and one for the afternoon and I’m in the afternoon team. So we woke up at eight and ate breakfast together and then the morning team left at 8:30 and then from 830-920 I get ready for the day and then for the rest of the morning we do TAWG or time alone with God and then atl. Atl is whatever you feel like God is calling you to do that morning so it can be a little Bible study, a prayer walk, street evangelism, or a worship moment. Then at one o’clock we head out to where we are doing ministry. With the smaller teams there are even small ones, two people go the the bigger kids side and two people go to the babies side and every week we switch. So this past week Liv and I got the privilege to work with the bigger kids! On Friday we got to go on a little field trip to a park and we had snacks and a drink and then went for a little walk and then headed back and played outside and at 5 our first ministry day was done! Saturday and Sunday were another couple of rest days for us before we started the first official week of ministry. Monday was nothing like Friday but I had a lot of fun. But Monday through Friday this is our schedule. So from the time we get there until 230 we do manual labor. Then from 230-330 the kids get various different toys to play with and it is so much fun to play with them because they always say the funniest things. For example the first day I was put in jail and made to eat dirt because I was poor. The second day a kid asked me what it was like to be pregnant and then the third day I was constantly stabbed in the neck with toy asparagus because apparently he was a vampire. Then on Thursday a kid told me that Santa Claus was God I then proceeded to tell him that Santa Claus is in fact not God because Santa Claus can die and God can’t. He then got very sad because he misunderstood me and thought I said that Santa Claus had died. Then during play time 3-330 Liv or I take turns teaching different kids depending on the day. From 330-430 there is a learning time and the kids learn a different subject each day. There are two German girls there who are doing the exact same thing we are but just spending all their time in one country. And they make the lesson and we help with the craft. Then from 430-450 ish they get to eat dinner. This is when it gets hard because I get very hungry and exhausted. But we play outside with the kids until our ride arrives and then we go home. The ride back is usually two times longer than the ride there because of traffic. But at six is dinner and team time and this week each team time has been by a different person and it has been a lot of fun. This past Thursday was Thanksgiving.(My thanksgiving feast!)

It was a pretty normal day with ministry but for dinner we went out to a place call Paper Butter and I had some of the best steak of my life and it was just so refreshing. Saturday was a reset day because a lot of people weren’t feeling the greatest but we got to surprise Liv by talking her to go see Wicked and she was so excited but since the movie was at 10 and was a three hour movie we needed something to keep us awake. So we went to the store and got Red Bulls! Then we all decided to shot gun them. Since I had never shot gunned something before I was a little scared but I did and was so proud and I will definitely be doing that more often😂 The movie was so good but we were up until three am and had to be up early for church the next day but it was worth it. Church was so good! Since we can’t speak Thai we had a group chat with someone who could translate it for us and the message was so good. Then after getting home Live, Alleah, JJ and I went on a little adventure to go see the boys for a while. Even though it took us a while to get there(navigation issue) it was actually had so much fun and I had no idea how much I actually needed that.

A devotional that I did that has stuck with me and I’ve been thinking about a lot is the verse Provers 20:24. This verse says, “A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?” I think this is an amazing verse for a couple of reasons but I’m going to highlight one specific one. As we go through life we are always going to hear people saying that they have their life figured out. Also that they know what they’re going to do or are trying to figure out what to do. But the thing is most of these people don’t take the time to ask God or just don’t know Him. So literally no one, without the help of God is going to understand what they are doing.

Something that you can pray for is that we are able to make connections with people outside of the cafe and our ministry with the kids. Also that I will have the courage to go up to people and talk to them about Jesus.

Beautiful sunsets!

Flowers that remind my of my time in Zambia.Little coffee date with my friends!

Sorry for the late post!