I was going to do this the other day at home before Bum and I left Chiang Rai but the internet was not working right. So now I am in the room of one of Bum's friends without any of the pictures I was going to include in this post. I guess I will go ahead and make this really short because we are about to go out to eat and then hang out with some of her childhood friends. We are leaving Thailand on May 8th at 5:30 in the AM. We will arrive in ATL on the 8th at about 2:30 I think. This will be the last time that I will have access to the internet and so I will let you all know how the journey went when we are in states and fully rested. Please be praying for Bum and I during our last two weeks here in Thailand and that God would be glorified in our lives. Thank you all for your love and support.
Grace,peace and love form God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
April 6, The Rush Begins
So this morning I woke up and to Bell yelling for me in front of the house. Turns out that every time her or Ben opens the gate Cookie, our spasmatic crack addict puppy dog, takes off down the street. I don't know when or why this has started happening but I am the only one she will come back for. So I walk out onto the front porch in my boxers and nearly disintegrated Grapico tee shirt and yell down the street. Cookie comes flying back into the gate onto the tiled porch and crashes into shins with all the force a twitchy little puppy can muster. She then lays on her back and shakes as though her body was not her own but was being controlled by some drunken brain parasite. She does this until I pet her, smack her, or go back inside, in which case she wines until I go back outside and do one of the first two options. Makes me wonder why she loves me so much. I am the only one who beats her. I usually do this a few times a day because she is chewing on or eating everything, or she digs random holes of varying depths and widths all over the yard. I don't think I love God with half the passion that my puppy loves me. He disciplines me far less than I deserve and loves me much more that I am worth. Thanks for the example Cookie.
Any way after that I got dressed and drove my motorcycle up to the mountain where I buy my tea. I bought 2 kilos for while I am in the states and as gifts for relatives that Bum and I are about to visit. I drink a lot of tea and it is a lot cheaper here than in the states. I payed about $30 for the tea I got today verses about $100 for the same type and quality in the states. I was going to have some pictures of the mountains and views (this is one of my favorite places in all of the North of Thailand) but it is the end of burning season and visibility is next to nothing and a gray haze covered most of the scenery. The drive was still very enjoyable however.
After I got home I spent the next several hours packing and sorting and thinking and sorting and packing some more. This is probably all I will do while I am at home for the next few weeks. I will not be home that much though. We leave on the 9th to go to Bum's parent's house (8 hour drive) to take the first load of our stuff down plus stuff from the house that they wanted that we will not sell. we are also taking some stuff from Bell's dorm while she is on summer break. Bum's dad will drive his truck and Bum and I will be in our tiny Dihatsu Mira. Then we will go down to see her grandmother, aunts, and uncles in the south (13 hour drive). They live on the far side of a 10,000 square rai (a rai about the size of an acre) palm grove on the Thai-Burma border. After that we drive to Phuket (pronounced with a P) to see another aunt on the way back to Bum's parent's house (with the detour I am guessing about 16 hours of driving). Then Bum and I will use her dad's truck to come back to Chiang Rai and get the rest of the stuff that we need to take down to her parents before we leave (another 16 hours round trip). During all of this we will be home for about 5 or 6 days starting the 7th. Please be praying that we get done all we need to do before we leave.
We are going to be very busy but I will try to post one more time before we leave. We will not have internet access at her parent's house so it will be on the 20-23rd. Thanks for reading and please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Thai fun fact (this is more of an observation than a fact): The average speed on the highway in Thailand is between 50-60mph (85-100kph) for most cars and trucks. Bum's dad tends to drive a little slower than average and I drive a little faster, so between the two of us we get where we are going the same time as everyone else.
Motorcycles (most of which are 100-125cc) average about 40mph (60kph). I tend to drive about 50mph (85kph) on my little 100cc Honda Dream. I am going to miss my hog.
Any way after that I got dressed and drove my motorcycle up to the mountain where I buy my tea. I bought 2 kilos for while I am in the states and as gifts for relatives that Bum and I are about to visit. I drink a lot of tea and it is a lot cheaper here than in the states. I payed about $30 for the tea I got today verses about $100 for the same type and quality in the states. I was going to have some pictures of the mountains and views (this is one of my favorite places in all of the North of Thailand) but it is the end of burning season and visibility is next to nothing and a gray haze covered most of the scenery. The drive was still very enjoyable however.
After I got home I spent the next several hours packing and sorting and thinking and sorting and packing some more. This is probably all I will do while I am at home for the next few weeks. I will not be home that much though. We leave on the 9th to go to Bum's parent's house (8 hour drive) to take the first load of our stuff down plus stuff from the house that they wanted that we will not sell. we are also taking some stuff from Bell's dorm while she is on summer break. Bum's dad will drive his truck and Bum and I will be in our tiny Dihatsu Mira. Then we will go down to see her grandmother, aunts, and uncles in the south (13 hour drive). They live on the far side of a 10,000 square rai (a rai about the size of an acre) palm grove on the Thai-Burma border. After that we drive to Phuket (pronounced with a P) to see another aunt on the way back to Bum's parent's house (with the detour I am guessing about 16 hours of driving). Then Bum and I will use her dad's truck to come back to Chiang Rai and get the rest of the stuff that we need to take down to her parents before we leave (another 16 hours round trip). During all of this we will be home for about 5 or 6 days starting the 7th. Please be praying that we get done all we need to do before we leave.
We are going to be very busy but I will try to post one more time before we leave. We will not have internet access at her parent's house so it will be on the 20-23rd. Thanks for reading and please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Thai fun fact (this is more of an observation than a fact): The average speed on the highway in Thailand is between 50-60mph (85-100kph) for most cars and trucks. Bum's dad tends to drive a little slower than average and I drive a little faster, so between the two of us we get where we are going the same time as everyone else.
Motorcycles (most of which are 100-125cc) average about 40mph (60kph). I tend to drive about 50mph (85kph) on my little 100cc Honda Dream. I am going to miss my hog.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
April 4, Done and Done
Everything at the university is as finished as it can possibly be. My internship was a success. I gave my presentation, turned in all the reports and forms, and received a pass from the internship department of MFLU. I think I will have to go back one more time to request transcripts but that should not be a problem (he says with doubt tucked snuggly behind the words).
Bum, Ben (her youngest sister), and I all went to Chiang Mai a few days ago so that Bum could interview for a new visa. The interview went great (THANK YOU GOD) and Bum got a one year visa to come to the states. We have bought the tickets and will be arriving in ATL on May 8th. Before we leave we will be traveling a lot to see Bum’s family in the south and moving some of our stuff down to her parent’s house so they can use it while we are gone.
To those of you who have told me that if there is ever anything you can do to help just let you know, I am letting you know. I will be applying for seminary while we are in the states and will need a lot of financial assistance. I will work as much as I can but will not take out any loans at all. The reason for this is that if I am accepted I will move back to Thailand as soon as I finish with school. My plan is to move back and start a house church in the area where Bum went to high school. The city there is several times larger than Chiang Rai but with almost no Christian presence. This is a direct contrast to where we are now where there are many denominations represented each having several missionaries and several active and growing churches. I want to preach where Christ is not yet being preached. I do not feel I am ready to do this and so will be pursuing a seminary degree. Also my visa here will depend on me working. The government in currently working on passing legislature that will make it to where all teachers, foreign and native, will have to have a masters degree in order to teach. Teaching is what I love to do (that is still amazing to me) and will afford me ability to support my family and church if need be. However; in order for this all to happen I will need your help in the near future. If you would like to help financially please write me and let me know so that I can start to budget and plan for what I will have and what I will need. You can email me at life_nchrist@yahoo.com or at lifenchrist@gmail.com.
I would like to mention here that if it had not been for the support of a small handful of financial supporters and a large number of prayer supporters the ministry, work , and witness that I have been able to do among my friends and neighbors here in Thailand would have been very unlikely. So to those of you who have supported and prayed for me over the past 4 years. I ask that you would continue with me in this next chapter of my life and beyond to what ever it is that God is and will call me to do.
Also, Bum and I would love to come and talk to your Sunday school classes, small groups, or churches as a whole. If you would like for us to come and share with you let me know and we can set a date.
Grace, peace, and love
Bum, Ben (her youngest sister), and I all went to Chiang Mai a few days ago so that Bum could interview for a new visa. The interview went great (THANK YOU GOD) and Bum got a one year visa to come to the states. We have bought the tickets and will be arriving in ATL on May 8th. Before we leave we will be traveling a lot to see Bum’s family in the south and moving some of our stuff down to her parent’s house so they can use it while we are gone.
To those of you who have told me that if there is ever anything you can do to help just let you know, I am letting you know. I will be applying for seminary while we are in the states and will need a lot of financial assistance. I will work as much as I can but will not take out any loans at all. The reason for this is that if I am accepted I will move back to Thailand as soon as I finish with school. My plan is to move back and start a house church in the area where Bum went to high school. The city there is several times larger than Chiang Rai but with almost no Christian presence. This is a direct contrast to where we are now where there are many denominations represented each having several missionaries and several active and growing churches. I want to preach where Christ is not yet being preached. I do not feel I am ready to do this and so will be pursuing a seminary degree. Also my visa here will depend on me working. The government in currently working on passing legislature that will make it to where all teachers, foreign and native, will have to have a masters degree in order to teach. Teaching is what I love to do (that is still amazing to me) and will afford me ability to support my family and church if need be. However; in order for this all to happen I will need your help in the near future. If you would like to help financially please write me and let me know so that I can start to budget and plan for what I will have and what I will need. You can email me at life_nchrist@yahoo.com or at lifenchrist@gmail.com.
I would like to mention here that if it had not been for the support of a small handful of financial supporters and a large number of prayer supporters the ministry, work , and witness that I have been able to do among my friends and neighbors here in Thailand would have been very unlikely. So to those of you who have supported and prayed for me over the past 4 years. I ask that you would continue with me in this next chapter of my life and beyond to what ever it is that God is and will call me to do.
Also, Bum and I would love to come and talk to your Sunday school classes, small groups, or churches as a whole. If you would like for us to come and share with you let me know and we can set a date.
Grace, peace, and love
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