I am so sad to soon be leaving.  More and more things happen each day: a fun surprise from a stranger, a new word in Thai, a new place to explore … this has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.

Some of my recent fun moments:

Thursday evening my Thai tutor asked me if I was busy for the weekend.  When I responded “no”, she invited me to participate as a guest speaker for an English teachers’ seminar hosted at her school!  I was thrilled.  I agreed and got to work on Friday preparing a lecture on American culture, namely social settings (parties, potluck dinners, table settings) and holidays according to my tutor’s requests.  We met again on Friday to finalize our plan.  I showed her various images of traditional holiday foods (yay for Google images!), a game idea I found online, and some coloring sheets.  She had a great idea for a holiday worksheet so we worked to type that out as well.  We worked together for several hours then I went home and stayed up late late late preparing a PowerPoint to accompany us.

Saturday morning we met, finalized some more details, ran to get copies of our handouts for the teachers, and headed to the school.  We were both wearing skirts so she had me sit side saddle on her bike and I nearly fell off at a u-turn!  hahaha  What a sight that must have been.

I was so nervous and so excited about the presentation.  It came our turn and I spoke while she translated.  The teachers seemed to really enjoy our ideas and the game we presented.  We ate lunch and then I sat to watch the next presenter.  She was such a wonderful teacher!  She had an amazing presence and expertise in her public speaking … I can imagine that her students are very very blessed to have her and her world of knowledge with methodology.  And her English was also very good!  I was further impressed with the teachers attending.  The amount of English that they learn is just astounding.  Now, in all fairness I have to admit that their conversation skills are not comparable with a native speaker’s.  However, they study and learn much more English than Americans do other modern languages.  I was very very impressed.  It was just a wonderful morning and afternoon.

Paulette picked me up and we headed down to Chiang Rai for a prayer celebration meeting with other friends and fellow laborers.  That was a very blessed time of fellowship and prayer.  I am so touched by the people serving God here.  They are just extraordinary examples of children of light and faith.  It was neat to see the families’ adorable children, too.  And an older woman prayed for me in her own language!  She had been rather quiet (we were mostly praying in English) and so when it came time to pray for my requests I told her and her husband that I would love for them to pray, to hear their voices.  And she did!  That touched my heart.  Later we enjoyed a delicious meal with a family and then headed home.

This week I’ve been exploring side streets and markets in the mornings.  I feel more comfortable and confident with my way around the main routes I need so it allows me more liberty to expand those boundaries little by little.  I love how people can just set up shop and sell anything in any quantity at any time.  No red tape!  It’s wonderful.  It amazes me, too, at how adept they are in working with large quantities and buying in bulk.  You can acquire just about anything in smaller individual portions but it seems the vendors purchase in overwhelming (to me) quantities.  Markets are fun, too, because I think that’s where people are used to going.  It’s more of a natural setting I think.  So then walks in this tall, fat, pale person … and they are surprised a bit.  At least I hope they are.  Some are eager to chat and help, too.  When looking for particular foods, on two occasions an older man would just instruct me to follow and he would take me from his family’s stand (that didn’t have the food) right to the spot someone else was selling it.  What a relief since my Thai is sad at best! 

Tuesday on my way home from the morning market, a stranger stopped me in the street.  She could tell I was coming back from the market by the little purchases I was carrying.  She showed me a short cut to the market so that I wouldn’t have to take the longer route!  Just a stranger in the street but she wanted to help me.  And then Wednesday morning I shopped for breakfast and took pictures of fun vendors (I’ll have to share later because I don’t have the patience to upload pictures today).  At one of the market stands, the two sisters were delighted to speak with me whether in broken Thai or broken English … so they invited me to sit right there with them to chat!  If I understood correctly, they start working at one in the morning!  I’d imagine all the preparations and transporting of goods to the market takes a while … and I wouldn’t be surprised if the market opened as early as 4:00 am. 

Last evening was another great, great highlight.  My Thai tutor took me to an evening market to show me different food items on display (including frogs—some cooked, some living— and eels and fried crickets).  Then she took me on a motor tour of Mae Sai!  She drove all around these back streets so I could see different areas, some local school buildings, and other small evening markets.  When we returned, she and her house worker showed me how to prepare three Thai dishes and a Thai dessert: chicken curry, sweet and sour vegetables, deep fried, and sweet sticky rice.  I was so excited to be invited into her home and her kitchen.  After we finished eating, she showed me some of her photo albums and shared with me some of her history.  I love her and her family to pieces.  They have been so encouraging and helpful to me!

There’s much more to tell but I’m done for today.  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for such an amazing time.  Thank You for the diversity of Your creation and for showing me a very small portion of Your immense love and work in all peoples of the earth.  Continually remind me of what You have done for me and the prayers You have answered during my visit here.  I do not want to forget Your signs and wonders!  I thank You for Your calling to international service and for the interests and abilities You have given –and not given—me for Your glory.  Please guard my friends.  Please raise up men and women of God in this area of the world and use them mightily to impact Your body around the world.  In Jesus name so let it be.