BREATHE.
So things have finally stopped spinning from the past 6 weeks! It was a crazy, fast-paced month and a half! Since the girls took a break from school at the end of March it seemed like time had turned into a frantic scramble to insert the quarter into the retro Galaga (or insert favorite reminiscent 80's/90's video game here) console as the deep computer voice counted down
"Continue? 10...9...8...7...6...."
Enough to get your blood pumping even as you read this, right?
Hot season seemed to have an intensifying effect on how things ballooned as well; with temperatures reaching 103° F ('F' obviously standing for 'FREAKISHLY OVERWHELMINGLY HOT')!
So even though things have stopped ticking and the oven has begun to cool off, this is a quick update of what baking at light-speed feels like:
The girls aged 16 and older went to a discipleship school at our church in Chiang Mai every weekday, learning much and applying even more! At the end of it all 14 of them were baptized and recommitted their lives to God's calling and leading of their lives! Those younger and I had a blast with English and games, arts and crafts, Bible stories and even a few cooking classes thrown in there by our cook, Leah.
Compassion asked me to be more closely involved with some of their work and had me helping translate letters, cards, emails and a few documents for future meetings with international offices. The students I've been teaching have become good friends, and I'm looking forward to seeing where God directs their lives and how ours will intersect in the future.
TheLight saw a major makeover as we moved to a permanent location rather than bumming space off the nearby cafe. We moved things over to what is now known as บ้านtheLight (theLight House). Many hours were spent getting things ready by purging the spider-infested corners, and cleaning up the grounds. It now houses the pastor and his wife, P' Sinn and Ann, as well as a few volunteers working with them.
Songkran came with a tidal wave of activity, causing many to shut their doors, strap on water guns and hit the moat. Technically it was only during Friday/Saturday/Sunday, but I started getting hit by ice-cold, putrid moat water on Monday. Thankfully, God kept my health intact and protected me from any motorcycle accidents during the water and alcohol-drenched holiday. One report I saw after the week of water-throwing said that vehicle accidents elevated 800% during the long weekend!
Lastly, I was BLESSED beyond measure with the last-minute visit from my girlfriend, Casey. She was able to come out for 13 days, spend time with the girls at BHJ, visit with her old friends and co-workers while I was still busy with teaching at the orphanage and Compassion. And on in-between days we explored waterfalls, made a day-trip to Chiang Rai, had evening dates and then took an over-night train to Bangkok where we had a final day together before she boarded her plane early the next morning.
Thank you all SO much for the continued encouragement through prayer, finances and the occasional funny YouTube video!
