7 days...

My fans have been begging me for an update... basically, my mom said it's time to write again! Anyway.
Things have been really busy here. English camp went really well- it's sad it was only two days. I was asked to share a story, so I shared a real-life adventure tale (only some of the facts were changed- it made the story more exciting.) And I was speaking through a translator, so that was really cool to hear. I had two volunteers from the Oklahoma team work with me in a small group, and it was good to have them share stories and talk with the students as well. On Thursday night, Scott and Valerie went with me to talk with Pi and it was really good. He seems excited about learning more about God and reading the Bible. Friday morning a girl named Nancy made the decision to follow Jesus! I don't know her that well, but she said that sometime last year she heard "Seek me and you will find me" and she said that since then she had been reading the Bible and studying about God. After a long process, she gave her life to the Lord. yay!
Saturday and Sunday working with the children was exhasuting and hot, but they are adorable and I'm glad we went out there. We played games with them and just used really basic English. It was really fun to see them out of their uniforms and in just regular kid's clothes.
Midterms for students started last week, so classes have been a little thin last week and this. Their midterms last for two weeks, and they are as intense as our finals (I'd hate to see how their finals are!) So we've just been having conversations and playing games (Uno is a favorite here... We have played it so much, I think I will never touch another Uno card as long as I live... :)
Saturday I got to see the Dark Knight in Thai. It was intense- I followed it for the most part- the action played a huge role in that- but I've been picking up alot of Thai phrases. I know more than I think, which is cool. I've been learning to write Thai and order basic foods at a restaurant (because here, you are supposed to write down your order and turn it in- for the "farangs" they have to come to our table. Now we can impress all of the people are our favorite restaurants by writing in Thai. Of course, maybe our food orders will be wrong. We'll see :)I've also been learning a few Isaan phrases- Isaan is the area of Thailand we are living in- NE. Isaan is like it's own culture within a culture. They have their own language, which is close to Lao. So I jokingly say that I can speak four languages- English, Thai, Isaan and Lao (like the majority of the students here can!)
On Sunday, our friend, T, a Thai believer took some of us to the Wat across from our house. The Wat is a Buddhist temple- and they are on every corner. There are idols and shrines everywhere- it made me so sad- these things are false, they're dead, but everyday people are bowing down to them! We learned that the monks are fed by people in the community, so it's the responsibility of the people to provide and bring food to the Wat every morning. There's a big open room with mats on the floor, tables in the corner and ornate gold statues. The monks sit in these huge wicker chairs and the people lay the food at their feet. We see monks regularly- they are clad in orange fabric and walk around town- I don't really know what they do. We weren't allowed to go inside the actual temple, but it was ornate. I took pictures. I will upload them after I get home.
Sunday night we had two students from China who are studying at MSU spend the night. They are so cute- and one of them is very interested in Jesus. While she was in China, she actually got some Christian material (I'm not sure if that is illegal in China, but I think it may be.) Now she comes to church and Bible study and is asking questions about Jesus. It's so cool. I'm amazed at how God sent someone from China, a closed country, to our small town in Thailand just to learn more about Him. Nothing is coincidence! Pray for her- and for China and for all the people she may be able to reach in that country. Wow.
Last night, our friend P'bor cooked an amazing dinner for us at our house. I love Isaan food and I think that Thai food in America just won't be the same, sadly.
I think that's about it for an update- I know I threw alot of information your way. Here are a few prayer requests:
Kristal is leaving tomorrow- pray for her safety in traveling.
Rachel has been feeling a little sick, my throat has been sore, and Beth had a little run-in with some peppers burning her hands last night. Please just pray that we will be well and enjoy our last few days here.
Pray for the children at the village school- I want them to grow up knowing Jesus, and most of them won't. It really makes me sad.
Next Tuesday morning we will be leaving super early to go to Khon Kaen and fly into Bangkok. We will spend the day in Bangkok and then Wednesday morning we will fly from Bangkok to Tokyo and then into San Fransisco and Atlanta and then Danette and I will fly to Jacksonville. All in one day- it will be a long day. Pray for safety. And sanity. Being on planes for almost 24 hours will be exhausting.
Thank you for keeping up with my blog! I will see you soon.