First Few Days Here

The first thing I notice as I wake up this morning is that it's not raining.  An unusually wet July here in Thailand has meant that I'm not sure I've even seen the sunshine yet, even having been here almost three days already.  But this is anything but gloomy.  What a lush green space I walk along on my way from the guest house to morning worship!  I find myself wishing I could send some of this rain and nourishment back home to parched Ontario!

There are other ways I feel this rich nourishment.  Already in three days I've had the chance to be together with people I love to worship God, simply, beautifully, in a language I'm learning to understand and love more and more.  This is a welcome downpour to my worship-parched soul right now.  I find myself regularly overwhelmed, grateful, calm, just receiving.

We've had fun giving out the packets.  We've played Octopoot.  We've already started our reading program in earnest yesterday morning.  I have had to put a limit on four books for each child for each day.  Otherwise we'd just glut out and read and read and read.  Which is fun, except there's only me this time, and we have to space this out a bit.  Plus, better to learn a language a little bit each day.  Which is me doing Thai as well.

Some happy surprises here this time.  One of our original children (from 2008) who had found Bee's death particularly unsettling, had left for a time to be with his older brother in Bangkok and finish high school there.  Their birth mother's death in March, however, brought them back up north to regroup.  In the end both of them were invited back into this family, the older brother to work in order to now support his brother and maternal grandparents, and the younger one - our very own Fruk - to study music at university.   There's more to the story, but I think it's worthy of a blog unto itself.  For now, that's just a quick update on something that's encouraging my soul in deep and happy ways.   I was so sad when Fruk left.  He is once again the fun-loving, sweet boy I have known these past ten years, except not a boy any more.  It's why we do what we do, folks.

Personally, I am none the worse for wear for my travels and first days settling in.  Sometimes, particularly in January when I'm adjusting to a big climate difference and having just come off a full ministry Christmas work load, I am a tad under the weather for a bit.  But this time, even with starting with a sleep deficit due to the departure time (2 am) on Thursday morning, I feel I have adjusted very quickly. 

All are well here.  Suradet and Yupa are well, and deeply appreciate all that they receive from us, and send back all their prayers and blessings in return. 

As I write I hear our worship band warming up.  Can I just say how amazing it is going to be to worship together this morning?  I am so hungry!  What a good God to bring me here right now! 

I am not preaching this morning, which is just fine by me.  Next Sunday I'm on, and we will share in Communion; another rich anticipation.  But today I get to just do a quick hello from us all - which I will attempt to do all in Thai - and then sit back and enjoy and receive.

Have I ever mentioned how imbalanced this all feels?  We receive so much more than we give.  How is that fair?  Can't out-give God, I guess.

Worship pictures to follow :).  But I thought I'd better post this now.  It's almost the only prolonged period of time I've had to just think and be alone since I got here.  Crazy how random and wonderful this life is.

Blessings and joy to you all.