we made it. suffering a bit of sensory overload and even more altitude sickness. but on the mend. am keeping a journal so i can post my impressions from texas…
chiang mai on a wednesday
25/06/2009
chiang mai, thailand 10 Comments
this past wednesday, as i was gettin’ ready for the day, i was feeling a bit anxious. i only had one more sleep in my bed for 6 weeks. and while the trip to india had me feeling a bit unsure – it’s the trip to america that really had me worried. it’s the first time back for the kids and me. which means it’s also the first time they will have to leave america (the old, familiar, probably very comfortable home) to return to chiang mai (the still new home). how unpleasant might it be leaving again? as i was out and about running errands two things occurred that soothed my soul.
1) the kids and i were on the way to the mall to drop c15 off at the movies. as we were driving down the super highway – a highway that is pretty super for here, but basically it’s a boulevard with very few lights – a herd of goats was coming our way. on the inside of the service road. and they were hearded onto the super highway by a car headed up the on ramp. there were maybe 6 adult goats and 3 kids. it gave us all a good chuckle and the chance to say, “we’d never see that in the states.”*
2) that night i headed out to pick michael up from the airport. and almost rear ended an elephant. it was dark and he is dark. he was wearing a flasher on his tail, but it had gotten a bit twisted and was pointed at his rear, which isn’t a reflective surface. i wasn’t going fast, it would have been more of a tap. maybe caused him to sit on the hood of the car. and my first thought was that it would be a bummer if i had hit that elephant and it had sat on the hood of my car because i had no camera!
and i went to sleep – my last sleep in my own bed for 6 weeks – feeling pretty confident that the return trip home – the one that will bring us back to chiang mai – might not be all that difficult.
______________________________
* i’m guessing that is something that could happen in the states, but we won’t be visiting areas that allow goat herd gangs.
words of wisdom – it’s a poll
25/06/2009
a) mark twain
“india is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in india only!”
b) gandhi
“well, india is a country of nonsense.”
at the desk in the office
24/06/2009
me me me, procrastination 8 Comments
beside my bed – two very empty backpacks
on my bed – two piles of clothes to be sorted, folded and packed into the two empty backpacks beside my bed
on the couch in the hall – baggies of stuff. shampoo, liquid laundry detergent for hand washing unmentionables, body soap, sunscreen, medications for headaches, belly aches, motion sickness, antiseptic, band aids, hydration packets, mosquito spray. which all need to be packed with the clothes that are sitting on my bed waiting to be sorted, folded and packed into the two empty backpacks beside my bed
at the desk in the office – me. sitting on my computer not dealing with the baggies of stuff. shampoo, liquid laundry detergent for hand washing unmentionables, body soap, sunscreen, medications for headaches, belly aches, motion sickness, antiseptic, band aids, hydration packets, mosquito spray that on the couch in the hall which all need to be packed with the clothes that are sitting on my bed waiting to be sorted, folded and packed into the two empty backpacks beside my bed.
maybe i should do something, maybe.
it’s gonna be india hot
24/06/2009
one more sleep in my own bed until august and i’m not sure how restful that will be. i’m all kinds of anxious. the to-do list is getting shorter – thankfully. and i’ve settled on what to pack – i was really struggling with this one. we’d been advised that capris would be fine. and then we were advised that we’d need long pants. the only long pants i own are jeans. heavy jeans. and then i saw the forecast.
so, i’ve decided to pretend that i don’t know nothing about wearin’ no jeans. to save me from having a heat stroke. because i am prone to those. i also think i’ll be packing every last drop of sunscreen i can get my fair skinned hands on, because a uv index that varies between very high and extreme – that’s skin cancer waiting to happen.
with open arms
22/06/2009
c15, india, me me me 4 Comments
it’s official – c15 and i can get into india!
now we just gotta get our reentry permits so we can get back into thailand. and we i gotta pack.
happy it’s not father’s day
20/06/2009
michael’s missing this father’s day, but lucky for him we live in thailand. where they celebrate father’s day in december. he deserves some amazing props and a big shout out because he’s a wonderful father!!
so happy it’s not father’s day Michael!!
coming up
20/06/2009
a13, c15, family, life is good, me me me, michael, s10 Leave a comment
with india right around the corner i’m not sure how often i’ll be able to post, hopefully a post or two more before c15 and i hit the road and if we manage an internet cafe or something in india maybe a post or two from there. so – here’s the goings on for the next little bit for us.
right now, michael is in uganda. from uganda he will head to indonesia – arriving home the morning of june 25. the afternoon of june 25th (yes, the same day) c15 and i will head to india. we are traveling as part of the youth team from our church. there are 17 kids and 5 adults going. we are very thankful to God that we are able to experience this, but are also feeling apprehensive. we will spend the first few days in india working on team building and some immersion training to prepare us for the ministry areas we will be involved in. they include:
- wheel chair distribution
- accompanying social workers to the slums
- ministering to HIV infected people and their families
- distributing rations to poverty stricken families
- working in soup kitchens
- visiting youth hostels
- working at a leprosy colony
it’s a pretty full itinerary.
while c15 and i are in india, michael,a12 & s9 will be heading to the United States. they arrive July 2 and will get to enjoy fireworks and maybe a cookout!
c15 and I will leave chennai on July 8. we will have a 17 hour layover in bangkok and arrive in dallas on july 9.
july 12 – 17 michael will be the camp pastor at royal family kid’s camp. he has been involved with this camp for over 10 years and is very excited that this year c15 will be accompanying him to lend a hand! .
july 19 the whole family will fly to colorado springs returning to dallas july 30. august 3 – 7 s9 will be going to camp thurman – a day camp in arlington. both c15 and a12 have been able to go to this camp and it will be s9′s first opportunity. we will be leaving the states on august 8th arriving home in chiang mai august 10th and the kids will begin school august 13th.
it should be fun, busy and most likely exhausting!!
thank God that’s over
19/06/2009
a13, c15, family, i make things, me me me 2 Comments
this morning – for the last time ever this week – i woke up, dragged drug hauled myself out of bed, roused three kids – one of them a teenager who isn’t keen on rousing – got us all out the door and to the school plenty early for any and all last minute setups required for today’s holiday bible club craft. holiday bible club is the same thing as vacation bible school – i’m not sure exactly why the difference in names, but replacing the word school with the word club certainly makes it sound more fun.
a12 and s9 attended – it’s a12′s last year. next year she can be signed up by her mom to willingly volunteer. c15 would tell her that it’s the best! since the kids were all involved i figured i might as well be, too. and since someone asked if i would head up crafts i figured i might as well say, “yes” and i smiled when i said it. that yes could have also been caused by the fact that i have difficulties saying no. even when i’m thinking “no” the word that come out is “yes”. it doesn’t always work out so well for me.
the church we’re at creates their own holiday bible club from the ground up. no box kit for them. a theme is decided on, someone writes a script, actors are procured and rehearsals happen, songs are dug up that fit the theme and interest the kids, a games director comes up with games that can be played inside and out – since it is rainy season, shirts are designed and made, snacks are provided and, of course, crafts are essential.
this year the theme was rock’n'roll roller coaster. it was about the life of peter and his many ups and downs. throughout the week tons of material was covered from Jesus calling the disciples through the crucifixion and resurrection. and my job was to develop 5 crafts for 150 kids ranging in age from 5 – 12 (oh, with the last minute addition of 3 & 4 year olds) each day that would reinforce what they’d learned, entertain them, and keep them busy for 12 hours 45 minutes. 45 minutes is an eternity when it comes to occupying kids with string, beads, paint, paper and glue. here’s a basic run down of what we did – because i am sort of impressed with how well everything turned out i feel the need to share.
- monday – Jesus called the disciples to be fisher of men. our craft was creating fishing nets from netting, yarn and beads. the toothpick idea i mentioned here worked well. there were a few minor issues, but it turned out okay.
- tuesday – Jesus helped peter walk on water. we painted hand towels. we marble painted the water onto the bottom half of the towel and then stencilled on fish and a boat.
- wednesday – peter denied Jesus. Jesus was crucified and resurrected. pick up your cross and follow me. we made seed bead safety pin pins. this one i was worried about.
- thursday – peter became the rock. which required rocks to be painted.
- friday – peter reminisces about his life. we made scrolls using saa paper. the kids discussed the week in their groups and then drew pictures or wrote about the week and what they remembered best.
i was very happy that i heard no complaining about the crafts. no “do i have to do this?” or “this is stupid” type comments. and i was quite glad to not come across any abandoned crafts as i was leaving each day. and everyday i came home and practiced saying, “no, i do not want to do that.” i swear i’ll remember if they ask again next year.
i would love to have had some pictures to share, but our camera is in uganda with michael. lucky camera.
it isn’t working and i don’t know why
14/06/2009
meant to post this yesterday, but our internet is being funky. we show that we’re connected, but it’s so slow. too slow to actually bring up any pages. but what i was gonna say yesterday was…
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MICHAEL!!
17 amazing years.
