Road Trip!

We started early Monday morning for our trip south to Trang.  We loaded all nine people and our things into the 12 passenger "rot tuu" or minibus.  Paul drove the entire 14 hours.  I have to give him a lot of credit, he was jet-lagged but he did it and we made it safely to Baan Wasanaa, the guesthouse where we stayed in Trang City.  Originally, I was supposed to help drive, but once we got there, Paul and I quickly realized that I didn't have my nerves back...so the only driving I did was around the airport when we picked up one of our teammates.  I was happy not to be responsible for the lives of 8 other people on the roads in Thailand!  But, I know it was tiring for Paul.  Below is the infamous (to our family anyway!) three headed elephant.  The kids LOVED driving past this when we lived in Thailand before...and PJ remembered it again this trip.  Here, you can only see two heads and the butt...but you get the picture!

I'll introduce the team in the next post, but this lady pictured with me is my dear, dear friend and sister in Christ, NaamFon.  She is amazing...and loves Jesus and loves sharing His story with everyone around her.  I miss her terribly.  She, Elizabeth and I made up the female component to the team!

Driving south...near Prajuab Khiri Khan.  We all agreed that the roads were much better going south than the roads traveling north! Just south of this point, there was a police check point...and we got stopped.  Anytime you're stopped by the police, it's a bit scary, but especially in another country.  Paul told him where we were going and then they started talking to NaamFon and she assured them we all worked together and were going to Trang.  To our surprise, they didn't ask for a bribe...and we were on our way.  It was amazing to see the goodness of the Lord.  

 Only outside the United States is it okay to take a baby out of a carseat while traveling!  Elizabeth was well loved by our entire team, but especially her Phii NaamFon.  NaamFon gave Elizabeth her Thai name which is "Naam Waan" which is translated sweet water.  =)

Above is pictured Phii Gai.  She runs the guesthouse where we stayed in Trang City.  She was so cute and friendly...and so gracious with our group. One morning as Paul E was making pancakes, she asked NaamFon about the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism...it was awesome hearing NaamFon explain the gospel...and to see Phii Gai's openness to it.  Please pray that this woman would come to know Christ as her Savior!

Reconnections

The joy of returning to Thailand was wrapped up mostly in seeing old friends!  We spent our first Sunday in Ram 2 (our old neighborhood and where New Community Fellowship Church is located).  We worshiped in Thai in the morning service and in English in the evening service.  It was great reconnecting with Thais and Americans alike.  Above PJ and Emmy sharing a pineapple "bun" and below Phii Khay Muuk and me.  Love this lady and was so glad she ate lunch with us at the market.  

After lunch, the kids and I went to the Mills' new place in downtown Bangkok. It's a great place the Lord has provided and I am so excited to see how God will continue to use Tim and Rhianna for His glory through the arts.  The kids enjoyed more playtime and pooltime!  It was as if no time had passed for these kiddos!

Rhianna with their youngest, Julian. We haven't seen him since we left Thailand 3 years ago.  He's a joy of a little boy!

And Asa was also a delight to see again.  I can't wait for Calvin and him to reconnect, I think they'll be good friends!

And to finish the evening, we had English worship at the church.  The next morning we will load into the van and travel 14 hours south to Trang.

Traveling there and our first day

Our journey began Thursday, June 07 at 5am.  Elizabeth and I set out on our trek across the world.  We flew through the Middle East, which was a new experience for me but one that I enjoyed albeit apprehensively at first. After a 14 hour flight, we had a 12 hour layover in Dubai, UAE.  Before leaving I "met" a friend of a friend who lives and works in Dubai with her family and she invited us to their home for the day.  It was a welcome respite to our travels.  Elizabeth enjoyed the children as well as some free roam time on the floor and a quick nap in a crib before we headed back to the airport.  You can find Gloria blogging at Domestic Kingdom where she and other women write about applying the gospel to the mundane. Definitely a kindred spirit!!! I just wish we lived closer.

 We flew Emirates airlines...and I can't say enough good things about this airline.  If you EVER have the opportunity to go with them, I highly recommend it!  One thing that was striking was the amount of children on all my flights with Emirates...and how nobody seemed bothered by little ones crying or fussing.  It was a refreshing change to many American airlines and westerners who seem to despise children, I don't want to sound so negative, but that is the reality.  The cultures of the Middle East and India (areas where most people were from) are heavily family and communal oriented and it shows in the way they love children.  So, Elizabeth did great on all the flights!  I think it helped that I felt comfortable!

Once we arrived in Bangkok on Saturday morning, we met up with the rest of the group.  Everyone got there and we found each other, which in and of itself was a miracle and mercy of our Lord!  We then traveled to our hotel for the next two nights.  PJ enjoyed wandering around outside on the edge of the tall grass looking for any kind of animal he could find, but mostly those of reptilian nature! The place where we stayed served us a delicious breakfast complete with a heart shaped egg...and a sausage! 

home again, home again

I really wanted to blog while we were in Thailand, but as you can imagine, our days were quite full...here's Elizabeth after 1 1/2 days of travel to get home...zonked at Orlando International waiting for the family to pick us up!

We're here!

Sweet friends and family who have been patiently waiting for some news of us...we all arrived safe and sound! There were some close calls of some us missing connecting flights but graciously, we all arrived at the times few were supposed to! Elizabeth did fantastic on all the flights, even the 14 hour flight across the ocean! And, the Lord was so good to give me people all along the way to help me. I am humbled by His good care of us on that trip! We arrived in Bangkok on Saturday morning and traveled Monday about 14 hours south to Trang. We had no problems on the roadways. We did get stopped at a police checkpoint, but once again, God was gracious by only having the policemen ask us questions. I think it helped having our Thai sister, Naamfon with us also and Elizabeth waving and smiling didn't hurt either! Thank you for your continued prayers. Today we begin meeting folks and learning more about them and their way of life. I will try to upload some pictures in the coming days! So thankful and amazed at the goodness and greatness of our God! Crystal