Ron Cha Dai [it's so hot i will die]

So I just got back from English Camp this weekend. It was so hot I was literally sweating the entire time unless I was in the shower.
Now when I say shower I mean standing in the bathroom and pouring water over my head. Talk about a cultural experience. This is not the way that all shower are here, they do have normal showers, it was just the camp site we were at. But besides the heat the whole weekend was pretty amazing.
The staff had been praying for this weekend for a long time and I got to join in with them in their prayer these few weeks I was here before going to camp. God was so present at this camp it was amazing. Just the way the whole group felt like one big family and all the students that did not know God could just tell that it was a good place to be. They felt comfortable and really were open and honest with the staff about what they thought about God and being a christian.
During the weekend we got paired up with buddies and as a i prayed for my buddy God definitely answered my prayer. I wanted her to just know that God is real and that He loves her and that we love her. It is very difficult for Thai students to accept being a christian because it is a complete lifestyle change for them and everyone they know usually including their family are Buddhist. This makes it very difficult for them. But my prayer was that these students would have such a conviction and just know that God is love and truth, that they would not be able to say no to him and to christianity.
There were a lot of students that asked Jesus into their hearts this weekend but it's still a process for them to realize what it means to be a christian and even be ready to go to church. But the great thing about this camp is that it is through the Centre and so we get to keep up with these relationships and continue to talk to the students about God.
I now only have one more week here in Thailand and it definitely went by way too quickly. But I will be glad to get home and rest a bit before heading out to Hume Lake with the middle schoolers.

Oh, and I do have pictures I'm sorry I haven't added them to my facebook in a while but I will work on that in the next couple days.

Attithan [prayer]

So week one is done. I've completed my first week of classes and first full week at the Centre. It went by so quick. I really love my class, the students are so fun and really nice. Students in Thailand are so much better than students in the states they really respect their teachers and they are helpful. It's so great, the first day in class I opened the windows and turned on the fans because we are in Thailand and it's extremely hot, and the rest of the week I would come into the classroom and the windows were open and the fans on already. I love my students. Haha, and not only that but they turn the fans off and shut the windows when class is over, it's so great.

But with the first week came a lot of prayer. At the centre we have meetings everyday from 1-2, then we hang out and get ready for class from 2-5, from 5-6 I have my class and then from 6-7 I hang out at the coffee level (floor of the house with the coffee shop) and hang out with students and help Krista, our barista if you will.

My class has been going really well although the attendance is spotty. So I have been praying for my students to show up and also to hang around at the Centre after class. The Centre strives to build relationships with the students in order to share about Jesus with them. So I was praying for my students to hang around the Centre after class and that day one of my students said she wanted to stay, so she could practice her english, but I was still so excited.

Also at the Centre they have Cooking Night on Wednesdays and Friday Night Parties. Wednesday was fun we had pesto chicken pasta, Thai style. It was fun being able to just hang out with some of the students in a non-classroom setting. And on friday night the party theme was The Flinstones. For that we played some games and then had one of the staff share her testimony. It was really cool to see all the students focused on what she was saying.

I know a lot of people have been praying for me and I appreciate it so much I can really tell that my trip is going so smoothly because of all your prayer. Thank you so much. Please continue to pray for me and my students, I would love to see them become a part of the Centre more fully and make friends there so when I leave they will stay and hang around.

Khao Pad Moo [fried rice with pork]

Food in Thailand is so good. I had more fried rice today for lunch and it is seriously one of the best foods ever. Not just in Thailand but anywhere. Sometimes at home I order take out from PF Changs and just get fried rice because it's one of my favorites. But I like other food as well. I have yet to eat anything that is truly spicy here. But I think it may be because I am white so the restaurants don't give me very spicy food. But I have actually eaten quite a bit of American food as well here. I am trying to live like Jen does to really experience life here and that means not always eating Thai food. We ate at a mexican restaurant the other day and it was so good. I really like most of the food I have tried and I am looking forward to trying more.

Oh, and I am a pro at chopsticks. haha. but seriously i really like using them.

Sa wat dee ka [hello]

So, I finally made it to Thailand after what was one extremely long day. I took a 2pm flight out of san francisco to tokyo. Then I got on another flight just two hours later to bangkok, so far flying a total of 16 hours. I arrived in bangkok and had to hang out in the airport for about 7 hours before I got my last flight out to chiang mai the next morning. But I kept myself busy...



When I finally made it to chiang mai I met up with Jen and went to her house where I am staying. I wasn't actually tired until about 3 in the afternoon but I made it until about 9 at night. And my first day was so mush fun. I got to experience a lot of what I'll be doing the rest of the month. I hung out at Jen's, I ate at my first Thai restaurant...



i rode around in Jen's awesome truck...



and I got to hang out at the centre where I will be working...



I am so excited to be a part of the team here and to help them in any way I can.