2 days left...

So I realized today as I laid in bed (which I have done most of the day due to being sick) and realized that we only have two days left here at Care Corner Orphanage! I have not seen the children in what seems like forever due to our visit to the Karen hill tribe and surrounding villages. I missed them so much during those few days and can not imagine how my heart is going to ache when I say good-bye in two days! But let me tell you about my weekend.

The week was filled with many joyful moments, many scary moments, many frustrating moments, and many eye opening moments. The weekend was a struggle for me for a few reasons both emotionally, physically and spirituality. We took two vans and one SUV up to the border of Thailand and Mymnar (currently Burma). We ate lunch at the pastor's house and then went to the local school. While at the pastor's house we were able to talk with him and hear talk about what the village is like. He told us he is paid 1000 Baht (about $32) and a bag of rice a month!Then we were able to hand out the shoes, socks and backpacks we had brought along. It was a sweet time to see such beautiful faces!

From there we went to another Karen village and boy was it an adventure to get there. It is currently the rainy season in Thailand and the road leading to the village in a dirt road, and it up a mountain! Because of my back I was instructed to ride in the SUV while the rest of the team had to ride in the back of two pick-up trucks! On the way up the roads were completely muddy and there were two foot ruts in the road. On one side you a steep slope down the mountain and on the other side a stone wall. There were a few time I feared for my life! When we got the the village I saw a sight I will never forget! It was the most remote village I have ever had the privilege to visit. The mud was everywhere and we just embraced it. We slipped and slided both up and down a large hill that lead from the pastors house to the church. Meanwhile some of the sweet local women would grab our hands and lead us the right way. The night service that first night was long and we were all very tired. We then headed to the places we would sleep. We were broken up into groups of 6 and sent to different houses that were graciously given up for us to sleep in. The next day we got up and had a medical clinic ( the pastor is also the doctor of the village and one of the members of the British team is a doctor). This is when the sickness set in for me. I helping to fill scripts of the doctor and all of a sudden I felt as though I was going to pass out and or throw up. I had woken up with what felt like the start of a sore throat and now these symptoms were too much. I decided to go back to where we slept and lay down. I slept for about two hours and the Et came to check on me and bring me some bananas (oh how I love and will miss this amazing woman!) We then ventured back on the death roads back into "town". There I found some cough drops (which were being sold as candy) and took some Advil. We then stopped at a near by village for another medical clinic and then headed home.

So that is what happened but there is so much more that I do not know how to explain. How do you explain the beautiful faces of men, women and children I encountered this weekend? How do I explain the need for water in this village? How do I explain the heart breaking faces of the clients of the medical clinics? Men and women who do not have access to simply medicine. A woman who cut her foot and now it is infected because she doesn't have anything to clean it out with. Men and women who complained of neck, back or leg pain but could not take to advice of the doctor not to lift anything heaving because they can not afford to not work one day. So many simple things we take for granted. How do I explain the struggles of my heart? How do I explain the questions that have arisen in my mind? Maybe one day I will be able to... until then I will just have to wrestle with these things...

Emotions....

I sit here in the office of Care Corner Orphanage with tears rolling down my face, there are so many emotions going through my mind right now. I'm listening to one of my favorite songs, You Said by Shane & Shane, a song that has always been precious to my heart. O, how I ask for the nations and here I am serving God in a Nation that need Jesus so much. Today we are preparing to leave to go to Mymnar. I can not express how excited I am to go and serve these people who have so little. To go and serve them in whatever ways we can. We are bringing nets, shoes for the 240 children at the school, 3 tons of rice, we are going to build a water tower,we are setting up a medical clinic, doing puppet shows for the children and just going to love and serve anyway we know how!

Last night was so sweet to my heart! I love how these sweet children worship here! I walked into the worship service last night and it just brought joy to my heart. These children were singing, their arms raised in worship, swaying back and forth and jumping around. They give a new meaning to dancing and singing to the Lord. It was so sweet to hear the music of familiar songs and to praise the Lord. Tears came to my eyes and I saw these children worshipping the same God that I worship in such a sweet way!

As excited as I am to be here, to have this opportunity to serve, my heart aches for things back home. I just received some very upsetting news about my brother and I my heart aches for him. I long to be able to tell him that I love him! I have been getting more and more homesick! I miss people, I miss being surrounded by people who speak my language, I miss people who know my heart, I miss being able to pick up the phone and hearing the sweet voices of my Friends, I miss Tuesday nights at OTB with the girls.

My mind has been very distracted by other things lately also, things I thought would not be an issue while over here. But I guess sometimes you cannot run from your thoughts. I have been praying that I would live in the here and the now and focus on what I am here for. The Lord is teaching so much and I don't want to take any of that away from Him because I am consumed with thoughts that I have no control over. So I guess I would love to ask that if you are the praying type that you would keep me in your prayers over this next week. Please pray that I would focus on the Lord, on what He is doing here. Also my back is not doing the greatest, in fact it has been hurting VERY bad lately. Please pray that I would begin to feel better!

I am so very excited to share even more about what God is doing here with you!

The Best Day...

These three words came out of the mouth of our fellow volunteer many times on Friday. Ricky took all five of the volunteers out for the day and Christy continued to say that it was the best day. And I would agree with her!

First we went to Ricky's house to meet up with him and his wife and then we headed out for the day. We first went to a cave which was pretty amazing. We walked up many steps and then down many steps into the cave. I had such mixed emotions as we entered the cave. First I was amazed at how beautiful it was! It was a huge cave that was all naturally made... it was beautiful. But my heart was also filled with sadness, all throughout the cave were large idols. There were buddha statues and little figurines and places to light candles and incense to buddha. Idol worship is very real here, there are idols everywhere and they even have little house that are meant for the demons. It was so sad to me to see all of these idols in a place that God has created so beautifully! I began to think about in the old testament when it talks about going to the caves to worship false idols, this gave me a very real picture of that. I was an amazing experience!

Then we went to the Hot Springs. Here we boiled eggs in the hot springs! And then ate them with soy sauce while our feet soaked in the cooler part of the hot springs. We then went and took a mineral bath which I must say was just AMAZING!!

Afterwards we came back to Chiang Mai and had Japanese food which was extremely good! It was my first sushi experience which turned out to be very good. We then went back to Ricky's house for coffee and to relax a bit, while there we got some amazing news. Ricky decided to rearrange the schedule so that we would be able to go on a trip to Mymnar! They were planning on going the day before we leave but he rearranged and we will now be able to go! I'm so excited!!! And then that we went to the Night Bazaar where we shopped, and bargained with the locals (I do love this about foreign countries!) and then we had just enough time to get a 30 min foot massage and can I say it was 30 minutes of heaven!

So that was our best day! The next day was long (I didn't sleep at all due to a Thai tea at supper and then coffee!) and it was sad to see Holly leave. She left to go go home Saturday night. Sunday after the service we went and got Thai massages! And let me tell you they were AMAZING!!! It was 100Baht for 1 hour which is about $3! Arianne and I took one of the older girls here at the orphanage and got her one also and she loved it!

All in all in was a good weekend! We teach tomorrow and Wednesday and then a team gets here on Wednesday and we will be on a new schedule. I'm sure I'll have lots of fun stories for you!

They are so strong!

So we have offically been at the Orphanage for 1 week now, and it seems as though I have spent my life here! These children have become such a part of my heart. I wake up exicted to see their smiling faces and joy overflows my heart as they grab me by the hand and lead me somewhere to play. Everyday here I realize how hard it is going to be to leave.

On Sunday at the church service they begun by praying for different people. Ladee (our sweet friend who translates for us) was telling us different people to pray for. One of these people was Jai. Jai is a young man who is staff at Care Corner Orphange. Jai grew up at the orphanage since he was a young boy. Now Jai's mom is sick and he has had to go take care of her. I was thinking about that and how hard that must be. To live your whole life feeling rejected by your family and then have to go back help them when they are in need. I think about my own situation and wonder how hard that must be. I don't know if I would be strong enough to do that.

Well anyhow... tomorrow we are going to a Cave and Hot Spring and then to get Thai massages! Ricky is taking us volunteers on a day trip before Holly leaves on Saturday. I'm so excited about that! Here are some of the sweet children I have come to love....

Pim

Net

Apple

The little things...

I always come on trips like this wanting to serve and love the people I am surrounded by. I always ended up receiving more from those people then I feel I have given. We have only been at the Orphanage for 5 days and I already feel as though I have been given so much and have learned so much about what it looks like to serve and love well.

I am amazed each day at how content these children are, they have so little and yet have so much love and joy. They will take you by the hand and walk with you, sit with you and just be. They find great joy in playing hand games, hopscotch (Which it turns out I am NOT good at), coloring or playing simple games. They do not watch Tv or have the little things we take for granted and yet they are so content. Yesterday we took some of them swimming and they just LOVED it. Just the simple thing! It has made me think so much about my lifestyle back home. Why don't I spend more time just being with people I love? Two of my dear friends live .6 miles away and I see them maybe 2 times a week. We feel as though we have to have something to do. I pray that I would simplify my life when I get back to Fort Worth, spending more time with people and just being. I can not speak to these children so the only way I can love them is to be with them, and that means so much to them. I pray I would seek opportunities to go and spend time with those unloved ones in Fort Worth.

It has been fun to see how these 70 children really are a family. The older kids help to care for the younger ones and they all look out for each other. They older ones will help iron clothes for the younger ones. There is one girl Pim, whom we have all fallen in love with, she can not hear very well and therefore cannot hear the dinner bell. Someone will always find her and tell her to line up (if they don't line up in time they miss the meal). They just all help each other out. It is amazing to see the unity of all of them!

I am falling more and more in love with these people. I am learning more about them each day. I leave in just under 3 weeks and I already know it will be so HARD to say good-bye. It will be another lesson I will have to learn. How to continue to love these sweet people while I am in Fort Worth, Texas!

1000 words...

Here is our trip in pictures so far...
Us at the Hostel as we arrive in Bangkok...


As little lounge area at the Hostel... The Sky Train...we became pros!
I sat, and no monks came by so I stayed seated!!

The Train to Ko Phan Nan (aka The Beach!)



The a 4 hour boat ride to the island...

Which was Beautiful!


Finally to our Bungalow!
Like I said BEAUTIFUL!

We found a Big swing!

This was the BEST meal! Good drinks, good food, good ice cream!
The pool we snuck into....

The strom was a brewing....
And then the rain came....
But we still got some good beach time!

These drinks were STOUT!!!!
Waiting for the train, we were SO tired!

KohSan Road!

Thai Ronald!

Today had been an intresting eating day! We had hamburgers for Breakfast! And then

Ice cream sandwiches (Literally!) They were buns with ice cream and sweet rice! SO

GOOD!That's all for now! I'm loving it more everyday!

Here at last...

Well we arrived safe and sound last night into Bangkok after a one hour plane ride (which was such a treat after the LONG travels we have been doing!) My dear friend Ladee pick us up from the airport and we got into the back of a truck that had been converted into a place to ride. On a funny note as soon as Ladee hugged me she said "What is wrong with your face?!?!" All of our faces are peeling and I'm sure it looks weird, I just loved the bluntness of it!

It was so good to travel through Chiang Mai and catch up with this dear friend of mine! We got back to the orphanage after all the children were asleep and headed to bed ourselves, we were exhusted! We woke up this morning to children play outside. We got up, went down stairs and I saw so many of the sweet faces that I fell in love with. My heart leaped with joy! The children are all at school right now and in about an hour we will be going over for our first day of teaching.

It has been so fun to be here with two of my roommates. To be able to experience this with them. I love traveling especially with sweet friends. So many memories and laughter comes from these experiences. It has been fun to see what each of us are experiencing through all of this also. Three different experiences, three diferent views. If you want to read some of thier blogs (Arianne has written very detailed ones if you want all the fun details of the trip) Go here for Arianne's and here for Holly's

God's Beauty....

Well I have now been in the Land of Smiles (aka Thailand) for almost a week. I feel as though we have done so much and seen so much already. We got to our Hostel late on the 4th of July,where we spent the night in a cute little hostel. On Saturday we spent the day exploring the Bangkok (the HUGE outdoor market!) and then we boarded a train and headed south to the BEACH! The trip was LONG but it was well worth it! We spent 12 hours on a train (trying to sleep most of the time) and then we got on a bus for about another couple of hours then on a boat for the 4 hours trip to the island we were staying on! The beach was beyond words, I felt as though God was giving me a glimpse into Heaven. The next two days were spent laying out on the beach and at the pool. We ate Pad Thai and enjoyed cocktails on the beach. What more could a girl want?!?! It rained the last day we were there but we just went to a little bungalow and read our books as the storm was brewing all around us. It was a great little get-away!

Whenever I spend time in places as beautiful as this I become overhelmed by the beauty of the Lord. I am reminded that the Lord is so big and mighty and He is BEAUTIFUL! I pray that I will remember this truth as I go back to Fort Worth!

Tonight we are getting on a plane and flying to Chiang Mai! My heart is SO excited to be back at the orphanage. Don't get me wrong this girl LOVES the beach, but I have been longing to get to the orphanage and seeing the sweet faces of the children I feel in love with back in March! I pray that the Lord would use these next few weeks to teach me more about His beauty and His love.

I will be able to put pictures up shortly so be looking forward to that!

Thailand here we come...

In 24 hours I will be at the airport waiting for to leave for Thailand! I am so excited to be able to go back to this place I have come to love! I've been packed since last week (I bought a new pack and wanted to make sure everything would fit in it). We have all of our stuff ready to go and we will be off in less than 24 hours. Our flight leaves tomorrow (July 3rd) at 9:20 in the morning and we travel for about 26 hours and we get into Bangkok at 11:25 pm on Friday (it is exactly 12 hours later there). The plan is to spend the night at a hostel Friday night, spend the day in Bangkok on Saturday seeing the sights and then we are taking a train to Koh Phangan island. While there we will be staying in this little bungalow on the beach!

From there we will take the train back to Bangkok and spend another day there before flying to Chiang Mai. While in Chiang Mai we will be staying at Care Corner Orphanage (which is where I stayed back in March). I'm so very excited about this opperunity! I am hoping to be able to upload pictures and blog often so keep your eyes open!