. . . a glimpse into my heart.

We've been home for over a week. Thailand seems so distant a memory now and I feel like its almost just a dream that I will carry with me in my heart but not something that I truly experienced. I loved Thailand. I felt at home there right away. This isn't something I have experienced in every foreign country I have visited. It's a hard thing to explain. I didn't feel this way in Ethiopia which seems weird since it was my sons homeland and culture. I loved Ethiopia and would love going back someday but it wasn't home. But Thailand was different. Dave and I both felt it. I actually felt so comfortable that I found myself forgetting that I was the foreigner and looked very different from the locals. I feel strongly God will take us back someday and I can't wait. My heart leaps within me as I think about it! We met two women who are with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Thailand. One is originally from Washington state but has been a missionary in Thailan...

Thailand is an amazing place! The smells are something you have to experience because there’s no way to explain them. Some are good and some not-so-much. :-) It’s just so different than the typical town in the US. There’s such beauty and yet a lot of poverty. There were little vendor carts all along the streets. People had woks full of hot oil and were cooking food right on the streets and selling to people just walking by. We saw a lot of familiar things and a lot of VERY unfamiliar things. On the bus ride out of Bangkok I saw mostly rundown buildings and homes but then out of nowhere there would be a decked out building that looked similar to the ones we saw in the Palace. There’s a lot of laundry hanging on porches and trash on the streets. The traffic was a little chaotic but not nearly as scary as in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We left Bangkok in two double-decker busses along with the international workers. They served us a box lunch consisting of a bottle of water, a sandwich, bag ...

Here are a couple fun pictures before I get into the more serious stuff: We got to enjoy a "not so safe" tuktuk ride. It was a lot of fun! Today we got to go see the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha. It was an eye opener and quite amazing! You had to wear long pants or skirts and couldn't show your shoulders (I had to put on my sweatshirt in the humid heat). The buildings and art were beautiful and very extravagant. It was unlike anything I had ever seen and almost felt unreal. We saw people doing little ceremonial offerings and their own form of worship to Buddha. We went into see the Emerald Buddha where you're not allowed to take photos and you're required to take off your shoes. People were bowing before it. I felt strange being in there and watching these people worshiping this false and dead god. The emptiness was so sad and heart breaking. I'm not sure how to explain it but I felt sick and it was difficult to breath. I didn't like being in there ...

We flew out of Seattle Tuesday afternoon. Traveling included a 3 hour drive over the snowy pass to Seattle, an hour and a half bus and train ride to the airport, one 10 hour flight to Tokyo, one 6.5 hour flight to Bangkok, and a half hour or so van ride to our hotel. We were able to get to bed by 2:30 AM Thai time which was 11:30 AM in Yakima. Although it was a very LONG stretch it all went well with out any delays or issues. We were thankful for that. Dave and I were able to stay awake when needed to be able to more efficiently adjust to the time difference. We're 15 hours ahead of Yakima. We are feeling pretty good today. We got to walk some of the streets of Bangkok which was quite an experience. We went to the mall and although they did have a nice department store, they also had a whole level dedicated to all these little stores selling a lot of Thai souvenirs, clothes etc. Things are pretty cheap which made shopping so much more fun. :-) We ate lunch in the mall restaurant an...

In September 2010 I posted my bucket list. > Write a book > Take my boys to Ethiopia > Take a cooking class > Get a bachelor's degree > Go on a short term missions trip within the next two years We are heading to Thailand in a couple weeks to minister to some missionary families. Dave and I will spend our time with the youth. I don't know if this is officially a "missions" trip but I'm counting it. The cooking class is something I would still like to do but more then that I want to take a baking and cake decorating class. I love baking and want to learn more about it. So, I'm adding that to my list! > Take a baking class > Take a cake decorating class