Getting Into the Swing of Things

Alright so I know it's been WAY too long since my last post. I'm getting into the DTS groove and am getting more acclimated to the weather. THANK GOD! I am still a prime target for mosquitos though, and that's been less than amazing. I've also had a few attacks of homesickness this past week. I just miss everyone so much! I put a few pictures at the top of the blog this time because I don't really have the picture posting down yet and my last blog ended up having an extra 12 inches at the end and I don't know how it happened!
The picture in the top left hand corner is Eve the DTS director and me when I gave my chapel talk last Thursday morning. I spoke on God's grace. Having a translator is strange but it's a handy way to recollect your thoughts! The top right picture is all of us loading up to spend the morning practicing listening to God in the park, which was what our 2nd week of lectures was about. Next picture is us all running in the university square at 6:30 IN THE MORNING. And lastly, (my personal favorite) us girls undoing all of our running with some homemade fudge! YUM!

So this coming Sunday we'll be leaving Thailand to spend two weeks doing a mini outreach in Cambodia! I'm excited but a little nervous. I NEVER dreamed I'd be going to Cambodia! Please keep us all in your prayers as we prepare for this outreach. I don't know if I'll be able to blog while I'm there, but I'm bringing my computer and assuming I can. To prepare for the outreach, we learned two dances to perform. One is a traditional Thai dance (VERY fun) and the other is a hip-hop dance (not so much). The Thai dance is beautiful and the song we do it to is a Thai worship song. I'll have to bring home a copy for everyone to hear.

Well, I guess that's all for now. I'll try to post some more pictures before I leave and if I can't use my computer in Cambodia, I'll make sure to take notes so I remember all my stories!

P.S. To all my dear friends...I want to hear about your lives too! Keep me posted on them because I miss you all very much and don't much care for being out of the loop:)

Sunday Evening Musings

So I'm sorry it's been awhile since my last blog. I like to have enough time to think about what I'm writing and we've been so busy that having a block of time hasn't really been a reality. But now it's Sunday night and I have some time before lights out!

Today I went to a different church called New Song. It was much more small and intimate than the one I attended last week. It reminded me more of a Chi Alpha small group than a Sunday morning church service. But it was wonderful in its own way. Getting there is a bit of a chore though. About 45 minutes of public transportation, just like the church last week. Living in such a big city requires a lot of planning ahead!

Last Friday YWAM hosted a dinner to welcome the DTS students to the base. It was a lot of fun with lots of good food and some traditional Thai dancing for entertainment! Saturday and Sunday I spent working on my journal, which is one of our big assignments for the duration of the DTS. I've decided my theme is "grow". Here are some more pictures just for fun:

ANNNNNND.....I'm here!

Alrighty I am officially in Bangkok! I'm so happy to be here after suffering from a quick bout of homesickness I'm ready to get started! I seriously can't believe I'm here and how much I've already done. I got a WONDERFUL foot massage for only 100 baht! (a little less than $5 for an hour of bliss!) I also attended a church this morning at a place called the International Christian Assembly. I went there with my new friend Angela. It was such a good experience...I think I've found my Thai church family! We are still waiting for 3 more girls to show up for DTS. All in all there will be 3 Americans, 1 Australian, 1 Indian, I New Zealander, and 3 Thais. Quite the group! Well, I thought I'd post a couple pictures just to show a few things I've seen so far...

This is just a cool sign from the Sky Train, which is a bit like the amtrak but above ground.

Just a nice view of inner city Bangkok

The sign outside of the massage shop. Lists all of the massages and their prices.

And this little fella was here to greet me when I rolled into our room at 3:00 in the morning. These are everywhere and are super cute! Plus they eat misquitos so I just LOVE them!

Lonely Airport Musings

I've never flown overseas. Or on an international flight. Doing so for the very first time all alone is stressful and scary. My red hair and pale skin sticks out. So does my English accent, since I'm flying China Airlines. I'm definitely in the minority. SO WEIRD! I wish I spoke every language fluently so I had an idea about what was going on.

SIDENOTE: There's a guy wearing an "I Heart Amway" t-shirt that's bright red with yellow lettering...everytime I see him I want to laugh. :)

ANYWAY I'm getting ready to board my flight to Taipei. Ready or not, here I come!