39 days

39 days...

39 days until the biggest adventure so far...

39 days until I get in a car with some GI people and drive to Kansas...

39 days and I leave with my one backpack that will hold all my belongings for the next 3 months (I hope they fit!)...

39 days, a road trip, and a ropes course are all that stand between me and India...

39 days (approximately) after Kansas, I'll be leaving India for Thailand...

39 days after that, I'll still be in Thailand...

39 days - that's all...

Just 39 days.

Winter fun in Tennessee

So it's been a fun winter in Tennessee, learning to live as a missionary even when in the US. In the matter of a week we lost both our hot water and our heat. They both broke and we had a very few cold days.

We've had an exceptionally cold winter here, with more snow than usual here (still not too much). Despite all that, I'm preparing for what I have ahead of me. In the spring I will be traveling to India and Thailand. I will be gone from the end of April through the end of July. I am super excited about this opportunity, although it will be scary at times. I know the Lord is calling me to this. So in the mean time, I am working, praying, preparing, and shivering (I was made for a tropical environment!).

Keep me in your prayers during this time. In some ways it would be easier if I was in another country. It's hard to sit every day in an office, planning other people's mission trips, not making a penny doing it, but also not seeing the same rewards as if I was in another country doing what we usually consider "missions work." Pray that I can raise the $5000 I need before I leave in April. Pray that I will prepare as I need to for the upcoming experience. Pray that I stay encouraged. Please pray.

Thailand pics

Here's some pics from Thailand.

Summer, me and Marilyn after our hairwashing

Buddhist monks in a Buddhist temple

The famous and giant reclining Buddah

Idol worship, live and in person. As you can see the aspect of Buddhism was everywhere in Thai culture

Young Buddhist priests on the streets of Bangkok.

Sqautty-potties run rampant in Thailand.

Some of my favorite signs.

This little kid glued himself to Summer's side

Me and Pastor John

More to come soon....

Still loving life in Thailand

Our journey continues in Thailand. We've know gone from Bangkok to Phuket (pronounced Poo-ket, for some who may have been wondering) to Trang, and now we are back in Bangkok. We have just one more full day here now and will head back for the US on Friday.

I can't believe our time here is almost over, but we've had some incredible experiences while we were here. The Lord is definitely giving me a burden for the country of Thailand. I was reading in my Bible while I was here one day after visiting the ministry SHE in Hosea chapter 11, which talks about the Lord's love for Israel. Vs. 8 says, "My heart is changed within me, all my compassion is aroused." This is how I feel for the women we got to work with here in Thailand and the Phuket area in particular. I feel as if all the compassion within me has been aroused for the ladies here. I know that I want to return to this place. Please keep me in your prayers as I feel this burden.

Pray for traveling mercies and for more divine appointments as our time here is wrapping up. We have one more ministry site that we are going to tomorrow. Our plane leaves at 8:30 am Friday morning (Thai time) which is 8:30pm Thursday night EST so pray accordingly. Thanks!

Oh yeah, and one more thing... I ate a bug today... not on accident, but on purpose... and it really wasn't that bad... so I'm starting to think maybe this country has gotten to me. :)

thailand update

We are in Thailand, made it safe and sound and are having a good time, though we are extremely exhausted. It's 9:00pm on Wednesday and we got into the country late last night after 30 hours of traveling and a twelve hour time difference, got about 5 hours of sleep and have been going all day with orientation and stuff. Tomorrow we are doing the tourist thing here in Bangkok - touring Buddhist temples. Then early Fri morning we fly to Phuket (about a twelve hour drive, but we found a cheap one way flight that will only be an hour.) We will be working with SHE ministries there, which is the girls rescued from the sex trade. We're there for about 3 days, then go to Trange for about three days (a four to five hour drive from there) where we will be working with the village churches. We stay there about 3 days as well, and then take a twelve hour bus or 14 hour train ride back to Bangkok (we're not sure which one yet - I'm pulling for the train becuase you can lay down to sleep.) That puts us back early next Thurday morning. We will check out two other sites in Bangkok on Thursday and then fly back to the US Friday. We will most likely be out of internet/cell phone range while out of Bangkok but we don't know that yet for sure. Just wanted to update you when I could. :) One fun thing we did today was the girls went to a Thai salon and had our hair washed and dried for 60 bhat (less than $2 USD). If I could do that for that cheap in the US I think I might never wash my own hair again! :)

Keep praying as the Lord opens doors for us with these amazing people!

Thai time

It's official.................

In less than 14 hours we will depart for Thailand...

We won't arrive there until late on Tuesday night...

We'll get back super late on the 21st...

I need your prayers. :)

Thailand

Well its been a really long time since I've updated anything on here. I'm leaving for Thailand on Monday and will be there for almost two weeks!!! I'm so excited about the trip! The other big news around here is that last weekend I got to move out of the basement and into the upstairs of the Global Infusion house. No more dirty cold basement on an airmattress, now I have a big normal bed and plenty of space! :) I need your prayers now though because we need two more rooommates here to help us offset the costs and we haven't been able to find anyone yet. If we don't find anyone soon, we'll have to find a new place to live, and I'd rather not have to move AGAIN if at all possible. That's all for now. I'll post more frequently (jenna) and will update about Thailand soon too.

Keep praying!