Sawatdee Kha

Katie and I were really excited about all the stuff they give you on international flights! This picture is from the beginning of the trip - by the end of the 14.5 hours in such a small space, we weren't so thrilled about the plane anymore. :)

This is the first time that I've experienced being in culture that doesn't speak my language. Fortunately, there are enough American missionaries and Thais that speak English (some very well) that we don't feel isolated from the culture, but it is certainly a mind-opening experience. We all attended our first cell group (small group) with the Payap church last night, which was spoken alternately in both Thai and English. How powerful it was to listen to their singing in Thai; although we may not understand the words, we understand their hearts. The joy of these Thai Christians is really touching, and I enjoy observing their close relationships with each other. At the end of the service, we sat in the middle of the circle as the group surrounded us and prayed over us - people speaking in either their native Thai or English. All of us interns have been overwhelmed and touched by the love they've show us.

We spent a night on a houseboat earlier this week with our fellow Thai intern and a few other Thai young people, which is where most of these pictures are from. Wa (I need to check on the English spelling of her name), the Thai intern, and I were roommates, so that's a picture in front of our room. Pui, Poi, and Ohng also came with us. Robert talked to us alot on the houseboat about the daily equipping times that we'll be having together. I am so excited about this internship, and I'm just really impressed with how much these missionaries put into it. They sacrifice a lot of time to spend teaching and mentoring us.

Believe it or not, we are actually learning some Thai! Wa and Pui were so patient this morning as they taught us some basic phrases. We've learned the Thai for "thank you": "khob khun kha", and we try to use it often! We get really excited when we can say a phrase, or when we recognize a word that a Thai person says. It is such a different language from our own. It is difficult for us to remember tones and make some sounds that English doesn't have, but it's really important to us to learn as much of their language as possible.

We are actually attending a Thai funeral tonight, which should be an interesting cultural experience and probably one that most foreigners don't see! Thai funerals usually go on for about a week. A lady named Malee passed away, who was actually the first convert as a result of the work of this missionary team in Chiang Mai. At cell group last night, Robert shared some amazing stories about her. She truly showed the love of Jesus to people.

One more wonderful thing about Thailand...they have Tim Tams! :)

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lords glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18