Home Sweet Home

IM BACK IN THE STATES!
I got in on Friday and I feel like I have been sleeping since. haha. Jetlag is not fun! I got me some Sheridans while we were still in Lubbock. Sooo good! And last night dad cooked me a steak and baked potato! I love Texas!

I looked through ALL of my pictures and it was tough find just a few to explain my experiences but I think these will do a good job.

I have one of me cleaning out the temple and then a picture of all of us and the monks.

The two of me in the orange shirt are on my birthday. The orange shirt was my birthday present.

There are a couple of us on the elephants. And a couple of just some local people and the night market in Luang Prabang. The little old lady in the yellow made my sandwich almost every time we ate at the market! She was so sweet!

The one where I have my guns up is of me and our Lao believer friend named Taek (pronounced Thek). So I told him that I go to a school named Tech and he thought that was the coolest thing! The girl in the hat at the restaurant was our other Lao believer friend named Tem. She had the kindest heart and her love for Father was so beautiful!

We found a Dairy Queen in Bangkok! We couldnt believe it!

Our Tuk Tuk broke down on our last day of village hopping and the guys had to push it to get it to go into gear. That was on the 4th of July and we sang the Star Spangled Banner and every other patriotic song we could think of during our ride.

These are just a few of about 1000 pictures that I took. There is no way I can put all of them up but I will have my scrapbook done soon and if you see me then I would love to sit down with you and give you a detailed account of everything that Father did!

Mixed Emotions

Hey Everybody,

Well I have less than 48 hours left in SE Asia! I definitely have mixed emotions. I want to come home and see everyone, but we have made some great friends here and its gonna be hard to say good bye to them, to this wonderful country, and the awesome food!

We got back to base 2 days ago. Yesterday was an all day debriefing session of everything we have done in the past 6 weeks. We wrote report put all of our pictures in very organized files and put it all on flashdrives. I kinda felt like we were in school, but this project had so much more meaning to it!

Today was our free day! We hung out this morning and played Ping Pong with our friends, then the girls and I walked around town and got a manicure and pedicure for a grand total of $5! I love it here! I think the boys have made plans for us to go bowling with all of our Asian friends tonight. I will not be participating because of my injured foot. I just want my mother to know that I am being responsible. haha!

Tomorrow is our integration day. We will spend a huge part of the day talking over everything that Father has done in us and in Laos and then talk about going back to America and fitting back in. We have already experienced some reverse culture shock with some of the tourists here. haha. We also are going to get spiritually prepared for our reentry back to the states.

Thursday we fly out at 2:20pm then we are in Bangkok for 7 hours then off to Tokyo then to Dallas! We get into Dallas at 9:15am, then my flight to Lubbock leaves at 2:20pm. The team has already decided that we are going to Freebirds during my lay over in Dallas. We miss burritos!!

I will officially be back in Lubbock on Thursday at 3:30! Words cannot express how much I miss my family and friends! But I hope to bring a little bit of Asia back with me to share with everyone! :)

Things Im going to miss about Asia:

1. Everyone is so laid back. No one gets angry on the streets. No horns honking whatsoever eventhough the streets are packed with cars and motorbikes.

2. Oh the food! Yes I have eaten some pretty nasty things while Ive been here but Im gonna miss me some sticky rice, beef lap, and fresh spring rolls!

3. EVERYONE wakes up every morning around 4:30 or 5am! Asians dont mess around about starting their days here! I have enjoyed waking up early and still going to bed late and having Father give us the energy we need for the day.

4. Im gonna miss living a simple life out of my pack. I love not worrying about tomorrow. Just pull out a shirt and some pants/skirt and get going. No makeup! Braid or pony tail, then Im done!

5. The people here are the most hospitable people I have ever meet. Everybody is friends with everybody! No one is a stranger! Everyone is always smiling!!

6. Im gonna miss walking everywhere. I dont want to come back and have to drive places. Its so much nicer to walk to the restaurant to the store to the market, anywhere and everywhere.

7. Im gonna miss bargaining! At the market you bargain for EVERYTHING!! So when I get back to the states and strawberries cost me a whoppin $8 Im gonna get a little frustrated when I cant barter the United check out clerk down to $5!

8. NO SHOES! You take off your shoes to go into any building or house! I love it! I might make people take their shoes off before they come into my house! haha!

9. Oh the mountains and the rivers! We dont have these in West Texas and I have become accustomed to waking up every morning and looking out at the mountains and the river! The rain goes along with this point! I love the rain!

10. My wonderful Asian friends! They are the most joyous people I know! I will never forget them as long as I live!

With all this said I probably will not be blogging until I get back to America, so this is my last good bye from Asia! :(

Ill see ya back in the states!!

Last Expedition

We are on our way to our last destination before we go back to Luang Prabang for our flight back to the states! I cant believe it! Its going so fast!

MY FOOT IS HEALING INCREDIBLY FAST!!! I was told that it would be at least 2 weeks before I could walk and I ditched the crutches today, just 6 days after I hurt it! Father is sooooo good!! Glory be to Him!!

I dont have much time today for internet so this update is rather quick I just wanted to let everyone know how good Father is in healing my foot quickly!! Your PRs have definitely been answered!!

I love it here! This country is incredibly beautiful and the people are wonderful! Everyone is so welcoming and wants the best for us while we are here. But you cant beat the dry heat of Lubbock compared to monsoon season in South East Asia! Oh how my hair misses dry weather!! hahaha! Frizz is not my friend! It has rained non stop for the past week! Monsoon season is here!! Im definitely not use to this, but its a nice change! :)

Keep PRing that Father will give us all more hunger for him in these last few days!
Also that we would redeem every opportunity we have left here!!

I love you all very much!!!

PR for Healing!!

So yesterday, i was walking down some stairs and rolled my ankle..... no big deal right except my foot swelled up pretty good and lots and lots of pain came into my foot when I walked. We were on our way to Thailand anyway to renew our visas so I saw a English speaking Thai doctor while we were over there. He mashed around on my foot neverminding my shouts of pain and finally told me that there was no broken bones just a torn ligament. He gave me some anti-inflamatories and pain killers and crutches! All of that cost me a wopping $20! Crazy huh!

We called an M that lives in Thailand who studied Sports Medicine to get a second opinion and he said that its definitely not a broken bone just a bad ligament tear. He gave us specific rehab instructions and info on quick healing. The doctor and the M told me that under different circumstances I would need 2 weeks of rest and I have 2 weeks left in Asia so PR for a very fast healing!!

My foot is in a good amount of pain! I hate being crippled, I would much rather be taking care of someone who is hurting rather than be the one in pain. Being on crutches is a new experience for me. Its very frustrating! But I know that Father is sovereign and there is a reason for this.

Half my team went on a trek today and I had to stay in town so Im very antsy and want to be with them, so PR that I also would not get discouraged in that!

Even though im injured, I am joyful! Father has given me some great revelations of his love for me and some great time in the word, so im not discouraged, but i can foresee frustrations in the future and the enemy using this against me. So PR against that!

I know this is not the news that you were expecting from me, but know that I am in good hands and the Lord is sovereign!

Ezekial 47:1-12, Revelation 22:1-5, John 14:15-31
Read them all and be amazed at Fathers promises for you!

I love you all very very much!!!
Pa Chao San De (God is so good)

Sabbaths are Glorious

Sa Bai Dii

Today we took a Sabbath! It was well needed! Last night we slept in a village home. The girls all slept upstairs under a mosquito net. I woke up at 3 am to the sound of bats flying around over our heads. We had visited a bat cave the day before so I knew exactly what it was! My teammate Jessica is not a fan of any tiny creepy creature so I PRed she wouldnt wake up. The Father answered my PR. We woke up at 6 am to very very very very loud music coming from outside and I told her that we slept with bats in the room! So needless to say I didnt get much sleep last night so we felt like today would be a good day for a Sabbath! The people here wake up very early and go to sleep rather late so we are still trying to get use to not getting much sleep.

Father blessed our decision! We had some awesome fellowship time in the word together and individually! We are going through Acts as a team. We are on chapter 18. Father is teaching us so much everyday! We are all loving him more and more each day!

We just got done with a 4 day long stretch. We had a believer who was our translator for those days. We couldnt have done it without him! It was so encouraging to have him with us!

One day we were PR walking through a village and we went into the temple grounds. Our tranlator started talking to the monk that was there. He showed us around and explained everything to us. We talked for about 20 minutes and then asked us if we were hungry. He told a novice to climb a coconut tree and cut down some coconuts for us to eat. So this little monk in his orange robes climbed a 50 foot coconut tree with a massive knife in his hands to cut us down some coconuts. It was insane! We joked about how there was a monk in a tree without a key. Our translator thought that joke was hilarious! We drank the coconut milk and ate the meat out and talked some more with the monk. We wanted to show him that we appreciated his hospitalityso we asked him if there was anything we could do, so he told us that we could sweep out the temple. We agreed and started sweeping and cleaning out a Buddhist temple!! We were so filled with the spirit will we were PRing the we starting singing worship songs at the top of our lungs while we were cleaning. We cleaned for about an hour. The monk wanted us to take a picture of us with him and the novices and print it out for him, so the next day we printed the picture out and wrote him a note telling him that we did all of it in our Fathers name! It was an awesome opportunity!!

That night the girls and I cooked an American meal for our tranlator and our host! We bought some potatos, green beans, onions, and tomatos at the market and cooked french fries, green beans, and sweet chicken with tomatos and onions. The guys had to catch a chicken and kill it for us! It was hilarious!! Our translator and host were impressed. It didnt have the spiceyness they usually have in there food, but they liked it!

Our translator made sure we had "special" food while he was with us. He wouldnt tell us what we were eating until after we were finished! Throughout the past few days we ate rat, water buffalo, chicken eyes and feet and insides, wood, and lots of chilis! Its been a pretty fun experience!

I love it here! The people are so extremely welcoming and hospitable! Most places we go have never seen foreigners so we get stared at alot but after they warm up to us they want to be our best friends!

Keep PRing for Father to give us a hunger for him and to love him more. To keep distractions out of our heads since we are nearing the end of the trip. We have exactly 2 weeks to the day till we fly out! We are entering some places where we are going to need persistance and patience! Our translator just left us so we are having to depend on our language skills again and for Father to put english speakers in our path.

Everyone read Psalms 145!!!
I have been meditating this Psalm for about 2 weeks now and I never get tired of it! It really shows off how wonderful Father is!!

Also everyone needs to call Kassidy and tell her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! She is turning 18 today! I just called so if I can call all of you can call!! haha!

I love you all sooooo much!!!

HALFTIME

So much has happened since my last update! I dont know where to start again!

I guess Ill start with my birthday! My teammates are amazing! We took our Sabbath on my Birthday and rested in a wonderful small town!! They surprised me with a present. I had no idea that they had time or even an opportunity to get it for me! But they wrapped it in a pringles can because thats all we had and gave it to me at lunch! I was so surprised! I had a coffee shake for desert at dinner! It was glorious!

The next day we took an extremely long boat ride back to where the Ms are. We have been here for 4 days and are leaving this afternoon for our 2nd leg!

The Ms have definitely been taking care of us and recuperating us from our long first leg! They have fed us well and we have had lots of fun! We got to ride elephants the other day! That was very exciting and hilarious (you know me.... im gonna take every opportunity to laugh a whole lot and that was a perfect opportunity for my teammate Melody and I to come up with many inside jokes!) And last night we had a karoke party with PIZZA!!! All of the fralang (foreigners/westerners) Ms were invited and a few native believers! We laughed alot! We have met some wonderful people over here! Its so good to have some sweet fellowship with some wonderful people who love our Father! Its been such an encouragement and an energy boost for us to leave for our 2nd leg!

Our 2nd leg is going to be a bit more difficult than the first! There will be a lot less English speakers where we are going, so pray for Father to put English speakers in our path and for our language skills to increase even more. I had a full conversation with a lady this morning at breakfast! It was so encouraging! She was really sweet and didnt even realize till I told her that I have been here for only 3 weeks! Also I rock at bargaining!!! At the night market you have to bargain for everything! So our language skills increase everytime we go out there! Anyways, keep PRing for language skills because it is a huge factor in our mission!

Also, PR for perserverance! We have 3 weeks left and its going to fly by. We also need to keep focused on our mission (especially the last week!)

Keep PRing for unity! My team and I are getting along wonderfully but this last leg is going to be a huge test! My teammates names are Melody, Jessica, Glenn, and Carl. Continue to lift them up by name!!

I miss you all so much! I talked to Mom, Kass, and Dad on the phone the other day, so they got a whole lot of specific info from me so if you want to know anything else, Im sure they would love to tell you some specifics!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!!!!
I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!!!
(remind Mom and Kass to give you your gift from me!!)
(yes i did get you a present!!! i actually thought way in advance!! haha!!)

SAE BAI DI!!!

Wow, I dont even know where to start about the last week. The day of my last update was an extremely rough day. We got a van ride to a small town and then when we got there they didnt have any more rooms left and they really werent keen on foreigners staying there anyway. But the bus was coming through at midnight so we hung out until the bus came at 3am. (the culture here is very event based not time based so its a weird transition from American culture) The bus was NASTY!!!! It was the middle of the night, we were exhausted, we all needed a shower, and quit frankly we all wanted to go home at some point during that bus ride! We finally arrived in our destination at 10am. We immediately showered and ate lunch. That made us feel a little better. This town was very nice. The people were so sweet and the food was good. (different but good) Father lead us to an English teacher who helped us out sooooo much!! We spent a couple days here then we took another bus to another place and booked a trek with an English speaker.

We then got on another bus to another town and the next day we set off on our trek! About an hour into the trek one of the girls decided that she was not going to make it so the 2 other girls went back to the guesthouse and stayed while me and the guys went on the 3 day trek! That trek was the hardest thing Ive ever done. We walked through many rice fields, over mountains, through the jungle, through mud. Then went done the other side of the mountain and I slide the whole way down. It was a very difficult day. But as soon as we got to the village it was worth it. We were the first foreigners that had EVER been to the village so everyone was staring at us and all the kids followed us wherever we went. It was a weird feeling! We played frisbee with them and I handed out stickers! It was awesome! We had dinner at the "elders" home and they were very inviting and so hospitable! We were sitting in the room talking with our translator/guide and all the sudden a guy brought a dead chicken into the room and we then knew what we were having for dinner. haha. About half way through the meal "the elder" went to the fire picked up something with his chopsticks and brought it back to the table and offered it to me to eat. It would have been extremely rude for me to decline it so I PRed that Father would keep me from gagging and I downed it. I smiled at him and thanked him, but it was disgusting!! We have our guesses as to what exactly it was but we arent sure. (dont worry the guys got to share one and I had to eat a whole one!)

The next few days were amazing! All the villages we visited we were the first foreigners so we kinda felt like rock stars. The kids loved us, but they were scared of us at first. Father was so faithful in giving us strength and endurance! Our guide, Son Chan, showed Glenn and I how to fish with a net. It was a lot of fun. I caught a couple, but Glenn caught like 5 in one throw! Yesterday, we trekked for 4 or 5 hours back to where the 2 girls were staying! It was so good to see them! I was needin some estrogen. All the women that I meet in villages I couldnt really communicate with so I was in desperate need of some females! haha!

We are almost done witht the first leg of our trip. Its so hard to believe! We are on our way back to where the Ms are right now its a 3 day trip to get back there. We are traveling by river all the way back. We should get back either on the 15th or the 16th and thats when Ill have internet again! (and yes i do realize thats my birthday and we are already planning on getting a cake!!) We are going to rest up and get some sustainable food for a few days and then head out again!

Kop Jai Lai Lai for all of your PRs!! I really have felt them over the past week! Continue PRing for perserverance since we are coming up on halftime! I cant wait to hear whats goin on back in America! I especially want to know how the Azams made it at the lake! And if Brady rocked the slalom!!! haha!!!

I love you all very very very much!!!!