Gifts from home...and no, I'm not talking about care packages...

There are some people who spend years on the field without a single visit from their home fellowship. We here in BA are blessed. Blessed with a fellowship who supports us and gives us the most encouraging gift imaginable...themselves. This is the second team of people they've sent here since I arrived. What a GIFT!!!! But that's not all...we have THREE more teams already scheduled to come next year! YAY!!!
Among this crew of folks is our new team member! K-Joy, as we like to call her, is our new journeygirl here in BA (bottom row, first girl on the left). We are so excited to finally have her here! I can already tell that she is going to be an incredible encouragement to our entire team and a light here to the A-people! The Father is so good!

Lya

Dear friends, I would like to introduce you to my friend Lya. She is the dearest friend the Father has given me here in my new town! She is also the one I spend the most time with. Poor girl...she is teaching me this new language!!! What a girl! What patience!!! I have to confess, I am a slow language learner and therefore am unbelievably grateful for this sweet girl who meets with me 5 days a week, 3 hours a day as I brutally butcher her language!!!
When I first met Lya, I wasn't sure how on earth we were going to be close friends. I have never met a more shy person in all my life! Well, it has been about 5 months now and in just recent weeks, I finally feel confident to share with you that she is one of my closest friends here. What a gift! What a blessing! I have wanted so desperately to share about my life with her and in exchange for her to feel the freedom and comfort to do the same with me. So, after months of lifting this up to the Father, He has graciously given us a sweet sweet friendship! All thanks to Him!!!
Truth be told, I haven't learned as much of the language here lately :) but our conversations have become much deeper and sweeter as the Father has opened the doors for me to share truth with her! Please lift her up as the Father continues to cultivate this friendship!

Just want to put some folk's minds at ease. I may be on the other side of the world right now but you better believe that, even here, we're gettin' geared up for some Georgia football!!!!! Wooohooo!!!!! There are actually a few of us Georgians here in town which will make for some fun times when we're staying up real late on Saturday's or getting up real early on Sundays to catch the games...ONLINE :o) Listening to games via online radio will certainly be a first for me! BUT, I am thankful to have at least that!

Thailand

After arriving home from my trip to our annual meeting, I had only two weeks to prepare for my next trip! I was off to Thailand! What an incredible trip this was! My first week was spent attending a week long conference for first term people here who do what we do. This was a wondering time of seeing old friends and making new ones as well! I stayed on a few extra days with some friends and did a little bit of everything from getting massages, to eating MEXICAN, and then we even got to do a little hiking! It was awesome!

My bithday was in July, so I got to celebrate with some good friends in Bangkok! Every year, on...near...around my birthday, I always find a way to get myself a Bloomin' Onion at Outback. Well, It wasn't until I arrived in Bangkok that I realized that they actually have an Outback Steakhouse!!!! Birthday tradition lives on! The Father is SO good to me!
While in Bangkok, we also went to a big fancy theater to catch a movie...in ENGLISH!!!! I haven't done that since I left the States! And then of course...there's one man who will be with you always...no matter go on this great planet (except where I currently live of course ;). Yes, that's right folks, I am speaking of none other than Ronald McDonald himself ;o) I amazed even myself at how excited I was to see that man! Ha! Ahh....french fries ;O)

Even though it was amazing and so good for my heart to see friends, eat some yummny western food, and see some new sights, after a few weeks of even these great things, I was ready to get back to my Asian home. This was such a wonderful feeling. It was the first time I had been away for any length of time and I found I was so ready to go home! Time away is nice :) but the Father has truly blessed my life here in A-land! I have an awesome team that I adore! Not everyone in this kind of work can say that and I truly am thankful for the family the Father has given me here! I also missed some of my national friends! What a GREAT thing! I love my home here!
I will try and post more as the Father provides opportunitites here!

Summer Travels

Hey Y'all!!!
I know you all must think I've dropped off the face of the planet when instead I feel like I've just traveled it! Ok, well maybe not the entire planet but I've certainly had a bit of a tour of our region here in Southeast Asia! Here's the rundown on where I've been!

In June, on a little island not so far away, we had our annual meeting! It was a wonderful time to reunite with friends! I was even blessed to see a few familiar faces from HOME!!! What a treat!
The island we were on is predominately Hindu which is very different from the rest of our islands. This made our visit all the more interesting. So, while they spoke the same language I am STILL learning here in A-land, the whole time we were there I felt I was in an entirely different country! The culture there is very different than that of my island!

*Here are some precious Georgia ladies that came over for a visit!
*MY Kristen! So good to see a sister when you're so far from home ;)
*Now here's something to get excited about. Can you see that Krispie Kream sign in the back?!?!
*On this little Hindu island you will see these offerings placed everywhere! Their Hindu beliefs seem to touch every corner of their culture and every curb and vendor as well.