Finally Here!

Sa Wa Dee Ka!

Hello family and friends!

After a year of preparation and planning I am finally in Thailand! After a very long flight with many layovers I arrived in ChiangRai Thursday night (Wednesday for you guys). I got food poisoning from some of the plane food and was confined to my room for 2 days. That was not at all what I was expecting. I was wanting to get here and start helping out but God put me on my back to humble me and to show me again that I am to serve not because I love serving but I am to serve God and His people as a response of His love for me! It was a discouraging time at first but God works all things for good and in redirecting my focus that sickness was good for me. On Sunday afternoon Rose and a few other staff members drove me up to ChiangSaen to the Christian Happy Home that I am now at. When I got here I felt right at home and I know this is where God wants me! There is a need for me here and my desire was to be in a place where help was needed. They are all so sweet and welcoming here. The director (I already forgot his name!) speaks good English and has explained the routine here very well and has made me feel quite at home! Most of the kids speak very limited English and the director wants me to help the kids with learning English. On Wednesdays and Thursdays I am going to be teaching English for two hours at the kid's Elementary school, isn't that such a neat opportunity? Surprisingly I am not too nervous, I'll let you all know how it goes!

I have a room all to myself right next to the older girl's room. There is supposed to be a staff lady who is incharge of the older girls (11-16 years old) but there is no one to fill that possition, so while I am here that is another role that I have. Last night as I was unpacking I discovered that my room was nicely scattered with busy black ants! After awhile I stopped trying not to step on them. When my room starts to look like an ant graveyard I just sweep them up. Right before I went to bed I discovered that they were also crawling all over my bed frame and pillow! I got out my handy dandy insect repellent to spray allong the frame and they scurried away from that (good thing I brought two bottles of repellent)! I brushed the dead ants off my bed and I slept in an ant free bed. As long as a ton of them are not crawling on my while I sleep I'll be fine! So that is my little ant adventure :)

One last thing, the Babies home is right next door so when the kids are at school and I have no studying or chores to do I can go play with the little ones! They are so cute, will take pictures!

Prayer Requests:
-That I will learn the basics of the language here, and that I'll be dilligent to study it
-That teaching English will go well and that I can be clear and understood in my teaching
-That God would continue to give me His heart of love for all who are around me!

Well, that's all for now. Thank you so much for everyone who has been praying for me! Feel free to email me and let me know what is going on in your life!

Blessings!
-E

The director, his family, and I