May 15

I'm beginning to see that there's a lot that's happening in my life and things are changing beneath the surface.  Several events have happened while I've been over here that have really affected me on a deep level, and I'm responding in ways that I didn't think I would.  I'm responding like an adult - like someone who knows medicine is good for them.  Like someone who knows that although completely trusting on the Lord is really scary, they can do it.  Because really, it's all I can do.

Today it rained.  A lot.  Usually it POURS in Bangkok for about an hour, and then it's over.  Not applicable for today.  It rained...FOREVER.  I remember getting up sometime in the early morning and hearing the thunder in prolonged booms.  Half of me worried that it was a earthquake, and the other half didn't care and went back to sleep.  Well, it didn't stop in those next two hours.  We were supposed to do visitation in the slums this morning, but with the rain pouring and making muddy slides everywhere, we had to reschedule for later in the day, after the floods stopped.

Gabe and I had a really good time in prayer this morning.  God is doing something in my heart and life and I can't really describe it yet (I really don't know what it is exactly).  But it's...exciting.  After we spent some time in prayer at the house, we went to a Siam Library Club thing and did some research.  I read an article about the prostitution Thailand is known for and it's real roots and how we deal with it and stuff.  It was very academic and very challenging to think about.  I have to read another chapter before I leave.

After our study session, we went to the big slum in Akon.  Gabe and I got to teach the same lesson we taught yesterday to a bunch of rowdy girls.  They were crazy.  They kept singing some famous American pop hit with the words "you're the only one for me" or something like that.  And they were totally dissing Gabe & I's Thai skills.  Quite frankly, they were a little bratty.  Haha.  They learned, but they weren't too respectful.  However, the English teaching we were doing is not the end all task.  And that's the thing that I have to keep reminding myself.  Because I don't have to be an amazing English teacher.  We talked about this at dinner.  The point of us doing all this teaching is not the teaching itself.  It's being there - being a presence in the community where there is no gospel being taken.  It's establishing relationships and making connections so that the gospel can go forward and be preached.  It's a process that is so much bigger than the little part that I'm playing, but I'm so glad to be playing that part.

After dinner we went into another slum.  Kind of scary at night, and there was a bridge we had to cross and "stay to the left" otherwise we'd fall in the sewage below.  Again though, just making those relationships.  We got to pray for some women in the community who have become believers because of the influence this missionary has had there.  It was really neat.  God works in these incredible ways, and I am realizing that ministry is just about reflecting Jesus and being a light to the lost.

Random notes: Lob for dinner.

Walking back home the police totally shut down Ekkamai so a royal procession could have the entire road to itself.  We couldn't walk over the bridge because it's wrong to have feed above the heads of royalty.

Thai headphones are cheapo.

I don't want to come home.