Delights and Bummers, and few prayer requests

Delights:

• My students. There are a lot of them, and some of them are very quiet and others are very silly, but I am enjoying getting to know them.  
• The weather.  I know, it's hot and I'm sweaty and all that, but I never wear closed toe shoes or a sweater and I love it.  Just don't leave home without an umbrella!
• Exploring.  Going downtown on my own on Saturday was the best!
• I am reading a great book called "From Buddha to Jesus" that gives me a much better idea of where to start in conversations with Thai non-believers, like my new friend from Wat Saket.  
• There are a lot of great people here.  Maybe too many, as will take time for routines and friendships and groups to form.  But the people I am getting to know have been such a blessing already- baked goods in my school mailbox, notes of encouragement, laughter and talking over dinner, etc. 
• Stretching class.  These people are hilarious.  They were really working yesterday to talk to me (in English) and I was cracking up.  A few of them are a bit crazy, but in a fun and entertaining way.  It's good to be laughing when you are trying to do the splits at the age of 30!  And it has been awesome to get to know my friend Bo better, who goes with me and introduced me to the class.
• Rainy season.  I love it when the sky opens and the rain pours down.  I love it even more when I am watching from home and not standing at a bus stop!
• Teaching Spanish!  And trying to speak Thai.  Sometimes.  Not very often.  Yet. 

Bummers:

• The students here are a slightly different breed than in MI or Argentina.  Can't quite put my finger on it, but can tell I am going to have to adjust some things in my teaching and management style, and soon.  Plus, since there are so many it will be harder than it was at BAICA to get to know them well.
• Friendships take time and you can't force them.  
• Time zone differences make skyping with family a bit tricky, which makes me feel pretty far away sometimes.  
• Down days.  They are a part of transition and a part of adjusting to a new everything.  But knowing that doesn't exactly make them any more fun.  

Ways you can pray for me and my ministry:

• Pray for relationships with my students, that I can connect with them academically (a number of them have struggles with learning, with ESL, with math, or with other social/emotional things) but also spiritually.  Pray that the relationships we build now would open them up to more spiritual conversations.  
• Pray for finding a church home.  There are more churches with English-speaking services than I thought there would be.  I have visited 4 of them and have (maybe?) narrowed it down to 2.  Or 3. There are great things about all of them, and disadvantages to each.  Pray that I can settle in a place with sound doctrine, good preaching, opportunities for ministries of mercy in Thailand, and a community where I can connect and grow. 
• Pray that I can 'find my place' with my schedule and friendships.  I am working on arranging Thai lessons and also some Spanish practice time and know that those things will help my life feel more routine.  I am also really working on being intentional in seeking out relationships to build, but there are a lot of them (which is good!) and I need to find the balance of alone time and relational time.