to think and breathe and read and just live

It's been nearly a week!!!  eeek!  I've been writing, a lot, just for a different project.  And life has been pleasantly busy and good.  I'm back into the routine of Thai classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I'm enjoying the consistency of a home church and getting to know people there.  I taught my first Nak Suu English lesson last Saturday and had a great time getting my feet wet with that.  I've had good times of conversation and prayer with friends.  Sunday evening I sat in the park with friends and listened to the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra over bread and cheese and chocolate. It was my first time in the big park downtown, Lumpini Park, and it made me miss the parks of Buenos Aires so much, especially my favorite park in Palermo.  Life is a lot calmer than before Christmas break (at least internally), and I appreciate that.  I feel like I am gaining time to think and breathe and read and just live  in Bangkok to an extent that I was not able to before.  It's one of those things that just comes with time, but I still hate waiting for it.  And this is not to imply that the transition is over, only that it has moved into one of its more pleasant stages. 

Though I have a confession to make: I need to go to the bank.  Luckily, I have not lost my ATM card again.  I have a check from the insurance company to deposit, and it appears that I need to go to the bank to do it, or that it's at least recommended.  So I'm going to have to find time in my work week (yet again) and try not to complain about the bank hours in the US ever again (seriously, these folks close at 3:30). 

Tomorrow morning I will complete one of my final rites of passage as a new ICS teacher: I have to give my testimony in front of the entire staff.  Each Wednesday morning before school a different new teacher shares, basically telling the story of God's hand in their lives. Sometimes it's about what led them to Jesus. Other times it's more about how God has worked in them through different circumstances in their lives.  Some people have focused more on how God brought them to ICS or what he is doing in their life in more recent days.  I really enjoy the Wednesday morning times- I love hearing the different stories and being encouraged by the greatness of a God who works in so many different people in so many different ways.  I'm looking forward to sharing- I always enjoy a microphone and captive audience, but also a bit nervous.  More than anything, I pray that God would use the words I speak to encourage my colleagues and bring glory to Him.

I'll try to take more pictures soon- there's a soi dog here that reminds me of Champ every time I walk by him.  Maybe I'll try to snap a photo while he's napping in the shade (I rarely see this dog awake, just one of his Champ-like qualities).