bahn pii - Buddhist spirit house

Leaving for Hot Springs tomorrow.

Next two days sound full. First we pack up everything from Debbie and Mike's, with the intention that we'll not be back until May 16 or so, just before we get on the plane to head back.

Then we're heading to the airport to greet Mike who is returning from a time in the US with family. It's going to be rather ironic for me to be on the other side of the doorway as he comes through customs to be greeted. I plan on wearing my Thai shirt just to make it all that much more a reversal :).

Following that, Megan and I and all the Sponsors' packets will get in the truck with Suradet and make our way out to why we've come in the first place. The next ten days will be more rugged and less Western and more Thai and less English and more demanding and less scheduled and more core-shaking and less comfortable spiritually than what we have here. And it's why we've come. And I can hardly wait.

Restore. Encourage. That's what I believe God has called me to do while I'm here. And I'm about to really get into it now. These are the people with whom I am finding myself more and more at home....the family that lives at Hot Springs......and with whom I am pretty sure God will enable me to best do those two things.

Except "doing" isn't even the right verb for it. Because it's not a "doing" thing. It's more of a "being" thing. George mentioned this last year, that he could see why I loved being here so much. That there was this one only thing to be focusing on, and I'm not pulled in a hundred different directions during the course of any given day or week. And I agree.

But just now I'm wondering if there's a way of being here that is more Thai than Western, more internal rhythms than external schedules, more spiritual than strategic, more about being than doing.

And here we go. In for all of it. Going with the flow for all He's planned.

Oh...and here's an interesting something that has been planned. On Friday Megan and I are going to jail! There's a youth jail here in Chiang Mai and Asia's Hope does a service for the residents regularly. Should be interesting. I'm gathering my thoughts now in case I'm asked to speak last minute. Please be praying. I feel so incredibly inadequate to say anything of value to such an audience, with so many cultural barriers. Perhaps we'll get to observe, which will certainly make for a good blog posting.....when next I can.