Subject: Hi From Thailand
Dad, it's so great to finally connect with you. I haven't taken a whole lot of time for email myself, but Justin, being the enthusiast he is, checks it pretty faithfully. So, yeah, we're in Thailand, can you believe it? Last week was a little crazy getting adjusted and whatnot. Nathan has managed to keep monster bruises on his head as evidence of his boldness...today he took two hits, one on the stairs he was running down to get away from me (he tripped and hit is cheek bone on a potted plant), and the other time was on our tour bus this morning on our way to a session. He was trying to keep up with the big boys and scooted off the seat super fast, missed the step under the seat, and smacked down on the aisle. All this just as the monster bruise across the bridge of his nose cleared up (the boys were playing with the other two children outside at the dorms in Bangkok and Josiah (a 4 year-old) was pushing Nathan in a stroller. They collided with the front gate sending Nathan face-first into it. This was the day before we decided four children 4 and under were too much for our sweet babysitter. The clincher was when we came back to the dorm and found Nathan shut outside by himself, and the babysitter inside bringing Alex and Josiah downstairs...the boys had run upstairs during a game of chase and locked themselves into our room. The babysitter was absolutely frazzled. We parents have been sharing helper duties since then. All this week, though, we've only had to help out a couple of times because they found a second sitter...YAY! The first sitter is WONDERFUL and the kids love her, but they get a little too wild, you know?
So, despite the childcare situation, and some stressful moments in travel, the sessions are going really well. Last week we were in a dorm attached to a Christian school. Our family had our own room, and shared a bathroom with the other family. We had training in a classroom at the school and the boys spent the morning in the school's 2-3 year-old class...THEY LOVE IT!! They have a ball pit and slides, and lots of toys. After lunch we'd go back to the training room before everyone else and put the boys down for a nap on the floor (we'd bring a pillow and blanket for the floor). Then they'd sleep on the floor in the middle of our circle of other trainees for like 2-3 hours every day!! When they woke up we'd take them to the sitter at the dorm and they'd play with Josiah and Asia (age 2) until 5pm when we'd go to dinner. We've been learning a ton about flexibility in parenting.
So our sessions have been great. We have has several great speakers. This week we're in a town called Khao Lak and we're staying in a beach-front resort. I feel sooo pampered. We have a huge room with a humungous balcony overlooking the Andaman Sea. Aside from being told how to handle a Tsunami warning, we feel totally refreshed here :). This resort is on a high hill, so it's still okay, but their bungalows down below are being rebuilt. We can hear the construction all day long mingled with the calming flow of the sea. All reminders of the tsunami from December 26 of last year.
Yesterday we visited some homes of tsunami survivors. We took a picture of a boat that was 2 Kilometers inland in someone's yard. Crazy. There's police boat lying ghostly vacant off the main highway here, it was the boat that was to be guarding the king's grandson, but the grandson's body was found just beyond the boat after the tsunami. It's a lot to take in. Today we visited a place called "The Well" set up by a coalition called We Love Thailand. Food for the Hungry is a participant in this coalition. The Well is a counseling center for tsunami victims and volunteers. We learned a lot about counseling and managing our own traumas on the field. K, I have to go back to session now. Our afternoon break is over. I have to say, though, many times through out this trip I have stood in awe of what God is doing in our lives, and how awesome it is to be seeing the world in such a personal way. I am soooo hopeful that you will be able to visit us in Peru so you can see what our lives have been filled with. I love you, and I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!
Love,
Gillian
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