I love to travel. One of my favorite parts of travel is meeting new people. I’ve often said, “if I went to the moon and there were people there, I would make friends and want to stay.” This trip was no different. Well, it was actually. There is a husband back home that prevents the “wanting to stay” part. But other than that, it is no different. At first everything is so strange that there are moments when I think, “oh, I just want to be home.” I can’t understand anything and for a verbal person that is TOUGH. There is so much busy busy activity, people everywhere, I don’t know what to do, I can’t talk to anyone, I can’t understand anyone. But then I learn a few words, the greeting words, and it’s a bit better. Then you start to make a few friends and it’s a whole different world.
Here in Thailand, the people are so friendly. They are all smiles. They seem like the happiest people in the world. They all have to come up to you at church and greet you with their hands in “praying position” they do a little bow and say “so-wat-dee-kah”. They are all “pleased as punch” that Vonda’s parents and sister came to visit. They love these “farongs” (foreigners) and they will bend over backwards to show it. By the end of a week in Surin, after the second Sunday I had friends. Friends I didn’t want to say good-by to. Isn’t it lovely that we know we will see each other in heaven one day. The liklihood of me coming back here is small. There is facebook… I have some new friends for my facebook… and there is email. But it’s stll tough to say goodby.
One of my favorite day trips was to the Hindu Ruins from the 10th and 11th centuries. It was awesome to see. The ruins are on a hilltop and the stone work is impressive. But that wasn’t why I enjoyed it so much. The main reason was that Ya, a young woman who works with the missionaries went with us. I made a friend.
So, when I go home on Friday I’ll take a lot of mental pictures with me. I’ll also take some new friends in my heart. God is so good to us, isn’t He?