Mark's October Newsletter

Open publication - Free publishing - More thailand

Welcome Back!

This weekend we had a welcome back party for the beginning of the new semester at Payap. We invited all of the students we have been studying with and the church members and we were so excited to have around 20 people there. We had snacks and played English games and carved pumpkins. Most of them had never carved a pumpkin before and it was amazing to see the creative ways that they went about it. We had "Halloween in Love" and the old city skyline of Chiang Mai, just to show the diversity. We also announced our new way that we want to teach classes. It was becoming too difficult to keep up with 4 or 5 individual lessons a day all on different levels, so we are going to each offer a class twice a week and teach in a group setting. We are pumped about having more time to hang out with people and to have a more structured lesson each time.

Halloween in Love Team

amazing pumpkins!

Friday was the last day of Thai 1 for me and Amanda. We have learned A LOT and can understand more of what is going on around us now. Definitely not everything still. We're working on it. On the last day we had to give a presentation using everything we have learned so far including : introduction, family, time, daily activities, food, hobbies, and all using proper grammar. We both were amazed at how much we could actually say. Amanda wrote a skit that was hilarious and I helped her perform it in front of the class. It was a hit! Lately Mark and I have been learning to read and write with the help of some of our friends. We don't actually learn that until Thai 3 so I will just be ahead!

Our classmate Meri giving her presentation

Friday was also my birthday! In class one of the men brought me a bouquet of roses and the class sang to me. It was so sweet. I had one student that day, Wan, and she surprised me with a cake during our lesson! She has been coming faithfully 3 times a week and is improving in her English and now likes to hang out afterwards and meet new people. She is bringing her cousin to the new English class next week too! Amanda, Aun Aun, and I went to get massages after that and we got to practice our Thai with the massage ladies. It is really hard to think in Thai when you are being massaged to sleep. It was Aun Aun's first time and she loved it! That night we went to eat Mexican food at The Salsa Kitchen and it was so so amazing, the best I've had in Chiang Mai so far. It was good to celebrate with my friends and I was able to skype with my family in the morning to open presents they sent so it was an all around great birthday. Thanks to everyone!

Mexican food for my birthday

On Sunday all of the five churches in the area met again and we had a wonderful experience. The man who preached was from Alabama originally and talked very very fast so it was fun to watch P Glome from Bangkok try to translate while he was still talking. And it was fun to see my southern American life and my Thai life in such contrast and working together. After the church service we ate and then went to the Walking Water. It is so cool because you can walk on it because it has some mineral that makes it kind of like sandpaper so you don't slip at all. It was a great time of fellowship and we were excited that my student Aon came with us to church and the waterfall. It was her first time at church and I think she found it very interesting. She also helped decorate for the party and we played badminton this weekend. We are really enjoying getting to spend time we her and to connect her with our Thai friends here.

At the waterfall with Aon and Berm

~Ya that's right we went into a tiger cage~

      A lot has happened since our last posting. We have been very busy. Our good friends Annie and Tom got married and the wedding was beautiful. Hil and I worked very hard helping to prepare for it. We are now experts at bow tying, arch decorating, flower ball making and bead and straw stringing.

Interns at the wedding

     We have completed three full weeks of Thai class and are amazed with how much we have learned. Our speaking is greatly improving and we are often shocked about what we can understand when others are speaking. We have one one week and then we move on to Thai two. Yesterday in class the students from Thai three came into our class and we had to interview them in Thai and report back what we learned about them. It was amazing that we were able to find out so much about a person using only Thai. We are much more confident speaking Thai in our safe classroom environment than in "the real world," but we are trying to use it more often.

      On Friday, we went to the Tiger Kingdom with our new friends Lisa, Angie and Nit. We actually went in a cage with two large tigers and sat with them and were able to touch and pet them. I will be honest... it was terrifying, but such a cool experience. Soot Yawt! (means "so cool" in Thai)  The tigers have been raised in captivity and have plenty to eat so they do not have any need to hunt. It was a once in a life time experience and we are glad we did it, but I don't see us doing it again. :) That evening we went out to dinner for Mark and Oan's birthday with a big group of church members and even some of our students joined us. it was a great time of food, fun and fellowship. Following dinner we went to karaoke and has a blast singing our hearts out.

TIGER!

        After a fun, but long and exhausting week we decided that today would be a relaxing day of reflection and study. Hil, Mark and I drove out to a lake and spent about four hours sitting in a bamboo hut reading, studying and writing. We had a great time with each other and had some well needed r&r time.

lake time

        Mark is preaching for the first time at church in the morning. We are looking forward to see how God speaks through him to present the topic of love. Keep him in your prayers tonight, I am sure he will do great.

       Love you all and thank you for your continued prayers and support.

-Amanda

Guests, Guests, and More Guests

The Zone is FULL of people right now. This has been an exciting week with people coming in from several different countries and cities. First the New Zealand group arrived and they have been here for a week. Annie, the bride on Sunday, went to Bible College in New Zealand and has good friends there. Four of them came and have been doing different projects and seeing new things. They have been really fun and we have enjoyed working and hanging out with them. Amanda and I have Thai class every morning and English students every afternoon so we haven't been able to participate in everything but we have loved the time we've had. Andrew's mom also flew in from China to see him for a few days and she was so sweet. On Thursday we had visitors fly in from Indonesia who are wanting to start a college ministry there and so wanted to learn about ours. All of us went to the fish spa on Thursday and it was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. Amanda, V, and Andrew's mom couldn't put their feet and and kept screaming and laughing. Gill and I really enjoyed it and kept our feet very still so the fish could nibble away all of our dead skin. It was fun to sit in the back of the car on the way there and just compare what is going on in all of our ministries and in our different countries. Mark starts school in November and a girl from Malaysia, who is friends with many people here at PCZ, is going to take the class with him. So Lisa came as well and we have gotten to meet here and she helped out with decorations for the wedding. So at Cell group on Thursday we had visitors from New Zealand, Indonesia, China, Japan (Meri came), and Malaysia. It was crazy! But so much fun. And now Annie and Tom's wedding is on Sunday and people are coming in from Bangkok and Phayao and we will have a very busy weekend. Mike from New Zealand said at our equipping on Thursday, "It is amazing how we are all brought together by Christ. There is no other way all of us from so many different places would ever come together." We have been very blessed this week to learn from and be encouraged by our brothers and sisters from all over the world. 

Cell group with friends from all over the world!

Amanda freaking out at the fish spa