I'm here!!

Wow, we really hit the ground running as soon as we got here. Sarah and I were so excited to finally arrive in Thailand we were taking pictures left and right even as we were walking through the terminal to our baggage claim. Our customs officer gave us the all clear, we stepped through nothing to declare and out into Bangkok (really at that point just the waiting area.) I got some Thai baht, and then we met Pastor Bob Hedtke, his wife Diana, and Dang the director of CWEFT . The past two days with them have given me but a foretaste of how enjoyable it will be to work side by side with them. Amongst each other they are laid back, warm, friendly, helpful and always enjoy a great amount of teasing. My favorite is when Dang says something to tease Sarah or I and then after a pause and with a smile says "kidding!"

So the first thing we did was get something Thai to eat, and man was it good. The atmosphere itself was an experience of it's own. We all crowded around a metal table on plastic stools in this crowded restaurant. Don't picture an American restaurant, but something similar to a garage store front which made it hot and humid since it was completely open.  Here we are eating something which was pronounced cow-moo-dang (Kao mu dang), which was sliced pork(mu) in a red(dang) sauce over white rice(kao), and we had iced tea from a class coke bottle in metal cups. It was the perfect place to go for our first meal in Thailand.

From there we visited Pastor Bob and Diana's apartment, and I got to put my feet up which had swollen to resemble two tree trunks. (On a side note: I just spotted my first gecko in my room. Apparently they are everywhere. It doesn't matter how clean the place is) Where was I?...Oh, so then we went to one of the daycares CWEFT and the LCMS help run in Phongphet where we met the lovely lady Goi, and she even invited us to her wedding in November to the Hedtke's cousin she met here. I am really excited about that and was honored to be asked to come to this very special occasion. It made me feel as though I am already a part of this small but strong Christian family over here in Thailand.

I must say it is quite a joy to be amongst people that are so passionate about spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Pastor Bob quoted this morning, they belive that "the main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing." This is what I have seen the past two days. There is a great sense of urgency about spreading the Gospel. Every time we sit down to a meal at a restaurant, we pray in the name of Jesus even as the waiters will continue to serve us. Basically Jesus is not kept a big secret, but shared at every opportunity there is to speak.

Today, Thursday, we learned about the history of CWEFT and the LCMS in Thailand, as well as Thai culture. There is so much to say on those two topics that I'll be brief and just say that it is very exciting what is happening here, as well as anticipating all that can yet be done. I learned that the Thai people adore their King and Queen and have the utmost respect for them. They are very good leaders and care a lot about the welfare of their people.

For lunch we ate real Chinese food, and I can now honestly say that I had little bits of squid and shrimp, which I survived. In the afternoon, we went on a scavenger hunt, which basically meant we went to a market and Dang, Pastor Bob and Diana made the newbies find a list of grocery items. Please note that almost everything was written in Thai at the vendors stands and none of the vendors spoke English. I got laughed at quite a bit, but eventually I had about 4 strangers trying to help me and I went home with a bag of rice, a bar of soap and some cornstarch. The cornstarch however, was not on the list :D

From there, Dang took us all to a Buddhist temple, which was incredible and ornate. We learned about the life cycle and how much of it is celebrated at the temple from birth to death. Pastor Bob and I then got ice cream bars from the vendors inside the gate.

Tired of reading this yet? I told you we had a lot going on.

We did some visiting at CGM Concordia Gospel Ministries where we visited Robyn McCoy and some other staff members who teach EFL English as a Foreign Language, which is across the alley from LISA Lutheran Institute of Southeast Asia where we met Pastor Song Pom from Into the Light Gospel Ministries. This is all down the street from the Lutheran Hour office. After that things slowed down and we walked around a shopping center before eating at a Thai place called Bua which means lotus. By the time we were dropped off at the hotel I was pretty close to zonking out, which I did at 7pm. The only reason I'm up now is because Mom and Dad called to see how my first two days had been. Pictures will come soon!

The Queen and I.....(and an elephant)

So after getting the particulars of orientation, and apartment paper signing done, Dang and the Hedtke's took Sarah and I on an adventure to Ayuttaya (pronounced uhh-yoot-tea-yuh) Saturday the 30th. The first place we visited was the Queen's project. It's a huge property with many buildings like a US fairgrounds, and in each building there is a different type of art or craft being made. They range from glass making, to silk painting. It's called the Queen's project because the Queen wants to preserve traditional Thai art, as well as provide disabled or extremely poor people with a way of living. They come to the center, learn the art, whether it be welding, pottery, weaving, etc, and then they take it back to their villages, make it and sell it. The things they make are absolutely beautiful too. Here is a picture of my purchases; some silk and glass. I think the elephant is my favorite since he's kind of pudgy. The glass was only like $2 and the silk was maybe $6. Most things here in Thailand are pretty inexpensive which is a good thing living on a volunteer missionary budget. On the property are also some houses built to demonstrate different housing styles throughout the country. Dang showed us an example of the eating area of one of them here

Our next stop was the one Sarah had been waiting for since she found out we were going to Thailand, and that was the elephant rides! I guess I didn't realize how tall they are until I had to climb up a staircase to get on one. He was huge and I could feel his shoulder blades under my feet as he shifted back and forth. 20 minutes was long enough for me. I really enjoyed feeding them corn at the end. There were about 5 of them lined up, eager to get an ear from me. But we still had more things to see. We saw the reclining Buddha outside dressed in orange for lent, and were pressed by a group of kids that wanted us to buy flowers to worship the Buddha. We told them we were Christian, so instead they were content to make faces at our cameras, and then look at themselves over an over again. Pastor Bob pointed out that in order to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus in Thailand you have to build relationships with them, and that's exactly what we were doing while we sipped on coconut milk straight from a coconut.

Sadly we had to say goodbye as we went to our last place, the summer palace of the King and Queen, Bang Pa-In. I was stopped by a schoolgirl who was practicing her English and had a list of basic questions to ask me. As I continued on down the sidewalk to catch up with my group, I passed by a group of monks dressed in orange who avoided touching me, lest they have to go through a ritual cleansing process for coming into contact with a woman. We walked past several different animal-shaped shrubs, to a chinese house made for the King, Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun. We couldn't take pictures inside, but it was incredibly ornate. The last house we visited was quite an ordeal, and it involved a small touch of embarassment on my part as well as a great deal or entertainment on Dang, the Hedtke's, and a group of workmen's part. In the King's house we were required to wear a sarong (or at least Dang said so) and I had a hard time figuring out how to tie it with my two bags I was carrying. By the time I got it on, they were rolling with laughter as Sarah and I were walking up the steps, while they waited outside. Our only condolence was the fact that it was air-con inside, so we stayed in there a few minutes longer to let them sweat it out. We then made our way back to town as we munched on some fried bananas, then parted ways.

Sarah and I made our first attempt at a taxi ride that night to the Hedtke's house where we had a pizza party and enjoyed a nice relaxing evening getting to know each other better. Pastor Bob will kill me, but it was so cute to see them in their sarongs together!

Oh well, that's enough for now. Time to call this post an end.

Leg by leg

Two down, two to go. Well Sarah and I have both safely arrived at Los Angeles airport, international terminal. Here is a picture of us acting like we are really awake and ready for the 14 hour and 40 minute flight ahead of us. Here is a picture of what we actually feel like after only the short legs. Thankfully we can sleep on the plane. I wonder if they'll give us the cool eyemasks and socks!

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

Well, here I go! I am sitting at gate K3 waiting for for my departure in another hour and a half. My escorts Sarah Steiner, Jo Suzuki, and Stephanie Rogers are well on their way back to Concordia by now I imagine. (thank you Steph for the tissues!) I will miss my girls. Just so you know Sarah, I found the package and audibly expressed my, "aw man" when I read that I can't open it yet.

This is actually the first moment all day that I have had the opportunity to sit still and not be running somewhere, or saying goodbye to someone. Right now a lot of unknowns lay ahead of me, and I feel it's quite appropriate that my bible verse of the day came up on my computer as Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to bless you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." As a good Lutheran, I would then respond, "this is most certainly true."

Taking it with me

Wow! I never knew how much work goes into moving to a different country. I have been home for almost two weeks now and it has been a whirlwind of activity. So far, I have sorted stuff to pack, gotten my first will, helped with my brother's graduation party, applied for an absentee ballot, paid an arm and a leg for malaria medicine, written a newsletter, baked an apple pie, installed a digital library on my computer, debated whether Rolaids or Tums will work better for spicy Thai food, activate my new credit card, faxed things, addressed things, mailed things, reconnected, said goodbye, visited, hugged and kissed my loved ones. After all of this there is still more to do, yet one thing I am glad I have had the chance to do is reflect on what exactly it is that I am taking with me. Sure I can pack bug spray, shorts and a good pair of walking shoes, but most of what I take with me isn't what I pack in my suitcase.

I've been able to spend a lot of time with my family the past two weeks, and they've reminded me a lot of where I come from and all the people who have helped me get to this point. Being a Karkan or even related to one alone makes me unique. Just ask any of my friends who have been nearby when we're all together :D They know what I'm talking about. In addition to that I have met wonderful people all over the place, from England to North Dakota! and they've all helped prepare me for this next adventure in one way or another. In a way I'm taking a little bit of all y'all with me, and I pray that your prayers would be with me as well.

Overall I know I can never be prepared enough to know what the next two years will bring, but I know for certain that the Lord is with me and will guide me along the way. And I'm pretty sure that's all I need ;)

Apple to Apples

Apples are on my mind right now for many reasons. One because Marshall and I picked apples yesterday and took lots of pictures. Two because I just ate a piece of the apple pie we made from the apples we picked yesterday . And three, because I am home with my family which makes me the apple joining the other Karkan apples. Sorry if you don't get the illustration.

Anywho, I have been running around like crazy it feels. I have 11 days before we take off and I have loads of stuff I want to do and get done before then. The past couple days we have been getting ready for my brother Jasen's graduation party, I've been packing and organizing stuff (most of which is now stored neatly in our attic), and I was able to spend some quality time with my nephew Marshall. Not only did we pick apples, but he collected 111 cicada bug shells. (Note: I said HE collected them.) We also stayed up late (11pm) both nights he was here and played Wii boxing; a great workout for the arms I might add. Today we went to at least a dozen places shopping for food and what-not. The what-not being a new outfit for Mom. I must say we were very successful and had a great time.

We met Becky (and Anna) for lunch at Chipotle. Becky of course was looking very cute at 24 weeks. We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Anna possibly in November or December as the doctors are closely monitoring her progress. Please keep them in your prayers.

In Thailand news...(drum roll please!) Dang sent pictures of my apartment!!!!

( Sorry there is only one so far.) I'm so excited. It's on the 17th floor of the Lumpini Place Apartment Building tower B. I even found it on Google Earth and then located how far away it is from our language school. It seems like a hike, but there is a train nearby which we will get to take everyday. We can also take it downtown and to a weekend market place. It looks as if we will have refrigeration which will be good for keeping a few food items. Sarah is in the same building we think on the 8th floor. Dang mentioned that I will be living there for the next six months and then I will be involved with picking out a different place after that.

So, that's that. I'm ready for some R&R. Maybe I can schedule that for n

ext week... ;D

Technorati Tags: Marshall,Anna,Lumpini,Dang,school

Mom and Dad Movers!

Well, that's done. Today Mom and Dad drove up from Ohio at 3am to pick up most of my belongings. I don't think the debate on whether or not I had less stuff from when I moved in three years ago was ever determined. One thing for sure is that Dad still had a clear rear window and I know that I got rid of a ton of stuff to make it fit.

After we packed the van we went to Grandma Sally's for brunch which I knew Mom and Dad would love. Anything that gets Dad to reminisce about growing up in Cleveland is good for me. Ahh, the good old days. It was just great getting a chance to visit and talk with them; something I miss from when we used to sit around for hours and discuss life all within the context of living as a Christian in a sinful world. So that's what we did, and all my concerns slowly melted away as they reminded me that I have a God that loves me, that bumps along the road are Satan's attempt of trying to tell me God doesn't love me, God's timing is perfect, and that they love me as well.

Moving away from Concordia is just one of the many changes about to happen. I'm now living out of a couple suitcases this next week till I go home to Ohio, and as I told Sarah J. I feel like I'm on vacation! Mom and Dad are on their way home and I'm in no hurry at all.