100 Days in Thailand :: Day 50 - We're halfway there, livin' on a prayer!

Don't you love that Bon Jovi song? Makes me flash back to fond memories of Auburn's 2004 "Perfect Season" when we'd all sing that song, arm in arm, along with the band at football games.... *sigh.

But enough of the college flashbacks, today is DAY 50! I can't believe our trip is already halfway over!!!

I have mixed feelings today. In some ways it seems like the past 50 days have flown by.... in other ways it seems like we've been here forever. The truth is I am tired of a lot of things - I'm tired of being so far away from family and friends (and the late night/early morning phone calls that have to be made if we want to talk to anyone b/c of the time difference).... I'm tired of being sick.... I'm tired of squatty potties.... I'm tired of throwing away my toilet paper (& not being able to flush it).... I'm tired of trying to "think" in Thai to even understand 1/100th of what people say to me.... I'm tired of wearing stretched out clothes because there are no dryers here (wearing line-dried pants is giving me a 90's fashion flashback, and I can assure you "slouching" is not a good look for me!).... and lets not even talk about all the RICE! I love asian food, but if I didn't see another grain of rice for the next few months I don't think I'd complain. (I would KILL for some Chick-fil-a right about now ;)

But, in many other ways, I'm SO glad we still have 50 days left here in Thailand. There are so many beautiful things about this country and culture that I will miss (like our awesome partners/friends/family we are so blessed to work with!), so I'm trying to enjoy them fully while we are here. I'm also really excited about the time we get to spend volunteering at Viengping Children's Home, because it gives me a chance to connect with some of the most precious kids! And the longer we are here the more we're able to educate ourselves about the issues these children face - issues like forced labor (slavery), child soldiers, sex trafficking and genocide. We have been broken for the Karen people and the situation in Burma, and learning about it while we are so close to the source of information has been an incredible opportunity.

So, please continue to keep us in your prayers! Even though we're "halfway there", it seems some things are just beginning for us here. Please pray we will be able to live each day fully engaged and take hold of every opportunity God puts in our path!