Church!

Our choices for a church were dwindling rapidly. None were near us so we needed one near some regular song taew route and within their running schedule (ending at 6 pm). We also needed a service in English in order to get anything out of it. That left us with 3 churches to choose from. Two of those we couldn’t find on any of the maps of Chiang Mai we saw. Their street maps only have the names of the major streets on them. The whole area was blank when I tried Google maps!

I sent an email to the address listed for Chiang Mai Christian Fellowship (CCF) although it looked like it was going to be too far away for us. Pastor Tim Dunham’s reply confirmed its distant location, so I replied with my regrets at not being able to get there. He quickly informed me that they employ a song taew to bring people and it goes right by our usual pick up spot. That was a great option, so we agreed to go. I told him we would be on the left side of the road, just past the pedestrian overpass, and I would have a black umbrella.

Then, Saturday evening, he emailed saying our song taew ride would cost us 200 bht (“He shouldn’t charge you more than 200 bht”) because he had contacted a different driver to get us. They couldn’t find the phone # of the regular driver to tell him to pick us up. He said the church would reimburse us if we were short on money. He gave me his number in case we had trouble, and said everything is an adventure in Thailand. Gary didn’t think we should ask for reimbursement, so I told him I wouldn’t go to the fitness club this week. That also costs us 200 bht each.

Later in the evening Gary received a call from the people Lloyd from LIVE weekend knows. Gary was trying to coordinate a meeting with them. The church they told him they were going to is the one I was trying to get to. Gary didn’t realize that until after he was off the phone.

We were a little concerned about meeting up with this song taew driver, Pong, who knows little English. Gary asked which "left" side of the road I had meant in my instructions. Then I realized the ambiguity in what I had said. It made sense only in going North, in the direction of the church. While I was waiting to leave I read an article in my January devotional on anxiety. The author pointed out that overcoming anxiousness has to do with trusting in who God is and in His plan. My application was that if the song taew driver missed us, then God has a better plan for our day and our lives at this moment. That did help me go out with more peace in my heart.

We reached the place where we were supposed to meet the song taew about 10 minutes early. He was already there, up the street a little, holding a paper with "CCF" written on it, and motioning us to come to him. Gary rode up front with him and I got in the back. We got there with no problems and Gary paid him the 200 bht.

As we turned from the usher handing out bulletins at the door, we saw our friend Rick Harris talking to someone inside. Then I saw their college age son, Peter. He was surprised when I called his name. I looked around and found Chiang getting ready to teach the Kindergarten Sunday school class. She did a double take seeing me, and then gave me a hug.

We sat with Rick, his friend college age son Peter, and Rick's friend that teaches Hermeneutics in China. It was a wonderful, worshipful service with a mix of songs we are used to singing and new ones. Tears came as I sang heartfelt hallelujahs to God in gratefulness to Him for getting us there and how he showed His care for me in getting us to a church with friends in it already. Now all our church trouble made sense.

We visited with a few people afterwards, but didn't find the friends of Lloyd that were supposed to be there. We did sign up for the new small groups they just now setting up. The man in charge of that said there were several in the Hang Dong area.

Rick and Chiang invited us to go to lunch with them, giving us a ride, and a ride home afterwards. They took us to a great restaurant that had great Thai and American food at great prices. We exchanged phone numbers too. We should see them at church anyway from now on.

Their younger son, Paul said he did recognize us that day a couple of weeks ago, when I said hello to him as we were walking near Grace when he was riding home on his bicycle. I knew it was him when I saw his braces. He didn't seem to have any trouble recognizing me with my short hair!

God is good!

:J

Food Monday - Veggies hooray!

We found a vegetarian restaurant that we both like! Really it was an easy choice after our recent food surprises involving meat! The food choices at the food court have been getting less appealing after eating there twice a day almost all week. That is why we have tried edgy choices there and have been glad of opportunities to eat elsewhere.

At first, I was happy to find Yakisoba noodles in the food court since I had wanted to try them a few times in the US. Now I could! They had gyoza there too. After each of those and pad Thai a few times I was ready for something else. Gary's pork liver surprise came from one of his ventures. This week, I ordered some soup from a picture at another booth. It had a piece of meat in it with a narrow light colored strip with a brown, flat, wide, wavy strip attached to it. I nibbled at each part to find the brown part soft and tasting like liver, and the light colored part tough. I only ate the brown part. One day I just pointed at one of the foods they had on display and asked for it. That turned out to be a kind of omelet with green veggies in it, which was fine.

We are glad when we find food we can eat somewhere else.

Mrs. Janooan and her husband took me to a local "fresh" market last Monday evening. She bargained for some papaya for me and asked a seller to let me try a tamarind. She showed me how to eat it too. It was good, so I bought some. They have a hard shell, so they travel well.

Gary and I went there again on Saturday. We met this same young lady that Mrs. Janooan and I bought bread from on Monday. Gary noticed she had a retainer on and showed her his. They laughed. We bought more bread from her, and some cake, and she gave us some little cream puffs too. We found fresh

fruits, vegetables, and deep fried chicken, prawns, and bananas. We didn't buy the roasted frogs or the giant mushrooms.

A student in our Thai class recommended a vegetarian restaurant right along our walk to class. Friday we tried it. Gary bought some roasted pork in the market first in case he felt he needed meat afterwards. He didn't. He found the mushrooms they fixed tasted like meat, or even better. I was just glad to have great vegetables that weren't hot. We get to point at what we want instead of going from a picture or trying to read the food names. They had a wonderful dish with red and yellow peppers along with a bunch of green veggies. They have great prices and change their dishes from day to day, so we can eat there often and still get a good variety. We will!

:J

Making Friends

"In Thai we don't "make" friends," Tuk told me last week. Instead she had me write, in Thai, "I am a friend of a cute dog." I wanted to say I made friends with the dog because I had to move carefully to gain his friendly response. Either they consider everyone as a friend or think friendship is something that just happens, or not, without any effort.

They are certainly friendly people. Mrs. Janooan has spent a lot of time talking to me and helping me with my Thai and other things. She often holds my hand when we are talking or she is taking me somewhere. Saturday she invited me in for lunch. Although I had already eaten, she insisted I join her and her daughter anyway. She brought out a separate bowl of what she and her daughter were eating, this one without the hot spice in it. I ate a little of that because of her effort. She gave me a little from their bowl and I thought it was hot even though she said it wasn't. They helped me with my Thai as we talked about our activities.

Last Thursday, for the second time, I went to the free aerobics class put on in the Lotus department store parking lot. A lady there took a friendly step toward me, but hesitated until I stepped toward her and said, "Saw wat dit, ka" (the Thai greeting). Then we started talking in bits of English and Thai over the loud music. Before long she took hold of my hand too. She invited me to come stand next to her up front, but I declined, holding my hands over my ears. Afterwards she introduced me to one of her friends.

Today at the park, we walked up behind a young lady sitting on one of the benches under a covered area (sala) over a pool. We began to discuss with her the swarm of fish in the shady water in front of us. As soon as she could tell we were going to stay awhile, she moved her things over so I could sit next to her even though the next bench was empty. I accepted her invitation. I offered to get up when her friend came back, but she said no. The three of us talked and the first lady held my hand briefly too.

We talked about the big cat fish that showed up, where we were from, how long we had been in Thailand, her lottery ticket sales, and similar things. Finally I asked if I could take their picture. They let me, and then wanted to take turns taking a picture of me with each of them. Then the first young lady wanted a picture of me and each of them taken with her camera. As I began to leave, she showed me pictures of her two daughters and one son on her camera.

They have been friendly even in our brief encounters on the song taus. A lady I started a conversation with one day asked where we were going early in the conversation. She helped me with some Thai words while looking out for our destination during the ride. One of two of the song tau drivers, (we are not sure if it was the same one both times), on the route we usually take has slowed down to wait for us before we were ready to signal for a ride. Once we were coming down the stairs of the pedestrian overpass and, the other time, turning a corner further up the road than where we usually are. That could also be because they are hoping for the fare and we are easier to remember than the other people there.

:J

Getting used to... (2)

-Their quiet voices often when they speak.

-Reading words on signs - I am beginning to read some when there

are only one or two words!

-Taking a map with us when we leave

-Geckos in our room

-Sharing our computer

-Getting 10 B coins for the laundry

-Doing smaller laundry loads earlier in the morning (so they can hang dry)

-Taking shoes off to go inside many places - our apartment, other homes, Dentist office, school library

-Counting in Thai - having the health club assistants count out our slow weight lifting in Thai numbers.

-Getting to our bank and making a withdrawal

-Finding our bank's ATM machines

New things

1. Where the different colors of Song Taus go and when they run. The yellow one we wanted wasn't running one day when we wanted one.

2. The loud music they play in the department store and for their aerobics.

3. The many dogs, how skittish they are, and how responsive to a gentle approach and a friendly pet.

4. Gary finding his missing shoe last week in the vacant lot across this small side street we are on. We think the dog who followed us to our door yesterday might have taken it. (He's in the photo on the right)

5. Older ladies sleeping on the song tau. It looked like they had been shopping at the open market, mostly for food.

6. Getting off of a crowded song tau without stepping on people or banging anyone's head with my elbow. (Heads are really special here and they believe greatly in respecting elders. I banged and older lady in the forehead with my elbow trying to get off of a crowded song tau one day.)

7. Frozen yogurt and fruit and milk for breakfast. The refrigerator in our room keeps things too cold.

8. Getting weighed in kilograms - what does 54.8 k. mean?

9. An 8" rat pop out of the drain 2 feet from me, at the open market, make a quick circle and go back into the drain.

10. Getting an ATM card and signing up for on line banking here.

Food Monday - Hot stuff

These small chilies we knew were hot. Gary avoided eating the altogether. He pulled one apart, wiped off his hands, then, later touched his lip and still felt the heat. The white crunchy julienne pieces Gary found out were hot when he ate some. I think I had the same stuff in a dish I had last week. The lady that served it to me assured me it was, "Mai Pet" (not hot) as I requested, but it was quite hot to me. I couldn't figure out what the hot part was. Now I think it might have been that crunchy white vegetable.

Gary tried a chicken burger at the KFC that is in the front of the department store. He didn't think he ordered a spicy one, but it was hot enough to bring tears and a little sweat.

Another surprise he had this week was when he asked for "Moo" (pork). He got pork liver (it was come kind of liver anyway). I ate it for him; it was good! I hadn't had liver in a long time, and never pork liver. Gary told me to make up a flash-card for liver like we have for squid, so we will know what to avoid. I made one up for "frog" too after we saw this tray of foods for sale at a market downtown.

Except for the KFC, these foods were all from the upstairs food court. Most of them have pictures and English words for their dishes. Even so, it is hard to tell what exactly

what the foods are that are pictured. One place has some corn chips in one section of their display. Those sounded good to me, so I figured out how to ask what plate of food they would come with. The lady pointed at three different bowls of white foods of different shapes. One was oval slices, one was white balls, and one was purse shaped things. I asked if they were “pla” (fish) and she nodded. Also she held up some rice noodles to show they were in there too. I went ahead and ordered it. She made up a soup of the noodles, some of each of the three kinds of shaped fish, and one corn chip. The soup tasted ok. I had it again the night I did aerobics after dinner since it was a light meal (it was mostly white, after all).

A couple of days ago I decided to try the crispy fried mussels. They are cooked in a crispy kind of omelet with bean sprouts. It tasted really good. I hardly noticed that the mussels were there. They have an oyster one too, but I think they would have more of a taste.

The best things Gary found up there are the popcorn and the soft serve ice cream. Those are becoming staples for him. The chocolate ice cream is almost meeting his chocolate craving. Chocolate is rare and expensive here, so he hasn’t had much of it.

Another good snack we found are roasted shelled peanuts. They are in a bulk bin downstairs. The attendant there let me taste a few before we bought them. Once, in an open market, we bought some in shell peanuts. They turned out to be raw. These roasted ones are very good, though.

:J

Learning Thai

"Sa wat dee, ka." (Hello) "Sa bai dee, mai? Ka?" (How are you?)

The greeting spoken by our female Thai teacher, Tuk every day. Males end their sentences with krap. If you mean to ask a general question, like "Is this a mango?" you need to put a mai at the end. This was the beginning of our instruction on Thai sentence structure.

Our classes began January 6 and have continued from one to three, Monday through Friday, since then.

We are supposed to study an hour for each hour we are in class. Tuk doesn't give us separate assignments for homework, we are just supposed to go over what we learned in class. Tuk, is lively and expressive and makes the class fun. She drilled us in the 9 vowel sounds plus their s

ix combinations and the 5 tones the first week and a half. She has also given us a lot of vocabulary and some sentence structure. I have tried speaking some Thai to different people and am learning by trial and error :/.

There are now nine of us since a Scottish man joined mid week. Now we have 5 English speakers (4 American) 2 Frenchmen, 1 Mexican, and one Swede. Gary doesn't sit on

that side by himself. Mn, J, and I all sit over there. Ta sat in the center until this day when she moved on the other side of Cn.

They have been interested in the Thai flash-cards I have been making for myself from the vocabulary.

The reading and writing course is a separate class that they don't let people take until after the second reading course, so they ask me if I am taking that class. I explain that some friends gave us some materials to learn Thai from so I could begin to work on some reading and writing. It helps me learn to write the words and see them written along side

pictures to suggest their meaning. Very slowly this is helping me recognize words written on signs. So far this has mostly been noticing when they are spelling an English word with Thai letters.

I am also finding out that they have silent letters, sometimes marked and sometimes not, that their letters change sounds sometimes, and lots of letters make the same sound. With a few words I don't see how they get the word they say from the letters spelling it. Ough (as in doughnut) well, it iz likely noe tougher than English that weigh.

On the day we were learning numbers, we exchanged phone numbers for practice and to have contact numbers if we couldn't make it to class. Friday, as Gary and I walked to class, my phone started "ringing". It was the first time someone besides Gary had called me, but I knew the sound was my phone since it was in the holder in my back pack strap that was across my chest. I answered it to find the Scot, Mn, from class calling. He wanted me to tell Tuk he wouldn't be in class because he was with his friend who was in the hospital recovering from an emergency appendectomy. He assured me that the procedure was over and that his friend just needed to rest. He had tried to call Tuk, but couldn't get through. I didn't think to say I would pray for his friend, but I did after I hung up. Gary saw later he had a missed call from him. Before class I tried to tell Tuk about Mn all in Thai. I did ok, with her help, until I got to hospital and the emergency appendectomy.

At break that day Cn talked to me about a masseuse he went to talked to him about "that book" I gave him, the New

Testament. He said he would try to go back to that masseuse. I couldn't quite hear him or understand through his French accent. Next week I will try to ask him more about that. I am glad he is interested in talking about it and praying that God will be guiding him to His truth and protecting him from harm in the process.

During class we often share information about ourselves as part of practicing use of the language. We have also asked each other why we are in Thailand during the break and while waiting for others to finish an exercise. Ta has come for a year to volunteer with NGOs. She was amazed when I told her we would be staying for most of the rest of our lives.

Please continue to pray for God to show His love through us to the people in the class, and for Cn and his search for the source of Truth.

:J

Food update

Fish bean curd. That is what the white cubes on a stick were which I had for breakfast a week or so ago. We were wandering through the Thai food market under the big fancy mall when I saw them and a sign identifying them in English.

Breakfast is turning out to be our biggest challenge. Most bread type stuff is expensive here and we don't have any way of heating anything in our apartment. There was a microwave in the main kitchen at the Lighthouse, so we kept Rotees overnight a couple of times and heated them in the morning. A Rotee is a big, thin pancake that the maker puts an egg on, folds into a

rectangle, puts some kind of topping on, and then rolls up. This one we had cashews on.

They are overly greasy to have regularly.

Now we have a refrigerator so we can keep fruit for awhile. Along with pineapple, watermelon, oranges, and bananas we've had a lot of yogurt, some marked down doughnuts, and yesterday we found some Chinese small coffee cakes. They have a crust-like outside

and then mostly a ground up paste inside. The cubic one had a pork flavor to it. The other two were slightly sweet. The flavor of the red leaf one was more fruity and had a chunk of something orange in it, either carrot or some thick fruit.

This ball thing I tried at lunch time. They took the ball, which

seemed to be made of rice with flavorings, smashed it, added other things (including this soft kind of sausage), mixed it all around and put it on a plate. I don't think I will have it again soon.

The teacher in our Thai class identified the steamed

balls and square I had that were filled with different things. Unfortunately, I didn't write down what all the words she gave us meant so I'm not sure which words were for those things.

:J

Meeting people

We've met several people since we've been here. Some we only saw a few days or less; others we will know on a more permanently, perhaps.

Our landlady we should know for at least four months. We met Mrs. Jannoo-an

early last week when we came to see about renting a room. She was quite eager to help us with our Thai at that time. Saturday morning I was able to ask what her name is in Thai from what I learned in Thai class. The reason I remember her name is because she explained that the Jan part means Monday and moon and she showed me how to write it in Thai letters on her hand with her finger. She told me her husband's name too. It means "golden" so that is why this apartment house is called "Golden Home". I've forgotten how to say his name in Thai, though. I didn't get his name written down soon enough.

She was very friendly to me that day, letting me use her washing machine (and pay her the 20B rather than put coins in the coin operated one), loaning me a clothes basket and some hangers to hang clothes on, pointing out where I could hang up clothes, and talking to me about why I want to learn Thai. She took my hand often and held it when we were standing talking to each other. She offered me more things than I took. I hope I can understand how much she really intends for me to take, and not offend her by refusing too much or taking too much. Also, I hope to understand whether she will expect something from us after she has done this kind of thing. Her husband has tried to be helpful too, but he speaks little English. Please pray that we would be able to show God's love to them even through our cultural differences.

We are likely to have more in common culturally with the other students in our Thai class. The two young women are from the US, two men are from France, one man is from Sweden, one from Mexico, and one from Scotland (who just joined us this week). Then, of course, our teacher is a Thai native. I spoke French with one of the Frenchman for a little while one day. It is kind of ironic because when I am trying to think of some common word in Thai right now, I often come up with the French one first. We are going to be seeing these people 5 days a week for two hours a day for six weeks, and doing some interaction with them in class and in the break.

We walked with C-n almost to his apartment on Thursday because everyday he walked to the place where we need to catch our song tau. On Friday he talked to me more about his ex wife and how dissatisfied she is with everything in his life. I said she needs to have a purpose in her life, and tried to explain what that meant. C-n also said he was unmotivated at the moment to get a job again. Over the weekend I prayed, and asked some others to pray also, to be able to give him a testament and one for his wife. Today at the break he asked me what brought me to Thailand so I explained how we were seeking God's direction and some of the other details. It was the perfect way to lead in to what I have found in those testaments and what they might mean to him and his ex wife. I had them in my pocket to give him. He accepted them. He primarily speaks French, so he may have a little difficulty with them. His ex wife, although Peruvian, is excellent at languages, including English, so she should do ok with it, if she reads it. Please pray that they both do, and for the Lord to work through them.

Please pray also for God to glorify Himself through us in the class. We are the only Christians in there, that I can tell so far, anyway.

:J

Question

How much respect should a Christian pay to a Buddhist priest?

I know I wouldn't enter a temple and sit at the same level with one of them. Non priests are always supposed to sit lower. I avoid going in to the temples altogether. Also I avoid getting near them in general. They aren't supposed to touch women, so I don't want to make that difficult for them.

Our Thai teacher said that people are supposed to lower their whole body when passing them on the street, and not look at them. I suppose the not looking at them would be no problem, I just am not sure about the lowering of the whole body. Where does the line of showing respect to someone other than God come in?

:J

Getting used to...

Cars on “wrong” (left) side of the road. Drivers on “wrong” (right) side of vehicles.

Rough side walks – sometimes none, sometimes wide, often used by street vendors or adjacent property owner.

Signs, magazines, books all in Thai – and some in a different script than the one I learned.

Avoiding dog poop – regularly along the side of the road

Where things are – the way to get places and get “home”

Hard mattresses – how to make them softer?

Putting insect repellent on regularly – it’s my new body spray!

Bug bites – about 10 each round– Round 1 - 1^st day, on calves, – Round 2 - 3^rd day, on feet & ankles, round 3 – 5^th day, on back, overdue for round 4, thankfully!

Taking an umbrella,

for the SUN!

“Deer crossing” cross walks – warning drivers that people might try to cross there.

“Suggested” red lights and turn lanes – not everyone stops at them or turns when in them.

Carrying cash and in small bills or change – to pay TukTuks Song Taus, or street or market vendors.

Unexpected friendly "people" at unexpected events. We didn't know it was children's day when we went to the biggest mall in town!

:J

Babes in Thailand - New things

Prices at a fraction of a Baht, such as 0.75, and a 0.25 coin.

Loud speakers in the neighborhood broadcasting speeches and music.

Web sites (such as this one) coming up in Thai.

Where different colors of Song Taus go.

Roosters crowing whenever it is light.

Few people walking.

Internet service being spotty.

Thai writing on signs in a simplified script from the one I've learned, so I can't figure it out.

:J

Babes in Thailand - food Monday

Pad Thai noodles with nuts and tofu has been my mainstay when I can't find anything else I'm willing to try. It is also usually the lowest priced item on the menu and often it's hard to tell what the other items will be.

Near where we are staying we found an open air market selling all kinds of foods. These we can see to choose from. The first evening a young woman had crispy, thin rice noodles in different colors and flavors with a few vegetables mixed in. She kept giving me sample of the different kinds saying, "Not hot! Not hot!" Then a lady next to me told me the flavors in English. I tried the pumpkin flavored kind and hoped she'd be there again. So far she hasn't been.

The morning we found it we were ready for a little bit of breakfast. Gary had some pork on a stick and I chose two sticks with white something on them. The long white one tasted like shrimp pressed together. The bits of hard things, maybe shell, I had to refrain from spitting out. The white cubes were soft, like scallops. All of these were roasted.

We also bought some fruit. They had oranges that were kind of like tangerines. Their bananas were cute and sweet.

We also got a green fruit that tasted vaguely like an apple, though not as juicy. They were quite willing to give taste samples of fruit we were unfamiliar with. One that looked like a yam tasted sweet, juicy, and gingery.

We've gone back for dinner a couple of times. Here are some of the things we've tried and not tried.

We tried a couple of what pastry pies. I thought mine was potato and Gary's was supposed to be chicken. They were filled with a kind of flavored paste, though, made from those things (we think).

We didn't try the squid

.

These rice dough covered items turned out to be pretty good. They were steamed. The green square was onion, the yellowish balls were bamboo, the brownish round balls were a paste of cashew, and I don't know what the roundish green one was.

We didn't get any fish baskets.

School was just getting out when we walked toward the market Monday. Many vendors were out catering to the students. This one, selling french fries, was popular. Gary got some when we came by again heading home. They were very good. You could still taste the potato in them.

So far we've managed to eat several different things in different places without getting sick! Thank you, Lord, and please continue to bless our food!

:J

Happy New Year in Chiang Mai

Our first day of the New Year started at 6:45 am, if you don’t count the half hour I was up at midnight watching the fireworks. I went out on the patio to see them better and also saw the glowing red dots of the floating lanterns. My jet lag state kept me from being too sleepy to get up at midnight, but must have helped me sleep after, since I slept through my 5 am watch alarm.

The late start meant jumping rope for my workout at 11:30, followed by a cold shower because the electricity to run the little shower water heater was off. The electricity went off in our room sometime after we went to bed at 8 the night before. Maybe it had something to do with the blow up of our power strip that afternoon. That was how Gary discovered our old transformer didn’t work. He also discovered we needed an adapter to plug anything into our new transformer. Since all of our electrical based devices were run down at that point, including the computer, the first thing on our agenda that morning became finding an electrical parts store.

We had seen one in a little mall on our previous visits, so it was a matter of walking there following our map. Many people wished us “Happy New Year” as we walked along, figuring we would understand that English!

Our map got us to the right locality, and suddenly everything looked familiar. Soon we found the mall, and one of the electrical supply places inside. They had a power strip that would take any kind of plugs, so we bought that. We also found a shorter way to get home.

After his nap (and my exercise) Gary found an outlet in the common area to get everything plugged in and recharged. The last thing we plugged in was the computer. It was the thing we least wanted fried. My “brain” charged up quickly. Other things took longer. Our toothbrush hasn’t made it yet!

Soon after this, the manager for this Lighthouse guesthouse showed up. She flipped several breakers in the electrical box in the main room after I commented on our electricity situation. That didn’t work, though. Then Gary noticed circuit breakers in ours. He flipped those and our power was back.

We set up everything in the room then. All was well until we realized the transformer was overheating and turning off. That meant the computer would go on to battery power frequently and was running out of that quickly. Now this means we have to conserve computer use as well as share it between us, until we get a better transformer.

To watch the Duck’s game through his sling box Gary had to put the transformer in the freezer after the first quarter. He turned the computer off and then plugged it in that way. He waited awhile and then turned the computer on for the last 15 minutes on the clock of the game. The transformer lasted about 5 minutes with the computer turned on. The computer had charged enough though to last past the end of the game. He was hopeful to see Oregon only 2 points behind at that point. That hope was soon gone.

The transformer can handle recharging the computer when it is off, so that is what we are doing with it at night or when we leave for a long walk.

It was great to have warm water again today!

Family good bye

“Stop poking the anemones, Mom!” Amanda chided me. I was trying to get one to squirt, with no success. Later she checked back to be sure I got off the big rocks where the tide pools were safely. Darrick checked back at the end of our hill climb to make sure I was with them. These were marks of the change in our relationships.

All week they helped take care of managing our activities. Amanda planned and made a couple of great meals and helped me with the rest.

She already knows more about cooking than I do. Jennifer checked out local sites to visit and the details on location and cost. We all joined her to visit the Yaquina Lighthouse and the nearby tide pools. Darrick facilitated some basketball playing with Gary and some other young vacationers. He even beat Gary at HORSE. When I had quick volunteers to clean up the kitchen, I knew things had changed. We even got along pretty well after the four of us there Monday morning prayed together for our week.

When Gary first proposed the beach week, I objected to leaving town a week early. I also wondered how Amanda and Darrick would take being away from Longview and the people in that area for that time. I also doubted our civility would last out a week in close quarters.

The frenzy of the last week of packing made me thankful for the week away. The week also gave me a chance to finish the 3 ½ books on Thailand and the book on Jesus’ teaching methods I hoped to return before we left.

Amanda did struggle with not being “home” and not having a car. The great weather, the whale sightings, our own Internet connection, and Bryan helped her through.

It was the trip to Eugene for Christmas that crystallized the hole we are leaving for our children. They will no longer have a place to stay in while visiting people in the Northwest. Then, to visit the larger family, they will have to make their own arrangements. If they are going to get together, they will have to coordinate their plans.

Christmas will be different for all of us from now on.

Our good byes were less tearful than I expected. Amanda had decided she will see us about as often as she does now. I pray that she will know we do love her and not hold any resentment toward us for doing this.

After Gary drove off with Bryan, Amanda, and Darrick, I went back in to more sorting, tossing away, packing, and reading. By 10 pm everything was done, even the last book.

The next morning Jennifer and I got it all in the car and took off. One more excursion, to the Voodoo Doughnut shop in Portland for a bacon maple bar for Jennifer, and we made it to Longview. A few more good byes, some last packing and errands, and then squishing everything into Jennifer’s smallish Malibu and we were off for Bremerton. The last stop was the credit union after we found a money order gift in a Christmas card. Providently, Gary walked in there just in time to put his signature on one last form they had run across.

Jennifer drove us to Bremerton and to breakfast and the airport the next morning. Our last good bye was to her as she dropped us off.