Final Farewell

Well what can I say? Its the end! I can't believe it! Seven months seems like a long time in another country but it goes so fast at the same time. Right now we are focused on goodbye parties, gifts, and getting in those last hang outs and fun Thailand things. I am getting less prepared to leave as the weeks go on. Kind of backwards isn't it?

This last month was focused on our relationships with our Thai friends and other evangelism events. We also had some visitors this month that brightened up our may! Here is a recap:

Our Thai worker Bia helping with craft

Bryan teaching them a thing or two about hockey

We enjoyed our usual time at the park playing sports and crafts with the kids. Always great to provide a fun activity for them, and we are able to share bible stories and/or testimonies at the end.

We also had some great visitors this month! Becky Oullette's nephew and his friends did some traveling around Asia and came to stay with us for about 3 weeks in Phuket. They helped out with things and were a great asset to our little group here. But my favorite visitor of the month award goes too....

They helped me cook a Thai meal for Church

TONY & SARAH!!! My brother and sister-in-law! They were able to spend a whole week with me here in Phuket. They were a great encouragement and help (couldn't have cooked that church meal without you!) and we had a lot of fun together.

An outing with my friend Mai

We also kept up with our regular activities such as missionary kids youth group, language lessons, and teaching English.

Youth group game

We also had a team from a church in Abbotsford called Northview. They were here for 5 days and we did a lot of evangelism ministries including singing songs in the hospital and praying for people, handing out tracts at the market, the football (soccer) game, and the park, and prayer walked around our neighborhood. It was neat to see Thailand again through fresh eyes do some new things!

Our friend who begs in the market that we always visit. He is a major sweet heart and always thanks God for everything.

That was our month! It was almost too busy too realize how time has crept up on us! But I have been trying to mentally prepare myself for leaving Thailand. But I know that I can never be fully prepared to leave. It probably won't kick in until I'm on the plane. I am also anticipating emotional goodbye's from my Thai friends. On the upside though, that lets me know that I have made real connections here and God has made an impact on people through me. That is an exciting thought!!! If I had an easy time leaving, that would not be a good testament to the time I have had here. So I will gladly take the sad goodbyes, the pain of leaving, and the heartbreak I will probably experience afterward because it means that God has used me and that was able to leave a part of me here and Thailand and take a part of Thailand with me.

Until then, please pray for

- Our goodbye party for our language teachers that we are having with the missionaries. Pray that they will get connected to the missionaries so that they can continue showing them God's love and sharing with them after we are gone

- That our relationships will end strong and with good closure

- That all the logistics of leaving will go smoothly

- Safe travel

- Debrief - that it would be a healthy time of sharing, reflection and closure.