Settling In

The last couple of days have been somewhat of a blur as I have settled in to living at the orphanage and have gotten used to this time zone. We have fallen asleep at 9:00 at night...after having forced ourselves to stay awake. It has worked, and I am pretty much over the jet lag. An early bedtime is a must, though, as we are staying in a room off of the baby nursery, and those kids rise and shine at 6am. On top of that, there is a rooster somewhere that starts crowing at daybreak and a cow that moos right outside our window. No need for an alarm clock!!

Tomorrow, I will up load some pictures of where we are staying. (No, it's not a dirt hut!) We have a room with it's own bathroom. And then we have the use of an outdoor kitchen that is complete with a stove, refrigerator, and sink. It's still a little surreal to be out in the middle of this tropical place making toast in the morning.

Today, we went to Carrefore, which is similar to a Wal-Mart. They had most of what we wanted to set up our room and kitchen. We could find many products there that you might find in the US. About the time that I get settled here, it will be time to move to Cambodia. Oh well! (By the way, there will be no stores like this in Cambodia:)

I definitely feel now, like I am home in Asia. I can't imagine being anywhere else and am so happy to be back with the kids. That being said, the transition is not without it's difficulties. I thought I knew what the rainy season was like, but clearly I didn't! It has rained massive amounts each day, making the mosquitos pretty active. I got here and realized that there was no air conditioning in our room, and our bathroom comes equipped with a squatty potty. (I will share the details of that later, but you can use your imagination!) Hot water is a luxury, and that's when it's coming out of the spigot at all. Solitude and quiet moments are few and far between. And I had forgotten what it was like to feel constantly dirty.

A couple of things have come to mind. One...I was reminded about how much "stuff" we have in America and how we like convenience. (Maybe that's just me.) Everything here just takes longer. Showering, brushing teeth, going to the store. I am learning to slow down and settle into the pace of life here. I am already down to living life out of two suitcases, and yet I am so richly blessed beyond those around me. It's good to be reminded of that.

Which leads into another thing I have been growing in...giving thanks. I had already been learning that lesson, but it's all the more pressing now. God's Word tells us to give thanks for everything in all circumstances. (I Thess. 5:18) So, when I am laying in bed sweating, I think "T you God that I have a roof over my head...and it's not a dirt hut!" And when the kids are screaming at 6:00am, I thank God that these precious children have a safe place to live and are happy enough to be so boisterous. (I also wish I knew what they were saying:) When there was no water coming out of the shower, and I had to rinse off with the spigot, I quickly thanked God that there was any water at all. (That goes the same for when it's ice cold!) And when there was a huge spider in the shower, I thanked God that at least it wasn't in my bed. (I have included a photo, so those of you who don't like spiders might want to scroll past it.)


The situations have not changed, but my attitude towards them sure has. In the moment I was able to laugh about the spider. Next time, I may even be able to get rid of it myself. I am at peace and content with the bugs and cold water and humid room. And I am reminded that everything that I considered to be necessities are really luxuries that many in this world do without. I could spend my days getting frustrated or irritated with the situations, or be thankful and let the peace of God transform my heart. I would rather choose the latter.

There are three orphanages here in Thailand. We live at Doi Saket 1, which has about 80 kids. Doi Saket 2 has about 15 kids, and Hot Springs (about 45 minutes from here) has about 15 kids. Tonight, we were at DS2 where there is a brand-new baby girl. She is a miracle baby. These kids come from the Hill Tribes where they live as they have since long ago. Poverty is overwhelming. This little girl was born to a mother who had 6 kids and could not take care of them. The mother tried to take herbs to terminate the pregnancy, but miraculously, the baby did not die. The orphanage director here heard about the story, and told the mother that he would take the baby. So, now there is sweet baby Rachel. Tonight we had a ceremony where she was officially named and prayed over. She is unbelievably cute!


I will close tonight with a few shots of the kids. They are the reason I am here. Thanks for helping to make that possible!