~First Visa Excursion~

Thursday: "Beep, beep, beep..." was my awakening to consciousness (or maybe, I should say semi-consciousness) at 3:30, Thursday morning. "Am I really hearing the alarm? " was pretty much my first thoughts. I reached outside of my mosquito net and grabbed my clock that was in an open compartment of my stuffed daypack. After turning it off, I joined the rest of my family in beginning a long day.

Around 4:30 we went outside to jog and fast walk on the little highway that goes between both of our properties. It was still dark but very nice and cool. It was so good to get refreshed afterward by an invigorating bucket shower.

We and our driver, Micah Haberkam, began our 12 hour journey around 6:30. The trip was very nice. Mom and I rode in the bed of the truck during most of the way from Mae Sot to our destination, Mae Sai, which is on the Thai side of the border of Thailand and Burma. I laid down part of the time and was able to get some much needed rest and sleep.

We had a picnic lunch at a very clean, nice bus stop. We had some very yummy banana coconut pancakes that Hannah made and some other goodies.

We arrived on the border in Mae Sai at dusk. We stayed for the night in a nice, comfy hotel. There were beds with mattresses, a nice shower with a water heater on it, and toilets that you can actually sit on.

Friday: We went to immigration before breakfast. Praise the Lord! Our leave and reentry of Thailand went quite smooth. Our visas were stamped for 90 days.

After breakfast, we road around five to six hours to Chiang Mai. Mom, Hannah, and I rode in the back for most of the way. We had a little trouble at a check point, but the Lord helped us and we weren't stuck there for more than 10-15 minutes.

It was a wonderful blessing to be able to stay at the Rawlings's home for the weekend.

Sabbath: We met four out of five of the Knecht family (some other missionaries) when they came to take some of us to the Chiang Mai Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Sabbath School and the church service were a blessing. For the first time since we've been in Thailand, we had a "gohlowah" (white foreigner in Karen) Sabbath School class with the Rawlings, the Knechts, Robbie Doss who is with AFM, the Tidwells, and my family, and me.

Dean Tidwell had the sermon on Psalms 91 for church.

The Knechts, Rawlings, Micah, two Thai ladies from church, the Doss family, and my family and  I walked on a road on the Chiang Mai Adventist Academy property. It was a lovely, special blessing spending the afternoon, as well as the evening, with fellow missionaries who have the vision to do all that they can to bring the people in Thailand to their Redeemer.

Please pray for all the missionaries that I have mentioned in this post.

We also picked up 1,100 Karen Steps to Christ. They were re-printed very recently. Praise God that He made this possible! I'm thrilled!!! Some of our students will receive these precious treasures. Please pray that the Lord will help the books that got wet during the travel to dry so that they can be used to lead others to Christ, the Fountain of life.

Sunday: We had a safe, good, stormy drive home. Micah pulled a car back onto the road. The vehicle went out of control, spun, and got stuck in some mud on the side of the highway.

We got back home after dark. It was beautiful to hear the students singing in chapel as we were unloading the truck.

Monday: It's so good to be back to our home sweet home! I'm very happy to be back with my Karen students that I love dearly.

Until next time...may God abundantly bless you as you work for Him!