I have officially been here 2 months and have realized so many things about myself, like the fact that I am really horrible at blogging.

A few updates about life:

1. I still do not have the proper paper work/visas/work permit to stay in the country longer than 30 days. I actually had to do a little border hop last week to Cambodia. (Its actually a pretty entertaining story I may share with you sometime) Thankfully, I have a plane ticket in hand to go back to America in 11 days for a little wedding week (#happilyeverhibbard). I will have to start the process fresh when I return, hoping it goes better. Praying I will not have to cross a border again after last week!

2. I had a birthday. I am now 26. If I had written down all my dreams for my 26th birthday when I was 10 I probably would be off by a long shot but I am so thankful that this is the life I actually get to live and the the plan that the Lord has for me is not my own, it is so much better. I got to celebrate my birthday for an entire week, which is always fun and made me feel so loved. Having a birthday early in the school year was always a sad thing because you didn't really have good solid friendships yet but I am so thankful that that was not the case for me this year. I have only been here 2 months but I feel like Ive known these people forever!

3. I am excited that I have gotten to know more Thai people through church, I even got to share at a Wednesday night prayer meeting, or I got suckered into it...still not sure! I think my new Thai friends think I am a so weird but I love learning from them and getting to know them. I am also thankful that they are willing to teach me some new thai words. It normally goes something like this: they say something I repeat exactly what I hear, its wrong, I try again, they say it again, I try again, and again and then I say it and they say aowwwww and for some reason i finally got it right, I have no idea! Tonal language is hard stuff!

4. I got to connect with some of the high school students at GES at overnight camp. Every year GES has this crazy event where the elementary kids and upper grades have an overnight event. Elementary is on campus, you should watch the video here, and the upper grades go off campus for 2 nights! It is like a youth retreat, and I got to go with the older kids, Thank you Jesus! It was a really great experience and I really got to know some girls in the 10th-12th grade. I am excited to continue to get to know them deeper. I am so thankful for overnight camp for the opportunity to get to know them outside of school!

5. I am learning how community is contagious. There are so many things that are innate to me that are not a part of the culture here or the community at GES. I have learned that certain things like vulnerability, authenticity or "sharing your feelings" really do start with one person being willing to be the first. Its awkward and not always easy, people let you down and hurt you but if we always have walls up and masks on and never let others into our lives then we are really just living in isolation, which is not at all what we are called to do. Community is messy and learning how to love people here has really been a challenge but one that is worth fighting for.

Oh man! Living in Thailand is a daily adventure. I miss fall and chickfila and chipolte and people and understanding things but I also love getting fried rice on the street, eating fruit from a cart, making new friends, learning a new language and embracing the awkwardness of not understanding. Thailand is truly my new home and I am actually loving it, not just the fake oh life is great loving it, but the its hard but its worth it type of loving it!

Enjoy some pics from month 2, a behind the scenes, not featured on Instagram if you will! See you in 11 days america!

A little Cambodia Memory Book:

No really, that is it. That is all I got to see. I spent a total of like 1 hour in Cambodia on a bench waiting on a stranger to return to me with my passport, while I contemplated how I was going to escape if I were to get taken....