Deets

More details!!

So, if you received a letter or have heard that I will be leaving in June...scratch that! The new date is JULY 30! I will be hanging out with some of my Bangkok friends for a few days and hope to catch my best friend from college Katie before heading down the coast to Dolphin Bay. I am scheduled to return to the States FEBRUARY 4...but given the exploratory nature of this trip and my season in life, that will most likely change.

I also found out that I will be doing much more office work than I had anticipated such as scheduling meals, reservations, small accounting tasks, etc.

Thanks for keeping up!

Second Time Around

Greetings!

For those of you that followed me last time I traveled to Thailand and for those of you that are just joining my obsession with this country, I am excited to write to you and say that I AM GOING BACK. In June, I will hopping on a few planes and stepping foot on Thai soil once more (and hopefully, many more times to come). I will be spending a week fellowshipping with my church in Bangkok, friends at the Well, friends from the bars, and others that impacted my life while I lived there two years ago. I LITERALLY COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED. There has been much jumping and squealing, as many of you can imagine me doing in your heads and you are currently laughing out loud.

Here is my official support letter:

Howdy Y’all!

Brimming with joy and smiling from ear to ear, I write to YOU to shout from deep in the heart of Texas that, “I AM MOVING TO THAILAND!” On June 19^th, I will be boarding a plane to travel back to the Land of Smiles, a country so intertwined with my heart and soul that words do not do it justice.

For six months I will be helping to run The Juniper Tree Dolphin Bay, a guesthouse for missionaries to Asia that need R&R, but do not have enough vacation time to travel to their home countries. Dolphin Bay is located 3 ½ hours south of Bangkok down the coast by car and approximately 40 minutes south of Hua Hin, a tourist destination in Thailand.

My contribution to the Juniper Tree will involve anything and everything they need me to do such as marketing, giving tours of the local beaches/attractions, helping with worship services, various office work, etc. I believe wholeheartedly that God has called me to this place to learn more about Thailand and His work being accomplished in the continent of Asia as well as my place in advancing His Kingdom with my gifts. For the past year He has been training me in hospitality, patience, and joy by serving people in the food industry here in Austin, Texas.

You mean so much to me, and I want you to partner with me in this adventure and life-long dream! I ask that if you are led to pray for me before I leave and while I am there, PLEASE DO! Beg for His provision and favor with the people I encounter and that my joy and heart to serve them would be accepted as a ministry of Christ! Pray also that my future in Thailand will be revealed to me in His timing and my trust in Him will be strengthened evermore. Please feel free to call, Facebook, e-mail, send a carrier pigeon, sail to Dolphin Bay, or follow my blog to keep in touch with me as I share joys, struggles, and pictures of my time there! Lastly, those that are in Christ are called to give boldly with a full measure of confidence that the Lord is the provider of all things. I ask that you consider contributing financially to this endeavor. The total cost of my six-month commitment is $7000, and any money raised above that amount will be contributed to the ministry of The Juniper Tree. All contributions are tax-deductible, and a receipt will be mailed to you for your records. I couldn’t do this without the support of family and friends like YOU! Here’s to faith, fulfilling the Great Commission, and life dreams! ---------

If you did not receive this letter and would like one, please comment below! Also, if you feel led to give to my trip to Thailand, you may write a check to : The Thai Christian Foundation, and mail to:

6116 N. Central Expressway, Ste 518
Dallas, Texas  75206

with a separate piece of paper indicating the funds are to go towards Summer Holeman's work with The Juniper Tree.

Check out The Juniper Tree Dolphin Bay!!!!

With anticipation and joy - - - - - 

I Miss You Until Next Time.

Hello from my home in Wheaton, Illinois. I sincerely miss you, Thailand. I sincerely miss you, The Well. Hello to all my Thai family halfway across the world. You are so missed this Friday night. 

I wanted to wrap things up the best I could from my return almost two months ago. I can't believe it! I have been in America now almost the same amount of time I was in Thailand.  Life is different, a different pace; all that was to be expected, though. I am currently enrolled in a tourism class in my Anthropology department and it has made me ask a lot of questions about my time in Thailand. Was I a tourist or was I a local? Can you be a local and not speak the language? If you have been to the tourist spots in Bangkok, are you labeled as a tourist? Did I walk away from the city with a pompous aire about me because I stayed with locals and met daily with locals? Whatever the case, I miss it and I miss being a tourist or a local or a tourcal? Haha. I don't know. 

As I sit in my room tonight, I remember all the nights that I spent with Kirsten and Kindra and I miss those two rugrats. I miss the Love Shack and our family meals and oh! Cori's omelets! I am also working at a Thai restaurant back in the States which has been a beautiful way to stay semi-connected to the culture because the family I work with is Thai and they are phenomenal people. Tonight, more than food, I am remembering the selfless attitude all of us beheld while working at the Well. I miss the attitude of giving and knowing in my soul that although it was tiring, it was so worth it! So so worth it. Life here in America is a lot about self-gratification and it is draining. Ironic, huh?

I am also working on a project with a Communication professor that involves an upcoming movie called Trade of Innocents. It is about Americans fighting to end sex trafficking in Cambodia and other countries. It was actually filmed in Bangkok about a month before I arrived. Anyways, I am entered into a marketing contest to come up with some ideas to market the movie on college campuses. It's a pretty cool way to earn credit and still get to think about the tough issues of battling such a hot topic in the media. 

Another big part of my life right now has been looking toward the future and applying for jobs--lots of applying for jobs. I am looking toward the hospitality industry and my dream would be to work in America for awhile and transfer to working in a hotel in Bangkok and maybe intersecting my love for hospitality with fighting the injustice of the sex trade. We will see!

I would appreciate prayer for my future and my last months at Wheaton. I love this place but I can feel it slipping away from me already! Pray that I embrace my last time here and I open myself up to God and don't plan so much for the future that I forget to live in his glorious present. I exist here for a reason and I want that reason to mean so much more than the future that I am not promise. 

Thank you to all who have been following the blog. Feel free to contact me at anytime! I'm not done with Thailand yet. 

Sawadee kaa!!! [bye!]

Wrapping Things Up...For Now

Sitting in the Seoul, Korea airport and having three hours to kill will get a girl thinking. It is hard not to focus on the times I have ahead with family and friends but remembering my time in Thailand is flooding back as I look through the pictures of the last week. I have left the Land of Smiles and miss it terribly already. What am I going to do without my daily food stall and daily greetings from so many friends? What am I going to do without my two insane roommates or sassy housemates (well, I think those will be replaced by some new crazy housemates...shout out 887)? I will certainly have a future blog to come reflecting on my time in Thailand when I am not constantly thinking about sleeping and eating and America every second. haha. Hang in there...one more post.

In the mean time...enjoy pictures from my last week in my Asian homeland.

Last church service at LifeCenter Bangkok. Saying goodbye to everyone! So wonderful!

Stop being so cute everyone!

Part of the worship band.

The Praise family. A precious group of five siblings that took me in to their life and loved on me while I was in Thailand. From the left...James, Victor, Acts--top, Anna, and Grace.

Almost the entire Well....YESSSS! love these people!

Strike a pose. Gangsta style.

House girls!

Such an amazing woman of strength. respect.

Stop in the name of love, Jup? ok.

Precious and stinkin GORGEOUS roommates.

The most expensive meal of the summer! gross.

also gross. I don't know about America anymore.

Fried bananas and chocolate milk...I don't mind if I do. Call the nutrition police!

Walking away for the last time.

Debrief at the coolest coffee shop overlooking the city!

Vespa.

Genmai Tea Latte. beautiful.

Art party!

Praise family house dinner! We all got some bling!

Bowling on my last day in Thailand. 

A dramatic finish.

Saying goodbye this morning...

FAMILY PICTURE!!!!

Singing me a goodbye song?

My brothers.

The peons carrying the bags...well, really just the dirty turtle.

Where is everybody? It's midnight...let's go HOME!

Talk to you sooner than later.

One Week

WHATTTTT? I have one week left at the Well? Inappropriate.

In all seriousness, I am going to miss this place with my whole heart. I am leaving friends here. I am leaving a lot of friends here. But, there is one week left and a whole lot of lovin' to do.

The past week I have been challenged on a few things in my life that I think about a ton and convince myself that complaining to God on their behalf is the same as praying about them. False. He is asking me to spend some time talking to Him about them and letting him say what he needs to say. Super vague, but good.

The last week has been filled with a lot of hanging out. A new visitor came yesterday from the D.C. area and she is here for a week. It has been great to meet new people from all over the States. The biggest thing of the week was the passing of a family member of a girl that lives in my house. Please pray for her family and her peace as life rolls on despite this grief. It is likely to be a very hard few weeks and months.

As always, my life is better told in pictures...so here goes--the past week or so:

Snack time? Yes please!

What up Sup?

River boat ride to find art supplies for Ohn--The Well painter!

Legit golf course in the middle of the city! (Taken from the sky train.)

Ya Nut is ready to worship God!

After seeing Transformers 3!

Outside the nicest mall in Bangkok--Siam Paragon.

Poppy 3-2-1. Concert happening in the mall. They were a good time.

Duck Face. classic.

Eating and talking after church!

Haircut and color...ok!

party hair.

the new do.

Kindra almost finished!

These next pictures are taken by the famous 2-year-old photographer Bai Thong! hope you enjoy her skills.

my favorite. sorry Mini...but it pretty much describes your personality with farangs!

 <end Bai Thong Photography>

Inspiration Field Trip at The Bangkok Art and Culture Center!

EU Film Festival coming soon.

Super cool business idea that we found in the Center! 

More ducks...

Photo competition for the His Majesty the King in mall. 

coolest cafe!

real ice cream modeled by Nin!

love that.

welcome to Siam Paragon. beautiful girls...and an angel on the right. haha

tall American friends! haha welcome Karen! 

This dog greets me everyday outside the 7-Eleven. It's eyes make me smile every time.

My favorite of many dress shops in Bangkok. It's so precious.

Welcome to Antique Cafe! This is a ministry that a friend of ours started to give ladyboys in Bangkok a job and a place of fellowship. It is the cutest thing! 

YUM

Kindra's happy now.

Antique cafe hosts a once-a-month Bangkok-wide missionary gathering with a speaker. Not going to lie...all the white people and English flying around the room was overwhelming. Not sure I am ready for America quite yet. 

Benji! Another friend that I talk to everyday on my walk to work. Seriously, we talk.

Well, that is all for now. My last post should be wrapping things up from Bangkok! I could use your prayers for a great close to my time here and grace for the women as I bawl my eyes out leaving them. haha. God has been so good to me and given me more than I could imagine. Pray for the last week to be such a blessing to them and may I leave them with more joy than I came with.