Summer in Thailand: Church, Visitors, Birthdays, Engagements, and Thai-dal Wave

1. Church
Have I said how much I love this church I attend called LifeCenter Bangkok? The welcoming presence into the Spirit of God is so uplifting. I walk in and am greeted with hellos and ushered to the best open seats. Begin--rock out music. Seriously, I am bouncing around everywhere in the Spirit. It is awesome! More importantly than the feeling this church gives in my body and soul is the people that surround me during the service. WOW! The church is pretty young and they hold fast to 1 Timothy 4:12 like it is their only hope. The message this past Sunday was on Ephesians 3--somewhere around the middle of the chapter. The pastor reminded me of the power of God that we have when we are saved by his grace. He also talked about the commands we can offer Satan when he thinks he has control of our minds. Sometimes he thinks he can remind us of our past and makes us reminate on our mistakes and the life we could have lived for weeks, months, and even years. BUT NO--God has forgiven all our mistakes, all our "what if"s. God has given us the promise of new life in him and a glorious life it is. One that thanks Him for the past because it brought us to today and thanks him for the future because it will bring us to Him someday. Anyways, in the middle of my rant on this awesome power of God...I want to tell you about a family I met at church this week. First, a girl came up to me after the service and said she could feel my joyous presence behind her in worship and when she turned around she loved my smile (a great way to start any conversation ;-)). She said she wanted to come say hi and here she was. We started talking...her name is Anna. She has perfect English from university and living in UK for a year. I won't give you her whole life story...well, for one I don't know it yet..haha...but then she took me over to meet her family. To make a long story short, they were the highlight of my week...maybe even more! We started talking about dreams with her mom and her and Anna has a dream to start a hostel/seminary in Bangkok. We both are absolutely caught up in the idea of hospitality and providing a place for people to search and learn about God and also have a comfy space in the city. Basically, I left the meeting being kissed on both cheeks by her mom and hugged by her and I left with tears rolling down my face in joy. I felt like I had met my friend soul mate. So, I have no idea where this relation ship will go--we may hang out 4 times before I leave or never speak again...but I felt the Spirit of the Lord confirming my dreams in this family and it was the most amazing feeling! After I talked with her and walked away..I wanted to shout for joy! When I got home, I felt like I had just met a boy that I was wanting to know how long I should wait before I contact him for a date. It was hilarious! Please pray for these undeniable similarities and ties with Anna to blossom!! I will keep you updated.

2. Visitors
This week we have had two visitors from the States: Courtney and Dana. They have been a breath of fresh air and are so willing to learn and love on the people in our house and the Well. They are only here for a few more days but I have loved having them. P.S. Did I mention Courtney is from CARROLLTON, TX?? Creekview Alum. Shout out! It is a small world.

3. Birthdays
As I am typing, the girls and I are waiting for our chicken tortilla soup to simmer for a half hour. We are cooking for Mr. Add's BDAY! He is 25 today and we are cooking him up a little taste of Mexico. We have also had a couple other birthdays at the Well we celebrated as an entire foundation last Friday...unfortunately I was not celebrating with everyone...more to come in #5. And I hear a rumor other birthdays are coming up soon ;-)

4. Engagements
This is a HALLELUJAH and a shout out to all the couples who are spending the rest of their lives together! I am so happy for you all and can't wait to jump up and down and hug you guys!

5. Thai-dal Wave
a.k.a. another name for a sickness that involve's Montezuma and Revenge. Yes, I finally got sick in Thailand. It was only for about a day and a half--before I took the meds--but it was not fun to say the least. So this is why I was not at the celebration on Friday. ok enough sharing on the internet.

Reminiscing...
Also, I have been reminiscent of my last couple summers of college. I have been so blessed to spend them with incredible people in incredible places. I seriously have been thinking about YHM and Black Hills a lot. I have been met with so many smiles in my heart for all the moments God showed himself. So, if you are apart of those times with me, thank you for being such a blessing in my life. And please now feel free to shoot me an e-mail and just catch up!

Well, that is so much information! I haven't been taking a ton of pics in the last week but here are the few that I have (LOVE YOU GUYS):