All of this in 54 days?

Hello All,

I just counted the days that I have been here and I am amazed that it has only been 54 days. Some how in 54 days I have...
- become accustom to riding on the back of a motorbike for my main mode of transportation
- Began my first real job
- Got my first paycheck
- learned to use chopsticks (kind of)
- discovered that if 2/3 of the world's population uses water sprayers instead of toilet paper -- we Americans are missing something
- Found a secret love of Thai pop music
- Eaten seaweed (my aunt told me it was SO good, I beg to differ)
- Learned a few Thai phrases (hung nam you tee nye ka -- where is the bathroom, i said it and it worked!)
- Realized that lucky charms are over $10 here
- Learned to be IN the world not of the world
- gotten used to getting 14+ hugs from 10 year olds each day
- gone to my first 10 year old birthday party
- get dropped off in the city and can get back home
- received 2 hour long massages, pedicure and manicure for a total of = $25
- learned to love rotee (bananas and chocolate)
- found that 7-11 has everything
- the closest thing to a polar pop is pop poured into a bag with ice (the lady at the pop stand knows me and my order when I walk up -- Whitney she would LOVE you)
- Ridden three people on a motorbike (don't worry it was a short distance)
- Learned that Thai men spend longer on their hair than Thai women
- Learned to trust Jesus in whole new ways...

That is just a random list, but they are all things that I never knew if I hadn't bought a one-way ticket to Thailand! Katie and I were sitting at my favorite breakfast place, Smoothie Blues, talking about life and Jesus. And we both agreed that the lessons we have learned here have NOTHING to do with Thailand, and are all matters of our heart. That the things we are learning could have been taught to us in Indiana, but for some reason we had to get on a plane and come here -- which has been pretty sweet so far. God has really blessed me with Katie, some times we think so much a like that Katie doesn't even say anything she just gives me a little smile and pats her heart. Words cant express how grateful I am that the Lord gave me her. We both look forward to our time we get to spend together each week.

Last Thursday night I experienced my first twinge of missing home. I don't know if it was easy to be in Thailand when it was 98 degrees back home and hotter than here, and now that fall is approaching and football games are starting I realize that I am in a different place... I keep on asking the Lord to protect me from homesickness and that he would just continue to let me see joy in all circumstances and the fact that there is so much purpose here. I would love it if you would pray for the Lord to keep me wrapped tight in his arms and not let me feel cold and alone--EVER while I am here.

It's another week, and I do love my job -- I always feel tired at the end of the day and behind on grading -- but still love what I do at the end of the day. However, one of the things about teaching in Thailand is that you never know what kind of creature might be lurking around your school. I laughed the other day when I was looking at the teacher memo board that was listing meeting times and other teacher things and then there was this notice: GREEN VIPER SPOTTED IN THE RED SALA (porch) WATCH OUT SSSSSS.... Well you don't see those kinds of messages at a school in the US.

This next weekend I am going on a women's retreat, and all of my girl friends here are going so it should be a good time. I hope that I get to know them all better because I feel that I am just surface level friends with them and I long to be really known by people here and I really want to know them. If you could pray for the weekend to be restful, encouraging and that walls are broken down to create deep friendships that would be great. The next weekend there is a group of us going Trekking in the Mountains. I guess we are going to ride elephants, camp and go on a bamboo raft that we make in the water. I am pumped to go camping and just get out of the city, I haven't left the city limits in 8 weeks!I currently have my tickets reserved to go Visit Andy Prinsen (a good friend from college) in India over my October break. I figure that I will never have this kind of opportunity again to hop on a plane, go to India and travel around with a friend who has been there the past two months. The only thing that would stop me now would be if I can't get a visa into India and a Visa to come back into Thailand -- once I get those I will pay for my ticket and be set! Prayer for the visas to go though smoothly would be so wonderful.

Tonight my heart got sad when I was standing outside of church alone, while people were all talking with others. It made me miss my church home and the people who I love so much who keep me after until the church is packed up. Thailand is great, but it can NEVER replace the friends and the family that I have back in the states. I miss you all and I am so glad that I will get to see a few familiar faces soon (Yay for Andy and Patty)!

Miss and Love you all,

Sara

(ps. when I signed on to the internet tonight I saw that their was a plane crash is phuket Thailand -- don't worry I will never fly on one-two-go...)