Senate blocks immigration bill. Hallelujah.

Please tell me this article is a joke. Tell me that $20 million in federal research money has not been allotted to study how to reduce the greenhouse emissions of cow poop. And this from a Republican administration.

People, can we please STOP THE INSANITY!?

I've refrained from political commentary for most of this month, because most of it was consumed with either preparing for, being in, or recovering from Thailand. And, frankly, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Besides that, nothing going on in the news has really made me feel like I have anything to say.

It seems like every other news story right now has to do with homosexuality of some sort or another, whether it be about gay marraige or gay soldiers in Iraq, or recruiting gay ex-military types to translate Arabic, etc., etc. I wouldn't notice it all that much except that I really don't want to have to explain all this to my 8-yr-old who doesn't miss a thing. It's hard to have the news on, even if he's in the other room, out of fear of what's going to come up. Very annoying.

And the whole immigration thing, I don't even want to talk about. I can't understand it. It seems that Congress wants to ram it through the system, even though the great majority of their constitutents on both sides of the aisle are opposed to it. Why would they do this? Do they think that they are safe since this is a non-election year? Whether we vote in November or not, things are already well underway for the '08 election. Just ask Fred Thompson, who apparently is running, but has yet to make it official. Supposedly this is coming next week, but I'm tired of holding my breath. I'm curious if his ratings will go up even higher once he officially announces, or if it is artifically inflated due to speculation right now and will just even out. Hopefully we'll see very soon.

McCain is freaking out, though. He recently said anyone who thinks he's dropping out of the race is smoking something. You have to love that. It must be eating him alive that he is losing in the polls to a man who isn't even officially on the ballot. I feel sorry for Senator McCain actually. But I couldn't vote for him. He's too much of a ticking time bomb, and I would hate for him to be anywhere near the nuclear football if that short fuse of his eventually runs out.

Anyway, where was I? Immigration. I think this bill is going to eventually fail. Senator Pelosi doesn't want it to be seen as a Democrat bill, so she's not even going to bring it forth unless she thinks she has the votes. They want this seen as a Republican Congress/President Bush bill, because they know how unpopular it is. The Republican base is getting pretty ticked off at the leadership telling them that they don't know what they are talking about. The problem here is that Republicans don't vote for Republicans that tick them off and misrepresent them. Hence, the election results of 2006. We try to punish our leaders when they screw up by voting them out of office, which I totally understand the emotion behind, but I can't understand why voting in the opposition is supposed to be a better solution.

Meanwhile, Israel is a complete disaster. They are virtually surrounded by a pack of angry wolves, and the saliva is flowing. In a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post, John Bolton made the case that diplomacy with Iran is a complete disaster. In the past four years, while we have been trying to "talk things through" with the crazy people, they've figured out how to convert uranium from solid to gas, and now enrichment to weapons grade. They're not being subtle about their intentions. And yet we seem to be doing nothing to stop them.

July looks like the perfect set-up for another Israeli war, and this time they're facing more than just Hezbollah. Will they finish it if it gets started this time? Most Americans are completely clueless to the kind of danger that we are in. All we care about is who is going to interview Paris Hilton when she gets out of jail. WHY DO WE CARE???? I just don't get this.

So, apparently I was storing some stuff up. Thanks for letting me ramble. It's a good thing Blogger doesn't charge by the word, huh?

These pics are for my friend Jane Anne, who just found out that she's not going to be the mom of four boys after all. This is what having a girl is all about, friend!

Let the pink purchases commence...

So far this summer we've been having a lot of fun at the pool. Brad and Bailey are excellent swimmers, and I find myself letting them play in the big pool for 10 or 15 minutes at a time before I'm even checking on them. They are just really great swimmers, and I know they are looking out for each other as well.

I love that they have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the water. When we go to Jeff's parents' home, they swim virtually every day. And when we go to the beach in August they are in the water almost all day long every single day. They absolutely love to swim.

Seems like the trend is going to continue with this little guy. He absolutely loves being in the water. Last week we discovered that putting him in floaties just thrills his soul because he is free to walk all over the baby pool unhindered. I have to watch him constantly, because if his feet get out from under him and he goes face in, obviously somebody has to play lifeguard. But it never makes him cry. In fact, he laughs with delight.

And then yesterday, when I put him in the baby pool, I noticed that he was going under constantly. He wasn't doing the little duck walk that he had become so fond of, where he walks a few steps, ducks his head in and keeps going. I realized that he was purposefully pulling his feet out from under his body, over and over again. He loves to lay back on his back and float. It just puts the biggest grin on his face.

I'm glad he's having fun, because it's not so much for me. I can only keep him the pool for a few minutes before I'm exhausted. It's mentally taxing, because you can only watch your child try to drown himself so many times before the thrill turns to frustration. When I put him in his float to try and catch my breath, he screamed bloody murder until I got him back out. Apparently he wants to be under the water.

So they tell me that babies can learn to swim at this age. Guess I'm about to have to find out.

This, however, is hilarious. I bought these little spray bottle/watering cans at Publix for about $3 a piece, and they have been the greatest toys ever. Bryant absolutely loves for you to spray the water right at his face. He laughs and tries to lick the water as it comes out. He totally looks like a little puppy dog. This, I could do all day.

I'm feeling better today. These guys make it hard to stay depressed for long. Thanks for your prayers and support.

I was not expecting to be depressed.

All week I've had this nagging sadness that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I don't want to do anything. Whenever things get quiet, I just want to lay down and go to sleep. Yes, it could be jet lag, but it feels like more than that. I miss being in Thailand.

This morning I went to church. I couldn't wait to get there and worship with my fellow believers. After spending an entire week preparing for and leading in some of the most amazing worship services I've ever been a part of, to have that abruptly cut off has left an emptiness that is hard to explain. Mission trips are obviously spiritual highs, so I guess this is what it feels like to fall off the mountain.

I know I'm not the only one. This morning whenever I would run into someone that was with me in Thailand, we would look at one another with this hunger in our eyes, so happy to see each other, and wondering, "Do you feel it, too?" One friend approached me after we had sung in choir with tears in her eyes, trying to put words to this lonely feeling. We miss each other. We miss Thailand.

Yes, it's good to be home. I love having my kids back. But I would get on a plane tomorrow, even a United plane.

I was not expecting to be depressed.

Steve Galloway posted his pictures earlier today, and I had to steal some. These are from the Jerusalem marketplace that we did on Thursday night for the Couple's Night Out. Having all the kids in costume made all the difference. It was a really, really cool night for them. Here's our rhythm section playing Biblical instruments. They were so fun!

But I had to post these pictures from the elephant camp. I love that Steve captured the feel of the elephant ride. I just found out yesterday that this camp is where they filmed the Rambo movies. That makes perfect sense. I can't justly describe how beautiful this place was, but hopefully the pictures help a little.

Here is a fantastic shot of one of the elephant artists. The deliberate strokes they were making just blew my mind. I knew I was a terrible artist before, but not even measuring up to an elephant is just embarassing.

Here's one of the elephants playing soccer. What you can't see in this picture is the other elephant playing goalie. He blocked a few shots with his body, but then this elephant picked up the ball and stormed up to the goal and slammed it in. We were laughing and clapping like crazy.

We learned that these trainers actually live with their individual elephant all the time. They have to always wear the same clothes, because the elephants can smell them from 10 miles away. Watching them have fun and play makes you forget how dangerous their job actually is. These are mighty beasts, and could crush these little guys without even breaking a sweat.

Our guide told us that the elephants and their trainers start to look like each other over time, kind of like dogs and their owners. I didn't really notice this to be true, but I guess I haven't spent enough time with elephants to see their unique characteristics. They all kind of look the same to me.

Thanks for the pictures, Steve!

I finally convinced my kids to come home. It was such a sweet reuinion. Bryant squealed with joy to see his big brother and sister, and he was rewarded with plenty of hugs and kisses.


My kids look older to me. How do they grow up so much in just two weeks of separation? Do they change this much every day, and I just fail to notice because I'm with them all the time? How has so much time passed since I first saw that beautiful pink screaming bundle that he is now about to enter the third grade? And my baby girl who I'm sure just turned three is about to go off to kindergarten? Can it really be so?

It's times like these that remind me to cherish each day, no matter how long and tedious. We are not promised tomorrow. But, oh, how I pray it comes.

Bradley and Bailey have been on a whirlwind tour of family members over the last couple of weeks. I'm so glad they got to spend these last few days with their cousin Carrie Beth. They don't get to see each other that often, but the love they have for one another is pure and contagious. Thank God for the incredible gift of family.

Hug your kids today. Tomorrow they'll be one day older.

It is amazing what 10 hours of sleep can do for a person. I actually feel human today! When Bryant laid down, Jeff and I crashed. It was only 8:00, and I tried to read in order to stay up until 8:30. I think I read maybe one whole sentence. I don't think I have ever been that tired in my life. We slept hard until almost 6 this morning. I probably could have kept going, but I don't think the baby would have understood.


We still don't have our luggage. But the current situation seems to be that someone from the church is heading to the airport to get all of ours that are there, so hopefully I'll be hearing from them pretty soon that our bags have arrived. My mom called earlier and said that United's computer system was down today and that their entire fleet worldwide was shut down. Shocking. Thankfully, our people that are still in Hong Kong are flying Continental, and I don't think they're leaving until tonight.

I was supposed to get my big kids back today. I'm sure they are just torn up about me being away from them two weeks. I thought we might even need to go for a counseling session, just to be sure that they were emotionally healthy and secure. I called my sister-in-law to tell her I was ready and see if I could go ahead an come on, even though it was about 30 minutes before we agreed to meet. She said, "Oh, well, actually... I was wondering if they could stay an extra day."

While this makes me really quite happy because if they were misbehaving and driving her crazy, I'm sure she wouldn't be asking for more. They hardly ever get to visit with their Uncle Marc, Aunt Gigi and Carrie Beth, so I'm really glad they've had a nice stay. But I am definitely ready to see my kids! But this does give me one more day to rest a little bit before driving back and forth to and from Chattanooga, and that's probably a good thing.

Bradley was so funny when I talked to him this morning. Gena told me that when she asked him if he would like to stay one more day, he said, "Yes, I would. But after that, it's time to go home." Apparently there is a threshold somewhere. When I talked to him, he told me that he had a dream last night and Bryant was in it. He (Bradley) was sitting in the corner of a room, and Bryant walked up to him and said, "Silver and jewels are worthless next to me." Even if he's not torn up over missing me, I think he's definitely ready to see his baby bro.

Silver and jewels vs. the love of your children. No contest.

I promised a picture of the pool a few days ago, so here it is. Keep in mind that this is located on the 6th floor of the hotel. It is enormous. I can't imagine what is underneath this baby. The view is really cool, though, because you are looking out over the city if you head towards the rail. If I haven't mentioned it before, the railings in Thailand would send an OSHA inspector into cardiac arrest. Apparently the Thai people aren't anywhere near as litigious as we in the States.

So, two things I learned over our 50-hour trip home from Thailand: 1) If customer service is important to you in air travel, you're going to want to stay away from United Airlines. 2) No matter where you are traveling in this beautiful world, avoid Chicago like the plague.

Our journey began late Sunday afternoon Thailand time, around 5 in the morning here at home. We only flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, about an hour flight, and then we had another overnight stay at that hotel that we loved so much on the way over. Amazing that it is perceived as a "nice" hotel in Bangkok, and it actually does appear that way on the outside and in the lobby, but there were roaches everywhere, and one room had to be changed due to a rat.

Because we were afraid of who we might be sleeping with in our room, and because we had this fantastic plan about how to go on the offense against jet lag, Jeff, Debo, Paul, Brandon, Jerry and I stayed up in the lobby all night. We had to be back there at 3:50 a.m. anyway, so we figured we might as well. We got really tired, but were able to keep each other awake with all kinds of trivia, including a really long TV show theme song marathon. We skipped the easy ones and really searched our brains for lyrics to all those great shows of the past. Why don't TV shows have theme songs anymore? Our kids probably won't be able to do this 20 years from now. The two we got stuck on and just couldn't remember at all were Webster and Mr. Belvedere. When we got to Bangkok and had free wireless, Jeff pulled them up and all was right again.

The airport in Bangkok is really beautiful. It is all steel and glass and neon light - very modern. These pieces of artwork were right inside the first security area. Definitely not what you would see at your average American airport.

Our flight from Bangkok to Thailand was pretty uneventful. It's about 6 hours, and those hours seemed much longer going home than they did on the way. I think it's much harder to psyche yourself up for a 6-hr flight followed by a 12-hr flight. Going the other way you can say to yourself, the next flight is only half as long as this one. Telling yourself the next flight is twice as long isn't helpful at all.

Because we had stayed up all night, I was able to get about 3 hours of sleep on that first leg. I tried to stay awake to watch The Pursuit of Happiness but just couldn't do it. Guess I need to move that up on my Netflix queue so I can see how it turns out. I'm glad I didn't watch Bridge to Terabithia, though. Vicki was bawling like a little baby. Who knew that movie was so sad? That's not how it was advertised at all.

Once we got through security in Tokyo, we only had about a 45-minute layover. I really like how that airport is laid out. They have moving sidewalks going right through the middle of the terminals, all the way down. It was fun exercise to walk up and down the length of the airport on a perpetual treadmill that was working for you instead of against you.

The flight from Tokyo to Chicago just about put all of us out of our minds. We took a different route coming home. It was much more across middle America than on the way there. We came in around Seattle and then headed southeast towards Chicago. I was able to sleep off and on throughout the flight. I didn't really want to, but it was hard to keep my eyes open. I watched Music and Lyrics, which was actually really cute, and Breach, not so cute, but still pretty good.

After flying 11 hours or so and getting so close we could smell the smog, they put us in a holding pattern because we weren't able to land in Chicago due to weather conditions. We should have probably realized this was an ominous sign, but all we could think about was landing so we could get on our 4:15 flight to Nashville. We were so naive.

This is us, bunches of hours later. It seems that due to the storms yesterday, the FAA knocked Chicago down from 100 flights landing per hour to 40. If that few planes can get in, that really screws up the outbound plan as well. Over half of our group was supposed to be on the 4:15 flight. When we got there, that one had been pushed back to 7. The other half of our group's flight was listed to leave at 7:48.

Shortly after we arrived they cancelled the first flight. So we all got in line to try and figure out what to do. To make a very LONG story a little shorter, there was basically nothing United could or would do for us. There were 30 of us trying to fly standby and only one plane scheduled to go out, which was full. Rather than hang out all night and try to get ourselves home at who knows when on Tuesday, we ended up chartering a bus. So, yes, we were literally living out that well-loved '80s classic, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Only watching it is a whole lot funnier than living it.

So around 9:30 last night, 32 of us left behind the 20 or so that had seats on the later flight (which I think ended up finally leaving close to 11) and loaded up a bus heading for Nashville. Our driver's name was Kas, and he was absolutely adorable. We were just so happy to be getting out of there. Unfortunately, he did have to drive through some of that nasty weather that had been our nemesis all afternoon. The bus ride was almost more turbulent than our flights had been.

Around 4:00 this morning, when we were about an hour and a half away from Nashville, Kas pulled the bus over at a rest stop. We thought we were getting out to use the facilities, but Kas was kind of unresponsive. Jeremy tapped him on the shoulder to see if we could get out of the bus. He sat up long enough to open the door, and then this is the posture he resumed.

Apparently Kas has a little switch. When he gets sleepy, he stops driving, lays on the steering wheel and takes a power nap. We were all just a little bit nervous about this, but 20 minutes later he sat up, smiled and was ready to go. Some of the folks at the front talked to him the rest of the way home, just to make sure.

Around 5:30, we came upon the Nashville skyline at sunrise. It has never looked more beautiful. At this point it had been just slightly over 48 hours since we had left our hotel in Chiang Mai heading home. Jack Bauer would have saved the world at least six times by then. We considered ourselves extremely blessed just to have made it back from halfway around the world.

We got to the airport around 6:00 a.m. to see whose baggage was there. We had two of our four bags, but some people didn't have any. Since the flight was cancelled due to weather, they will not deliver our bags. (United used this weather excuse to get out of EVERYTHING, by the way. USA Today published a very timely editorial yesterday that gave me a little bit of satisfaction, if you are interested in that kind of thing.)

So currently we are waiting to get the call from United saying that our bags are there. Nothing like heading back to the airport to bring a perfect end to the perfect day. But I got my baby back this morning. I love him so much. I get my others back tomorrow. Then everything will be okay again.

Being back makes everything that has happened over the past two weeks seem like a faraway dream. I don't ever want to forget what I have experienced over these days. I don't want to forget the faces. I don't want to forget the darkness of a people who don't know the Light of the World. They recognize Jesus, and are even somewhat interested in Him, but only for who He was as a man.

These people that we have been serving over the past ten days are immersed in this culture. They are raising their children in a world that mine may never even see. May I never forget them, but always remember to lift them up before the Father. I feel like we were able to lift their spirits a little bit, but the impact they made upon us was life-changing. How blessed we are to be able to worship together whenever we want, so much so that we completely take it for granted. The Ms we were with were starved for this. I hope it tasted as sweet to them as it did to me.

It's about 2:45 p.m. here in Thailand on our last day. We have a closing ceremony from 3:30 to 5, and then the 50 or so of us that are leaving tonight will bust over to the airport. We are going to be cutting it a little close, but I'm sure it will be fine.

Tonight we are just flying back to Bangkok. Unfortunately we have to stay at the same hotel we stopped at on the way here, and this time we won't be nearly as tired as we were last time, so I'm afraid we'll notice even more things about it we'd rather not see. But it's just a few hours, and then we'll be back to the airport. Tomorrow will be the 6-hour flight to Tokyo, followed by the 13-hour flight to Chicago. Then hopefully we won't have any problems getting out of Chicago. If all goes well, we should be home around 8:00 on Monday night Nashville time. I can't wait to see my babies.

I'll blog about yesterday at some point on the plane. Brandon Abbott played auctioneer last night for the Lottie Moon thing. He was SO in his element. They raised over $33,000 on all of the baskets and the special fear factor stuff at the end. Scott Harris ate some really nasty things, but raised something like $8,000 for it. I still don't think I could have done it.

Remember Koy, the adorable Thai girl with the amazing voice that we've listened to in the lobby every night? Last night I went downstairs to take her picture and tell her good-bye. She totally hit on me. No lie. It was one of the most bizarre experiences of my entire life. Fortunately, what happens in Thailand stays in Thailand.

That's all for now. Pray for us. See you soon. :)

Friday night, 10:40 p.m. I'm going to have to blog quickly because Jeff has already gone to bed and I told him I wouldn't be long.

Last night we did the Jerusalem marketplace for all the kids so the M's could have a couple's night out. It was a long three hours, but it was absolutely amazing for those kids. We were all in costume, with all different booths. Like I mentioned yesterday, I was working the butter and cheese booth. It really was exactly like it sounds. We had crackers that we spread butter on, and we crumbled up cheese for the kids to try. Other booths were dried fruits, dried fish (nasty), bread, basket weaving, carpet weaving.

The most awesome part was that our rhythm section guys were all given Biblical time instruments, and within about ten minutes they had figured them out and were making really good music. These guys are so talented. I think they had more fun than anybody, because they basically had a jam session for three hours. By the end of is they were making up songs like "Sweet Home, Jerusalem," and other variations of cover tunes. It was hilarious. But by the end of three hours, I was about to take the recorder from Mike Lawrence and throw it through the window.

Today I produced the group meeting. I'm telling you, if it could have gone wrong technologically, it did. The demons in that room are unbelievable. We have struggled so much with sound. Doug Diamond is doing an unbelievable job of solving ten problems at a time and keeping a cool head the entire time. It makes me wonder if he ever goes into his hotel room and punches the wall and yells at the top of his lungs. I kind of doubt it, but it's a fun thought.

Today was family fun day for the M's, so they picked up their kids at noon. Then almost all of us loaded up in 4 buses and headed to the elephant camp. This is an experience I will remember my whole life. Today was the first day that I wished my kids were here with me. Not that it was the first time I missed them, but the first time I wished they were here. They would have absolutely loved that place.

When we first arrived, we went to watch the elephant show. These elephants all have their own individual trainer that works with them. They played soccer, did a bunch of tricks, even gave a guy a massage. The most amazing part was when they painted. And when I say painted, I'm not talking abstract. They made bonsai trees and beautiful orchids and a few other things. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed it. I was really expecting them to just throw paint up on the canvas, but they were extremely purposeful and delicate in what they did. It was something I can't even get my brain around to understand how you would train an elephant to do that. I probably don't want to know.

Because there were so many of us, we split into two groups. One group went on to do the ride, and our group walked down to the elephant nursery. We were able to take a lot of pictures with the elephants. When I sat down on one of them, it was so prickly. The elephants were definitely good sports, because they just sat there forever letting one after another of us pose with them. During this group photo, a couple of the elephants got a little overly familiar with my friend Vicki. Those of you that know her will have to ask her about that. Let's just say she felt a little violated. :)

We were able to feed the elephants bananas and sugarcane for treats. If you wanted to tip the trainer, you could fold the money lengthwise and give it to the elephant. They knew not to eat it and would hand it to their trainer. It was so cute.

Afterwards we got to ride an elephant for 30 minutes. This was amazingly fun, and yet terrifying at the same time. It was nothing like riding around in a circle at the zoo. We were riding up and down gigantic muddy hills in the middle of the jungle, in the elephant's own environment. There were times when we looked around and it literally felt like being in Jurassic Park. At times I keep having to pinch myself and remind myself that I am in Thailand, halfway around the world from home, and all these people that I love are here experiencing it with me. It's been like youth camp, but a whole lot better.

We did get nasty hot at the elephant camp, so when we stopped at the butterfly and orchid farm on the way home, we were all kind of over it. My dad would have gone nuts there, because there is nothing he loves to photograph more than flowers. He could have gotten some incredible shots.

Tonight we went to dinner at a resteraunt called Riverside that our tour guide told us about this afternoon. It was the Lamberts, the Forresters, Brandon, Debo, Jeff and me. They were laughing at me because I was so giddy when I saw our table down by the river with these gorgeous Japanes (or is it Thai?) lanterns and beautiful sunset. It was one of those moments that you just want to burn into your memory because everything is just completely perfect right at that time. I will never forget it.

I love being in Thailand. I love doing what we're doing. I think it's sad that tomorrow is our last full day.

But I have three sweet little ones at home who share my face, blood and name, and being separated from them this long leaves a gap that nothing else can fill. I miss my babies. If only there was a way to get back to them that didn't involve a 30-hour commute and four planes, that would just be some kind of good. But that's not going to be the case.

Tomorrow will be incredibly hectic with getting through a normal day and then getting as much as we can packed up so we don't have to do it on Sunday. We have to be checked out by 2, and I think we'll be on our way to the airport before 4. I wish we didn't have to spend the night in Bangkok, but I guess there's no way around it. I'm just really not looking forward to going back to that hotel. Yuck.

Hopefully I'll have time to blog tomorrow, but it could possible have to wait until the plane. Just a few more days and this will all be a memory. Thanks for sharing it with me.

Hello again. It's 2:45 p.m. on Thursday which means it's 2:45 a.m. back at home. That really stinks, because I'm wanting to talk to my littlest guy really badly. I haven't had a chance to hear his voice since Sunday, and that's a really, really long time. Especially since I'm with other people's babies in my childcare rotation. They are getting lots of extra hugs and kisses from Miss Leigh Ann this week. Jeff is with Bryant's age group, and he's had one little boy virtually attach himself to him. It's funny how little guys seem to like having big guys around so much! It's helping him with missing Bryant too, so I think it's a good thing.

Yesterday was about like the day before, except that we had M's singing with us on stage, which I think made a huge difference. The group was much more open than they had been the day before, and I think I started sobbing about halfway through the first song when we had some verses up on screen about all others being idols and the nations will praise. Just looking around that room and thinking about what those guys deal with day in and day out was a little bit too much.

We had a group dinner out by the pool, which I will definitely have to take a picture of and post because it is so amazing, and then we all kind of went our different ways. A bunch of people went to the gem factory, which was especially opened for our people. But Jeff, Brandon, Debo, Scott Harris and I decided to go to the movies. We rode in a Sung Tow over to the airport plaza because that was where one of the M's said to go. When you get to the movies, there is a screen there that shows which seats are available, and then you get to pick the seats you want. It was so cool. They had three different kinds of popcorn to choose from, and it was dirt cheap, as are most things here. The seats themselves reclined pretty far back, so it was very comfortable.

In Thailand, after the previews and before the movie, they play the national anthem. This is taken very seriously in Thailand. We all had to stand up to pay respect to the king while they played a montage video of images of his decades of monarchy. I couldn't help but think how different America would be if we had just a little amount of that kind of respect for our leaders. Something to ponder anyway.

We had a very interesting experience trying to get out of the mall. It was closed, and we were trying to figure out how to get back out because Scott had told our Sung Tow driver we would meet him back there at 9:30. We were wandering around the closed mall and then the parking garage like a bad episode of Seinfeld, but it was totally hilarious to us. We couldn't find our driver, so we ended up taking another one, who charged a bunch less and got us home in about half the time, so we figure it was good that we didn't get ripped off by the same guy again.
This morning's session was AMAZING. I can't write nearly as much as I want to about this, but please just know that it was powerful. We sang our favorite Travis Cottrell song, "ICO," and over half of the audience had both hands in the air and voices as loud as could be. It must have sounded so sweet. One of the M's shared a word with us that was so heart-breaking, because she is not in a good place right now. She's wondering why nothing is working, but believes that she can endure because she's given that word from the Father, and can't imagine leaving at this point.

At that point, Jamie and Meredith were supposed to do a sketch, but Vicki and Jeremy had already decided to cut it because it just wasn't right, and when he got to Meredith and Jamie, they were both saying, "We don't need to do it." It was just a very obvious moment, and it was neat to see them not care a bit about all the work they had put into the lines and everything it took to get ready. I love these people I am serving with so much.

So instead of doing that sketch after this incredibly powerful testimony where the entire room was in tears, we went immediately into "Still." Those of you that know the song need to just think through the words and soak that in. It was indescribable. I wish you all were here and could experience this with us!

Scott has been speaking about Jonah this week. It's so interesting, because what he is talking about, disobedience and reluctance, along with the consequences, couldn't be more pertinent to all of us. You don't have to be an M to struggle with your calling. I have been seriously challenged by his words, and I'm so thankful that he is here with us.

My childcare rotation is immediately after the service. These little ones are getting REALLY tired already, and the workers who are in there with them all day are exhausted. They could really use some of your thoughts, as well as a few days of sleep. We have two little baby girls in particular that cry all the time unless their mommy is with them. You can imagine that having this from 8 to 5 is a little bit wearisome.

Tonight we are doing a marketplace, so it is all hands on deck. I am working the butter and cheese booth, whatever that is. I'll have to let you know tomorrow.

We are all weary. Jet lag is not finished with us. Singing this morning was very hard for all of us, because our voices are incredibly tired at this point. Please lift all of us up, no matter what area we are serving in. I don't think anyone is ready to go home yet, but we could all use rest.

One more thing before I go. Because there are so many of us here, we are all still meeting each other as the week goes on. There is a lady here that I knew that I recognized, but I didn't know her name. Of course I assumed that I just knew her from Brentwood. I had even made a little small talk with her yesterday. Today she stopped me in the hall and said, "I know that I know you from somewhere." I, thinking that I was joking around with her, said, "Yeah, do you go to Brentwood Baptist?"

She said, "No. I'm from Alabama."

At this point I was taken back and realized that she had on one of the FAMS nametags, and not one of the BBC nametags. She said, "I used to teach there."

I said, "I used to teach in Alabama. Where did you teach?"

She said, "Berry Middle School."

So I have come halfway around the world, ten years after I quit teaching to reconnect with someone who taught 8th grade Language Arts the same years that I was teaching 7th grade Social Studies at Berry Middle School in Birmingham, Alabama. I left and moved to Nashville. Apparently she left and moved to Korea to teach MKs. Doesn't that just blow your mind???

We truly live in a small, small world. Think how it must look to our Creator. Amazing.

(This was written last night, but our Internet was down. :))

Wow. Today has been such a full and amazing day. We began bright and early with a sound check at 7:00 a.m. Which was fine since I’d been up since 2:30. I thought I would sleep a little bit later today, but I was mistaken. It’s all good. I can sleep when I get home.

We had our first group meeting at 8:00. It was somewhat like I was expecting, but a little bit more subdued reactionwise. I think we may have been a little bit much that early in the morning, when they’re not used to anything like that, with all our brass and drums and everything. But throughout the day we have had so many comments that have been totally affirming, so I’m really looking forward to going back in the morning. They were invited to join us, and when we had rehearsal, those who showed up were SO excited to be there. It is going to be a beautiful time together.

After the meeting, Jeff and I both had our childcare rotation. He has 1-yr-olds, and I have babies. If I wasn’t homesick before, walking that first sweet 10-month-old baby boy to sleep definitely did it. I know my baby is in wonderful hands, but I sure would love to kiss on him a little bit!

From the baby room, I ran to grab a bite of lunch. They were serving native thai today, and I had some delicious, but incredibly spicy, red curry soup. I had to mix my rice in it to try and tone it down, but it still made me tear up a little!

Then it was straight to group rehearsal for 30 minutes. Some of the ladies in my section hadn’t read music in years, but they were thrilled to death to have the chance. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow morning, getting up on stage with the 30 or so that will be joining us.
Once rehearsal was over we finally had a little bit of free time. I went up to the gorgeous outside pool on the 7th floor to see all the kids out there. I ended up deciding to join them for a little bit. It was great fun to get to play with some of them, and it made me miss my big kids. I know they are swimming the days away in Florida with MiMi, and I can’t wait to get them back to the pool again.

Jeff and I went up to the room for what we thought would be a short nap about 2:30. I asked if he thought we should get a wake-up call, and he said he thought we would just sleep about 45 minutes or so. We were supposed to be at a group meeting at 5:25 and rehearsal at 6:00. So we lay down, and I suddenly woke up what I thought was just a few minutes later and looked at the clock and it was 10 after 5. We struggled to force ourselves awake and hurriedly got down to the meeting room, just a few minutes late for the meeting. We ended up not getting to have rehearsal because the M’s have the room every night. So it looks like we’ll be doing full sound checks each morning. That’s fine. It‘s definitely what we’re used to at home. Jeremy is doing a fantastic job, but definitely could use some supernatural energy.

Tonight we went to the night market. It was much like the market we went to on Sunday, but a little bit more claustrophobic. The gypsies are unbelievable. No matter how many times you turn them down, they keep coming back, over and over. It makes me think I’m about to be pickpocketed, but I’m not carrying anything, and my money is shoved way down in my pockets with my hands over them. It’s sad at first, and then it just gets annoying because they start touching you and just will not go away. Very, very frustrating. Our little buddy group had a great time together, though, and I bought some fun things.

Right now I’m sitting in the lobby with Jeff, Brandon and Debo, and we’re listening to Asian Elvis singing live. We are so amazed by all the western music we hear everywhere. They sing it in perfect mimicked English. There is a girl named Koy who sings with the band who has the most beautiful voice. It is so delicate and mesmerizing. We got to meet her a few minutes ago, and she was just so sweet and gracious. We’ve also met an American, “Billy Smith,” who was so excited to talk to us and keeps offering to buy us drinks. He said he’s here to save money in taxes, so we’re not quite sure what that means. But he plans to be here in the lobby every night, so we’ll hopefully get a chance to share the love we have within. It’s just hard because we have to be so careful about what we say when we are out in the open areas.

On the way back down from getting the computer, I just met an M from Vietnam in the elevator who asked me if I was one of the ones singing on stage this morning. When I said yes, she just embraced me and said thank you so much. She has no idea what a privilege this is for each of us!
I just want to say thanks again to all of you who have been my support back home. I could not be doing what I was called to do this week if it weren’t for you, and I love you deeply.

Back tomorrow. Have a great day everyone. Time for bed!

Yes, this picture is from last night. I haven't had a chance to download today's pictures yet. Don't worry, I'm not still wearing those same clothes. :)

We are completely exhausted. It is 10:20 p.m., and we just finished up a group meeting about 20 minutes ago. I'm not going to write much, because I have to go to bed. We have to have eaten breakfast and be in the meeting center ready to go at 7:00 in the morning.

Today has been so very long, but wonderful. We woke up at 4:30 a.m., apparently as an extended result of jet lag. We've spent the day in meetings and trying to get things set up. The sound system was not able to be put together until this afternoon, so it was a little bit stressful. Our final team arrived around 1:00 p.m., and they've been going strong all day. I have no idea how they have managed to stay awake this long. The conference begins bright and early tomorrow, so there is no rest for the weary other than that we are divinely provided.

More tomorrow. Must. Sleep. Now.

Greetings (Sawadeekaa) from Chiang Mai, Thailand. After two of the longest days of my entire existence, we finally arrived here around lunchtime today. That’s midnight the day before back at home. I apologize in advance if this post doesn’t make sense or rambles, but I’ve collectively had about 12 hours of sleep since Thursday night.

Getting out of Nashville was a nightmare. Because they cancelled the earlier Chicago flight, they rerouted too many of them to our flight. They came on the PA when it was time to board and said they were overbooked and needed four people to volunteer to take a later flight or they would begin bumping people. This is United, by the way. I do not recommend that you ever try to fly United out of Nashville. They were extremely unpleasant about this whole thing.

Since almost everyone on the flight was with our group, and those remaining apparently also had connectors, they didn’t get four volunteers. So one of our guys was called up to be bumped. An older gentleman was also called up. He and his wife were trying to get to Vancouver to board their 50th anniversary cruise that they’d been planning forever. Two of our guys volunteered to stay behind so Tony wouldn’t have to travel by himself and the couple could get to their cruise. They ended up flying a completely different route, but they got bumped up to business class, so it turned out to be a pretty sweet deal for them.

Anyway, we were two hours late leaving Nashville. We were supposed to have a 2-hour layover in Chicago, so you can see the dilemma. Once we got on the runway, the pilot came on and said Chicago had put out a ground stop on all incoming flights, so we had to sit out there for about 30 more minutes. Once we got in the air, it was literally one of the worst flights I have ever been on. It seemed like it was the flight attendant’s first day. But she was cute and funny, so she got a pass. But it also seemed like the pilot was kind of new. We weebled and wobbled on that landing worse than I have ever encountered. I’ve never been so happy to get off of a plane.

Apparently United decided that it was too many people to leave behind (about 25 total) so they actually did hold our flight in Chicago. They changed the gate so we would be as close as possible, and they were strategically stationed all along the route cheering us on to our departing gate. We got on the plane, they shut the doors and we were gone. No time for bathrooms or calling home or anything. But we were so thankful that they held our flight for us!

After that, the trip was pretty smooth sailing. Our flight to Tokyo ended up being a little over 12 hours. I was able to sleep for about two. We arrived in Tokyo around 4:00 p.m. local time (2:00 a.m. in Nashville) It was a very, very nice airport. We had a 2-hour layover there, and I spent most of it walking around, trying to get the circulation moving again.

Our flight to Bangkok took off about 6:30 p.m. and arrived around 11:30, 2 time zones earlier, so it was about a 6-hour flight. We had a guy from our team meet us there and help us get to our hotel for an overnight stay. That was a huge help, because we were all too tired to even think. The airport kept our luggage for us, so we didn’t have to go through customs until we arrived in Chiang Mai today.

The hotel accommodations in Bangkok were a little gross. There were some bug issues in the bathroom, and it just felt kind of dirty all around. But for that matter, so did Bangkok. There is a very oppressive spirit about that city. We left the hotel around 8:00 a.m. and headed back to the airport for our 10:30 flight to Chiang Mai.

The flight this morning was lovely and uneventful. We met back up with the team that flew threw Newark because they are going to Hong Kong for a few days after our conference. A couple of our group was there to meet us this morning and bring us to the Lotus Hotel. Jeff and I got stopped going through Customs and they searched our conference bag that had supplies in it. They kind of put us through the third degree, and we were getting really nervous, but I looked over at Jeremy and he was nodding and telling me not to worry about it. I think the guys were kind of just messing with us. It was a slow morning for customs.

So we arrived here at the hotel and were greeted in an amazing way by all the team members who were already here. We had a short orientation meeting and got checked into our rooms. Our room, by the way, is AMAZING! I won’t be able to post pictures due to a really slow internet connection until I get home, but just trust me. This is not suffering in any way!

Our hotel is connected to a mall, so we actually ate Pizza Hut for lunch. But their Pizza Hut is much different from ours. It has a full menu, with things like mussels and shrimp on it. Quite interesting. On Sundays there is a huge street market, so most of us loaded up in these roofed pick-up trucks and headed over there this afternoon. I was able to buy some really fun souvenirs. But it is so hot. I feel every bit like I haven’t had a shower in four days.

We were attempting to stay up until 8:00 p.m. so that we could get a great night of sleep and be ready to go tomorrow. I’ve now accomplished that goal, so that’s going to be it for now. I’ll post as I’m able.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Please keep them up. Tomorrow will be a full day getting everything set up for the conference. The folks who arrive tomorrow will not have any down time like we have had, because the conference starts bright and early Tuesday morning. Pray for some extra energy for those guys.

Sawadeekaa!

It's 4:35 a.m. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go. My stomach just fell as News 2 announced that United's 6:50 a.m. flight to Chicago has been cancelled. We are on the 9:23 a.m. flight. Please pray if you see this early that none of us will get bumped due to them trying to get all the 6:50 people on the 9:23 flight. And that our flight will still go through as planned. There's stormy weather between here and there. Please help us pray it out.

I'm not worried. (Well, maybe a little, but I'm really trying not to be.) I know the Lord has this under control. I know we will get there one way or the other. I'd love for things to go as planned. But I'm willing to adapt.

Back in December when it was announced that our church would be hosting the AGM Conference in Thailand in June, I so clearly felt God say to me, "You are going to be there." It was never really even a choice for me. So in a tiny little way, I feel like Paul after God promised him he was going to go to Rome. No matter what happened, he knew he was going to get through it because the Lord told him he was going to be there.

What motivates me is the idea of getting to experience worship with 400 people who only get to do it corporately one week a year. I can't even imagine how amazing this will be. But I know it's going to be a little glimpse of heaven.

Bryant is now securely tucked away with my sister and brother-in-law. We've eaten dinner. It's 7:25 p.m.

Let the packing begin.

To the two of you who get an e-mail everytime I post, I'm really sorry for all the updates. But for whatever reason blogging is helping me stay on track and focused (or is it called procrastinate?) so I'm going to keep doing it. And no, this picture wasn't taken today, but I always like posts better with pictures. And he is wearing this shirt today, so it counts.

I'm back home now. What a weird feeling to leave Orlando and be in Nashville before 8:00 in the morning. I realize that's how planes work but it seems odd just the same.

The flight was uneventful. I think I actually slept, although I never felt like I didn't know I was on a plane. You know the feeling where you can hear everything around you but you suddenly realize that your head is hanging down really low and your mouth is open. I'm hoping it wasn't a snore that woke me up, but the guy next to me was wearing an ipod, so it probably didn't matter too much. We landed safely and on time. As Bradley said when we landed last night, "No crashing... nobody got hurt... we're good!"

I'm off to pack. Yikes. Don't worry, though, I'm sure I'll be back!

Mornin'. I'm back at the airport, waiting for my 7:05 a.m. flight back to Nashville. I've been up since 3. Hopefully by the time I get on my 13-hour flight I'll be so sleep-deprived that I won't even need the drugs to crash.

Today will be a very busy one. I should be back in Nashville by 8:00, hopefully back home by 9. I'll pick up Bryant from Mom and Dad's and head home to pack the rest of his stuff. While he's napping I plan to start tackling my own packing job. I have a little anxiety about this. But once I get all my stuff out, I'll realize what I don't have and can hopefully go out and get it this evening.

Bryant will go to my sister tonight, since we have to be at the airport at 6:30 tomorrow morning. I'm thinking we may just stay up all night. Even if I don't try to, that's probably what will end up happening, so I guess I'll just see how it plays out.

I just pulled out my chronological Bible to read today's passage. I'm in Ecclesiastes. It's such a depressing book, and yet occasionally makes me chuckle. Like just now when Solomon said that out of 1000 men you will only find 1 who can be called upright, but not a single woman. Think having 700 wives and 300 concubines made him a little bitter towards the fairer sex?

But the verse that really caught my attention was 7:8, "Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride." Wow. I think that's definitely worth meditating on over these next few days of traveling.

I've always known that patience is not one of my stronger points. I've never linked that to pride before. But now that I think about it, it makes complete sense. When I am impatient, it is because something is inconveniencing me. Me, me, me. Like this morning when I went down to the continental breakfast that supposedly started at 5:00 a.m., and it was 5:10, and there was hardly anything out. I had to hunt someone down to get a spoon. Partly because I'd been up a couple of hours, I was very annoyed. But the Lord spoke to me about all the people in Thailand who would gladly eat with their fingers to get anywhere near that continental breakfast bar.

I'm praying that God will change me this week. Make me more patient, a lot more patient. But mostly I pray that my focus will be off of me and on the work He has sent me to do. Everyone says going on a mission trip changes your life. I'm looking forward to it.