A Crash of Rhinos

I haven't had much time in the past few days to get online but as mentioned in my previous post, I have been keeping track of the things I am thankful for every day. So here goes:

Day 2 (Friday): Today I am thankful for treadmills in air-conditioned gyms, for Thai mangos and iced coffee. I'm thankful for long late night talks on the porch with good friends and for cold water.

Day 3 (Saturday): I'm thankful for technology and the fact that I am a missionary in a day and age where I can immediately contact anyone, anywhere in the world. I am thankful for Grandma and the familiarity of the way she talks, the way the sound of her voice makes me smile from the inside out. I'm thankful for the simplicity buried deep within the complexity of the Thai language. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be the lone farang (non-Thai person) in the midst of 200 Thais and the comfort I feel there. I'm thankful for swimming pools.

Day 4 (Sunday): I'm thankful for enormous buttermilk biscuits bought from The Hideaway and Som Tum (papaya salad and my current favorite food) from the stand down the road. I'm thankful for prayers spoken in Thai and long Sunday afternoon naps. I'm thankful for misunderstandings and how "Prajeow tom dai" (God can) can be misheard as "a child died." I'm thankful for the laughter that follows any such misunderstandings. I'm thankful for Skype and video chats with mom and dad.

Day 5 (Monday): I'm thankful for Tam and how simple conversations about the little things in life can be added to my personal list of most important things. I'm thankful for Laura and how often God uses a fifteen year old girl to teach me the importance of faith. I'm thankful for her strength and her smile and how special our relationship is.

On a side note, please be praying for Laura and her family. Her mom, Gina was in a car accident last week and broke her jaw, amongst other injuries. She had surgery on Friday and her jaw is currently wired shut. Laura called me after the surgery and told me that Gina was really panicking over the idea of not being able to open her mouth. Laura said that watching her mom go into a panic attack while being in so much pain was the hardest thing she has ever seen in her life. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it! Anyway, please be praying for Gina, Laura and her dad Kendall also. Please pray for a swift recovery and for comfort!!