January 24th - Day 19 in Thailand

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Today is our last full day in Chiang Mai. I’m feeling very nostalgic. This morning as I was doing devotionals on the third story porch, I watch Melissa and Jha spend some time chatting and sharing gifts. This is the first time it really hit me that we were soon leaving our beloved friends. I’m not sure why I feel so sad other than that I will really miss them and that I really love our Thai friends. Love is such a weird thing because we cannot really pinpoint it, something I love to do when self-reflecting. It’s extra tough because I feel split between here and home. There are people at home that I miss dearly and cannot wait to see, but there are also people here I do not want to say goodbye to. I always say the more you travel and create family around the world the harder the holidays are because no matter who you are with, you are always missing someone. I know this is the case here. I know I will miss my buddies dearly, but they have taught me so much. So in their honor, I want to make it a priority to follow these values and actions they have taught me, one of which is to love fully at all times. I know that it can be scary to love fully because loving someone gives them the power to hurt us, but it is so important to live is hope and not fear. The reward is great for the relationships that we give fully, and the only way to fully grow together is by leaning into one another with everything. My buddies have shown me that is it important to give this large amount of love to everyone I meet. I should feel this way about people at home not just the people here in Thailand. Even more so, I should love this way because Christ has called me to it. I know the Lord’s heart breaks for His people, and honestly, pain is the scariest par to loving, but that’s the part I need to continually give over to God. I want to give my love fully by honoring other people and giving them all I have whether it be my time or resources though I may not have much.



After breakfast and devotionals, I headed over the the Joni and Friends base in Chiang Mai. It was an extremely funny situation because I was not allowed to cross the street by foot. I was trying to sneak off campus so that I would not be stopped by “Thai hospitality” but I was stealthy enough as I got stopped by at least 6 women, inquiring where I was going. I was finally “detained” in the main office while the women called up a car for me to drive literally across the road in. It made me giggle, but it also made me practice my patience since I found it ridiculous that I could cross the road in a group but not alone. I’m used to living in an independent country which has trained me to be profoundly independent in character. I’m still learning to role with the punctures when I’m delayed in my plans because I cannot just do them alone. I value relationships very highly, but when I have stuff to do, I just want to whip them out and get them done. The Joni and Friends office was not what I had anticipated. The lady I was supposed to meet was sick, so I ended up getting passed around the facility by volunteers on what they considered a very busy day. At the very least, I was thrilled that I got to see the inside of the “piano building” that we had gawked at for days. I thought it was so cool to see the facilities the children hospital had from therapy pools to PT centers. There were so many resources here for families, but of course it made me question what families from the rural country-side do in cases such as the ones I was seeing. It was also strange to me that the volunteer I was with was unable to answer my questions about the facility we were in. Though she had been working with Joni and Friends about a year (originally from Texas), she only knew about the Joni and Friends office which made up a very small section of the facility. She also did not greet anyone in Thai but in English. I was a reminder to me about taking hold of learning opportunities. It’s not about how long you have been somewhere, but your effort in getting to know the country, its people, and its culture.





I finished out my day with prepping for my clinical course for the 26th (the day right after I get home!!) and sipping blueberry Italian soda, which I absolutely loved. It would be a chill rest of the evening with only a few stops here and there to stores for final souvenirs. I was completely out of Thai money, so I just enjoyed looking around and conversation with other students.

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