Email from Thailand (Email to Parents)

Mommy and Daddy,

We made it! One 3 hour bus trip scrunched with all men, an overnight train trip- arriving in Old Delhi train station at 5am, which can be a scary enough place in the middle of the day, let alone in the dark, getting a rickshaw- the driver having no clue where we were going, though we finally made it to our hotel, the hotel not having our reservation, but had a room available, so no problem, going to the bathroom for the first time in a month having to actually sit on a toilet!(!), spending the day in Delhi, getting our plane tickets, visiting the Shaw family to drop off things to be mailed, (since there is a big festival right now, the post office is closed for 3 days (ugh!)), eating at Pizza Hut (yum!), talking to Trisha’s sister on the phone (I think a total of 5 times!), finding a MOVIE theater and watching an English film (Cinderella Man- it’s good if you want to see it, probably came out a few months ago in the states?), eating brownie and ice cream at TGI Friday’s!!! Finding our way back in the dark with the rickshaw walla, sleeping for an hour, taking our first hot shower (wow!), having A/C in the room, resting for a short period of time and then heading to the airport at 10pm, arriving, getting checked in, eating at SUBWAY(!!!), calling you(!- it was only about 65 cents this time, I made sure before I called!!!), then getting on the plane around 1:30am. Trying to sleep, but the man sitting next to the window kept getting up (ugh!), arriving at 5:30am with very little sleep, getting through customs, immigration in Thailand, getting our bags, going to the domestic terminal to get our next flight to Cheng Mai, getting our flight (all we had was a confirmation number written down on a pad of paper- no actual tickets- it worked!), having eggs, toast and hot dog (?) for breakfast, getting onto our flight (1 hour), sleeping the whole way, arriving, finding a taxi- our driving only speaking in Thai- but we made it to an big building that ended up being the right place.

We’re here, in A/C, with AWESOME accommodations!!! Granted, they may not be awesome for everyone, but for us they are BY FAR better than anything we’ve had in the past three months. We’re so excited!!!

At the same time, I’m not sure how to process everything I’ve felt along the way, I need to journal a lot about it….

It started before we left "Kahan." I started to feel really sad about leaving, leaving our family, leaving the town, the people…just not wanting to leave at all. And then started to think about in two years how will it be…and couldn’t even entertain that thought. Then the thought was, “I’m coming back, so all is well.” That got me through our bus and train trip and in Delhi- things were fine. They were fine because we were still in India. We got on the flight and arrived in Thailand and sat down the breakfast, and I shared with Robin. “I don’t want to be here right now.” She asked, “By that do you mean, ‘here at training?’ or ‘here in Thailand?’ or ‘’here in this situation?’ or what? I said, “I just want to go back to India.”

I think I’m realizing it’s not that I don’t WANT to be at training or in Thailand, it’s just that I’d rather be/want to be in India! Hmm.

Not sure what all to think about all that. It’s very nice here, and I am excited to meet people and once training starts know that these thoughts will go quickly. Who knows, I may not want to go back after living here for a month!!!!

Both Robin and I are overwhelmed by how great it is and that we have a fridge, and a pillow that doesn’t feel like rocks, and running water…things like that. I’d still take all our inconviences to be back with our family in Kahan…..but know, soon enough we will be….

Pray that I’ll “BE ALL HERE” as Jim Elliot says!

I love you- and will work on getting a phone at some point…Oh yeah - we have WIRELESS internet here- did you hear me? Can you believe that? :)

I better go---going to have my first Thai meal!

Love,

~ Elizabeth