APRIL FOOLS!

I've been thinking for so long about what to write today and I'm having a really hard time coming up with something. But I figure that if I just write, something will come eventually..I guess I'll start with yesterday afternoon. We were on our way home and I realized that it was the last day of March. Caitlin quickly reminded me that the next day would be April fools day. It was obvious that none of the people we were with had ever heard of it. So we informed them. I didn't really think that they really understood what it meant, but today I was proved otherwise..

We were getting ready to head out the door this morning and we both got Facebook messages from one of the girls we were with yesterday...it said, "Hello Bethany, I have been hit by a car. I am now in the hospital". Caitlin and I looked at eachother and immediately began to panic. We started to plan a visit to the hospital to see her and I wrote back to her asking if she was okay and if we could go see her. Her next response was this, "April fool...:p". AHH! Can you believe it? She completely got us!!! It was hilarious. 

At the school today, Fai, one of the girls I have become particularly close to, has been asking me to help her sing harmony. She has a beautiful voice and leads worship on Sunday mornings, but she really wants to know how to harmonize. Well, I began playing guitar and singing and remembered that she wanted to learn, so I started playing a simple worship song that we both knew and I taught her the harmony part. It was so fun for me to teach her. I could tell that she was trying so hard and after about 30 minutes of practicing, we had the song down perfectly. I was singing melody, and she was singing harmony like an angel. It's the little, spontaneous things that make Thailand different and wonderful. 

In the English classes that I'm teaching, some of the things that I have to teach are so funny, and some of the things are normal for us, but I've never really thought of them before. For example, I had to teach that when someone says, "Water?" it means, "Do you want some water?". Or if someone says, "Tired?" it means, "Are you tired?" Those are things that are completely normal and natural to us, but are super confusing to my students. I was so excited because tonight when we went to dinner, I was sitting with them and I noticed that one of the girls had not finished her dinner. So I said to her, "Full?", hoping that she would understand and remember what I had taught in class earlier. She immediately got a huge smile and I knew that she remembered and understood what I was saying. It was definitely encouraging and cute. 

One of the best things since we have been here for 3 weeks now is that people in our neighborhood are beginning to recognize us. We go to the same coffee shop almost everyday and order the same thing. At first it was so difficult to try and order, but now we just walk up and the lady knows exactly what we want! We also have quite a few restaurants where we eat lunch and now they know what we want! It makes me feel so special that they remember me! 

It seems like everyday is a new adventure, and I can't wait to see what other adventures are in store for us. Please keep praying for safety, good health, and most importantly that God would be working through us. Thank you so much. 

-Bethany