Learning Thai

We haven't blogged very much about what we are actually doing on a day-to-day basis in Thailand (other than our weekend sight-seeing trips). We don't want to give you (especially those of you who are financially supporting us!) the wrong impression, but our ministry here so far has consisted of small steps. Basically, we are trying to make connections - with our Thai neighbors, with our landlords, with other Christians (Thai and Western), with our team, with language teachers. We're becoming acquainted with a growing number of people, and although all of these relationships are in their infancy we're encouraged by our prospects. This week, for example:
-We will host a team meeting at our place
-I found a Thai church nearby and told them (I think) that we'd like to visit sometime soon.
-Candice and the girls attended a playgroup that she found out about at an international church. Through that she met a Thai lady from our community who has invited us over for dinner tomorrow night.
-I've spent time talking to "Mr. Mack" at his sugarcane juice stand and now get a smile and nod whenever I ride by on my bike.
-Eliza and I spent time talking with Blasit, the man who sells us bananas (and always gives at least one free one to Eliza).
-I registered for Thai language classes at a school in Bangkok and Candice found a good lead for a tutor in our community.
-We visited a Thai preschool in our community and talked with them about the possibility of Claire attending in the future.
-This evening I'm attending a meeting to hear about a Bangkok church's plan to reach out to youth in a new location.

We're also still working on furnishing our house so that it can serve as a training center for the team. We're looking forward to the arrival of more interns next year and will be focusing more on overall team ministry planning and research as we become more knowledgeable of the culture and language.

We invite you to pray with us that God would continue to guide us as we make these connections. We want Him to lead us to people who will be open to helping us learn and who will be open to seeking the Truth.