One week down...
On Koh Si Chang
Eliza and I have survived a little over a week now on our own. Candice and Claire made it safely to America and are immensely enjoying their time there. We've had a bit of a rough week - Eliza has been sick with some sort of stomach ailment since last Sunday. It improved at the end of last week - long enough for us to make a quick trip to a beach on nearby island, but now today she is feeling worse again. Other than that though, we've been doing OK. We're buying even more meals than normal, cleaning less often, and Eliza's hair is freed from the constraints of barrettes and bands.
I'm still waiting to hear back about the English teaching job at the factory. In the meantime I'm getting more inquiries from private students but am trying to put them on hold until I know for sure about the other job. This afternoon I'm supposed to meet a friend for our first Bible study (we were going to start last week but I had to take Eliza to the doctor instead). Our team's method is to introduce the scriptures to Thai people and trust that the Holy Spirit will guide them (and us) in understanding as we read and study. That sounds good in theory, but as I look ahead a couple of hours and imagine all of the potential difficulties that could arise while studying Genesis 1 in Thai, I realize how much we are really depending on the Holy Spirit!
Thanks for your prayers for these ongoing Bible studies - and we'd also appreciate your prayers for health. In addition to Eliza's sickness, Anita has been diagnosed with dengue fever, and Sharon has been sick for a couple of days. Thanks for remembering us during these sometimes stressful and difficult periods of illness.
-Tom