A Little Bit Louder

Today we went Kayaking… we didn’t go very far… just around this island and through some mangrove forest… it was really neat to see stuff like that up close… there were monkeys everywhere… some that seemed quite bored of yet another group of tourists, and another bunch that seemed quite interested in the fruit scraps we had in our boats.

So we went snorkeling today… it was the bombdiggity…

A few times during snorkelling, Scott and I felt these stings… like someone was pulling out a leg hair or something… not too bad… kinda annoying, and you think a bit more about what’s in the ocean…

At one of the stops, I was swimming and looking at jellyfish, which is quite beautiful from about 20 feet… when I felt this sting on my upper lip… my mouth went numb and i spit out my snorkel, swallowing some salt water in the process… not a great feeling i promise …. i don’t know what it was but i’m assuming it was a smaller jellyfish I just didn’t see… the feeling came back after a few hours… still feels kinda funny now though…

other than that, the day was awesome… we hopped on a speed boat this morning and jetted across the bay to a few Bamboo Island and Ma Ya Beach for snorkeling before stopping in Phi Phi Don for lunch… mmm… curry …. Then it was more snorkelling this afternoon…. it’s quite humid here and hot, but it’s nice on the water on a moving boat… quite baywatch-esq if you get the look and point right… fun times…

tomorrow, kayaking… then on to Phuket… remember the pronunciation kids….

Scott and I took a flight to Phuket this morning (It’s pronounced “pu get” for those of you with a dirty mind…) For a discount airline, Nok Air is pretty nice… it’s run by Thai Airways. The seats reclined to a pretty steep angle which made for good sleeping. The airplane bathroom was also the nicest thing i’ve crapped in in 2 weeks… It’s amazing how a few weeks in the back country will change your perspective…

Anyhow, we hopped a bus to Krabi (pronounced Grabee) and 2.5 hours later, we’re in our hostel… clean, air conditioned (necessary when it’s 30 degrees and humid), all for 600 baht… We’re also booked on a few tours for the next few days. A snorkling island hopping tour tomorrow… and then a full day kayak excursion around some caves and islands… I think we paid a bit more than we could’ve gotten those for, but hey, we’re on vacation… and well, we’re in thailand.

That said, I’m going to get off this computer and go find some eats… I hear the Pad Thai is super in this town and only 25B….

Back in a few ways…. it’s been a while since I’ve posted… 2 weeks or so… Partly cause I’ve been away from the Internet… well, electricity in general, and partly cause the Blog’s been down… sorry for those who have been trying to access it…

We got back from the villages of Gatlang (also spelled Gutlang on some maps) and Nessing (Nesing to some) on Dec 1… both in the Rusuwa district of Nepal. It all sits in Langtang National Park. It all lies under some of the most extreme, harsh, rugged, and beautiful terrain in the world. There’s so much to talk about… and I’ve journaled quite a bit… over the next few weeks as I’ve got more internet time now, I’ll try to type some of them out here.

But for a taste, there we had babies get dedicated, a Buddist high priest come to Christ, a Maoist commander get baptized, and a buch of other cool stuff…

We got into Kathmandu yesterday and spent a little time getting acclimatized to the area. Nepal feels like we just stepped back in time about 30 years. Everything is dusty and there isn’t much that is new here. Still though, there is a feeling here that is hard to explain. Sometimes I’m excited to be here, and I stare around in disbelief. Other times I’m scared outright… by cab drivers and by the darkness that weighs heavy on this city.

After we got in yesterday and dropped off our stuff, we spent some time at the church planning the next 2 weeks and hanging out with some of the kids there.

A couple of the youth at the church were playing guitar & drums, worshipping so we joined them for a bit. It’s amazing how worship bonds people instantly.

As I listened to Noel explain his and the youth’s visions and dreams, I couldn’t believe how closely it mirrored varsity youth kid’s visions and dreams. There’s about 35 of them here, who have a great passion to see their friends come to Christ. Right now, they are trying to put together a youth room with internet access and some couches… a place for them to hang out, and call their own. They also want to email with english people to practice their typing and english skills. There are definitely a few ways to connect Nepal youth with Varsity youth. I spent a good deal of time last night dreaming of ways to do this… there’s something about the work being done here that resonates in my heart…. it’s good for the soul.

Today was more about seeing the city. We checked a few temples… there’s a heaviness in parts of the city. I found myself inviting God into places and situations more and more. He hear’s and is faithful. I’m not sure I have a grasp on God’s heart for this city… to be honest, I’m pretty overwhelmed by the things I’ve seen. It’s hard to not harden your heart in order to cope with the poverty that is everywhere.

God give me your heart for this city and country!