Thursday, February 25, 2010

The Latest...

Dear Friends,


I know it has been over a month since we’ve let you know what’s going on, but a lot has gone on!


First, we went to Chiang Mai, Thailand for our mid-year conference. We were there for about two weeks with little internet access. We had a marvelous time there! It was a wonderful time for renewal, relaxation, and meeting new friends from all over Asia.


After that, we came back to Pakse with our dear friend, Amanda Fretter. She is currently teaching in China and has had about two and half months off from teaching. She stayed with us for two weeks and we thoroughly enjoyed her company. She was a real encouragement to us both. Funny story about Amanda: we get to the border of Laos and Thailand. You have to apply for a visa at the border. She did. While we were there, we got acquainted with some Lao people who have lived in California for the past 30 years and are now US citizens. In the midst of all the chit-chat, the Lao couple left with Amanda’s passport. It was quite an interesting ordeal. The Lao people don’t want to lose face, so the border officials wouldn’t actually tell us that they didn’t have Amanda’s passport. In short, an officer got in a van with us to drive from the border to Pakse. We exchanged the correct passport with the Lao couple. It was somewhat tense there for a while, but it was resolved. So Amanda was happy that she didn’t lose all her stamps in her passport, which is what she was really worried about.


On top of that, our other wonderful friend, Rachel Dennis has come to live and teach in Pakse with us and we could not be more excited! She has already made some wonderful connections in her short time here. She has also been a wonderful encouragement to us.


Then, as soon as we arrived back from Chiang Mai, we started classes. Actually, classes started without us and we missed the first two weeks of school. Now we have completed three weeks of school, which is already hard to believe.


Lastly, we are going to make a trip to Ubon, Thailand this weekend. It’s about a 3 hour bus ride from Pakse. Our Lao friend, La, had surgery in December as most of you are aware of. We are taking her with us to go to a Thai hospital where they can determine if her procedure was done correctly. She is still experiencing pain and other side effects. Please lift her up and us and we travel and visit the doctor.


We promise to keep you informed about our trip.


Love you all,


Bethany


2 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have had a busy month! I hope you feel better soon, Bethany!

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  2. So glad to hear from you! Sounds busy! Becky and I were just wondering what you've been up to.

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