We're Home?

Hey, we made it back to the YWAM Base near Chiang Mai. Our last week in Li was good, but it is always hard to say goodbye to friends. After 7 weeks in Li, we had grown close to some of the students, church members, workers at the market, and kids from the orphanage. This week we had "cell group" at several people's houses. It was fun to go into people's homes and meet their families and hear about how they became christian and some of the things they are praying for. Every person had a unique story to tell.
One member, Nam, is 24 and just moved to Li 3 months ago with her boyfriend. Her family is christian, but she has always ran away from church, but since being in Li she has really wanted to go to church and follow God's will for her life. Every time she talked she would start to cry because she was so happy we had been here to encourage her. She was very sweet, and her boyfriend seemed to get more accepting of the christian faith each day.
We happened to find out that the next day was her birthday, so we turned our going away party into a surprise birthday party for her, which led to more crying.
Saturday morning we spent an hour saying goodbye to everyone who came to the church to say goodbye. It was a bittersweet time, but it was nice to know that our time spent in Li had impacted the people there.

Overview
Our time in Li was very good. We were able to share the gospel with many people in many different ways. Through performing at schools and christmas parties we were able to share our testimony and tell many people of God's love for us. In our time at the schools we had many chances to talk with students and teachers about our faith. We were also able to set an example to students, teachers, and the people in town of what a Christian acts like and how they treat people.
At the schools, a few kids showed a real desire to learn more about Jesus and to live for him. We were able to pray with them and teach them a little and connect them with other christians.
Also, we learned a lot about Thai culture, Thai buddhism, and thai christianity. it is one thing to read about it and talk about it, but to live in a small town and spend every day with the people there you get a better sense of what they struggle with and what they believe and who they are. It was a valuable experience for both of us.

Now, we have 1 week left in school. We're excited for our freedom but also sad to say goodbye to our new friends. Keep us in your prayers that we'll get some direction for what to do in the next year. We have many ideas, but you can only do so much!