Make New Friends, But Keep the Old...

Summertime in our corner of the world has been full to bursting with activity. As Em's school days ended, I took up the role of student and have spent the last month with these spunky new friends who hail from Korea and Japan (and the teacher, of course, from Thailand...) in a common pursuit of the Thai language. I've been thrilled to have the opportunity to study Thai again! One may wonder, with good reason, why Thai study after six years here? Our growing family during our first term disallowed my language study to progress as far as was needed, so this 'starting over' time in our work, in which our colleagues are also studying Thai, is the perfect opportunity to get to work on language again. I do enjoy an academic setting, have enjoyed getting to know my comrades above, and am deeply aware of my need to deepen my skills in speaking, reading and writing Thai, so it's been intense but very enjoyable.

But it's not been all nose to the grindstone around here, as we just had the privilege of spending almost a week with these dear people...

What could be better than a nice, long visit from the dearest cousin/friends a family could ask for? The grown-ups among us have been friends for more than 20 years now (Tim and Colleen much longer, being related by blood), and we have a depth of friendship and love for each other that makes me truly thankful.

One of the most delightful aspects of our visits that happen periodically in different locations around the world is that our children are building cousin bonds with one another, and boy did they have a grand time! They did everything from exploring the city and eating Thai food to enjoying ice cream from a familiar bastion of American fast food...

Em in the beautiful Indian outfit brought to her by her cousins

The parents had a grand time, as well, drinking much coffee and indulging in good conversation. We even had a night out together; many thanks again to our dear friend Lisa who manned the fort with six children!

Come again soon, precious cousin friends!

We also recently had the joy of reuniting with our friends and colleagues the Henrys, who are preparing to return to Thailand and work in the southern part of the country. One of the sweetest parts of that visit was the reunion of these two...

...who haven't seen each other in over 3 years but were dearest friends back when they looked like this!...

We paid a visit last week to our friends who work hard selling satay and other food at a market stall. Besides enjoying a feast (I don't know how many sticks of satay Ju consumed, but it was an astonishing amount), I found myself behind the counter making a dish all on my own, chopping the catfish into tiny pieces, mixing it with bread crumbs, deep frying it, and sprinkling it with peanuts, to be served with a spicy mango sauce. Quite delicious, and I felt oh so accomplished.

And time continues in its ever-flowing stream. We watch our children grow and laugh and cry and love, and we love them with all our hearts. We watched this precious girl turn another page in the story of her life recently, and we give thanks for this gift of God so lavishly given. We couldn't be more thankful for the person she has been, is and is becoming. We love you, our beautiful Jewell.