back to school, back to life.

Week 23.

This week is the first week that students are back at campus for classes, and it is the first week of activities at Grapevine.  As we walked around campus yesterday, I could feel the positive, excited energy of everyone looking forward to the semester, reuniting with friends after 3 months. Thammasat is literally being restored to life-- not only with the students coming back, but the plants and flowers that were left brown and dead after the flood are turning green again.  People are actually stopping in to Grapevine to hang out!  I forgot that I was a campus minister for awhile!... But our first event is tonight and next week we start up with our weekly Souper Tuesday.

Life has been good these days... because we have come back to life. :)

back to school, back to life.

new year.

Week 22.

Not much to tell.  We continued organizing at Grapevine.  Bought some furniture.  Looks pretty sweet now.

Dana came to visit for New Years Eve-- her first time visiting Bangkok.  We ushered in the new year with millions of other people in downtown Bangkok, 13 hours ahead of our friends and family back home.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera.  :(  I had planned on taking some super-sweet pictures, but it didn't really happen.  I did have my iPhone though, so I took some photos with that.  It sucks at night pictures, though.  So the one I chose for this week was taken during the daytime, on the 29 bus on the way to Bangkok.  Featuring none other than the lovely Dana Bruxvoort. :)

Sawa-dee, bee mai! Happy New Year! :)

merry christmas.

Week 21.

Merry (belated) Christmas!

Okay, so I am a little late blogging about it, but I did take some pictures this week, and I think a couple of them turned out pretty nice. :)  Although Thailand in general does not celebrate Christmas as a national holiday, many of the malls are still "donned in gay apparel," as well as the room that I share with my team leader.  She loves decorating, and loves decorating for Christmas.  Therefore, our room was beautifully festive, decked with boughs of holly and glowing with warm Christmas lights and scented candles.

We hosted a Christmas party for some of our Thai friends/students in our apartment the night before Christmas Eve.  I tried to take a few artsy photos of the decor.  Here are my two favorites:

Warm.  One of the candles on the bookshelf.  I think it looks like a temple or something.  Love it.

 

Ornaments.  Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright...

I had a lovely Christmas this year.  We got Christmas massages, went to a Christmas Eve candlelight service at church, stayed at a fancy Christmas hotel, watched our favorite Christmas movies, ate a delicious Christmas brunch, took a Christmas trip to the movies to see Sherlock Holmes, and went to a Christmas Day party with friends at church.

For me, it has been a season full of joy and important lessons from the Lord.

So, even though it is over, I wish peace and blessings to all who read this blog!