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After much thought, we finally decided to buy tickets to China. Dave and Lisa felt that it was important that we still go, practice our Mandarin, get used to the culture again, and visit some of their Tibetan friends. So, we leave for Chengdu on Friday, and we are planning to see Jon N. and Jen in Chengdu before they leave for the States. The tentative plan right now is that Rachel will join us, and the three of us will go to Jon and Jen's goodbye party on Saturday and then up into the mountains. A few months ago, Lisa helped a Tibetan family through their 3 year old's heart surgery, and she hasn't been able to follow up with him since. We hope to visit the family on Lisa's behalf at some point in our travels.
We are also planning to spend a few days in Chengdu, helping the Ns organize their apartment in case they need to go to the States suddenly. When they left for Thailand, they were thinking they'd only be here a week or two. Now the kids are moving through their homeschool curriculums quickly and the family needs some paperwork and other necessities, and so we will try to bring these things back with us to Bangkok in August. We might also try to move Grandma's things into the N's apartment so they don't have to continue paying two rents. We will come back to Bangkok August 4th, be here about a week, and then head back to the States. The summer feels like it's going by so quickly!
We have been blessed to make many wonderful friends so far. Our guesthouse is the perfect networking hub, and after being here about a month, we have become close friends with people from all over the world. We have some friends who are working in Laos and are in Bangkok awaiting the arrival of their fourth child. We met a great lady, Wilma, who is working in Cambodia with monks who wish to leave the monastic system. She is here because she's being treated for severe blood clots in her legs, but she's doing much better and is returning to Cambodia this week (PTL!) She has invited us to come stay with her anytime, and we are thinking about paying her a visit for a day or two once we get back from China. We have become close friends with a couple from the States who we met at the movies and we have been hanging out with as much as possible- we hope that they see something different about us as we get to know them better. Please be thinking about the relationships we've made and the people we will be meeting. We know that we have been brought together with all these people for a higher reason, and we hope that we will use these relationships for his glory.
Bangkok seems to be the place to go for medical treatment. In keeping with the trend, Zach had some cavities filled this week, for about 1/5- 1/6 the price in the States. He also has an appointment to get his wisdom teeth removed, but he is still deciding whether he will follow through with that or not. The hospitals here are first-class, and the price is not as steep, but we're hesitant to take up travel time or relationship time having surgery. We hope that we will have the wisdom (ha ha) and judgment to decide whether or not to have this done in Bangkok.
Please keep the Ns in your thoughts. It is so hard for them to think about what to have us bring, what to leave behind, planning a wedding, and the fact that they might have to leave Grandma in Thailand to attend Jon's wedding in December. They have a lot going on, and they need all the support they can get.
Last night, we met with a Thai sister who is very interested in working with Tibetans. We, along with Dave and Lisa, talked with her for hours about her passion for the Tibetan people, what to expect from China and language learning, etc. Please keep "D" in your thoughts, for guidance, clarity, and support.
previous travel blog entry
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