ครอบครัว

I have grown up in a culture where families are often taken for granted and, many times, despised. It is only the grace and favor of the Lord that allowed me to grow up in a home where my family cherished each other and sought to bring others into that same love that perhaps they never knew. I'm sure that in many ways the family in Thailand has been skewed as well, but it is something that I have found to be incredibly important to many Thais. Not anyone can be "part of the family" here, and when you are considered such, it is a big deal.

My teammate Kayla and I have recently found ourselves becoming part of a Thai family and it is so exciting. We have been visiting some friends from the local flower market weekly for a little over 3 months now, and the more we visit, the closer we get with them. Granted, they speak only Thai, so our relationship is entirely dependent on our study of their language! In the beginning we could hardly speak at all, but now we hold simple conversations with them for over an hour at a time. And we have SO much fun with them.

For New Year's we were invited over to their intimate family gathering at their home, and were then invited to join them on their family vacation! What?! I'm totally serious.... and so were they. Incredibly, a simple relationship has turned into a family bond. They love us, and we love them. Now they let us help out in their flower shop instead of insisting that we just sit and watch as the guests. Now, they'll leave the shop to us for a few minutes if they have to run a quick errand. Now they treat us like family, and we love it. Now, we have an even greater opportunity to bring the light of Christ into the darkness in this family! The Lord has truly blessed this relationship, as it was never something that we were looking for, but He graciously gave.

=)