This month has been such an exciting one for us because of the way the Lord has been bringing everything together. At the beginning of the month we met with the missions pastor from our church to discuss our idea of going to Thailand on a go and see trip and, to our surprise, he supported us and gave us great advice. We have been praying a lot about the trip, making contacts and trying to figure out how we will pay for it. As we prayed, we asked God to provide the bulk of the money by the end of the month so that we can be certain that we should be going on this trip. We need about $5,000-$6,000 (depending on plane tickets) and we now have $3,900! Not only has the Lord answered that prayer, but we have also been making contacts with many missionaries.
Steve has been working on the details of the trip, sending and replying to emails, making a concrete schedule and budget, etc.. It has taken a little while, but we have finally put together a plan of where we will be going and who we will be meeting with. What we do in different cities will depend on the need (at the time) of the missionaries we will be visiting, so we can't say exactly what that will be.
Below is a map of where we plan to go so you can follow along as I explain (click on the image to enlarge it).
We will start in Bangkok, where we plan to stay for about a week and a half to meet with several missionaries that live there. We will then travel to Pattaya where we will stay at a YWAM base and help out with their slum ministry for a few days, after which we will head north to Khao Yai. While in Khao Yai we will be attending a missions conference put on by OMF, or Overseas Missionary Fellowship (formerly known as China Inland Mission), where we will get to meet with missionaries from all over Eastern Asia. From there we will go to Ratchaburi, Hua Hin, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi and Trang to meet with more missionaries and help out with their ministries. To conclude our trip we will be going somewhere around Krabi (not sure where yet) for a couple of days for our 1 year anniversary and then back to Bangkok to fly home.We have not yet decided on the exact dates of our departure and return because we are hoping that plane ticket prices will go down, but we will have to make the decision very soon. We do know that we will be leaving sometime at the end of May or beginning of June and returning at the beginning of August.
Apart from mission trip planning, everything else is going well, too. As I mentioned before, I have been accepted into the nursing program and am just working on getting final details done (like paperwork, looking for scholarships, etc.). The job that I currently have is also great! I really enjoy working there, and although I was hired for a temporary position we are hoping that I can work there until we leave for Thailand.
In regards to Steve's permanent residence application, just a few days ago we received the paperwork we were waiting for in the mail, so that means that we will send the application in in a few days. Please continue to pray that everything goes smoothly with the application process and that Steve will be able to get permanent resident status soon.
As well, please continue to be praying about our trip this summer, that it will be fruitful and productive and that the Lord would continue to speak to us.
PS:
You can get more information about the organizations we mentioned earlier on their websites:
YWAM: www.ywam.org
OMF: www.omf.org
MBMSI: www.mbmsi.org