If the Phone Doesn't Ring, it's Me (by Jimmy Buffett)

Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I’ve been busy traveling, connecting with old friends, making new friends, and trying to be successful in some new forms on ministry for me. But I can assure you that even though you haven’t heard from me in a while, I’m still thriving and having the time of my life. Let me try to get you a little up to speed.

Thailand was a pretty unique experience. It was mostly quite quiet and low-key. The first of my two weeks there was mainly spent relaxing and hanging out during the day at the home of Krista Engebretson, a Westwood missionary teaching at a missionary kid’s school in Chiang Mai, and her roommate, Holly. Part of me was worried that I was wasting my time in Thailand by hanging out in a house the whole time. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was having my own unique cultural experience. First of all, I was getting some much needed rest after four months virtually non-stop in the islands on the ethno-tours. Second, I was engaging into the life of a missionary teacher in northern Thailand. And third, I was reminiscing back to my own experience of living and teaching in Guatemala several years ago. I was also able to use that time to engage in some quality relationship building communication. I know that my time in Chiang Mai with Krista and her friends/co-workers was definitely a blessing and a ministry to me … I can only hope that I had something to offer to her and them.
Now, for those in my life who understand and encourage my passion for nature, culture, and adventure, I’d like to make mention of some of the other things I did beyond hanging out inside on my own. In the first week I was there, I was taken out around town by Krista and Holly at night to various restaurants and local cultural marketplaces. Sometimes just the three of us and other times with some of their friends whom I got to know fairly well. The one full weekend I was there, a group of 12 of us drove about two hours out of town to a reservoir where we took a couple boats to a floating resort where we relaxed and played for 24 hours. It was a GREAT time! The last couple days I was in Thailand, I spent one day rock climbing with a group of other travelers and another day with another group of travelers where we did a jungle hike, a village visit, a bamboo rafting ride, and elephant rides. Oh, and the very last day I was there I got to eat a fried cricket and bamboo worm. I highly recommend the experience!

I spent a couple days in Singapore between Thailand and Australia. During that time, I had a flat all to myself since my friend who lives there was out of town for a couple days. It was a blessing to have my own place of solitude to rejuvenate myself. But I also got to reconnect with a friend I made while climbing in Thailand who was passing through Singapore on her way to Melbourne (we’re getting together this weekend again) and I got to visit another friend at work on her birthday. My days in Singapore were fun, relaxing, and busy!

Now I’ve been in Oz for the last week with my parents. It was so exciting to get to see them for the first time in five months. They arrived a few hours before me and were there to welcome me with a “Welcome to Australia” balloon as I passed through customs. We spent just under four days touring around Sydney as my parents acted as my tour guides. We took a boat tour around the Sydney Harbor where we went past the Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, among other amazingly beautiful and iconic landmarks. One day my parents took me to Bondi Beach where I finally bough the surfboard I’ve been wanting for so long. We then drove down to Manly Beach where I got my one chance to actually use the board. It was a pretty amazing experience to be catching a few waves in Australia! I could get used to it, frankly! I was also able to reconnect with an old friend, Charlene, who I met while I was on the expedition in Indonesia back in ’99. Two times my parents and I got to grab something to eat and sit and talk for several hours as I was able to pick up on a nearly forgotten friendship. She, along with the friend I made in Thailand, are now both in Melbourne. Along with a fellow college classmate who’s now living here with her husband, I officially have a total of four friends in Melbourne that I will be reconnecting with. Small world, isn’t it?
For the most part, Melbourne is a time for me to work. It’s kind of cool to realize that both my parents are speaking at a conference where I’m promoting the work going on in Indo. The three of us are all working the same conference together … that’s a first! But it hasn’t been ALL work. The first full day we were here we met up with my former classmate, Taniel. She took us to a place called the Healsville Sanctuary. It was there that I finally got to see dingos and kangaroos and wombats and koalas and wallabies and so many more native Australian animals. I even got to pet a wombat and practically cuddle with a wallaby that didn’t want to stop licking my hand. It was the cutest thing ever … I wanted to take it home with me!!! I’m sure my kitty, Yampa, would’ve loved the new playmate. I still have nearly a week left here and a lot of friends to connect up with, so hopefully I’ll have a lot more experiences to have and stories to tell.