As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God

Psalm 42 "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."

Last night we worshiped with the Red Karen believers and we were able to sing the same song in praise to God, only in different languages. This morning, Eli led our devotion- Here in Thailand , and even when we are back in the states the most obvious display of God's love overflowing in our lives is visible in our countenance. Having a joyful countenance is our greatest tool of evangelism here. The students may not understand anything that comes out of our mouths except for "Hello, my name is ____, how are you?" but they can see the love in our hearts by the smile on our face and our cheerful attitude.

First we drove to the King's garden and zoo. The garden is run by Christians who are friends of Peter and Ochie. There were not many flowers in full bloom but it was still beautiful. Next we drove out to a Chinese village for tea. The drive there was magnificent, around every turn there was another breathtaking panorama. I'm not a big fan of tea but it was mighty tasty! We enjoyed a hearty meal prepared by some friends of Ochie. We got some goodies at the shop for friends at home and I learned I have a lot to learn when it comes to bartering :) We could see the Burma border.

On the way back to Thopsok we drove through acres of tea plantations where we saw some water buffalo! We pulled over to sing to them "everybody has a water buffalo, yours is fast but mine is slow..." -thank you veggie tales.

Then we were off to the schools to teach! Katie is a celebrity in the classroom with the 9-12 year olds. Before she came in the room they started chanting, "Katie, Katie, Katie!" It was adorable how their faces lit up as they cheered when she came in to sing and play her Ukulele. At the King's school we continued preparing the students for their test on "How to make a salad." After teaching, we were given a quick tour of some classrooms and the garden where the students grow their own vegetables.

Peter took us to the water hole to cool off after teaching :) I can't wait to show you all pictures, it looked like it was right out of a dream or a magazine. A small waterfall hidden behind massive rocks, perfect for jumping off of :) A man from the village set up nets to catch some fish and said we could swim over them as we played. Alexis, Allison, Leslie, Mr. Kingsbury and I had a great time diving in and splashing around!

After dinner we were off to the night Bazaar. It was almost empty because tourists have been steering clear of Thailand since the Red Shirt stuff. The street is usually lined with carts but there were only a few out tonight. So we helped boost the local economy.

I hope everything is going well at home :) We heard the good news about the Blackhawks! Woo hoo!

Please keep praying for us to be an encouragement to the Christians in Thopsok and also to Peter and Ochie. Each day I am honored to witness the love Peter and Ochie have for these people. Please pray that God keeps our hearts soft and teachable, open to whatever He has to show us. Thank the Lord we are all happy, healthy and eager to teach and love the students everyday :)

Peace,
Anna Morgan (Team Member)