New Year, New Adventure

Well everyone, here we are again; on the edge of adventure. Beginning the new year with a silent plea for the grand by diving headfirst into the past made present.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be off again. To explore, to be cold and giggling like a child experiencing the first snow of the year. To wander streets I've never seen in cities where everyone speaks a language I can't understand. To feel utterly alone and yet know that I am not. After a year where I have often questioned what God is calling me to do--I am excited for this chance for a freezing fresh start.

In the past few days I have been thinking a lot about what it means to look at our problems through God as opposed to seeing God through our problems. And as I consider this upcoming adventure I am reminded of what I know will come. The feelings of possibility, of fresh chances, and most encouragingly, renewed mindsets. I am eager to once again come face to face with the reality that I can do anything, and that truly, the only thing holding me back is whether or not I believe that. And so I pray that as I land on foreign ground, that I am able to step back from the worries and frustrations I have of my future. That I see them through the new eyes. That I would be reminded that I serve a God of possibility. A God who calms storms but also a God who calls us both to them and through them. A God who can do IMMEASURABLY more than I can ever imagine.

This trip will be a whirlwind of the most glorious kind. Full of old friends, new places, strange foods, lovely languages, and the snowy quiet of Europe in Winter. Along the way I'll be seeing friends I met in Oz, Thailand, NZ and Germany. All of whom I've never seen in their "real" lives and some of which I haven't seen in almost 10 years.  I am SO pumped for every piece of this trip; but, getting to see people I haven't seen in ages to reminisce on the old while simultaneously taking in the new is utter perfection. And as I sit in my own state of general uncertainty, I am eager to experience the joys of life that come with communing with old friends in their present moments. The reminder that life marches forward and moving with it doesn't mean I'm leaving everything behind.

I will be off to Europe for about 3 weeks. Roughly here's what we're looking at:

US > Reykjavik >London
London >Ghent/Bruges/Brussels
Brussels >Maastricht/Amsterdam
Amsterdam >Prague
Prague > Vienna
Vienna > Munich
Munich > London
London > US


So I will attempt to update as I can, but may end up doing a little post-adventure blogging upon my return depending on time/computer access. Until then--

I don't know what this coming year holds. I don't know where I'll be or what I'll be doing. And yet I know that I have been granted passions for a reason. That God has given us gifts and talents and joys to be used in order to allow His love and glory to shine brighter wherever life may find us. So here's to this new year. To adventures the world over, to laughing with friends and loving people more deeply. To creating community wherever we are and seeing joy in small moments. But more than anything, here's to seeing our fears through the possibility that lies in God's omnipotence.

Love you all dearly! Cheers to this wonderful new year!

"I hereby command you: be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9 

Seeing Siam.

Boat ride to Golden Mount--Bells

So, my first full day in Bangkok I decided I needed to hit up as much as possible and so my first stop was the laundromat I mean the Golden Mount. Okay, it was the laundromat, but THEN I headed to the Golden Mount via one of the water ferries that scatter the cities rivers. Bangkok is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the East for all of its waterways that surround the cities major areas. Its far easier here, and more enjoyable to grab a water taxi to get to your destination than hopping in a meter-taxi. One of the things I really loved about the boats in Bangkok were the men and women who worked on them. They hang off the side of them in their fli-flops (on the smaller boats) and collect fare from passengers--having to memorize the people that hop aboard and then find them while the boat rushes to its next destination. Furthermore, they have this incredible whistle system on bigger boats to informt he captain how close or far he is from the dock. Its such an awesome system to watch in action.

                            

                                                 

Moving on, I got to the Golden Mount and wandered up its giant pathway (making sure to ring all the giant bells---good luck I think?) in order to get an incredible view of Bangkok from the top.

                           

                   

                           

     

                               

                               

Wires SO MANY WIRES.

This has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that the first day in Bangkok i saw 3 different teams in different areas attempting to put another wire up on the telephone wires above the city and I all I could think was yeah, that's good. I'm pretty sure the best waay to deal with this bad connection is another wire right?

                           

Democracy Monument

Big Swing

I don't know. This was one of those things where they tell you it's important so you take a picture. what is it about? I dunno. It's a giant tall structure, I see no swing. Shrine of soe sort is my best guess. Google it. 

Cabbages and Condoms

And then a friend and I went to this magical restaurant that, based on the name seems like it would be a hooter's-esque joint with cabages about? I dunno. But whatever image you just had is wrong. This place was classy. You could pay with a  CREDIT CARD, the food was amazing, there were chandeliers... it was awesome! They just happened to use a few condoms here and there in the decorating. And, you know, give you one at the end of dinner instead of a mint. 

                         

                         

                

                

The story though is actually a great one. The place is run by a family planning group and the name comes from the fact that the creator once said they wanted birth control to be as accessible as vegetables in the marketplace, hence, Cabbages and Condoms. The proceeds from dinner (well what doesn't go back into the restaurant presumably) go towards programs that teach Thai people about family planning and making give people more access to what they need. And they also help build schools! Woo!

Jim Thompson House

Jim was an American guy who came over to Thailand during WWII but then never saw any action cause the war ended right as he got here. But, he did fall in love with Thai culture and decided to up and move here on his own. He helped make the Thai silk industry a huge deal and his silks were even used in the film the King and I (which btw is not a movie people enjoy in Thailand due to it's disrepectful portrayal of King Rama VI). Anyways, his house is awesome because he took three very old style Thai houses and put them together in order to create a huge open floorplan house. It is right along the river, has an enchanting garden and incredibly beautiful antiques inside from Thai palaces and temples...which unfrotunately you couldn't take pictures of. Also, he disappeared literally without a trace while on a walk in....Nepal (??) when he was 61. To this day they have no idea what happened to him.

                                         

                           

                           

                  

Ayyutayah

Ayyutayah was the second capitol of Siam (Thailand). Then, in some random year that I don't know, the Burmese came in and in an attempt to take over burned everything. Today, Ayyutayah is just a crazy little town about an hour and a half outside Bangkk that happens to have ruins scattered amidst 7-11s and houses in general disrepair. But the ruins are magnificent and include some of the most stunning Chedis that I've seen thus far. It was an incredible to walk through these disintegrating temples and wonder what they would have looked like in their heyday. 

                             

                                                 

                          

                           

                           

                                              

       Actually two of the best things from that day had nothing to do with temples. First: we discovered this AMAZING Thai sweet that I have yet to discover the name of. We kept seeing these stalls where people were making green colored crepe things and then had giant bags of what looked to be straaw or hair. Finally we decided to ask what they were and the woman made us a couple by placing the straw (which ended up being cotton candy-esque pure crystallized sugar) into the crepe, rolling it up and handing it over. OH MY GOODNESS. SO GOOD. I mean, yes, mostly sugar. Overwhelmingly so. But delicious and so glad we asked what they were becuse we then proceeded to buy a bag of each for our journey home. Second: we got caght in a HUGE thunderstorm which forced us to just sit down and chill out at a restaurant for a while and grab lunch...after apologizing profusely for getting water on everything since we were saturated.

                             

The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha

I can't really describe this place adequately enough to capture the splendour that you see when you walk in. Perhaps it was my excitement over being in a place that felt like I was living in The King and I, but the amount of gold, glitter, glass, and ornate decorations was honestly just stunning. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves though.

                                                

                               

                       

                            

           

                 

                                          

                      

Wat Arun--Temple of the Dawn

This was actually one of my favorite Temples, not so much due to the temple-y aspect, but I loved the shape of it---it was MASSIVELY tall. And also, no other temple has managed to terrify me quite as much as getting up and down this one did.

                        

                  

                 

                  

                     

Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai