Well, you can’t really complain about spending five days relaxing at a Thai resort island. This debrief has been pretty laid back in the way of scheduling. We have a time of worship at 9AM along with or scheduling announcements for the day, and then we have time to sign up for one on one debriefs with our mentors. The rest of the day was free time until 7PM when we gather for more worship and testimonies.
Today was our last day on the island, and it was completely free. There are lots of things to do on the island like a boat tour, snorkeling, scuba, jet skis, four wheelers… Of course all of that requires spending money.
Some of the guys rented four wheelers the other day. Jake took me out for a ride, and even let me drive for a little. I think he may have regretted that just a little. I was having so much fun that I almost forgot I had a passanger holding on behind me. I almost lost him once going up a hill. I’m sure he had a pretty rough ride. I had a great time though.
Most of my other free time has been spent just walking around or lounging. I have had to stay out of the sun due to the sun burn I aquired during our bourder run. I actually got second degree burns on my knees from the sun. I can’t figure out why I got burned so bad when other pale people barely got pink.
My knees were so swollen for a few days that it was hard to walk. The swellin started to go down just in time for our trip to the island. Now I am just covered with blisters and beginning to itch and peel profusely. It’s actually pretty gross.
Aside from that, I am having a great time. I learned a very valuable lesson at this debrief (aside from wearing sun screen). Communication got a little messy last month, and expectations were not met. Unfortunately, I let my flesh get in the way a little and was looking at everything from my point of view.
After talking it through with Seth, I got a better understanding of how to come under authority and the need to follow the “chain of command” in dealing with differences. It was a very valuable lesson that will affect the way I handle challanges in the future. I really appreciate having that kind of leadership to go to with these kinds of questions, and being able to learn from their experience and wisdom.
Of course, there is always the need to work it through with the Lord and check it with his will, but it helps to have a more mature perspective on things.
We will be leaving in the morning to go back to Bangkok and then leaving the next day to go to Cambodia. I don’t know much about what we are doing there yet, but it will be a very different environment. I am looking forward to it, but I will miss Thailand. I really do like it here. I never would have guessed that.
