Well, we had our first race day on Tuesday! Despite an amazing start that shot us out in front, we did not win the day, pretty much entirely due to a traffic jam that had us tied up for a solid hour. However, our team did have a lot of fun racing around Bangkok trying to find different locations without being able to speak a word of Thai. Actually, that’s wrong, we could say thank you (Kharp khun ka or kharp khun cop, phonetically), which we said so many times that by the end of the day we couldn’t remember how to say it. Don’t ask me how that works, it just happened.
The race took us up the highest tower in Thailand, on a prayer outing into one of the largest red light districts in the world, into the richest mall in 
the area, through markets, down freeways, on sky trains, in taxis, out to a hindu temple and, my favourite, crammed into the back of a tuk tuk. In case you’re wondering what a tuk tuk is, think of a motorcycle with two wheels in the back, a covered seating area, and a railing at hip level to keep you from falling out. These are designed for two passengers, which to a world racer means you can fit five (you can see 3 in the pic, there’s another person on my left, plus me). Why pay for two fares when you can all fit in one?
This afternoon marks the end of our time in Bangkok as we head out to our ministry area in Ratchaburi. We’re very excited to meet our hosts and get started tomorrow. That said, I’ve already grown attached to what amounts to a routine for me here, like coming down to the market everyday to get food from a lady named Pompooey. She speaks a little English and always smiles ear to ear when she sees us, asking us (through many attempts) what we’re doing today, how long we’ll be here, and where we’re going next. I don’t think she understands all our answers, but we communicate as best we can, which in itself is a fun part of my day. I’ve picked up a couple words in Thai from her, but it’s a hard language for me to hold on to.
Please pray for us as we all travel to our ministry locations today, and for the ministries themselves as we get started. We did an eye opening tour of three temples here in Bangkok yesterday that really showed me a lot about the culture here. Thailand is beautiful, but spiritually very oppressed and oppressive, so prayers for protection from the enemy are immensely important, and that his hold would begin to be broken here. Praise that the flu bug I was fighting on the way into Thailand died out after only a day and a half, thanks to the prayers of my team mates as we flew. So far no major health concerns, we all seem to have adjusted well so far, pray that it continues this way.
