The Karen

January 20 

Tomorrow we leave for a village further up the mountain. It is already hard to breathe at this elevation, so this should be interesting.

We have been in Om Koi since Wednesday- it is now Sunday and we leave tomorrow morning. Here, we have lived in a hostel and with students. There are 39 of them, and they are all Karen! So awesome. And on top of that, they have all professed Jesus Christ. It has been amazing telling them out testimonies, teaching them worship songs, and hanging out.

My team and I split into two groups for this village: painting the hostel and working the farm. Since it was simply a choice and I had painted with Not For Sale last week, I choice to work the farm. One Kilometer away from the hostel, we walked, is a farm. They told us the name of the trees we were planting and helping to grow, but I do not remember. I think tamarin, or something close to that. They also had banana trees and animals. Around noon, we would break for lunch and return around three, after the strongest  part of the sun. We would work until the students got out of school, around five, head back to the hostel and hang out. One night, I asked one of the boys, Suracha, to teach me a song. He ends up going to bed before this happened, but two of the girls, Branie and Lowet stayed  to hang out. Kaylie, one of the leaders, ended up joining us and we worshiped in English for a little and then Kaylie remembered a song she learned in Burma last year. They knew it. They sang in Thai, we in English. Then we asked them to teach us in Thai. So we sang for awhile, learning the song, making awkward faces, and finally getting it down. Last night, Saturday, I learned This Is the Day in Thai and we taught them a couple of songs in English. Now, they prepare for school tomorrow and, I guess, a send off for us tonight, most of my team is packing (other than those who left this morning for Chiang Mai) and, obviously, me. 

I had to get my thoughts down.

Tomorrow we leave, but we return to the hostel for a night after our time in Mew Kler Kee. I will probably cry then. 

Okay, time to go to the store.

Tonight(Sunday), the Karen people put on a program for us and some of the house sponsors. I went up to share a testimony on the Father's heart for us based off of my own experience. I got through without crying, but when I sat down I was shaking. I took a second to calm down and during that moment a woman came up to me and placed her scarf around my neck. I never got her name, but I will never forget her gesture of love to me. The scarf is pretty but the heart behind the gift is beautiful. Ah, God. :) and I shared in front of Buddhists. Ah, so cool God!

January 25

We leave Omkoi for good in the morning. Our school week in Mew Klew Kee was fantastic. Pretty much fell in love with the village. We taught English, the chicken dance, learned a little Karen and attended a wedding feast by accident. I cried as we left, heck, before we left. Then we arrived in Omkoi and I walked off by myself and found a lovely spot. I watched some girls play and enjoy the river, and I sang. I forget most of the song, but it was about the lives that I had collided with while here in Thailand. The lives of Dow and Oot and Simon and Mae in Mae Sai. And the lives of New and Dang and Suracha in Omkoi and the lives of Ibree and Thanglare and everyone else whose name I either do not remember or can not figure out how to sound out phonetically. The song was about how my heart is now in two; one part with me and the other with them here in the different parts of Thailand. And I cried as I sang because I sang my heart although I did not fully know what my heart was saying or wanting. 

Now I know a little of it. Today, I journaled how if God wanted to give me some of my heart's desires, I know which ones I want. ;) I know that this thinking is not...the best, or even correct, but if God were to ask me what I wanted; I know. I want a country and two people groups. Yeah, that's right. I want Thailand. I want the whole country. And I want the Shan and Karen people. 

There is a slight problem with these desires of mine, but I won't say what it is.

Even if I can not live in Thailand, I will be pounding on the door of heaven daily for this country, these people. 

Because my heart is in two

One part with me

And the other part

In the different pieces of Thailand that I have been to.

And we still have Mae Sot and Burma to go to.

January 27

Big surprise here! Got lost! Literally have no idea where I am, but that is part of the fun. ;) 

Wish I had brought a band aid though.

You know, I seriously have no idea where I am. Somewhere in Chiang Mai, but I went through a sketch part of town and now I am just looking for the wall. Haha from there I know where I am at. Still looking for a towel as well. Oh and my Aladdin pants. :) night market for those though. Oh, I ended up at Tops supermarket and found.. NUTELLA! One happy girl right here. Thinking about just getting a tuk tuk and going back to the hotel, but I stopped for a milkshake. I should have stopped somewhere with a bathroom though. Ha