Day 41: Chiang Rai.

It feels like I'm in a dream...one big, fat, surreal dream. We overslept this morning and almost missed our flight, but thank God it all worked out perfectly. I would have been the most disappointed and pissed off person on the planet if I missed coming to Chiang Rai! Ok so seriously, this place is amazing. We're staying at River of Life Children's Home with the Wheelers, and let me just tell you how big of a blessing they are. Debbie picked us up from the airport this morning and we had breakfast when we got home...rice and eggs are so perfect. (Note to self: buy a rice cooker when I get home) We took a super long nap since we got up so early, and then went to a cute little market area about 15 minutes away. We also got to go with Pat to pick up all the kids from school, so it was fun surprising them for sure! And yes, once again, these kids have stolen my heart...they're amazing! There's about 17 kids here I think, and only 3 or 4 of them are boys. It's a weird because I'm used to Grace Farm in Honduras where it's all boys. But I really like hanging out with the girls here, especially because a lot of them are older and they speak English really well. We all played volleyball for an hour before dinner (made ya proud Madre), and that was so much fun! So clearly, that counts as working out right? Haha.

So anyway, Debbie is such a sweetheart....definitely one of the sweetest people I've met over here. She is taking such good care of us, and she's just amazing. We rode around with her in the truck today for a little while when we went to the market area, and I'll say this time and time again...it's such a small world!!!! It was so weird when she started talking about Caleb and Sam and how they lived up here and stuff. SO WEIRD!!!!! I can't even describe how crazy it is that I'm on the other side of the world, and yet I'm walking in the same places that so many of you guys back home have walked! And yes, the everyone remembers you guys! (We asked. lol)

The sky here is awesome! There's nothing like getting away from the big city and looking at the night sky without all that light pollution. Mars was super bright tonight and glowing the reddest I've ever seen. I also saw my favorite constellation, Pleiades, for the first time since I've been here. Is it sad that I really did miss seeing it? Haha...So maybe I look up at it every night back home. I'm a dork, I know. I really did love living in Bangkok, but I'd pick this place over a big city any day. I wish we had more than just a few short days here. Return trip soon? Yes please.

So tomorrow we're heading up to the Burma border to a town called Masot, at least I think that's what it's called. I know it starts with an "M"...haha. Debbie said there were tons of markets and stuff to shop at, but the poverty is much more prevalent in that area. But I'm gonna go to bed now because we're getting up at 6am to do a devotional with the kids and have breakfast with them before school. So sleep is callin' my name.

Love you guys! One week from today I'll be rollin' back into the ATL. Time sure does fly by...

I'm out.
Cwalk.