Getting Lost & Losing Sleep, but not Hope

Well, I'm finally typing this message from a home computer rather than at an internet cafe. We have had the kind arms of the Fujii family opened up in hospitality to us. We were just craving relaxing in a peaceful home environment. I'm so thankful for my friends to open up their home to us today. It's such a restful oasis in contrast to the emotional roller coaster of last night and this morning. We moved to a new hotel close to the airport last night. When we had originally made our reservations, we had planned to stay at the Bangkok Christian Guest House a little longer and then move out closer to the aiport before we returned. But, after we cancelled our plans due to the airport closures we were not able to reschedule all of the days we had initially requested at the Guest House. And that was before we knew that our time in Bangkok would need to be extended. When you're just making a reservation over the internet and looking at photos you can't really imagine what it'll be like. The hotel is quaint with nice grounds out front. However, no one in the cafe really can understand our English and last night the cab driver they called for us really took us for a run. We were trying to meet up with some missionary friends for a Christmas party at their Abundant Life Center. However, we didn't have the exact address. Our cab driver spoke no English and we noticed he was taking us way too far, but his cell phone didn't work. So finally I said in a rather firm voice, "Toorasap!", which means "telephone", when I saw some pay phones. He got out and casually took his time chatting away to our friend, almost leaving my address book in the phone booth while the meter kept clicking away. What was only supposed to take 30 minutes ended up taking a little over an hour and cost almost double. Besides, he never did really find the place we wanted to go to. I was getting highly suspicious that the guy was out to rip off the foreigners when we got in the area and he was trying to ask us, "Where is it?" Duh! He had just gotten directions from our friend over the pay phone. So, just then Jay saw a sign with a cross and pointed to it. He dropped us off at the church, which was not actually our friends, but we felt safe to go inside and ask if we could use their cell phone. Fortunately, it was nearby to where we needed to go and our friend came and helped show the next taxi the way. Penny was seeming very withdrawn and down the last couple of days. She asked our friends when she'd be going back to Udon Thani. I just said, "Mai sahp ka." (I don't know.)

After our escapade with the taxi we were pretty worn out and yet, I could not sleep. We had jets flying low over our hotel, besides tons of other noises outside. And Penny was feeling really insecure. She kept getting closer and closer to me constantly jabbing her elbows, knees and head into me. Needless, to say, I didn't sleep hardly a wink all night. I feel like I'm already on jet lag and I don't have an infant to deal with and have yet to fly over the ocean.

Then this morning we planned to meet friends for a church service that meets in a Novotel Hotel. I just remembered this friend saying it was near to the airport. So, we took a cab to the Novotel right next to the aiport. But, after we got there we discovered that there is another Novetel about 30 minutes away where the church service meets. We finally made it there just in time for the sermon. It was a bit hard to concentrate. But, it was neat to see that Penny was interested in reading a comic version of the New Testament that our missionary friends in Khon Khaen had given her during the service. It was her first time in a church service. But, she seemed open enough. We do hope and pray that she will open up her heart to know God as she has been raised in a very Buddhist enviornment.

This afternoon has been the most refreshing part of our stay in Bangkok. I've known the Fujii's since 1988. Leith had been our assistant pastor of the church I attended while in college in Chicago. In 1998 they felt the call to go as missionaries to Thailand. It's amazing to see their kids all grown up and they are just showering us with hospitality by letting us take naps in their quiet home, checking our e-mail, helping verbalize all kinds of things to Penny in Thai and as I type Carol is taking Penny on a little bike ride in their neighborhood. What a relief! Even though she is not an infant she has been practically stuck to me like glue and what a nice treat to actually get a little alone time and to see her smiling again because someone can speak her language.

Tomorrow we will hope to get our visa interview with the USCIS and then carry the packet across the street to the Embassy where we hope they will grant us an interview quickly. It might help that my mom had Senator John Thune's office calling and asking them to give us an interview as soon as possible. Our renewed I-171H should be waiting for them as it was cabled on Friday. So, thanks for your prayers.

The other good news about this whole crazy hotel ordeal is that we found that the Novotel in Bangna is actually very nice and not right by the noisy jets. So, we're now planning to stay there for Tuesday and Wednesday and hopefully will fly out on Christmas day. The missionaries we met last night kindly called the US NW Airlines Adoption Reservations Deask via Skype so that we could change our tickets, since the NW office in Bangkok was closed for the weekend. They said that it was no problem as it looks like the plane should be half empty. Quite different from when we came to Bangkok and all our flights were overbooked and we always ended up sitting in the back.