Volunteering at Care For Dogs

 Anna used to volunteer at the humane society when we lived in South Carolina, so she wanted to see if that was a possibility here as well. The people who used to live in the house we now live in told us about a place less than ten minutes from here. We signed up to do their orientation and got our rabies vaccines (a requirement for volunteering there). We went to the orientation and learned about what volunteers do there. It will be a little bit different because volunteers are only allowed to walk dogs, bathe them, or spend time with them in their pens. Anna would feed, water, clean kennels, and give medicine at the one in South Carolina. Anna was glad to be back around dogs again.

School Carnival

 The school has a carnival every year for each of the classes to raise money. They sell baked goods, drinks, have fun games to play, face painting, a photo booth, and more. We were able to play games, eat some yummy food, and hang out with friends. 

First Tuk Tuk Ride

 Phil and the girls went downtown to see some sites and to listen to a symphony that was playing outdoors (for free). They took a taxi there and rode in a tuk-tuk home. 

Chiang Mai Night Safari

 We have been visiting different churches in Chiang Mia. Phil and Kate were sick, so the rest of us decided to visit a church closer to where we live that meets at the Chiang Mai Night Safari. One of the perks of visiting this church was that we were able to visit the animals after church for free. 

Elephant Cafe

 We drove up the mountain to Elefin Farm & Cafe. We were able to feed the elephants and also have some refreshing drinks. It was a beautiful day to be outside. 

Tale of the Lost & Found Suitcase

 When we arrived in Thailand, we were missing two bins and our purple suitcase. We were calling airlines and airports and trying to locate our bags. No one seemed to be able to help us. On Jan. 3rd, we went to the airport to check and our two missing bins were in the office. The purple suitcase was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, that suitcase contained most of Phil's and my clothes. We were wearing and washing the same outfit, plus, a few extra clothes new friends had loaned us. Two weeks later, I "happened" to see a FB post from a family we didn't know, but they were on our team. The husband was flying back to Chiang Mai from the US. I contacted the wife and asked which route he was flying. She said he had spent the majority of the day in the airport in the states only to be rerouted through Doha and Bangkok (the exact route we took). Here is the story from his point of view:

"This trip back to Thailand went a lot smoother than the last one for me; there were no quarantines or unexpected positive covid tests, no outrageous hospital bills, no extended stays in quarantine hotels, I didn't even have to wear a mask on the long flights! Not everything went according to plan however. From the start, I knew I would have to run when I landed in Bangkok to make my connecting flight, I even packed to run in the airport. As I waited at the airport for my flight from Fort Wayne to Chicago and then on through Japan, the delays started to roll in. Fifteen minutes, half an hour, an hour, two hours, now I knew that I would miss my connection to Japan and went to the counter to begin working on a solution. After a LOT of discussion and button pushing (with Stacy finding the proper flight on her own and telling the counter attendant about it) I was rerouted through Doha in Qatar. It was stressful, and I was annoyed, but at least I had a way back. However, now I had only 1.5 hours to deplane, get through immigration, get my bags (100 pounds of them), get through domestic security and board my flight to Chiang Mai from Bangkok. I prayed and settled into the 16 hour flight trusting that somehow it would work out. In the meantime, Stacy was talking with a new family who had just arrived in Chiang Mai and is serving at Grace International School. This poor family was having an awful time getting one of their bags back after the airline had lost it. Turned out that my rerouted flight was the same rout that they took when the bag was lost. Stacy asked if I could help when I got to Bangkok. I laughed and thought, 1.5 hours to do all that and now this too!? I'll do my best I guess. I arrived in Bangkok on a full sprint to immigration. I quickly found a Thai immigration officer and explained as best as I could in Thai that I was going to miss my plane and asked for help. She reluctantly let me go to the priority lane to be processed. Praise the Lord number 1! Next I had to get my bag which I was early for because I skipped the immigration line. This gave me time to look for the lost bag. The lady at the airline counter told me sadly that they didn't have it and that they were sorry. However, looking over by the baggage claim I saw a pile of probably 300 suitcases and boxes that were unclaimed. The suitcase in question was purple, so I started searching. At one point a guard started asking me questions so I acted like I didn't understand and kept digging out purple bags. I was about to give up when I pulled up the lost suitcase! As I pulled it out, my bags come up the belt and into the baggage claim area. I took my bags and the newly found bag to the counter and they let me take it!! Praise the Lord number 2! The problem now was that I had to check that new bag with my other bags and pay the overweight fee, which would cost me time. At this point it was 7:30 and my flight was scheduled to leave, not board, at 8:00. I hauled the thee bags through the international terminal to the domestic check in area and was greeted by a HUGE line. I searched quickly for an attendant and again pled my case as best I could in Thai. She helped me out too! She led me to a different counter and got me sorted! Praise the Lord number 3! Next I had to run through security and get to my plane. This is way too long already so I will just tell you that I boarded the plane at 7:55 with them announcing my name on the overhead system. I was dripping sweat and pretty frazzled, but I made it! Praise the Lord number 4! I was able to get home as planned, reunite the suitcase with its grateful owner, and teach class the next day as planned. Praise the Lord number 5! God is so good and sometimes our plans get disrupted in order for him to accomplish something unexpected. Our job is to do our best to walk in obedience and marvel at what he does."

I was talking with Bob on the phone when he was looking for our bag in Bangkok (I had sent him pictures of the bag-purple-and the luggage tag-teal). I was able to hear the exact moment he found the bag and then it began his sprint to the plane. We did end up having to pay $150 to fly the bag from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, but we were just happy to have our clothes after two weeks of wearing the same outfit. We are thankful that the Lord works in mysterious ways and he answered the many prayers for that lost luggage.

Two Weeks Here

 We took some time and went to a fun cafe to celebrate being in Thailand for two weeks. 

Arcade Fun

 We finally made it to the mall to celebrate John's birthday. Instead of ice skating (the rink was closed due to private lessons), we went to the arcade instead and had shaved ice cream.