Wedding Day

Today we were able to attend Nok and Bob's wedding ceremony at Eden House. We had been praying for good weather, and we were a bit concerned when it began raining lightly around 7:00 a.m. We experienced some heavy rain earlier in the trip, but this was just a brief shower and the weather was beautiful for the ceremony. The wedding began at 10:00 a.m., and ran for almost 2 and 1/2 hours. I videotaped the ceremony, and my location near the front provided me with a great view of all of the activities. I really enjoyed the spoken Thai language and songs, and seeing the unique traditions.

There was a large group at Eden House (maybe 400-500 people), and after the wedding we had a great lunch with Massaman curry, tom kah gai, pad peuw wan, gang gai, and sticky rice. When lunch was finished and the crowds left, we helped break down the chairs, tables, and tents. The afternoon has been spent at Eden House, with games, laughter and good discussions. This has been our first full day with the girls, and it has been very good.

Last night Steve and I were able to attend Patchara's and Daoprasuk's graduation ceremony from the English Extracurricular Program (EEP) at their school. For the pas three years, about 25 students have focused on English studies from Grades 7 through 9. The program seems to have provided some unique opportunities, with camps, field trips and other special activities. During the ceremony, they showed movies, mock news broadcasts, and MTV-type videos that the students produced. We had dinner at the graduation ceremony. It was a lot of fun, and Steve and I felt honored to be invited to attend. It was a special night for me.

It has been fun rooming with Steve. We're each struggling just a tiny bit with the time change, and have alternated waking each other up in the wee hours of the morning. I'm hoping that we can each sleep through the night tonight.

Well, I guess that is all for now. Thank you for your prayers. I am blessed to be part of this team.

Mark