I think one of the benchmarks of growing up is when you come to the point of writing your own annual Christmas letter. Though in many ways I don't feel I've reached grown-up status, this year I'll at least have my own Christmas letter. So for those of you who haven't yet seen my Christmas letter, have a look below. A blessed Christmas to you all!
December 1, 2008
Dear family and friends,
Why is it that as the Christmas season approaches, we so often feel the urge to write to our families and friends about the highlights of the year gone by? I don't know that I have an answer for that, but I do know that I have the desire to send my Christmas greetings to you and fill you in on what comes to mind when I think of the year 2008. Here's a list of ten things that made this year a special one.
1. I'm blessed with a job that I love. Our mission team is like a family, and the Bible students I teach and live with in the dorm are like my brothers. The job keeps me busy, and I have learned and developed many new skills here.
2. Celebrating holidays has been fun. Songkran is the Thai water festival in the middle of April that is basically a three-day, city-wide water fight. As beautiful as November's Loy Kratong holiday is, I decided I'd seen enough of it last year and didn't want to bother dodging the stray firecrackers and rockets this time around. Even some American holdiays were thrown in the mix: I celebrated 4th of July with about a thousand people at the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai, and most recently enjoyed THREE Thanksgiving dinners!
3. My girlfriend Bethany was able to come visit over her winter break this past year. We spent some time in Bangkok, then off to an island beach before returning to Chiang Mai. This time around we're hoping to spend some time in Cambodia. Despite the long distance away, she has been a great blessing and encouragement to me here.
4. My passport is starting to fill up a bit more. This year I made three trips into Burma (Myanmar) for what we call "visa runs" (my Thai visa requires me to re-enter the country every 90 days), as well as a trip to Hong Kong and Macau.
5. I was able to return home for a month this past May through June, and it was great timing to celebrate my niece's baptism, grandparents' 60th anniversary, and brother's wedding all in one month!
6. You'd be hard-pressed to find a marathon at the end of December back at home, but here in Thailand it's possible. The Chiang Mai Marathon is on December 28, and after several months of training, I'm looking forward to running my first 26.2 miles (42 kilometers is the more common measurement you'll hear in Thailand).
7. I don't have to miss out on playing one of my favorite sports, ultimate frisbee, while living here in Thailand. Chiang Mai has a club team that gets together a few times a week, and although marathon training has taken me out of the game a little bit lately, in general it's been a great way to meet new friends in the city.
8. Thai language learning continues to come along. I've stopped taking private lessons for about three months now, but the daily living and work where I'm surrounded by the Thai language helps tremendously. I'm starting to read the Thai characters a bit now, which especially helps when it comes to singing the songs during worship. This term at the Bible Institute I decided to join in one of the classes with the students -- speech class. The class is conducted in Thai, the written material is all in Thai, and the speeches I've had to give...you guessed it, in Thai. It's been a fun challenge.
9. While I was home this summer I purchased a Mac laptop, which has been a huge blessing to have. It has made communication with family and friends back at home much easier. There are some great music and video editing features on the Mac, which I hope to put to good use in the future.
10. God has protected and provided for me every step along the way this year. The Lord has nurtured my faith in Him as I see the evidence of His goodness all around me here. I thank God for the opportunity to serve the Church in Thailand, for Christian brethren here, and for the ways the Lord continues to mold and fashion me to walk more closely with Him.
It's been about fifteen months since I first packed my bags to come to Thailand. If you do the numbers, you'd find that I've spent approximately five percent of my life now in this country. When I consider the gravity of the life lessons I've learned here, though, this five percent has been incredibly significant and formative. 2008 has been an incredibly great year. Thanks, praise, and glory be to God! May He bless you abundantly as you celebrate His plan of salvation this Christmas season, namely through the birth of God made flesh in Jesus Christ our Savior.
Eric
0 comments:
Post a Comment