Sawadee Kha (hello) from Thailand!

I'm currently sitting in bed at the cutest little guest house in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where it's raining. The perfect sound and ending to a great day. It hasn't even been 24 hours since I arrived in Thailand and here I am. What a whirlwind, mind-blowing trip it's been. Bryan has reminded me at least 7 times today that it hasn't even been a full day yet. Hello, pinch me, I'm in Thailand. WHAT?! We laughed all throughout the day about how amazing it is that we are here and how this has come to be. Our God is SO big and so loving!

I left OKC at 6:40am on Sunday and arrived in Bangkok at 11:40pm Monday night (or 11:4am OKC time). We are exactly 12 hours ahead of everyone in America which is somewhat fascinating to me. Time change is such an odd thing when you are on the flip side of all that is familiar. The flights were smooth, the people are real friendly and the culture is beautiful. Thailand isn't really what I pictured although I really didn't have any expectations to begin with. Bangkok is a huge city with large buildings and busy highways. The airport there is massive! Bryan and Nikki picked me up and we immediately headed to a guest house. It was so great to see a familiar face upon arrival. This morning we woke and had breakfast at a quaint little restaurant down a small alley. The smell and weather remind me a lot of Sierra Leone...I even had scrambled eggs and pineapple for breakfast which was typical for us in Africa. It's funny to be here and reflect on previous experiences. I've been missing Sierra Leone a lot but I know that God has me here instead and for good reason.

We flew out of Bangkok around 1pm and arrived in Chiang Mai an hour later. Chiang Mai is much smaller and more natural. The grassy mountains remind me of Hawaii. The air is thick but it's tad cooler. The place we are staying at seriously looks and feels as though we are in a giant tree house. (See photos!) After meeting some folks Eleho partners with, we relaxed a bit then headed to the local mall where we ate. I had fro-yo in honor of SoCal. It was tasty:) I'm trying to avoid all spicy foods for at least a little while, considering my stomach has a bad habit of getting ulcers when I'm overseas. We'll see how long I can go without getting sick!

Anyway, it's been an exciting yet exhausting 24 hours. I leave you with my first photos of the trip. We have internet access so I'll keep you all posted as we go along this journey.

first night in Bangkok:


Breakfast in Bangkok:



Welcome to Chiang Mai:









peace,
Abby