FUN UPDATE TIME!!

We have been having so much fun his week! Not only has service been amazing (one new beloved publisher-with an incredible story of her own- was nearly moved to tears of joy while in the ministry with Gina due to a very touching RV on a Cambodian woman. I am sure she will update all) But we have also been simply enjoying life with the dear friends here. Human and animal alike.

Just one way the Thai congregation has made their way into my heart is due to the mandatory potluck we have been made to partake of every Sunday after the Thai meeting. We have begun to bring a dish of our own to add, but Oh the joy of eating other's food! I am in Heaven :) Here are Gina and I with our choice morsels:

 Eunjin and I

 The whole cong enjoying the feast

 Our Fav- Wiimon and his fish :)

Speaking of fish, we went to a Fish Festival Sunday evening with the Thai, Russian, Korean, and Sign Language friends. It was more like a fair-street festival with live bands and shows. We shopped, ate, laughed AND Hugged A Baby Elephant!!!!

While at the fish festival we discovered yet another favorite. Lehk and his family are in the sign language group and he is Hilarious!! So Gina and I both received our sign names. Her name is an I or G (for gina?) spiraling down her head due to her lovely locks. My name, on the other hand, is penguin! After much discussion and possible other names being based on my cheeks this is what they came up with. So the next time I saw Lehk and his wife they mimicked a penguin in their greeting to me. Makes me happy every time ;)
The story how they became Jehovah's witnesses is wonderful. I will try to share a shortened version.
Lehk and his family were Buddhist and were given the Life in a Peaceful New World tract about 10 years before. He read it so many times that it fell apart and he had to tape it together. One day while out he saw a Kingdom Hall and noticed the name Jehovah on it. He went to the meeting that week and they sat in the back. No one spoke to them for 3 meetings. Once they did they discovered he and his wife were deaf. So the brothers assigned Fa (our instructor) because she once took a sign lang class in the UK for 3 weeks. So really, she had to learn the language to teach Lehk and his wife. And their son Thomas was a terror child. Every study he would bite Joe (Fa's husband) and draw blood! He was about 3 I think. Now he is like another person, so mild and sweet. He asks Joe if he remembers how he used to bite him sometimes. Joe has high hopes for him since he is proficient in Thai and Sign alike. Lehk became the first deaf brother in Thailand as well as the first deaf regular pioneer. He works full time and volunteers 70 hours per month to help others learn the truth. In addition to this not only does he have us laughing non stop but he has incredible rhythm and plays 3 instruments!


So I will finish with some pics from our day at Kholan Island with our dear friend Liz from Canada and our new Korean replacements for Jud-Ian-and Jalum. (haha miss you guys!) Eunjin and Gowoon! They are sooo fun and silly!! We had so much fun with them. But more important they are terrific assets here in Thailand and truly love Jehovah. They both served 2 year sentences in prison for not joining the Korean military. And while there they learned new languages that have helped them in the ministry. We will have more stories from them soon I am sure. We want to interview them sometime for a  family study about their experiences. Enjoy!

It was a lovely day.
Miss you all!
Love,
Amieee