Recovered from the travels and back to work!

We finally reached Mukdahan, Thailand yesterday but it was not easy.    We attended the services at the church in Bangkok on Sunday and left on a 9:00 p.m. overnight bus for Mukdahan.  There is no airport in this smaller town and no easy way to get here.   Last year, we flew to Vientiane, Laos and then took another flight to Savannakhet.   Having to go through customs and immigration in Laos, we had to go back into Thailand and go through customs and immigration again.  We took a bus for a shorter trip to Mukdahan.    We decided to try the alternative way to get here this year.   The overnight bus from Bangkok was a 24 seater with reclining seats...well, slightly reclining and the trip was a total of 9-l/2 hours. I did not have enough leg room and felt like a week old pretzel by the time we arrived.   Roads were so rough every few minutes we would hit a pothole that would loudly shake the bus.    It was another trip that never seemed to end.  

Chern (our minister and house parent) and King were an hour late picking us up at the bus stop after we arrived.   We first went to a small hotel recommended but it was very noisy on a main street.  They would not cut the price for a monthly rate so Ron decided to look elsewhere.     We went first to an apartment building and Chern and King went to check on an efficiency apartment or room.    Americans will be given a higher rate for everything.   They found a room but felt it was not the best we could do, so we went to a small apartment building and found the room we have rented.     I don't know if all in this building are rented rooms or if there are some apartments.   We are on the 2nd floor on the end next to a small side street.    It was very quiet overnight.

The room is basic...tile floor, king-size bed with sheets and pillows, wardrobe, small wicker table and two chairs and a small fridge.   The bath has the shower over in the corner but in the same room as the toilet and sink which is typical of bathrooms in Asia.   At least we have a commode and not a floor toilet as we did in most places in China.  We have TV but one channel in Thai.   We also have internet but it is slow.  Ron bought a $50 microwave that we will give to King when we leave.    We can eat out sometimes but find enough simple food at the market to manage for a couple of months.  The room has no frills but it is clean and adequate and the rate is $6 per day.  

We were exhausted from the bus trip so after we settled into the room and unpacked some of our things, we rested.   We were awake from 3 a.m. so maybe we will get our days and nights back straight tonight.   Today is the first day we have actually felt well and have a full day of work.

I am trying to catch up with my computer work again.  Ron is looking for a translator and a clearing contractor to clear the land where the next safe house will be constructed.   Once that is achieved, the wall around the property will begin to be constructed to secure the site for building materials.  When things are moving along, we will make trips to our two safe houses in Vientiane, Laos and Luang Prabang, Laos.     Ron is anxious to make the trip to Luang Prabang to distribute funds to flood victims.

Some of my readers do not know King.    He has recently come to work for SAS from being a director of an orphanage in China.    King lived with us in Georgia for two years and had skin grafts for burns (2005-2007).   He returned to China and became the director of the orphanage where he lived while he completed his high school education.   He accepted the director's job after completing two years of schooling at Four Seas' Bible School in Singapore.    Last year, King came to meet us in Bangkok and expressed his interest in leaving China.    The crackdown on religion is serious and Christians are fearful to meet and worship.    King is learning Thai with an instructor but serving as an English teacher for our girls at this location in Mukdahan.    He said he has a one-hour class each evening and a two-hour class on Saturday for the girls.    King has a loving heart and he will do a wonderful job being the English and Bible instructor after he learns Thai.  

As the week progressed, I will post more updates.