We are about to end this week with everything running smoothly. Ron feels the workers on the construction know what they are supposed to do although he got there this morning and they were not compacting the soil around the foundation properly. He stopped them and made them do it right and they said they understand. So many shortcuts are done in Asian countries and it results in poor quality of construction every time. He told them they are about 100 years behind in the way they do things. He said they are making very good concrete blocks on the job site now. It will take a lot for this large building so it will be an on-going process for some time.
Christmas Day is not a holiday here so workers will close the job down on December 30 and return on January 5 (taking a New Year holiday instead). We are going to leave on Sunday to visit our girls in Laos. We will take a bus from Mukdahan to Savannakhet where we cross over into Laos, go through immigration and get a taxi to the airport. We have a short flight to Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. Hong, his wife and three children host 8 young girls in their home as a safe house for vulnerable girls that need a home and an education. Hong oversees two move girls in foster care, four girls in a minister's home, and 22 girls in a rural village about 35 minutes from Vientiane (Doon-Ian). We will be in this area about a week to spend some time with Hong, the house parents and girls in each location. From there, we will go to North Laos to Luang Prabang where two ministers each have three girls living in their houses. Ron will also go to the villages along the Mekong River to help the Christians that suffered from monsoon floods this year that destroyed crops, cattle or houses.
If you have time and interest, there are some travel videos on YouTube that depict life in these cities. You can see how travel is done (taxi, motorbikes, vans, buses), street markets and interesting sights for tourists. There are two travel videos for Luang Prabang that will be of great interest to you. It is a tourist city and a very delightful place to visit. It has an European influence due to the fact it was under France at one time in history. Vientiane is much larger and typical of a big city in Asia.
When you have an hour and want some really good entertainment, go to YouTube and watch the National Geographic documentary on Wildlife in Thailand. It is very beautiful and interesting. We have not seen any of these places because it is in North Thailand where there are mountains, rain forests and uninhabited areas where the animals, birds and other creatures live. It is a wonderful video so enjoy watching this film sometime.
Ronald and Gigi will spend their holidays in the Ingleside/Corpus Christi area of TX, provided they can get something else repaired on the RV this week to be able to travel from Alvin on to Ingleside. They are having the same "luck" we have with something going wrong on the RV at every stop along the way. I think the fuel filters has to be replaced last week. This time it is a back shock absorber broken and leaking. Getting someone to do repairs and finding parts is often a challenge when something goes wrong.
Leigh Ann will travel back to Atlanta for the Christmas holiday and our granddaughter's birthday. She has friends she will stay with next week.
We wish our family (and YOURS) safe travels and a very Happy holiday with rich blessing expected for all in the year 2020. Our prayers are with those who have lost loved ones this year (some only recently) and the difference it will make in the joy of the holidays this year. Their loved ones are safe and in a better world on the other side, but for those who are left behind in this old world, it is a tough time. God bless you all.
With love.....Ron and Pat
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