All set - Go!

The title is a little misleading.   We are getting ready to go to Thailand on November 1, 2020.  But, we have a lot to do in the short time left.   

Ron is busy getting the maintenance done on our Tiffin RV to try to get it to a lot for sale before we leave.  RV service places are totally busy and its hard to get any help to do the repairs.   He has a man coming here on Saturday to try to find the electrical problems not working.   He has a man here today washing it and getting part of it ready to paint.   He will have to get someone to help him with the canvas awning that needs some work.   

I have a dental appointment in two weeks to get some small cavities filled.   I had a tooth pulled about a month ago that had an infection under a crown for a very long time.  I thought I just had some gum problems but it was actually a bad abscess under the tooth.

We will try to clean up the back yard before we leave.  There are many limbs fallen from the trees but there is a burn ban on now.   In October, we can break up the limbs and burn them in a burn barrel.  We want to get the yard in a good shape before we leave because it will have to be left until we return in the spring.   We will try to get the young neighbor next door to rake leaves in the front yard but the back yard is just natural and we will just let them accumulate there.   

We will fly from Atlanta on November 1st.   Originally, Ron planned to leave on Nov. 11th but he changed the reservations so we can leave before election day.  We will vote by absentee ballot as soon as it arrives in the mail.   We plan to leave early just in case there are uprisings or riots due to the election.   We don't know what will happen if President Trump is reelected and we believe he will be.   The Democrats and organized movements such as BLM and Antifa may try to destroy our cities.  Highways, airports and such like could be shut down to prevent us from even getting to the airport.    

We will have a short flight to Dallas and then from Dallas to Hong Kong.   We will have one night in the hotel at the airport and the next day fly to either Chiang Mei or Lampang.   I'm not sure if flights are available to Lampang but that is where we will end up and stay for almost four months.    Chiang Mei, in northern Thailand, is a tourist area where many expats go to retire.   There are beautiful communities there where rent is very reasonable for extremely nice houses.   Lampang is about l hour's drive from Chiang Mei.   I saw a couple of YOU TUBE videos about this place but it is small and I don't think there's much to see or do there.   They have beautiful temples in Thailand but they are not of much interest to us.   I do enjoy the food so I hope restaurants are open and the markets will be good.

I hope we will be in the hotel in Hong Kong on election night so we can watch the outcome on TV.

The virus was very light in Thailand and we are safe there but may have to quarantine 14 days upon arrival in a hotel.    Thailand will start issuing 90 day VISAs in order to get tourist back so we will apply for the VISA so we will not have to leave the country every 30 days, as before.   This 90-day VISA allows us to renew it again twice (1 month each time) which will allow us all the time we need.  Ron hopes to complete the house construction early in March so we can return to the U.S. 

Due to the Coronavirus restrictions, we may not be able to visit any other country on this trip.   There is still a shutdown in Nepal to some degree and the border between Laos and Thailand is still closed.

Cooler weather came to North Georgia this past week.    We had 50 degrees this morning.   We are not far from the North Georgia Appalachian Mountains.  This is probably a temporary cool spell and there will be warmer days in October.

We will miss Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays again.   I loved these celebrations every year with family and friends but since we went into the mission work, it has not been the priority of our lives.  As our children went their separate way, it was not the same if we had to spend the holidays at home alone.  We remember Tatum's birthday on December 22nd (our granddaughter) each year as she was the best Christmas present we ever received.   

September is a bittersweet month but mostly sweet.    Both Leigh Ann and Ronald had birthdays in September.   They are both such a blessing to our family.  Their births are vividly remembered each year and each day of their lives is a blessing to us.    I honestly do not know what I would do without them.  I thank God for giving us these precious offspring.

Ronald and Gigi are celebrating a 9th wedding anniversary tomorrow and through the weekend for a short getaway to a resort in the Philippines where they got a 50% off rate.   We could not ask for a sweeter daughter-in-law.   Gigi is precious to Ronald and to us.  I told them this week that I think God gave each of them to the other as a special gift from Him.  The chance of their meeting just had to be made in heaven.  

My mother died in September and after 37 years, I can vividly picture that time with her and her funeral as if it was yesterday.   We never forget our mothers.   I am always thankful for the life she gave me, the love and protection she extended to me and the teaching she gave me.   The loving care of a Christian mother is priceless.   There was never a time, not even for a minute, that I did not know that she loved me and thought I was one of the best things that ever happened in her life.    My Dad died when I was 3-l/2 and she always told me God sent me to keep her from being so lonely in life.    I miss her and cherish my heritage.

Keep us in your prayers as we continue our daily work with Save Asian Souls and Philippine Mission and prepare for the long trip to Asia again.    I will post another segment as things progress and I have more information to share.  God bless you all with good health and many continued blessings.