Tuesday, the storm

Tuesday during the day was a typical hot, humid, very sunny day. it is so precious to see all of the nurses and nurse aids walk around the property with umbrellas for the sun. they asked me today where mine was. i just explained that, yes, i know i should be using one and then leaned on that crutch that americans are used to it b/c they like to look tan. noi said i should start a trend when i come back to america by carrying umbrellas out in the sun. she said i could be in the guiness world book of records. hmmm, unlikely. :) she's so cute. seriously, we can just look at each other and start laughing. i love noi!

okay back to tuesday- clinic went really well again. again, each and every patient was an opportunity for ministry. i shared several tracts with patients and prayed with several of them. it was a very meaningful day.

tuesday night, we went to the tuesday night market. mary ashburn and mindy took us. chiang klang looks forward to this every tuesday night. it is a traveling market where people come to sell, well, just about anything. fruits, vegetables, watches, shoes, jeans, t-shirts, hair straightening irons, electric plugs/wires, knives, tools, etc. it's a mumble jumble of a flea market mixed with a fruit market. we walked around and got more fruit and a few odds and ends. it was fun. we were for sure the only farangs there. we are used to people just staring. we just smile back. we got crepes with chocolate there. yum. sort of. not like paris, but more like a waffle cone in a way. still good. then it was getting late and the sky was changing colors and the breeze was picking up. we made it home just in time for a huge storm! i've been here through several rains or storms this past month, but none like last night.

we got to the house and the electricity had just gone out. we all ate at a candlelight dinner, literally. we had to bring candles into the kitchen to see what we were putting on our plates. no fans. so we opened the front door and left the screen door shut for somewhat of a breeze to come. at one point, julie commented on the sky looking like a strobe light with the lightening. it did! after dinner, dr. tom said we were all going to watch a movie together on his laptop. they have been wanting to show us this movie called, "Joshua." it's a movie about what it would be like if Jesus came back during modern times, but not the second coming yet. we loved the movie! i loved the rain storming outside with God's firework display and then being inside all watching our movie together as our little family. i highly recommend that movie, i don't know how i missed it. well, the power didn't come on for another 16 hours!!!!!! so, you got it, that means we didn't have fans for the night or lights. clinic on wednesday didn't have electricity either. we've had a few clinic days like that before b/c of when the government does those power outages to save electricity. i found out today was legit and really b/c of the storm. it's nice to be able to sit here in the light now, with a fan on and type on an electrically operated computer, trust me. you'd be amazed at how much we've adapted. today i was in Pua to get money from an ATM, inside the bank was real air conditioned air. julie and i totally forgot what that feels like. it's wonderful!!!!!! wow. i will remember to appreciate it when i come back.

then, after the movie, julie and i were off to our neighboring rooms with our windows open to try to sleep. when i went outside to brush my teeth, remember i told you the sink is outside. i really do like it being under the stars like that, especially when it's a full moon. it's so awesome. the rain had stopped and i was out there, but i heard the loudest sounds coming from what seemed like thousands of bugs and frogs. they go crazy after storms!!! i've been in a city too long to not know this is normal, i guess. but seriously, one of the frogs sounded like an adult man as if he was addressing all of the other frogs. julie and i both started laughing b/c we both thought it sounds like that man who's voice is projected at 6am to give the local news in thai. it's a very low, eary sounding monotone voice. well that was mr. frog last night too. :)