To sum up day one... all I can say is... Wow what a day!
My day started at 4:45 when the jet lag finally caught up with me and my body decided that sleeping was no longer an option and it was time to get up and get going! For about 10 seconds I couldn't remember where in the world (literally) I was. The pool of sweat I was laying in quickly reminded me that "I'm not in Kansas anymore Toto!" My room doesn't have an AC unit yet so I am living with windows open and a fan blowing directly on my bed all night.
After staring at the ceiling until around 6:45, I finally decided it was time to get up. One of my roommates was up and getting ready to go to Agape so after finding a banana to eat, I decided to go with her. We found a rickety old bike along the side of our house that could at least get me to Agape. So, I hoped on and we biked the 15 minutes to Agape.
Now when I say biked, I don't mean a leisurely bike ride with the wind blowing in your hair, as you laugh. No, I mean a 15 minute ride trying to stay as close to the edge of the road as you can so you don't get run over by the intense morning traffic. Needless to say, once I get my bearings and figure out where I am going I think it won't seem so daunting!
Once we arrived at Agape, I was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of love welling up in my heart. From the moment I laid eyes on the first baby I saw, my heart almost burst. I fully know this is where I'm meant to be and where the Lord has called me. During morning devotions, one of the little babies fell asleep in my arms as I fed him, and in that moment I felt like I was holding the most precious child of God. I'm sure these moments will happen as I begin to spend more time with the babies and preschoolers. Each and every child captures my entire heart and I think if I love anymore, my heart will burst! I pray that daily they even just see an ounce of my love somehow.
After spending the morning with the babies, my dear college roommate's parents came to pick me up for lunch. Steve and Alberta as missionaries here in Chiang Mai and it happened that we overlapped a day before they head off for furlough. Not only did they take me to a wonderful farm-to-table restaurant, but they were so wonderful to me and took me to the store. I kept telling Alberta over and over again how glad I was that she was with me shopping. She was able to give me tips on what organic food to buy, where to buy different things, and what I should watch out for. I don't think I could have navigated the store without her help! By the time it was all said and done, I had a cart full of fresh foods to continue with my healthy lifestyle.
Thankfully, the afternoon was rather slow as I was starting to feel the effects of the heat and jet lag. We fed the babies, washed them and got them ready for the night time crew to come.
My roommate Krista and I rode our bikes back together and cooked dinner and have been enjoying this somewhat cool evening (By cool I mean 79 degrees with a breeze and a chance of rain.).
So yea, day one was long. It was good, it was exciting and it makes me look forward to the next 364 days.
Cheers from Chiang Mai!
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