Hello everyone! We put up our Christmas tree over the weekend and Annie Dieselberg gave us a pointsettia tree that we placed OUTSIDE our front door. Now you couldn't do that in South Dakota!
I did not go to the Refugee Camp. Those of you who get the prayer letters know that we had several women missing over the weekend and Goi still has not had her baby. It wasn't the right time to leave the city. I did help pack the truck with over 3,000 individual bags of clothing for all the children. Each child got a sack with one complete outfit and a piece of clothing for an adult. I was told if the item doesn't fit, lots of bartering goes on. This is part of the fun for them. There were also snack foods they don't normally have as well as small toys. It is hard to imagine spending your whole life in a refugee camp. There are many refugee camps along the borders of Thailand filled with desperate people who have fled persecution and war in Burma, Laos, China and Vietnam. SO SAD!
This past week the people of Thailand celebrated the king's 80th birthday. The king is greatly loved in this country for his benevolence and genuine care for his people. There were huge fireworks displays every night for a week as well as displays of his picture surrounded by objects of devotion everywhere in the city. On Mondays of each week, Thai citizens wear yellow to honor the king and on queen's day they wear pink. There are even some very devoted citizens who watch a special tv channel to see what color the king is wearing that day so they can match their outfit to honor him. Can you imagine people wanting to match their outfit color to what George Bush is wearing that day? Another cultural difference that I am glad we don't have in the US>
Enjoy the season! Susan
