Amanda is Here!

Amanda has actually made it to Thailand! Hurray! She was released from quarantine March 13th, which was exactly one day shy of the date we landed in Thailand last year. The boys enjoyed that piece of trivia. We enjoyed that she was finally successfully here. Since she couldn’t book a flight straight to Chiang Mai, having to stop for two weeks in Bangkok for quarantine, we were having trouble finding an affordable flight that would accommodate her allotment of international luggage, since the only flights running in-country are budget flights. In the end, we all piled into our car and went to pick her up. It was a great break for us and she was glad to have the chance to see Bangkok after just being in a hotel room there for two weeks. It was a whirlwind three days but we had a lot of fun shopping at night markets, riding in a long-tailed river boat through a lock and on the canals and just being reminded of the uniqueness of Asia through new eyes. You forget what is novel and strange to westerners after living in Asia for so long, and I had to laugh at myself multiple times for not realizing what would be different for her. I loved it. The long weekend in Bangkok gave the boys a way to get to know her and share their world in a casual setting which we were glad for too. 

​The rest of this month will be filled with getting her set up in her house, showing her where/how to shop, arranging her visa and details with her language school (she will stay here for the year on a student visa), and all the other details that come with setting up and living for the first time in a new country. We’re so glad she’s here to help us with homeschool which allows me time to focus on language and ministry. 

Thanks for your prayers,
– Ruth, for the Baker family

Night Market Food

River and Canal Tour