The winding down of the school year...

I'm excited that Keenan, from Colorado, and Angela, from Colorado but in Australia for a year, are coming to visit. I go to Bangkok on Sunday night on the overnight bus to meet them and hang out and shop at export shops and watch English movies and drink Starbucks coffee and just be together.

But I'm sad that it's not much longer till I come home as saying goodbye is one of my least favorite things to do. Honestly I think I would rather get a tooth pulled or a shot of gammaglobulin (which if you haven't had one, it's based on your weight and is like pushing jello through the eye of a needle). You get how much I hate goodbyes...it was hard coming out here and it will be hard going home.

And only 3 and 1/2 weeks of school left!! There's a lot to do in those few weeks...we have a cultural arts contest where the kids write, paint, dance, sing, play music on one theme - many cultures, one family. Then the next weekend is the first annual Chiang Rai FLC Sprint Distance Triathlon, the story follows. Then the next weekend is the Awards Banquet and then the last week of school with all its excitement - packing up boxes, packing up books, cleaning up classrooms, FLC soccer game, graduation and the last school dance. Then the next day I head to Bangkok with all my worldly possessions that I currently own, excluding those in Colorado that Keenan took back for me and all my winter clothes (not needed here at all). The following day, June 9th, I start my flights home with a short layover in Hawaii to debrief with some missionary friends and then to Texas for 8 days and home to Colorado on June 23rd. Not much longer...

So the story on the 1st Annual Chiang Rai Sprint Distance Triathlon...Sounds official, huh? Well, really it's just a friend, William, who has made significant changes in his personal health in losing over 100 lbs and wanted to host a race. I have been working out as well, and thought it would be awesome! So that is how the first annual race was born. Next Saturday, May 24th, we will be swimming 750m, biking 20k, and running a 5k, which for me will be walking after I've completed the other two, but when I return to Colorado, I am going to begin training for a 5k race to run completely September 1st with a few of my closest friends in Woodland who are training for 1/2 and full marathons.

I cannot say for those who have been supporting me in funds and in prayers, exactly how grateful I am. This time in Thailand has been life changing and Stefanie-redefining. I am so thankful to have partnered with you and to have you enable me to reach awesome missionary and non-missionary kids in Thailand at the Family Learning Center. It has been a great time and I plan on finishing well!!

If you feel led to assist with traveling expenses or funds to help in re-establishing life in Colorado, all will be greatly appreciated. My plans for returning are to get there, then wait and see what God has for me. If it was a year ago, I might not have been able to do this, but having trusted God and lived on Him for a year, it's a bit easier. Notice I said a bit...it is not easy to abide or to wait and see, but that is my only option other than completely stressing out and having freakouts and panic attacks. Waiting and seeing really is the best option.