This is an often asked question of missionaries. One of the reasons we eat out so often is that eating out is often cheaper than eating at home. But the main reason our family eats out is to get to know the people in our neighbourhood and to hopefully build up relationships with them and share the gospel with them.
I feel like Thailand has lost its colour. I have lived in Thailand for over 16 years. Normally, it is a place of colour, noise and smiles. My Thai friends and neighbours love to wear bright colours and love loud music but since their beloved King died, they have lost their colour and many have turned down their music. There is a sense of sombreness over Thailand. Most people, including us, wear black everyday. Websites like "Google" have all gone black, white and grey in Thailand. Phone apps like Line, are all in greyscale too. Where there were once colourful pictures of the King all over Thailand, now they too are in black and white as a nation mourns its beloved King.
After 8 months of language and culture study in Lopburi, in central Thailand, I wanting to find a nice way to say goodbye to Thai friends in my neighbourhood and surrounding community. I figured I'd make it the opposite of a house-warming party, maybe house-freezing (with ice cream!). In the end I chose to call it a Desserting Party, though the pun didn't translate so well in Thai (settled on หนีออกจากบ้านด้วยขนมหวาน).
My original thought was to just have sweets, but as I talked to my Thai teachers and a couple other Thai friends, I discovered that this wasn't the Thai way to do such a party. It had to be the full meal deal! In the end, my teacher volunteered herself to do all the cooking for a very reasonable price. Another Thai Christian made up amazing invite cards. Some other missionaries baked up delicious sweets, one Thai Christian helped set up a tarp in case it rained and another Christian couple (who have a church in their home) planned games for the kids and provided Christian literature to give out.
It turned out to be a great time of food, fun and friendship, with a little over 30 people (about 15 of those children) coming out. Not only was there opportunity for my neighbours to receive gospel in printed form but people also saw the body of Christ working together in loving action, something many people in Thailand have yet to see. Please pray that the seeds planted will continue to be watered and that the connections made will lead to people coming into Christ's kingdom.
I love running. Back in Switzerland I used to go running seeing huge mountains in the distance. I could go any time of the day, in the morning, in the afternoon and during summer I could even go in the evening, because it wouldn't get dark before 10pm.
Coming to Thailand I quickly realized, that running isn't possible at any time of the day. During daytime it gets so hot, that any kind of exercise (apart from swimming) is madness. So mostly people start exercising late afternoon, when it's getting a bit cooler.
Having two little ones makes running also a bit more complicated. Late afternoon is the busiest time for us, because it's dinner time, shower time and then bed time. So by the time, the kids are asleep, it's dark outside, and running is impossible, if you don't want to be chased by aggressive dogs on the street.