So this is what jeg lag is like...

Despite my attempt to battle the drastic time change by waking up at 7 am and not sleeping at all during the day, my body and mind are both still fully awake and 2:30 am (3:30 pm Thailand time). Awesome... I was told that since the time zones were 13 hours different, it would take me 13 days to return to a normal sleeping cycle. Looks like I'm not gonna be returning to work anytime soon! (If anyone has tips/secrets on how to defeat this monster, I'm willing to give 'er a try!)

Well, I suppose I should fill everyone in on what happened in Bangkok. First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the prayer! Wow... when I found out how many people were on their knees for me, I was seriously blown away. God bless you brothers and sisters.

So the story goes, I fly into Bangkok at about 11 pm on Monday night. Decided to just stay at the airport since my plane flew out at 6:55 the next morning. When the gates opened at 4, I was still awake so I got my boarding pass, checked in my bags and headed for passport control. Handed security my passport and he looked at it for a few minutes, then called over an officer whom I had to follow (uh oh). He then looked at my passport and informed me that I had overstayed my visa. "I overstayed?? Bought I bought a tourist visa that is good for 60 days?!" Turns out, that when I left Bangkok after staying for 2 nights and flew to Vietnam for 4 days, it ended my tourist visa because it's only good for one entrance into Thailand. Since I was only allowed to stay 30 days and stayed 14 days past that, they told me I had to pay 500 baht a day for each day I had been illegally living there. Looking in my wallet, I saw I only had about 2500 baht, not the 7000 they were asking for. Hmmm... let's see, I have no credit card. No more money. No Thai phone numbers. My parents are in Washington and don't have the contact info either. My plane boarded in an hour and it had to be payed in cash... uhhhh...??
I tried to convince the man to use some common sense and see that obviously the 60 day visa was for my "second time" in Thailand but he said it was no good. They called a United Airlines employee and she took me around to get my checked bags back and then to the exit so I could take a taxi to the US Embassy.
Let's backtrack for a minute. From the very beginning-- months before coming to Thailand-- my biggest fear MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE was having to fly back across America by myself. The thought terrified me and filled my heart with dread. Don't you love when God takes your weakest moments and uses them to teach you about Himself?
After a long and expensive taxi ride to the embassy, I sat waiting for my turn, looking pretty rugged since I hadn't showered, done my hair, slept etc. The man sitting next to me asked why I came to the embassy and I explained my story to him. He listened quietly and then wrote out his phone number for me "in case you have any more problems." I doubted I would actually use it, but it was nice to be treated kindly. When I talked to the people at the embassy, they told me a woman had called for me and gave me her number. I called her there from the embassy and found it was the Thai travel agent that worked with Vision Beyond Borders. She told me that a man from VBB had been at the airport looking for me, hadn't found me, but had booked a new flight for me the following day as well as left 7000 baht for me to pay the fine. Wow. Praise God. As if that wasn't enough, the woman told me I could come to her office, drop off my stuff and explore Bangkok since I had a free day. "OK!!" When I turned, the man who'd asked me about what happened was waiting for me. He then carried my big awkward bag up and down stairs, stopped a taxi, payed for it, and helped me find her office. Turns out he's American but lives in Thailand. We had the chance to talk about what I'd been doing in Thailand and my thanks to God for the strength He'd given me to serve Him in this way. God bless you, Larry from Oklahoma. It was an honor meeting you.
Once at Dao's (the travel agent) office, she let me go up to her bosses couch to sleep. When I awoke about 4 hours later, she let me email my mother, then took me out to lunch. I didn't even know this woman! Not only did she pay for lunch, she ordered dessert for us too. After lunch, I wandered around for a little, looking through a mall and the street market and then getting a massage to try and de-stress from the hectic day. At 5 I went back to Dao's office and she invited me to come and stay in her home so I could sleep in a bed that night instead of having another sleepless night at the airport. Did I mention I didn't even know this woman?! That night her mother, her sister, her nephew and her took me out to dinner and told me to order whatever I wanted because they were paying. After dinner, Dao let me shower and sleep in her room in her bed. That morning at 3:00 am, we woke up to be at the airport by 4. Before we left the house her mother gave me 1000 baht and a beautiful Thai keychain. Dao gave me a purse for me and my mother and 3 other small bags. I wished SO badly I had something to offer them. They were SO kind... I felt like we were family. Dao went into the airport with me and made sure I had the money and the passes home and gave me some coins and her number in case anything went wrong. Nothing did.

Before I left the camp, I prayed that God would make my faith great like that of the people I had been working with. They have no doubt that God will provide-- and though they have nothing and their way seems hopeless-- God provides for them, but never in a way you expect. In the middle of what I thought to be my worst nightmare come true, I remember that prayer and heard that still, small voice telling me to trust Him-- God has provided EVERYTHING for me on the trip so far-- why would the trip home be any different?? I apologized for my doubt and began to get excited to see how God would make this work because there was certainly nothing I could do about it. I am so humbled, so in awe, that God not only took care of the situation but poured His blessings and love onto me through these people that I had never met.
What an amazing God we serve. Hallelujah, what a Savior.
Jesus, I love you.