Songkran aka 3 day house arrest

House arrest ends tomorrow, overall it has been quieter than normal. Today marked the end of the festivities and we had a bit of noise on the main street three blocks away. They ain't got nothing on DR! During our confinement we stayed busy learning Thai, muttering at the rubbishy internet that has made work miserable, inventing homeopathic remedies with three ingredients and meals including; tempura crepes and garlic ramen. There is only so much you can have on hand without a fridge. Yesterday Ladawan brought David and Katie food that they very kindly offered to share with us. Green curry and fish with wild mushrooms, we felt so spoiled! Ladawan came to Bangkok to work when she was 12 after the death of her father. She explained that she worked in the food industry getting up at 4am to shop for the days menu, prepping the food, washing dishes, etc. often carving 500 pineapples until midnight. She went to school Saturday and Sunday nights. She is now 27 and her six brothers and sisters are grown and her mother has passed away so she concentrates her efforts in the English ministry and cooks meals for the Special pioneers. We really enjoyed our afternoon with her discussing the Thai territory, favorite points from the zone visit and teaching her Phase 10, at which she whipped us.  It was great fun hanging out with our international family and we were so grateful to have some veggies!
I took advantage of the forcible home time to work and one of my students in France was curious as to why I was in Thailand. He said next year he hopes to go to an Ashram to find much needed inner peace. He asked why we are considered a sect in France and was surprised to learn that we don't get any financial support for the work we do but are self-supported. I explained that our purpose in visiting people is to help them find the inner peace we have found through bible principles. He was favorably impressed and said he would ask his questions to witnesses next time they came by. This made me remember one of my students a couple weeks ago who started talking about the Pope and how he hopes he will allow gay marriage and female priests. As we delved into the topic I explained the bible's viewpoint and asked whether he though people should endeavor to adhere to God's standards or popular opinion. He back-peddled and thanked me for our metaphysical conversation but had to end the class because something had come up.

Thank you all for your wonderful examples that continue to be a great source of encouragement support. Hope this finds you well. Can't wait to be able to go out and about tomorrow!