Brittney's Parents in Thailand

On Friday November 28th at midnight we picked my parents up from the airport! We were so excited for our first visitors and to see family! It felt so unreal to see them here in Thailand. They had the trip planned for a while, but I kept telling Brandon I don’t believe it until I see it. (Those of you who know my parents, know this was a REALLY big adventure for them.) So Friday night was very exciting and emotional time getting to see my parents for the first time in over a year. 
While they were here we took them on a couple adventures and showed them a little bit of what life is like for us. It was funny to see their reactions to things, after living here for over a year I guess some things have just become normal to us. Here are just a few pictures of those adventures...

We shared with them some things about the culture and how the Thai people "wai" to greet one another. They got to see McDonalds and other places that we have back home, but how they have differences.

They learned how to use the money. They were a little scared at first because they would spend 100 Baht (=$3) and feel like they were handing over a $100 bill.

They were able to visit with Jo & Jessie and meet some of our other friends!

They tried some Thai food! I was so surprised how adventurous they were! I still can't believe my dad tried some of the things he did, I think he surprised himself as well!!

I was able to celebrate Father's Day with my dad. Father's Day is the King's birthday (December 5th), and you see big pictures of the King all over Thailand.

The next day was Dad's birthday and he got to celebrate it Thai style.

They got to visit the hospital and room Josie was born in.

They got to visit the Thai church we attend. Everything is in Thai so it was an experience for them.

Experiencing some shopping on the street.

We took them to a fresh market near our house.  Dad ventured out and bought some stuff to try, but the fried bugs were too much.

Got to visit some Buddhist Temples. I think this helped them get a better understanding of why we are here.

We all enjoyed a nice cup of tea after a Thai massage.

We showed them a few ways to travel in the city. This was one of dad's favorite parts, ridding a "tuk-tuk."

We visited a nice mall and did some Christmas shopping. It was so nice to have my mom to go shopping with.

After two weeks together, saying goodbye was really hard!

After dropping them off at the airport we were really sad. It was a very emotional taxi ride home. The tears just poured out thinking of how bad I want to be near family. If we were honest, neither of us spoke it, but the thought of how easy it would be to go back and be with our family came to mind.  When we got home we were still thinking of these things and about why should we stay here. As we walked to the door of our condo there was an obvious reminder for us. Seeing this lady bowing to the monk asking for blessing really stirred our hearts and reminded us that though it may be a struggle, God has us here for a reason! May His name be known to all peoples!