Arrival update

We arrived in Chiang Mai to a grand welcoming party on January 1, 2015 and then we were taken right away to our first Thai massage and then out to dinner at a (you guessed it) Thai restaurant with the Shepherds and another MEI worker from eastern Europe. The sleep thing is a thing, a big thing, the greatest side effect for Joyce and I so far has been staying awake at the right times and forgetting details here and there. The first night Joyce slept 13 hours and I was up at 2:30am local time, which is not that far off of my regular wake up time. I think it was what we each needed since my back does not do well when I lay down for long periods of time.

Some of you saw that one of the gate checked bags we brought did not make it on the same flight. It was a last minute requirement of the airline that we check a bag that we thought we could take as a carry on. It contained one of our assessment iPads, a Nikon camera with lens, and most importantly a pair of new shoes that Joyce had just bought. When we got to the CM airport we discovered that the baggage claim ticket had fallen off so we did not have the number. We described the bag to the agent and gave her our address. And in true form to His goodness we received the bag and all that was in it later that day.

If you don’t follow us on Facebook try to get on it and friend us as there was a number of interesting posts about the journey this last week that many seemed to enjoy. Our oldest son’s post was especially moving and touched us deeply. Okay, I cried like a baby when I read it during a stop in Tokyo.

We have a lead on a car (a chevy) for a great price and start looking for a house to rent next week. Since we moved here during the middle of the school year houses are a bit more difficult to find but we have total faith that we be provided just the right one. We are looking for a home with a downstairs room for testing since it will be an office and a home. We also need a place that is easy to find for those not familiar with the area.

We have met some wonderful people and overall are very excited to be here. We have been able to get local cell phones too. Let us know if you would like our local cell phone numbers.

If you want to call us from the US we have discovered that Google Hangouts works well if you are willing to give up iMessage for Apple users. While we had no contracted cell service we were able to talk with Michael during a layover in Singapore. The connection was clearer than what we used in California. We talked for an hour without delays or interruptions.

Since this email is going to a number of people around the world I have had to keep it somewhat vague in spots but I am sure you can fill in the blanks.

Honored to be in CM,

Brad/Joyce