On our last full day here in Thailand, our thoughts are reaching back through our whirlwind time. We’re positive that we will be processing this experience for weeks and months to come.

In conversation with others, be they Thai, foreign, fellow workers, businesspeople, or tourists, all the different sides to Thailand have amazed us. If it were possible to remove our memory of where we were talking about but just leave the memory, we’re doubtful that we could associate all of these understandings with just one place. How can one country be understood in such drastically different ways?

There is:

• Big, booming, business Thailand
• Beautiful, restful Thailand
• Cosmopolitan, Starbucks-drinking Thailand
• Remote, rural, economically struggling Thailand
• Don’t let your kids out of your site Thailand
• Seedy, sex-tourism Thailand
• Family-friendly, what an amazing opportunity to grow-up here Thailand

At this point we do not summarily reject or accept any of these understandings of Thailand. We will sort through them and form our own understandings giving space to Holy Spirit to shape our insights into a world so unique from the ones we have previously called home. Without divine insight we are simply another expat family living in the tropics. That’s just not enough for us.

More than just time, understanding takes intentionality and a willingness to put aside preconceived understandings. We know that some days this is easier than others and in some life areas it can seem next to impossible. Our prayer has quickly become, teach us how to love, and to live in a way that embodies that love. It is not a matter of ascribing to this understanding of Thailand or that understanding, but rather a journey of understanding while recognizing humanity’s need for a saviour. The Thai portion of this journey, for us, has just begun.

*Internet issues (those happen) prevented us from posting these thoughts earlier.