Yesterday morning I got an email from Ben. It is funny how one simple little email can change all your plans in a hurry! His email said that he was flying into Mae Sot yesterday at noon, and flying out today at noon, and he needed me to be there to sign some papers for him. Now, we were still in Mae Sariang, just getting ready to do our weekly shopping. We discussed it, and of course if one of our kids needs us, we have to help, so we all jumped on the motorbike, (Destiny was with us) and started a marathon shopping trip.

Shopping is not the same in our town as it is in yours, I can almost guarantee it! First you go to one shop, and buy one or two items that you need, then you head to the next shop and search for another item you need, and keep going until you have made the circuit of the entire town. We are not talking about vastly different items here, we are talking tofu, and vegetables and some fruit, and soap! Simple stuff can be really time consuming to get. But, we made it through town in record time, and then headed out of town towards home.

When we arrived at Mae Ngao, an hour after leaving town, we piled everything and everyone into the boat and headed down the river towards home. Upon arrival, Jason and the girls met us, and we packed all our loot up the mountain and deposited it in the kitchen. I quickly grabbed some clean clothes, took a few measurements for my Mom, then dashed back down the steep trail to the waiting boat. (I left Destiny in Jason’s care.)  Another hour of cruising brought us back to Mae Ngao and the waiting motor bike.

We hopped on that motorbike and headed on up the road in the opposite direction from where we came that morning, on one of the bumpiest, curviest roads in Thailand. (Main roads that is…there are worse roads, trust me!) Now, our motorbike is no Gold Wing…it does not have back rests, or comfortable seat cushions, or anything that might make you feel comfortable about riding all day long on it. But, if you have to get from point A to point B in a given amount of time, there are no other options but to torture yourself on said motorbike. The only redeeming quality about our motorbike rides is that everyone we see approves of us being tortured in this manner. I think that it makes people feel good to know that the white people are enduring agony just like they are. It gives a sense of camaraderie or something sinister like that. While your seat and back are being beaten almost to death by the pool sized pot holes in the road, the tropical sun is doing its utmost to turn your skin into something resembling a lobster, while dirt, sand, and bugs are filling your eyes, nose and mouth. (When you are crazy enough to open it) Of course, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

We finally arrived in Mae Sot last night, hooked up to Wifi to see which room Ben was at, only to discover that he missed his flight and will not be here until this afternoon!

The only consolation for our hard day, besides hopefully the red turning into a great tan, is that we got to eat out at our favorite restaurant late last night, after starving all day. I am afraid that I was too tired to really appreciate it much though.

All this…just to sign one little paper for my son. It seems like a lot of effort to go through, and yet, it reminds me of what Jesus was willing to do for me. He left the comforts of heaven and put up with an incredible amount of discomfort in order to help me. Can I expect to live a life of ease when Jesus did so much for me? But God doesn’t make things all that fair…he gives me great joy in serving others, in putting their needs before my own comfort and convenience. It may not make sense, but that is just the way it works.