Taking Steps

Today was a count-your-happy-things sort of day for me.

<> The quick smile at a girl my age as we zoomed down the same road. Her's was just as big.
<> The happy conversation with Mae Wahn while sitting on her floor and looking at old pictures. She told me a little bit about when she was younger. She first went to Bangkok to find a job when she was my age, younger maybe. She said she was 18. That sounds big and scary to me. Wow. She had relatives in Bangkok though, so that helped.
<> Pii Phone stopped in this evening and asked if I'd like to go with her to the place she works. So we hopped onto the motor-bike with Halla in-between and went. It was fun to get out and see. After we got back we (Dru's and I) packed up a cake and ice-cream and went over to her house for an hour.
<> I had two different Thai people look at me with surprise when heard that my name was Frank. I thought that was kinda funny because none of the others knew it was a boy's name. "It's a good thing to have a different name." :) Yeah, I've always kinda gotten a kick out of the fact that it's a boys name.
 Today, amidst the enjoyment of Thai smiles it hit me hard how much I'm missing the English ones. (A huge thank-you to the two Sarah's who took the time to talk to me today, you have no idea how much that meant!) Lisl asked me if I'd like to go over and spend a few days with Sarah Brown and sit in on some IGo classes this week... I might. But it sounds scary to me.
Which is odd. Because I'm the girl who hopped on a motor-bike with a Thai lady I've only seen a few times, and we only understand a few words of each others languages, without hesitation. And thoroughly enjoyed myself.
 I think ultimately it comes to acceptance. The Thai people have been kind and friendly and interested in me. To the American kids I'm just another American.
 I think it's easy for people (including myself) to forget to look beyond the happy face, the name, how many siblings they have, and if they've been to Thailand before. And think about where that person is in life and what their needs might be.
  Sitting in church today, soaking in the happy fact that God has shown the way for a step in my life, it suddenly occurred to me that I need to keep moving forward. Life isn't about taking a step, then stopping in your tracks and glorying in that fact. It's about taking a step, thanking the Lord, and taking another.
 I was praying, and asking about the next step, and I think I discovered today that one of my next steps is learning to notice the needs of others more, and better. I'm a talker, and I do allot of it. But how often do I ask the other person how they are, really truly, deep inside.  Holding someone's hand as they take the next step can mean the world to them.