Oishi means "yummy"

I love this green tea drink called "Oishi". It is a Japanese product, flavored with honey and lemon, and is delicious. Of course, when I found out that the word actually means "yummy", well that made perfect sense to me as a bit of genius marketing! Years before when I lived here, I was similarly addicted to coca-cola---so I hope this is a slight improvement!! Refreshing cold drinks are an absolute necessity in this hot and humid climate. I am just back from three days up on the mountain at the annual Chiang Mai Womens Retreat. This event attracted over 200 women, some from as far away as Egypt, and was a splendid and refreshing time. It is a great chance to get caught up with old friends that you otherwise do not get to see, and for me, a real highlight of my trip. The mountain is so beautiful, and is so close to the city that it seems like just a short drive until you are heading up, up, up---on a winding and narrow road of course! I will try to post a few pictures later today to give you an idea of what it looks like.

Happy Birthday Party Part 2

Happy Birthday Party!

Every Agape Home child has a celebration of their birthday each year---for many, the first ever birthday celebrations they have ever had! It still touches me after all these years to see how excited they all get...the build-up, the anticipation, and the HUGE smiles on the "big day"! I love being here to share in some of those special days...and with 72 children and young people in residence currently, chances are pretty good that I will catch at least one party no matter what time of the year I am here!! In the "old days", we used to be able to celebrate each day separately...but with so many now, the practice is to group children who share the same day/week for their party. The practical impact is just the same though---as no matter how many birthday boys and girls are being celebrated, each sits in their own specially decorated chair, has their own birthday cake and candles to blow out, and thier own bag of presents chosen just for them. We had such a celebration just this last Monday---and it was as great as ever! My favorite part comes at the end though, when one child is chosen from the celebrants to step forward and offer a prayer for the birthday child. It is a special moment indeed---often followed up with squeals of laughter, and cake-eating, and at least one balloon "fight"!!