This is my first update from Asia! I had a wonderful trip over. As some of you know, I ended up having to make the trip alone since I was the only person ready to return at this time. Although some people weren’t excited about that development (mom, grandma), amazingly, I wasn’t worried at all and God really gave me peace about it. The trip, from start to finish, took 32 hours and it ended up being the most restful and relaxing 32 hours of my life! Even though I had to go through security again at every layover, it all went smoothly. When I got lost, there were nice people who spoke English to point me in the right direction. Even going through customs was a breeze! I’m so thankful for God’s protection during this trip. There were so many things that could have been so much more difficult, but I saw His hand working in the little details. He knew I needed some peace and quiet after the chaos of packing up and leaving America!

This week, first of all, I’m trying to get over jet lag. To those of you who gave me coffee as a goodbye present, I cannot thank you enough! I’m trying to be very strict and only allow myself to take one 20-minute nap in the afternoon, when I am the most tired. Let me tell you, It is HARD! I may or may not have accidentally fallen asleep on the couch yesterday and took a long nap. Oops! I was so sleepy that every time I blinked, I would instantly be asleep. It is really really hard to not blink when you feel like you have 10lb sand bags sitting on your eyelids! I have made the executive decision to only sit on the hard wooden chairs now, since they are much less conducive to impromptu nap time. I am avoiding that couch like the plague! This afternoon, I am attending an Asian fellowship that is conducted all in their language. It is hard enough to stay awake when you are jet lagging and you do not understand the language. This is going to be quite an interesting afternoon!

I will be starting full time language study next week and speaking no English the week after that. I’m going to be studying with a tutor for the summer months and starting classes at university in September. While the next few months will be difficult, I am super excited to start the process of becoming fluent! It is so exciting!

There are several things you can be praying for. First, please pray that I could find an apartment within my price range that is still in a decent area of the city. Second, pray that I get over jet lag quickly. I need to be fully functional in the next few weeks as I start the language learning process.