Stories from Bangkok (part 2)

Royal Palace - Thailand

 Day two of our trip found us refreshed and ready to explore. We woke up around 6:30am local time and enjoyed an amazing breakfast of banana pancakes with honey and a fresh banana shake. If you haven't been to Thailand or had genuine Thai banana pancakes, then add it to your bucket list or come over to our house. I'm determined to perfect the recipe!

After breakfast, we took a walk around the river towards the Royal Palace. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy - so they have a king and queen with a prime minister and parliament. The King and Queen's pictures are everywhere in Thailand, every building, restaurant, house, and flag! The palace is vast with different kings adding different architecture throughout time. 

Royal Palace - Thailand

 As we were entering the palace, we were accosted by a man telling us we had to rent clothes before we entered. We were a bit startled, but also on our guard. Many tourists were walking into the entrance that the man said was for Thai's only. We sidestepped the man and entered the palace. We had to rent clothing - no shorts or sleeveless tops on palace grounds. Walking around the palace was really interesting and had us entranced with not only the beautiful buildings, but also the beautiful people who wave lotus flowers towards the Emerald Buddha.

Amazing pot - Royal Palace - Thailand

After trapezing around the gardens, we took a cruise down the river and into the canals. Filled with cokes that the ladies in small boats on the river sold us - cokes in bottles and not cans - we journeyed down the canals learning about how people in the Venice of Asia live. If you live on the water, then you have a boat and not a car. If you live on the outer canals, you've probably never seen the inner city of Bangkok. It's a waterworld or a land of bumper-to-bumper traffic.
We were also given a tour of Thailand's famous fruits. Our rice barge had a fruit buffet that included dragon fruit - a bright pink fruit that is white with black speckled seeds inside. Looks amazing and exotic, tastes eh.
Our souvenirs for the day included: a sarong, a coconut, a papered umbrella, a map, and a bracelet from the hubby. We were a little extreme for the first day, but we really enjoyed each other. The day included a lot of smiling. After all Thai people love to smile.
We feasted on more curry, pad Thai, spring rolls and shakes. Oh man oh man, we love Thailand.

Each day we read a Psalm. I can't remember which Psalms we read, but I want to incorporate some of our favorites here:

^"1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
   all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the LORD, my soul,
   and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
   and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
   and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
 ⁶ The LORD works righteousness
   and justice for all the oppressed.
 ⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
   his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
   slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
   nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
   or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
   so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
   so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
 ¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
   so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
   he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
   they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
   and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
   the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
   and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
   and remember to obey his precepts.
 ¹⁹ The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
   and his kingdom rules over all.
 ²⁰ Praise the LORD, you his angels,
   you mighty ones who do his bidding,
   who obey his word.
²¹ Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
   you his servants who do his will.
²² Praise the LORD, all his works
   everywhere in his dominion.
   Praise the LORD, my soul."  Psalm 103

Blessings,

D&A

Everybody blogs

Yep, it's true. A lot of people blog these days. Why do Derek and I blog? Well, we blog so that our friends and family who are half the world away from us can still be involved in our lives.

So, here is what we have been up to lately...

1. Tobin, Derek's third-in-line brother, has been visiting with us for the past two weeks. We have seen and done a lot here in Korea. Derek and I have even played tourist in our own city! We've really enjoyed having Tobin with us and I have really enjoyed getting to know the Tobinator better. 
2. We have survived the past 6 months of newlywed-dom. It's gone by both fast and slow for us. Major accomplishments are: learning to communicate, being each others champion, learning how to: budget and stick to it, live together and still get in some alone time, not take each other for granted, adjust to household chores, breakdown unrealistic expectations and diet together. We've also learned how to take rest in the Lord both together and apart. We've had some fights, tears and enough laughter and joy to fill an ocean...and all of it has come to us by Grace! So, I'm going to give out some awards to mark the first six months of our life together:
1. Best husband in the world: Derek Fekkes (This comes I hear from having an amazing example in his dad.)
2. Best at practicing patience: Derek - hands down
3. Best at playing piano while the wife makes Saturday morning blueberry pancakes: Derek
4. Best at cleaning the bathroom, washing dishes, and vacuuming: Derek
5. Best at consistently making the bed: Derek
6. Best at hanging up clothes and wet towels: Derek
7. Best dancer in the house: Derek
8. Most romantic date planner: Derek
9. Best at making sure the bike tires are pumped up: Derek
10. Best at running out for milk or eggs when needed: Derek
11. Best hug giver at the end of the day: Derek
12. Best shoulder to cry on: Derek
13. Most encouraging: Derek
14. Best friend: Derek
15. Best at throwing clothes on the floor: Anlee
16. And the award for honorable mention of the laundry goes to: Anlee (But, that is only because she demands all control of the laundry room!
3. So, in case you were wondering...these awards speak for themselves. 
4. Back to communication: we are learning that it could be the single most important aspect of fellowship in marriage. AND it's only possible for us if we are seeking God in our own hearts and then actively seeking God together. I have to admit for those of you who cover us in prayer that I've been failing at my part in this. It is a daily decision to commit all things to the Lord. It's hard. But, our joy is in the Lord, not in each other.We both said it in our vows - "We will never satisfy each other." Still true. If you are supporting us in prayer, please pray over strength in our individual prayer lives and for that to come alive in our prayer life together. 
5. We applied for a job! We finished Derek's resume, cover letter and posted some updated videos of him leading worship to our Youtube site - thefekkesfamily. We both felt really good about the job we applied for. To be honest, we can't see how it couldn't be a great opportunity. Our very best friends here in Korea are also moving to the town where the church is in a couple of months. This couple has been discipleship partners with us and huge encouragers. We are committing this to prayer. We know we want to be near family and friends and are still hoping to be. (Project for everyone out there: find a way for us to be close to both Anlee's family and friends and Derek's family and friends! Please send your ideas to us! They are greatly welcomed and anticipated!)
6. In reading job qualifications for worship leaders, I've determined that God has held Derek in his hands throughout Derek's life, crafting him as the potter crafts the clay into a beautiful man of the Lord, humbly submitting to the Word. I'm a proud wife of both Derek and Christ. Its an amazing feeling when you read qualifications and can scream - my husband is all of those things and more. I'm thankful to Derek's parents, brothers, family and friends, too. The saying, "it takes a village to raise a child." Well, Derek's village is amazing. And while I'm bragging, I'm so proud of my village, too. 
7. We start our last semester as teachers in Korea this coming Wednesday. We are excited and ready for the new semester! We have our classrooms organized and pep in our step! It's been since December since we have actively been teaching. I'm (Anlee) inheriting a lot of Derek's middle school students this semester and am excited to work with them. 

Lastly, we love and miss you guys. Something that has really been encouraging us lately is talking with friends and family from home. Skype us or email us whenever you can. We would love to hear from you - what's new and how's life.

Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

TOBIN IS HERE!

Create your own photo album

Korea would like to take a minute and welcome the third oldest Fekkes brother, Tobin, to Ansan! We are so excited to have Tobin come and stay with us for TWO WEEKS! YES! We picked him up from the airport last night. We also picked up a Quarter Pounder with Cheese...who doesn't want McDonald's as their first meal in Korea? Now, we are glad he is here and can get some rest.

Next up, more from Tobin's time here and Stories from Bangkok.

Stories from Bangkok (part 1)

Dear Family and Friends,

We have been safe and sound back in Korea for a week now.  It's amazing how fast time passes. How rich we are! So abundantly rich in the Lord! Both of us have been made with a desire to travel and oh, how He has enabled us to do so. We are testifying to His answering of a prayer. We challenge you guys to pray for the things that you "don't think are good enough" or "don't have a place in prayer time." He is generous with His children! We have both been prayerful about traveling and our Lord has met us in a huge way! So, we wanted to share some of the memorable moments of our journey to Bangkok with you. I (Anlee) kept a journal daily, even hourly, of our journey so that we can remember the journey that the Lord sent us on. We didn't go on a mission, but we found a great lesson on our trip. We learned how to love each other, how to be servants to each other, how to vacation WITH the Lord and not without Him, how to be generous and giving and how to take in the beauty of God's creation. We really enjoyed our trip and have come back renewed for the rest of our year here in Korea. Forgive me for being long-winded ahead of time. Here's how all of the fun began...

Leaving Korea snowing

 And we're off. We didn't sleep last night, anticipating our trip. We finished our packing early, ate some hamburgers for dinner and are now waiting to board the plane. This trip is a blessing. We are thankful to Christ for this opportunity to travel together. We pray for YOUR glory and not our own. Next stop, Guangzhou, China. We've been told to expect harsh treatment there, but we will hope for the best. 


We're also hoping for some edible food on the flight to there. Next, we have a 3 hour layover and then another flight to Bangkok. Looking out at the runway here at Incheon International, we see snow plows busy at work clearing the mornings snowfall. 


We are already beginning our vacation with McDonald's breakfast. AND we treat ourselves to an extra hashbrown! We're reading some good books. Strobell's Cast for Creator, Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Luther's Large Catechism and a commentary on the Pentateuch. 


We are delayed one hour! Why? Because of the pesky little snowflakes that decided to fall in large quantities along with the freezing cold temperatures that have the above mentioned snowflakes forming ice sheets on the airplanes wings. New experience of the day...having our airplane "squirted" with hot water. They have to defrost the wings or we can't fly...safe feeling, eh?


We hope we make our flight...takeoff...food on the flight is my first test...I try to eat the bulgogi, but pass it on to Derek. The roll with butter is yummy. Nap time. Derek actually fell asleep on a plane! HOLY COW! 


Beginning our decent into China... we have to wait in a customs line...are we really being stamped into China for a transfer flight...YEP, we are! Now we pray against any bad assumptions we may have about the airport in China. We are ushered into a foreigners only line where we had our passports scanned and our pictures taken. next, we were patted down pretty thoroughly by two women who seem to really hate their jobs. Haven't seen a smile yet in China. We stopped to get a snack, but we have no idea what currency they use in this province. We put it on the card, after much haggling with the attendants. Derek's stance is "We're on vacation...cost, eh. When else are we going to be in China?" 


Our plane to Bangkok is delayed...we were hoping to make it into the city before nightfall. I'm developing a huge case of anxiety! We wait on the plane for an hour before beginning to taxi. We wait on the tarmac in line for another hour. Finally, departure! Goodbye China! 


Derek has taken Tylenol PM. His head is lolling. Trying to get comfortable on a discount plane make for Asian body-types is not easy. We are hungry, tired, and in need of air and exercise. Really looking forward to some Thai food upon arrival. 


...my favorite sunset is one when you're flying high in the sky...we watch the sun set over China.

We've made it!

Landing in Bangkok...nighttime...I have anxiety! Made it through customs. Our bags made it, too. Unlike America, we do not have to recheck our bags to get in the country. Exchanged money. Korean Won to Thai Baht...oh how far we are from America. With combined fears of people who have traveled to Thailand zooming through my head, I can't even decide which form of transportation to take to our guest house. Derek takes over...going to trust in the Lord. 

Ummm...Pad Thai for 1$!

After an hour of clutching Derek's arm on the bus to our guest house, we make it. We check in to New Siem II - the perfect guest house for us. Pool, outdoor restaurant, PCbong, 15+ foreigners above the age of 50! We settle into our room. I FEEL SAFE! Okay, now I can think about my stomach. Let's eat!  2 chicken pad Thai's, please, with a blackberry yogurt smoothie for about 4$. Derek was so happy to order Pad Thai in Thailand!

How is that smoothie Derek? Umm...good!

Shortly thereafter, we turned in for the night. We needed sleep. Next up...day 2

Letters to my nephew

My sweet little baby nephew is getting ready to join us. He's reaching his due date and I'm reaching ecstatic! Caleb, named after Joshua's first hand man in the OT (Josh is my brother/the dad), has no idea how loved he already is. Right now, Christ is with him in the "secret place" (Psalm 139). This little guy was known by God before the womb (Jeremiah 1:4).  AND he is known by his Aunty Anlee.

While D and I were abroad, I kept thinking about baby Caleb and what he will be like, how he will laugh, if he will terrorize future siblings like his dad...(my older brother). Whatever he is like, I love him!

So, I'm writing Baby Caleb letters. He's soon to get his first postcard from an MIA aunt. I won't be there the day he is born, but I plan on being there for the rest of his life. ....

Dear Baby Caleb, I love you so much. Can't wait to meet you!            Love, Aunt Leelee and Uncle D

Wish you were here!

Koh Samui - from google

Hey family and friends,
We are enjoying our last day on this absolutely fantastic oasis, Koh Samui! Today's weather is beautiful, sunny and warm! We are pink with sunburn and lazy from poolside massages!
We're headed to Bangkok today! ...taxi...ferry...bus...train...ahh traveling!

See you when we return!
D&A