Are you sure?

"Are you sure you want to do this?" These words from the bank teller caught us off guard as they brought home the finality of the decisons we have made over the past several months. She continued, "If you close these accounts, it is really difficult to open a new one."

"In three weeks we'll have moved back to the US, so we won't need these accounts anymore," I replied, the words sliding off my tongue, betraying the turmoil going on inside me. I had to speak quickly, before the impact of what she said sunk in any further.

We had taken advantage of a trip back to Phon Phisai to go to the bank where we had opened the accounts. We saved surcharges by doing that. We had already transferred most of the funds electronically to our US account, but wanted to wait until that cleared before we closed the accounts. As we walked away from the bank with the small remainder of the funds in our hands, I felt a strange sense of unease—in just one week we would be out of our house and in about two weeks we would be back the US as residents for the first time in over twelve years.

Sunset Over the Mekong River From the Moo Kata Restaurant

We had driven up to Phon Phisai the previous day. We took the church leaders out to dinner at a "Korean BBQ" place, known locally as Moo Kata. The sun had just set over the Mekong River as we arrived. We shared stories as we watched the meat cooking on the grill.

Waiting for the Food to Come Out

The following morning we picked up some folks from the church and drove about 25 kilometers to a village named Tha Luang where a group had gathered for singing, prayer and bible study. From there we went to visit a woman who is paralyzed on one side following a stroke two years ago. Then it was off to a small roadside restaurant for lunch. Our last stop before going to the bank was a remote village named Huay Poon that had neither running water nor electricity. The land was originally given to a communist group to live about 50 years ago, but they don't have title to the land and so they can't get utilities installed. We had a time of sharing, singing and prayer there as well.

Worship in Ban Tha Luang

Sharing the Word in Huai Poon

After we finished up at the bank, we went to Cake Lamoon—our favorite coffee shop in Phon Phisai. They really developed that place since we lived in Phon Phisai. They have a much greater variety of fresh baked goods and they now roast their own coffee. Later on we went to visit some friends before retiring for the evening.

Enjoying the Bear Ambiance at Cake Lamoon

Visit With Friends

On Saturday morning we drove about 13 km to Nong Bua Ngoen. At this village, they were holding only their second worship service. They meet at the home of a village head who came to Christ in the past year. This fellow used to sing Mor Lam—a type of Isaan folk music—and now he uses his voice to sing praises to God. We were given a special farewell lunch as it would be our last time in Phon Phisai before going back to the US. It made for a long day, but it was good to bring closure to that part of our lives.

Lunch at Nong Bua Ngoen

Mor Lam Praise