Hi All
You may remember that Rachel, Mali and i went away for 6 weeks earlier this year to Thailand and Cambodia, and we asked you to keep us in your thoughts and prayers on the journey. Well we had an amazing few weeks, thank you! and we were seriously thinking about going back to Thailand a period of time to live and work there, and for Rachel and Mali to learn the culture and language more.
Our rough plan was to come home for a couple of years and save up some money or maybe get a house first and then go back. But a few weeks before we left Bangkok we saw a pharmacist position at a Burmese-run clinic in Thailand through AVI (Australian Volunteers International, an AusAid funded organisaition) advertised and just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. So we went for it, and after a long process of interviews, training, health checks and etc, we are happy to report that we have been approved to go in February 2012 for 2 years!
This is good for many reasons. It is good for you because we won’t be asking you to sponsor us with money. It is also good for you because you now have a very good excuse to come to Thailand or a neighbouring country in the next 2 years!!! In fact we’ve already got some visitors booked in for 2012. By making the journey to Thailand you will be playing a very important role in our journey: support from home. We’re really looking forward to this away-from-home adventure, but we know how much we will miss everyone here. So please let us know nice and early if you’d like to come and visit so that we can try and accommodate you and/or travel around with you. Also let us know if you’re planning to be near Thailand because we have to get out of the country and re-enter every 3 months to stamp our visas anyway. We will be a couple of hours away from Chiang Mai.
My assignment is to get alongside the pharmacy staff at Mae Tao Clinic, Mae Sot, Tak Province, Thailand, and hopefully improve some inventory and clinical issues. There’s also a doctor and a social worker from Melbourne starting at the Clinic at the same time. Rachel will try her hands on being a full-time mum for a bit, although many people reckon that her background in financial counselling will be highly sort-after by NGO’s in the region. Mali is looking forward to Thailand, and insists she already knows how to speak Thai.
Not much else to say, except that we’d like to catch up with you before we leave in early February. Otherwise we’ll be online pretty regularly so please keep in touch and let us know what’s happening in your world.
Have a safe holiday & a lovely New Year
Peter (+ Rachel, and Mali)
That’s awesome. Going to miss the input that you guys put in the Brissy community. the thought of visiting sounds great. I’ll keep it mind and you’ll be in my prayers.
Great for you PB. Inspires me. Richard Rohr book back before you go!
Hey Peter, Rachel and Mali, Congrats! How exciting and inspiring, can’t wait to hear your stories and you’re in my prayers
p.s. I changed my email to cassmm13@gmail.com & facebook
Hey Bro, congrats to you, Rachel and Mali!! I still didn’t get to meet Mali yet!! I am definitely meeting you some time NEXT YEAR!! (It’s not too hard for me to fly to Thailand) Besides, my concert in HK will be around Sept to Oct, I will keep you posted and YOU ARE going to perform in HK with me!! Meanwhile, stay healthy… all the best for your adventure!!
WOW! I’m so glad for you Peter! i suppose i told you that my parents live in Thailand… and that we went there to live when i was just 18 months old. I really DID speak Thai. I will be praying for you. You will be so challenged but you will be gold!
God Bless
x