Posted by Ric and Sharon on Monday, May 13th, 2013
We’re all set to move in at the end of May. The casa should be ready after a short cultural ceremony that will likely be performed on our behalf. This is great news as it will give us time to put some important things in place before we go home for the summer: burglar bars, air conditioner, water system, etc. Of course we’ll be excited to paint the baby’s room and get acquainted with our new surroundings. Thanks for the prayers for speed! The house is coming together.
Here are some shots inside and outside our new house! Enjoy seeing God at work preparing a place for us to stay. Thanks for your ongoing prayers that it will be completed in a timely manner.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Thursday, January 31st, 2013
Last week we went house hunting in our soon-to-be new home out in Northeast Thailand. Great news! Lord willing, we’ll be moving into a brand new house that should be ready just as we finish up our language study in Chiang Mai. God definitely went before us on this trip, allowing us to get a lot accomplished in our short four days. We hammered out more details of our team strategy with co-workers Mike and Sandy, we participated in a village activity and looked at housing options. More details about the house will follow in our February Newsletter. Please take a second to view our pictures at Picasa Web Albums!
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
The year 2555 ended with a bang. You may not have even realized that it ended but it did. I woke at 5:30 to make sure I arrived in time for the prompt 6:09 AM start of the ceremony. As it turns out, it was the end of the ninth year of the 12-year animal cycle (sensing a theme?) When I arrived the chairs had already been set up: 12,999 of them spanning 8 lanes of a divided highway stretching off as far as the eye could see. On the other side of a massive stage was thousands of lay people waiting to give alms to the monks. It’s better to see it for yourself then to hear me explain it. Check out all all pictures at our Picasa Web Albums or see some samples below:
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Sunday, July 1st, 2012
We’ve had some incredible experiences in just two short weeks back here in the states. It’s been a wild ride! Our days are packed with things like meetings, family gatherings and time with our friends and supporters. That’s you! If we haven’t gotten something on the calendar yet… let’s make it happen! Here are some shot of the past two weeks:
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Wednesday, June 6th, 2012
Just had a chance to go through the hundreds of pictures we got while in Northeast Thailand a few weeks ago and get the best ones up on the web. Here’s a slideshow embedded here:
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Thursday, May 17th, 2012
Sharon opened our mailbox just now and made a new friend who jumped out, hissed at her and ran back into the safety of the mailbox. He’s a tokay, a common lizard here in Thailand that has startled us on more than one occasion. But this one stayed long enough to take his portrait. Here’s his mug shot:
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Saturday, April 14th, 2012
(c) ric bruce
Songkran is the traditional Northern Thai new year. It’s a time of the year for many things including splashing water on people, getting together with family and friends and doing various religious activities. Sharon and I went to the temple this year and were able to ask deeper questions about things like this pile of sand with flags sticking out of it. Our current line of questioning is not “why do you do that” but is more along the lines of “what does it mean?”; “what are the consequences?”; “who does it?”, etc. Our focus is on the activities and objects that we see around us rather than the motivations for the behavior.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Sunday, March 18th, 2012
This photo still cracks me up months after it was taken. In December we spent a weekend with coworkers in the village they work in. Observing the local festivals and ceremonies was a lot of fun. We had a great time getting to know the people and seeing the personable relationships our coworkers had with the villagers. This camera is one prop for the parade. It’s just a fun prop that someone wore during the parade and shows the creativity and originality of the group.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Monday, March 5th, 2012
Sharon and her friends jumped into Mork-Fa Falls just the way they came: blue jeans, makeup, necklaces, cell phones and all. Yes, poor Kay forgot to leave her cell phone on the bank before taking the plunge. Here’s a picture of her face before she realized her awful mistake:
Click the picture to see more photos from the falls.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Sunday, February 19th, 2012
Today’s photo essay comes from a village near Mae Jaem, in the mountains past Doi Inthanon. Large portions of this Karen group have embraced the gospel whole-heartedly. Our Thai teacher often takes us on trips all over Northern Thailand to visit his friends and family or to attend weddings of people he knows.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012
There are a lot of advantages to living in Chiang Mai. One is you don’t have to think long in order come up with a great Valentine’s day surprise for the little lady. The tourist business provides a plethora of choices. Sharon explains our day yesterday in a series of pictures with captions on our Picasa web albums. Enjoy.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Sunday, February 12th, 2012
This week’s photo essay was snapped as I at in the back of a tour van followed by the Google Streetview car doing rounds in Chiang Dao, Thailand. Many villagers wore open stares of surprise and curiosity as it passed by. Here’s my favorite shot:
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Saturday, February 11th, 2012
Last week we took a trip with our friend Pama to Chiang Dao, an area directly north of Chiang Mai. Pama had always wanted to see the long-neck Karen so we cancelled our language session for a day joined a tour group headed that way. It was a really weird feeling… being a tourist all over again. Below are few glimpses of our time. You can see all the pictures on our Picasa Web Albums.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
This past weekend Sharon and I took a trip with some good friends of ours. The experience was basically this: we’d stop somewhere for five minutes, rush out of the car, furiously snap pictures and jump back in the tiny pickup truck to speed off at 100 miles an hour down the road. We left at 4:00 AM on a Friday, drove 7 hours to Ayutthaya, another couple hours to the heart of Bangkok, 3 hours to Pattaya and finally turned around 12 hours from our home here. The whole trip was 58 hours long. Embedded below (maybe) are a few of the pictures. Click here to see them on Picasa. There are dozens more on Facebook.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
Our friends shared some of their photos with us from a trip they took last month and I thought they would be good to post here for a wider audience. There are still some villages in Thailand lacking basic health services, sanitation, clean drinking water and other essentials. The good news is the Thai church is rising to the occasion and filling the need. The pictures speak for themselves:
Ric and Sharon Bruce On a journey with you to Thailand 
