A Jumble of Thoughts

Wait... I feel like much of life is spent waiting. I must say it is not one of my favorite things. Waiting for answers never is pleasant. I am reminded of the lyrics to a song by Sara Evans. She sings, "But how do you wait for heaven? And who has that much time?" We (some of the English teachers) sat in our "cave" (the really cold room we sit in all day and create curriculum) and were discussing how we feel like we are getting older but not really doing much with our lives. Recently I've been reading about a girl a couple years younger than me who is "Mom" to twelve girls in Africa. When faced with stories like that I just feel so inadequate. On Sunday, one of the best days since moving to Thailand, I was talking with a new missionary friend. She recently arrived and we were sharing struggles and encouraging one another. One thing she said really stuck with me. We were talking about what is "effective" and what is "success." If the school does not work out, did we fail? Was our time here a waste? Who wants to think that they travelled across the world in obedience to God's call and then...failed. She shared about Martin Luther, everyone remembers him and what he did. But, what about the martyrs who no one remembers but who went before Luther and helped pave the way. Did they fail? Did they die in vain? I'm realizing now that no man's success is created in isolation, but is codependent on other workers in God's kingdom. So, we joked that we might need to be "burned at the stake" for the sake of those who will come after us. Is success always tangible? In America we grow up thinking we are valuable because of what we do, what we produce. When you come to a place and work so hard and have nothing to show for it, it is like a slap in the face to American ideals. Maybe, just maybe, God counts success as being faithful. As in obeying His voice, going where He calls, diligently doing what He puts before us, enduring heartache, and praising His name in the face of "failure". Maybe that is really the success we should strive to achieve.

So then, as we wait to discover the future of this project, I put my trust in the Lord. Because, "The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8

• He is with me (even in Hang Dong, Thailand)
• He will not fail (whether the school "fails" or not)
• He will not forsake me (even if I feel others do not understand, He always will)
• I do not have to fear (He will accomplish His plan, even if to me it seems like failure)
• I do not have to be dismayed (If I remain faithful, I will count that as success even if the world says I failed)

Urgent Prayer Request

We are facing another huge obstacle in our ministry. Not impossible, but huge in our human eyes. The obstacle is finances and it’s threatening the immediate future of the school project.

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’" Mark 10:27

We’re in a tricky situation. We have to have a building rented, a full staff and money on reserve to even apply for a school license. However, without a license, we can’t have students and don’t receive the tuition fees. At the beginning of the school year (May-August), we were receiving some tuition reimbursement and weren’t renting a building at that time and the Thai staff was being paid by our partnering ministry. Now, the partnering ministry is no longer supporting the Thai staff, we are paying for the building rent and we aren’t receiving any tuition reimbursements. Our expenses have greatly increased at a very pivotal time in our ministry.

We have been unable to pay the bills that have come due this week. We are stuck. If we are unable to pay the bills and unable to continue toward obtaining our license, our project will have to shut down. This breaks my heart because there are so many children and their families in this community that the school could reach for the Lord’s purpose.

I come to you as a person not fond of asking for donations. However, I don’t want to sit back and know that I didn’t do everything in my power to get the word out about the reality of the situation. Please join us in praying for the future of Hope International Schools. Please pray for God’s guidance and clear direction. If you are interested in giving the ministry of H.I.S. please visit http://www.hopeinternationalschools.org/.

Thank you for partnering with us!

Trusting Him,
The School of Promise Team on behalf of the nation of Thailand

Taste and See...

Taste. A short word that came up in my mind several times today.
One obvious reason being that today was Thanksgiving and every American knows that large quantities of yummy food are a trademark of the holiday. Thanksgiving today was very different than any other in my past. Today it was celebrated in two languages in a country far from home with many friends who had never had a Thanksgiving before. For the first time since stepping into Thailand we shared a big part of our culture with our Thai, Filipino, and Scottish friends. Throughout our meal the Thai word for "taste" or "try" was used repeatedly. It was said to help convince our friends to experience the goodness of mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, turkey, olives, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie, among other things. And try they did, sometimes producing a smile and sometimes producing a grimace.
The second reason the word "taste" was on my mind was because of 1 Peter 2:3. "Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good." While reading that this morning I thought, "I have tasted mashed potatoes and I know they are good, but why would someone write about tasting the goodness or kindness of the Lord?" Then another verse, Psalm 34:8 came to mind. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Since today was a day of feasting I thought I would research some on these two verses that have never really made sense to me. According to e-Sword, the authors in the Bible are writing about their personal experience. They are saying, "I have been helped, I have been protected, I have been taught, I have been loved by the Lord and I want you to experience it too." They were sure that whoever "tasted" or "experienced" trusting in the Lord would be sure to see His goodness as well. It is like what we did with our Thai friends. We said, "I have tried this I know it is delicious and I want you to experience it as well." The only difference is that whereas food sometimes disappoints, God never does. So... as Thanksgiving (or "day of thanking God" as it means in Thai) is ending in Thailand and just beginning in the States, taste. Taste the mouth-watering food that reminds us all of home and family but do not forget to taste and experience that the Lord is good and then thank Him for it.

Mangos

Recently, one of our routines has been centered around a certain yellow (or sometimes green) fruit. After a long day at school we would come home, get out our mangoes and knives, and sit around our table sharing the sweet but sometimes sour fruit and things from our sweet but sometimes sour lives. One day last week as we sat eating our mangoes we discovered that as we get farther away from mango season the mangoes become less satisfying. The next time we shared mangoes we discovered that yet again the taste was somewhat bitter and unsatisfying. We were quite disappointed because we have tasted delicious mangoes and we know how good they can be. While this was happening I started comparing mangoes to life that we live on earth. Sometimes, life is bitter or unsatisfying and deep inside we know that is not how life is supposed to be. And sometimes we even try tasting again and are baffled at why we are still unsatisfied. I have been reading a book entitled Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper and I would like to quote something he wrote.

"Christ has come into this mutinous world, which he made for his own glory, and paid for an amnesty with his own blood. Everyone who lays down the weaponry of unbelief will be absolved from all crimes against the Sovereign of the universe. By faith alone enemies will become happy subjects of an everlasting kingdom of justice and joy. Advancing this cause with Christ is worth your life."

The words he used portray to me the seriousness of sin against God, but the story does not end there. Christ paid for our crimes with His own blood. All we have to do is believe. Once believing we enter into God's kingdom of justice and joy. The previous four sentences are worth both living and dying for. And that is where life becomes satisfying, when we live and die for the purpose we were created for and realize that Christ alone can satisfy. Only by living the life Christ intends for us are we "eating the best mangoes." Piper wrote that once we come face to face with the reality of Christ and what He paid for us we "can't go on with business as usual -- doing your work, making your money, giving your tithe, eating, sleeping, playing, and going to church." Instead he urges that we "...pray and think about how your particular time and place in life fits into the great purpose of God to make the nations glad in Him." That does not mean that Christians must leave secular work to be missionaries because it is clear that God places most Christians in secular work as a mission and for His glory. And just being a missionary does not guarantee that you are being intentional about making the nations glad in Christ. Living wholeheartedly for Christ, being satisfied in Him, and living and dying to make Him known where we are at are ways we can make the most of life. Even sitting here thinking about Piper's words and the Gospel, I am convicted. When I ask myself, "Am I doing all God wants me to do to make the nations glad in Him? Am I showing others by my life that Christ is all satisfying? Am I living like I truly believe that dying for Christ is better than life?" My honest answer to those questions must surely be "no." Oh, how I long to make those words true and evident in my life. In short, mangoes have become to me a reminder that Christ alone can satisfy. When I see one my heart is redirected to focus on the one who in giving His life gave me life and the importance of making much of Him in everything.

Loy Krathong (Festival of Fire)

Loy Krathong is a three day festival in November around the time of the full moon. There are several activities which occur during the festival. People will often make boats out of banana leaves and decorate them with beautiful flowers. When they send the boats down the river they are symbolizing letting go of their sins and/or sending bad spirits away. A similar activity involves lighting "lanterns" of fire and releasing them into the sky, also sending away sins. One of the favorite activities is setting off large of amounts of US illegal fireworks in public streets, bridges, neighborhoods, or wherever. People have been setting off fireworks for several weeks now. They go all day and into the night making it kind of sound like we are in a war zone. A lot of the fireworks last night were definitely Fourth of July quality (set off about ten feet away from us... we moved quickly.)

Before...

After... (Those are supposed to be floating in the sky at that point.)

The colored lanterns didn't do so well, only two of ours actually ascended into the sky. Others, as you can see, ended up burning in the street. As we were getting ready to launch the lanterns a crowd started to gather (maybe they foresaw our doom). As we started to wonder if our lanterns were ever going to rise more people kept coming. We tried to throw them into the air, but one went up up and then down down. Thankfully the guy it almost hit was one of the crowd watching us and he was able to push it into the air. At one point Ooy was trying to push the lantern into the air with the fused end of a long firework stick. Yup. We were quite the show. Thankfully, we witnessed other people's lanterns dive bomb the crowd, get stuck on power lines and light poles, and be doused with water puddled on the side of the road. Whoever thought a holiday with large quantities of fire and fireworks anywhere and set off by anybody was a good idea was pii baa (crazy).

This was part of a float that was in a parade in Chiang Mai city last night.

This is the Ping River, we are standing on the bridge which was one of the biggest firework hot spots.

A view of one of the inside of one of the lanterns. The outer rims get super hot while you hold it waiting for it to rise.

One of the floats in the parade.

This was our trial run from Sunday night, which actually went way better than the real thing.

This was a scary moment, our lantern got caught on the power line, rolled toward the house, got stuck under the ledge of the house and power line, floated up a little and got wedged between the power lines. Sarah and our outrageously long wooden broom saved our house (and the neighborhood) from burning down.

The Best (Weirdest) Halloween Ever!

For Halloween our new friend Kyndell suggested that we carve pumpkins. We thought that was a terrific idea and decided we would go to a market, buy some pumpkins, and take them home and carve them. At the market we decided that since there are not really any "normal" pumpkins in Thailand we would get an assortment of fruits and vegetables to carve. We came home with a bell pepper, watermelon, squash, pumpkin, and Thai cucumber. These are our finished creations!
In the process of gutting the "pumpkins."

Spooky...

The watermelon (the mom of the group)

(Thai cucumber, the grandma) Yeah, we didn't think it looked like a cucumber either.

At the end of the night as we sat around by the light of the "pumpkins" eating pumpkin seeds (from the only one that actually was a pumpkin) I had a strong "I'm home" feeling. The feeling of being thankful that, even though being in Thailand will never be as good as being in the States, it still can feel like home.

Snapshots from our Life

Our co-teacher told us about this Ice Cream Buffet near our church. He was surprised we had never been there considering how much we like ice cream. So today for lunch (yes for lunch) Amy, Sarah, and I went and had all we could eat ice cream with toppings (sauces, cookies, sprinkles, cereal, etc.) for 50 baht (about a $1.50).

We had dinner at a friend's (from the States) house. She made delicious taco salad with things we don't get to eat very much like sour cream, cheese, salsa, etc.

Sarah, Amy, and I at a Thai restaurant on the water when Misty's mom was in town. We got to feed the fishes (not the ones we ate though).

Brittany, Amy, I drinking our coffee from a bag. While at the school one day over vacation (just the three of us were working) we decided to build some community relationships. We walked up and down the road using our broken Thai to ask for iced coffee. At the very end of the road we were successful. Brittany and I didn't drink ours very fast so we ended up putting the bags of coffee into an upside-down toilet paper holder so that we didn't have to hold them. Very ingenius if you ask me.

This is the pagoda dedicated to the Queen that is at the top of Doi Inthanon, the highest spot in Thailand.

Miss Congeniality?

Here is the funny story of the week (that has been the ongoing joke all week as well.) On Monday while at lunch, Khruu Ooy said that she wanted me to be in a beauty pageant for the Loy Krathong festival that is coming up. Amm (our communication liaison i.e. translator) explained what Ooy had said. They explained a little bit and we all laughed thinking it was pretty funny. It wasn't until a couple of minutes later that I discovered that they were not joking one bit. I believe it is ironic how the Thai idea of beauty is so different than the American idea. We came up with a slogan: blonde, blue, height, white. They were banking on the fact that my super white skin would win the contest. The "bank" was a major draw for the contest; winners received a lot of money. After trying to tell them I thought a beauty pageant sounded like cruel and unusual punishment Ooy informed me that I had two days to decide. For the next few days my roommates and I discussed the crazy idea. We decided that one of us should do it, but none of us wanted to be that one. After many jokes and some not so brilliant ideas (one involving taking pictures in a lime green dress with our landlord's extremely unique lime green "sports" car and another being the idea that I wear a traditional Mexican outfit (instead of traditional Thai dress) since I'm from New Mexico. Therefore, I would be an American wearing a Mexican outfit in a Thai beauty pageant) we decided that this year we would go watch the pageant if it looked benign we would consider doing it next year. Actually, we are hoping that everyone forgets about it by next year so we do not have to come up with another way to politely decline.

Looking Up

Life is moving at a much slower pace now than at the beginning. At first I struggled immensely with that fact. However, I am starting to see the blessings of our situation. When moving to a foreign country for service I expected to be constantly busy doing good things. At the beginning life was very much as I thought it should be. After many changes and disappointments I began to be disillusioned. I thought: "If we have come so far why are we not doing more, why are we just wasting time?" I'd like to share some things I've been learning.

First, God often does not move quickly. I read last night a quote from the Encounters with God Bible by Blackaby. He said that perhaps God isn't so much waiting on time as He is waiting for a heart that is ready to fully obey as soon as the answer comes.

Second, just because things do not appear to be working out that does not mean that God has ceased working. It is easy to say that, but hard to believe what we can not see. I guess that is why faith is so difficult.

Third, with a different perspective this time has now become a blessing. I am thankful for the extra time to spend in the Word and with the Lord. During this time we are making preparations for next school year. These preparations are not interesting but are necessary and I, therefore, must remind myself to work wholeheartedly even when writing a teacher's handbook. (The upside is that since I'm writing the handbook I can make any rules I want. My roommate thought it would be funny to include that teachers must enter beauty pageants for community service, but that is a different story.) We are actively seeking and planning how to best reach the community. It is also possible that we will receive training on community outreach and information pertinent for working with children. We might also be able to continue working with the children that were attending our school by tutoring or other activities. We are also looking into working in Thai government schools teaching English for the semester. I realized the other day that part of my frustration with our work for this next semester revolved around the fact that I felt highly incompetent and unprepared for some of the work I may end up doing. The realization of this fact caused me begin praying that God would prepare my heart for whatever work I would be asked to do and that He would enable me to do each job well so that I will glorify Him.

Besides, today I can say that I watched a Scottish English teacher and a Thai secretary play a fascinating game with rubber bands. I saw a huge frog that looked as if he had been burnt (maybe he narrowly escaped becoming someone's dinner). I also learned how to drive a manual motorcycle (just in case ;)) And had time to download sermons from my old church in Lubbock. (Today is the last day of vacation before 2nd semester starts, therefore, only a limited about of staff is here today and no new projects were started.) Big praise: we had one of our team members who had left rejoin us today. Our situation is not much different but with a better attitude things are looking up.

My Favorite Day

Of all the fun times we've had throughout my parent's visit today has to be my favorite. We got to have lunch and get to know some good friends of good friends of ours from the States. We had a great visit and it was really neat to form more connections in Thailand. We have been discovering that to make life sustainable (anywhere but especially in foreign missions) you really need to have a community of people that you are able to really do life with. People who you trust, enjoy being around, and who encourage you in all areas of life. Also, this evening we (Brittany, Amy, Misty, Mom, Dad, and I) got to visit ZOE home, the home where most of our students live. The kids were so excited to see us. One of my little 1st graders even came right up to Dad and wanted to be held. My student was so excited to be tall. It was so neat to be able to see where our kids live, meet their parents, and hear more about the ministry. We have been inspired and encouraged again and again by the workers and kids at ZOE. They really shine the light of Christ in a tangible way. Both of our visits today were such blessings and encouragements to me.

Here is a picture of Dad with one of my students.
Another picture of Dad and my student who was thrilled to be so tall. He had just been smiling really big but the camera was a bit slow.
Just to give a picture of little hill that our elephants went up. They were able to ascend and descend at places much steeper than this picture.

A picture of us at Khum Kantoke, the Northern Thai dinner and show.

Dad with the monkey.

Dad and I on our elephant. I'll get pictures of Mom and Amy from Amy's camera and post them later. (We swapped cameras for the trip.)

The sinks in the bathroom at the Jungle Restaurant. The restaurant is very good and the bathrooms are especially cool. :)

Mom and I took an all day cooking class. We visited the local market to get our food and then made a variety of Thai dishes. We met people from about 5 different countries.

Our Day in Pictures

We got an early start this morning, ate a delicious breakfast at our guesthouse, and picked up my roommate Amy from our house. Our agenda for the day included: the temple on Doi Suthep, Phu Phing Palace, and Doi Pui. After a bit of a confused start (I couldn't remember which road to turn on) we started our "trek" up the mountain. Hundreds of windy curves and several ginger pills later we arrived at the temple on Doi Suthep. After climbing several flights of stairs mom was not happy when I informed her that we were almost to the actual stairs. We counted about 305 steps. After Doi Suthep we traveled even farther up the mountain to the Phu Phing Palace. The palace was not how I imagined it would be (I think I expected it to look more like a temple).
My favorite part of the visit was the beautiful roses. After the palace we traveled down a pretty rough road to a Hmung Village. I was surprised that the first building I saw was a school. Maybe we'll move there next. :) On our way back down the mountain we decided to stop and walk to a nearby waterfall. The waterfall had a trail that went up about 1,900 meters to the top. We only went to the second level but had a great time wading in the water. We ate some "farang" (foreigner) food at a restaurant called the Queen Victoria. The day ended on a great note with Dad setting up Internet at our house. We are so spoiled. Here are some pictures from the day...

Mon Tha Than Waterfall (one part of it)

Wading in the water.

Dad, Mom and I in the palace garden.

Just some of the roses from the palace garden.

A little pond right in front of the palace.

The Phu Phing Palace.

Amy with a beautiful flower on the palace grounds.

Mom with the "Mom" dragon statue at the Doi Suthep temple.

Dad about half-way up the stairs to the temple.

This is actually a picture from one of the temples we visited several days ago. This is one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai.

The Eagle Has Landed

Well, technically my parents and not the eagle have landed. But they are way better than the eagle anyway. Yay! My parents have arrived safely and have been to the Sunday Night Market, some of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai, ridden on tuk-tuks and saungtaws, sampled some authentic Thai food, met the staff at my school, worked on fixing computers at our new school building, and have eaten some Finnish meatballs. I'm sure it doesn't get much better than that.

Here is mom's side of the story. :)

Thailand is a beautiful country of very nice people and way too much humidity! Mountain View Guest House is an old, quaint, Swiss Family Robinson-style teak and rattan abode with wi-fi and air con. Emily has amazed us with her negotiation skills with tuk-tuk drivers. She says that she is not exactly negotiating the price but whether they understand her Thai.
We've been able to spend some time at the new school. It's got a lot of character but needs much more cleaning to make it inhabitable. (Emily's interjection: Mom doesn't know that we already battled the mice, threw out junk that filled up several rooms, and mostly got rid of the filth that was here previously.) There will be a carnival on Saturday to introduce the school to the neighborhood. We'll get to meet most of Emily's kids and then later might be able go to visit the largest orphanage/home. Jeff is amazed by the bamboo scaffolding and ladders used here, he would like to bring one home to try it out. Emily shows no fear driving on the left side of the road. When I noticed the speedometer showed 100, I was alarmed until I realized it was kilometers per hour! The only downside has been that Jeff has not been able to relinquish control of the gearshift and parking brake. He thinks that because he is sitting in the left seat he is the driver. Emily has repeatedly told him since she has the steering wheel she out ranks him! On our outings Mom just closes her eyes. I think that is probably best. :) More to come...

Elephants, Bowling, Temples, and Bamboo Rafting

Sorry these pictures are a little out of order. They capture a random assortment of the activities that keep us busy in Thailand when we are not writing lesson plans, renovating an old school building, teaching our kids, driving, and living our normal day to day life.

This first picture is from the Maesa Elephant camp. It was great fun to see the elephants close up.

This is Brittany and I at the Elephant Camp.

Brittany and I eating our delicious ice cream cones with sprinkles from Dairy Queen.

Elephants are actually really prickly.

This is a picture of a bamboo raft from our trip. It really is as rickety as it looks.

This picture is from our bamboo rafting trip awhile back. We ate in a hut at the bottom of that steep hill. They sent the food down in a basket using a pulley system. This was when we went bowling for Brittany's birthday. We listened to old remixed American songs and bowled with our opposite hands. It felt for all the world like we were back in the States.

This is from the White Temple on the way to Burma. It is a beautiful structure. These sculptures are underneath and beside the bridge that leads to the temple. The hands are supposed to represent people reaching out of hell. It was very haunting.

This is the White Temple. It was absolutely stunning and really sparkled in the sun light.

Praise!

I apologize for not writing recently. I have not known what to write because things change so rapidly. However, life is sort of settling down. (I'm a little afraid to say that.)Things still change day-by-day but most really important things are staying stable. One new terrific thing has happened though. Amy is here!!! Amy is the teacher who will take over one of my classes. We have not yet decided who will teach which grade. She has moved into my tiny room and we are adjusting to having to maneuver around our two fans to get anywhere. Even though they are inconvenient the fans are necessary and will not be moving. :) Please pray for her as she has a lot to get used to and big challenges to overcome.

Also, I wanted to say a big thank-you for all of you who are supporting me. I have not clearly communicated how grateful I am for all of your love and support. This would not be possible without you. Life here is definitely stretching and growing my faith and I am really enjoying being involved in our team and community here. We know that God is with us and is working in ways we cannot see. Our hope is that our perseverance and struggles now will pave the way for a Christian school that will change lives of children in Thailand for many years. We are committed to not giving up because we believe that God has brought us here for this purpose. So thank you for being a part of this battle.

Unpredictable

So life in Thailand continues to be unpredictable. One day this week was especially crazy. It began with a game of musical vehicles. Our car was used to drive one of my roommates to the preschool. The sixth grade teacher (Gordon) came over so he could go with one of my roommates to immigration but it began to rain so he and my roommate took the borrowed car that we were planning on using to get to school. Which meant that Brittany and I were left with the Gordon's mode of transportation, a motorcycle. I told Gordon well we have to get to school so show me how to start your motorcycle. (We were going to leave a little while later so it had time to stop raining.) After a little while, Brittany and I gathered up our big bags and walked out to the motorcycle. I pushed the bike out of our driveway because I had no idea how to make it go in reverse and as it sat in the middle of the street Brittany and I just looked at it and prayed that God would keep us safe. We climbed on and took off down the street. It is a very good thing that the way to school is mostly straight with a left turn, right turn, and then left turn. I almost hit a car the first turn, a wall the second turn, and a wall type thing the third time. I don't think Brittany will ever ride on a motorcycle with me again. Turns are quite tricky with more than one person on a bike. That day continued on with several odd things happening and ended with Khruu Ooy's car breaking down. But it was a dramatic breakdown because as it was dying she decided to pull a u-turn. Yes you guessed it. The u-turn left us dead in the middle of the road blocking both lanes of traffic with cars coming towards us. Brittany and I jumped out of the car and pushed it off the road just in time. (Thai drivers don't really slow down much for objects in their way, they just assume they will move). After that we walked home. Our favorite guard (Smiley) was on duty. He tried to talk to us and we tried so hard to understand him but I think he must speak Northern Thai because it didn't even sound familiar. Right after that a random Thai girl came running up and spoke to us in English. You never know what to expect in this place.

This week I am thanking the Lord for my 78ish students. I have counted at least 78 but some are absent and some are hiding outside. ;) Next week I will be thanking the Lord that the other teacher from America is scheduled to arrive here on Wednesday. Praise God.

Thankful

I am in a terribly bad mood and have decided to write some things that I am thankful for here in Thailand.

My kids (and the additional sixty some I will be teaching for the next few weeks)
Our team
My roommates
Ice cream
Smiley (the guard in our neighborhood)
Air con
School Supplies from the states
Not (our language tutor)
Mangostein (a fruit)
Dinner at Joel and Marvel's
Vente (our car)
Letters
The beautiful green land
The fact that you can drive stupidly and it doesn't matter because it is normal here
Ant spray
Music
Internet
Spring Rolls
Speed bump (one of the many dogs in our neighborhood, who is usually on the speed bump or right next to it)
Chicken with cashews (a safe dish no matter where you are)
Tortilla chips and apple pie from the little restaurant near our school
Phii Pot (who has recently started washing my laundry)
Skype
Fans
Dewberry cookies
Whenever we have a school building with walls
Napkins (Thai people don't use napkins while they are eating)
Bananas
Elephants
Bamboo rafting
Hot springs
Chicken sauce
Night markets
Praysanii (post office)

Sometimes it feels like everything is falling apart (okay most of the time). However, there are many things to be thankful for and there are many things I enjoy about this country. I am trying to focus on being thankful rather than focusing on the inconstancy of our circumstances.

Listen and Believe

I am sitting here trying to think of what to write. Most everything I have to say is discouraging. The last two weeks have been very rough. There have been so many issues and struggles on every level. I feel like we are constantly bombarded with so many random problems some small and some very significant. Side note: We would appreciate your prayers, especially prayers against Satan and his schemes. One of the many struggles this week was with my students. I was getting so frustrated because I felt like I said the same thing so many times (pretty much any instruction) and they did not respond. I knew they understood (or at least I knew they should have understood) and I seemed as if they all just refused to listen and obey. Side note: I think it is interesting that the Thai word for obey is combined with the word for listen and literally means listen and believe. This morning in church the pastor was talking about how sometimes we think "I've heard that verse before, and I already know what it means" so we dismiss it from our minds. He was saying that just because we have heard and know verses does not excuse the fact that often we are not acting on what we "know." That struck a cord with me because of my students. They may think "I have heard her say that before and I know what that means so I don't need to listen." If they do not act on what they hear they do not receive any credit for just knowing what I say. My students need to listen, understand, and put into action what I say. I was confronted with the fact that I sometimes think "I've heard this before, I don't need to listen." However, if my life doesn't show that I have listened, understood, and acted on God's word than I haven't really made the mark. I also thought of the fact that when I don't listen and obey God He does not get frustrated or give up on me. I am challenged to have more patience with my students and to show them the importance of listening and obeying me and more importantly God.

To end on a good note there have been several praises this week. One was that it cost under $2 to fix the battery on our "brand new" 30 year old car (whose name is Vente.) We couldn't drive the car past the mechanics in the States for just two dollars. Part of the reason it was so cheap was that my roommate's boyfriend took care of installing the battery for us. Second, our fridge (that has been broken since we moved in) got fixed. Third, we had a nice trip to the elephant camp yesterday. Fourth, there are Dairy Queens in Thailand that have ice cream cones with sprinkles. More importantly, at this point in time we get to stay with our kids. There are changes and adjustments (more challenges) being made but we don't think our kids will be taken away from us.

Please keep praying for our leadership (the worst day on record goes to our boss this last Friday, who is really under a lot of pressure) the community (that we would be a good witness and that they would see Christ), the government (for favor), the school (that it would become a healthy stable school for orphans), our endurance and creativity(in our new situation), and against Satan's attacks.

Elephants and Lice

So... All of my posts recently have been quite serious and I thought I would post about some about the lighter side of life on this side of the world. The title stems from my students' answers during a game of around the world. We were learning names of lunch things: (chicken, spoon, rice, etc.) My smallest little boy has trouble making some of the sounds in English and it was his turn. I showed him a picture of rice and he started yelling "Lice! Lice!" I couldn't help but giggle. The next day during a similar activity I showed another of my students a picture of chicken and he in all seriousness shouted "Elephant!" My children may not remember anything I teach them but they will answer the question of "What did you have for lunch?" with "Elephants and lice!"

Now I would like to share several random and exciting (to me) pieces of information. First, I can now tell my twins apart by their eyebrows. Of course, this only works if they are not walking (or running) away from me. ;) Second, I can drive a standard on the opposite side of the car on the left side of the road in Thailand (which pretty much means with very crazy driving laws or lack thereof). Third, for the first time in my life I can whistle. And fourth, I can serve a volleyball overhanded that actually goes over the net and even scores points. Yay. ;) Well enough of my personal triumphs ;).

My God is Strong and My God is Loving

It is about time for a new post. I've been wanting to post but have not had any opportunity to do so until now. This last week has been a roller coaster ride, not a scary one because we are confident that God is with us, but definitely a unique one. Last Monday we found out that there was a serious problem facing the school that was being dealt with but that would cause major changes within the upcoming week. One of those major changes was that we were to move out of our school building tomorrow. We were going to move to a new location with a concrete floor and a roof but absolutely nothing else. No tables, chairs, walls, dividers, etc. We were going to teach our fifty students in this one area outside. As we prepared to move we prayed almost continually. We prayed individually, with the other English teachers, with the Thai teachers, with parents, and were supported in prayer from warriors back in our home countries. Our boss told us that, with God all things are possible but without a miracle we are leaving this school with no possibility of returning. As we stood together before God we asked for whatever was best for our kids, for unity, for a good witness for our community, and many other things. During church yesterday one of the main verses was 1 Corinthians 3:9 where God says, "You are my workers, my field, and my building." And He reminds us that the only important thing in our lives and that of our students is that our foundation is Christ and we build in such a way that our work will remain after being tested with fire. I was reminded that we don't need walls, we don't need tables, we don't need teaching materials, all we need is Christ as our foundation and to work continually praising God as we love and teach these kids with the strength that God supplies. I was reading last night in Psalm 62 (I think) about how David was facing persecution and the threat of being dethroned. He faced it with confident peace because he poured out his heart to God and because God alone was his rock. The chapter stated repeatedly because God only is my rock I will not be shaken. The chapter concludes with David saying that he knows that his God is strong and that his God is loving. I began today with the prayer that God alone would be our rock especially through this new challenge (because it definitely was going to be very very difficult) and praise because I know my God is strong and my God is loving. The English teachers had a brainstorming meeting this morning where we shared how God had been working in our hearts and how we realized that now was the time for our faith to grow and for us to show our students that we don't just say God is strong, but that we believe God is strong. At lunch today we received our miracle. As things appear now (however, they often change rapidly in Thailand) we will be able to stay in our building at least for this term. We will remain in our place tomorrow instead of uprooting our students. It seems so unreal and almost too good to be true. No man knows what will happen next. God has proved Himself faithful over and over and has intervened now in His perfect time. We showed up to fight today, but the battle was already won. This long story is a testament to God's goodness. He vindicates the orphan and oppressed. We will continue to face opposition and who knows what details are yet to be worked out but today and everyday we will praise our God because He hears, He sees, and He acts.

P.S. I do not want to make this situation seem rosy or that we have always had perfect reactions because neither of those things are true. I also do not want to sound cliche or like I am writing good churchy answers to life. Life is hard at times, life is unfair (just look at my kids, they didn't deserve the circumstances they have lived through), our students do not always listen, and we are not perfect teachers however none of that really matters. I fail daily, my students fail, our school may fail but God does not ask us to be perfect and God does not ask us to be right. He does not ask anything of us except that we believe that His son was perfect, that His son is right, and that His son accomplished all that was and is necessary when He paid for our sins on the cross. God does not love us because of anything that we do or how hard we try, He loves us because He created us. So please understand that both in spite of and through hardships, persecution, and the unfairness of life I know and believe that my God is strong and my God is loving.

Justice and Love

You know those great "ah ha" moments when something happens which truly make you believe that God knows your situation and He made something happen for the sole purpose of encouraging you? I had one of those today that I wanted to share. Last week, during one of our Bible study times we had a conversation about how sometimes it is hard for us to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament. No matter how it might seem, it is the same God in both places and during the whole of history He has been both fully just and fully loving. I was reminded of how God often accomplishes things that are completely impossible to us. I have a student whom I love dearly. This student is very challenging and needs a lot of redirection and discipline. He has challenged me daily since my arrival. During one particularly good conversation with him several weeks ago I tried to explain that I love him and that is the reason why I do not let him behave in inappropriate ways. Everyday after that the thought would come to mind, "You told him that you love him, now you have to prove it, when he listens and especially when he doesn't." This week I realized how great a struggle I have to be both fully just (disciplining and not accepting wrong behavior) and fully loving (encouraging and supporting). In my mind I know I discipline him because I love him, but I'm not sure of the best way to communicate that to a seven year old whose heart language is not English. I know that if my manner or response to his behavior is just but not from love I am not doing what God has asked me to do. Because of this student I realize this immense struggle between justice and love. I am so thankful that God is more than able to be fully just and fully loving. I am thankful that Christ paid the price of God's justice so that I do not have to (because I never could). God is able to fully extend His love to me because justice is already served. Getting to the "ah ha" moment. I was concerned that this student might doubt my love for him because of the punishment he constantly faces. (Side note: This student at the very beginning would not even speak to me, for weeks he would not respond when I talked to him. Only a couple of weeks ago he responded to my greeting of "Good Morning" with a "morning." He often just comes near me even though he wouldn't respond to anything I would say.) So this morning I went to school determined to make a special effort to talk with him or just use any opportunity to love him. I got out of our car and went to grab my bag. This student and his siblings climbed out of the car behind us and he came running over to me and gave me a big hug (first time he has done that). I truly felt as if God heard my prayers and was telling me that my efforts to be completely just and completely loving have and will fail but that is okay because His power is perfected in my weakness. My student knows I love him and knows that he will have consequences for bad choices. He (my student) accepts me even with my flaws and we can both learn and grow together. (Which coincidentally is similar to our class verse. Ephesians 5:8b,10a "Walk as children of light, trying to learn what is good."

More Little Lights

These three boys are in my 1st grade class. They all (I'm not absolutely sure which of the twins is which) definitely have their moments but are all precious little boys. For the first several weeks the twins insisted on wearing the same outfits which really made things difficult. These boys are in 3rd grade and are great fun. The one on the right talks to me non-stop in Thai. I really wish I understood what he says but the only things I understand are "no" and "I don't know."

These are some of my girls. The girls are definitely outnumbered by the boys.

This is my 1st grade classroom.

On Friday these two boys were my only students until 11 o'clock. I really got a chance to work with them one on one. It was great! They are really getting the letters and letter sounds. Yay!