Numbers 13 and 14

Grade 4 was the class we almost didn't open. We started out with three students, lost one, and gained three more. Now with five students it is the third largest class. They bring my grand total up to fourteen which is still six short of the twenty students that certain friends were praying for me. :)

Our general school policy is that we are not accepting applications for this current school year. Mostly because the more students miss the farther they are behind and the harder it is to catch up. However, when they come and we are basically their only hope we make an exception. An exception we hope will change their lives for the better.

Meet two of our exceptions.

This sweet little girl has recently been removed from her "home." She has so many struggles and challenges to overcome. This kind of smile is fairly rare but is beautiful when it surfaces.

This little girl came to us two days ago with yet another heartbreaking story. We'll be taking her home as well as our other special little charge.

Please pray for these two little girls that they would quickly adjust to our school and that they would begin to thrive. Pray for their families and the healing that is needed in both situations. Pray that they would know the Savior's love for them and that would respond to His call.

Flood of Kindness

Kindness: an expression of God's heart spoken into our daily lives. In the midst of the struggle, in the grit of everyday, through the mist of tears...a light shines through.



Kindness takes many forms and can be seen in the shape of...



Little known friends bumped into in a restaurant who send a special dessert to our table for Valentine's Day.



A Thai principal of our school who takes our car in the middle of the day to get our air con fixed so we can survive the heat.



A thoughtful handwritten letter from a friend in the States.



A roommate who picks up french fries as a special treat for us (because she knows how much I love them) even though she's already had a long busy day.



A man from a ministry down the road who gave up at least six hours to figure out and fix my computer.


Friends from Australia who are here working hard for our school, who have continually bought dinner for us even though we agree that next time will be our turn to pay.


My student and his mother and Khruu Ooy who all dropped what they were doing and came to help us after our car accident.

Our boss's wife giving us Honey Bunches of Oats when she got a two pack for a good price. (Cereal is expensive and so we only eat care package cereal).

Weeks like these when kindness floods over my life I'm reminded of the prayer of a young girl in Africa. A girl who prayed that the Lord would send that afternoon a hot water bottle to keep a motherless newborn alive and a doll for his older sister...just so she would know that God really loved her. Even though the missionary (Helen Roseveare) doubted that the prayer would be answered, she arrived home to find a box from her home country (the first in four years) that against all odds contained a hot water bottle and a doll, sent five months before so that God could answer the young girl's faith filled prayer. God cares about answering the prayers of His people no matter how young and has compassion on us and does wonderful things...just so that we know He loves us.

The cool thing is that we as His people are often allowed to share in His outpouring of love. Sometimes He allows us to be the vessels through which He shows His compassion, kindness, and love. The people mentioned above have shown me this week by their kind actions the nail scarred hands of my Savior and His love.

"It doesn't matter whether I travel 6,000 miles or just twenty minutes from home....What matters is whether the people we meet matter to us as much as they matter to God."

Helen Roseveare

Pray for Their Hearts

One of my students who comes from a Buddhist family who is really trying to discover truth.

The school day started off with our normal prayer time. I asked my kiddos what they wanted to pray for and they answered (all in English by the way) mom and dad, everyone, teachers and students, Somo (one of their classmates who was absent), and a little boy in Africa. Several weeks ago I told my kids about a boy in Africa and everyday since then they've reminded me to pray for him. They often call him my little brother and one of my little girls usually reminds me to pray for his house. I haven't ever really understood why she wants to pray for his house...maybe she is worried that he won't have one. Today someone else brought up praying for his house. I was so surprised when my little boy said in English. "No, not pray for house pray for heart!" I stopped in my tracks and told him that he had such a great point. We really should be praying for his heart. I was surprised that this little boy understood something so important.

Pray for his heart.

That reminds me as well to pray for my kid's hearts. To live with their hearts in the forefront of my mind...not the work I need to do or the things my students still need to learn. It was a reminder to me to slow down and focus on the hearts of all those around me. English is just the reason I've been granted the opportunity to speak to their hearts, to tell them that God loves them, it isn't the main reason why I'm here.

Nothing stops my kids in their tracks more quickly than when I teach them about God. They listen because they want to know. Even at such a young age their hearts are crying out for hope and love. They want to know that they are cared for and protected. During a lesson sharing the gospel using a wordless book given to me by a great friend (with the five colors: yellow = heaven, black = sin, red = Jesus' blood, white = forgiveness, and green = growth in Christ) they listened well and comprehended a lot. To help them understand I also used flannel graph pieces depicting the concepts. When they saw the flannel picture of Jesus on the cross everyone of them stared at it and they all had such sadness in their eyes. I don't think that they understand yet what the cross means for them (I'm still learning myself) so please pray with me that they would understand why he died, the fact that He is alive now and offering life, and that they can chose for themselves how to respond.

Photo Shoot

Our talented Miss Brittany took some great photos of our students for several projects including Christmas gifts for each child's family. I thought I'd share with you these beautiful faces and just ask that you would pray for them if you think about it. Pray for their families, their understanding of the Gospel, their education, their soft hearts, their dreams, their futures.

She is very athletic…

She is super artistic…

She loves to dance…

He loves to be funny…

She loves to help…

She is a thinker…

A Day of Rejoicing

This last year in Thailand I discovered something silly that is actually very important to me. I realized it by noticing the fact that it was lacking in our household. Well, we technically had one, but one that was sorely disappointing. As much as a couch, yes a couch, could be disappointing ours certainly was. It was made of a plastic type material which did not breath at all, which when living in Thailand is quite a problem. It had large rips that were duct taped together, it was hard, but worst of all it stank. So, the picture of curling up on the couch for morning devotions, or to read, to watch a movie, or visit with friends just sounded miserable. We ended up sitting on our floor all the time and our couch was turned into a bookshelf.
As, superficial as it is a new couch became an object that we all greatly desired. However, the thought of spending the money to attain our heart's desire was something that we all couldn't really justify. When two of our roommates left for good, the reality of purchasing diminished as the cost went up. (We had looked at couches but just couldn't decide if we needed one or if so which one would be best.) A couch became to us a symbol and an analogy for some of our heart's greatest desires. We would say that someday the Lord would bring us a couch (literally and figuratively). We all have been learning how to put our hearts into God's hands and commit fully, whatever lies ahead. I, for one, sometimes have a hard time trusting God's plans and that He really does know what I desire and need, and not only that but that He grants the desires of our hearts and provides for our needs. Months ago I put the couch situation in God's hands trusting that He saw our desire and that He would answer, although in His time. Recently, I have been challenged to focus on Christ as the all sufficient one, and on the fact that He alone can satisfy my heart's desires.
Upon arriving back in Thailand, the thought and desire for a new couch came up several times. Two days ago I even told my roommate Amy that I thought we should stop by one of the shops on the road to school and ask how much for one of their couch/chair things. OK so enough background story, hopefully you understand where we are coming from.
Two days ago our gate bell (similar to a door bell) rang and I peeked out the front door to see our landlady coming up to the door. Honestly, my first thought was, "Oh, no. She is coming for rent and we don't have the money." (Our boss gives us money for rent each month and we pass it on to her.) I answered the door and greeted her politely. She started out in Thai and I thought that she said she was going to switch the sofa. I asked to clarify and she said that yes our couch was may dii (not good) and so she was going to change it. It was about to storm so we made a plan for her to come back the next day at four. When we pulled up to our house at four o'clock she was standing outside (unusual punctuality for Thai culture) with her husband and two Thai workers. In about fifteen minutes they had removed our gross bookshelf (couch) and replaced it with.......a beautiful, soft, clean, non-smelly couch. Better than I could have hoped for. So this is on the surface meant to share about our great new couch (and kind landlady). But more than that I hope you see answered prayer and that God knows the desires of our hearts, big and small. That while it may not always seem like it God is always working and He knows how to give good gifts to His children because of His extravagant love. May I never forget that in good times or bad with a gross couch or a beautiful one He is the all sufficient one and therefore all I will ever need.