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!