Brayden's Taekwondo

This is Brayden doing his Taekwondo after only ONE day of class. He's been through five two hour classes now and loves it. He's meeting new Thai friends, getting his energy out, and learning alot about self-discipline.

M-M-M-My Melissa

Melissa is more than my friend, not quite my daughter, kind of like my sister. Sometimes I don't know how to refer to her other than "My Melissa". She was once my neighbor and then became our roommate so she could finish her senior year of high school. She knew me during life's craziest moments- planning our exploratory trip, fixing and packing and selling everything we owned, and she still loves me!!! The girl who desired to finish high school is now a grown woman and a sophomore at UNCC- Charlotte. I am so super proud of her and all that she has set out to do and accomplish! She is quiet and reserved and would never tell you how awesome she is even if you asked her. I have been missing her a lot lately. Please if you see this girl around at Freedom House Church, make sure you tackle her with a hug for me!

For more about Melissa, read these posts.

Red Light Relationship

At some major intersections in our city, people walk through the stopped cars and sell flowers. These flowers are typically used as offerings on spirit houses but can also be given to people to show honor or for special holidays.

These people are in the hot bright sun all day. Even though it's 100 degrees they still cover up with a jacket, hat and some type of covering their faces to avoid burning their skin. They were quite a site to our eyes when we first arrived here, but now we are used to it. This one particular sweet lady always comes up to tap on our window and look in at the boys. She tells us how cute they are even though Aslan would scream in fear at the site of her. He has adapted and now he wai's and says "Sawatdeecop". We love this lady and pray for her that she would be blessed with salvation... and a better job.

Since it's a 120 second red light, I often find myself stopped at this main intersection. If this sweet lady looks in to see that their are no children in the car, she asks about them. Her and I have built a relationship through dozens of red lights.
Last time I saw her, she asked for my phone number. I was able to give it to her just as the light turned green. Then she gave me one of her flowers that was she selling! So now hung on my review mirror is a necklace of tiny flowers that make the car smell of jasmine...a gift from my friend. :)

We are still praying for her and looking forward to the time when we can have her over for dinner. When God gives me his heart for someone and then when she boldly asks for my phone number, it makes me wonder what He is up to!!!

Finally A Home

Ahh, finally a home. It's only our fourth place since arriving in Thailand 8 months ago. The first place was a temporary 400 sqft apartment that only lasted a month (Thank God), then we stayed at the Hughes' home while they were in America for 3 months, then when we searched high and low for another house, we were blessed with a big beautiful, fully furnished home. It was esthetically pleasing to the eye but very formal. It was nice to not have to purchase a single thing when we moved in there BUT because nothing belonged to us, it still did not feel like "our place". The idea of moving again (move #28 in the last 14 months) was so unattractive to me, but it was necessary.

Unlike our last place, this new home does not have a spirit house. Also, before we lived here, the home belonged to our worship leader. What a difference both of those factors make. What a refreshing change from our last place. With all the spiritual warfare outside, the home has to be a refuge. We would rather live in a smaller place with peace, that's for sure.

We have done a few needed things to the place. A fresh coat of paint in the color of our choice went a long way. Everything is now bright and clean. We also had to make a few "small" purchases -like beds, a sofa, and kitchen cabinets. Yep, it's pretty common to have to buy a kitchen. So with our own things, photos of the family scattered through the house, Aslan's art work stuck on the refrigerator with ABC magnets, Brayden's toys left in tripable places, and a wireless internet connection (sigh).....it FINALLY feels like home.

Lighthearted Randomness

I have been a bit heavy hearted in my posts lately so...here ya go. Some lighthearted randomness

I ask Brayden..."Where are your manners?" just after he attempts to burp his abc's. His answer..."I left them in America."

Aslan's learning his abc's and sounds and it keeps him from sleeping at night...to busy reciting them all.

Aslan reminds me so much of my brother Dean. I love watching him line up his matchbox cars and then move them all six inches ahead at a time. He says to the next car, "Come on, let's go."

I love my computer. I bless it to keep working until I am ready and I refuse to hate it even though it erases what I write. I need nine more lives!

Ever since I have found out about needing to move again, I have been hardly housekeeping. Not a great idea since now I have 4 more weeks. Sorry guys. Worse part is the evidence that geckos live with us.

Realizing that I favor the color schemes of brown and blue...in like every room. Whatever will I do if I no longer like it anymore?

Really excited about having my kitchen table be an old door with glass on top. (something I have been wanting for a long time). Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hears my voice and opens to me, I will come in and eat with him. That makes me happy.

Brayden wants to interview for a show on history channel about Asia to be their host. :) And he is so serious.

Went to the lake to ride bikes and John's powder pink rental bike!, it's handle bars snapped. He had to put the handle bars in the front basket and awkwardly walk it back. Humility lesson? We were already being stared at for being a full farung family. But that was funny.

Worked on our schedule today, after seeing all the overlapping colored blocks on the screen, we realized that MAYBE that could be why we have been a bit stressed lately. :) Working on that.

Thinking about signing Brayden up for karate to help him get his boy energy. All he can think about is breaking a board and getting a trophy. I am just wondering if teaching him how to kick and hit will be a good idea with his strength.

Been craving baked macaroni and cheese, but I have no oven. :( ...for brownies, for cookies, for... I plan to get one for the new house. Happy again.

A big big mall is coming to our city in December and I am getting very excited about having convienences so close by. There will be a ToysRus there and Brayden thinks that God made that happen just for him. :)

Instead of pizza, Brayden asks for sticky rice and papaya salad. Turning Thai. You should hear him read! (trying not to be jealous)

Emotional Rollercoaster...the ride is over!

I can't tell you what an emotional roller coaster the last couple weeks have been -move, not move, move in 10 days, then give us 4 days longer. Looking like crazy for houses, finding nothing safe, suitable and available. Feeling the insecurity of not knowing where we will live in a just a few days. Thinking through what life would look like if we had to return to that 400 sq.ft. apartment we had stayed at initially. That was stressful. With a 2 year old, a homeschooling second grader, and both John and I studying language with a tutor that comes to the home 5 days a week, that apartment wouldn't work well.

We have found something that might work but the timing wasn't working out. Our friends, Petter and Jenny, missionaries from Sweden are needing to return to Sweden to have a surgery. Their house would become available once they left Thailand October 13th. It is in the same neighborhood that we wanted to live in, the one where our Pastors from Khon Kaen International live. This way Brayden and Aslan would have friends close by. The only way we could pursue this home was if we did indeed live in that apartment for 6 weeks! (Ugh...I would so hate that.) Then, we talked to our landlady and asked if we could possibly stay longer. We were surprised that she quickly and easily said "yes". What a relief! So a move is not needed for 6 more weeks and then it will be to a place already known and established! This is a big deal!

What is also a big deal is that there has been some clearing of the air with our landlady Ae. The day we had our last meeting, that ended up terribly, she brought two ladies from the front office of our neighborhood to translate English/Thai. Through them, Ae either misunderstood or was misinformed about what John was saying. So all this time, our landlady has been confused and angry at something we did not even say. I think having the business agenda of her interpreters could have been the cause. The home office could have benefited twice from our dispute, once to find new renters here and second to find us a new place to stay. Although we still can not agree on the spirit house issue, it does feel good to have a workable relationship restored with Ae. I just couldn't make sense of it all if God led us here to this home, and getting robbed and having an unresolved falling out were the only outcomes.

So thank you all for praying. God worked it all out. We have peace and we will not be homeless. :) The emotional roller coaster is over.

Changing

Being in another culture for an extended amount of time is so eye opening. Not only have I learned a lot about how and why the Thai people live the way they do, but it has also shed light on someone of things about my own culture that I never noticed before. Many of the things I could say are "the right thing" to do are not necessarily biblical or even moral, but are beliefs I have adapted from being in the American culture so long.

I am getting to learn a lot about myself, questioning if that is my own personal belief or is that a cultural adaptation to America. And could this way about me change once I am soaked in a different way of life for a time? What is changeable? What is not? So some of things I believed in (and perhaps even prided myself for having that belief), may all change. At 33 years old, I am still getting to know myself and what makes me tick. I think traveling even a little is a great way to broaden someone's life perspective. Getting to live and function in another culture has been one of the more maturing processes I have ever endured as an adult. Mainly, because you have to become like a child all over again. It's wonderful to feel yourself grow and change especially once you thought you knew it all and had it all together.

Understanding more how big God must be if we are all made in His image yet are so different. Yet any country I have ever been to, you can still see how much the same.

Think someone ought to require a long term cross cultural experience for everyone, it's a pretty humbling experience...which is good.

Move Where He Moves

Our landlady is breaking our lease agreement and wants us out of the house September 2nd...like in a week. After debating on wether or not to resist or fight her on it, we are choosing to follow peace and peace would lead us out of a binding agreement with her. This house is beautiful and wonderful and a huge blessing as it saved us a lot lot lot of money in start up costs by being completely furnished. However, since arriving here, it has been one thing after another - no water up stairs, only half of the electricity (even still), bill collectors visiting our home several times a week looking for our landlady, the robbery ordeal, the accusation that we caused the break in because we moved the spirit house. It has been more distracting than peaceful, unfortunately.

I am struggling to walk away from the situation because it has seemed quite fruitless (so far anyway). You know, you pray about something, feel peace, make a decision, rejoice in God's provision, ...then you get robbed, get misunderstood, and asked to leave and it makes me wonder...."Did we miss God on this one?" I know in my heart we didn't, I am just trying to find the good that will come of it that I don't quite see just yet. I may never know and I need to become ok with that.

This a picture of the spirit house that used to sit at the corner of our property. When our landlady lived here, she would appease the spirit that live on her land with offerings like incense, flowers, drinks, and food. She felt that by doing that her spirits protect her and give her good luck. Well, we didn't need the protection of her spirits, we brought the Holy Spirit with us and He delights only in seeing Jesus glorified. So we removed the thing that didn't bring glory to God. Now our landlady is displeased and blaming our moving of the spirit house on the "bad luck" she feels she is having all the way in Bangkok six hours away.

So we will leave this home that we saw as God's provision and answer to prayer and trust that we are blessed coming in and going out. That God will provide here or somewhere else. We just need it to be speedy since a week is a very short amount of time to find a home and buy essential furnishings. I thought this was our last move for a while. I think what I dread the most is all the cleaning that has to be done when you first move in to a place.I just got done doing all that.

Trying to keep our eyes on Jesus and move where He moves...even if it is to the 28th place in 13 months.

When Flexibilty Comes in Handy

Thursday afternoon's, our church meets at the ladies prison to hold a weekly service. The prison is a huge warehouse with a hundred and fifty or so woman working at various stations -cooking, sewing, ironing, making nets, styling hair, etc. In the center there is a small room with a two fans where we usually meet. Well, this last week that room was unavailable for us. We asked if we could go to the back by the tub, there would be room enough for us plus the twenty or so prisoners.

It was one of those times where flexibility was coming in real handy. We sat on flattened cardboard boxes and a few rice mats because the floor was wet. On one side of us was the cistern or tub that the ladies use for taking bucket baths and washing dishes and clothes...and all that activity was going on at the time. To the side of us about ten feet were about 6 toilets without doors...which were also being used at the time. Inmates have to complete their chores before attending the church service or they will not get their meal ticket. Because this one lady took about a half hour on the toilet, we were wondering if going to the bathroom was her excuse just so she could attend. :) They sent a guard to oversee our meeting but she took a seat in a broken barber shop chair and fell asleep. We were in the full on sun with no fans and it was incredibly hot.

Belle, our Thai interpreter and worship leader, had lost her voice and asked some of the older disciples to help her lead the songs. They did a great job. Unashamedly, they sang very loud and curious others peaked around to see what was going on. Not being in the room allowed many more to see and hear what goes on at the meetings.

Even with all the distraction and motion of people walking all around us, making noise and being busy, Jenny, a missionary from Sweden, did an amazing job at holding the inmates attention. I could tell that it was challenging to remain focused as she taught, but she kept herself together and because she did many women were ministered to and learned that with The Holy Spirit, your Christian walk is an adventure. Woman who had already been saved and baptized prayed to be able to hear the Holy Spirit more and more each day. And new believers prayed to receive the Holy Spirit for the first time. It was an unusual but blessed meeting.

I learned the values of being flexible and not giving up when God has opened a door, even it is a small window of opportunity. They weren't the best of conditions but we made it work and woman were blessed. When you hear an inmate say..."If you didn't come here and teach me about Jesus, I would have died. Now I have something to live for.", preaching next to the toilets and seeing people bathe in the background is no excuse to cancel.

Cure for the Funk: Fun with Friends

I have been suffering from a severe case of writer's block. Guess I didn't realize just how much the wind was taken from our sails with the robbery and all the drama that followed. We have been managing some fear and taking some extreme measures...we even lock the boys inside their rooms at night. Then we also had to deal with accusations that the reason we were robbed was because we moved the spirit house from the corner of the property. So, it's been a bit of a whirlwind around here and I haven't been too interested in writing all about it.

But this past weekend, we had some missionary friends visit from another city. It was the first time we hosted guests since we moved in to our new house. We had a blast. With their 4 kids and our 2, plus 4 adults, we had a full house. It was great -full of life and activity. Just didn't realize how much we were needing some encouraging fellowship until we got it. Nothing like fun with friends to get you out of a funk. We have known the Lovorn's for years, went to bible school with them, Sandy and I were pregnant together, we have two sets of boys the same age, and now we also share the experience of being a missionary in Thailand. It was so good to talk with someone who understands this season in life. We were so sad when we took them to the bus station today...especially Brayden. :( But even though they left, they left us feeling refreshed. God has provided everything we needed to thrive here, even friends for the whole family. Feeling extremely blessed as we end this day.

All I Can Do is Pray

After writing this post, we received so many emails of people encouraging us and letting us know that they are praying for us. It really is a comforting thought knowing that while we are sleeping here in Thailand, people are praying over there in the states. (11 hour time difference) We definitely feel the intensity of spiritual warfare increasing, so it's time to step it up in prayer too. Karb khun ma na kah. Thank you so much.

Since the robbery, we take locking up so much more seriously. John walked around the house and did a mock "break in". Unfortunately, we discovered just how easy it was and it was concerning. With little effort or noise, John was able to jiggle and tug on the window and it came unlocked! The window is loose in the track of the frame and it gives enough room to unlatch. The windows are fixed now and we are feeling much better.

Now we are beginning to miss our belongings. We are realizing just how much we used those things. Technology is a funny thing. Ultimately, we don't need it but it has become so useful in communication and expression that without it, we feel lost. I can't tell you how many times I have made mention of how I wanted to take a picture of this or that, but....oh yeah, we can't.

Some have mentioned how they wish they could do more to help us, but financially they are unable to and that all they can do is pray. Well, we don't take your prayers lightly and neither should you. We need them and feel them. It has been our desire to come here but to also take other people with us. So, when you sow into us by praying, you are coming along for the ride too. We love that. "All I can do is pray" shouldn't be said like it's a small thing.

We've Been Robbed

Well, Monday started out very interesting. We noticed when we woke up this morning that there was a lot of commotion our at our neighbor Noon's house. John was trying to get out the door to go pick up the car we had just purchased (95 Nissan Sunny). He was doing his classic, "Babe, where's my...". This time he was looking for his flip flops. I answered with my typical "Well, where did you leave them?" Pretty normal Monday morning so far.

As he was about to leave, Noon was outside our gate telling us that last night someone stole her motorcycle while she was sleeping. They managed to get inside her home, took the key, locked back up (?) and took her bike. She also said that John our other neighbor had his Mac Notebook taken. Noon's husband is often away on business and she stays home alone with her 2 children. I felt so bad for her, thinking how scary that would be knowing that someone was in your home as you slept and your husband was gone.

John was just about to leave but wanted to grab his Ipod first. He went in and looked everywhere but couldn't find it. But John not finding something at first attempt is nothing to be concerned about. :) He looked over by his desk and noticed that his video camera was also gone. We also had been robbed and where just finding out. I went to get my phone out of my purse, but it was not there. Also, my Ipod was gone as well a some cash and our two bank cards. The bank cards were our immediate concern. They are our lifeline here. By the time we cancelled them, the forensic police were here to dust for prints. They hung out on our street for most of the morning.

This is my first experience being robbed. It's a yucky feeling. Yeah, it sucks that we lost things and cash but to me the worst feeling was knowing that someone was in my home while me and my family were sleeping. We have the air conditioning units running in the bedrooms at night so with the hum, we don't hear much. The cash that was taken from my purse was still in an envelope. It was given to us as an offering from the Hawaii missions team. I hate that. But really anything or any money stolen is offerings from others. The video camera can be replaced but the video tape inside the camera had precious footage of new believers being baptized. I hate that so much.

So now the dust has settled (literally) and I have a lot of cleaning up to do from the forensic team. I am calming down a very upset 6 year old who also feels unsettled that our house was broken into. I had to laugh today when Brayden looked at his ceramic spiderman piggy bank and said, "Whew, I am so glad they didn't take that!" I am so grateful that they didn't take our computers. We have got wireless internet but it doesn't work. It only works when we are plugged in upstairs in the bedroom. So both laptops where sleeping on our nightstands safe and sound. If we had a wireless connection that worked, both would have been at the desk next to the video camera and stolen as well. So Praise God our internet connection hasn't worked well.

It's hard not to let the events and the emotions of the day overshadow the happiness and excitement that we have a car now. But we are excited, a little subdued in our expression but still excited. As of today, we have a home and a car of our own! That's a big deal.

P.S. Forgot to mention that those flip plops John was going crazy looking for...they were also stolen. Brown leather Gap flip flops are either impossible to find here or outrageously expensive in Bangkok. Sorry John, I thought you just misplaced something again...turns out they were taken too!

Missions Team From Hawaii

This week were are hosting a missions team from Hawaii. They have been pretty busy since they arrived on Saturday night. Sunday they ministered to three different congregations. Monday they visited 2 schools and had assemblies for almost 600 kids and then ended the night with a village outreach.The rest of the week will be spent ministering at a children's HIV orphanage, a woman's rehab, doing service projects and more outreaches. I have always loved going on missions trips but I enjoy them from a much different perspective now that I am a missionary. As I am growing more in my love for the Thai people, I am even more grateful that people have purposed, prepared and planned to minister to the people the city and in the villages.

A woman from the team shared a very powerful testimony and it has stayed with me for the last couple of days. Her story went like this: She grew up in a Christian home but as a teenager decided to go her own way. She married an unbeliever. She thought having a husband and children would make her fulfilled, but it didn't. She eventually got right with God but her husband did not. He was an angry, jealous and abusive man. One day he took a knife to her, stabbed her several times and started to cut her neck. She said as this was happening, she knew she wasn't going to die because God had been speaking to her about going on a missions trip. So she had to live to fulfill that plan. When he left her bleeding, she got up and phoned for help. All she could think of and pray during those moments were, "God, forgive me and forgive my husband." Because of the incident, her husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison (15 more to go). She chose to stay with him despite all the advice from her friends. Her husband got radically saved in jail and now is active in the prison church. She is a single mother of 2 teenagers and is waiting for a long time until her husband gets out of prison.

It was such a testimony of the supernatural grace to forgive even in the worst circumstances. Of how God can take something awful and make it beautiful. I spoke with her afterward and she said that she always gets nervous just before she shares her story. She feels people's judgment for staying with him, even believers. But she also knows that unforgiveness makes people bound and if she can share of how God has helped her forgive her husband then hopefully others will be open to forgive other people in their life. It was hard not to notice the scar across her neck as she and I talked. (wow)

I love thinking about what lengths God goes through to get people's attention. The life of a single mother in Hawaii to unreached people in Thailand. I loved seeing the ladies of the team worship God with a hula dance. I love thinking about how cool heaven will be with every culture bringing their sound and style. I love the instant unity among believers. Thank you Hawaii team for ministering to everyone here, including me.

Coffee Shopping it!

Hello world.

I am back. Out of the clouds of dust and spider webs. I laugh, because just before moving in, I was having this incredible desire to clean. I just couldn't wait to know that every nook was done to my standards. Well, good thing. It was awful! When the landlady said she was going to leave everything, she wasn't kidding. Her belongings were still in closets and drawers. So first we had to pack her stuff up. Whew, glad it's done. It's so pretty. I think it was the best birthday gift ever...to finally have a house (happy sigh). Our 4th of July here was hardly recognized. Well, we did celebrate our "freedom" by unpacking all those conticos. You know those big plastic black trunks that I love to hate and hate to love. I use them no more and its wonderful!

Just want to thank everyone for the many many birthday wishes. I haven't checked email in a week (yes, it was hard). Just didn't realize how much I use the net for until I had no ability. My inbox had never been so full. Not only with b-day greetings but with people encouraging me about homeschooling and saying over exaggerated things about me like...that I was amazing and stuff. thanks. God's grace is sufficient. I am sure you are all doing things that amaze me too because I really am not called to do anything but be here right now. I have never had such peace and enjoyment about life. Praise God.

The house we live in had an altar at the top of the stairs in the hallway. We took that down as well as some obvious buddhist things. If anything was even questionable...it was packed up with the rest of the landlady's things. BUT we do still have a spirit house out front. John and some friends have prayed over the property and the house and I believe that once the spirit(s) knew we were coming, they couldn't wait to leave. So right now, to me, that spirit house is only an oversized birdhouse and doesn't bother me at all. BUT I do see how it may be confusing for new believers who may come over. I am wanting to put a sign that says both in English and in Thai..."As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord." Then there should be no confusion to any person or any spirit.

I didn't realize just how much Thai Brayden was learning at school. Some conversation but mainly the letters and sounds that he is already trying to blend into words. We plan to bring him in on our language lessons and continue to stoke the fire of desire in him. I do think he can teach me a thing or two. :)

Aslan is sweet and so easy going. I couldn't have asked for a better two year old during this transition. He knows the way to the house and whenever we pull in to the the new neighborhood, he says," We're home!" His favorite bible story is Jonah (Donah) and both he and I have memorized the rhythm of the story and he reads along with me.

Now that we are settled in our own place, it's time to get our own car. Bill and Julie will need theirs when they return. Pray that God's direction and favor will be upon that transaction as well. Nothing fancy, just something dependable. Hard to keep things clean and/or scratch free around here. :) Not because I am a bad driver!!! ...just so ya know.

I do feel like we are home. We now know our way around the city. It helped that we have lived in now 3 different places. We are ready for Bill and Julie to come back. We miss them, our times of fellowship, worship and prayer. Just days after they get back, we have a missions trip coming form Hawaii for a week. Looking forward to it. Should be lots of fun.

Blessings to you. Waiting on the internet connection to be installed at the new place. For now I am coffee shopping it!