Happy New Year!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Oh, this is an exciting event to share with you!  Long story short: Over a year ago, God put the idea in my heart to create a "walk-through the Gospel story" in a way the Thai people could easily understand. 

We asked our small church family to help, and invited our neighborhood, knowing there was the possibilility that no one would come. BUT, the Lord brought neighbors from 5 different homes to come!

When they entered our yard they were greeted and handed an MP3 player with earbuds.  They chose English or Thai language and were guided to station 1, and began listening.

Station 1: 

 They heard about everything having a beginning,except God, and how they are part of the story.  Each person was asked add a brushstroke to the canvas to symbolize their place in God's creation.

 Station 2 is such a contrast, just look at the colors!  It shows death,work, and struggle. They learned how sin entered the world, and the hope that a Redeemer would come.  The people were asked to pick up a rock and carry it the rest of journey to represent the weight of their sin.

 Station 3: God pursues His people.

 Here they heard how God gave them laws to guide them and protect them, how He 

parted the Red Sea, and how he chose unlikely people to accomplish His plan.

 Station 4: Man rejects God.

This wooden chest reminds them of the law being stored away and

forgotten.  The scrolls remind them that God sent prophets to pursue and warn His people, but ultimately they too would reject Him.

 Station 5: The promise fulfilled!

Jesus is born to an unlikely woman, in an impossible way,

proclaimed to unimportant people.  God did what

we wouldn't expect!

 Station 6: Jesus' ministry

Jesus had the ability to heal the sick and perform miracles.

He showed the love of God but also spoke the truth of

who He was: God in flesh.  This angered many.

 Station 7:  The cross

Jesus was killed to pay for our sin.  He was

the bridge between a holy God and sinful people.

Station 8: Burial and Resurrection

The people walked inside the tomb and listened about Jesus

 conquering sin and death!

 Inside the tomb: burial clothes. 

 The people were asked to leave the rock they had been carrying at the tomb, because their sin had been paid through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  

 Station 9: Free resources! There were people abvailable to answer questions and to invite them back to church the next day.

 I'd like to share the pictures of an hour after we began. There is

something sobering about darkness that creates a beautiful background

to walk through and contemplate the truths spoken.

 Many people added to the canvas.

 The darkness drew you in closer to really see

what was happening.

 The children said that going into the tomb was their 

favorite part.  I loved seeing all the rocks left there

 The next day we had church at our house.  Most everyone

asked to walk through the stations again!

 All of these children, yet silence as they listened.

 This mother and daughter made a special trip just to walk through. 

 They attend Bible study at our home.

Thank you for journeying with us, friends.  We ask for your

continued prayers as we seek God in 2020.  May more people

know freedom in Jesus, may husbands join their wives in the joy

of salvation!  Please pray that our family desires Christ above

all, as it is a daily battle.  Finally, please pray for our financial support to increase. This has been a very difficult year financially and we have felt it in ways that cause us to question how much longer we can stay.  

 

 Happy New Year!  May we all have the joy of this kid on a good day. :)

Thank you for loving us.  Our hearts miss you even more at this time of year.

The work continues

Friends, we had a wonderful time in America, visiting with many of you in your homes or 

churches.  When you pray, please thank God with us for His provision.  We have 2 new supporting churches and some new individual supporters, as well.  Thank you to everyone who gives to our ministry. We're so thankful that we were able to come back and continue the work here: a church plant, anti-human traffiking work, and missionary support through education.

House Church!  Our church now rotates between homes and we

get to host twice a month.  This picture was taken at my friend's house.  Women's Bible

study will be resume next week at our home.  Please pray for me as I teach these women

the foundations of the faith.

 Dragon Fruit!  I learned how to cut this little star/flower

design and then you can pull sections off to eat it.  

 We had a rough transition back to Thailand and felt it was

an attack of the enemy.  We were in the ER twice within 8 hours, but

all is well.  Look how happy everyone is!

 Mangosteen: This is one of my favorite fruits!  It's soft

and tastes a bit like honey.

 We enjoy family time outside in the yard (when it isn't raining).  Hudson

watches me pull weeds and attempts to pull grass....and eat it.

 Is it me, or does this truck have a mustache?

 Callie and I flagged down the icecream truck.  This ice cream is made 

from fresh coconut milk with added sticky rice!

 Look who learned to sit up!

 Snuggly brothers in the morning.

 Bathtime!  We don't have a bathtub, so 

this works.

 This is a fortune teller of sorts.  It was at the

grocery store.  You put your money in, the wheel lands

on a number and then you take the paper fortune that matches the number.

 I'm not sure how popular machines like this are, but

the Thai people are very supersticious.  They have favorite numbers and

unlucky numbers that brings about fear.

 And now he's a crawler!  It's all happening so fast!

 The gang!  Ken is off to work to support missionary families

homeschool their kiddos AND he's serving as Director of Curriculum this year for the school.  

The school serves over 500 kids, most of whom come from missionary families serving here and in Southeast Asia.

I can't post my pics of the antihuman trafficking work happening, but there are unspoken

prayers for a couple of the girls.  The enemy is always at work, so please pray with us!

It's a boy!

WELCOME!!  Hudson Tobiah

Tobiah means, "the Lord is good"

This little boy was our biggest at 7 lbs 8oz

He was also the fastest birth (but most painful).

Meeting the family.

How I spent most of the first week.  Snuggled with this boy as 

Max and Ken fought Influenza A.

Proud daddy!

I knit him this little outfit.  He was bigger than I

expected, but it still fit.

Peace Out!  Leaving the hospital.

For those of you who want more details about the birth, here's ya go:

I was 1 day past my due date, (which was Jack's birthday.  Callie prayed the baby wouldn't be born on Jack's birthday).  My parents had arrived and we were ready for baby to come.  It was Friday, the kids were out of school, my doula/nurse was going to be leaving for vacation on Sunday, so I wanted to get the ball rolling.  My mom and I went to get massages.  Just a foot massage for me.  15 minutes after we finished, I was walking and said,"Something is happening.  I think my water is going to break."  I took a few more steps and felt something again, "My water is going to break!"  As I got in the van to drive home, I felt a small trickle.  I had one contraction.  That was at 6:37pm. (I know this because I called Ken and my phone saved the info).  I called my doula (who has lived here for over 20 years and attended numerous births) and she reminded me that early labor can take several hours.

Back at home, nothing.  No contractions.  I sat on the birthing ball and eventually the rest of my water broke.  Around 7:30 I started having contractions.  They got serious pretty quickly and I was breathing through them.  I just felt we should go to the hospital, even though I only had 4 or 5 contractions.

In the car, it all stopped.  I felt normal.  Then at 8:12 I had a strong contraction that lasted about 90 seconds.  That was intense.  I remember thinking I didn't want to be sitting in the car for any more contractions.  At the hospital you have to park far away and walk about 7 minutes, or your husband drops you off at the ER and you go without him.  I wanted to walk to start regular contractions because I didn't want pitocin.

As we walked, I had regular contractions that rapidly got stronger and closer together.  I told Ken to call our doula/nurse and tell her to come.  When we arrived at the 12th floor they asked me to give a urine sample.  As soon as I attempted to provide one,  I knew things were progressing and I said, "I need to push!"  I didn't know if I did, but it felt like baby was moving and things were serious.  I was a little scared. The doctor wasn't there, nor my doula, just 2 intake nurses.

A nurse checked me and I dilated to 8.  They told me to lay on the bed, which slowed my contractions.  As I was breathing through them, the nurses were asking me questions for their paperwork, "What is your education?"  I was confused, "Are you asking me if I went to college?"  Our doula/nurse had arrived and began answering for me, which allowed me to focus on breathing and staying relaxed.  I was kind of surprised we were talking about my college degree while I was minutes away from pushing!

The doctor arrived and I walked to the delivery room.  A few minutes later I asked to push because I was in pain and wanted the pain to end.  I was at 9.5 but  a couple contractions later I was complete at 10.  This felt like forever to me.  The pain was too much, there were no epidurals, the gas and air machine was empty.  The only way out was to push him out!

I pushed for 7 minutes in an upright position and it wasn't working.  My back throbbed no matter how hard Ken pressed against it with his hand. The doula suggested I flip back over.  I couldn't move because the pain didn't stop, but with others helping me, I was on my back, and Hudson was born 4 minutes later.  (Our doula kept record of these details.)

I have since learned that when you give birth in under 3 hours it's called precipitous birth.  Most people I talk to feel envious that my labor was over so quickly, ( about 2 hours 30 minutes) but it has it's own difficulties.  You cram all the intesity of labor into an hour, but your mind isn't able to keep up with the physical changes.  I had mentally prepared all the ways I would cope with labor, but because it came on so fast, there wasn't time for my plans.

Another component of precipitous birth is a lack of rest between contractions.  Most women said they felt like active labor was one long contraction.  I agree!  Once I made it through transition to pushing, I remember saying, "I don't know when to push, it won't stop hurting!"  This is why many women get emotional at this stage; you don't get a break and it overwhelms you.

When Hudson was born, my emotions needed time to catch up with what I had just gone through.  There he was, our son!  He had so much hair, and he was big!  My first baby was just under 6 pounds and Hudson was 7.8   He looked quite Asian at first and a lot like Ken when he was a newborn.

I wouldn't have guessed that God would gift us with this gift in our 40's, but we are so very thankful.  He is loved by all of us and draws quite a crowd when we're in public.  When we moved here Max was a year old and he was a bridge to the people. We pray for Hudson, that the Lord will use him for His glory and that we parent well by teaching him the ways of the Lord, living it out as an example before him.

6 weeks old

We look forward to introducing him to you this summer while we're back.  It will have been nearly 3 years since we last saw our friends, family, and supporters in Georgia!