A friend from the states reminded me that I have a blog....and I need to update it!

Outside a large temple packed elbow to elbow with people.

I have learned so much about the Thai culture and sometimes I don't even realize that it is changing me.  The feet are the lowest and dirtiest part of a person (that is the perception here). Just 6 months ago I kept reminding myself and the kids to take their shoes off before entering a home (and some stores ask you to take your shoes off before entering to shop!)  But now, it is a habit to remove my shoes as soon as we come to the porch or front steps of a house.  I still have the desire to use my foot to scoot a Lego piece out of my way, or to push a bottom drawer shut, but I remind myself to bend down and use my hands (well, most of the time at least). 

My day to day routine is similar to back home, but more labor intensive:
We wake up, have breakfast, and start school work.  Sounds simple, but breakfast is usually made from scratch, (it is cheaper to make our own biscuits, pancake mix, etc.)  and dishes are all hand washed. I should also mention that Max is 1 1/2 and full of energy! 

We take a mid-morning break and the kids usually play outside.  This is a fun time for them to play and for the kind lady who sweeps our street to come by and visit.  I try to hang my laundry out at this time so that it will dry by the end of the day.

Back to school, a snack, and lunch (usually sandwiches or some sort).  By this point in the day I have swept the floor 3x and sang the "clean up" song with Max too many times :)  The boy loves to play in the water and our water cooler is just his height.  He once emptied a ton of water onto the floor just by pushing a button. Fun times!  For him at least....

I will channel this love of water into something useful: dishwashing ;)

After lunch we go for a walk.  I push Max in the stroller and Jack and Callie ride their bikes.  We meet  people along the way (I once met a Thai woman who asked me a lot of questions and then she shared with me that she was a believer!!!)  God's beauty is always in bloom here to enjoy!  It's easy to teach science with so many interesting plants and insects....and occasionally snakes! 

A real leaf!  This was on a hike with friends:)

After lunch, Max naps and the kids and I have a chance to do some un-interupted reading and grammar together.  I try to fold the laundry (if it's dry) and make plans for dinner.  I cook a lot more now that we have a toaster oven!  We still eat Thai food from the market or from street vendors though.  Ken is at work until about 4:30 and then we have dinner.  (He is such a wonderful fit for his role and it's exciting as his wife to see him utilize all of the gift the Lord gave him, and life experience to serve in this way.)

We have our favorite vendors: a sweet elderly couple that makes fun "bubble waffles" as we call them. They don't speak English but I want to hug her every time I see her.  She has a warmth and smile that makes you feel like she is your grandma. I love the Shwarma (seasoned chicken wrap) from a Thai Muslim woman and her 2 daughters, and Jack loves pork on a stick.  We all crave sticky rice and have found a place close to home that usually has it.

There is so much in my head to say and I am trying to figure out how and what to share...

I find that we have many acquaintances here but we desire close friends. I have shared my feelings with others who have been here longer than me and their responses have been similar: "Welcome to Chiang Mai- that's how it is here."  Many of the people who moved here for similar reasons as our family, are busy in their outreach....or their families and school, sports, etc...so they don't make time for anything else.  Our goal is to be available to grow with other families serving here and to connect to the people around us.

  Sometimes it eats at me..."How can I share you with them, Lord?"  What do I do?  What does it look like here?  My answers about the culture have come slowly, but I am gaining understanding:

• This. takes. time. 
•  People are not projects to be completed.  They aren't an item on the check-list.   
• They are to be loved.  We love because God first loved us.  

 Buddha museum at the temple on the mountain: Doi Suthep

  Pursuing God means pursuing those He loves: our neighbors.   So, again I am reminded to quit overwhelming myself with how to do this. Today it was simple: I made cookies.  I took them to a neighbor a short walk away who I haven't seen in a long time...but she didn't answer the door.  I felt defeated.  Not quite sure what is going on in her life, but she is avoiding me... So, I turned the other direction and walked to a different neighbor that I had recently met and took Max with me. 

She opened her gate and greeted me by saying I had been gone too long. (She was glad I was back to visit).  I learned about her and her family, and as she shared I realized that they had needs...now I get to pray about how the Lord would use our family to serve them.  I enjoyed our time there.  The woman's sister lives with her and she is a widow who doesn't have children.  She loved playing with Max and I got to sit and have a conversation without chasing him around:)

Our neighbors gave us this tree.  The kids are watering it...with water guns.

I came home and smiled to see the boy (from my previous blog post) that we met at the music school next door.  He was here to play with Jack.  Later his mom came by and joined us for dinner.  Callie prayed this long and sweet prayer of thanksgiving.  The mother asked if her son could pray like that.  We shared a bit with him about what prayer is and he said he might try that next time.  It is fascinating because the mom is a Buddhist! 

There is so much more to share, but I will save it for another day:)  The Lord is faithful.  When I fail, he doesn't.  When I fear, question, or neglect Truth, He is constant and at work.  I find myself breathing a sigh of relief as I type that.

Thank you for praying for us, supporting us, and encouraging us. 

The blessing of dirty dishes

We live next to a music school and on Saturday mornings the sounds of the piano or electric guitar can be heard.  The owner invited our kids over to spend time at their home/ music school to visit with other children.

Today Jack spotted a couple kids outside and asked if they could go over.  Although we share a fence, the enterance is on the road behind us.  I let Jack ride his bike over and once he had permission to stay, I took Callie to the fence and lifted her over.  A woman came running over, "Where are you from?!"

Before I continue, let me paint a picture for you: I was in one of Ken's t-shirts (that had been smeared with cinnamon from baking), yoga pants, my hair was piled on top of my head, I was sporting my glasses, and had batter on my hands because I was in the process of making bread.  I was a hot mess (it was 90 degrees outside;)

I smiled and and told her, "America."  I learned that she is Thai, but married a Westerner and lived in America for over a dozen years.  She moved back here in the Spring and felt lonely, didn't really know anyone, missed the U.S. and her son, (age 6) wanted to move back home.  She said that Christmas-time didn't feel the same, so I invited her to a Christmas pageant that we would be attending.  She said, "Yes! You know about God?  I am Buddhist but I want to know and I want to teach my son, but I don't know anything about it.  I know that Christmas is Jesus' birthday."

Shocked, and elated, I quickly agreed to teach her and invited her over. She hugged me (this is not common here!)  I wanted to cry and here's why:  I prayed just 2 days ago that God would give me someone who wanted to hear the Gospel.  We've shared with many people here and although they are kind and polite, they want nothing to do with the Gospel.  But now, someone is ASKING ME TO TEACH HER ABOUT THE LORD!!!

Her son came over to play and I went back to baking and cooking because we had invited a family over for dinner.  A bit later there was a knock at the door.  Callie's new Thai friend (who doesn't speak English) was smiling through the window.  My heart felt full.  The Lord is literally bringing people to our home!!

Soon after, my new friend was at the door to collect her son.  She sat and visited with me for a while and I invited her to stay for dinner. She said, "Really?"  I nodded.  She stood up, hugged me and began crying.  I don't remember what she said exactly, but she thanked me.

As I cooked she talked with me about how homesick she was, even though this is her country, she had been away so long that it no longer felt like home here.  While she talked with Ken about education and I made a dash for the bathroom to throw some make up on, but in my contacts, and do something with the mop of hair on my head, but there was no time to change my clothes).  I also sent a text to our friends to let them know we'd have extra company for dinner.

The couple that came are wonderful believers and he, though American, was raised here.  So he understood the way she felt.  Isn't that awesome that the Lord brought them?  His timing is perfect!  When it came time to eat, we gathered around to pray. Our new friend called her son over to explain what was about to happen, "We are going to pray to the God now."

Dinner and fellowship was such fun.  Our new friend kept saying, "Who can believe this?  I take my son to music class for the first time and here I am!"  I smiled, "God had a different plan for you today."  When it came time to leave she said, "For the first time in 6 months, I am happy to live here, thank you.  Maybe God want me here today."

After everyone left and the kids were in bed, I stared at the dishes with thankfulness.  Most every plate, cup and pot I had were dirty, but I was thankful because it meant our home was full of people.  I searched for the right word to describe the feeling: joy.  I felt filled with joy.

With dishes done, I sat and realized, "This is what I am here to do."  It's the same thing I did in the states. We have only been here a little less than 3 months, but I felt so scattered: trying to find a church, and plug in to a ministry or outreach, but knowing my primary ministry was to be home, teaching and discipling our children.  But look!  God let me stay home and do just that, AND He brought people to us.  I am just in awe of Him today.

Thank you to all of you who pray for us.  God gave us the right home- not because of the size or layout, but because of the people around it that He is bringing in!  Please keep praying.  I truly hope I am able to teach and share with our new friend and pray that the Lord will continue to equip us to accomplish the work He has for us here. 

Moving to Thailand Part II

I apologize that I haven't updated our blog.  My computer got fried- literally! It started smoking and Ken had to order parts to fix it (he is awesome:).  I have been able to use my phone to add pictures to facebook, but not blogging...until now!

To summarize our first month:  the transition went so smoothly! People kept commenting on how easy we made it look and how quickly we were on our feet!  We told them, "Many, many people are praying for us, so we know it is God walking us through this."

 DAY 1 and 2: we explored the city on foot and introduced the kids to Thailand!

 Trying new fruit!

 New plants...

The view from our hotel room.

On day 3 we moved into our home! We spent that week cleaning and unpacking.  Max was happy to have his toys back!

 4 days after arriving "school" was back in session!

 Shopping can be exhausting, but we needed a fridge and cleaning products...

 We found these little coin machines in the food court at the grocery store.  After you put your money in, the child steers and can literally drive it around the food court!  Very fun:)

 A sweet couple (new friends) took us to church and the kids played afterwards.

 Our sweaty little boy with the water jugs.  (We can't drink the tap water)

,

 Jack loves to catch the lizards (they live in our house...it's just the way it is here:)

 Taking public transportation was fun....

..but after a week we were soooo excited to get our vehicle.

   Max had the hardest transition.  The Thai people love babies and wanted to touch, hold, and play with him but he wanted nothing to do with it.  However, within 4 weeks he was smiling at people!  Even though we prepared for Callie a lot of attention, it caught her off-guard.   "Why do they want to play with my hair; why are they hugging me?"  She is used to it now.  When she greets the people in Thai it melts my heart.

   Max didn't get the memo that he is supposed to sleep through the night in his own bed...so, we're struggling through that.  He gets up at least 3x/ night, even if he's in our room.  The 11 hour time change was most difficult for him.  Keeping a 14 month old entertained at 4am before you've unpacked wasn't easy!

    The kids watch Thai cartoons on Saturday morning and never complain that they cant understand it.  I watch the news a few mornings a week but I don't understand much either:)  The language is so difficult that we're told we won't just pick it up. We've arranged to have a tutor come to the house for the kids...still working on a tutor for us.

Thank you to everyone who prays for and encourages our family.  Thank you also to everyone who supports us financially.  We appreciate all of you:)  Here are 2 exciting moments:

1. We sat with a man from the UK in the food court and got to share the gospel with him!  I love that the Lord gave us someone we could communicate with to proclaim His name.
2.  While out buying laundry baskets, after a long day, Callie (our middle child) told us, "I wish I could get this sin out of me right now!"  So, we sat down on the display furniture in the store and talked about sin and the Savior!  She prayed and my daughter became my sister in Christ!   She was so excited and wrote a song about it and then began telling people that she is a Christian now because she prayed to the Lord and Jesus took away her sin. 

! I'll leave you with this picture: our first month was exhausting:)

After a long day trying to find things at the grocery store.

I can't believe we are finally here, in Thailand!  Thank you, Lord for your faithfulness!!  Let your glory fill the Earth!!!

September update: Part 1

What a month!  We moved from Michigan, spent a week in GA, 2 nights at a hotel in Chiang Mai, and ended the month by moving into our house!

These 2 grew up together: their mommies are sweet friends!

Spending a few moments with our adorable nephew.

Saying Goodbye was hard; so hard that it just kind of hurt your heart, and if I'm being honest, I felt so anxious leaving Michigan.  For the first time ever, our kids had family nearby (well, we were living with my parents:)  Jack enjoyed fishing and night crawler picking with his papa.  Callie enjoyed baking with Nana. We were able to watch my niece niece's volleyball games and have dinners together after church. My sister had a baby while we were living in Michigan and I was able to watch many of his firsts, just as she was able to watch many of Max's.  It saddened both of us to think about missing the next round of "firsts." I prayed through tears that night.

Lovin' on a couple of "my girls".

As we drove to Georgia that morning, I thought, "What are we doing?! We are moving half-way around the world!  Why did we say we would do this?!"  I am so thankful for my husband because he listened and then reminded me of everything I have told my own family and friends: life is a vapor and eternity is long.  We have eternity with our family (fellow Christians) but the people we're reaching out to overseas, well, most have never heard of the hope we have in Christ."  This is what the Lord has prepared us to do.

We spoke at a church the same day we drove down to GA.  They were very encouraging and I was honest with them, "Pray for me.  I'm anxious."  The next day, after a lot of sleep (thank you Ken for getting up with the kids!) I felt so different...calmer...rational ;)

Love this lady!

rch had a beautiful commissioning service for us.  I woke up that morning excited to go, ready for Thailand!  The service was precious.  The kids sang, our pastor shared a wonderful message that was so meaningful and Christ focused.  One of my close friends sang and it was just a special gift.  I managed not to cry up until this point, but during the last song, "He will hold you fast,"  I just cried. All around me were people who loved me and spurred me on in my walk with the Lord.  I had grown so much with the body of believers. It was time to go and the Lord would continue to hold me. 

At our host family's home: they were sooo good to us!

The next day our dear friends, who were also our neighbors, took us to the airport.  Checking in was easy and all of our bags were between 48 and 50 pounds- no overage on weight!  Woo-hoo!  We said see you later, and for the first time in a long time, we were by ourselves.  It felt more adventurous and exciting than sad.  We had lunch and headed to our gate.

We arrived in Chiang Mai!

On the plane the kids were so excited to be able to watch movies and shuffle through their backpack of goodies.  As we took off down the runway I said, "Say goodbye to America!"  Jack got teary-eyed and quiet.  I heard him whisper something that ended with "Goodbye" and tears were running down his cheeks.  He talked to me about it a little bit.... It broke my heart...however, I think it was good for him to get out how he had been feeling.  If he's sad, I want him to cry...but it's hard to watch your kids cry...especially when you can't fix the reason they are crying.

Max even slept in the bassinet for a while!!!

Thankfully the tears didn't last long and excitement resumed.  Many of you prayed that our kids would fly/travel well and they did!  Even 14 month old Max! Korean Airlines makes it so easy on families:)  The kids were all awake for our transfer in Korea, which was necessary because they had to carry their backpack and suitcase.  Callie, so little under all her gear said, "I'm not giving up!"  She didn't!  We made it to our gate with 15 min. to spare.

Too excited to sleep!

We were met in Chiang Mai by staff/friends from the school we'll be partnering with.  The kids were excited to see Thailand, even though it was dark.  Our hotel was really cute!  Max loved being able to crawl on/off the beds, but that scared me, knowing he could fall backwards off a bed at any moment onto cement!  We were able to Skype with family to let them know we had arrived and we were all wide awake.  I think we went to bed at 2:45am! Hello jet-lag!  Little did I know that for the next 4 days Max would wake up in the middle of the night ready to play! 

Packing...and Re-packing

 I forgot to post this last month: 

We have 10 days until we will be in the air, headed for Chiang Mai!  So, what are we up to?  We have been sorting, packing and weighing our luggage for days on end.

My sister's family, my brother, and parents helped us raise money by having a garage sale.  In 2 days we raised over $1,000!!!  Pretty amazing!!!  The Lord keeps providing for us in so many ways. We're thankful for the items that were donated, our family's dedication, and the generosity of others.

Many women have asked how I'm doing.  Well, here's the truth: 
How am I feeling?  I am excited to go! Sometimes really excited, can't wait to move into our home and start our ministry in Thailand....but I am sad to leave, sometimes tears running down my cheeks sad.  And that is the way I think it probably should be.

A word keeps coming up in my Bible study: "remember."  Remember who the Lord is, remember His promises, His commandments, how He chose us, remember He will not forget His children.  When we remember these truths, we are reminded that we can trust.  Failure to remember our Lord results in worry, just like the Israelites did soon after they left Egypt. 

I want to remember all that the Lord has done.  It pushes me forward,  like a big gust of Michigan wind before a fabulous thunderstorm :)

UPDATE:  We are in Chiang Mai and check out this picture of the mountain here.  The clouds reminded me of the pillar of fire by night and cloud by day that the Lord dwelt with the Israelites.  How awesome that the Lord impressed it on my heart to "remember" and He gave me this incredible visual!  

July Update: We are moving!

The time has come! We will be moving to Thailand on September 17th!! We are in the process of packing, saying goodbyes, and house-hunting online. Foreigners cannot own land in Thailand (legally) at this time, so we'll be renting. Houses rent quickly, so we might be relying on video and pictures to choose a home and have it ready for us to move into.

Now that I threw the big news at you, let me give you a summary of our month:

Our kids are still weirdos :)

Max is finally getting teeth!

And he got a passport

....but all he could think about was getting those teeth to come in!

 Callie turned 4!  We had her friends over and celebrated with a ballerina theme.  I need to do an update on her decorations because most of them came from the Thrift Store or were made on a penny-pinching budget!  This was her first real party and she was sooooo excited! 

 

We traveled to TN and GA!

Chic-fil-A provided our free lunch on dress like a cow day! (Thanks Cody for the outfit!)

  During our time down South we visited our sending church and caught up with our family there. We spent almost every night with a different family for dinner. WE LOVED THAT! Unexpectedly running into old friends warmed our hearts too.

Max enjoyed playing catch at a get-together in GA.

Callie got loved on!

Jack caught up with his buddy.

I love this picture.  Callie's friends who have known her since she was in my tummy.

We attended the CSTHEA conference, a homeschooling conference near Chattanooga, TN. Several missionary families from all over the world stopped by our booth. The Lord continues to use families like these to confirm our calling. One of the moms (serving in Asia) broke down in tears and told us how wonderful it would be to have the help of a ministry like ours. Lonely and difficult were how she described homeschooling where she lived.

At our booth in East Ridge, TN.

Can you believe he took a nap despite all the noise?!

We "sweetened" our prayer card packets this month.

We stopped along the way home from Georgia and visited with three families. Each has a special place in our hearts as has played a significant role in our lives.  Let me share one story:

This precious woman introduced me to Ken during our first year of college.  She and I were pen-pals from camp that lost touch and reconnected at Cornerstone.  She said, "I have the perfect guy for you."  It took a while for Ken and I to realize she was right, but we've been dating for nearly 19 years now! (Married for 15).

Here is the birthday boy!  Max turned 1.  We had a small celebration with my family.

There you have it: July.  It came to an end quickly, and August is already flying by.

So what does it feel like to be moving to the other side of the world? Well, it is just starting to hit me! We have traveled so much this year (long trips every 8 weeks since March) to share our ministry and raise the support to move to Thailand.  So, this move doesn't completely feel like a move yet. 

 We are limited on what we can take: 8 check in suitcases weighing up to 50lbs. each, and one 25 lb. suitcase for Max.  We will each take a carry on suitcase and a backpack...and that is it! 

Please pray for us:

• Transitions: from Michigan, to Georgia, to Chiang Mai.
• Goodbyes: This will be especially hard on our kids.
• New neighbors: That we will have Thai neighbors that we can build relationships with.
• Language: The Thai language is REALLY difficult to learn.
• Housing: We would like a 1 story home with some grass in the yard (yards are small and often non-existant because it is a city and land is costly).
• Transportation: We will need a vehicle...and I will need to figure out how to drive there- EEK!
• Visas: They are being processed now, but let's pray it goes smoothly.
• Friendships: For all of us.  
• Church: That we quickly find a body of believers to grow and serve with.
• Homeschooling families: the people we'll be helping.  We want to serve them well and meet their needs so that they can continue in their ministries.

THANK YOU to all of our prayer partners and supporters!  The Lord has brought us so far in the past 2 1/2 years since we felt the call to move to Thailand.  You have watched us struggle and be stretched and grow....we anticipate our time in Chiang Mai to be even more challenging, but worth it!  This little poem from the "Don't Waste Your Life" study keeps running through my head:

Only one life t'will soon be past,

Only what's done for Christ will last."

                                 by: CT Studd