'Tis the season

Drenched fields and yards become the norm during rainy season, and our yard has become a new playground of wet!  With this time of year come mosquitoes. Stagnant water creates more and more of them and somehow, though we try to keep the doors and windows shut or screened in, they find their way into the house.  

It's in the evening when I notice my leg itches, or the kids ask for Tiger Balm (our Thai solution to off-set the itch, which mostly behaves like Icy-Hot).  "When did I get bit?"  I question for the third time today.  See, that's the thing, mosquitoes are sneaky; by the time you feel the bite, the damage has been done.  But there are warning signs.  When the kids are in bed and the house is quiet, I can hear that high pitched squeal.  Hoping the electric tennis racket flyswatter is charged, I swing in hopes of hearing that rewarding sound, "zap."  

I realized something new tonight.

When much is going on, you cannot hear the mosquito's war cry for blood.  It's when there are few distractions that I am prepared to fight because I hear it coming. Life is loud and busy and mosquitoes of all species are fighting to bite.

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls

 around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."  I Peter 5:8

I need this reminder.  The enemy never misses a day of work and if our distractions, even well-intentioned ones, allow our minds to drift, we let our guard down and open the door for the enemy to get a foot-hold.

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  In you anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. " 

                                                           Ephesians 4:22-27

Putting off the old self.  Sometimes I get weary of these words.  They feel like dirty dishes in the sink.  Never-ending.  Scrubbing, rinsing, drip-drying (do people really dry their dishes?) and putting them away, only to be used and dirtied again.  They never achieve "clean for life" status.   However, I cannot stop tending to my sinkful.  Imagine the stink!  Honestly, I don't have to imagine. 

 Two weeks ago we were without water for nearly 48 hours.  The dishes in the kitchen sink began to fill so I shut the door to the kitchen.  I just knew we'd have water back by lunch...well, certainly by dinner...breakfast?  By the time we finally had water in the tank, the real surprise came.  A cockroach was in the sink, surely going after what we had left behind, unattended.  Nearby, my mop bucket had not been emptied and a huge spider called it home.  

We cannot leave our homes unattended and expect all to be well.  (Especially in Southeast Asia!)  More importantly, we cannot neglect the temple of God: our bodies.  We must be watchful, fighting, with the power of God in us, to strip away at our old self.  With this conscious decision we hold our fists to the enemy and actively pursue more of the new self: righteousness and holiness through the covering of Jesus.  

Tonight I'm sitting on my couch, listening to buckets of rain fall onto our roof and waterfall to tile and ground below.  My heart is wrestling with these questions.

• Am I actively shedding my old self?
• What doors am I leaving open for the enemy to walk in?
• Noise.  What do I need to tune out in exchange for being watchful and ready?
• "The attitude of your (my) mind."  Ephesians 4:23    

Mosquitoes are this rainy season's gift to me.  Flying reminders that warn me to be watchful and to quiet myself with determination to pursue Christ.

Happy Easter!

It was Thai New Year's here! (Songkran )2 days of nationwide water flights. 

Shopping for Easter baskets

This year we hosted an Easter celebration at our home.  27 of us ate and celebrated what Christ accomplished!  Our kids played together and the adults got to know each other better by sharing stories of our upbringing and how God called us here.  It wasn't a typical family gathering for Easter, but it was brothers and sisters in Christ, gathered together to remember that we were bought. Our ransom was paid.

The children are finishing up the school year (homeschooling) although we plan to continue part-time through the summer.  Jack did really well on his MAP (standardized) testing, so I as his teacher feel like I passed! He is a great big brother to Max, still loves Legos, climbing trees, waterfalls, and starting campfires with flint and steel.  

She lost her first tooth (teeth)

Callie is finishing up 1st grade.  She likes to read, but more so, the girl likes to draw and craft. She comes with me to work with the teen girls and craft with them.  Recently she's been "teaching" Max.  He participates most of the time.  She also loves to sing.  We've been teaching them hymns and it's so sweet to hear her doing her work, singing a hymn or praise song.

"Mommy, look at me, I'm a sloth!"

Max...well, the boy is hilarious and a handful and snuggly and loud.  He has a growing vocabulary.  Yesterday he was sucking on an ice cube and told me, "it tastes familiar."  He refers to things as "cool," or "that's my style!" He loves to build Legos and has hit this stage of playing with activities for long periods of time instead of bouncing from one toy to the next.  We see signs of the soon to be 4 year old peeking out and it's encouraging.  

We were making resurrection rolls with the kids, where you take a marshmallow to represent Christ, prepare the body with oil by rolling it in butter, and then put spices on it (cinnamon and sugar).  Finally, you roll the marshmallow up in the crescent roll tomb.  After you bake it and let it rest, the tomb is empty!  (The marshmallow melted).  Well, a couple days later at dinner, Max prayed, "and Jesus, you had butter put on you, and cinnamon and you died."  He went on and on about it.  I guess it was a bit too much for a 3 year old to draw the correct connection!

Ken is really busy at Grace.  Many of you know that he has taken on another major role at the school in addition to supporting homeschooling missionary families.  He's gifted to do the work, but like I said, his plate is quite full.  He had the privilege of preaching at our church (which meets at a zoo).  The Lord has grown the gift of teaching in him and I'm excited for him to speak again in June.

After my hair cut.  

Thai hair salon with a friend
.  You have to climb
up onto the chair to ge
t your hair washed.  There is no
hot water , so it was refreshing!  

As far as me, (Summer), my health overall is soooo much better!  I have much more energy and my joint pain has subsided, as well as most of my muscle ache, PRAISE GOD!!  I'm not sure if it was/is the Epstein Barre Virus, but I have noticed that I need to get plenty of rest, so I am trying to discipline myself...but it isn't easy!  All of my blood work has come back normal, so there is nothing to report there.  I did get food poisoning yesterday, which was awful. No one needs to hear those details though!

I am still teaching crafts to a small group of rescued teens, which I really enjoy...they are discovering their value and beauty that is found in knowing our Father.  They are helpful in correcting my Thai and they learn some English from me.


PRAISES and Prayer Requests:

• Please thank God with us that we are able to continue our language study.  Thank you to those of you who have prayed on our behalf and to those of you who answered the call to give!  We recently completed our reading/writing portion of the class and will continue to focus on speaking.  This is a long process, so please pray that we aren't discouraged and that we are diligent.

• For the month of March we were fully supported!  Thank you so much for giving!  We have asked for prayer over this very matter and I was teary-eyed to find out how many people gave.  I don't even know how to say thank you.  You are essential to our ministry here and an encouragement to our hearts.  Thank you for your one-time gifts, monthly gifts, and prayer!

• We are considering enrolling Jack and Callie in a nearby Thai school for language study.  We want them to be a part of the community and language is essential.  We are waiting to hear back from the school concerning space availability and cost.  

• Next month we'll be headed pretty far south to visit one of our remote families.  They are anxious/excited to have us visit and we too are eager to go!  The area is safe, but a bit further south there is some political unrest.  We have no hesitations in visiting, but ask you to pray for our safety.

We'll leave you with more pictures:

Temple ruins

Observing religion and culture

Callie attended a friend's birthday party.

We're Back!

I have sat down many times to write and catch everyone up on our lives, but have felt at a loss for words. Sooooo much has happened since I last wrote I hardly know where to start and how much to include, but here is my attempt to fill you in.

We ended 2016 in America, visiting our supporters, family, and friends in Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee, Washington, and Oregon.  My health was on the decline before we flew to America and it continued to spiral downward our entire trip. Before we left for the states I had unusual symptoms: swollen glands, fatigue, mental fog, and shortness of breath.  I visited the cardiologist before our flight to ensure all was well, and it was.

We were busy in Michigan, preparing presentations to share what the Lord was doing in Thailand through the ministry he gave us.  Each time we shared, I felt thankful that we were able to be a part of His story in Asia.  Sharing what God's done reminded me of the many times He answered our prayers.

Our family in Michigan circled around us and helped with the kids, cooked meals for us, shopped for our family, and loved us like family and friends do.  This was a huge help to us!  I tried to rest and heal and Ken and I sought out people and churches to partner with us financially in order to continue working here in Thailand.  (Thank you to all of you who support us!  We couldn't be here without you.)

Headed south: Back home in Ringgold, GA was a sweet time of hugging friends we missed, meeting babies that were born while we were away, and saying goodbye to friends who also had been called to the mission field.  We met new friends and pastors, visited new churches and were encouraged by the interest people expressed in supporting us in prayer and monthly giving.

In the midst of this joy, my health was still off.   I realized how bad it was when I stepped into my favorite thrift store and didn't have the energy to shop.  I walked a lap and told Ken, "I can't do this." I had some bloodwork drawn, but it only showed a sinus/chest infection.

The Lord has given me the best husband.  He took care of the kids and did the laundry. I laid around during the day, wanting to visit more people and visit parks that we missed and push Max on the swing outside, but I was drained.  I just thought I was exhausted from the chest cold, but as the cold went away, the other symptoms didn't.

We flew to Washington state to visit Ken's family..it had been 2 1/2 years since we had last seen them!  Max wasn't even walking during our last visit!  On the flight I felt awful.  I felt like I might collapse and told Ken we might need to go the hospital when we land.  I had never felt so weak.  We made it to his parents house, had lunch, and I slept from 2pm until the next morning.

We had 2 weeks to play with cousins, lose at card games to my in-laws, and share stories of what the Lord was doing in all of our lives.  We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with SWEET POTATOES..oh how I miss sweet potatoes.  The grandparents and aunt/uncle spoiled our kiddos with outings and toys.  I slept a lot, but was able to knit slippers for all of the ladies in the house, which I loved!  Making time for crafting for people I love is a rare treat, so I soaked in the yarn aisle at Hobby Lobby.  I also picked up craft supplies on clearance to take back to Thailand.  I teach a group of Thai girls who were rescued out of human trafficking. Part of their healing is craft-time.  I am grateful to be a part of that ministry~

Before we left Washington, my knees began aching, then other joints followed..my right ear started ringing continuously and I felt cold all the time.  Back in Michigan I met with my parent's doctor who helped me get lab work done.  I was convinced it was my thyroid, but that was normal.  My liver and kidneys were normal. I did more research and my symptoms matched something called Epstein Barre Virus. (95% of Americans get this as a child.  But in some people it reactivates and comes back with a vengeance.  EBV is what leads to mono).  I was tested for it and my levels were high..really high.  It's a tricky virus because you can't really treat it with medicine.  It also opens the door to autoimmune diseases, which run pretty high in my family, and there isn't a clear-cut test for many of the diseases.  Some think EBV is the gateway to Chronic Fatigue syndrome and Fibromyalgia.

It was now December.  I got to speak at a ladies Christmas dinner at our church.  I was nervous because there were over 100 people in attendance, but my mom and I spoke together, teaching from Psalm 101.  I could write a whole blog post on how the Lord orchestrated that..but that's for another time.

Christmas in America is like none-other.  Our whole family delighted in the lights.  Christmas lights illuminating everything, everywhere, shouting, "Jesus is the light of the world!"  I realized how much I missed Christmas lights.  We had fun outings with family to see a Christmas play, watch It's A Wonderful Life at an old theater and meet the woman who played the little girl "Zuzu" in the movie!  She was 6 in the movie...the same age as Callie.

The kids watched God answer their prayer by blanketing the ground in snow!  Sledding and hot cocoa for them...when the snow melted, God froze the lake and they ice skated.   I joined in when I could and had some days with lots of energy, and others where I just wanted a heating pad on my joints.

Christmas morning was celebrated at our home church in Michigan with songs of the hope of Christ and a message to proclaim Him!  It's such a privilege to sing and worship with a body of believers.  We opened gifts at my sister's house and played games.  It was really fun and we laughed a lot, but I was so worn out that I went to bed.  Not gonna lie, I felt sad that my body was failing...but the Lord was teaching me.

I realized that I needed God to get me through. I was leaving in 10 days and it would be me and the kids at home in Thailand everyday without much help at all....and wow, the Lord has shown me that He will provide. My strength started coming back 3 days before we left.

God showed me my pride....how I thought I could do it all (because I kind of did until I got sick).  Now I know it is HE who sustains me, HE who gives me the strength to hand-wash dishes 3x a day and make biscuits from scratch because we can't crack open a can of Pillsbury Grands here!  I just praise Him for the work He is doing in me.  It has been God all along who allowed me to do all that I have so far.  I have repented of my pride and continue to ask Him to sand away my sin so that my life better reflects Him, not me.

So, we are back in Thailand.  Ken is busier than ever. He is still the director of the outreach to help support missionaries in the education of their kids, but he is also sharing the role the Deputy Superintendent after the man in the position suffered a stroke in the fall.   I am homeschooling the kids, on the teaching rotation for kids church, and working with the teen girls.

Apart from that we are focusing on language study.  We are 75% of the way though the reading and writing program.  Our handwriting is similar to that of a 13 year old.  A Thai friend came over and saw my homework asking if it was mine.  I nodded and she smiled, telling me in Thai that it was beautiful!  What?!  Such an encouragement and knowing we're making progress is worth the tears I've cried over language study.   We have a looooong way to go, but we'll pause to celebrate the successes along the way.  Our days are full and they are exhausting, but God will provide for each day.

If you are still reading, thank you.  Here's my health update: my doctor here in Thailand says I have "Re-activated Epstein Barre Virus."  I need an MRI to rule out other illnesses and will meet with a Rheumatologist in March.  I have had on-and-off nerve pain in my arm and joint pain that comes and goes.  Sleep makes a big difference and that is a battle for me.  My right ear still rings continuously but it is usually only noticeable when it's quiet...so Max does a good job keeping our home not-quiet, hahaha.

WAYS TO PRAY:
1.  Praise God for the work He is doing in my heart and in my health.  Praise Him for our time in America to connect with many people and for the safety in our travels. Thank Him for the little girl in our neighborhood who came to my window while I was cooking and asked to play with my daughter.

2. Ask God to keep us diligent in our study of the Thai language.

   Our Thai series is a 2-3 year program, but we are doing it twice a week in the evenings.  Ideally we would do language school the first 2 years and then start ministry involvement full-time, but we aren't able to do that. So pray that we can juggle it well.  Our teacher comes to our home, which is helpful.

3. Financial Support: Our incoming monthly support is still below our monthly budget and we are pulling from our savings account to cover the gap.  (We'd like to leave the savings alone in case of emergency.)  We ask you to pray about supporting us.  If you'd like a copy of budget we're happy to send a copy to you.

4. Pray for Ken.  His work load has significantly increased!

5.  Pray for my health and for diligence to avoid/reduce sugar, gluten, and dairy...sigh

6.  Max...pray for this 3 1/2 year old, intense, feisty, clever, lovable little boy who needs Jesus.  He has hit the "I don't want to nap" stage and has been really defiant the past week.


Thank you, friends.

 "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of our God, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

It's a wrap!

The 2015-1-2016 school year recently came to a close, but there is much work to do! 

I bought this puzzle at a yard sale and it wasn't easy!  

Ken works as the Director of a homeschooling service offered through Grace International School.  The school is moving and Ken has the enormous task of moving the school to the temporary campus. His responsibilities include: coordinating volunteers, ordering and arranging the packing supplies to be delivered, (like 2,500 boxes!), checking in with moving companies, coordinating with I.T. and helping to ease the responsibilities of the facilities department.  This summer he will help to see that the school is moved to the new location by mid-July! 

Ken has been working extra hours at school and many nights at home working on the details, trying to make this a smooth transition.  I'm thankful that he is able to take some days off to spend it with our family who flew in to visit!  Next week, he'll be back at it again.

Tents are always fun.  Snack in tents: even better!

Here on the homefront, the kids and I have ended the homeschool year, but started on next year's work to get a jump-start and to keep their minds engaged in learning.  

We had fresh peaches at the market!  They came in this box
which became a fabulous dollhouse for this crafty gal.

Callie is very proud to be a first grader now!  She is growing up faster than the boys it seems.  She is an emotional, creative little artist who twirls and skips through the house.  

Jack earned his pocket-knife earlier this year and recently
used it to make a spaceship for Max out of boxes.

Dry erase markers are fun....NOT!  Thankfully they wiped off the
rattan easily.  He said, "I thought you would think it was
beautiful."  Look at the face:)

Jack just wants school work to be done as quickly as possible.  Right now he's really into reading Calvin and Hobbs and asking to eat the candy my family brought us from America. 

 Max is living up to his name. He does everything to the max!  The Thai people still love him, and he still makes a hundred crazy faces and says things like, "Mommy, Callie is being obnoxious," and yes, he's still only 2!  He keeps me on my feet while he's awake and on my knees before the Lord when he goes to bed.

I really enjoy teaching these kiddos!  They were so shy
at first, but now we laugh and they are speaking in English.

I am still teaching English class twice a week.  I try to use a lot of hands-on object lessons for my students, because they seems to retain the info better this way. I've been writing my own lessons, so if anyone has resources they could pass along, please share!  I'm also slowly progressing in my Thai vocabulary.  When we shop at the market I am able to ask questions, and do a better job negotiating prices.  I am still far off from fluent conversation, but I am celebrating the small victories.  One day I will share the gospel in Thai.  That is my goal.  

Prayer requests:

Language study for all of us

School:  We would like to enroll our 2 youngest in a bilingual school this summer to learn more Thai.  It is an extra expense that we hadn't planned for, so please pray with us for the Lord to provide.

Neighbors:  We are the only believers on our block and beyond.  We have neighbors who are becoming friends who don't know the Lord...please pray for the Lord to open their eyes and for us to share in a way that they can understand.  (Culture is a challenge and affects everything).

Ministry: I am meeting with a house-mom to discuss working with a group of girls.  More details to come later.  

Children:  Callie has been homesick for America.  She misses her cat (at here grandparent's house) and her family and friends.  Praise:  2 little girls moved into our neighborhood and they can speak some English!

House:  We will ask to renew our contract for another year.  This should be fine, but you just never know...

Financial Support: Please pray that we can be fully supported so that we can stay and continue the work here.

Health: Praise!  We are all doing better.  Thank you for praying and please keep praying for me (Summer).

3 unexpected things

Unexpected situation #1
In February I checked into the hospital here in Chiang Mai after waking up with my throat nearly swollen closed.  My lymph nodes were swollen the night before and I visited my primary care physician who said it was just a virus and sent me home.  By morning I felt like I may lose the ability to breath if I waited another day to see if it would get better.  Ken stayed home with the kids and I drove to the hospital.

Bible reading before bed. 

I checked in and they said an ENT specialist was in the hospital finishing a surgery and would see me in 30 minutes.  Thank you, Lord!  He looked in my throat, gasped and said, "You have bad infection.  Stay here 1 or 2 days."  While I waited for my room and lady from my Bible study sat down next to me.  She was a sweet gift from the Lord to remind me that I'm not alone.  I stayed in room 617, which was comfortable, and very clean, with kind nurses.  They hooked me up to andIV and gave me 2 different antibiotics, throat spray, and a fizzy drink.  I could barely swallow water.  By the next morning I could talk!  I ate some breakfast and the doctor said my infection was still bad but that I could go home.  So, here I am, at home with a happy little family:)  Ken's a champ and I love and appreciate him so much.

Unexpected situation #2

This was Christmas dinner at our house.  Turkeys were over $100
so we made a pork roast.  It was all delicious and we got to share
it with a few families!

Our neighbors are retired and visit for 90 days every year.  They have a daughter, Oy, who speaks a little English.  She is a sweet woman who loves our family.  She randomly brings the kids popcorn and snacks.  While her parents are in Thailand she comes up from Bangkok to stay with them.  I stopped over to drop off some muffins and she met me in the yard, "Summer, I go Bangkok, accident nit-noy (Thai for "little bit).  Her mother came out to explain that a relative had passed away and that she was leaving that evening to go back to Bangkok.  I hugged her and had to leave for a Thai class.  I wanted to cry.  The next week I prayed, "Lord, send someone to tell her the gospel" (I am still learning Thai!)  The next day I took some bread to her parents and she opened the door!  SHE WAS BACK!  My first thought was, "Lord, that was fast!!"  Her mother had a mini-stroke but had no lasting effects so she came back to care for her. I am still in shock at this!  I am so excited that a friend had a copy of the "Jesus Storybook Bible" in Thai!  We gave it to Oy before she headed back to Bangkok.

Unexpected situation #3
We planned to come back to the states to update all of you on that the Lord is doing and to raise support to continue the work out here!  We want to hug you and share how the Lord is answering your prayers to further the work here in Thailand. Because of a Visa restriction our plans have been changed.  We know this is the Lord's doing and now plan to fly back to America towards the end of the year.

So, life is unpredictable for us, but not for the author of life.  I am trying to leave my worry with him...but I often ask for it back.  Please pray for health for me (Summer) and for the rest of us.  Pollution season is still lingering and it has been 104 degrees or above for a month now (not typical here).  We are grateful to be here and thank the Lord for his beauty all around us, but our hope is that his most beautiful creations, people, will know He is their maker. 

Merry Christmas!

December 25th...It's just another day here for most of Thailand.  99% of the people here won't celebrate the gift of Jesus today.

 My prayer often is, "Lord, help me love the people here the way you love me."  He's answering that prayer but the outcome is different than I anticipated.

We were at a neighborhood block Christmas party and were the only believers there.  The Lord opened conversations for both Ken and I .  We came home and exchanged stories and I felt such joy at seeing God move...but I hurt.  Loving people hurts.  

My neighbor friends!  I'm so thankful for them.  The lady on the left is becoming like a grandmother to me.

My neighbor, "Roy" asked me if I went to church that day (he was making fun of me in asking.  But I joyfully shared what we were learning at church).  "How about you?" I asked, "Did you go to church?"  I learned that he is a-religious.  So I asked him why.  I'll keep that private, but it goes back to the question, "How could God be so loving and let horrible things happen?"  I nodded, "It's a question we all ask at some point, isn't it?"  I shared how sin entered the world through 1 man, but by 1 man Jesus, we are rescued!  He told me I was sharing a bunch of B.S. and asked, "What are you hoping for?"  I smiled, "One day all of this will be made right!  I will be with my maker. Forever." 

 He told me he was happy I found something that made me happy.  I said, "What if you're wrong."  He got irritated, by not mad, "See, that's the same B.S. you Christians say.  You just want an insurance plan, just in case you're wrong!"  The Lord gave me this to say,"If I wanted an insurance plan, wouldn't I add a bit of Hinduism, Buddhism and some Muslim beliefs?   I leave all of that and follow Jesus alone."  He was quiet. "Roy's" comments didn't hurt my feelings.  I hurt because he is going to hell.. a bitter, angry man, shaking his fist at God.  I hurt because no one should talk of the King of Kings the way he did...but I too was an enemy of God.  It didn't look like Roy, but it was sinful rebellion against God.   

Another neighbor, "Edward" shared his delight in many programs that are helping him cope with life. He listed off the benefits of each: this one has such a strong teacher and role model, this other TM therapist has peace, and on the list went.  "Roy" overheard this and said, "Summer doesn't care about any of that."  I quickly answered, "That's not true.  Everyone is looking for all of the things you he's searching for, aren't they?  That's why so many people visit Thailand.  I see what you're looking for, Edward, and God is all of those things. He's strong and loving and so much more."  "Edward" is so kind and smiled, "I'm so glad that works for you.  I want that for you and you should keep doing that."  I'm praying that we have many more conversations.  

God is at work.  Always.  Sometimes we can watch it unfold.  Thank you to those of you reading this, praying for and financially supporting us.  Our community is dark, but we have the privilege showing off the light in us.  Merry Christmas.  God is with us!  I'm not searching for another hope.  Messiah has come!  He's coming again.   

1 year ago!

A year ago we were on a plane traveling to the other side of the world.  Smiles and praises to God fill me as I reflect on how far he's brought our family.  We didn't know how to drive here, find food, know what to eat, communicate, know my phone number, locate our house, and the list goes on.

I am taking Thai lesson and slowly learning.  We can order our food in Thai, ask a few questions to make small talk.  I know where to grocery shop and even know what a good price is on many of the things we eat!

Thinking about people over the past year makes me teary-eyed.  There are so many that we said "I'll see you later" to and we miss them.....we miss you, who are reading this:)  We have friends battling cancer, struggling with new babies and sleepless nights, people who need someone to cook them a meal....my first response is, "I wish I was there to help."  God continues to remind me that he doesn't NEED me.  He uses me.  He will use someone else to care for our friends and family state-side.  I can rest in that!

I also think about the people he has brought to us here in Thailand.  One friend was brought literally to my doorstep.  We were able to build a friendship and teach each other about different foods and recipes.  Most importantly, we talked about eternity.  Ken and I shared the Gospel message with her a few times but she felt secure in her beliefs as Buddhist.  We were in America for 8 weeks and after not hearing from her and not having my messages returned, we drove to her home.  It is empty and her house is for rent.   I felt crushed, but the Lord picked me up quickly, reminding me that I had shared the most important thing: Him.  I'm so thankful for that....many encourage us to build relationships of trust before we share the Gospel (which is true and time-tested advice).  I felt urgency with her and shared on Day 1!  The Holy Spirit speaks to His children- that was His leading and His words, not mine.

Tears can't be held back when I think of our kids.  We were informed that time on the field goes quickly, because of the many ways you are busy and emotionally exhausted.  This means your kids grow up quickly.  Callie was just 2 when the Lord called us overseas, now she's 5 and grew about 5 inches in our first year here!  These pictures were taken a year apart!

 She is growing in the Lord and it encourages me as her sister in Christ!  She said, "Mommy, don't you love being a Christian?"  "Yes," I agreed, "But why do you?"  Thoughtfully with a smile she answered, "Just that, we learn how to love the right way, and that....we're chosen.  That's the best thing."  It has been such a blessing to hear the Lord speak through her.

I love my boys too:)  I will share some of their stories in the future.

I wanted to give you a glimpse of our life in Asia, just in case you don't keep up with us on Facebook. We are always seeing and learning new things.  Example:  Tonight the people next to me at dinner (an outdoor food stall by the road) ordered a huge plate of fried crickets!

On the flight to Thailand.  It takes about 24 hours to get here. (12 hour time change)

Lunch after church at a food court.  

Green Curry for me!

Homeschooling fun.

They love their Thai tutor!

Ken's co-workers and their families.

Our dryer;)  

Playing together:)

Feeling accomplished that I can make a pizza from scratch!
BONUS: The kids said it's as good as "real" pizza!

Keeping this guy busy!  Cut off a plastic bottle and rubberband
a piece of washcloth over the bottom.  Dip in dishsoap water and blow!

A birthday party for the 5 year old!

HUGE butterfly that passed our home.

We found a huge snail in our kitchen! We set him free...

Thanks for reading and caring!  Will you please pray with us?

• We are starting a Home Group/Bible study this week.
• Learning Thai is hard!  Pray that it "clicks" and sticks!
• Pacing.  It's easy to take on a lot, but it is not sustaining.
• Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel!
• The number of homeschooling families we help/support has DOUBLED!  Pray for Ken to know how efficiently and effectively guide them.
• Support: Our monthly support is still lacking.  Please pray for more financial partners so that we can stay.
• Praise God for sustaining us!  He has equipped and grown us.

Happy Fall Y'all!