MARCHing towards Spring?

March is officially over and what a month it has been for the Mungle family and our minivan!

We visited the Pioneers homeschool co-op in Jackson, MI and had the privilege of teaching 4 classes. As former classroom teachers, it was great fun to be in front of a group of students again!  Ken taught some of the history of Thailand and we shared our ministry by incorporating a hands-on activity.  I taught the elementary group of kids and speaking of "kid" we had a little goat in the audience!  That was a first for me!

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One Saturday was spent at a local Homeschool Convention.  It was a small gathering, but the Lord put us in touch with some wonderful believers!  More details to come....

We spent the majority of the month in preparation for a huge homeschool convention in Nashville, TN. This 3 day event brought hundreds of people to our booth as we shared God's calling of our family to Thailand. We are so grateful for the encouraging words, donations, and prayer partners the Lord brought!

I ran into Josh Dugger at the Teach Them Diligently Conference... twice! The first time was in the exhibitor's hall, and the second was in the parking lot.  We were parked near him and his family. (What cute kiddos they have!)

A huge thank you to my mom, who flew to Nashville to help with the kids while we were at the Homeschool Convention! 

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Funny story: We left a snow covered ground in Michigan, but Callie announced (loudly) about an hour into Ohio, "Look!  Grass!  Can we play in it?"  We took the exit to grant her request and found this Space Museum.  We didn't pay to go through the museum, but check out the fun free stuff!

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We also ventured a bit off the path to see the "moonbow" in Corbin, KY.  The kids enjoyed the hike to the waterfall at night, listening to the frogs, and playing with flashlights.  It was the day before a full moon, so the moon-bow was clear, the weather was nice, and it was FREE! 

We didn't take a camera so we borrowed the picture above.

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Our Sundays were spent at our home church, hugging our church family, and feeling (in some ways) like we hadn't left!  We were able to teach at AWANA and speak at the Sunday evening gathering. Thank you to everyone who welcomed us warmly, invited us to your home or shared lunch/ dinner with us.  We certainly left feeling loved!

Max  let the little girls play "house" with him:)

Our trip down South lasted almost 2 weeks and consisted of 5 different places of residence!  The kiddos were champions through it all.  It is quite evident that the Lord is preparing our kids to serve overseas by giving them opportunities to practice flexibility now.  Though "preparation" is not always easy, it is truly an answer to prayer.        

January encouragements!

First we'd like to say thank you to all of you who are praying for us.  We are settling in to life in Michigan and have had several confirmations of our calling to Thailand!  Let me share a few:

1). On our first Sunday in attendance at a local church, Max got a bit talkative while sitting on my lap, so my mom took him out of the sanctuary so that I could hear the sermon.  After the service she said, "You need to meet someone."  Apparently this church sent off a missionary family with 3 kids to Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2013 (and they homeschool!).  We were introduced to the mom of one of the missionaries.  How cool!

Our family (minus Max) making snow angels on the frozen lake!

2) It snows A LOT here!  As a result, church was cancelled one Sunday, so we drove until we found a church that was open.  While walking past their missionary board I saw a picture of a missionary we met in Thailand!  Ken and I were shocked, but the story gets better.  During the "greet your neighbor" part of the church service, the woman next to me introduced herself as the pastor's wife. I asked her about the missionary to Thailand and she said, "Yes!  We are her sending church!"  We were so encouraged by seeing God's hand again!

3) We recently joined a homeschool co-op and presented our ministry to close to 200 people there.  One woman stopped by and we chit-chatted a bit. We have a mutual friend in common (a new friend of mine) AND she knows 2 missionary families that we have been in contact with in Chiang Mai!  After a bit more conversing we realized that she lives about 5 minutes from us and has a boy that is Jack's age.  (Thank you to those of you who have been praying for friendships for us!)

Jack isn't in pain...his eyes are sensitive to the camera flash :)

4) We took Callie and Jack sledding at a nearby park.  Within 2 minutes of being there I met a woman and we talked for about 20 minutes.  She knows the missionary family stationed in Chiang Mai, sent from the church we are attending!  She also lives about 5 minutes from us and attends a local church and wants to get together some time and introduce us to her neighbor (who runs the children's programs at her church and has 3 boys of her own.)

There are good things around every corner!

These are just a few examples of the Lord placing people in our path to confirm our call and encourage us forward.   We're excited to grow where He's planted us right now and look forward to more outreach and perhaps discipling opportunities.

DIY Snowman game

We've been studying "weather" in school right now.  Today I came across a bag of cotton balls, so I made this counting game to teach Callie number recognition. It should be an easy game to make in Thailand when we won't have snow!

1. First I took an empty oatmeal container and made a face and buttons with markers.  I added a scarf (we used a pair of doll tights!)
2. Dump the "snowballs" on the ground.  (You could have older kids explain how snow is made).
3. Roll the dice (this is a wooden cube with stickers, but any dice would work).
   
   
4. Count out the number of snowballs you rolled and put (or toss) them in the snowman.
5. Continue doing this, taking turns. You must get the EXACT number to end the game.                 
   

   

   Callie rolled a 2!  She wins!

                            
6. Whoever gets the last of the snowballs in snowman wins and gets to put his "hat" on (the lid).

                 It's just a simple game, but the kids asked to play it again:)

The dust is settling...for now

I am writing from Michigan in a warm, snow-covered house.  We have had our share of little trials and triumphs
 over the past month, so let me share a few from December:

Dec. 6th: We drove back to Georgia.  We had practice for the Christmas program: Callie was going to be an angel, Jack and shepherd, and Ken, Max, and I would be Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.  Practice went well...but a twist awaited....
Dec 7th: Annual Ladies Christmas brunch! (This was wonderful fun!)

I always forget to take a picture until the end...sorry I didn't get the whole group.

On Dec. 9th  Callie got a stomach virus while we were in Georgia:(  Thankfully it passed quickly.

On Dec. 11th We arrived at the title office to close on our house, but we were delayed...the buyers had concerns about some of the wording in the contract.  Ken got a stomach bug:(

Dec. 12th: Ken was much better, we were able to close on the house, and 10 min. later Jack was sick with the stomach bug!  

• This was also the evening of the Christmas program.  Ken and Jack stayed home to recover, Callie was able to dance her angel part, Max was a fat little baby Jesus, and a cute young couple took our spots as Mary and Joseph.  It was a great night, but sad to say goodbye again.

                                   
Dec. 13th: We closed on our house! 
Dec. 14th:  We drove to Michigan just in time....a storm was on its way!

 

Dec. 15th  Snow!  Ice!  Brrrr~  Our van got stuck in the driveway.       
 
Dec. 16th-20th: I got the stomach bug...and so did my mom, dad, and sister's family.
Dec. 22nd: Ice Storm...the worst I have ever seen.  Trees were down everywhere...no electricity.

We were without electricity for 7 days... but soooo thankful for a small generator that allowed us to use a space heater, a lamp,the fridge, and the tv.  We spent Christmas with my sister's family.  Our Christmas advent was a wonderful reminder of God's plan for Christ.  It's also a reminder of our call as believers with hope, to share Christ, the only Hope, until He returns.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

     We have lost power a few more times this year. Ken has been a champ, snow blowing frequently to keep the driveway clear, keeping the driveway salted, running the generator, and working on contacting churches and co-ops to raise our support for Thailand.    
         A HUGE thank you to my parents and family for letting us stay with you and helping in us in many ways!  I'm sure it isn't easy to have a family of 5 move in, nor will it be easy when it's time for us to go.  
      Thank you to all of our supporters!  2013 was a year of many changes and the Lord provided for us in many ways, taught us, and equipped us.

We moved!

 
The past 2 weeks have been a blur; here's the reason why:

Nov. 9th: We received an offer on our house.
Nov. 11th: Our house is under contract!
Nov 13th: Arrange a meeting to discuss an estate sale.
Nov. 14th: Find out we have 4 days to be out of our house if we want to have an estate sale!
Nov. 14th: Present our ministry to a homeschool group in Cleveland, TN
Nov. 15th: Pack like crazy and have dinner with friends
Nov. 16th: Pack like crazy and then enjoyed dinner brought to us by a sweet friend :)
Nov 17th: Church and potluck dinner to celebrate the church's anniversary, more packing, dinner with our missional community group, more packing, and sleep.
Nov. 18th: Final packing and move out day!
Nov. 19th- 22nd: we stayed with 2 different families/ friends.
Nov. 22nd: Packed up the trailer with our things.
Nov. 23rd: Drove to Ohio
Nov. 24th: We made it to Michigan (on my mom's birthday!)
Nov: 25th: Unpack the uhaul
Nov 26th: Begin moving in with the parents!
Nov 27th: Update the blog!

What is our plan?  We will be staying with our family until the rest of our support is raised.  (We are currently at 50%)  If you have a church or group we can share our ministry with, please let us know....raising support is difficult and challenging.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for.  This year I am especially grateful for the freedom from things. We left behind most of our belongings to sell and it feels right. Each day is very full and having few things to care for is a blessing. I could write a list of things I'm thankful for, but ultimately it is the Lord.  He allows us to be part of His plan to share the gospel with the nations!  We aren't in Thailand yet, but until then we'll proclaim Him in Michigan.

Connecting with our Michigan supporters!

In October we drove up to Michigan visit some our supporters and to make a few new contacts.  We enjoyed presenting to Friendship Baptist Church and look forward to coming back to visit again!

We also presented to a Homeschool Group and played a Thailand trivia game with the kids as we shared about our future ministry in Thailand.

Ken met with Riverside Tabernacle and we plan to present to their church early next year.

God painted a beautiful backdrop for our drive through Tennessee! 

 

 

 

What are you looking at?

This evening little man Max and I enjoyed a date night.....well, we went grocery shopping.  He was in his carseat, in the cart, just watching me shop.  A female employee came over, smiled and said, "Don't you just love this age, when you are all they look at?  You are all they want."  I laughed with her and thought, "Love the hand that feeds you!" 

Later at home, with the groceries put away, kids in bed, and a quiet house, that grocery store conversation came to mind.  I realized how much Max looks at me, and looks for me when he hears my voice; it's the way my eyes should be fixed on Christ.  He feeds me, cares for me, loves me, encourages me, forgives me, died and rose for me!  I want my face to light up when He speaks to my heart the way Max responds when his eyes meet mine after waking from a nap.

So this week, when I'm going about my day, I hope I'll pause to ask myself, "What are you looking at?"  God's is ALWAYS with me.  He is with me folding laundry and putting away dishes, in teaching, cooking and disciplining, in marital disagreements, and He's with me as I enjoy these kiddos He's placed in our care.

 I want to be a girl who looks at and for her heavenly Father with joy and anticipation. Max has a special affection for me because of the bond created from the exuberant amount of time we spend together....what a great reminder to spend more time with my Savior and deepen our relationship.

"looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, 

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

                                                                                                 Hebrews 12:2