Our New House Pet.

So a few weeks ago...I walked downstairs for breakfast and on the table lay a half eaten apple...I marveled at it...I thought I have never seen a gecko eat that much of an apple before he must have been super hunger. My roommates followed me down the stairs that morning and asked...did you eat this apple...nope...did you? We were all quite puzzled.

A week later,the washing machine sang its alert that the clothing was done. I headed in to get the laundry and nearly wiped out on the flooded floor. After cleaning up the floor, we investigated and noticed the washing machine hose had been chewed up...

Rewind: {Last year, at about this same time a mouse made its home in our house, eating our rice and jumping out of the cupboard onto my roommates lap. Basically it terrorized us until it finally fell victim to the sticky mat...and was disposed of. }

So we decided to call our landlord to have the washing machine fixed. The repair men came and basically laughed at us, telling us that when the hose comes out of the wall the water is going to flood the house...we nodded understandingly and tried to mention we thought an animal had chewed the hose. They asked which one of had mischeviously pulled the hose out of the wall, and concluded it must have been our child. They put the hose back in the wall, confused at why we had called...because there was no problem with the washing machine, and left remarking to each other..."they were funny and nice."

Sure enough, the next time we did laundry...back room flooded...proving that the hose needed a little more than just a push back into the wall.

So on Tuesday of this past week...we return home from Bible study and one roommate questions the other two of us..."did you guys drop a half eaten apple by the washing machine"..."um No. Why?" "Well, there is a half eaten apple next to the washing machine."...At this point our suspicions are confirmed...that something is messing with the washing machine and our apples...and we are thinking it has to be bigger than a gecko to roll an apple into the other room.

A couple nights later, Emily was tucked snugly asleep in her bed and Brittany...just about ready to go to bed. I had just finishing up my work and was bringing my cup to the kitchen when I saw IT. Gray, Fat, and Tailed. Big, Revolting and Terrifying... Instantaneous reaction: SCREAM and RUN...up the stairs and into my roommates room. "I SAAAAWWW IT...I SSAAAWWW IT." (The image continues to be horrifying.) At this point Emily has gotten out of bed convinced I was attacked. Then they begin to question..."what was it?""did you see where it went"...me: "It was big, ok, really big...I couldn't watch where it went. I don't like to look at those things"

Braver together we trekked back down the stairs...something had to be done. Emily began to work...I found a good position up high on a chair...my role would be moral support...not even really great at that one...Now the quest...where is the RAT...and how do we get it out? Finally we located it and put out bait...which it wasn't going for...so we decided to scare it from behind. It makes a run for it....but rather than choosing either of the doors we had so kindly opened for it's escape, it runs behind the washing machine to the whole...we had so carefully closed up...GREAT. It got straight to work chewing through the remains of our washing machine cord and no amount of coaxing was getting it out. So what do we do...Close the back kitchen door...and surrender for the night.

The following morning...rather than brave the back room we opt out of drinking water, carefully choose a breakfast food located in the front kitchen, and decide we will take the warm boxed milked on our cereal rather than face a possible rat encounter. That evening...convinced we heard the rat in the back room, we called up our director, who generously came to our service. But there was in fact no rat....

Now poison and bait have been stuffed down the hole....The hole has been covered....and a trap set....

And so we wait...each morning very carefully rounding the corner...will today be the day we see him again? Or is he gone for good? We can only hope he is gone for good...

The School of Promise

The video below was made for advertising purposes for our school, but I thought you might enjoy watching it to get a better idea of the school's vision and to "meet" some of the teachers and students. Hope you enjoy it!

Thank you for your prayers!

The Blessing of a Beating...

"It was a blessing to have been beaten so severely"...said our Director as we sat with a board member who came to visit our school this past week. This board member had visited our school last November and was amazed to see the transformation that has taken place. He came to visit us last year in a dark time and was amazed to see the life which God has brought to our school.

Truly God has done an amazing thing and it has been awesome to have a front row view of His work. As we look back at this past year, it is so evident that God in His Sovereignty and wisdom was using the trials to test and refine. The losses and the setbacks, the hurtles and the obstacles far beyond our capabilities...were for our good.

In that time, God worked in each of our hearts as individuals; growing our faith in Him, as we learned to trust Him in situations beyond our understanding and outside our control. He grew us as a staff in our love for one another and our dedication. Unity and comradery were built.

During this time, I think we felt Lamentations 3, where the writer begins saying "I am a man who has seen affliction under the rod of His wrath; He has driven me and brought me into darkness without light;" he continues saying "I have forgotten what happiness is." Yes, in those days it felt like we were in darkness without any light.

And yet just a few verses later the author declares "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness...The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him...It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

Today we can see the goodness of what the Lord did during times of waiting, during times of "affliction". We see His mercy and faithfulness. It is a blessing to have this perspective now. A stone of rememberance, reminding me that sometimes what seems like affliction is actually mercy and often His refusals are an outpouring of His love.

So, dear brothers and sisters I don't know what you are facing today but I know without a doubt our Father is using it for your good...Press on weary soul for the salvation of the Lord is coming and it is better than anything we could ask or imagine.

Orphan Sunday

On this day, dedicated to raising awareness and compassion for orphans, I want to show you a few of the girls who have touched my heart in the time I have spent volunteering at Breanna's House of Joy.

Breanna's House is a Christian 'home' for 42 orphaned or abandoned girls. Maybe these pictures can give you a small picture of what their life is like...and a picture of the lives of 160 million orphans in the world today...

42 pairs of shoes...

and shirts and shorts for each...

42 sweet little girls...

with no momma to brush their hair...

or tell them how beautiful they are...

42 girls and 6 Thai staff to help them with their homework...

and tuck them into bed each night...

42 girls take bucket showers there...

and brush their teeth here.

42 girls...desperate for love...

...What does the Father say about them?

How does He call us to respond? "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." - James 1:27

"Defend the weak and the fatherless, uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed." - Psalm 82:3

"learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." - Isaiah 1:17

"Do not take advantage of the widows or fatherless." - Exodus 22:22

"And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" Matthew 25:40

"Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." - Matt 25:45+46

I pray this brings you closer to the heart of our Father, a heart filled with compassion and unfailing love for the orphans and righteously angry over injustice. May we imitate Him who is Father to the fatherless. I pray that He would reveal His heart to us, and that each of us would be obedient to His call to care for widows and orphans in distress, in whatever dynamic He calls us to.

Please pray for these girls, and the 1,300,000 other orphans in Thailand, most of whom do not receive the Christian love and protection these 42 girls do. Pray for the 160,000,000 orphans around the world, that Christians would rise up to defend their cause, that Christ might be exalted among the nations. Pray for the staff at Christian orphanages, that the Holy Spirit would continuously fill them with love, strength and wisdom to raise these children in knowledge and fear of the Lord.

A Newspaper Article

I have posted a link to a newspaper article that was posted today. It is a sobering reminder of the depravity and spiritual darkness in Thailand. Please take time to read the article to better understand Thai culture and belief systems that you may pray along with me for this country. I am posting this not about the politics it contains, but the view it shows of a Thai persons spiritual beliefs.

Bangkok Post : The wizards of the east
Here is an excerpt:

"Dear readers, today is Halloween, and if you really want to understand Thai
politics and learn what the future may hold, I am here to tell you. Journalists
are clueless. Academics are lost. Analysts and pundits can't help you.

If you want to know, find a witch or a wizard, grab a fortune-teller or an
astrologer, go to famous temples that are reputed to have monks with the gift of
foresight.

The decision-makers of Thailand do not make a move without consulting the
black arts.

Don't jeer. Don't sneer. Do not mock what you don't understand. The black
arts are real. There are powerful forces at work in this universe.

It's Oct 31. It's Halloween. Embrace it and you too may be blessed with a
glimpse into the future.

But the black arts are what they are. Unlike science, which bases its
principles on absolutes, the black arts can be fickle. They can be wanton, even
careless. Hence, one plus one doesn't necessarily always equal two in the black
arts. There are other possibilities.

Have you wondered why so many still cling to their belief in Thaksin?
Especially Thaksin himself? There are perhaps many reasons, not least of which
is this. A famous monk once prophesised: Thaksin Shinawatra will be ousted in a
military coup d'etat in 2006. He was ousted in a coup in 2006.

The same monk also prophesised he will return to glory once again. He was
correct once. Why wouldn't he be correct a second time?

After all, hope springs eternal, as the saying goes. So the fugitive former
prime minister fights on.

Rumours of his ill health and near death? Why worry? He has already taken
part in a ritual to extend his age at Wat SrisatoTng in Nakhon Pathom province.
The bargain is sealed. Death will just have to wait.

But of course, this is not written in stone. The black arts offer different
possibilities, depending on which prophet you consult.

Varin Buaviratlert, soothsayer to the Thai military, predicted: The next
prime minister of Thailand will have a name that starts with the initial ''P''.
Both his real name and his nickname. There's one reason why Defence Minister
General Prawit ''Pom'' Wongsuwon is such a popular man these days.

Black magic. Don't mock it just because you don't understand it. May the
force be with us all."

Dad and Mom's Visit

Here is just a few pictures from my parent's recent visit. I could post pages and pages of pictures but I wouldn't want to bore you with our family time...so I tried to pick just a random smattering. It was a blessing and joy to have them here. It is wonderful to be around people who understand you so well and love you so much. Mom and Dad, thank you for your encouragement and love and all the fun times! : )

I miss you guys lots and love you tons!

The Gift of....

Lice?

Somehow I got it. Pediculus Humanus Capitus to be exact. I have a whole new understanding of the expression "nit-picky". Gross huh? Annoying? Yes. But you know what it has been... A gift.

Honestly, I have had...literally hours shared with my language teacher as she has patiently fingered through my hair pulling out eggs. This sweet woman, who is moving to a different part of the country tomorrow, has voluntarily come to my house every day, for the last five days, to check me for bugs and remove the nits. As we sat there the other day, I was moved, just about to tears, with thankfulness for this time with her. I am so thankful that she has given up her precious last hours in this part of the country to help me, to pick through my hair .

I'm thankful for the lice as it has given me time with my tutor. We have had time to remember what lessons were like when I started last year. As we sit talking, I remember her encouragement to me last year when things weren't going so well from my perspective. I remember her saying again and again "tee Prachaw saap." "But God knows"

And now, because of this parasite, I am privileged to sit with her as she prepares to leave. I am blessed with extra time to listen to her fears, and her struggle with good byes, as well of her acceptance of God's call. I get to watch her and her family step out in faith and obedience despite their fears and the sacrifice. Now I get to remind her that God knows what He is doing.

So in the form of lice, the Father poured out blessings of fellowship and community. I'm not saying I want chronic lice. Just trying to say there can be hidden blessings in the little trials we face. So Rejoice in ALL things!

p.s. I am also super thankful that today we are pretty sure its gone! : )