random

Right now, I am sitting in my bedroom, with no a/c running (and not because it's cool outside but just because Paul decided to turn it off today and it's kinda nice to have to "suffer" in the heat with just a fan!). Outside, in the next neighborhood over there are some guys having a good time beating on drums and earlier today they were playing a radio or something. This morning I got up and did my laundry and played with PJ outside. It's nice to have Mondays off from language school...just to feel a little normal. I just finished cleaning the upstairs bedrooms and now, well, now I am here writing. Smiling as I hear our neighbors whooping and hollering!

Yesterday we watched a sermon from our home church in Florida. Yes, I said watched! Our home church has begun taping the sermons and putting them on dvd and Paul's mom sends them to us...it's great! Anyway, our home church just got a new pastor in October and so we haven't met him yet but we love his preaching. He speaks the truth in love and his sermons are full of meat. The one we watched yesterday was really encouraging and challenging, he spoke on the inner man and the man of the flesh...and how they are at war. I had never heard Romans 6 and 7 explained in such an understandable way. If you are reading this and wonder what on earth I am talking about, I am talking about sin and salvation and the struggle we as Christians face as we TRY to live holy lives (the inner man) but our flesh (the man of the flesh) still wants us to live sinful lives.

So onto some other random news. The ants are back. I have quickly come to realize that though we have eliminated the biting red ants that ate up a lot of PJ's new underwear a few months back, we have been attacked once again by the black ants that don't go away and nothing but spray seems to kill. I have realized that it's a seasonal thing. I thought we were just being cleaner, doing SOMETHING to keep them away but the truth is it was just the cool weather that keeps them outta the house! Now that it's heating up and soon the rainy season will be coming the ants are marching back indoors. Paul sprayed so much ant spray the other day he thinks he might have killed one of our pet hermit crabs! (The crab was still in his shell with no signs of foul play).

And yet more random news...yesterday Paul went to the weekly market to buy some mangoes. He has been quite put out about how expensive the mangoes have been at our nearby market (Sa Gaew Market). So, he jumped on his motorcy and went to this other once a week market. He came back gleaming with about five or six yellow mangoes and the reason he was gleaming was because he got such a great price! Only 10 baht! (about 25 cents) but at our nearby market the mangoes are selling for like 60 baht ($1.25). We also can buy barbeque chicken (not with bbq sauce, literally the chicken is grilled over a bbq grill) at the market which Paul did and we had that with french fries for supper. After supper we ate a ton of mangoes! PJ, Paul and I just couldn't resist the yummy taste of these sweet mangoes. There are several varieties of mangoes in this country but I have only tasted the sweet and the sour varieties. Both are good but my favorite is the sweet. We each decided our favorite fruit is mango!

Tonight we are going out to eat at a Thai restaurant with Phii Denaii and Phii Lina. We are looking forward to it. I ate at this restaurant last week with one of my farang friends and I am looking forward to dining there again...the food is DELICIOUS!

This weekend we are having some Thai friends come up from Bangkok to visit. The daughter lived in the States for a year with one of our closest friends. They haven't seen us since July and can't wait to meet Calvin and see PJ again.

Ok, well, my random thoughts are all used up for the moment. Please continue to pray for us as we study this week.