No More Blogs?

Well, I just have to admit that after writing my last post most of you regular readers were probably concerned that I would no longer be blogging (and with my absence in the blogging world the past few weeks, I was beginning to wonder myself!). BUT, no, I have thought about giving up the blog in reference to my previous blog on idleness but then I realized that this blog is not an idle use of my time but that it's purpose is to encourage our supporters and also give you a glimpse of our life here as well as help you know how to pray. I think that is happening and so until the Lord shows me that it's no longer happening and that I am just wasting time I will continue to blog. So, there you have it!

So, how to sum up the past three or so weeks in a single blog entry is an impossible feat that I am not really going to try to do. Our new home is definitely up and running. We received our washing machine and stove/oven two weeks ago (that was nice!) and our water is finally getting delivered without any problems too. We have sorta had a routine the past couple weeks but not really. I start back with language on Monday so the past two weeks have been a lot of just having fun and meeting our neighbors in our new neighborhood and hanging out with teammates. Paul, of course, has been working with the five intern guys that are here for the summer. He usually leaves around 10:30Am and gets home around 9PM. He seems to be really enjoying the ministry with these guys and with the Thai students he's meeting at the university.
Perhaps the biggest thing that has been happening in this wonderful country is the celebration of the king's reign for 60 years! It has been amazing to witness how much love the people of Thailand have for their king. He is deeply loved and adored. It's really been a neat time in the history of this country and I am glad to have witnessed it. If you'd like to know some more about it all check out my friend Beth or Kim's blogs...they have covered the topic well.
I have been trying to get out and meet our neighbors. PJ and Calvin are HUGE draws in this department! There is a small playground in our neighborhood and we try to go there in the late afternoons/early evening to meet people. (This is when everyone is out.) Probably those I know the best so far (and it's VERY surfacy right now) are our two neighbors who live across the street. The wife of one family is old enough to be my mom and she told us to call her Khun Paa which means "aunt" and the other family that lives right next door have a little girl who is eight years old. She LOVES the boys and plays with them a lot. She actually came in to our home the other day, it was great. Her name is Faa. Her mom is Khun Noi and I didn't get her dad's name. Please pray for these neighbors. They have been very helpful and friendly.
There is JUST so much to share and I really don't know how to share it all. How do I paint a picture of life here? Maybe I will just have to go out with the camera some day and take pictures!
I will say one really, really great thing about our neighborhood is the fruit truck that drives thru every afternoon to buy fruit from (!) and the "som tom lady" who drives thru on her motorbike/food stall and sells a northeast dish called "som tom" which is unripe papaya salad with peanuts and peppers (and REALLY good!). There is also another truck that comes thru around 7AM that sells Thai soups and veggies, I haven't bought anything from that truck yet becuase I am not really in the mood for a really spicy soup at 7 in the morning. And PJ would probably tell you his favorite vendor is the ice cream motorcycle that comes thru. So, even though we have no market close by we have the next best thing! It's truly great and a blessing.
At the end of our soi about a kilometer away is a fairly large mosque...yes, that is right. I haven't noticed any Muslims in our neighborhood yet but I keep my eyes open. The women are usually veiled here. Only 4 percent of the Thai population is Muslim and most of those live down in the southern part of Thailand. So, when we are at the playground in the late afternoons we can hear the call to prayer and we can hear it at other times of the day too if we listen closely.
The boys are growing quicly and seem to be doing well. Calvin had a doctor appointmet last Friday and he weighed in at 8 kilos! He is a big boy.
As I mentioned earlier I am starting back with language on Monday. PJ, Calvin and I will be traveling to our teammate's house (they have a little girl PJ's age) and we will take turns caring for children while the other is with the Thai tutor. I am planning on doing some very light homeschooling with the kids during this time. I am looking forward to starting a "schedule" with PJ and have been looking forward to this time for some time now. Speaking of homeschooling, I am reading RC Sproul Jr's book "When You Rise Up" and it's getting me even more excited about homeschooling and the WHY of homeschooling. It's good to get our priorities right. I will stop there...another blog on that later!
Well, this is long enough. I will try to post some pictures of our surroundings and our boys! Thank you for your faithful prayers for us...