If you want to hear a glamourized missionary story, stop reading. If you want to hear the truth of my life...continue on....... but it might not be pretty!
This afternoon, I decided to take my boys out for some outside activity. This sort of thing has been very sparse in our house as of late due to a new baby and an almost two year old. Anyway, I decided to do it (if you need an explanation read the post below...then you will understand!). Lately, Adele has been sleeping about three hours in the afternoon which allows me to get out of doors with the boys for a few minutes before all the supper time stuff needs to get underway. But, of course, today Adele decided to wake up just as we were about to go outside. So, I thought, "well, I will put her in the sling rather than disappoint my two precious boys." So that is what I did.
Now, normally, I contain PJ and Calvin behind the gate so that they can run wild and not get hit by motorcyles, cars, trucks, elephants and bicycles that go up and down our soi...and though our soi is a dead end and not usually very busy there seems to always be some sorta traffic and whoever is driving is usually speeding (unless of course they are on an elephant). They both really wanted to go outside the gate today so I agreed. That was my first mistake! So, one of our neighbors has a fish tank of sorts outside. It's really this concrete thing that has fish in it and the boys LOVE it and they love trying to catch the fish, etc, etc. (they are really small fish and very colorful). So, we make our way to that house and the past few times we've been out and visiting the fish the older woman from that house comes out with her tamarind stained teeth and yells at the boys not to touch...and when we first moved here they welcomed the boys to play with the fish. So, it's one of those, I am not really sure the neighbors like this or not or if they don't care and it's just an old woman who is a bit senile...yah know? Anyway, the younger woman of the house was outside the house sweeping the street as the boys played and of course, I was constantly reminding them NOT to touch, only to look. PJ obeyed for a while, Calvin hardly obeyed unless I was holding one of his hands and keeping him at arms length (while also carrying Adele in the sling). Then Adele starts fussing, so what to do now? I had to somehow get the boys back to our house (not that far but you know how it goes trying to get a 2 year old to do anything!). We finally make it, only because Bow, our househelper comes outside (to leave) and sees that I could use some assistance! So, she takes Adele and I proceed to get Calvin. We're about to go thru the gate when another neighbor comes out of her house (across the street) and beckons PJ into her home (for some cookies, I later found out). And of course, she wanted Calvin and Adele and I all to join in on the fun cooking eating too. So, I pay Bow and then we head over to our neighbors house. (I forgot to mention all this is at about 5:45PM and my supper is in the oven being overcooked, but no worries about that, really,) So, we're there and the boys are mesmerized by the Thai TV program that is on and PJ is bouncing around in one of those cool blow up chairs. The next thing I know he's got it across the room, and our host is in the kitchen finishing up her supper. So, I tell PJ to bring the chair back and after about the third (ok, maybe 7th) time of telling him, he finally decides to obey. And what does he do? He hits the little floor fan on the way, it crashes to the floor and the shield pops off, breaking one of hte blades (which went flying across the room) and it starts shimmying really badly. Great. We'll never be invited back is what I was thinking and how terribly embarrassing this all is. I tell our neighbor that PJ broke her fan and I tell her we will replace it and then I tell her I have to go...after apologizing profusely. She says "Oh, don't worry, you don't have to go" but I assure her that I, too, have to get my food outta the oven...so she permits us leave. Now, I say all of that and it was embarrassing and I honestly don't know if she'll ever invite us back but God really used PJ, too. When he was over there before I got there, he told our neighbor that he worships Jesus. Granted, it was in English and she didn't understand a word of it, but she asked me what he said and I asked PJ and then I was able to tell her what he said. Talk about a witness for the Lord. He just walks in and says, "I believe in Jesus, do you?" Pretty amazing. Sometimes, you wonder what on earth you did wrong and then something like this happens and you wonder what on earth you did right? When I asked him what he said to her, he also told me that she should put her idols away (meaning she should get rid of them) but I didn't go there...yet! Please continue to pray for the relationships we are building and pray that our neighbors (though they, too, think I am a crazy woman having three kids and all) would see that, yes, our children are disobedient but that they see us love them and correct them in God's LOVE. Pray that we would be invited back again and again and again and that each time we would be able to share more of the Gospel. God is good.
Another little tidbit about our day was that I was out buying fruit from the "Fruit truck" and met a new woman who was also buying fruit. As all really nice Thai people do, she asked why I speak Thai so well. (I say really nice because my Thai isn't THAT great...and they only hear one or two sentences and say it...so I always take it with a grain of salt). Anyway, I tell her that I am a missionary and have come to share about Jesus. She starts telling me that she, too, is a Christian and studied in Texas with Word of Life..how awesome is that? She lives one soi over from ours but is rarely around due to taking care of her 92 year old mother. So, that was really encouraging to hear and to meet this woman. God is building His Kingdom and it always blesses me to meet Thai christians.
I am sorry the last couple posts have been so long. I realized that the last six months or so I've rarely shared my heart and what God is doing here IN me. Maybe, I think you all are thinking, "She's a missionary and has been there 2+ years now, she shouldn't be struggling with x, y or z." So, it's out of pride that I haven't been as open as in the past. And I ask you to forgive me for "clamming up". I am still an ordinary girl trying to obey God as He gives me the grace to do so. I am NOT perfect and never will be until I am raised with Christ in glory! And as I started off this post...if you want glamour...don't come to "Grace for the Moment." I won't be able to deliver...but if you want to hear how God works thru broken pieces of pottery for His glory and His glory alone then by all means stop by anytime!
Thanks for listening to my ramblings and may God richly bless us all this week with His presence and the assurance that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us! (ephesians 1:15-23)
