Three weeks

*I wrote this last week.  This week has gone much better with the exception of yesterday when I burnt an entire pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove.  =(  But, I am thankful that even in that, God showed up.
Checking into the blog after a whirlwind of a couple months.  Friends visiting from the States on a vision trip, Thanksgiving, major exam for Paul, Christmas, New Years, packing, cleaning, culling and moving and then unpacking, cleaning, trying to meet new people and learn our new city and province is mostly what we've been doing. We've been in our new home for three weeks now.  It seems like it's been so much longer as we have been busy getting to know our area as well as people in our area.  We are thankful for the many, many answers to prayer, very tangible answers to prayer, and all of that has confirmed our move and encouraged our hearts so much.  I started the kids back to "school" on Monday.  So, as all things with school go, it has been a rough week.  I don't always enjoy home schooling.  There, I said it.  But, at the same time the thought of sending them off somewhere just gives me the heebie-jeebies and we don't really have an option anyway.  So, we started our 2015 school year.  I knew I had to kind of take it slow this week and so we have but my temper has flared, I've questioned my ability (again and again) if I can really do this, all of this.  And, I'll admit, I've worried about it all.  Sometimes it's easy to think that all of this would be so much easier Stateside.  There's the public library, oodles of resources available at my fingertips, less stress in figuring things out, but if I am really honest, the grass wasn't any greener there.  I struggled just the same.  I don't think that really encourages me because then I have to face the fact, that it's me. I'm the problem, and so are my sinful children.  All of us, really.  We all contribute to the lack of harmony because we are broken and needy people in need of Christ's grace.  With all the flurry of activity and moving (and we all know the stresses that come with that) I have forgotten the gospel.  I have forgotten that I am forgiven. So, in an effort to remember we are trying to be more diligent.  We are working at daily memorizing the book of Philippians (a task we started on two years ago but it got left behind until now).  We are praying in the mornings over breakfast.   I saw something a few months back on Pinterest or FaceBook that I tucked away in some corner of my mind for after our move.  What I saw was an idea to write down names of people to pray for on popsicle sticks, put those sticks in a jar and each person pulls one stick out each morning at breakfast and we pray for those we love, near and far.  We've done it for three days now and I think everyone loves it!  It gives us a chance to talk about our loved ones, those in the US, Canada, Kenya, Thailand and even unmentionable countries and we get to pray.  We get to pray together for the precious people in our lives.  Some of them the kids have only met once and only have a vague recollection (or none at all!) and some are family and friends that we know really, really well.  We also broke out the guitar and started some singing.
Why is it so hard to remember the gospel?  Why is it so hard to remember that I am messed up, horribly beyond what God intended, and I need HIM, every hour! Every moment!  My prayer this week is that I would hunger and thirst for His righteousness and for the ability to die to myself.
I am so thankful for friends who point me to Him. I am thankful that though I feel alone here in our new city that I am truly not alone.  Christ is with me, with us, and He is faithful.  I can rest in His promises and I am praying for the Lord to help me rest, to truly rest, in Him.  Because most days I'm running around like a chicken with her head cut off, barking orders and snapping responses and ordering children around with very little that resembles Christ's gentleness and love.  And then, I get frustrated that I have misbehaved so horribly and so the horrible guilt and despair set in all over again.  So many people have said how they admire us and they couldn't do what we're doing and things like that but honestly, we are just weak vessels trying to be obedient to Christ to share the hope we have in Him.  We're not superstars. I am NOT a supermom, I am not a super home school mom, I am not a super missionary mom.  I'm just a mom, like some of you, trying to live humbly and obediently before my Savior, He has just asked me to do it in another continent.  I know that certainly there are unique challenges to that, but like I said earlier, I am just as needy and weak in the States.  I am glad we were home for 4 and a half years because the Lord showed me my need of Him all the more. So, the few of you who read this little blog and love me, please pray for me to rest in our Savior.  Pray that I would remember the gospel in my everyday moments.  Pray for the Spirit to have the freedom to move among us and that I wouldn't hinder His work by my stubborn and rebellious heart. And, perhaps mostly, pray that when I am stubborn and rebellious that He would melt my heart, show me my sin and bring me to repentance.  I am thankful and hopeful for all He has done and is doing and will do.  May Christ's name be praised!

boasting in weakness and consciously embracing suffering

This week I didn't want to be thankful.  I struggled to get outside of myself and serve and love others like Jesus.  By Wednesday, however, I was determined, by God's grace and help from my husband, to get out of the house and be concerned about others.  So, I loaded up our children and I drove to our friends' house.  The friends who are all crammed into a 5 room apartment and their total number is equal to 28 living there.  Our friends are seeking asylum from persecution and have no rights whatsoever here and are in the worst kind of limbo.  Our friends whose needs are so many and overwhelming that at times we are at a loss as to how to help, other than to go and talk and play and pray and be present.  I have to admit that sometimes I don't want to go. Sometimes it's just all a little too uncomfortable...not having any answers and not having a magic wand to whisk them off to a better land where there is freedom and ability to work and make money, legally.  But, I know...I know in the deepest depths of my soul that we are connected because of the blood that dripped down from the body of Christ on the cross and we alike, confess our need for Him and our utter dependence on Him and the words, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers," (Gal. 6:10) bounce around in my head...and also Proverbs 3:27-28, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.  Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"- when you now have it with you."  I know these truths...and these are my brothers and sisters and we try to live in light of these verses.  We show up there and we are given hugs and smiles a mile wide because it's been a few weeks since we've been over to visit and we're seated and given tea and even given a meal from these precious ones, who themselves, do not withhold anything from us!  I asked how they were doing and asking if their needs are being met...they share that they were given a water purifying system...a huge blessing as even getting clean water here is not free...and when you have 28 people drinking water, that adds up....quickly.  We rejoice at God's provision.  I marvel at how they keep going...keep trusting, keep persevering...because of Jesus.  One sister comes to see me, she's in a lot of pain.  She needs medical care.  She's been to a clinic but they only gave her pain killers.  And, I'm wondering, "what is wrong with her?" and "is she going to be okay?"  And, kicking myself for the umpteenth time that I didn't go to nursing school!!!  We pray...we cry together and we call out to our Jesus...the One who saves, the One who is faithful, the One who can bring healing, the One who can give wisdom...and then we rest in Him.
We are moving in a little over a month.  We are moving 12 hours away (by car).  We worry about our friends.  Who will help them?  Our Thai church is doing what they can, but there is only so much...they are not even fully supporting themselves yet.  We would greatly appreciate your prayers for this family.  I have contacted an organization who work with those in this kind of situation but have yet to hear back from them.  Please pray that someone will be able to provide physical answers to their needs.  We are trusting our Lord to provide for them, He has kept them thus far and we know His love for them is far greater than our love for them but we do ask for you to pray.
So, we left there, feeling burdened but thankful that we went. We are family now...their needs are no longer out there on a computer screen or in a flyer somewhere, they're very near to our hearts.  Sometimes all is needed is someone to listen and hold your hand and say, "we're here."  Pray that we can be faithful friends in the face of uncertainty and hardship.  

The posts I've never published

I realize that I've only published a few posts for the 2014 year.  I have many more written but I never hit the publish button. Why? Because they were hard posts.  They are humbling posts, they are self-serving and self-centered and self-pitying posts.  So, I never hit the publish button.  When writing a blog there is a very fine line between sharing real life and yet not sharing in such a way that makes others feel guilty or feel pity for the one writing.  I find this line hard to navigate sometimes and so that is the reason I often go a while before publishing a post.  I don't mind sharing about my kids, but again, they're growing and I am realizing that my writing about them (positive or negative) is something they are going to read/see one day.  So, it makes me wary to just write away and post away about things concerning our little family and our little world.  I just wanted to share this, for those of you (and there are very few!) who check here faithfully.  I am struggling to know the best way to share our life but not invade the privacy of my kids and not pity myself. Sometimes life here in hard.  I don't say that to get your pity, I say it because it's true.  And, I want to protect you (usually my family) from that reality.  Can I just briefly share that when you don't hear from me or other missionaries or people in your life...it's probably because they are in one of those hard times, one of those difficult times and in the silence is probably when they need your prayers the most.  At least, that is the way it is for me.  Thank you for your prayers, thank you for listening, thank you for loving us enough to care.  There is no way we could be here without the Lord's saints praying. =)

Butterfly Season

I really try not to be the mom who gushes about her kids all the time, BUT I just really have to share PJ's recent observation. The kid amazes me with his quick eyes and how he quickly pieces things together (he gets that from his Daddy).  He came running into the house a few days ago really excited because there were a plethora of butterflies flying around in the garden near our home.  He said to me, "Mommy, I think it's butterfly hatching time because I haven't seen any butterflies and now they're everywhere!"
Any nets that we had were left or discarded (because they were no longer of any benefit!) in the garbage bins before we left America (almost a year ago!).  So, my resourceful boy got a stick, and tied a plastic grocery bag to it to serve as his net (again a trait he gets from Daddy).  And there he has been...all week long going out in the mornings, afternoons and evenings chasing butterflies.  And I admit, they are beauties!  We are lacking a few resources such as a guide book for Butterflies of Thailand but of course, Christmas is coming and what a nice gift that would make for him!  But, all in all, we are glad we did pack the butterfly "house" that his Nanny and Pappy gave him a couple years ago for his birthday.  He is actively using it to house his butterflies.  He is faithfully feeding them and his ultimate goal is to display them in shadow boxes with labels once they've ceased living. He has bemoaned one small but important fact...and that is that his best friend, Joseph, isn't here to catch butterflies with him.  We're thankful for technology though and that we can send pictures and even Skype and show live creatures to friends and family on the other side of the planet!  So, just wanted to thank God for my boy...he's growing up so quickly but he still marvels at the beauty of God's creation...I hope he never loses that wonder and awe at the work of our Creator God.

"God created...every winged bird according to its kind." (Gen.1:21)

Calvin, Adele and I have been studying the Apologia Winged Creatures of the Fifth Day book this year for Science. We are really enjoying this opportunity to learn more about the birds of Thailand...and there are many and they are varied and beautiful!  Years ago Grampy Henry bought us a beautiful field guide for the birds of Thailand and so we've been putting it to good use here.  It is quite a challenge for me to be a bird watcher in this nation.  Thais don't have bird feeders (that I've noticed) and so it's been challenging to know how to go about attracting birds to our yard (especially when we don't have one!!!).    PJ is studying plant life right now as well.  So, I decided we would make an effort to go to the beautiful King's Park (สวนหลวงร.๙) which is very near to where we live.  This park is huge with loads of green space, a great place to go looking for birds. So, last Friday morning we got up early, loaded the car, got "fast food" from the fried chicken and sticky rice lady at the end of the soi for breakfast and headed over to the park.  We were there by 8 a.m.  And, we immediately spotted some birds.  

 The keenest eyes, so far, in our family aside from Daddy, is PJ.  He immediately spotted this bird on the rock.

 We watched the bird from this bridge.  They're just so cute, I had to share!

 I took way too many pictures of this lovely.  Part of the fun in bird watching is looking up the bird in the field guide and correctly identifying it.  This, too, becomes difficult when living in another country!  But, PJ persevered and found this bird, a Juvenile White Stork, in our bird book.  Success!  

 We also spotted this egret (of some sort) and unbeknownst to me I also caught the Monitor Lizard swimming by in the shot!  PJ loves watching Monitors...and this was one of two or three that we saw that morning!

 I would not be a very good teacher without this kid...love his mind and ability to remember little details!  Here he is explaining to me why the stork is a juvenile.

 Above,we saw this beautiful flower (Juanulla mexicana) on our way into the botanical house. And below, this hybrid (Vriesea)...I told the kids it looks like something Adele would draw with the pink and purple on the leaves! It is so very beautiful! Many of the plants in this house were familiar to us as Florida has many of the same or similar type plants growing.  We are continually amazed at the beauty of the Lord's creation.  We are looking forward to our move further south as we get to explore even more of the diversity of birds and wildlife the Lord has created.

Thanks for visiting and check back in soon, I am hoping to be a better blogger!!!

Our Time with Aunt Catherine

 We spent a couple days with Catherine and her brother, Will, at the beginning of the week.  Catherine has served the Lord in Bangkok for eight years now, teaching music at the international Christian school.  She has been a faithful servant to the Lord and friend to us and so many others.  She is leaving this week to return to America for a few months and then go on to study the cello some more in Hungary.  We are really, really going to miss this beautiful woman.  We are so thankful for the time we had with her this week, it was a wonderful blessing to us, and I hope it was a joy to her as well.  We traveled to Kanchanaburi, Thailand which borders Burma on the west side of Thailand.  There is a lot of natural beauty in this part of the country (where isn't there in Thailand?!) and there is also a lot of WWII history here.  The Japanese built a railway here during WWII in which 120,000 laborers died building it.  POWs,  mainly Aussies and British died as well as many Asian laborers.  They built the railroad in 20 months!  A wonderful book to read on the topic is To End All Wars by Ernest Gordon.

 Above is Adele sitting on an elephant.  Below is Adele and Paul getting sprayed by the elephant.  Paul and Adele joined Catherine and Will on an elephant trek along the Kwae River.  It was a special time for Daddy and his girl...this girl was the bravest of all the other kids.  =)  Not sure what the Lord will do with her but I think she's going to lead people.  She doesn't like to be a follower, that is for sure.

 Above, PJ and Calvin riding on the train from Kanchanaburi to NaamTok station, beautiful scenery,  and part of the Death Railway, as it was known by POWs because of the loss of life to build it.

 Above, Paul holding the camera out the door of the train as we went over the Wang Po viaduct.  Google it, it was pretty incredible....and scary!!!! Once we go to the Hell Fire Pass Museum we read that the POW's tried to sabotage the bridges they were forced to make.  PJ's comment was, "That's encouraging."

 Above is a picture of Hell Fire Pass, what the POWs called it because as they worked at night, cutting away the rock, in lantern light with their emaciated bodies, it resembled hell.  I can not imagine the torture and hell the men went through.  I believe the Japanese had lifted the track sometime after the war but you can hike a good bit of what used to be the railway.

 Above are the kids sitting in front of a peace flower over looking the beautiful mountains of Burma.

Above is a little bit further down the line, overlooking the valley.  Across the valley was where the main POW camp was located for this particular area.  They would get supplies delivered there and then the POWs would have to carry the supplies to other camps in the area.  Not an easy feat.  You can also see, sort of, that we are on the side of a mountain ourselves...and so the men had to work in extreme conditions, climbing up the side of a mountain.  Catherine is reading Ernest Gordon's book and she reminded me that he said that in the hot season, it was hot, but in the rainy season they had to battle the rains...and the rain washing away all the work they had done. They suffered no matter what season it was.   I just can't imagine.  But, knowing his story, I know God was in this place.  I long for more Thai people to know the redemption that took place in the face of so much turmoil and pain and suffering.    They only know the story from a Hollywood perspective of The Bridge on the River Kwai, few know the story of Ernest Gordon and what peace God brought between him and those who enslaved him.
We had a wonderful trip, we are thankful for it...and we are sad to say goodbye to our dear friend.  Hopefully, we'll see her again in Thailand!!!

a glimpse at Sundays

 Elizabeth before church one morning.

 Sunday School with Uncle Trey leading the kids in a game.

 We've had three American interns since January and they have led the older English speaking children in Sunday School.

 The nursery school and under classroom.

 DIGS women study on Sunday afternoons

And, I had to throw one in of sweet little Peace, she loves getting her picture taken!

ESL and felt needs

Many of you are probably aware that teaching English is one of the biggest felt needs here in Thailand and in most of Asia, actually.  When we first moved to our neighborhood it didn't take long for us to meet many of those who live in the neighborhood...or who serve the neighborhood in some capacity (ie, the man who sweeps the streets, mows the little bit of grass in the garden, the guards).  In Thailand, on most streets you will find food hawkers.  Sometimes they come with their motorcycle with a cart attached where they might sell fried chicken and sticky rice, or pork on a stick, or somtam.  And sometimes, they actually set up a makeshift restaurant right on the sidewalk, complete with tables, benches or chairs.  One such "restaurant" exists just as you enter our neighborhood.  It didn't take long for us to meet the owners and talk to them on occasion.  I came to learn that they are from the South and they moved to Bangkok because the economy in the south was no good for them.  They have two children, a son who is 16 and a daughter who is 14.  It is clear they want to make a better life for their kids.  The mom asked me a couple months ago if I'd be willing to teach English to her daughter, May.  At that time the son was still down south living.  But, last month he moved to Bangkok as well.  Anyway, I told her I would teach her daughter, but didn't really set up any days or times, just told her to pop in sometime.  About a month passed, the son moved up and the mom introduced him to me one sunny afternoon as I was on my way to my language class.  She asked if I would teach him as well.  Of course, I said "yes!" and then she followed with, "how about today?" I quickly thought through my afternoon and said, "sure, we'll start today, 4pm."  And that is how it all started.  So, three weeks in, I have four students but I am not accepting anymore.  It is free...I know, I know, I should charge something (as my training taught me) but for now, I am just going to see how it goes.  My students are the teenagers (brother and sister) and then another brother and sister who are 9 and 11. Their parents have a som tam (spicy papaya salad) restaurant at the end of our soi...and we buy food from them on occasion.

 Above are A and C doing a worksheet, below is M.

 Pictured below is C, also working on her worksheet at the end of class.

 I'll work on getting a picture of them all smiling at the camera!

So, it's been fun. I try to get them to speak as much as possible.  Thais study English from 1st grade on, but of course, it's usually taught by a Thai. So, they know grammar (usually) a lot better than we English speakers, but the actual speaking is where they need loads of practice.  I would ask you to pray for me as I teach and plan lessons. Please also pray for the students.
Of course, the main reason I teach them is to build relationships with them and their folks...and hopefully show them the love of Christ...and share the gospel.  The young man has heard the gospel from Taiwanese missionaries who were in the south...and he seemed open to discussing more.  I am happy to have God use me in whatever way in these family's lives. I may just be a little bit of water in their lives, or I may have the extreme privilege of watching those seeds sprout into a real faith!  May Christ be glorified regardless of what I get to see...and may I be faithful to the gospel and to sharing the hope that I have.  Thank you for your prayers.

"I travel a lot. I hate having my life disrupted by routine." Caskie Stinnett

I found the above quote on a website for travel quotes. Yes, I was trolling for something clever to entitle this post...and this quote pretty much fits our life to a T.  Yep, I couldn't have said it better myself.  Though, I think that for me I wouldn't mind having a bit of routine!  Ten years of moving around the world and two different countries does get a bit old.  And, when you add in four children and home schooling three of them, there's rarely a dull moment.  But, then just when you think it can't get any better (!) you add learning another language into the mix.  You can say my days are pretty full.  If I'm honest with you few readers who frequent here then I can also admit to you that sometimes I am jealous of those of you who have a "normal" routine that you can rely on.  Those of you, and you know who you are, who can plan out your entire homeschooling year, complete with Christmas break, Spring Break, summer break and any other break in between and have VERY little variation in your plans.  Oh, I have NO idea what that is like.  What is it like to be "finished" with school for the year?  We have NEVER done that!  Okay, so enough of my honest feelings on our travels...and I am thankful to the Lord for the privilege of serving Him in a foreign country...I really am and I know that my children are learning leaps and bounds and their experiences will impact them in mighty ways and I thank God for that too.  So, without further ado, the whole reason I picked the quote above is because we recently traveled to southern Thailand where we spent some time relaxing and we spent some time scouting our our new home. Calvin and Adele had never been to the south, or not that they could remember, anyway, and we thought it would be good for them to see what our new home is going to look like, feel like, taste like, etc.  Our kids have been really missing the beach the past couple months and so they were all really looking forward to hitting the beach...and boy did we ever!  Crystal clear water, snorkeling, kayaking, sand-castling and water color painting (thanks to the fabulous NaamFon) and just bumming around is what comprised our days on the island.  The pace of life just kind of came to a halt.  No electricity from 10 am to 5 pm, and no a/c units in our bungalows, but the view and the water more than made up for it.  I was challenged, most definitely, by the wildlife that entered said bungalow (little, red ants that like to eat anything and everything but especially underwear!)  But I realized just how citified I had become...when I first listened to the call of God to be a long term missionary I was willing, eager even, to do anything, go anywhere and eat anything...and put up with snakes, ants, etc, but here I was 17 years later saying, "no thanks, God, I need my creature comforts!!!"  Oh, the sin bottled up in this heart of mine!  So, anyway, even while away on a break, God was clearly getting my attention for all my affection to be solely on Him. 

 Above: the view from our bungalow; below, the bungalow.

 Above a Great Horn Bill and below PJ with a baby monitor lizard he and Paul caught. (He was just a tad over the moon with this catch, and it was his first real catch with his snake tongs).

 Some of the island children kayaking.

It doesn't get much better than a nap on the beach and a snack of papaya.

 painting with P'NaamFon

 Adele after she received this flower from a new friend who had just left the island.

 Back on the mainland, we hit a waterfall one day...the kids all enjoyed it!

Calvin and Elizabeth on our way to the waterfall.

We also had the joy of hanging out some in Trang City, checking out the Kopi (ancient coffee) and the weekend market.  We worshiped at Trang Church where we, providentially, ran into our pastor from Lopburi days!!!  We're getting excited about the future and what our Lord might have in store for us!  Please keep praying for us, for wisdom, discernment and obedient hearts to follow where the Lord leads. xo

put on the full armor of God

I've been studying Thai with a new Thai teacher for the past month.  I really love her.  Her name is Nui and she is a sweet Christian lady, about my age, probably a little younger.  She actually grew up Catholic so she's taught me a few things about the Catholic church here in Thailand.  Many similarities to what I know of the Catholic church in the States but there are also differences.  Nui is a Christian and so the days when I meet her don't feel like I am in language study but rather that I am meeting up with a friend, who understands my heart.  It's been such a blessing to me.  

We've been studying different Buddhist ceremony practices and vocabulary.  There are some hard words to learn and remember but by God's grace I am learning...and remembering!  

After class today I walked to the church office in Ram 2 and chatted a bit with some folks there, got my first ever care package(!!!) and then headed to a copy shop to have photocopies made for the children's Sunday School class.  I got to a shop, entered and asked if I could get copies made.  The lady, about 50, quickly got up from her seat (she was watching a station similar to National Geographic).  I told her what I wanted done, 5 copies per each page (turned out to be about 200 copies) and so we had some time to chat.  She had many questions for me...where was I from, what am I doing in Thailand, how many children do I have among others.  As I answered I mentioned that we will be moving to Southern Thailand.  She got a look of concern.  She asked where and I told her.  She said that it's pretty there, but we need to be careful.  There are many ghosts there especially since the tsunami.  She asked if that scares me...and I said, "No, I'm not scared because I know God and He's more powerful than the spirits."  She didn't want to hear that...she went into a story of a time when she saw a ghost/spirit. She thought I didn't think they existed, but I told her no, I believe there are spirits but my God is greater.  She still went on about how scary it is.  In those moments I was asking myself, am I afraid of ghosts? Am I afraid of spirits?  I really believe that I answered truthfully, I know my God is greater and therefore I shouldn't be afraid.  He is able to protect me and keep me and yes, He may decide to allow me to go through something horrible, like Job, but it will be for His glory, for the FAME of His name and for my ultimate good.  I hope to visit this lady again when I need copies made.  She was so easy to talk to about everyday life and it was amazing to me how easy it was to talk about the spiritual world with her.  Please continue to pray for us as we listen to and desire to share the gospel.  Pray with us against the spirits of this world, as the spiritual forces of darkness are real and we are keenly aware of the battle we are in here.  Pray for our continued language ability, for us to understand what is being communicated and pray that we can, in turn, communicate the hope we have in Christ!  Pray for many Thai people to see that they are made in the image of a loving, good and holy Creator and not a result of some cosmic accident.  Thank you for standing with us in prayer. 

Catching Up...or at least trying to do so!

To the few who still continue to read this blog, thank you for your faithfulness to check and see if I've posted!  I was just scrolling through and realized I didn't post anything from our trip out west!  How is that possible?  Well, perhaps, I can get to that here one day in the near future. For now, I think it best to catch you up on our life here in Thailand!  We are SO very thankful to be back.  We had a few bumps on the road our first month or so and not the least was being knocked out for a good week and half with Dengue Fever.  God, in His faithfulness, provided for us.  NaamFon took such good care of us and the kids...I felt so badly because Paul was diagnosed on Friday, we moved into our home the next day and she moved in on Sunday...to mass chaos.  And, she ended up taking care of ALL of us (except Paul who ended up being admitted into the hospital).  She was and continues to be a huge blessing to us. We are not surprised by this...but just so very grateful for her servant heart and her love for Christ and for us.  So, that was about 2 months ago.  Since then, we've began home schooling (again) and Paul and I started language school on January 31st.  Oh, we also celebrated Calvin's 8th birthday with our friends, the Mills.  He proclaimed the following day that it was the bestest birthday he's ever had.  That put a smile on our faces to hear his delight.  He also has learned how to ride a bike and he's finally getting in those top two adult teeth that we've been waiting on for 10 months!!!
NaamFon also is teaching our children Thai each day for about an hour!  They are really loving it and excelling at learning the Thai alphabet and the sounds each letter makes.  NaamFon makes it a lot of fun with songs and videos and games.  It's the highlight of the day for each of them.
NaamFon and I are also meeting weekly for prayer, Bible study, and accountability. We are doing an Old Testament survey, while reading through the entire Bible this year. I am SO thankful for this time with my sister...and I would ask for your prayers as I prepare the "lesson" each week that the Lord would give me wisdom and correct understanding of His precious Word.  We are doing an Old Testament survey which is quite challenging with my language but we make it through...but your prayers are so welcomed and appreciated.
We also have begun having team meetings, praying together for Trang and our personal growth in the Lord.  We have begun talking about team values, norms and things like as well.
We are so thrilled to share that New City Fellowship Church is celebrating seven years tomorrow!!!  We are so thankful to the Lord for His sustaining work in Ram 2 but please continue to keep this church in your prayers!
I continue to be amazed that we are here.  That we are in the country we have come to love. We are saddened by what is happening politically here but we have great hope in our Lord, knowing His purposes will stand.  Please keep us in your prayers.
Below are some pictures from the past few weeks...

Calvin's 8th birthday, we surprised him with some LEGOs from the States!

 PJ with a long nosed whip snake he caught int he garden near our home.

 PJ with his pet iguana, Jambu.

 All this little girl wanted since getting to Thailand was to eat a grasshopper...she got her wish and seemed to enjoy it but declined when offered more!

 Elizabeth has loads of fun with the Thais, here she's playing with our friend, P'Lek's sunglasses.

Not to be forgotten is our little pet, Fluffy the hedgehog.  She has grown quite a bit since this picture was taken.  She's very prickly but enjoys a comfortable life.

Two of my favorite pictures that I forgot to add to my last post!

 The cousins on the Carrier side.  Adele, Kylee, Elizabeth, PJ, Matt and Calvin in front of the Christmas tree that was put up in October!

My mom and dad with the kids.  We love you!

Playing Catch Up

Once again I have to apologize for the lack of writing on the blog.  I think I'm overwhelmed with where to even begin!  We have traveled, celebrated one little girl's birthday and oh, yeah, we saw the Lord provide our financial support to return to Thailand!  So, to say the past month or so has been busy is a bit of an understatement!
The last time I wrote I shared about our time in Thailand.  Currently, there is much political instability in the nation.  We are leaving in six days for the Land of Smiles and we honestly don't know what will be happening in country at that point.  I am not sharing this to scare anyone, but please do be in prayer for us.
Now, for our trip to Pennsylvania.  We traveled to PA with the hope that we would be leaving for Thailand in late November/early December.  When we left Florida for the north, we still had about 20 per cent of our support left to come in.  So, we wanted to see my family before we left for Thailand.  We had a wonderful visit.  We celebrated "ChrisWuGiving" (Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas all together).  My parents put up their Christmas tree at the end of October for the kids and surprised us all one night when we got home!  We had great visits with my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents as well as dear friends who have been praying for us for years and many who have invested their time and energy into my growing up years.
We arrived in Pennsylvania on Adele's birthday.  She turned six this year.  So, we got to have a party with her PA cousins.  =)

 The Birthday Girl!

 Adi and Adele

 My cousin, Melanie, reading to Elizabeth.

We also enjoyed a walk in town, photographing some of the beautiful buildings in my hometown.

 Nanny and her grands.

 "The Old Mud Church" also known as Union Church. It was built in 1820 and a great example of American Gothic architecture (according to the sign posted outside the church).  

 This is the headstone of one of the Philips, founders of Philipsburg.  And, just for some history, Hardman Philips of Philipsburg was the first to build a screw mill.

 Town Hall 

Saint Paul's Episcopal Church

We also enjoyed the cool Fall weather up north and found ourselves picking out pumpkins and carving them.

 Then, we got to carve more pumpkins at the church party!  The kids also got to bob for apples for the first time EVER!

 Adele (rock star), Paige (mad scientist) and PJ (herpetologist)

 Calvin (army man), Elizabeth (fairy), and Mickey (hockey player).

 Elizabeth ate cookies all night long!

The long table of pumpkin carvers!!!

So, that was our time in PA.  It went by way too fast, but it was so fun! Thank you to all who welcomed us and shared a meal with us, who prayed with us and encouraged us!  We had such a great time!