Victory In Christ.

This afternoon I was reading "To Die is Gain" - a story about John and Betty Stam and was stopped by these two paragraphs. They are rather lengthy, but well worth the read.

Shall we beat a retreat, and turn back from our high calling in Christ Jesus; or dare we advance at God's command, in face of the impossible? .... Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses calling for advance only if funds were plentiful and no hardship or self-denial involved. On the contrary, we are told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it victory in Christ.

Friends, the task with all its attendant difficulties is enough to fill our hearts with dismay, if we look only to ourselves and our weakness. But the authority in our Master's command to go forward should fill us with joy and the expectation of victory. He knows our weakness and our lack of supplies. He knows the roughness of the way. And His command carries with it the assurance of all we need. Of course we want to be assured of our support! Who cares to go forward in any enterprise, secular or religious, unless he can be reasonably sure that it will not be dropped for lack of funds? Incomes are failing, men are losing employment and bank accounts are being wiped out. Do we, as Christian workers, want to be sure of support? Then let us not put our trust in men, or in any God-dishonoring methods of raising funds for the work. These are not certain enough. We have it on the highest authority that the promise is of faith, that it might be sure. The faithfulness of God is the only certain thing in the world today. We need not fear
the result of trusting Him...

John Stam, martyred missionary to China

Thunderstorms And Bowling.

On Friday afternoon, the skies above Bangkok opened up and we had one gully washer of a storm! This exciting moment made all production in the office cease for a bit as we looked out and saw rain, rain, rain coming down. The last time it rained was at the end of October, so you can imagine our delight in seeing some wet stuff 4 1/2 months later. It's not even rainy season yet:).

We eventually went back to work, but were startled when we heard a loud "ka-boom!" of thunder. I leaned over to Carolyn and jokingly said, "God's bowling again!" because that's what I thought thunder was when I was younger. Carolyn used to think it was the angels bowling, so we all got a good chuckle over that.

A few minutes later all was quiet when we heard KA-BOOOOOOOOM!!!!! Without missing a beat, Carolyn said, "STRIKE!" Myra, Pookie, and I lost it and started laughing. Of course Bro. Tom turned to look at us girls laughing hysterically and just shook his head:). When the laughter died down, I asked, "So how can you tell if it's a spare?" and then Carolyn started laughing:). Good times, good times!

For the record, I was still chuckling about it when I went to bed several hours later. From now on, I think thunderstorms and bowling are going to be associated in my mind!

The Ministry Of Encouragment.

I wasn't feeling particularly down; in fact, I was just in the middle of an intensely busy week! So my surprise was great when Abbey wrote on my Facebook and Rebecca chatted me through gmail. It was very nice to hear from them and I was so encouraged by their sweet notes.

Then the other day I was talking with Sarah, the wife of the computer tech working on our system right now, and I was asking her how they decided to come here to help us and she told me an interesting story. Apparently their church reads missionary prayer letters each week and prays over them. When they came to Bro. Tom's prayer letter, the pastor felt led to devote the entire service to a prayer meeting ~ praying about the computer needs we had here in our office!

I was baffled and just to be sure, I asked, "You mean, the whole service?" and she agreed. I don't think I can convey just how much that meant to me. To know a church in the heart of Texas devoted an entire service to pray for this missionary team was such an encouragement!

Between these three ladies, I was pretty encouraged. And the Lord knew I would need it, because we were going through one of the most trying weeks I've ever had in Thailand! His timing is always perfect:).

Now I get to go to work.... Sarah's husband spent a lot of time working on our computers and I think they are finally all up and running:D. Praise the Lord!

Solitude.

I am, by nature, a person who enjoys solitude. Don't get me wrong; I'm also very much a people-person, but I usually need some time to myself daily. Actually, to make that statement completely true, I use a lot of my time alone to pour out my heart to God. I tend to pray or sing out loud and it's just a wonderful time to worship and praise the Lord. The rest of my time I use to think, piddle, write e-mails, blog, read or ding around, as Krinny calls it:). Granted, it's not very exciting, but it's just a part of "me" :D.

In America I would often jump in my car and go for a drive or go walking at a local park ~ just ask my Mom:). Obviously I can't do that here in the Land of Thighs (to quote my friend Emily!), but thankfully it's worked out for the past six months that the early morning hours and late evening hours have been my "solitude" time. Pookie and Carolyn aren't early risers and at night Pookie goes over to her friend's house while Carolyn goes to her bedroom (and to clarify that last part - Carolyn did that from the very first day she was here... she wasn't forced to go; I think she wants some "alone" time too:D). I'm so thankful for that alone time I've had and appreciate it even more so now, as it's temporarily gone since we've added a new roommate for a month or so.

I was thinking about this today as I took a quick walk to the market across the 10-lane highway. I just needed to get "out"; I'm fairly confident we all have those moments! The walk was pleasant and as I picked out a watermelon and oranges, I was so thankful I live in a country where I can go by myself to a market and not be worried. I might not find too much alone time during the hectic week (we do have 10 people on our team right now!), but I thank the Lord for the gem of just going for a walk.

Of course that walk included being so incredibly hot and sweaty ~ 95 degree weather will do that to ya! A khaki skirt probably wasn't the best option to wear for my walk:). As the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers... :)

The Week Is Over!

I think we were looking forward to this week being over before it even started. That speaks volumes, doesn't it? :) We've been having some major, and I do mean major, computer problems in our office for about a month now. Bro. Tom put out a plea for help and we started praying! After several people wanted to come help but couldn't, we finally had a church in Texas call us up two weeks ago saying they were sending over a couple to come work on our system. There was some shouting going on that day!!!

Jeff and Sarah flew in last Friday night and after Jeff looked over our system on Saturday, he had some healthy fear for our system. He has done a marvelous job all this week, but (and this should tell you just how bad of shape we're in) he decided to push back his departure date by a few days. They were supposed to leave late Sunday night (hello midnight departure flight) but are now leaving Wednesday night. That gives Jeff a little breathing room instead of working until 2 AM every morning.

But in the mean time, this week is over and we're very happy about that! It's Friday night and four of us are sprawled out in our living room - laptops open! - while two others are down at the hair salon.

Yup, the party is right here:).

In The Morning.

Two team members sit in the early hours of the morning, laptops open. One is still fighting jet lag; the other is an early-riser. The clock ticks by as two other team members slumber on. Slowly the day takes shape. "Good mornings" are exchanged, followed by the oh-so-telling question: "Did you sleep?" The small house begins to stir and the kitchen becomes alive with activity. "Good morning" is shared across the kitchen wall with the missionary and his wife. The offer for coffee is made on the one side of the wall and gratefully accepted by the jet-lagged team member on the other side of the wall.

The aroma of bacon sizzling in the oven accompanies most mornings. The upstairs bathroom door squeaks as it is closed. The early-riser tiptoes into the bedroom, mindful of her roommate sleeping. Invariably the wardrobe door catches and slams shut. The early-riser cautiously peeks over at the roommate and breathes a sigh of relief when she continues to sleep.

The turtle makes a noise in his tank, indicating he wants breakfast. Team members buzz around the refrigerator and toaster oven, trying to scrape together something to eat. The ladies slowly gather in the living room, some with coffee mugs in their hands.

The next several minutes are spent talking and laughing over various stories. Eventually the missionary's wife asks, "So, has anyone heard from home?" Prayer requests are shared or updated. Some require explaining before heads bob in agreement.

And then? Then we pray. Each team member prays, asking the Lord to meet the needs of the day, to work in situations, to convict unsaved family members, to strengthen the churches represented in the room, to encourage the pastors of those churches, to call laborers into His harvest field.

And in that moment, the most important time of our day takes place.

My Anchor.

The church our team attends every Sunday is a Thai church. The majority of the people are Thai (obviously:D), with the exception of the farang group, which varies from 5-12 people. Berm, the translator who works in our office, also translates for us, unless he's leading the singing.

I have grown to greatly appreciate any singing we get to do at church, simply because some of the songs are only in the Thai songbook. Such was the case Sunday morning, when we just stood and listened to the Thai people sing one song. I suppose that's why I paid special attention to the next song ~ My Anchor Holds. The third verse in particular made an impression:

I can feel the anchor fast

As I meet each sudden blast,

And the cable, though unseen,

Bears the heavy strain between;

Through the storm I safely ride,

Till the turning of the tide.

Refrain:

And it holds, my anchor holds:

Blow your wildest, then, O gale,

On my bark so small and frail;

By His grace I shall not fail,

For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.

The words jumped off the page at me: "And the cable, though unseen, bears the heavy strain between." Just because I can't see the cable, doesn't mean the effects aren't seen. I am anchored in Christ - let the storms blow!

Those words are awfully easy to write when I'm not in a storm. But I've been through storms before and know that while it is hard, at times, to comprehend the unseen Cable, it is still true. His provision doesn't change, just my vision of it. He still promises to be there; am I going to claim that promise?

I have enough "experience" behind me to know that when the Lord teaches me about a storm, that usually means one thing: one is headed my direction:). A friend of mine once wrote these words: "For if I never faced a rainstorm, I would never seek for shelter; so if I never had a problem, Lord, I'd never seek you for an answer."

Whether a storm comes or not, I can definitely say, "I have an Anchor!"

What's In A Name?

I don't think I could make this up if I tried. I received an e-mail the other day from a man who was temporarily working in our office. He is from a neighboring country and was sending me some details on a project. I couldn't help myself when I saw his name:

Yuqchyitlanu Hpakawn

I think I would have spent all of kindergarten just trying to learn to spell my name:).

Oh, and wonder of wonders, spell check did not recognize the names... big surprise there!

The Bride Wore White. Twice!

We went to a Thai Christian wedding on Sunday morning for the pastor's son Bay and his new wife Soi :). This is my second Thai wedding, but the last time I was upstairs, so it was nice to actually see the bride, groom, and the ceremony! One thing I could appreciate was Bay and Soi sat down during the challenge. Having been in a few weddings, I can relate to achy feet and standing in heels for the ceremony;).

Here Bay and Soi are greeting their grandmothers.

(Myself, Krinny, Soi, Bay, Bro. Tom, and Pastor Jeseda - the groom's dad)

Every family group gets their picture taken with the bride and groom. Carolyn didn't hear her name called so she didn't realize she was supposed to come up with us:). She got in with the Langes though.

Berm and his girlfriend with the couple. Berm works with us in the office and is currently translating into Thai a complete Bible Institute course from a church in Oak Harbor, Washington.

In a word, the reception was beautiful! Yes, we felt slightly under-dressed! I don't think I've ever been to that fancy of a wedding reception before:).

Soi and Bay changed into new outfits for the evening reception. That was something different for us ~ the wedding was at 10 AM and the reception wasn't until 6 PM. Both of Soi's dresses were very pretty, but I felt so sorry for her as she walked around the whole time in 3 inch heels.

My Thai roommate Pookie and a missionary's daughter ~ Sarah. Sarah actually just moved here from Australia although her parents and brother have been here for some time.

They got to have their own runway... what a cute idea:).

The cake looks huge but the actual cake was only the bottom two layers. It was very impressive though.

We were so thankful to witness this marriage. Thailand is just as affected as any other place by divorce, broken homes, and single-parent houses. What a blessing to see two young people follow the Lord!

Putting Sneakers To Good Use.

A few weeks ago, I was reading Rachel's blog and almost jumped up and down at this statement:

"This is a world where cockroaches in the kitchen do not necessarily mean a dirty house."

She is talking about her African experience, but that sentence crosses the ocean and applies to Thailand too. I cannot tell you how many cockroaches I have (a) seen in my house (b) killed in my living room alone. In fact, just a few minutes ago I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. I grabbed the nearest shoe and thought I squelched it, but when I turned on the light, I apparently only got a wing. Ugh. A few minutes later, a limping cockroach (I've never seen one like that before!) came crawling out from under an end table and, well, that's the end of him!

I could also tell you about the impossibly huge brown spider Carolyn and I found in our kitchen a month ago. Pookie had just gotten done telling me how this new spider was found in Rangsit (our little town - by the way, I just killed my second cockroach of the morning!) and how this spider bit a boy and the boy died from it, so the comfort level wasn't very high in our kitchen as we came face to face with the furry thing. Carolyn eventually grabbed a broom and swatted it to death.

There was also the time I was walking up our (dark) stairs to go to bed, blissfully ignorant of the fact some sort of insect was already bedded down for the evening on the seventh step. When I stepped on it, I felt movement under my foot and quick darted up the stairs. Now every evening I shine my cell phone light onto the stairs to scare away any creepy crawly things. You may ask why I don't turn a light on. Well, that's because the light switch is only at the top of the stairs:).

Rats, rats, rats and monitors only add to the excitement here in Thailand. But in reality, we're not ever surprised when faced with these creatures because this used to be a jungle. We went to a refugee camp in January and as we passed the old camp, the only thing that told us thousands of people ever lived there were some steps hacked into the side of the road. The jungle had completely taken over what used to be a thriving place less than two years ago.

In the meanwhile, we keep on killing the bugs and insects that make their way into our house. Just don't tell me what's running around in the ceiling. I can just imagine. If the scratching is any indication, a family reunion is taking place!

Oh, I just killed my THIRD cockroach and it's only 7:15 in the morning.

Yuck.