Waiting - Now There's A Concept!

The fact that this article is newsworthy is a little depressing to me:

Couple Waits Till Marriage For First Kiss

Won't kiss on the first date? How about waiting until marriage?

Chicagoans Melody LaLuz, 28, and Claudaniel Fabien, 30, shared their first kiss Saturday at the altar. The two teach abstinence at the city's public schools and practiced what they preached to their teenage students.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the couple had never kissed and that they had never been alone together in a house.

For the record, I'm waiting until the wedding altar for my first kiss too. Should I expect Fox News to report that little fact? :)

Kudos to this couple for taking a stand for what is right... even if it isn't popular! In a day and age when young people are allowed - and encouraged - to give in to what feels good, I'm glad that two someones care enough to teach kids about a forgotten option - abstinence.

It's just so sad that doing the right thing is seldom chosen and when it is, it becomes worthy of news.

*Sigh*

Are You Thankful? If So, Please Share!

My church supports a missionary and his family in Indonesia and he recently sent out an e-mail update. Now whenever this missionary updates, I always laugh because they have such a practical view on life! Living in Indonesia means you're going to have some unique and unusual experiences. After reading this e-mail, I came to one of the closing paragraphs and thought it was too good not to share:

We hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims were so thankful with so little. May we too be content and thankful for all that God has given us. If your roof doesn’t leak, you are doing better than at least 90% of the people here. If you can read and write, you are doing better than a great many people in the world. If you don’t have wild frogs seeking refuge in your house consider yourself blessed! If your doctor can read an x-ray, be thankful. If God has forgiven your sins, praise Him.

How's your perspective on life today? If life is good for you (and after reading that last paragraph, I'm fairly certain we all can say life is good!) do me a favor and tell me one think for which you are thankful. I'm thankful today for the nice, cool, breezy weather we're having!

Your turn!

:)

Blessed Thanksgiving!

Our Thanksgiving meal was cooked by several ladies (and one man!) from both of the teams here and 13 of us gathered together - some Thai, mostly American - to celebrate this Thanksgiving Day. Our scrumptious dinner was made complete with all the fixings: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn casserole, broccoli and cauliflower, stuffing, CRANBERRY SAUCE (my absolute favorite!), chicken wings, roast, apple crisp, and some pumpkin pie. Mmmm, mmmm! An all-American meal with no rice or stir-fry for a day:).

(Gracie and I)

But the best part of the day (aside from eating a roast that *almost* tasted like turkey!) was when we had our normal mid-week service and all 13 of us, right down to Gracie, lifted our voices and sang praises to the Lord! I think I just came up with a wonderful, new tradition for Thanksgiving Day... setting aside a part of the day to have singing, testimonies, and preaching. It sure made my day and that's what Thanksgiving Day is really all about.

Blessed Thanksgiving to my blog readers!

(And to my dear Mom - enjoy your quiet dinner with Dad!)

WFMW - You Tube.

One evening I was watching a friend's video on YouTube when it hit me that I could actually watch other videos on this internet video place! I know, I know, that's a little behind on my part but just imagine my excitement and joy when I was reconnected with my favorite tv series from when I was growing up - Little House on the Prairie!

I was also able to watch (most of) one of my favorite musicals as well as see the video that was viewed over 13 million times! I've listened to music, watched babies laughing over paper being ripped, and my roommate's favorite - Charlie bit my finger:).

Yes, YouTube definitely works for me:). For more "wfm" links, go check them out at Rocks In My Dryer!

And The Drama Rolls On....

A political drama has been going on here in Thailand pretty much since I came 3 months ago. There's been daily fighting with a couple of people being killed and many more being injured. Pretty much the protesters have taken over the Government House in downtown Bangkok, so the government "relocated" to the old international airport, about 15 minutes from my house. Well in reading the news this afternoon, this headline caught my attention:

Thai government refuses to disclose its location

If it wasn't so serious, it would be comical! This is the ultimate high of that childhood game of hide-and-seek. "Where did the government go???" and "Come and find me!" normally aren't the things you hear about when talking about a country!

Updated to add:

I just read the news for this morning and apparently protesters swarmed the main international airport yesterday, causing delays.



To quote the article, "Suvarnabhumi [the international airport] is the world's 18th largest airport in passenger traffic, handling over 40 million passengers in 2007." Thankfully the big group of 20 people we had here last week flew out early Saturday morning and made it safely back to the states. Praise the Lord!

Blonde moment!

Said by yours truly today:

"Well, the outside doesn't have any air conditioner."


Ummm, yeah.

Yoga Deemed Inappropriate In Malaysia.

I found an interesting article about yoga today and thought it was very telling. The headline shouted the news:

Islamic Leaders in Malaysia Ban Yoga for Muslims

The article goes on to say this:

"Malaysia's top Islamic body on Saturday banned Muslims from practicing yoga, saying the Indian physical exercise contains elements of Hinduism and could corrupt Muslims."

Farther into the article is another very telling paragraph:

"We are of the view that yoga, which originates from Hinduism, combines physical exercise, religious elements, chanting and worshipping for the purpose of achieving inner peace and ultimately to be one with god," he said. "It is inappropriate. It can destroy the faith of a Muslim," he said."

Tell me again why a Christian would think this is "appropriate" to be involved in? That doesn't make sense at all, and yet, I know Christians who think it is "OK" to be involved in yoga. Feel free to share your thoughts.

Some More Cultural Experiences.

In my sleepy state of awakefulness this morning, I grinned to myself as I thought about what was going on outside and just tried to imagine that happening on the very busy street outside my house in PA.

A man was slowly driving down our soi (street) while speaking very loudly into a microphone, trying to convince the neighborhood to come out and buy his guava, oranges, and whatnot. The nice thing for me (*snicker*) is that he turned around and came back down the soi all the while talking into the microphone so I got to hear it twice.

I'm not sure what time it was, but I heard these vendors do it as early as 7 AM. Can you say "noise ordinance" if this was in the States? Such are the cultural experiences that make up our day to day happenings.

A big group of 20 people just left last night to return home to Fargo, ND. We hosted 5 girls in our house, and I had to laugh when one of the girls couldn't fall asleep one night because she thought she heard a gecko and didn't want it falling on her. In the 6 months I've spent in Thailand, only once have I had a gecko fall on me and that's because it was resting above the kitchen door. The thing about geckos is they're even more afraid of me:).

Another cultural experience I'm thinking about is in regards to this Thursday - Thanksgiving Day. Nina, a missionary's wife in Portugal, mentioned her kids are going to be in school that day. Most times, American holidays mean absolutely nothing overseas. We're "celebrating" Thanksgiving with a potluck on Thursday evening. We have our mid-week service at the Langes on Thursday so it's not going to be anything out of the ordinary, although I'm sure we'll plan our potluck dishes better than we normally do. However, there won't be any turkey at our potluck. It's just way too expensive here (I've heard prices from 2,000-4,000 baht = $56.00 - 112.00).

As we walked through the mall earlier this week, I noticed only a couple of stores that had Christmas displays set up. I'm sure if I asked y'all what it's like in stores in the USA, you would probably be disgusted by the materialism of Christmas and the decorations that have been around since September. Although it doesn't "feel" like it's that time of year again, I have been playing Christmas music (thank you abiding radio!).

But you know, I was thinking the other day I could have two responses to the Thai culture. One could be: why isn't this just like home? My second response can be: wow, I get to experience a new culture and do things differently!

Someone asked me this question this week: "what is the most enjoyable thing about being over there?" My answer wasn't earth-shattering but it was straight from my heart - that the Lord has allowed me the great privilege of just being here in Thailand and that I get to work with the Gaudets. That's why I can look around and smile at things like the fruit guy driving up and down the soi selling his fruit or at the school children who like to laugh and said "hello!!!" really loud and not know how to answer, "How are you?"

It's the cultural experiences I have from day to day that open my eyes and make me realize there's more to life than my little corner of the world. But one cultural experience I haven't had yet is eating bugs and grubs.

I think I'll pass!

One Extra Christmas Card.

The other day Boo Mama linked to Big Mama about "a very easy - and meaningful - way to encourage families of deployed soldiers over the holidays." (That's a direct quote, y'all!)

So I moseyed over to Big Mama where I expected to find a Christmas Mama - I was promptly disappointed, but I did find "a very easy - and meaningful - way to encourage families of deployed soldiers over the holidays."

Rather than plagiarize (is that allowed in the bloggy world???) Big Mama, I think I'll just direct you to the very easy - and meaningful - way to encourage families of deployed soldiers over the holidays." (This is your cue now to go check out the link and see how you can bless an Army family this Christmas).

It's definitely worth the time, and who can't write out one extra Christmas card and stick it in the mail? I did, and it took me exactly 3 minutes. Plus I'm planning on sending the card back with one of the girls that's here with a group right now but is leaving Saturday morning.

Just imagine how you would feel if your family member was deployed for 15 months. To quote Big Mama:

These families will be without their spouses, mothers, fathers, brothers or sisters this Christmas season and I think this is such an incredible way to say thank you for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf. It’s a simple way to say we don’t take the sacrifice for granted.

What Love Means...

Sent to me in an e-mail from my uncle...

What Love means to 4-8 year old children

• 'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8
• 'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4 (Awwww!)
• 'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5
• 'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6 (I would have to agree!)
• 'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4
• 'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7
• 'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8
• 'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7
• 'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,' Nikka - age 6
• 'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7 (Love this one!!)
• 'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6
• 'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8
• 'My mommy loves me more than anybody You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6
• 'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine-age 5
• 'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.' Chris - age 7
• 'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary Ann - age 4
• 'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4
• 'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image) Karen - age 7
• 'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.' Mark - age 6
• 'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8
• And the final one: The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'

I wonder, what would you say love means?