The Prequel:).

(I have started this post three times now, intending to post it since Saturday! Sorry for the delay:D)

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments! Between blog comments, e-mails, facebook comments, and phone calls, my week has been rather umm, busy, responding to people:). I have been so amazed by the way the Lord put Nat and I together, and then I was overwhelmed by everyone offering congratulations! Quite literally, people across the country have joined in with us in celebrating. Of course, many of those people added the little "I knew it!" or "I was praying for you two to get together!" phrases:).

Before I get to our story though, I want to give a little background in getting to this point. In fact, our story won't even make it into today's post! I guess this is just a teaser to have y'all tune in next time;0).

It is always a choice to follow the Lord when He leads. After being in a very unsatisfying dating relationship at age 15, I determined before the Lord that I would not date around to find the right guy for me. It just wasn't worth it and the Lord showed me from His Word that it was my choice ~in fact, my responsibility ~ to keep my heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23). Easy to say, hard to do!

With good intentions firmly tucked in my mind, I embarked on this journey of keeping my heart. Isn't it true that when you determine to do good, the carrot is dangled in front of you to do something that seems to be good, but in reality is second-best? I had that happen to me - quite unintentionally, I assure you! One of the girls at church got engaged at 18 and suddenly the rest of us girls between 14-17 all thought that was going to happen to us:). Girls are funny creatures and once an idea gets established in their minds, there is no shaking them out of it!

My expectation at 18 was to "flip the tassel and say I do." My graduation from high school came and went, as did my 19th and 20th years. Somewhere between my 20th and 21st year, it dawned on me that I was not fulfilling God's purpose in my life by just sitting around and waiting for Prince Charming to come sweeping in on a white horse and carry me off into the sunset. (Where do these ideas get churned up anyway?!?)

It was at that point that I took the advice a dear friend had given to me two years previously on my graduation day: use my season of singleness to serve the Lord and not waste it. I look back with much regret on my first two years out of high school, for I feel I squandered so much time that could have been wisely spent in deeper service to my King.

As a side note, if there is any advice I could pass on to girls just graduating from high school it would be the same advice my friend gave me: use your season of singleness for the Lord; you won't regret it!

I must say that advice was very liberating for me as I begun to apply it to my life. This advice was in keeping with the truth found in 1 Corinthians 7:34 ~ "The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord..." From that point on, I made it my priority to serve those around me and in doing so, I was able to experience so many new and wonderful things.

I was also able to take several short-term missions trips and this would be something I highly recommend to single gals. Do it while you can! If God gives you the burden to go, He will provide the rest. As a friend of mine likes to say, "God's not broke!" It's so much fun to step out and watch the Lord pull all the details together for whatever it is the Lord has given you the desire to do.

There is so much more I could write, but I won't:). Hopefully within the next few days (hmm, maybe I better say within the next week:D) I'll be able to post the rest of the story!

My Lack Of Blogging...

... can be summed up by one simple picture:).

(October 20, 2009 ~ Engagement)

Reminiscing The Memories.

Ok, so I'm in a little reminiscing mood. I've been thinking about Thailand and all the particularities that made -- in my mind anyway -- Thailand so unique. I never thought I would be saying this, but one thing I desperately miss about Thailand is my neighborhood and all the craziness that went along with it to make up our little street.

There was always the monk that walked by at 6 AM and whose helper had the shoddiest basket on wheels I've ever seen. This daily visual reminded me of the reason I was even in Thailand, although I must admit that I got used to the sight. The Lord always had a way of jarring me back to spiritual reality at the oddest times, for which I am thankful. I don't ever want to get used to seeing souls bowing and reverencing a false religion all the way to a Christless eternity.

Bangkok is always busy, although not as busy at say 2 AM in the morning:). With millions of people living in the Thai capital, someone was always up and at 'em! The street I lived on started hopping around 5 in the morning and didn't shut down until long after midnight. I could never understand how my neighbor, Gate, could wake up so incredibly early and still be up long after I'd gone to bed. Gate always had such a distinct laugh so I knew it was her. I just shook my head and usually tried to grab a few more winks of sleep;).

I miss the people of my street. There was the lady who put her dog in a cart on wheels every single day and every single day the dog barked to get out. There was another lady who would load the back of her pickup truck with lots of good fruit to eat and would work on that fruit all evening long, always stopping to sell fruit to customers who walked by. Of course the shopkeeper and his wife across from my house was another favorite. Once a week Carolyn or I would dutifully walk across the narrow street with our 5-gallon water bucket in one hand and 12 baht in the other. Carolyn and I knew enough Thai to communicate a smidge with the shopkeepers, but what we lacked in knowledge we made up for in smiles and laughter! Those two go a long way in breaking down barriers - plus it helps to be able to laugh at yourself when you make a funny language blunder:).

There were also the *ahem* crazy motorcycle drivers who rode up and down Soi Krisadanakon (my street) going here and there, always always in a hurry. If I was walking down the street and heard an engine rev behind me, I knew to jump as close to the buildings as possible. The times were many that I "almost" got hit... but somehow Thai drivers know how to be reckless and crazy without going the extra step of causing an accident. I'm still not sure how they did it:).

Oh Krisadanakon, how I miss you!

Hello, I'm Still Here:).

I think I can safely say I've milked the transition/re-entry/reverse culture shock thing long enough since I've been back in the States for three weeks now:). I did take a week of vacation in Florida (btw, I highly recommend taking a trip right after an international trip like what I had - no jet lag problems and plenty of time to relax!). I've been home in Pennsylvania for two weeks and I'm not sure how I did this, but I've been busy since coming home. Between seeing family members and going out to lunch with dear friends, each day has been full.

I've also been going through a lot of my stuff, all the while scratching my head and wondering why I have some things. Goodwill is definitely going to benefit:). Thankfully I am not the only one who has ever done this during the re-entry process. After living with just the basics in Thailand (hello hot water from the kitchen sink - I've missed you for the past year!), it seems a little weird and slightly materialistic to have so much. In fact I just stared at my bedroom when I first walked in to it, overwhelmed by the fact that it was my bedroom. I had a wonderful chat with my Pastor and wife who cautioned me not to go to the extreme of getting rid of everything, so I've taken that advice and sorted through the Goodwill pile again.

Overall my transition has been wonderful and I praise the Lord for that! I've been working through a Bible Study that was written by veteran missionaries who successfully made the transition to the States time and time again and this has been extremely helpful. I've also been writing down some of my thoughts from my time in Thailand and would like to eventually blog about some of it too. No worries ... I completely understand if you want to skip over those posts:).

Now the next step is to undertake some serious job hunting. Thankfully my bills are very minimal right now and I have money to cover them, so I don't have to rush out and get the first job that waves at me:). I know the Lord is going to provide - He is always faithful!!!!

From One Trip To The Next!

Lest some of you think I'm still in the air:), I did make it home safely on Friday afternoon and was promptly jolted back to the reality of the States when I had to pay $5.00 for a baggage cart at JFK. As I forked over the money, I asked another passenger if I would get the money back. He was polite enough not to laugh, although his look told me that I was obviously out of the country too long:).

Welcome back to the good ole' US of A!

After a whirlwind of hellos to my mom, brother, sister, and brother-in-law, I jumped in another car with two friends (and their completely adorable baby!) and drove 21 hours to Florida.

Crazy? Yes. Free ride? Absolutely!!!

I've been greatly enjoying my visit with my other sister who lives in central Florida and her children have been keeping me on my toes with all of their energy and enthusiasm. Since my brother-in-law and sister work during the day, I get to watch my niece which has been a lot of fun. Gotta love family time!

I'm also really, really thankful that jet lag hasn't been bad at all! I suppose I threw my body for a loop by pulling an (almost) all-nighter Friday night by traveling and we've had late nights every night since then, so I'm excited to be waking up every day around 6:45/7:00. When I went to Thailand last year, I thought I would wake up at 4:30/5:00 for the rest of my life! God is so good:).

Well, I'm off to get some things done while my niece is sleeping:). Gotta make those quiet moments count!

Adios!

True to form, I have pictures to share:). Doesn't it seem like I do so many of my posts with pictures? I guess I figure the old adage of a picture is worth a thousand words is going to spare you all from reading 5,000 words on my part! So hence the pictures:).

My absolute favorite restaurant in all of Thailand ~ seriously! It even beats out a good restaurant in Chiang Mai:).

I suspect this restaurant is also Jon and Gracie's favorite - it has a playground;).

Now this is what we call liquid gold! Haven't see this stuff in a very long time!

Left to right: Pastor Jeseda, Arisa, baby Hannah, Carolyn, Lakeid, Lakanna, and me. These sweet people came up on Tuesday to have lunch with us and to tell me good-bye!

I'm extremely grateful the Lord provided an excellent church for me to go to while here in Bangkok. Pastor Jeseda has preached the Word of God so faithfully!

(Look at all that hair on their granddaughter's head!)


~~~~~~~

I suppose this is my last post from Thailand! The Lord has allowed me to be in Thailand for a little over a year and He has accomplished so much!!! However, the time has come for me to make my exit ~ stage right:). I start my journey home Thursday night (Bangkok time) and have so many mixed feelings right now. My co-workers have become family to me and we have shared so much throughout this year. It's also hard to explain how happy and content I am to be on the mission field ~ most people struggle with going to the mission field, but I struggle with leaving the mission field.

Thankfully I know that this is God leading me back to Pennsylvania and so I follow! Once I step on that plane at Suvarnabhumi Airport, I will be so excited to return home - I know it's true, because that's the way it always is for me:).

Before I close out this post though, I would like to issue a very heartfelt thank you to you - my blog readers. You've read my stories, prayed for me, and left very encouraging comments. Most of you I've never met and yet you've played a big role in my being in Thailand!

I can't tell you what is around the corner when I return home.... wait, actually I can! My plane gets in Friday afternoon and I'm leave Friday evening for a visit with my sister in Florida. I would appreciate any and all prayers as two friends and I drive the 18 hours south!

Once I return home from Florida, my life is quite literally an empty slate. I'm a little nervous with the unknown future, but I can't wait to see how the Lord is going to fill it all in!

Reflecting.

Being the sentimental person that I am, I've been reflecting and thinking about all the last things that I'm experiencing as my time closes out in Thailand. Last Friday. Last time at the mall. Last time in church (for the record, this one is going to take place this Sunday and I'm sure it will be a tearful day). I said good-bye on Sunday to a friend I just met two months ago; she's returning to the States tomorrow. I also said good-bye to a missionary family from Australia. They returned to Australia this past Tuesday. I plan on saying good-bye to their daughter this Sunday. On and on these good-byes go. I've been thinking about how sweet Heaven is going to be - no more good-byes!!!

But in the midst of all the good-byes and the flurry of last things, I am anticipating several hellos, including meeting my two-month-old niece! I can't wait to see and hug my family and friends. Being back in a church service is going to be a precious time. I'm looking forward to driving my own car again and eating a cheese steak. I set such high ambitions, don't I:).

As I finish out my last week in Thailand, I stand back in awe and remember all that the LORD has done this past year. From meeting new people to seeing closed doors open, God has blessed in an immeasurable way and He allowed me to get in on all of it! I can't thank the Lord enough for this opportunity to serve Him in Thailand. My desire would be to return to Thailand some day, but I am stepping on that plane next week knowing that I've been in His perfect will each step of the way. And it just doesn't get any sweeter than that!

"Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes."

~Psalm 119:68

Praise And Thanksgiving.

It's been a good day. I've been amazed -- once again! -- by the mercies of God. Isn't He good? His timing is just right -- as always -- and He worked out something that I never even thought of as a possibility. Without going into details, I just wanted to take this opportunity to praise the Lord for His great faithfulness and love.

Today was also a good day because of being in the house of God. It's Mother's Day in Thailand and I was so blessed by the way the Thai people honored their moms. As I listened to their testimonies (translated into English!), I began to cry as I thought about my mom and what she means to me.

• She loves God. I couldn't ask for anything else! My mom has been so faithful to the Lord since she became a Christian and has the testimony of being a faithful prayer warrior. Several times throughout the day, I would glance into our sitting room and see my mom kneeling at a chair as she brings before the Lord her husband, children, grandchildren, other relatives, expectant ladies, church family, missionary requests, special outreaches, and a host of other things. I've prayed for someone/something and then stopped after a couple of days, while my mom has prayed over the same request for months on end.
• She loves me. My mom once told me, "Anne, I've given you to the Lord." Love is the reason behind that statement. I know my mom loves me, and every good-bye we say is completed with a "Be careful, I love you." I also know she loves me because she hasn't tried to hold me back from following after the Lord and the path I believe He's leading me on. That is one of my greatest treasures.
• She makes me laugh. My brothers can attest to this one. We always say, "Mom is so cute because...." and then we'll relate something she did or said. Or one of my favorite "mom" quotes is: "You may be taller than me, but I'm still Mother!" Which is completely true:).
• She has endured suffering. If you know my mom at all, then you'll know life hasn't (and isn't) always been easy. I look to my mom and admire her endurance, strength, and stamina. My mom's endurance has also taught me not to complain. I do, but then I think about my mom and realize I have it easy.
• She communicates faithfully. If I haven't heard from my mom in a while, then I know there's something wrong. Whether it's a chatty e-mail filled with inconsequential details or talking with her on the phone, I know my mom will cover the bases in keeping me connected with everyone/everything I might know.
• She is considerate. I would never think to do half of what my mom does for other people: bringing a treat to her Sunday school table because it's someone's birthday, taking the time to sit down and write a letter to a missionary she's never met, getting together a little goodie bag of mints and other treats for some kids, talking to a complete stranger while out and about with my dad and finding out interesting facts about that person, driving 50 miles (one way) to pick up an older relative so she can come to a family function, taking a 1,400 mile trip over a 3-day period just to see some faraway grandkids, being sensitive to the needs of a lactose-intolerant grandson by making him his own special apple cake, preparing a special gift for my pastor's granddaughter every year because they share the same birthday and on and on I could go.

Mom, I know you will read this and I want to publicly honor you for all that you've done and all that you do for us as a family. I am so blessed that YOU are my mom and I love you very much. I haven't seen you in a year, but am so grateful for all that you've done for me, even while I've been in Thailand. I love you, Mom.

Border Trip.

A few team members and I went to the Thai border on Tuesday and returned today - a whirlwind of a trip, but much took place while we were there! Below is a video of about 20 men unloading a container packed full of boxes containing God's Word in a regional language:

There is nothing quite as thrilling as seeing God's Word printed in a different language! Of course unloading the container was just half the job. We don't want to keep "the seed in the barn" and so we started distributing some of the books this morning, which was a real blessing to do.

While passing out these booklets, five of us were walking down a muddy, rain-soaked road, attempting to reach some more people. I was trying to stay out of the mud puddles (as much as possible) and as I took a step on what I thought was solid ground, my left foot sunk into a pile of mud... sandal and all! Good thing I got that pedicure last night;). There was nothing else to do besides pull my mud-covered foot out and keep walking down the road. It was pretty funny to see! We just continued down the road (*squish, squish*) until some kids had compassion on me and threw a bucket of water (already used once for soaking fish!) all over my legs and feet. Those little kids got down and did a pretty good job cleaning up my sandals and feet! I don't think anyone got a picture, although I did see a video camera come out... of course!

Lest you think that was the only embarrassing thing I did today, I have another rather amusing story to dispel any thoughts on that matter:). As we drove home today, we stopped at a rest stop that included several little shops, a gas station, and a 7-Eleven store. I had just woken up right before we stopped, so apparently I was still sleeping when this incident took place:). I walked over to the 7-Eleven store and waited for the doors to slide open. That's what happens at the 7-Eleven right down the street from my house, so I guess subconsciously I was expecting the same thing here. I knew the doors opened because I saw people inside, so I just kept walking up to the door waiting for them to open. My mortification was deep when a smiling store employee came over and pushed open the door for me! I'm sure I turned five different shades of red while the Thai people (customers and employees!) all tried not to laugh at the farong who couldn't open the door.

*Sigh*

Just another day in the life of Anne:).

Yet Another Cultural Experience!

The Land of Smiles offers many things: good Thai food, cheap foot massages, accessible public transportation, and a host of others things.

But.

One thing it does not offer are refunds. As in may I have my money back?

Case in point - One of my co-workers was going to the mall to take care of some business for Bro. Tom, so two of us decided to send along with her two things that needed to be mailed back to the States. I gave my co-worker 200 baht (approximately $6.00) to cover a birthday package for my nephew. I figured if it was more than that, I could always send it home with Ben who is heading home next Tuesday and he could mail it.

After my co-worker mailed my package, she called me up and said it was actually 400 baht (approximately $12.00 and 200 baht more than I wanted to pay). I asked her to see if she could get the package back and waited for her to call back. She did so and said this to me: "The lady at the post office said you could have your package back, but not your money."

Umm, I'm sorry? Why in the world would I want my package back without the money? It would be like making an unnecessary donation to the postal system of Thailand. Uh, no thanks!

Another time I was shopping at Food Land (clever title for a grocery store, don't you think?) and I looked at a price wrong. I didn't realize it until after the transaction was made and so while I was still in the store, I went to the customer service desk and explained my mistake. The lady just looked at me and proceeded to explain that they couldn't give me back my money. After making a big enough fuss (I was dealing with almost $10.00), they finally told me in hush, hush terms that they were going to make one huge exception for me since they knew I came grocery shopping every week.

We've all made this mistake at one point or another and have pretty much come to terms with the fact that Thailand is good for many things, but not refunds! Apparently it's a foreign concept:).