Family News

The Old News

A little over 4 years ago, my bestie and my brother got married!

Over the last 4 years, I've seen them grow as a married couple and grow in their love for eachother.

The New News

They announced earlier this year that they were going to try to start a family. When I was home visiting CO this past Spring, they found out that they are expecting!!!

We just found out last week that they are having a GIRL!

Jessica is about 5 months along now. They are due in December!

Here's the baby girl in her momma's belly. She's already very active :0). This is one of my favorites of all their ultrasound pictures because she's doing gymnastics already, hehe.

I just wanted to take the chance to share the news. I am so excited that their family is expanding! In return, OUR family is expanding! Not only are husband and wife becoming parents, but parents are becoming grandparents and a sister is becoming an AUNT!!!

I mean, if it's printed on a shirt, it must be true. Who am I to argue with something in print? ;) I can't wait to see her in this!!!

Oh, and the monkeys (their dogs) are gaining a sister, how could I forget about that?

CONGRATULATIONS Zach and Jessica! I know you will make wonderful parents. I cannot wait to come home on Christmas Day and meet my beautiful niece!

Enjoy your time as you prepare. As you decorate. As you come up with a name (which I have privy to this info and know that it's going to be so adorable!). As you dream about what she'll look like, what she'll act like (which we're already pretty certain she'll be a mini-Jessica :0). Enjoy this time, I know it feels like it's going by slowly but VERY soon, you will have this precious little miracle in your hands. I cannot wait to see the adventures you have as parents! I love you both SO much and I am so proud of you and excited for you!

I am sincerely sorry that I cannot be there during this time but I'm so thankful to you for being so good about sending emails, pictures, and stories. All my love from Thailand! See you soon!

Thankful for the Routine

For those of you who are fellow "Friends" obsessed, I am NOT talking about The Routine as in Ross and Monica's dance routine for Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve. However, you would have found that YouTube video at the bottom of this post because of the true and deep belly laugh it gives me every time I watch it. Problem being, it's unable to be embedded. So, if you want to see it, click here. Please note that I am thankful for THAT routine, but it's not the one I'm referring to.

No, the Routine I am talking about is the one in which we all find ourselves in at one time or another. I think of it as the "same old, same old." Not necessarily bad, but just has a familiarity to it . . . it becomes "normal."

However, sometimes I can forget to be thankful for this routine. I think back on almost a year ago. My heart was longing for routine - something to view as "normal." I got to the point where my motto was "the only constant here is change." We were homeless (as a school, that is), and at times helpless and close to hopeless. We questioned if there really was to be a school. We could not wait to have things figured out so we could get into the routine of operating a school and all that goes along with it:

the giggles, the precious faces, turning our heads when a child does or says something funny that we probably shouldn't show we are amused as to encourage the behavior, the sound of soccer balls being kicked at recess, the ABC's being sung loudly enough for the office across the lot to hear, etc.

Today, a friend of ours came to visit. She works with the children's home we worked with a bit last year and is currently starting a school for them (they live an hour away from us and because the home is growing, it makes more sense for them to start a school on their own property specifically for the children being raised in their foster homes). She came to my class for just a few minutes and had the biggest smile on her face. I felt as if maybe some moms do when the kids are kind of acting up and you feel frustrated with them and someone comes along and says "aren't they just adorable?" and your response is "would you like to take them and see for yourself how adorable they are?" I was kind of having one of those days. She commented on how sweet they were. And then she said "I'm just so excited you guys have your school up and running."

my 4 kiddos that I teach

That's when it hit me - OH YEAH. You're right. She was around when we were grasping for straws. When we were praying and waiting and praying and waiting some more. She knew us when we were writing curriculum, painting, cleaning, landscaping, building sinks, cleaning some more, and the list goes on. She remembers how much work and truly God's provision it took for our school to open.

Here I am, having a day of "the routine" and I'm forgetting how special the routine actually is. I forgot that I need to view it as a blessing and not just the "same old, same old." The routine means that God came through in HUGE ways (ways only HE can do) and blessed us with this school, with students, with the giggles and the singing and the soccer balls flying about our lot.

So today, I thank God for everything He's done and continues to do through this project. I know that change is still a constant but God is in control and He is our foundation. Today, I am thankful for "the routine" and pray that I won't forget how truly valuable that is.

Protector

We were driving to school. Listening to Emily’s portable ipod player. It was raining. I instantly became thankful that we were in a car and not on motorbikes like many of those around us. We pass the same monk almost every day. He looks a lot like the monk in this picture as he wears his traditional orange cloth and is carrying a large quantity of food. These are the offerings from other Buddhists to the monks for the day (from my understanding, I’ve never actually asked him). Every day, it’s the same. He’s walking up the same street in the same direction with the same robe and the same pot to hold his offerings. Today I saw him in a different light than usual because it was raining. He was holding an umbrella (it happened to be the same color orange and mentally, I gave him bonus points for matching). It caught my attention. He was using his umbrella to protect himself from the rain. Protect. I looked around to see the coats, the rain jackets, the roofs, the protectors from the rain. Protect. I got to thinking about that word.

picture from google images

As I people watch (which I do a lot of here – especially when making conversation is sometimes extremely difficult), I ask myself what’s protecting that person. Yes, their clothes, their umbrella, their car. Also, their hoody in the middle of hot season to protect from the sun (NO THANKS!). But what protects their hearts? What protects their souls?

I watch people burn their incense and leave bananas and milk (or something of the like) at their statue of Buddha or their Spirit House. From how it’s been explained to me, most people have Spirit Houses to entertain the bad spirits. The bad spirits are appeased in the Spirit House which is usually outside of their house in the corner of their yard. If the bad spirits are kept happy, they won’t bother the people. There is a lot of fear in this culture.

picture from google images

I walk in the markets and stores and see men who are wearing high heels and wearing women's clothing and makeup. Their is a large amount of trans-sexuals here. People searching for their identity. Turning to wordly ideas, trying to find ways to live that will make them happy. Searching for acceptance and fulfillment.

Our director and his wife shared a story that a while back, they accidentally hit a motorcycle with their car. The man was okay, his bike was just beat up a bit. They apologized and offered to pay for the necessary repairs to his motor bike. He said no. He said no because he had just come from the temple, trying to make up for something he had done. He felt that being hit was Karma’s way of making him pay. He had paid his price just there with getting hit. Now he had something of a clean slate. There is a lot of belief in levelling the playing field, making merit.

picture from google images

Recently, I taught my students about tree trunks. We talked about how you can tell what the age of the tree is by looking at the rings when you cut the tree horizontally. We made drawings of what our lives would look like if we were trees. We drew the circles to represent each year. Once they got over the shock that I had to draw 26 lines and they each had 12 or less to draw, we talked a bit about the outside of the tree. The bark. I explained that the bark protects the tree. It’s on the front line of the external effects. If it rains, if it’s windy, if it’s being chopped down, the bark takes the initial brunt. We talked about what the bark is in our lives. The kids listed things like dogs, mom, dad, nice people, skin, brain, clothes, etc. All of these are protectors. Yes. Then we talked about our #1 protector. God. I am thankful to be able to tell my students about that.

My heart breaks for the monk, for the old woman at the spirit house, for the man on the motorcycle, for the trans-sexuals – you don’t have to make merit, you don’t have to appease the bad spirits, you don’t have to have something bad to happen to you to make up for what you’ve done before you can move on, you don't have to keep searching for your identity. Jesus paid it all. Allow Him to be your protector. Who took all of our pain and sin on death on a cross? Who shields us from the storms of life? Who clothes us and feeds us? Who rids of us of fear and replaces it with peace? In whom is our identity found? JESUS. He’s my protector.

"The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and

protect you from the evil one."

-1 Thessalonians 3:3

Happy 4th of July

Today, I celebrate the freedom of America

AND

my freedom in Christ.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me FREE from the law of sin and death."

Romans 8:1-2

Field Trip

- Song Taws (the red truck taxis here)
- sweaty little kids
- looks of wonder
- looks of bordem at times
- singing songs
- playing air guitar
- strawberry milk for snack
- pork on a stick and sticky rice for lunch
- playing tag in the flower gardens
- sleeping on the way home (me included :0)

. . . all phrases that describe the field trip we took this past Friday.

The Queen's Botanic Gardens outside of the city was offering a deal this month for schools - FREE! Can't beat that ;). So, we loaded up 2 song taws and a truck with our kiddos and teachers and spent the whole day out. We really had a good time. This video shows a snapshot of our day - be sure to watch toward the end where the video comes up of the air drums and air guitar :0).

They were singing the song "Salvation is Here" by Hillsong (one of the boys had a phone that had some songs loaded on it and was playing it in the song taw). However, they don't really know most of the words since they are all in English - but they like to mumble along and play air guitar and the drums. Of course they are 2nd grade boys so they got a bit distracted at times ;).

Reminder: if you want to see the video in full screen (so nothing is cut off in the pictures), click on the you tube bar at the bottom of the video on the 4 arrows pointing to the corners and that will make the video full screen.

Imperfections & Friendship with a Side of Fish

I had a bad day (yes, you can cue Daniel Powter's "Bad Day").

There really was no reason for it. The day was filled with little imperfections just like every day. However, this particular day, I really let it get to me. There was no monumental happening. There wasn't anything life threatening. It was just one of those days full of "UGH" moments and I was in the mood to tally them. I let each one add up. By lunch time, I had decided I was DONE with this day. I wanted a mulligan, a do-over. For some reason, I felt like I left my filter at home and so I was scared to open my mouth. When I stayed quiet - it was the rest of me that failed (i.e. I bent over to pick up my bags to go home and I forgot that I had a full cup of water in my hand and I poured it all over my papers and my laptop bag). By the time we got to the car after school, I was determined to go home, go to my room and hibernate for the rest of the day.

On our way home, we stopped off at the market. We ran into our awesome friend, Khruu Ooy, and invited her over for dinner. Great - now my "hibernate in depression until you fall asleep" plan was blown. I had to be civilized and exert effort and I didn't want to because I was defeated.

Nevertheless, we all went back to our house and started cooking dinner. Khruu Ooy was coming separately from the market - so we started preparing dinner and then would just tack on whatever she brought. We were almost done with our pasta with chicken, mixed veggies and a little bit of cheese sauce when our friend walks in with fish. She got them at the market. You know, where you go up to a bucket of fish swimming around, you point to your prime choice, they pick it up, chop it's head off, scale it and then chop it into 4 or 5 pieces with the bones and guts all intact and throw it in a plastic bag. And then the fun begins. We cook together and just laugh. We put on Zack Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" - change the words to "Fish Fried" and belt it while dancing around and making our Thai friend wonder why country music was ever invented.

All of a sudden, the imperfections of the day, of life - didn't seem so daunting. I think I forget sometimes to just let down my guard - remember that life is SO NOT perfect, so why do I wake up some days and expect it to be? Life happens. Things aren't always going to go my way. There's a reason for that. If it always went my way, I wouldn't be humbled. I wouldn't know what it is like to have Jesus mend my broken, tattered, and defeated self.

Reminder to self: You can get mad at life, tally up everything that isn't going "right" . . . but it doesn't do any good because all you're doing is proving that life is imperfect. Sometimes the best thing to do is just go with the flow, invite your friends over, make the dead fish talk, cook it, eat it, laugh, and LOVE LIFE.

First Weeks of School in 1 minute

I know I have been all about posting videos lately. However, this is just a 1 minute video I made for some churches that support Hope International Schools. I thought I'd share it because it's a good, quick way to SHOW you the first couple weeks of school.

Unconditional Love - A Conversation

I was listening to this song by Tenth Avenue North. The lyrics really resonated with me. It is a good example of a conversation between us and God. No matter who we are (whatever religion, age, status, etc.), we all are seeking for something and have questions. We long for love, an unconditional love that will never fail us. The "You" in this song is God. God who sent his son to die for us. Most people don't realize who this "You" is that they are searching for, they just know there's something more out there.

In this song, this is our (as humans) part of the conversation:

I know I need You
I need to love You
I love to see You, but it's been so long
I long to feel You
I feel this need for You
And I need to hear You, is that so wrong?

Now You pull me near You
When we're close, I fear You
Still I'm afraid to tell You, all that I've done
Are You done forgiving?
Oh can You look past my pretending?
Lord, I'm so tired of defending, what I've become
What have I become?

This is my favorite part. This is what God's response to us is:

"My love is over. It's underneath.
It's inside. It's in between.
The times you doubt Me, when you can't feel.
The times that you question, 'Is this for real? '
The times you're broken.
The times that you mend.
The times that you hate Me, and the times that you bend.
Well, My love is over, it's underneath.
It's inside, it's in between.
These times you're healing, and when your heart breaks.
The times that you feel like you're falling from grace.
The times you're hurting.
The times that you heal.
The times you go hungry, and are tempted to steal.
The times of confusion, in chaos and pain.
I'm there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame.
I'm there through your heartache.
I'm there in the storm.
My love I will keep you, by My power alone.
I don't care where you fall, where you have been.
I'll never forsake you, My love never ends.
It never ends."

These lyrics remind me of God's unconditional love for us. No matter where we are at. No matter where we have been. Anything, everything, there are no conditions. His love is pure and true. This song just really spoke to my heart.

I pray that I am reminded of His love for me daily so that I can in turn show it to others and point them to the source of this unconditional love.

วันวิสาขบูชา

We had Friday off for a Buddhist holiday called Visakabucha Day which celebrates the birth, the enlightenment and death of Buddah . Thursday night, our Thai friend asked us if we wanted to go see a yearly tradition of thousands and thousands of people walking the streets straight up a windy mountain to a large temple called Doi Suthep. Though we are not Buddhist, we thought it would be interesting to observe - to see first hand a cultural as well as Buddhist tradition. So, we joined thousands of people. We stuck out like sore thumbs because we were some of the only foreigners. I am so thankful to have a very culturally wise Thai friend who always looks out for us and is like our body guard :0). (note - she is the itty bitty one between Emily and me but if it came down to it, I would put money on her over anyone in a fight ;).

We decided not to walk the 10K road all the way to the temple, but go up a ways and just sit on the guard rail to observe. Watch person after person walk up in the dark. Watch groups and groups of college students wearing matching shirts chant their way up the hill. Watch monks walk by in their traditional orange robes. Watch trucks carrying ornamented Buddha Idols like floats. Just watch and listen. Hearing the cheers of the students. Hear the chants of the monks over the loud speakers.

During this time, I became thankful for this opportunity. I was so out of my element and when I was feeling uncomfortable, I realized, that's where God wanted me to be. He wants me to not be comfortable. When I'm too comfortable, I have a narrow focus and am not able to really open my eyes to the things around me. He wants me to see new things. He wants me to watch and listen and allow myself to be reminded of why He called me here. It was a good time to be reminded of the fact that I want God to break my heart for what breaks His. Though I don't always feel comfortable in this culture, I feel greatful to be here. I am thankful to be learning something new everyday and for this specific opportunity to grow and to serve.

And the Winner is . . .

Patti! :0)

Answer:

Amy - Elephant
Me- Hello Kitty
Emily - Smiling Heart

If i wasn't there when Amy ordered Elephant, I wouldn't have been able to guess . . . close up or far away - it didn't really look like an Elephant.

Thanks for having fun with me, everyone!

"Tell 'Em What We Have for Her, Johnny"

Okay, this blog post is interactive. A couple weeks ago, my roommates and I went to the market (the same day that our clutch went out on Venti - our 33-year-old car) and decided we were hungry for . . . yes, you guessed it, a pancake on a stick. It's like 100 degrees out, 50% humidity and we walk by the stand and want fresh off the griddle - pancakes. Not only are these pancakes less than $0.35, they come with whatever design you choose. I know, cool, right? Haha, I tease about this but it's just one of the funny cultural things I get used to while forgetting - this is different. S0, we walk around the market, waiting before we chomp into our pancakes, finish getting our fruits and veggies we need for the week - go and chase the pet elephant that someone is walking around the market and then go back to the "parking lot" and take a picture together with our pancake on a stick.

So, here is the interactive part. I want YOU to guess what design each of us has.

I'll be the first to say - they look a little different than I expected when we chose what design we wanted.

I will give you 6 options - you tell me who you think has which pancake and you WIN. (thus the, tell 'em what we have for her, Johnny.) Okay, there is no one named Johnny helping me out and there's no guarantee that the winner will be a woman . . . but I invision Johnny being the guy on all the game shows that explains how awesome the prize is (which will be revealed later). And, I'm pretty sure only women read my blog for the most part.

So, anyone who actually reads this - tell me what you think - - - and Johnny (aka, me) will tell you who is right and I will send you a little something from Thailand. K?

I know it's hard to see but that just makes it more challening. Make a comment on this post (it's okay that other's see your guess, because I won't tell you the answer right away until people have had a chance to cast their votes). Okay. Here we go - first 2 people to get it right win . . .



Left to right: Amy, Brittany, Emily

Options for pancake designs:

A. Hello Kitty

B. Bunny
C. Smiling Heart
D. Elephant
E. Dog
F. Baby's Face

What color does Jesus like best?

The first week of school doesn't go without stories.

On Tuesday this past week. I was doing an activity with my kiddos (my 2 students :0) and we were decorating a block letter of our first name to tell about us. I was showing them my example. I explained that I drew a cross on my letter because I love Jesus. I also drew a picture of my dog and cat and labeled the dog Keegan and the cat Izzy and the Colorado mountains and my family, etc. My student who doesn't speak very much English drew some of the same pictures that I had and then she also drew a dog and named it Keegan as well. Haha. It's just a hunch but I have a feeling that she doesn't have a dog named Keegan also. Maybe I should explain the assignment with more Thai words next time. My student who speaks English was doing the assignment and kindly looked up and said "teacher, what color does Jesus like best?" That moment, my heart melted. He too was drawing a cross and wanted to color it with Jesus' favorite color. I was quick on my feet and told him that God created all of the colors and so Jesus likes them all. He smiled and went on with his work. Apparently he decided Jesus likes red because that's what he chose to color his cross.

Later in the week, I was teaching them math symbols. when I brought up the division symbol, he smiles at me and says with excited eyes "teacher, can you teach me to divide?" This makes my heart happy.

My other student is so sweet. We can't talk a lot verbally right now, but we do a lot of smiling and I give her a lot of high-5's. One of my favorite things this week was reading "The Diary of a Worm." This is such a darling book. For Science, we're talking about dirt, plants, roots, etc. I decided to read them this book to talk about what lives in the dirt. My favorite line in this book is where the little worm boy says "my sister always looks in the mirror at herself. I tell her it doesn't matter how long she looks at herself, her face will always look like her rear-end." haha. I read this to my kiddos. Then, we went about with our lesson and then had like 5 minutes left in our lesson so I let them look through the book together. I was thinking they would just flip through to look at the pictures. Instead, my sweet student who speaks English took it upon himself to read the book out loud in English and then would look at my student who can't speak English and he would point at the picture and explain in Thai what was happening. It was the sweetest site.

Side note: I secretly think that they would make the cutest couple and would love to see them be best friends all through school and then get married when they are in their 20's and invite me to their wedding . . . but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, maybe I should just focus on teaching and not match making. ;)


Here's a picture of them after we did an activity about the story of Noah's Ark.


I know that teaching means more than the students being able to recite the alphabet flawlessly or to be able to repeat their times tables in record time. I'm not concerned as much with them looking back at their 4th grade year and remember every lesson we ever did. My prayer is that they look back on their 4th grade year and remember they were loved, encouraged and accepted for who they are and for who Christ sees them as - his precious children.

Love them.

License = Miracle

Rewind back to December . . . reeewwrrrrrrrrrrrr (that’s the sound of the rewinder). I wrote in my journal that it would truly take a miracle to get the school licensed - there were just so many obstacles that we had to overcome (i.e. financial needs, bureaucratics in Thailand, hiring Christian staff when the country is 98% Buddhist, etc.).


We kept on going, and kept striving toward the goal. There were times when we went to God, asking if we were on the right track and if not - that he would show us clearly one way or the other. When we did that, it's like he put his foot on the gas and things kept going.


Now fast forward to February reeewrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (yes, same sound as rewinding). We had our meeting with the ministry of education and they were very encouraging. There were a few things that they asked us to do before they could give us our license (things such as installing a sink in the science room, build a garden in the back so we can teach kids about agriculture, put up some extra fencing and gates, etc.). Within a week, we had fulfilled every request they had.


Now - fast forward a bit more to March - reeeewrrrrrrrrrrr. It took some time to finally receive our license in hand (I happened to already be back in the States for my 6 weeks home). However, on March 16th we received our license (aka our miracle)!!! This is HUGE! There have been many years of planning and preparation for this before I even became involved. God has been so faithful and has kept us persevering. This is a huge milestone in bringing hope to the children of Thailand!

Now fast forward one more time reeeewrrrrrrrrrrrr (yes, the last time you have to put up with that "noise" ;) to the week of May 17th. This past week was our first official week of school at “The School of Promise” in Hang Dong, Chiang Mai, Thailand!!!

We have 12 students enrolled total in grades 1,2,4 and 5. I know it doesn’t sound like many – but we’re starting something that no one else has in our area – a Christian school for Thai children. There are so many international schools but not many for the local community of Thailand where children can hear about Jesus. So, because it’s such a new concept, 12 students is a great way to start by building our credibility in the community. We are SO excited to have students!!! Here's a few pics from the first week.

This picture that I am is a picture of my 2 students :0).

Disclaimer:
I don't know exactly what constintutes a miracle. However, in my mind, us getting the license is a miracle. The reason I saw this is because I know that there is no possible way we could have gotten this far without God being our guide, giving us patience and perseverence when it just seemed easier to give up, and got us over every single obstacle that was staring us in the face threatening to shut the whole project down. So, "License = Miracle."

Political Situation in Thailand

I know I have been awful at keeping my blog updated. I wanted my latest blog to be about the fact that our school is up and running and licensed and that we have STUDENTS!!!

However, I think my update right now needs to be an update about what this country is currently enduring. Granted, I have limited knowledge, but will tell you what I know.

The last couple of months in Thailand have been filled with political unrest, protests and excallating conflict including fights, riots, fires and deaths. Most of this has been occurring in the heart of Bangkok - which is currently a war zone. Today, two of the main Red Shirt leaders surrendered to police and are currently in jail. A faction of the red shirts – the more militant part (the Black Shirts) – disagreed with this move and are now inciting violence around the country.

Currently, red shirts are demonstrating in several parts of Chiang Mai – especially in front of the governer’s mansion. Today, a curfew has been set on 29 of the provinces in Thailand where we are not allowed to leave our houses between 8pm and 6am. Most banks in Chiang Mai will be closed for the next 2 days and a lot of schools are closing. The main mall is also closed down.

All of this to say - please be in prayer for Thailand, my home right now. I am not in any immediate danger and I am thankful to have such great contact here in which I trust in order to stay apprised of the happenings. No one is sure if/how long this will continue or if it will continue to escalate. This situation is a delicate one with no clear answer.

Someone in a ministry in Bangkok who is right on the edge of the war zone wrote this today and said it better than I ever could.

"Please pray for minimal casualties. Pray for the children and elderly in the camps (gov and NGO's pleaded for them to be moved but many stayed) to be sent out before the soldiers get there. Pray for the rioters to be stopped from spreading fire in the city. Pray for the many children who have witnessed shootings and warfare. Pray for restraint among the young and many inexperienced soldiers that they will use their weapons only as absolutely necessary and not too quickly in fear. Pray for Taksin who funds much of this to be convicted and call off his part in keeping it going. Pray for the Prime Minister who must be under unbelievable stress and pressure both national and international to address this conflict. Pray for the families of those whose lives have been lost already. Pray that out of this people will not grow bitter but will begin to understand the importance of the law, of democracy, of human rights, and most of all that there is hope for their future in God. Pray that the church will rise to the occasion and be prepared to bring healing and hope to a very wounded nation and people."

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

Year 1 in Thailand

I know this is long overdue . . . so here is a video that I made for church to give a snapshot of what my last year looked like.

You may need to press play and then pause it so the light red line can catch up (buffer) before pressing play again. If you want to see it in full screen, click on the 4 arrows pointing to the corners that's on the bottom of the youtube bar.



I leave in less than a week (I'm in Colorado Springs now) to go back to Thailand for year 2. It's bitter sweet to go back because I'll miss everyone here but I'm excited to see what God has in store this year.

Figure Everything Out

There is something in my that’s trying to understand everything. However, there is a lot about my life here in Thailand that I’ll never fully understand. I can’t figure it all out and honestly, the task is daunting.

On my mental checklist, I have “figure everything out.” Really, it just kind of makes me laugh. That’s like me expecting “world peace.” Not gonna happen, Britt. Nice idea, but unrealistic.

We have the rest of this week off since we had our inspection on Tuesday (will talk more about that in a later post). Today, I had gone to the government school and taught my 2 4th grade classes, picked up “fast food” on the way home (which entails going to the market, getting out of the car and walking to a little food stand that sells pork on a stick and sticky rice), and took a 2 and ½ hour nap. I knew I had processing (mental and spiritual) to do . . . but in the spirit of procrastination, I picked up a book instead. I decided to read the rest of “The Shack” by William P. Young . I couldn’t put it down for a while but then at some point, I just got stuck. But today was the perfect day to finish it. However, little did I know, this book would help me process.

Granted, there is nothing that specifically parallels my life to the life story of Mackenzie (the main character in the book), but still . . . I felt encouraged personally. There were some quotes that really resonated with me.

“For love. He chose the way of the cross where mercy triumphs over justice because of love.”

“Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors.”

“Emotions are the colors of the soul; they are spectacular and incredible. When you don’t feel, the world becomes dull and colorless.”

“The idea behind expectations requires that someone does not know the future or outcome and is trying to control behavior to get the desired result. Humans try to control behavior largely through expectations.”

“This is not about shaming you. I don’t do humiliation, or guilt, or condemnation. They don’t produce one speck of wholeness or righteousness, and that is why there were nailed into Jesus on the Cross.”

“Don’t ever discount the wonder of your tears. They can be healing waters and a stream of joy. Sometimes they are the best words the heart can speak.”

Today, I feel loved. I just needed a dose of remembering how much God sacrificed for me. That His love is unconditional. And the task of “figuring everything out” . . . isn’t for me to do. Resting in Him on what He has already done is what should be on my checklist of what to do, and that’s it.

I am THAT Teacher

I am that teacher. You know, the teacher that does something unknowingly to earn stares and snickers in the classroom. We've all had them - the teacher that says a word incorrectly over and over (I remember making tally marks on my page everyday in my college Leadership in Business class every time the teacher made a weird clicking noise with his mouth in between thoughts - there were a group of us who paid more attention to the number of clicks made than what it meant to be a leader), has lipstick on their teeth or always has coffee breath.

I'm afraid, I've fallen into that category. Awwww. You san say "awwww" right now . . . because it's sad.

So, we don't have our own students right now as we're still setting up our school but we are volunteering 2 1/2 days a week in government schools. I currently teach 2 4th grade classes and 3 5th grade classes for a grand total of 200 students. I absolutely love going on Tuesdays and Thursdays and teaching.

A couple weeks ago, I was teaching my 5th graders. I am dressed in one of my favorite teacher outfits and I feel very professional if I do say myself. As a side note: I didn't have acne as a teenager but for some reason, the pimple fairy decided that my mid twenties is when I need to have the incredibly embarrassing pepperoni face. That morning, I put a little cover up on each facial discrepancy - especially the most unattractive large one above my upper lip.

Okay, so I am teaching (a rather riveting lesson on days of the week and months of the year). I teach the kids fun songs and we just finished playing a review game that had them all competing and laughing excitedly. I look back at the last row of the classroom and there are two of my students looking at me with a side glance while whispering to one another, giggling and then looking back at me. They do this a couple times. It has me wondering what's so funny. I mean seriously girls, aren't you just amazed by my lesson? Doesn't it have you so excited about learning that you want me to ask for extra homework?

Okay, never mind, I understand I'm not THAT exciting, but what specifically are these girls laughing about? Well, the mystery is still a mystery and I finish class and take a quick potty break. I come out of the bathroom and look up in the mirror.

Oh. Mystery solved. Yeah, that's pretty much why the girls were laughing. Right on top of my cover up over my lip is a big blue spot from the dry erase board marker eraser flakes. Let me tell you that trying to hide a pimple is best done when it's not highlighted by bright blue marker. There were a couple streaks on my chin as well. Ugh, I have become THAT teacher!

Well, I know this isn't really too embarrassing . . . but as a new teacher, I'm just now getting exposed to the occupational hazards that come along with it.

Later that week, I became another kind of teacher. I stayed clear of touching my marker covered hand to my face. I teach another riveting lesson to my 4th graders this time on the subject of food and drink. After class, the students bring up their notebooks for me to grade. One sweet and eager little student comes up to me and hands me a sheet of paper. I took a picture of it below.


I am teacher Miss Bittaney. :0). And by the looks of this picture - I'm cute! I have fun style with pink and red and with a splash of teal! I love that I am this teacher. I love that I am the only Western person who sets foot on the grounds of the school and the kids follow me around waving and screaming "hello," "good morning," "i love you." Granted, this is a fun little boost to the ego . . . but truly, it's much more than that. It's the joy that I receive from being a part of these kids lives - as little as that part may be. I have the opportunity to live out the characteristics of Christ - not perfectly, but I still have the opportunity nonetheless. I am thankful that I can be THAT teacher . . . even if it includes big bright blue marker spots on my face from time to time. :0)

Whistle While You Work

God has been doing some awesome things. We raised money in December that helped move us forward. Granted, we still have to continue to raise support but God has blessed us. The Ministry of Education has been working with us a lot and our application for our license was submitted and they have been great to let us know what we need to get up and running. The past few months, we have been working on curriculum and a lot of paperwork things that needed to be done for the application. We held off on some of the physical labor because we needed the resources (paint, supplies, volunteers) in order to do those things and really we needed to wait to see if the Ministry of Education wanted to move forward with an inspection. We've gotten far enough that now the next step is an inspection of our school building which will be conducted this week. For the past couple weeks, we've kicked it into high gear, getting the school ready to paint and spent a week and a half painting inside and out. This week, we have to finish cleaning and repairing things and getting it up in shape as if it's the first day of school when the Ministry of Education comes to inspect. (UPDATE: Today 1.25.10 the Ministry of Education said it'll be a couple more weeks before they can do the inspection). Here's a little taste of what my past 2-3 weeks have looked like.

As my roommates commented . . . they made sure I got more paint on the walls than I got on myself. :0)

H.I.S. January Update (some of it mentioned above in my summary)

Prayer Points:
Praise for a great financial end to 2009 with increased giving in December.
Praise for favor with the Ministry of Education.
Thai Christian Principal Needed.
Thai School License Holder Needed.
English and Thai Teachers Needed.
Speedy finish to facility preparations.

School of Promise
We turned in our school license application the first week of January. Officials at the Ministry of Education have treated us very favorably by reviewing our application immediately and asking to schedule the final facility inspection as soon as possible. Officials have told us that they are willing to approve our application and give us a school license within a month!

The only issues standing in the way of our approval are internal at this point. First, we still need a Thai principal. Ministry of Education officials have indicated they could approve our license without a principal in place. However, we must have a Thai principal by the start of school. Of course, Joel would be grateful for help with leadership. We would like to find a qualified Christian right away.

The second hold up to our approval is that we need a school license holder. This is a Thai person who agrees to have the school registered under his or her name. Essentially, this could be any Thai person whom we trust. We had a plan for the school license holder, but it fell through. Now, we are praying for a new license holder.

Lastly, our facility needs some minor repairs, cleaning, and painting. Our team has been working on painting for over a week now. We were very pleased to have thirty volunteers from our friends at First Priority Development (Erik Klar’s Team) and Family Connection Foundation (Tim Dunham’s Team). Other friends have been helping with painting and repairs. Soon, the team will tackle the large job of cleaning. We really need to be prepared for final inspection by January 29th because we have a week-long ESL training scheduled for our team the first week of February. Also, we do not want to keep Ministry of Education waiting on us when they are eager to inspect and approve our application.

Creepy Mouse Catastrophe of 2010 and Jenny's Blog

Okay, random title I know, but it'll make sense - just let me explain. I am a big fan of Addison Road's music and I love reading Jenny Simmon's blog (the lead singer for Addison Road). She always writes things that often make me laugh. I appreciate her humor, her heart, and her honesty. She wrote about a mouse escapade she had (click here to read her mouse story). I decided to email her and share my story because my roommates and I recently have had mouse issue lately too (my mouse story is below). She wrote on her blog recently and mentioned my email to her and had an awesome post about how our only true commodity is ourselves. I encourage you to read it (click here to read post where she mentions my email :-)).


Creepy Mouse Catastrophe of 2010

Here is my mouse story (I know it's a bit lengthy but I have to give the details - otherwise it would just be facts and not funny, hehe).

So we've lived in Thailand long enough to pretty much get used to the geckos sharing our living space that poop on our CLEAN dish rack (ewww, i know) and pop out and scare us half to death when we least expect it, etc. We've even become more tolerable of the ants who invade every crevice of our house and contaminate our hard earned money (well, it's our food, but food that we pay for!). However, we didn't sign up for mice. I mean, my friend Caitlin lived in a village in Zambia, Africa for 2 years and had to kill spitting cobras and a black mamba with a machete and a garden hoe. So, in comparison, I can't complain because her situation was life threatening and mine wasn't. But let's not compare right now - let's just relive the Creepy Mouse Catastrophe of 2010.

There are 5 of us girls that live in a 3 bedroom/ 2 bathroom house. One of my roommates was back home for the holidays so there were just 4 of us (or so we thought). One night, we're hanging out in our living room and there are little black spots on our floor mats. I take them outside and knock off the yuckies and pretend like it's just gecko droppings (you know, since I've pretty much conquered my fear of those) or something . . . However, one of the roommates drops the bomb "guys - I think we have a mouse." A mouse? Seriously, that's creepy. A disease infested rodent is hanging out and doing his business on the mat that I spend 50% of my time at home on? Ewww. No, it's not a mouse, the droppings are too small . . . I look again - - - ugh, dropping size = mouse. Well, maybe it hangs out during the day, watches the place while were gone to keep other rodents out, brings his own food and entertainment to keep him busy and leaves when we get home (and just has an accident on the rug every now and then). I ask my roommates what makes them think that we have mice other than the poo (evidence A). "Well, a couple weeks ago, we noticed our bananas were being nibbled (Evidence B)." A COUPLE WEEKS AGO? WHAT? "And last week, the bag of rolls (that we ate completely) had a hole in it and those were nibbled on too (Evidence C). " Seriously? Okay, I know I'm a missionary and I'm willing to sacrifice. I know I have to deal with things that I'm not comfortable with, but mice aren't welcome to live with me.

So we still haven't seen evidence M (the mouse). I think it's a day or two after the "I think we have a mouse" bomb was dropped when I hear squealing, and screaming downstairs. I run down to see what the commotion is and I see two of my roommates on chairs and one in the kitchen with the broom in hand. Why are they screaming? "Sarah opened the cabinet to pull out the rice bag and the mouse JUMPED onto Sarah's leg." That instant, I joined the other roomies on the chair and added my squeals to the mix. Ewww. Sarah is the one with the broom in hand. She's the only roommate that probably could handle a mouse jumping on her (the rest of us would die of a heart attack). Where is it now? Where is it now? We think it squeezed between the wall and the cabinet (cabinet isn't fixed on the wall, it's a floor one - just to clarify so you don't think the mouse has super powers or something). We need to find a way to get it to go out the door, right? Okay, let's think about this rationally. We blocked it's way of getting into our living room, Sarah was standing with a broom ready to keep it from going back into the rest of our food prep area and Emily had the back door open. I was going to shut the bathroom door so it didn't have any other option but to go where we were forcing it to go. Where is a guy when you need him? Well, we're independent 20-something girls, we can handle it, can't we? Ugh, wrong. The mouse got spooked before I got to the bathroom door, the plan was ruined and the mouse runs into our bathroom, and we shut the door. It's locked in now, what we do? We wait. We leave it. We keep on watching fun Christmas movies that family sent from back in the states and we keep pretending it feels like Christmas (even though it doesn't). Just keep drinking your peppermint hot chocolate while the fan is pointed on you since it's still 80 degrees at 8pm at night and act like the mouse isn't there.

The bravest roommate - Sarah checked the bathroom that night and the mouse was gone. Gone? Where could it have gone? There's a small possibility it got out of the closed door if it shrunk itself. The biggest possibility is that it went down the shower drain (there's no cover on it and the bathroom has a toilet, sink and shower head and drain within the same small square- no ledge to separate on the floor). What if it decided to regurgitate from the drain (is that even possible and is regurgitate the right word in this situation)? The mouse is the reason I didn't brush my teeth that night. If I get a cavity the next time I go to the dentist, I'm suing. Okay, anyway, back to Creepy Mouse. That's when it was named. That night - our enemy became Creepy Mouse.

For a few days, we were jumpy to say the least. I refused to move the bag of rice. It took me days to use the toilet without holding me feet up and looking circles on the floor around me while I went. However, Creepy Mouse was still showing his evidence of living with us. We need to get a mouse trap. We need to get a mouse trap. Hmmm, why didn't we go get one? Episode #2 - I'm upstairs AGAIN and hear squealing and shrieking just like last time. What happened? "Sarah crouched down to move the rice and the mouse jumped on her chest then jumped on her leg and ran off." Seriously, why does this mouse have a personal vendetta against Sarah? Again, I hold to the fact that God knows Sarah's the only one who can handle it. Okay, positioned on chairs again. Ugh, Creepy Mouse. Go away! We even sung the song "O' Creepy Mouse, O' Creepy Mouse please get out of our hou-ou-ouse" to the tune of "O' Christmas Tree." What do we do? What do we do? SHUT THE BATHROOM DOOR. Done, perfect, now what? Make the same road blocks as last time. Opened the back door. Used the broom to spook the mouse . . . he ran in the direction of the back door, but none of us were sure that he left completely or if he detoured to going behind our fridge or behind the stove's gas tank on the floor.

The next day, we bought a mouse trap. The problem in Thailand is that they don't sell the wooden mouse traps with the metal spring snap where you put the little triangle of cheese on and then POW, bye bye mousey. They just sell poison or glue mats. Yes, glue mats. You can either plant poison around the house, have it eat it, run into a hiding place, die and then we find it weeks after it's been rotting. NO THANK YOU. Or you can do the "humane" thing and place some food on a plastic square that has glue on it and when the mouse goes for the food, they get stuck. The humane thing is that it just gets stuck and stays alive and then you can just pull it off the glue. Seriously? You think that even though I am unwilling to run after and capture the mouse when I see it, I'm willing to grasp it fully and unglue it? NO THANK YOU. So there we sit in the middle of the grocery store with the Thai people staring at us (as usual) as we contemplate being humane or inhumane. I'm not willing to do either separately, but I AM willing to do them both. Think about it, you put poison in the food that's on the glue pad and the mouse gets poisoned, stuck and it's dead. Sounds good, SOLD.

At 4 days of having the traps down, I'm doing the math. 4 days, 3 nights, 2 mouse "traps" and not 1 creepy mouse. I'm starting to think peanut butter and poison pie isn't his meal of choice. Ugh. I'm a little relieved we haven't caught him yet because Sarah (the brave one) isn't home this week since she's staying with her family who are visiting. So, if we do catch it, I have defaulted to be the one that takes care of dead Creepy Mouse.

6 days, 5 nights, 2 traps and we catch a . . . gecko. Awww, sorry poor gecko, we didn't want to hurt anyone else. I never thought peanut butter and poison would be tempting for the gecko. Grieved, okay over it . . . where's the freaking Creepy Mouse? I'm starting to think he's taken up residence somewhere else. This is okay, but every time I get comfortable with opening cabinet doors and bathroom doors, then he reappears. When will it end? (which is probably what you're saying about this story right now :-).

7th day . . . wake up to get coffee and my roommate Amy is doing her quiet time and she looks up at me like she's seen a ghost. "Um, we caught Creepy Mouse. I couldn't even bear to make coffee because I'd have to walk by him again." What do we do? And more importantly, how do we survive the day without our cup of Joe? So, I walk into the kitchen and peek my head around the corner and see him. Creepy Mouse doesn't look so big when he's glued to something and can't run around. He's laying down and his entire right side is glued down with his back to the peanut butter and poison pie awaiting him. I think he's dead though, he's not moving. I won't get close enough to check for sure. However, I remember my promise to Emily and Amy that I would suck it up and dispose of the mouse when/if we caught him when Sarah was gone. Quickly, I regret muttering those words. I can barely stand to peek around the counter for more than 5 seconds at a time. It's like I'm watching a scary movie where I don't want to look but I can't help it and then I see something freaky and I squeal. So, that's what I do. I run back to Amy, we grab each other’s shoulders, jump up and down and squeal. Emily comes down and it's like she had already eaten her Wheaties or something. She goes and stares it in the face and comes up with an immediate rational plan. Take the broom and push the plastic piece that holds the glued down Creepy Mouse out the door. Hmmm, why didn't I think of that? Well, I'll watch her do it and give her moral support. Amy can't watch and she starts to shriek. Oh, well, now we know Creepy Mouse isn't dead. Her shrieks reach decibels that the mouse apparently can hear and now he is using the unglued side of his body to react. His entire left side is pumping through the air with no where to go and he can't get unstuck. That's when I start to feel sorry for it. That's when Amy reminds me that Creepy Mouse is still creepy and we can't start having sympathy for something that we've been singing about killing for weeks. Right. Okay, Emily pushes him all the way to the garbage bags outside, is brave enough to pick up the plastic and throw him into all the other unwanted things that we put in that bag. Emily is our Hero and Creepy Mouse is meeting his sad fate.

So, Creepy Mouse is gone. I still have moments of sadness when I think of his helpless Mouskawitz face (totally reminded me of Fievel too) of being glued down. But then I remind myself that we don't need the diseases that he carries and we can't afford to feed him. So, I justify his death over and over again in my mind.

Okay, so the end. =)

Small Post, Big Laugh

We are working on the website for the school. My housemate, friend and co-worker Amy was writing the small biographies for each Thai teacher. They were telling Amy about their backgrounds, their interests, etc.

One teacher says "I like swimming" . . . and then her friend blurts out "yes, but she not have the boyfriend." She said it as though it was connected to her friend having an interest in swimming, like you can't swim well unless you have "the boyfriend." I understand she was just trying to advertise that her friend is single but the whole conversation made me laugh and then repeat it a million times much to my roommates' demise. Since they met me pretty much, they lovingly call me "Repeat."

Another funny saying was in conjunction with the biography conversation. One of the Thai staff was trying to tell us what she majored in . . . she says "I got a Bachelor in Many Men." Um, what? Many Men? Can you get a degree like that? If so, what does that entail? After she said it a couple times . . . we figured out that you can not in fact (as far as I know) get an actual degree in "Many Men" but you CAN get a degree in "Management." Good to know, good to know.

Please note that these stories are in no way to poke fun at the amazing Thai gals - I adore them and enjoy working together and laughing together. I know that I have said plenty of incorrect things in Thai. Remember that I am the girl that asked for an eraser instead of a straw and I asked my student if she had a duck instead of asking her if her food was spicy. I am sure that there are many other things that I have said wrong and didn't even catch. I am the one that my Thai language tutor teases about only knowing how to say "there is a boy under the table" when I arrived in Thailand. I hope that my Thai friends enjoy laughing at me.

I stick to the fact that laughter is the best medicine (and is often a key ingredient to my sanity). =)

Laugh today, okay? A lot. Like a hard belly laugh. It's the best.