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Last of Bali

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Christmas in Bali

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All is well in the world! Nathan is with us and we are enjoying a wonderful Christmas in Bali. Talk about an action packed week! I'm trying to stay up with my boys but I don't know how much longer I can do that! We trekked to the peak of one of Bali's volcanoes to watch the sunrise, started the climb at 0330 and 2 1/2 hours later we made it for God's show! We have rafted through a storm together. We dove the USS Liberty shipwreck and did 3 drift dives! Think Finding Nemo and the turtles in the current, it was quite a ride-duuuude! It has been quite the adventure!

It's Christmas Day and I set here in our Bali hotel, bay, window gazing out over a very tranquil, beautiful, tropical, rainforest, setting listening to Christmas songs via KSBJ on-line!! Isn't our world wild? Technology is just amazing!

It doesn't feel too much like Christmas here in Bali really and we will officially celebrate when we return to Thailand with all our traditions and presents. But one thing to be sure of that no matter the depths of the ocean that we dive, how high we climb, how far to Hindu countries we might travel, how far from family we may be-God is with us!! Emmanuel! I take so much comfort in this!



Merry Christmas from the Northcutt's!

Pattaya Praise

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A few weeks ago was the annual Pattaya Praise event here. Every year Christians from around the world come to lift up the name of Christ in Pattaya in song, service and prayer. Check it out here-http://pattayapraise.org/ This year was special for us.Dustin formed a praise band with fellow Christians he knew from his school and they were given two opportunities to perform and lead out in worship. It was exciting to see how the group came together!

I meet weekly with Carole Chocolate from Austria, for a time of specific prayer for our kids, husbands and homes. For some time we have prayed for our children to have the courage to stand up at Regent's, bond closer together and use the musical talents they have been given to praise the Lord. Dustin wanted to do it this year specifically because Pona, a 20 yr. old from South Africa who has been working as a Gap student at their school, who returns home in one week, has an amazing singing voice and loves the Lord. He was able to get his friend and classmate, Ha Eun from Korea who plays the piano at her Korean church to play keyboard. Max, Carole's son, who plays the drums and attends Victory Family church in Pattaya joined. Nicole and Daniella, girls that are children of two of our Praying Parents at Regent's, joined in vocals. Daniel, from Dustin's class and a member of the local Catholic Church played bass. The band was all set UNTIL God decided to answer our prayers even more than we could imagine.

A new family moved here two weeks after the band began practices from PA! Their Mom is Thai and her Dad planted a Thai church here many years ago. Joanna, the mom attended Bible College in America and met her American husband there. They just moved back to help her Dad with his church and get involved in some Prison ministries here. They have 4 children from the ages of 13-17!! We have been praying for God to send more Christian families to this area. They just HAPPENED to move next door to Ha Eun!! She brought them to the third practice and they all just jumped in and became a wonderful addition to the Stones Crying Out band!!

They were only given a 15 minute slot on two separate days, many bands come to perform in the three day event, as far away as Ireland. They sang 3 songs-He is Mighty to Save, Oh How He Loves Us-David Crowder and a new song for this area Behold Our God, a song that Dustin fell in love with this summer at the Worship conference he attended with Grace Church in August. It was amazing to see how God worked out all the details.

It was also exciting because for the first time our church was actively involved in the weekend. Our prayer since moving here has been to see more unity among the churches of Pattaya. This year I was asked to MC and lead out in prayer during one of the slum nights, the stage is moved into a slum community and many activities are provided for the people that live there while the gospel is presented and praises are sang. This year they had free meals, free haircuts, free crafts... Mark and I both had 2-10 min spots to share and pray with all there with a Thai translator. Our pastor also had 15 min to preach on the Saturday night at the huge, Central, mall where Pattaya Praise was held on the last evening. He speaks fluent Thai and didn't need a translator.

Many accepted the gospel during the three day event one of them being K.Nong!!!! A thousand Hallelujahs!!! This is Carole's maid!!! The Lord is so good to answer our prayers and allow us to witness and be part of His work here on earth. Khun Nong-now my sister in Christ!! Who will be praising the Lord for all eternity with Carole and I! How cool is that?

Parts of Thailand still underwater

Many Thais are still living in water, please continue to pray for them. I just can't imagine how difficult this must be for them, but they carry on, what else can they do?

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Borneo

During the half-term break in October, Ethan and I took advantage of an Eco trip to Borneo offered by the Regent's school. Dustin was working at a basketball/soccer camp over the week holiday and Mark was happy to see us go as he was sooo busy with his project at work.

It was exciting to be heading to Borneo, I can remember years ago at Bayshore Baptist when Mark and I directed a children's choir musical and one of the songs talked about Borneo, thinking that sounded so exotic! Now we had the chance to go there!

Our purpose was to help replant trees into the Borneo rainforest, a reforestation project. Along the way we would be able to visit an orangutan refuge, a bat cave that is infamous with many bird nests that are harvested for the very, expensive, rare bird nest soup and the bird nest herbal concoctions. A homestay with a family in the village we were planting trees in. Staying at an Eco camp-open roofed huts with no electricity. Lots of opportunities to see many, colorful, rare, birds and the highlight had to be seeing the orangutans in the wild along with the Probiscus monkey-the ugliest monkey EVER. We also saw many rare, exotic, tropical, birds, owls, crocodiles, a herd of wild pigs, wild elephants' prints in the jungle...just a great trip.

One of the best aspects of the entire trip was the people. There were lots of new friends made on this trip, bonded through lots of sweat and hard work! I so appreciated all the bird watchers, that could see and identify most of the rare species of birds. Fun card games and interesting conversations with people from all over the world. I loved our homestay, because I just love seeing how the local people live.

Ethan had such a great attitude. Poor guy doesn't like seafood at all. You can imagine what we ate staying right by rivers in the forest-fish and rice. Our hosts were so kind and gracious to share their food and hut with us. Their extended family lived in the 6 room hut. The entire family had no front teeth, I wish I could have asked if this was a family tradition, deformity...I'm so sad that we had no camera batteries for several days of the trip, sad,sad! Some interesting things about our hosts-they were muslim but allowed us to pray over our meals with them, they kept rabbits in their kitchen and it was really so stinky. All our showers were with rainwater and a bucket, the toilet a hole in the floor, one meal we had a whole fish and rice, we had mosquito nets at night, the husband of our main host drives a truck for the palm oil industy, the industry destroying the rainforest they live in. They had 4 small children in the home and they watched Tom and Jerry cartoons non-stop on their small tv, a previous guest had sent them the videos as an appreciation gift. The main host is always eager to host visitors to better her English skills and expose her children to people from other parts of the world.

Just fyi-Borneo is the third largest island, and is made up of 3 countries-Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. We visited the Malaysia part of Borneo, I hope that we can make a return trip before leaving this part of the world to dive on the Sipadan Islands. So much to see and so little time!

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Rayong Bakery Beach Day

Today, I took 22 girls, 4 boys and a host of staff from the Rayong Remand Center for a day at the beach or talay. We had a wonderful time celebrating Khun Chaweewan's, the bakery supervisor, birthday along with playing in the sea and sand, and cooking together. Just love these girls! It is hard because they do eventually go home or glup bahn. I'm excited for them but I will miss seeing them routinely at the prison. Selfishly, it's always hard having new girls. We now have 4 new bakers that have joined us, chosen by K.Chaweewan from the general population of current girl in-mates. There is always more waste as they come up to speed, making sure that we meet a certain standard for our customers....It also is a lot of working trying to form relationships with the new girls. The nature of running a bakery in a prison!

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Ten years this week

Ten years without our sweet Abbie, how can that be? Sometimes it seems like yesterday I looked down the church aisle taking in her joy at setting in her Daddy's lap. Other times I struggle to remember what her voice sounded like, her sweet, little, girl smell...Ten years closer to seeing her again.

Time helps and the deep, deep, wound is scarred over some. I don't think of her every day still. I can talk about her without crying. But I MISS her, I wonder what kind of young woman she would have become? It hurts but I know He is enough. I'm currently savoring an amazing book-One Thousand Gifts, it is teaching me to give thanks in all things. I am learning to celebrate greater gain through greater loss.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Rejecting joy to stand in solidarity with the suffering doesn't rescue the suffering. The converse does. The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world."

"You may suffer loss but in Me is anything ever lost, really? Isn't everything that belongs to Christ also yours? Loved ones lost still belong to Him-then aren't they still yours? If you haven't lost Christ, nothing is ever lost."

Philippians 3:10-sharing in Christ's sufferings, becoming like him in his death, we come to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.

"The dark CAN give birth to life, suffering can deliver grace." but it is a LONG and painful process.

"Faith is the gaze of a soul. I can keep right on going because I have kept my eyes on the One who is invisible." Hebrews 11:27 states, "That is what makes us persevere through a life: to see Him who is invisible."

Such a great book, but a slow read. I have to take in the words and digest them. I'm continually learning to give thanks in all things-even in letting Abbie go to her heavenly Father at 7 years old.

I'll conclude with a sweet note I received yesterday from one of Abbie's NICU nurses. It was a unexpected blessing, there was gratefulness found through the tears. God giving me a glimpse into his using Abbie and her short life here. From Jana Z.

"I've wanted to tell you something for so long but wasn't sure how it would be taken. I'm just going to take a leap of faith and pray that it comes across the way it's meant...I always question why it seems that the "wrong" people are taken from us too early. I really struggled with Abbie's death. I hope that doesn't sound selfish to you but I have always thought of her as "my" baby. When I got the news from Karen Martin I was absolutely devastated. For all the struggle and strife she endured as an infant, triumphing over all of the odds it just seemed so unfair. After much praying for comfort and answers I was finally blessed with a peace that can only be from Him. I am convinced that we all have a job to do here on earth and I know part of Abbie's was to change me. I had never "connected" with an infant like I did with Abbie and I haven't since. Even at her weakest times I could look into her eyes and felt that we were communicating, that she knew I was with her and that I loved her. Joronda, your daughter helped to strengthen my Christian beliefs, she made me want to be a better nurse and she helped me to take a second look at my own family and see all of my blessings in a brand new light. I think of Abbie often and have told many new nurses about her and how she made me the nurse I am today. I just want you to know that Abbie is not forgotten and that she made a difference."

Thank you Lord, for this kind reminder that you never forget my hurts. That you care, that you are good, that you are trustworthy....there will be a day when there will be no more tears. I am resting in that.

Pray for Thailand

FUMA Parent's Weekend

This past weekend was Parent's Weekend at Fork Union Military Academy. Pappa Joe and Grandmamma filled in for us and attended for Nathan. Times like these make it so hard being on the other side of the world, we so wanted to be there but are so thankful that my parent's could be there.

They were both so impressed with the parade and the cadets. They have all worked hard but Nathan has been working especially hard. He is the only cadet from his platoon to earn Zero Demerits and will gain an extra weekend leave as reward! We are so proud of him!

He has been so busy this first term. He was a sub and manager for the FUMA Rifle team, he wakes up for choir practice that begins at 0615. He is participating in several bands including the marching band that performed for the parents. The choir sang for the Parents Dinner and are available to perform in churches within a 3 hour driving distance. He completed his Rescue Diving course and is now trained as a First Responder in First Aid. He is doing this while maintaining his B+ grade point average.

Mom and Dad met with all his instructors and they were all very kind and encouraging with their remarks regarding our Pvt. Northcutt. Mom was crying when she was telling me about seeing Nathan and how proud and impressed she was with the school and with Nathan. We are so proud of him too, he has worked hard. He told me he has a love/hate relationship with FUMA, he hates all the restrictions at times, no privacy, the never-ending marching....but loves knowing how this will benefit his future. We miss him but continue to trust the Lord is doing great and mighty things there in Nathan. Way to go Nathan!

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Thailand's Flooding Crisis

Panic has begun to set in for lots of Thailand folks. As Bangkok continues to become more and more underwater, Pattaya is becoming more and more crowded as refugees are seeking dry ground. Our friends the Clarkson's have been evacuated to the Sheraton here and we are keeping their two, dog, evacuees! We continue to have rain but have remained dry in our home and we are thankful for that. Yesterday one of Dustin's classmates was telling of their house flooding, he said roaches were covering the walls and many mice were swimming in the water flooding their house.

Things are expected to get worse as more of the Northern floodwaters converge on Bangkok this weekend. Our community is busting with people and now most store shelves are bare of bottled water, bread, eggs, sugar, and especially rice. Yesterday I stopped to get gas in the car and ran in to get a bottle of water, the shelves were empty! I told the boys if we just ate everything in our pantry we could last a few weeks, of course they would have to learn to like cranberry sauce and other interesting canned goods that have been hiding in the back of the pantry since we moved here!

Schools in Bangkok have been closed until November 7th and because of that 60 Bangkok Regent's boarding students have been transferred to our campus here and double bunking with our boarding students. I don't know how the kitchen staff will find enough food for that many additional mouths?

Yesterday our bakery was unable to deliver our normal vegetable quiches because leeks and spinach were impossible to find in this area as most of our fresh vegis are shipped from Northern Thailand and many of those roads are impassable because they are underwater. Hopefully our customers will be patient as I expect that more and more ingredients will be harder to find here.

I'm only concerned about clean water supplies and can disease be contained? Friends in Bangkok that haven't had their homes flood yet have had difficulty with sewage coming up their toilets and shower drains. Just pray for this flooding situation and that people would turn to Jesus during this time. I am again reminded how useless the Thai water goddess is.

On a happier note, I'm posting a short film a local bank put out about the spirit of the Thai people. I just love it! There are many floating villages in Southeastern Asia and I am always amazed at the ingenuity of the people that live there. We have seen floating basketball courts and soccer pitches. I've often wondered about the challenges of raising children in these small villages and the number of drownings experienced? Once I saw a small baby walker on a residents small porch overlooking the water!

The Floods in Thailand

Thanks to you that have checked on us here in Thailand. It has continued to rain and the flooding has been catastrophic to this country, the worst in 50 years! So far we have been spared the horrific flooding and Chonburi has now become a point of refuge for many who have been flooded out of their homes. Today our church tripled in size, we had over 50 guests who have temporarily moved into the Thailand Baptist Center in Pattaya, we have offered our home to our brothers and sisters in Christ, along with our church offering our building for flood victims. Our city if overflowing with people looking for dry ground, the store shelves are becoming depleted and a rice shortage is a scary thing for this nation that eats rice three times a day. Many, many rice farms have been destroyed. I'm downloading some pictures that I've seen friends post on Facebook. Please pray for this nation that in it's time of need they will turn to the One, True, Living, God! and that we can be used as His hands and feet here.

Flooding in Thailand

It just won't stop raining here and Thailand is suffering because of it! Please pray for the many that are without homes, especially in Northern Thailand. A local missionary posted this video. Friends are preparing in Bangkok for more flooding as rivers are expected to overflow their banks on the 16th or 17th. It pours every day. Our yard is swampland but we have not had the serious flooding that others have.

On a personal note this has been disastrous for Mark's project. The entire refinery has been shut-down for a couple of weeks now and they are so behind schedule with all the man hours lost because of the rain, who knows when they might be able to complete the work and get the refinery back up and running? Pray for that as well if you will and especially safety. One of the most dangerous times at a refinery is the start-up. Thank you to each of you that will pray with us about these two things!!!

Recent Flooding in Thailand

This last week in Thailand has been WET! I'm downloading a video a friend posted showing some of the flooding on the main road in Pattaya. It was also quite exciting because of the flooding, the nearby Crocodile Farm had a big escape. We live about 1/2 mile from this popular tourist site. Nok, my housekeeper lives directly behind me. Early Monday morning her sister-in-law was taking a shower outside behind their home and heard some strange grunting noises, she screamed for Khun Noon to come and he spotted a loose crocodile. He quickly called the crocodile farm and they sent a team over to capture the escapee! They captured 18!!!! crocodiles in Nok's backyard!! I'm attaching a couple of photos of the excitement, just another day in Thailand!

Fork Union Military Academy

Our family has experienced some major change in the last few weeks. We returned to Thailand with one less son! After much prayer and angst we decided that Nathan would stay in the USA and attend the Fork Union Military Academy. This was such a tough decision and took almost the entire summer to reach the final commitment.

In May we had begun discussing with Nathan his options for his Jr./Sr. year and really trying to discern if the IB program at our International School here in Thailand was a good fit for him. Nathan has always had this great desire to be in the military but because of his physical limitations that will never be a reality for him. We also desired for him to attend a Christian school. Finally, Nathan really wanted to be back in Virginia and the good ole' USA.

Because Mark had already set his vacation leave in stone before June he was unable to tour potential schools with us. Pappa Joe was willing to fill in for Marko and went with Nathan and I to tour some schools in Virginia. It was a great time for Dad to see the entire state of Virginia in all of its' splendor and beauty as we had to drive across the whole of it. It was just a most beautiful and enjoyable drive, we even managed to drive down into North Carolina and meet some dear friends-Becca and Crystal there for dinner one night. It was an extra blessing to finally meet Riley, Becca's first daughter.

After compiling all of our information the three of us prayerfully decided that Fork Union would be the best fit for Nathan. He especially liked that they have a rifle team that has been the state champions the last three years. Ironically, a friend of ours here has a dear friend on the board of the school and she just couldn't say enough good things about their program at FUMA. Thanks to each of you that supported us and offered Godly counsel during this difficult decision. We know that God has special plans for Nathan there (Jer 29:11)

It was not an easy thing leaving him there while we are all here in Thailand. I really held it together the day of check-in but then was so teary when I started driving from Charlottesville to Dulles airport. It helped some that he grew a beard and moustache this summer. I kept looking at him thinking, "He is a man!! not my little boy anymore."

We're thankful that he has our old church family, Grace Church and many friends in that area that he will be able to spend leave with. We already have his airline arranged to spend Thanksgiving with Pappa Joe and Grandmamma and he wants to be here in Thailand for Christmas. I know that he would love to receive mail from you guys. Mail can be sent to: Northcutt,Nathan, po box 2000-229, Fork Union, VA 23055.

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Knight Ceremony

Ethan turned 13 in March, 2011 and has been anxiously awaiting receiving his very own sword. This sword has particular significance in our family. Mark has prepared a service for each of our boys of 'knighting' based on the book Becoming a Knight.

Sadly, at the moment there are few Godly men involved in Ethan's life, men that really know him and know all that makes him our Ethan. We waited until we returned 'home' for the summer and Mark conducted a small service with Pappa Joe, Dustin, and Nathan. Each man read a letter to Ethan of encouragement and challenge, offering words of wisdom and things they have learned on the journey of manhood.

As I was not permitted to attend Dustin and Nathan's knighting ceremony it was exciting to get to quietly participate in Ethan's. Mark is an incredible, Godly, Dad who had compiled a really touching ceremony for his youngest son. It was a privilege and honor to participate in this 'rite of passage' with Ethan

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Trekking the Himalayas

Hello Everyone,
For this blog entry I (Nathan) will be writing about the trekking experience that Dustin and I had last week.

A group of 18 International School of Regents students from the Pattaya campus set out for the Himalayan mountains last Thursday. Of the group there were 6 Sophmore students (including Dustin and I) who i knew well, a couple of Juniors who i also knew, and some Freshmen and middle school students. The remainder of the people attending were three teachers and one Gappie from Germany.

We took the hour and a half drive to the Bangkok aiport, the four and a half hour flight to Delhi, India, then the seven and a half hour bus drive to Dodital. Once we arrived at the guest house in Dodital, the group was exhausted because we did not have any rest in between our traveling. After a sleep and a breakfast of eggs, we met the school that had helped schedule the trek.

The Doon School is an all boys school which consisted of 500 students. We toured the campus which was very large and nice. After that we went back to the guest house, chilled and slept. Later that afternoon we went out to the town, ate and went back to the guest house to finish organising our gear and prepare for the trek the following day. The next morning we woke up at around 05:30 and took the eight hour drive to the foothills of the Himalayan mountains and thus starts day one of the trek.

Day One:
After the windy and dangerous bus trip through busy, narrow, mountain roads we got to the small mountain town. At this town we had a quick lunch and made sure we had all of our gear and loaded the gear we were not carrying on our packs and onto the pack mules. We met our two guides Everything was good to go and we set out. The first day we decided to trek approx. 8km. We trekked with our packs up narrow mountain trails. The group quickly noticed that the paths only went up (i reckon this can be expected-it is the Himalayas after all!). 12 Kg of gear seemed light at first but after a few hours it started to become heavier and heavier. Eventually, we arrived at the small mountain village. One thing i observed was that every mountain village sat near a body of flowing water. Why? This is because water is heavy, and it is a bother to carry it up the mountain trails. So, to save time and energy, villages were constructed around water that could easily be accessed by the village.

Day Two:
We woke at 06:00 and caught a quick breakfast. The group started the 14 Km trek to the next camp. Yet again, the trails were up and up. Thankfully, we did not have to carry our large packs, instead we could bring day packs which consisted of 3 litres of water, a waterproof parka, extra socks, and a utility tool. On this trail we observed some of the best scenery. The view was incredible, photos will never do it justice. We arrived at camp, ate dinner, and crashed.

Day Three:
The objective of our trek was to climb a mountain approx. 1,150 meters tall. After 3 Km of trekking through rivers and around the base of surrounding mountains we stood at the base of the mountain we were tasked to summit. I must say, it was intimidating looking up at this tower of a thing. The only way was up, and up we went. Three quarters of the way up we passed a shepherd carrying a domesticated mountain goat on his shoulders climbing the mountain. The grass was more plentiful at the summit so shepherds brought their sheep and goats for grazing three months out of the year. This short wiry Himalayan shepherd was in excellent condition. No telling how many times he made the trek up the mountain every year. The group passed him and we continued up. Finally, low on water and steam we reached the first summit. We ate a small lunch there and the guides told us of another summit approx. 2Km away but only another 150 up. Our group was given the option of going back to camp or going up to the 2nd summit. I decided to go back down, after all, the goal was achieved and the wind was blowing in which brought in fog that made the view worthless in a matter of minutes.

On the way down a very interesting situation unfolded which i will never forget. As i was coming down the mountain i passed a very narrow bend in the trail. At this part of the mountain the trail was made of gravel and wet grass. As i was walking around i slid on the gravel, the gravel brought me to the wet grass and over the side i went. I could feel myself going over and i brought both hands down quickly as possible trying to grab anything that would keep me from falling 25 feet down and on top of boulders and the freezing river. My right hand caught nothing. Thankfully, my left hand managed to fasten around a stone and caught me from sliding over and to severe injury(s). I was locked into what was called a one arm cliff hang. I looked down. Only onen hand was keeping me from falling down. I knew if i fell there was no way i would be getting down the mountain anytime soon. I managed to hoist myself with my left arm to about eye level where my right arm came into play. I managed to come up to my upper waist when the guide sprinted over, grabbed my collar, and drug me the rest of the way up. We checked for injuries, besides a few minor cuts and some bruises I was ready to lock and load. I grabbed my pack and continued to camp.

Later that night I asked the guide what he thought would have happened if i had fallen. He said he expected both legs to be broken, and possibly my back. If i had slid into the river hypothermia would have come into play. We were over 35 Km from the nearest helo landing space, and hours away from a medical clinic. If something went wrong, i would be in big trouble.

Day Three:
I woke up with stomach cramps, i managed to grab my tac. light and stumbled out of the tent. I spent the morning vomiting and other unpleasant things that i will not mention. It was apparent i would not be able to walk down the mountain, i could not keep down medication, food, or water. I get dehydrated easily and every hour of MILSIM sports i take in around 750 Mils of water. At that time dehydration was my biggest worry, if i had been at home i would have probably gone to the ER and had an IV. The guides had an extra mule. They said i could ride her down the mountain to camp. I was very thankful. When the time came for me to ride i tried to take a motion sickness pill , thankfully it went down and did not come up. The guides failed to mention there was no saddle, reigns, or stirrups. We managed to fasten stirrups out of a length of rope. Thats all i needed and down we went. I was very thankful for my experience of horse riding as a child and kid, it came into play. As i was riding down the mountain i kept looking over at the sheer cliff going hundreds of feet down. At parts of the trail i knew if the mule stumbled and fell there was little to no chance i'd be getting off the mountain. Mules prefer to walk near the edge of the trail nearest the edge because the ground does not have as many rocks and sharp stones as near the middle. As much as i was thankful for the mule, i hated it when she walked near the edge.... I had a sinking feeling as i gazed down.

Eventually, i arrived at camp tired and hungry, i was ready for a nap. I woke up knowing something was wrong. I stood up and walked out to see the rest of the group talking and chilling at camp. I felt as if i was walking in slow motion, my thoughts were slow, and i could barely walk. I went to my teacher and he told me i looked dazed and asked me if i was OK. I could not talk and nodded my head no. I spent the next 5 hours completely "stoned" out of my mind. Believe me, i felt totally chilled out. I had a reaction with the drug i took for motion sickness on the back of the mule. The teacher knew i needed to snap out of it so he and I went down to the mountain river where i got into the water. The freezing water brought me down to earth. I grabbed a meal, felt normal Nathan, and went to sleep. The next morning rested to the max, and ready to roll. A group consisting of the guide, me, and two others managed to reach the mountain town (where we had started) on the 8Km mountain trek in two hours. We took one five minute break. We arrived well before the others, i think it was a very good accomplishment for me.

Day Four:
Some of you may know of the TV show on The Discovery Channel which is to soon broadcast called Dangerous Roads. What you might not know is that it is located in the Himalayan mountains. The objective of the show is to have expert drivers manuvuer around the Himalayans mountain passing dodging cows, public buses, and for the most part try not to fall off the edge. Bottom line is that these roads are windy and just insane. If you dont take a motion sickness pill you will puke. Guaranteed. So, i popped another motion sickness pill. Approx. 4 hours later i was yet again feeling really good. Too good. I was laughing like a baby, and totally out of it. I dont remember all that happened but from the sounds of it, the group would have taken a video but they were afraid i would be embarrassed when i saw it, so being good guys and girls no video was ever taken. I came out of it that evening. Two hours of trekking and seven hours of bus driving later we had a wonderful dinner with lamb and chicken (remember beef is a no-go in India). We arrived at the hotel approx. 01:30 in Dodital.

Day Five, Six, and Seven:
The flight back to Thailand (and beef yay) was scheduled at 23:30 in Delhi. After the bus ride we had time to kill so we went to a market where i picked up some gifts for some special people. We got to the airport and sadly found out that we could not change the rupees to Thai Baht or US Dollar once we were at our terminal. Why we could not i dunno. Eventually after the flight, sleeping, and the bus ride from Bangkok to Pattaya, the last day of school, we arrived home.


It was a good trip, even though some unfortunate things happened i think it was totally worth going and i was happy i went. I will always remember the events that happened. Nobody was hurt, and nothing terrible happened. We all made it back to Thailand and India with no passport or visa problems. India was good for trekking, however it was somewhat dirty in the city. The rural areas were not so bad. The different casts of people are obvious which is very sad. If you are thinking about going to India, perhaps do some research and find out what its like. Besides, Thailand is just only a "stones throw away" right? And guess who lives there *wink*. All the people i met in India were very nice. We received lots of stares (it was remarked from a friend in our group that it was as if we were some space alien of sorts). But we returned the stares with smiles and waves. While driving when we stopped at red lights the people next to us (buses, cars, and motorbikes) would crowd against their windows to have a good view at the foreigners. This was awkward, but somewhat amusing. I've never thrown as many 'peace" or "rock on" signs up in my life.
At the end of the day i ask myself "Would I do it all over again?" Yup, I sure would. Life after all only comes once. I'ts filled with experiences. We are the ones to choose to sit down and watch them go by or seize the moment and accept them, learn new things, and benefit ourselves and others from it.

If your are still reading this. Good job. I appreciate the fact that you "stayed on the ride" as long as you did. Perhaps i will do this again in the future.

Regards,
-Nathan

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2010-2011 Academic Prize-Giving

Last week was the annual Academic Prize-Winning Ceremony at the boys' school. Ethan came home with the Design Technology award and Head of Year award for his year. Dustin earned the English award for his year and won a special Music Performance Award for the entire Secondary. They worked hard this year and I'm proud of them!

We are closing in on the end of the school year. It is a tradition of our Regent's school that the last week of school is dedicated to Round Square activities. They offer some amazing trips and activities. Dustin and Nathan chose to travel to India and trek the Himalayas with a group of students and teachers for a week. Ethan will be doing three days dedicated to Gibbon monkeys in Northern Thailand. It will include a 'flight of the gibbon' tour of a Thailand rainforest. Regent's has also included the Rayong bakery as one of their options this year so I will be busy hosting 25 students and teachers at the bakery Monday-Wednesday.

Please pray for Dustin and Nathan's safety, physical endurance for both of them-especially for Nathan's knees to hold up and for them to not be too cold at night. They are having to haul all their supplies in via backpack and it's a hard balance between taking enough warm clothing, bedding and not having too much weight in your pack.

I just received a note from the two of them, I'm copying and pasting them from my email. My boys are all so different and it is never more evident than in their correspondance! I'm also posting a picture of the region they will be trekking.



First from Nathan

Hey there,
wanted to let you know that we have arrived in India safe and sound.
Nobody had any Visa or Passport issues or problems. The plane ride was
good, very little turbalance. We are all pretty tired after a 7 hour
bus ride immediatly following the landing into Delhi. Tomorrow we have
a 9 hour bus ride on a mountain road/pass. If you thought the driving
was bad in Thailand you have not experienced India... Its nuts. These
people are crazy LOL.

The plane ride was good, i sat beside Kyle and PK. It was rather
chilled, Dustin managed to step in a different passanger's throw-up
but it is Dustin and he is sadly the only person i can think of to do
that...

We are all tired, because we landed in Delhi approx. 23:00 and started
driving to The Doon School at approx. 01:15. We arrived at the hotel
at approx. 8:00 the next morning.

India is pretty good so far, we have not experienced much of it yet.
However, (as expected) the smell from the people and the local
enviroment is rather strong and at times putrid. I have found a way to
battle this... My secret is to chew spicy cinnamon gum which overloads
my senses and keeps the majority of the smelly smells out.

Anywho, I probably wont be able to reply. Stay safe, and pass on my
best wishes to dad. We will see you guys when we arrive back in
Thailand. And i am sure we will have plenty of stories to tell.

Take care, lots of love
-Nathan

PS: People are waiting for this computer, i apologize for the many
typos it contains.

And then from Dustin:

We made it to India and things are great. Won't be able to contact you probably until we meet face to face. Love ya. Dustin

Pool Fun

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Sunday afternoon we had some nice family time in the pool. I look at these pictures and I see MEN!! I'm so introspective at the moment for some reason...

Saturday afternoon, Mark and I were again discussing how we should record the 'Lasts' of moments rather than the 'Firsts'. We noticed that Ethan no longer crawls into bed with us in the early mornings to snuggle. That has only stopped in the last 3 months or so. Yes he is huge and it was strange to have another grown-up in bed with us but we cherished those times. Have we now experienced our 'Last' time of having a child come and snuggle up with us in bed? Ethan held on to it longer than Dustin and Nathan and for that we are thankful!! Wonder when the 'Last' wrestling match might happen in the pool?

I love the pictures of Buff in the slideshow, it really examplifies her relationship with Ethan. She is so protective over him. When they are wrestling she barks and watches to make sure Ethan isn't getting too beat up by Dustin. Ethan loves his dog, it's really a great relationship for him.

We're winding down the school year here. Dustin and Nathan only have 2 more IGCSE exams, they've managed to acquire their Advanced Diving Certification during the dead, study, weeks away from school when they can study on their own schedule. They are now certified to go 30 METERS deep, I am perfectly happy with 18 meters. They are loving diving and exploring ship wrecks. Last week they dove the H2 MS KUT and really loved it. Proud of them! and releasing them more and more to the Lord-I'm sure not going down there that deep in the dark to try to watch over them!!!

Abundant Life Home

I just copied and pasted a anniversary letter from my friends Ricky and Karen Sanchez that run the Abundant Life Home here in Thailand. An orphanage for children with AIDS, such a great project. It's been exciting because I've been able to get Esso hooked up with the project and last month they did a milk drive and toy drive for ALH. In the Fall, Esso will be helping fund and build the playground at their new home. This is a most worthy project if you are interested in partnering with them here in Thailand! Now, from Karen-
Dear Friends and Supporters, Anniversaries are a time to reflect and celebrate, and we have been in 'party' mode for the last while here! A few weeks ago we celebrated five years since we first opened our doors at The Abundant Life Home Orphanage. I can still remember how the stars looked that night that we welcomed five young boys into our first home! We rented a tiny townhouse with two bedrooms and wooden, rickety stairs. Every time the boys would run up the stairs, the neighbors would pound on the wall and shout for us to quiet down!

On the bottom floor, late one night, the five boys helped Ganiga and I lead Taay in a prayer of salvation. Apilak, 3 months old, slept in the middle of our circle on a small mat, as we held hands and prayed together. One of the boys earnestly added, "You know, Taay, you won't be able to steal or anything like that anymore now that you will be a Christian. Christians don't steal."

I see God has been faithful to all of us at A.L.H. We give thanks often that all of our children are healthy and that we have access to so many faithful prayer warriors back home. Two months ago, one of our boys named Gaew, age 11 (picture attached), got very sick very quickly. All of a sudden the doctor was saying that we might lose him! It was time for a quick email request for urgent prayer, and we knew that many of you mobilized into prayer for little Gaew. Today Gaew is back to his normal, healthy, break-dancing self! God still heals today.

Last month, a beautiful hotel on the beach, gave our entire orphanage 2 free nights stay and food! The kids swam and ate to their hearts content, and we decided this was God's way of celebrating our five year anniversary with us! Thank you to the Thai Garden Hotel!

God continues to use the people in the Abundant Life Home to spread the good news of salvation! A couple of months ago with the team from South Abbotsford Church; the team and our children from A.L.H. put on a great performance of skits and break dancing at a local prison. My friend JoRonda, had invited us to join her in her prison 'baking ministry' there. Our staff and children shared their testimonies, and we were able to lead 23 young women to Christ at the prison that night!

Just last week, a 45 year old woman, 'Att' showed up for church at Ang Sila Church. She and her husband are HIV+ and are from Ang Sila, but can not live in the fishing village anymore due to prejudice against them from the villagers. She saw Ganiga at the hospital picking up HIV medication one day, and Ganiga was able to share the love of Christ with her. During prayer time at church, 'Att' whispered to me that she really wanted Jesus to live within her. She walked to the front and prayed to receive Christ. Later she shared how she felt a warmth and peace flood her soul after she confessed her sins to God.

In July we will complete building the first four homes for the children! In the future we plan to have a grand opening and want to invite all of you to come on down and celebrate with us! We'll keep you posted on a date! Acts 2: 19-21 "And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below; blood, and fire and vapor or smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Thank you for your continued prayers and support! With Full Hearts, Karen, and Ricky and Sierra, Tass, McKenna and Aree
MB Mission Donate Online at www.mbmission.org/video

Watch this for more information about Abundant Life Home
http://vimeo.com/22335166 use the password voices2011

2011 Prom

How did this happen? My boys have grown up and are going to the PROM!! Let me just tell you, "This is painful!" and I just can't get used to the idea of them wanting to escort a girl to the prom. But that is where we are at!

This past Saturday was my boys' first prom and first official date. It could have been more painful, if they were in the states they would be driving a date!! I really like that we have a built in chaperon in Songkran, our driver! Logistics make the whole idea of dating a little different here. The driver took the boys and picked up the girls to take them to a nearby hotel where the prom was being held from 6:30-10:00, we were thankful that both girls' parents picked them up at the end of the event.

Nathan escorted Jasmine from Australia to this year's prom and Dustin asked Valerie from Holland to be his date. In fact Valerie and her family will be moving at this end of this school year to Qatar, her Dad works for Shell. Jasmine's family just moved here in January and her Dad works for GM.

Please pray for me as I adjust to this new stage of raising boys but especially pray that Nathan and Dustin will be young men after God's own heart. That they wouldn't be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of their mind. Pray that I will trust the Lord to do a good work in their hearts. I'm praying they will fall helplessly in love with the Lord before they fall helplessly in love with a girl!!! Pray that God will help me be a better Mom, that the Lord would give us wisdom generously and that God can somehow use me in their lives despite myself!!! Pray that I can just enjoy this new stage with my boys.

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Thai Teacher Appreciation Brunch

Today I invited all of the Thai teachers I work with at the neighborhood school for a brunch at our home. The new school year for Thai schools began two weeks ago after their long Songkran holiday. These are the teachers I've been working with the last two years, reading once a week to the students in their classrooms.

Nok helped me host them to a brunch with Thai and Farang food. During the brunch they asked if I would be willing to teach an adult, English speaking, class to all the teachers once a week. We are about to leave for the states in a month but I will consider it in August when we return. Dustin and Nathan have to accumulate 150 hours of CAS hours for their IB program that they begin in August. CAS which is Community Action Service hours. Nathan expressed some interest in teaching the English classes himself which would go towards the CAS requirement. God continues to open doors at this nearby school.

They presented me with a basket of 'things'. One of the items said-Essence of Chicken, it was a green liquid with a putrid smell. Another bottle said-Bird nest with sugar? It was a white gelatin. I passed on the basket to Nok, she said they are items for good health. She tried to explain that they actually use portions of a bird nest and liquefy it? It was just a little strange but that's all relative. The staff all looked at my pimento cheese sandwiches as if they were a bit strange too!!!

Not Guilty Anymore

I can't get this out of my brain, now if I could really grasp the mercy of the Lord. We are righteous if we are in Christ Jesus.

The Bakery

I haven't blogged about our latest happenings at the Prison Bakery in a while. I'd like to bring you up to date on some of the exciting things going on there. In late February I had invited my friend, Karen from the Abundant Life Home-an orphanage here for children with Aids to bring an evangelistic team to the bakery. Karen and her husband have been missionaries to Thailand for over 10 years, they speak fluent Thai and have also planted several Thai churches along with the Aids project.

She had a visiting team from Canada that came and performed a very powerful drama to music, depicting the fight for a soul between God and Satan. Here is a picture of Karen and the team.

After pizza was enjoyed by everyone, Karen had a couple of her house 'Moms' to share their testimonies and to present the gospel in Thai. 24 girls raised their hands to accept Christ!!! So exciting!! We then broke into small groups and answered their questions about what it means to be a Christian, what are they supposed to do during mandatory, Buddhist, morning, prayers....We had fluent Thai speakers in each group and it was a most productive and exciting evening. To God be the glory!!

The next week I followed up by giving out 45 Thai Bibles to interested girls in the prison along with some gospel tracts in Thai. Since then I have been praying for some sort of relationship with a Thai church in the area that could lead Bible Studies within the prison.

After several email conversations I met Pastor Jeff from the Vineyard church in Rayong along with his wife and another couple from their church at a coffee shop near the bakery. After filling them in on my work there over the last 3 years and praying together I proceeded to take them into the prison to meet the staff and girls. They are prayerfully considering how their congregation could minister within this center.

Please pray that they will know the Lord's leading in this ministry and that doors will be opened to them to continue to disciple there. There is just so much I can do with my limited Thai, language skills. Mostly, I just try to 'show' the love of the Lord to the girls-because that crosses all language barriers! How exciting to think that a new relationship with a nearby church could be established and continue for years after I'm gone.

Who knows what the Lord may be doing at the Rayong Prison. Pastor Jeff has his hand in many ministries to try to reach and assist Thai people. He is marketing a new coffee endeavor for believers in Northern Thailand. He is also helping a young man in their congregation as he begins to raise turkeys for food here in Thailand. Turkeys are rare here, I always spend a fortune every Thanksgiving. Anyway, to make a long story short, he approached me and the girls about perhaps learning to roast turkeys in their industrial ovens and then we could sell them to the ex-pat community. He 'just so happens' to have a chef friend coming in December from Canada that would be willing to come and teach the girls a roasting and baking technique of turkeys. We could even deep fry the turkeys, Cajun style. An exciting potential for both his congregant and our girls. So far this young man only has 12 turkeys and it takes several months for them to mature but it might be a wonderful partnership in the future. May the Lord do exceedingly more than we think or imagine in the prison!!!

29 and Counting!

Today, Mark and I celebrate 29 years of marriage! We had a special night at a nearby resort in a beach side, private, villa. So many times we look at each other and exclaim, "We live in Thailand!" It was a beautiful setting to spend some time reflecting on our marriage and to just get away, the two of us.

Our marriage has been anything but 'normal' from the get-go! We married on a Friday night, spent our honeymoon in a business suite (a 10 place conference table....fancy!!!) in Amarillo on our way to Mark's summer job in Pampa, TX.

We moved into our 25 foot travel-trailer on Sunday. Monday when Mark returned from his first day of work there was a huge tornado headed for our little home. We jumped in the car and just started trying to drive away from all the destruction. Over 12 tornadoes were sighted that night, millions of dollars of damage was done but our tiny home was untouched. Maybe that was our first indication that this journey together wouldn't be anything boring!!!

I thought in honor of our 29th wedding anniversary I would list 29 reasons that I love Marko.
#1-I love that he loves the Lord and tries to live his life honoring God.
#2-He's an amazing Dad and always has been, he was right there on diaper duty, taking the night shift when the kiddos were little, giving me lots of needed time away...
#3-I love his laugh
#4-I so appreciate what a wonderful provider he has been.
#5-That he can do ANYTHING he puts his mind to-write a poem, a song, draw a picture...
#6-So thankful that he does our finances and makes sure that I'm cared for today and for forever. That he is a great steward of the money God has given us.
#7-That he can fix anything-so thankful that his Dad and Grandpa trained him when he was young to do house repairs, automotive repairs...
#8-That he loves and cares for my parents.
#9-That he is so unassuming and humble-he feels no need to ever 'put on airs'.
#10-He is the most unselfish person I know-really
#10-He doesn't need or want the approval of man, he is very secure in who he is.
#11-He thinks the best of people-always.
#12-He has an amazing work ethic-doesn't use the company phone for personal use, doesn't do personal emails on his blackberry, hasn't had a sick day in 27 years...
#13-He is a hard worker-he likes hard, physical, labor. I'm thankful he isn't slothful.
#14-Protects his eyes-he doesn't even have his own Internet access and will use mine on occasion to look at basketball scores.
#15-He wants and allows me to be the woman in our relationship (Mark said, "Well, I don't want to be the woman!!!)-he kills bugs for me, empties mouse traps, opens biscuit cans....I like being taken care of!
#16-He's my go-to guy for any spiritual matter-finding a verse, needing wisdom.
#17-He loves to sing the praises of God. He leads the music at our little church because no one else has volunteered. His joy of singing is infectious.
#18-He can laugh at himself-if he gets lost, stumbles over his own two feet....
#19-He likes to play games.
#20-He always puts his family above himself, sacrificing his time for us. I can remember times he has 'played' with us during the day and then gone into the office at night to complete work he had to do.
#21-He likes to travel, to see and experience new things.
#22-He's just as happy with a sandwich as a 4-course meal.
#23-I've never known him to tell a lie or even exaggerate a truth.
#24-He doesn't snore!
#25-He is willing to try anything new-like a new, weird, food.
#26-He appreciates my advice-on how to dress, to a delivery of a company speech.
#27-That he can keep a cool head when dealing with teenage boys, I can't remember more than 3 times he has ever raised his voice to our boys.
#28-I love that he is so smart-he can talk about most historic events, do any kind of math problem...
#29-I love that he is all mine. He is my one and only, there is much comfort and security doing things the Lord's way. I don't feel like he ever compares me to other women...I'm thankful for Marko!and the 29 years of marriage we have had together.

Here's a riddle for you, "What is worse than a 23 hour flight across the world?" Answer, "Having a stomach virus on a 23 hour flight across the world!" On Monday before Ethan and I left on Tuesday, I caught a violent bug and it didn't run it's course until we had arrived home Thursday night. There's just nothing like being sick in a 3X3 airplane bathroom. I really didn't know if I could do the whole airport thing-packing up, lugging the bags around, setting on a plane that long...God provided in some really tangible ways. Thank goodness that Ethan was with me, he totally took care of all 4 of our 50lb bags, even lifting my heavy carry-on to the overhead bin was such a blessing. The most amazing thing was that the 10 1/2 hour flight from Heathrow to Bangkok was WAY undersold. I could totally spread out across 4 seats right by the lavatories. I can't tell you how many times I whispered to the Lord, "Oh, thank you, God." I'm glad that I serve a personal God who knows my every need and hears me when I call.

When I initially started getting sick I was hoping it might be food poisoning. Wouldn't that be ironic, getting food poisoning in America?? rather than Thailand! But my suspicions have confirmed, it was viral and bad news. Ethan began getting sick as soon as we landed early Thursday morning, we couldn't get home fast enough from the airport to get to our beds and our toilets, not much of a greeting for Mark and the boys. I felt weak and exhausted. Enough of a greeting that I passed it on to Mark.

I've been setting at his bedside in the ER here now for three hours while they try to get some control on his diarrhea, replace some of his lost fluids...Some of you may remember another similar episode Mark had in VA? The thump I heard from the basement, when he had passed out on our bedroom floor from dehydration with the overnight visit to the ER?

I had managed to stay awake all day, pushing myself hard to get to the grocery store and get a nice dinner on the table for my guys-my first official night home. I called Mark at 6:30pm and told him I just couldn't hold out any longer and had to go to bed. Ethan had been vomiting during the day and had slept off and on. I left Dustin and Nathan in charge and went to bed. I do remember Mark coming in and kissing me at one point otherwise I was sleeping on and off, cognizant that Mark now had diarrhea! I was awakened about 1:00 a.m. with him calling for me from the bathroom floor. He was cold and clammy and saying, "I think I better go to the hospital."

I'm so thankful we live close to the hospital and that we both obtained our license just if even for occasions like these. Dustin helped me walk him to the car and I drove us over and got him right in the ER. After some IV fluids and drugs he is resting between trips to the bathroom but not feeling as faint and weak now. He just doesn't have that residual fat that I do to sustain him when he gets so sick! Hopefully, they will send us home in a few hours.

Please, please pray that my Mom continues to be symptom free, she had been when I talked to her yesterday? She is due to receive her last chemotherapy session on Monday. I've been praying protection for her ever since I started feeling ill while I was sleeping with her in the hotel. Please also pray that Dustin and Nathan will be protected as well. They didn't accompany us to Houston because they have been studying intensely for their IGCSE exams, cumulative, 2 year exams required for British schools. Two years of work riding on these exams. Nathan has three this week and Dustin two, I'm just praying they don't become ill. The times are regulated by the British government and I'm not sure if they would have to wait until November to retest. Let's just pray it doesn't come to that. That the Lord will protect them from this bug. Pray that Marko will begin to feel better. He is moaning a lot and wiggling around in bed, it is so difficult to get comfortable with all the stomach cramping. Not a very good gift I brought him from America.

I'm about to head back to Thailand on Tuesday, by the time I return I will have been here a month. My sister will take over staying with Mom and helping her get through her last chemo treatment while Dad finishes up their annual roping events at the boot shop. As I look back on this journey with Mom over the last 6 months I'm amazed at how God has orchestrated events, cared for Mom and Dad, provided for all their needs....Families are hard, everyone goes through their difficulties but I would have to say how proud I've been at how our family has rallied around Mom during this time. It's been so encouraging to see Dad care for Mom, putting his needs and wants second in order to help her through this. Lavon, my sister, has taken the insurance load off of them. What a blessing that they don't have to worry about that too. Mark and my boys have sacrificed much allowing me to be here for weeks because they love Pappa Joe and Grandmamma so much. One day in March after school Dustin was lamenting about how much he loved having me home in Thailand, as he was eating some warm cookies! I said, "I'm sorry I will be leaving again soon and won't be here." He responded, "Hey, lose a Mom to save a Mom!" So sweet! But this week I was reminded again how it has taken all of us doing our little parts as Mom does her big part of undergoing her treatments, keeping up her great attitude, and fighting this cancer. Mom and I were looking for a recent TV interview of Coli, my nephew, on the calf-roping sponsored by Joe's Boot Shop and ran across the following college project of one of their customers. I just want to express my thanks to Coli and his little family for all they have done on their parts to take over and run the boot shop allowing Mom and Dad to be here over the last 6 months. He has really stepped up in taking the reins of their business at such a young age. So proud of him and thankful for him. I'm adding the interview so you can get a glimpse of Coli and their business. So proud of him!!

A Quick Note

I struggle staying motivated to keep on blogging but I did want to send a short update and ask you to be praying. Please continue to pray for my mother, we are so thankful that her cancer is responding to treatment and she is persevering on in this battle. Please pray for Ethan and I as we travel tonight back to America to be with Mom through her 4th and 5th treatments, while Dad returns to help with the annual Joe's Boot Shop Calf-Roping event. We leave at 0100 and we are flying through London this time, that is a first! Usually we fly through Japan but with all the recovery going on there I assume they have rerouted some of the flights? No matter, it's still over 24 hours on a plane and Ethan really dreads it, please pray for him specifically that he can trust in God when he feels fearful. Also pray for Mark, Dustin and Nathan as we will again be apart for a month. Thanks so much.

This morning our devotional was from 2 Corinthians1:3-4. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

It was such great timing! I talked with the boys that this specifically addresses some of the 'why's' that I am going to help Mom again. God wants us to help and comfort others with the same comfort that we've been shown. I reminded the boys of how Mom comforted/helped/supported/loved us through the waiting on their arrival-helping rearrange our house so that I could camp out in the dining room while on bedrest, the cooking she did for us during that time, the helping to prepare the nursery for their arrival. Then after their births, how many weeks she stayed with us, taking the late night feedings, helping me cope with three, little, premies at home...I thought about the time she came to LA the Christmas after Abbie died, how she decorated my whole house for Christmas because I just didn't have the energy or the desire to even think about Christmas. The list could just go on and on. I'm so thankful for her and all the times she has comforted me, I pray that I can be able to support her through this cancer ordeal in a manner that would bring praise to the Father of mercies.

I did want to share about my morning bike ride. Usually, I'm out by 0600 every day riding my bike to a nearby park, I make 5 or 6 loops around the park, use some of the work-out equipment and then head back. But on occasion I head the opposite direction and ride through the countryside of Thailand. Which, by the way, is quickly disappearing around us. I CAN NOT believe how much building and tearing down of trees...that has been done in the last 3 years around us:( Anyway today being my last day to enjoy Thailand before being gone a month I took the more scenic, authentic route.

I really can't explain to you how much I love living here. The quiet of the countryside, seeing the beautiful sunrise coming across the hills and palm trees. The farmers out tending to their tapioca fields. The lady filling up her water jugs from the spicket behind her home. The people sleeping in their hammocks. A man working in his green, luscious garden.

This morning I passed a monk in his golden orange robe making his merit rounds. I've told you before that monks depend totally on the morning walks for their daily food and do not eat after lunch? The Thai ladies waiting at their gates with their food offerings of rice, squatting in reverence. I'm reminded once again to pray for the Thai people who so wholeheartedly believe that they can 'earn' the right to be reincarnated to a better life. I spend my ride praying for each of these devoted ladies that they can somehow meet the One who has already done all the work for them, that they would know they could never 'earn' their way to eternal life, that the truth of the gospel can be made known here in Thailand.

I'm thankful that I get to live here, well, I could do with a lot less dogs!!! This morning I had to get off my bike three times to put the bike between me and the dogs while I pick up a rock to pelt them with. Usually if you just make the motion of bending down they run the other way, this morning was especially challenging. I glad I will be in the states but will be glad to 'glup Thailand' too!

Last week I travelled to Kuala Lampur, Malaysia with Ethan's under 13 Regent's Sports Team for their annual competition for all International Southeast Asia Schools. Ethan had worked very hard over the last few months training for several events. He came home with the gold medal in discus, the bronze in 25m backstroke, the silver in the freestyle relay, and his basketball team received the bronze medal. It was our first trip to Malaysia for Ethan and I. We took advantage of the one day he wasn't competing and travelled to the city center. It is a muslim nation and feels a lot like Singapore. Clean and a great infrastructure. We enjoyed browsing around the mall in the twin towers, with many high-end, designer stores. We didn't buy one thing!! But enjoyed our taco salad at Chili's with Ranch dressing so much!!!It's a very green city with rolling hills so it feels so much smaller than Bangkok. We like Thai food so much more than Malay! I roomed with a Thai mom from our school, we were supposed to have twin beds but their idea of twin beds was quite different than ours. We had to sleep in a king bed with blankets folded down the middle of the bed-just different!

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Ethan is 13!

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Northern Hill Tribe Trip

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Well, I'm back in Thailand and have lots to talk about and little time to do that but wanted to post these pictures and video of today's International Day at the boys' school. This is always one of my favorite events the school puts on, I love seeing over 50 countries represented with their colorful clothing and their country presentations.
Dustin and Nathan represented America in the country presentation with an original song they wrote. Dustin performed with the Soul Band and the Battle of the Bands competition-which his band won!! Ethan sang with a group that will be performing in the musical, Wizard of Oz, in three weeks at Regent's. The Bakery Girls were invited to sell their goods and I had to work a shift at the American table where we once again sold Louisiana Gumbo.

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A School Library

Yesterday was an exciting day at the primary school I volunteer at every Tuesday. I've been working with Esso's Public Affairs team here requesting that they help this new, small school get a library. They came through in a big way and the school was presented a check for their library yesterday!! I am so excited for these kiddos.

It all began from my morning walks in the neighborhood. I watched as this new, colorful school was being built anticipating its' opening. It's located about 1km from our house and I thought that I might could help out there somehow. Shortly after it opened, I took Nok to translate and talked with the administration about my coming and doing some reading with the preschoolers every week with some basic English teaching. They just kept asking, "For free?". After a few Tuesdays the principal asked if I would be willing to come everyday? NO!! but it was sweet for them to ask!

There are few books in Thailand even in this school. Books are expensive here! I am passionate about books and the importance of children learning to love to read. The children are so enthusiastic each week when I bring colorful, fun books into their classrooms, and now because of Exxon's generosity they will have access to lots and lots of books!!

Sawasdee Bpee Mai

Happy New Year or Sawasdee Bpee Mai! In Thailand more emphasis is placed on celebrating the New Year rather than Christmas which makes sense considering this is a Buddhist nation. Since returning from our ski trip we have been busy with New Year's celebrations. We hosted Mark's entire administration team to a special dinner at a local restaurant in a private setting with the beach as a beautiful backdrop. The weather is just perfect in the evenings and early mornings, it's not as hot as normal and there are more cool breezes. It was a wonderful evening with his team. He gave a motivational speech as this year will be most daunting with the project coming to completion late 2011 and a special thanks for all their hard work in a most difficult 2010. Pray for Mark as he leads his team, especially for protection as new units will be started up soon, there are many safety concerns.

On Friday night I had to chaperon a birthday party that Dustin and Nathan attended while Ethan joined his Dad for the annual New Year Celebration for the entire organization. I'm including a few of those pictures, I think we missed out by not being there!

I will be traveling on Saturday to Houston to spend time with my mother who has recently been diagnosed with some type of Lymphoma cancer. We are still unsure of the exact diagnosis and prognosis. Her birthday is Sunday, I can't even remember the last time I was with her to celebrate her special day. I will spend 3 1/2 weeks with her and Dad, she will have her first appointment at MD Anderson Hospital this Wednesday so hopefully we will know soon what she is up against. But thankfully she belongs to the ONE who already knows the whole future, we know He loves her so much and we can trust him with her future health. Please join me in praying on her behalf, for restored health, wisdom for her Dr.'s, for Dad as he steps into a care-giver role, for Coli (my nephew) as he runs the boot shop, for my guys as I will be apart from them, safe travels....Thank you for interceding with us for my Mom whom I love very, very much!

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