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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