Blessings, Birthdays, and Bosom Friends

I know that is has been a very long time since I last wrote, but as they say, better late than never. (Although I'm sure I agree with that anymore, seeing how often my students try to turn in their work late: I say try, because I usually don't let them. I'm trying to crack down on some things. Their teachers have been far too easy on them in the past.) So here we go:

In the past month and a half, we have had some very fun times, some very trying times, and some soul searching. About a week after Christmas break, my bosom friend Nikki came to visit us for 8 days. We met in high school in Colorado, but now she is teaching English in South Korea. We hadn't seen each other for a couple of years (except for 10 minutes in the LA airport on the way out here), so it was wonderful to catch up and spend some time in person! We talked (a lot), celebrated Christmas again with her,

cooked yummy food,

and watched all 8 hours of Anne of Green Gables. I have to have a side note of praise to my husband, who was able to stomach the last four hours out of love for his wife. I subconsciously believe that he actually enjoyed himself, but don't tell him I said that. :)

We took her to some of our favorite places around here, and she came to class with us as well.

Here we are with our matching Thai traditional skirts:

The day before Nikki left was John's 24th Birthday, so we had a little party for him at the apartment. Our wonderful small group leaders gave us a crockpot, so we made a magnificently delicious stew, and opened presents. We also went out to see TRON Legacy in 3D. We love our stylish glasses...

Some other blessings this month:

• Jack and Wendy also gave us a milk foamer so we can make cheap lattes in the morning!! They are so generous: we love you guys!!
• We got to spend time with some volunteer friends of ours from Scotland. They are leaving in 2 weeks, and we will really miss them. We've also gotten to know some people from our small group a lot better. God was so good to bless us with friends right when we needed them. We feel a lot less lonely now.
• We were able to see Tom again the day before he left Thailand. He has been biking around the mountains in the North for a month, and came through Bangkok to say goodbye on his way home. We feel refreshed after a visit from family.
• A huge thanks to all those who have sent packages and letters. You have no idea how they encourage us and carry us through a little longer. All the goodies from home are awesome too, but it's the fact that you're thinking of us that means the most! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
• My computer has contracted many viruses from the school computers, so much so that it refuses to turn on last week (on the day final exams and lesson plans were due, of course). One of the other teachers at work spent hours trying to fix it and we eventually had to take it to a computer shop. The good news is, for not too much money, they fixed it, Teacher Bob installed Windows 7, and now I feel like I have a brand new computer. It starts up in less than a minute! It's amazing!!

That's enough for now. Please continue to pray about the future. I'll write more about that next time.

Thoughts for the New Year

Sa-wat-dee-bee-mai-kah! Happy New Year!

We've just completed our first week back to school after a week's vacation, a feat I never knew was so difficult for teachers! We are amazed at how often we carry the class through by the sheer force of our personalities! :)

I must admit, it was weird to wear a short-sleeved shirt on Christmas Day and still be sweating, but we still put up a little tree and made eggnog to try to remind ourselves that it was actually December.

We had a wonderful time with Tom and Carolyn Sullivan, John's parents, who came out to visit us on the other side of the world. After a lovely Christmas here in Muang Thong, we went up North to the mountains, and enjoyed showing them around some of our favorite places. I think the best part of vacation, though, was enjoying the cooler temperatures of the North (one evening, I even got cool enough to wear a light, long-sleeved shirt and a scarf!!).

John and his Mommy...

Our favorite market: the Sunday walking street at the Taepai Gate in Chiang Mai.

A delicious roast chicken lunch on the side of the road. Gai Yang. Yum!

The best coffee place in Thailand: Libernard's Cafe.

We got to introduce Tom and Carolyn to our friends the Hoppes in Chiang Mai.

Now we are back in the Bangkok area, and wondering what God has in store for us this year.

Over the past five months, we have often asked ourselves why God brought us to Thailand in the first place. It was very obvious that he led us here, but why? It doesn't seem like we are doing much, and to us at least, we don't feel like we are learning very many new things. It's interesting that several other young couples that we have spoken to in the past months have said the exact same thing. We don't think this is a coincidence. We know that God does not do things in vain. Maybe he is teaching us patience. Maybe he's showing us that we had wrong expectations. Either way, I believe that we are like a chess piece that God has placed exactly where He wants, and that in time, our purpose here will become clearer. Our part is to remain vigilant and be ready to jump when He says "Go." Maybe we are learning more than we know. Many people believe that something is starting to change in Thailand, and we pray that we will be able to be a part of that. We shall see...

Please continue to pray with us about our future. Our contrast with our current school runs out in March. We are thinking of staying a second year in Thailand, but we need to find a job. Thanks!!