An INCREDIBLE drama...WOW!

TOO CUTE!!!

The Dangers of Cooking Abroad...WW!!

No...really. This is just a serious accident that could have been HORRIBLE! I was cooking a Chicken Broccoli Casserole and the cheese just wasn't melting...so I leaned down...opened the oven...didn't smell any gas...and thought hmm...this is strange. So I leaned down a little bit further so I could see the fire and clicked it one time and out came a HUGE flame.

The amazing thing is that I have no nose hairs left but my eyebrows and eye lashes are still in tact! Yes, I know my hair looks really bad. The thing is that I have been growing out my "frizzies" for about 8 months now and they were finally manageable...but well, they were sticking up when the flame hit so they just burned right up. I think they protected the rest of my hair because the fire burned upwards...I don't know. I just know I'm very lucky and I will never never never again lean down to see the fire as it lights and I will double check smelling for gas.

I thought I was being safe to make sure I didn't assume the fire was lit...This has never happened before...AH! So here is the BEFORE picture...yeah, it's ok...I give you permission to laugh...:

AFTER:

My Boys had much better luck cooking...

Wordless Wednesday...

Selling Fruit

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K...so I never have no words on Wordless Wednesday...so why should this time be any different? This is a short video from today...and there are some Thai words in there. Sorry...can't keep my mouth shut on Wordless Wednesday! :)

Selling Fruit...Durian...

Hello All!

John was unable to show the Jesus film at that dump site the other day...they have to wait until they receive permission. They were directed to the perfect place to show the film but it turns out that that area is government owned so they must receive permission first. They should be able to show it within the next week.

Well I helped Pii On at her shop tonight for a few hours and it was sooo busy! Thai people LOVE fruit! Here are some pics from today. I'm attempting to upload a quick video I shot tonight. I hope it works.

I can finally ride our bike!! WAHOO! And boy do I love it!

That's me! It was really funny...sometimes people would stop and they would smile at me but wouldn't speak because they assumed I couldn't speak thai...then I would greet them and ask them how many kilos they want and they would be shocked! It is so fun to see the looks on their faces when they find out I can understand what they are saying about me....

THIS is durian. Ever heard of it? Well, it is one of the stinkiest if not THE stinkiest fruit in all the world. And you see those pokie things? THEY HURT! Like a cactus...I often wonder what the first person to eat a durian must have thought!! It hurts to try to open it...it stinks when you finally get it open and the texture is so strange!! They must have been really hungry...

It smells so bad that they actually have signs in buildings prohibiting the fruit!! LOOK!

This is the actual Durian. You know, the people who like it really LOVE it. Like they crave it! The two other women on our team love it and go great lengths to get a "good one" and crave it like some women crave chocolate. It's rather expensive too and Thai's will spend a pretty penny/baht on it.

This is our wonderful friend Pii On. She is doing very well and is EXTREMELY busy throughout the day at her shop. Only 5 more days left and the Ngaan Gasset will be finished and she'll be finished with this madness. It really feels that way at night...like I said the Thai people love their fruit and if it is priced well...whew...DO NOT get in the way of a Thai person who wants some cheap fruit! :)

Helping Pii On with this shop is a great opportunity...tonight a lady came up to me and just wanted to know everything about me...if I had a boyfriend, where I worked, why I was in Thailand...anyway, I was able to start talking to her about religion and about how Christianity is not the same as Buddhism and she just kept saying over and over...all religion is the same. As long as you go to the wat/temple and you are good person then that is enough. Anyway, while she definitly wasn't open to the gospel there were seeds planted.

Oh by the way! We have enough for Josiah's curriculum!!! I am so excited about ordering...I've been holding off a little while to re read a few emails that I was sent with tons of wonderful advice about curriculum and homeschooling in general. Between 7 people we raised $850 dollars for Josiah's school curriculum this year! I couple donated $550 dollars! It will take $767 dollars after shipping to get the curriculum here. I am so blessed that there is a little left over to do things with Josiah throughout the year...and purchase a few extra books for him.

I sat him down yesterday and explained to him what had happend. I told him that mommy and daddy didn't have enough money to buy him school books and his face got real sad and then I said "...but you know what Josiah? Mommy and Daddy prayed and asked God what to do and he told us and do you know what?" He was hanging on every word... "we wrote everyone we knew in America and asked if they felt like they should give to help buy your books and they did Josiah!" I showed him the books and he squealed with excitement.

Then he said "Momma...please make sure to tell them I said Thank You...k?" So...straight from the heart of my 5 year old son...and from ours...

Thank you...Thank you....Thank you....

*Kilyn and James
*Christina
*Steve and Annie
*Laura
*Joan
*Glenda
*Shannon

Tackle it Tuesday

It's not much of a tackle but it was much needed. It has been sooo hot during the day here that I have avoided straightening my room for about 4 days now! There were clothes to be put up...a bed to be made...things to be straightened...it was a mess as you can see here:





And here are the after pictures...that funny design you see in our windows is padding that we use to keep the heat out of our room and they are serving as curtains for the moment until we can buy some curtains. The big machine you see on our left wall is our air conditioner that we are so blessed to have!! It may not be pretty but it sure keeps us cool at night.

Oh and the pompasaan chair frame that we keep around because we hope to find a shop that can make us another cushion...until then...it's a catch all and a horrible eye sore...







Hope you enjoyed my tackle it Tuesday! Thanks for stopping by!! :)

Homeschooling frustrations...

Found this pic on the web...good pic to describe how I feel sometimes...

So I was doing my study yesterday and I read this scripture. I've read it many times even quoted it tons of times and I love how it was ok to use "do" so many times. It's almost humorous if he weren't talking about such a serious serious situation.

I have really been dealing with frustration issues when teaching my son. I've come to find out that for the most part this is completely normal for beginning homeschool moms...but it really upsets me that I can't seem to control my frustration. So I've been praying and asking the HOly Spirit to help me and fix this area of my life.

It's not good for my son, I don't like it and it does NOT glorify God. So...when I was doing this study I could really relate. I would feel like I could not stop myself from being frustrated with my wonderful 5 year old son. I'm still trying new things that I'm learning and it is getting better and Josiah is learning how to learn. But you know when you are in the midst of some sin...such as anger or jealousy and the Holy Spirit reveals it to you but it just seems beyond you to stop it?
Well, I do not believe believers should walk ruled by their flesh...but I just felt like I was. So as I read this scripture I was really identifying. Please read Romans 7:7-25

14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[b]

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

I was right there saying "What a WRETCHED woman I am!" How could I get so frustrated with my son? He's just being like a normal 5 year old. I can't expect him to do everything perfectly or not get distracted...ESPECIALLY since we are just really diving in to real homeschool. Where is my meekness....where is kindness? Where is the love of God in me????

Then the truth comes through..."THANKS BE TO GOD - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Because of Him I can overcome my flesh and my frustration. I then read 1 John 4:4:

4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over them, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

After I read that scripture I just felt like I could breath again. I know God will continue to work on me and I am gaining so much knowledge about homeschooling. So today we sat down to do just a little bit of math together and things were 100% better! There are so many wonderful women who have been there and done that I am learning so much from them. Please continue to pray for me as Josiah and I continue on the long road that is homeschooling.

I will not let frustration and anger get the best of me...spoiling our learning time together. No matter what his attention span is...I will walk in his grace and love and I will allow the Holy Spirit to teach me and show me how to homeschool with a meek and loving spirit. I can do this through Him...

Ice creamland

The way kids think:

Josiah: Mom...Ice creamland is under the bottom of the earth right? (pointing down)

Mom: Well, there is no such place as ice creamland honey...I wish there were...I'd like to live there...

Josiah: Yes there is mommy it's at the bottom of the earth...I know it...

Mom: No...there is a place called Iceland and land at the bottom of the earth that is covered in ice. Is that what you are talking about?

Josiah: Yeah...Ice creamland...that's what I said!

I'm thinking to myself...has this kid possibly ever seen goonies? :) Ice creamland does sound a lot more interesting than iceland...don'tcha think?

My First Pizza...and humungo breakfast...Jame...

Hey guys...

I know this might not interest most of the people who check out our blog but...for mom and those who care...I made my first Pizza from SCRATCH! I tell you what...if living on the mission field doesn't turn you into Betty Crocker I don't know what does! No...LOL! I am not anywhere near Betty Crocker but I can now cook more than hamburger helper and simple Prego and meat speghetti. WAHOO!

I do have to say that it has been forced upon me...no farang food to buy and if I were in America I would have run to Wal-Mart and bought my crust instead of making my own from scratch. We had an awesome team in and I made breafast for all 24 of us and it was quite the ordeal! We had homemade pancakes, eggs, fruit, ham, biscuits, gravy and hash browns with chocolate milk. The credit for the biscuits and gravy go to Amber :) And I had extra hands helping me in the kitchen - thanks to Colton and Chase - they peeled and shredded all 24 potatos.

Anyway, here are a few pics. Oh and Josiah's first frog book catch. Josiah LOVES to catch frogs and so we told him that when he catches one we will take a picture of it and when he has a bunch we'll make a book of them.

We just had a Thai guy come by and visit us yesterday evening out of the blue. John gave him a tract over a year ago in a small village and then last week he passed John passing out tracts in a market with a team and recognized him. They sat and talked for a little bit and he said he was going to come by and visit.

And he actually did! Thai's will say they will stop by but very rarely do. But he came by and we talked for about 2 and a half hours! It was awesome. He says he is a Christian but he does not know Jesus...it's just religion to him...and he is still buddhist from what I can tell. So anyway, his name is Jame...please pray for him. He is coming over tomorrow evening to go out with John to show the Jesus film.

He is 22 years old and a university student in Bangkok but he is here for 2 months for his break...he wants to study and practice speaking English! What an open door! I just pray that he is radically saved before 1 month is up so we can at least disciple him for one month!!! I claim JAME for our GOD in JESUS NAME!!!!

Welp, I hope you enjoy the pics! Thanks for stopping in!

The PIZZA!


The Breakfast...

The Team...

The Jude...

The cutie pies...

The Frog...

No wonder our idea of beauty is distorted...

http://view.break.com/171268 - Watch more free videos

Wordless Wednesday

A new area that John just found. We're showing the Jesus Film here tomorrow.

Child at home in the dump site...

A man reading a tract....

Daddy went crazy with some markers...

What a week!...Kill that plant?...21 Day Rise with God Quest

It has been quite a week! There has been a wonderful team here from Antioch church in Texas. Most of them are Baylor students - but they are an awesome group...it's been a blessing to get to know each one of them. This week John and I have been staying busy going out with this team and just taking care of business :)

I took a group of 8 women out to minister to the prostitutes the day before yesterday and it was good. I would say it was awesome but no one came to know Jesus...although there was a LOT of seeds planted. These women are so hardened up - we really have to depend on God's working power to move in their hearts.


John has been going out throughout the week passing out tracts and spending time with the team and studying language. God has really been opening up doors...it seems like everytime John turns around he has someone wanting to "hang out" with him and get to know him better. I know you would think that that happens all the time but the Thai's don't hardly ever go past the cordial hello and normal questions. When it comes to having Thai friends it has been a hard thing. John's language is picking up so much that it is really helping! Thank you GOD!





One of the members of the team snapped this shot of John with some of the kids from tin shack village in Hat Yai. The children were following them while they tracted in the city. The children in Thailand just steal my heart. There is such a need for Christian orphanages here...there are so many children who need love.

Most of the children are taken in by someone (besides the Burmese who are left to fend for themselves) in there family or village but they are not loved. Most of them are given enough money for some snacks and sent to the game shop.



These children are so hungry for someone to show them love. When we were out ministering to the prostitutes a little boy came running out and I asked her if it was her child and she said yes...he came out of the "kareoke bar/prostitution house" and I then asked her how old he was and she could not remember!

I also saw to adorable children that I saw last time I was there...their mother works there and they sell flowers while their mother works all hours of the night. They carry around little roses and sell them for 10 baht a piece.



The little boy, Nawng Swooaywat, was so excited to see us and he started rummaging through the tracts in our hands to see if we had any that he had not collected as if they were trading cards! He then continued to ask if we had any more VCD's about Jesus.

His little sister was so shy...one of the girls on the team bought flowers from her and then tried to give her one back...and I translated and told her that "She is beautiful to Jesus...Jesus loves you..." and she didn't know what to do when that kindness was shown to her.



What a precious girl...speaking of precious...the other day our electricity went out for a while and Josiah comes in the door and says "Mommy, can we just find that plant and kill it?" I asked him what plant he was talking about...and he said "The plant that takes away your power.." I assumed he was talking about some thing on Veggie Tales...like the Rumer Weed...and continued to tell him it wasn't real.



He then got very frustrated and said "But momma, it is real! I know it is...you told me about it and I know it's real...it takes the power away...that bad plant..." I was at loss for words...I had NO CLUE what he was talking about and he so desperately wanted me to find this plant and kill it so we could have our power back...and then it hit me like a ton of bricks!!



A POWER PLANT! The electricity comes from a power plant...when I talked to him about it he said..."YEAH MOmmy! I told you already...the plant that takes the power" I love him so much! I just LOVE MY CHILDREN! Not because they do cute things like that or are so HANDSOME but just because they ARE. They are our children and are wonderful blessings.



I'm reading a book right now called "Keeping our Children's Hearts" and it is really rocking my world. I got to the part about whether not our hearts are turned toward our children and what that statement really means and I had to just stop reading for a while and let that soak in.

Are your hearts turned toward your children? Of course, your heart is turned toward God first but in the bible it says that He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and turn the hearts of the children to the fathers.



This is a huge deal in parenting. God had really been speaking to me about my heart and I'm really excited. Another thing I am excited about is a neat thing that God put on my heart. I was emailing with my NEW found most AWESOMEST friend through email ever...and we were just emailing back and forth about discipline and she shared how she desired so much to get up in the morning and spend time with God.



I usually spend my time with the Lord at night but I've always wanted to do it in the morning so...I challenged her to a 21 Day Rise with God Quest! We are holding each other accountable to rise in the morning and meet with God.

We want to extend this Quest to everyone...so:



I hereby challenge you...to a 21 Day Rise With God Quest. Your quest, should you choose to accept it, would be that we rise at a predetermined set time to meet with our God without FAIL and without COMPROMISE to see change in our lives and the lives of our families.

So...do you accept? Why 21 days you ask? Well...someone once told me (don't know if it's true) that it takes 21 days to break or make a habit...so there it is. My wonderful hubby has made an awesome graphic for this and if you choose to join in you can display this logo on your blog or website to get the news out.

We are officially starting this for everyone on Monday, August the 6th. I hope you join in! I will soon have a Mr. Linky up so that everyone can put up a link if you are going to go on this quest with us!



I pray you accept the challenge and draw closer to Him!

Thanks for reading!