Back and READY to BLOG!

I know it's been a long time since I've posted and that's been because I've been away!!!

Josiah and I went away to visit a friend of mine up in Baan Nam Khem while John and Jude held down the fort. I had it in my head that I just wanted to get to know this fellow missionary and see how she does what she does where she is and hopefully answer some of my questions about the average 5 year old (because I don't have access to any! In English of course!). She has 3 children...all pretty close in age...2 twin boys and a beautiful girl. I also really wanted Josiah to be able to play with her children. He's been going through some stuff since the Stubenrauch's went away on furlough taking Josiah's only english speaking friends with them (Asia and Mercy). I was desperate to know and see how her life was lived out on the mission field (homeschool, ministry, managing her home) and really wanted to get to know her.

She's a gorgeous girl (don't blush if you're reading Amy!) with a tenasity for our Lord and an awesome sense of humor. It was such a HUGE blessing on so many levels to be able to visit there in Baan Nam Khem. The main thing was that it turned out that it wasn't just my idea to go visit her (which I've never done before) God had planned it! I was completely shocked and in awe of what God had in store.

I came back completely refreshed and restored!! I didn't even know that I needed refreshing!!!! God, through her husband, spoke things and about things that I had been feeling and going through that only God knew and said things that only John and I had talked about and no one could have known. God spoke and reminded us of the fact that HE ALONE has called us here and HE has plans for us and is continually working them toward his will.

So! Anyway, I will be writing again tomorrow. I just wanted to give you a quick update and let you know I'm back and ready to BLOG! :) Thanks for reading as always and thank you for your prayers!!! Don't forget to check out the video below.

A must watch...

Ok...so I know this one takes a long time to load and the beginning is really slow but MAN! I was so inspired after watching this and I just had to share it with everyone! Please take the time and let it load. (Don't forget to pause the music player on the right side of our blog before viewing the video)

1 Peter 5
8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Update...New Look...Ticker at the top...

Hello everyone!

Time has been flying by each day. No matter how hard I try to hang on to each hour they seem to slip by with ease. Nevertheless, God is moving and we are staying on track...with home school, language study, ministry and just life in general. It's definiately not easy at times but God always gives the grace that we need to continue on.

Our church is doing very well and our teams disciples are really following hard after God and his will for their lives. We are about to jump into a month long evangelistic out reach that will keep us very busy in October.

I have mentioned it before - Bless Hat Yai. We are very excited about this next month - we could very possibly be showing the Jesus Film every night of the week and passing out tracts during the day...well, after language of course. By next month I would be willing to bet that 95% of Hat Yai will either know the story of Jesus or have heard his name for the first time.

I know...that's a big claim but that is our hope. We are working with almost all the churches in Hat Yai and this month they are ALL dedicated to reaching out and making the name of Jesus known!!

I can't believe it but it's almost time to have to renew our visas! We have to renew our visas before January 2008 or else we are booted from the country! Thailand changed it's visa laws last year and foreigners can no longer live in their country for extended periods of time without leaving the country to renew their visas.

So...that means that in December we MUST once again defeat the odds and prove that our God makes the "impossible" possible. We do not receive enough money each month to save anything...we always have what we need but hardly ever over and if it is over we usually find that the following month is lower than normal and the excess is used appropriatly.

There is no possible way for us to come up with this money on our own...so, join with us as we watch God work yet another financial miracle. Everyday is a financial miracle in our lives. I never really share specific financial information but for the glory of our God...we some how managed to live off of $286 dollars last month when we normally need at least $800!!! Is that not amazing? I was shocked when I realized it myself!

We ate everyday...bought groceries...we bought diapers as normal...paid our bills...even had some good ice cream...and never noticed that it was less than we normally need! Praise God!

Please keep an eye on our new ticker at the top of our blog and be praying for us at December draws near. The "Make a Donation" button at the bottom of that ticker is set so that if you click on it to make a donation it will be marked for our "Visa Trip" only. If you wish to make a general donation then use the donation button on the right side bar. Thank you for reading as always and please feel free to email or leave a comment! We LOVE hearing from you!

Jude Dancing - The Original

Hey guys...

This is the first video we made of Jude dancing. He just loves to dance. I hope you enjoy! This was his last spirt before realizing it was WAY past bedtime and you can see it hit him like a brick. :) Remember to hit pause on the music player on the right of this page before attempting to view the video.

Jude Dancing Original

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Jude dancing...

If you want to view this video I recommend scrolling down a little bit and hitting pause on the music player on the right. Then you can view the video - but don't forget to turn it back on because the "martyr's prayer" will rock your world.

Jude gettin down...

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Song by Grits a Christian Rap group.

Wordless Wednesday - Jesus Film...

We had a HUGE response after the Jesus film was shown!! LOOK!

This is NOT common with the Thai people! Praise God!

Praying

People gathering to watch the Jesus Film

Chase snapped this shot of my handsome husband with the screen glowing on him...

What do you burn for?

Hi everyone...

I have a new widget...it plays music on my blog and I love it. It's distorted my blog a bit but I'm going to work on it.

Until then...please take some time and just listen to the first song that loads. It's a compilation and it's well worth your time.

As always, thank you for stopping in and leave a comment if you have the time. We love you guys and miss you all! Please be praying for us...

Beginning of the compilation:
As Joan of Arc was dying at the stake she said this quote - "Every man gives his life for what he believes and every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little to nothing and yet they give their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have...we live it and it's gone...but to live without belief is more terrible than dying...even more terrible than dying young."

What do you burn for?

Jim Elliot said the famous words years before his martyrdom "He is no food who gives what he can not keep to gain what he cannot loose. He prayed as a young man... "I pray lite these idol sticks of my life and may I burn up for thee. Consume my life my God for it is yours...I seek not a long life but a full one..."

"People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world do we waste our lives as missionaries? They forget they too are expending their lives and when the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal signifigance to show for the years they have lived." Nate Saint, martyer

Hope

God moved so mightily this morning in church. God shared with us through Clinton about hope this morning. I am going to share the scriptures with you in hope that it will bless you as much as it did our body of believers this morning:

1 Cor. 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

What are you putting your hope in? Faith and love are things that most Christians attempt to walk in daily but hope seems to be left behind many times. Hope for the future...hope that our loved ones would be saved...hope for our children...hope for God to move mightily in the body of Christ...Hope that a nation can be rocked and shaken to it's core in such a way that it would be won for Christ...Hope to see the day of our Lord and too look upon his face...

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a hope (longing) fulfilled is a tree of life

If you have no hope then the promises that God has given you can not come forth.

Psalms 42:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God...

Please notice...put your hope in God...not in yourself...your pastor...your church...do not put your hope in man. Man will fail you...only in God can your hope be fulfilled.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, " declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

1 Tim. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope...

Jesus is our hope...and the only way to hang onto hope is as follows:

1. Remain in hope by remaining in the spirit (Rom 15:13)

2. Remain in hope if you stand on God's Word (Psalm 119:49)

3. Remain in hope if you praise the Lord (Psalm 42:5)

4. Remain in hope if you rejoice in Christ and what he has done (Rom 12: 12)

I pray that you, reader, have not lost hope. Remember the promises of the Lord and cling to them with all of your might. Ask God to renew your hope for tomorrow...Hope always brings joy...Do NOT get weighed down with the cares of this world. Lift your eyes up to Him and allow him to make your path clear and straight. Do not lose hope...pray now.

Filled with Hope for the NATION of Thailand and for all of my loved ones to live radically for Him,

Steph

Martin Luther

On our second day of homeschooling Josiah learned about Martin Luther and how he confronted the religious leadership of that day to speak the truth of the word of God and he was so inspired he said..."MOMMY...Stop...I have to draw something...I just have to..." I am a very on task kind of mommy so I had to resist from stopping him and staying "on track" and realize this was his personal expression of what he was learning...his way of communication and this wonderful little picture is what resulted.

YES that IS the German flag! We saw that when we researched where Martin Luther was from online and it ended up in the picture! It's amazing what children can learn! I originally thought this would be way over his head and he wouldn't be interested but boy was I wrong! He LOVED that Martin Luther fought for the truth and that he spoke out for the Lord. Thank you God!

(So what you see above is a church with the religious leaders listening to Martin Luther (on the far left) telling the truth of the Word of God...the words at the bottom were dictated by Josiah.

Box Day! Wordless Wednesday!

Our new Sonlight curriculum arrived!! AHH!

WOW!! hehehe...cheesy I know...but it captured the moment...because Josiah was so excited about each book we pulled out of that box...and there were ALOT of books...

My sweet hearted...handsome Josiah...
My tough cookie and heart stealer...Jude.
AH! He's so adorable!

Mommy...

My boys...

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

Add to My Profile | More Videos

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