A Bunch of Burts

Greg has now been at CDM (Church Development and Mission School) for two weeks.
He is definitely getting a good workout in Thai every day. He is in class each morning at 7:30 and the day ends at 9:30. Of course there are some breaks for lunch, dinner, work detail and free time, but it is a very full day.

Classes are challenging to keep up with, but from his reports, he is doing OK. His reading assignments are a bit behind, but I am so proud of him for sticking it out every day. It is not easy to be the only one who does not get the jokes and falls behind in the discussions and reading. But God is faithful and gives him His Grace each day, and supplies His strength. Of course some day are more frustrating than others, but praise God, His Merices truly are new every morning.

Some of the extra-curricular lessons Greg has been learning are also interesting.

lizard trapping
shellfish gathering
banana plant maintenance (did you know they are filled with water?)
intense soccer
wild plant gathering
making animal traps from logs and string

Wish we had two camera to have sent with him, but then I guess he would not have any way to get the pictures to me anyway. We will just have to wait until the kids and I get out there.

We both sure do appreciate all who are praying for us. Not only for Greg as he is immersed in Thai and various other languages, but for the both of us while we are separated and miss being together as a family. Sure has made me appreciate the blessing Greg is to us and causes me stop and thank God often for him.

I am a bit concerned for our arrival out there though. It seems rainy season has begun early and that always bring a great deal of bugs. He has commented nearly every night on the vast array of insects and their size. Some unnamed members of our family do not, shall we say, deal well with bugs.
For those of you who are familiar with the Great Spider Incident know just what I am talking about.

Another matter for prayer I am sure.

I have read several posts lately on a subject I can totally relate to.

Ants.

I hate intensely dislike them. I never thought much about them before, but we are innundated with them, in several varieties.

Although they are used as a symbol of industry and hard work in Scripture, I feel they are clear evidence of the Fall. I mean really, there is something wrong that they can emerge from a microwave unharmed. Chicken is cooked, butter melted and the bowl used is piping hot, but the ants, no harm done. They crawl out and go about thier business of invading my home. Creepy.

Maybe I need to have some more of these around, keep them out of the house.
(Beware, semi-gross picture coming up)

Notice the little leg bones poking out. These ants mean business. Exhibit #1 why I do not want to share my house with them.

By the time I was able to get this posted, I checked on this unsuspecting gecko again. Picked completely clean.

We have tried all sorts of things to get the ants out of our house. Unforuntately, they live in our walls, behind the tiles and in the cement. I think they are here to stay. But I do not have to like their company.

Whew!

We had good news from the vet this week. She is not a hemophiliac. We wait one more month and then check again and if everthing is still OK, we can get her fixed. Because taking her to the country with that task undone, is NOT an option.
As my friend Shelley said, those dogs out there are loose in both meanings of the word.

It is completely cold-hearted and stingy of me to have had a part of me wishing the dog did have a problem, that would cause us to have to get rid of her? Just a part.

But Leah had been praying for the whole week that Ginger would be OK and we could keep her. Her prayers were answered, so I will praise God with her.

Hopefully, she will be a bit calmer too, afterwards. I can hope, right?

Last week, Ema’s eye began hurting her.
She was developing a sty. I hate those nasty things, they hurt and ache and even blinking becomes a bother. And for the sty-ee, they seem to take forever to clear up.

My friend, MR, noticed Ema’s eye and gave a great tip.

She said her mom always rubbed a gold ring on a sty when it was beginning and it would clear right up. Ema’s sty was more than just beginning, but we gave it a try. In the morning after breakfast, and at night before bed, we gently rubbed Ema’s eye with Greg’s wedding band. (His is wider than mine and easier to use). After one day: a marked improvement, and after two: all the soreness was gone and the redness had pretty well disappeared. By the looks of her eye before the gold treatment, I would have given it another 4-5 days to clear up on its own.

MR said she asked a doctor why this works, and he replied that both gold and silver are natural antibiotics. (Caution: gold and silver are also heavy metals, DO NOT take internally. although if you have the wherewithall to be eating gold, may I send you our contact info? )

You know, now that I think about it, burn patients often have bandages impregnated with silver too, to help the healing process.

Wow, what an awesome God we have, He really thought of everything didn’t He? I love finding little bits of info like this that make me appreciate the Creator and His creation more and more.

There is more valuable advice, yummy recipes and helpful hints waiting for you at Shannon’s Works for Me Wednesday Have fun searching!

Remember that dog?

The kids love their dog. At least when they do not have to clear the yard of Ginger bombs.

Not a small puppy anymore. Time to take her into the vet and make sure we do not have to find homes for puppies of our own.

What? What’s that you say? I can’t make an appointment to get this dog fixed? My dog may be what?!

Have you EVER heard of a dog being a hemophiliac? You have got to be kidding me.

Even Ginger is taken back that she has a problem. You can see the denial in her eyes.

I took Ginger in to get a vaccine booster, and the night before she broke out in a rash on her underside. We all just thought she tangled with the weaver ants that are taking over our yard. They do pack a nasty bite. No big deal.

Well, the vet thought it was a big deal and was very concerned. She asked if Ginger had ever had ticks. Yes! She was loaded with them when we brought her home. The vet took some blood to check for a tick borne disease (did not have it), and called me back the next day very agitated and insisted I bring Ginger back in right away.

When they ran the blood, she did not have the tick disease, or any blood parasite. So far so good. But the platelet count was a bit low. Instead of being somewhere in the neighborhood of 300.000 to 500.000, she had a measly 2000. Not so good.

Needless to say, we could not schedule her for spaying. Now what to do? The vet gave her a shot to ’stimulate platelet production” . Did not know you could do that and we bring her back in tommorrow to recheck and see if her count has gone up.

What do we do if it does not?!

How do we take a female, unfixed dog to the Thai countryside where nasty, fully ‘functioning’ male dogs roam the countryside and without a fenced yard?

Suggestions? Anyone? (crickets chirping?)