A Bunch of Burts

Thought you might like a quick peek at our home for the last month.

This is our kitchen. I have had to adjust my cooking and meal planning to use only the cooktop. There is also an ant cabinet, (to keep them out of the food!) and a small fridge.

Doesn’t Ema have a cheerful smile as she scrubs the shower! Thanks Ema! Notice the bucket with orange dipper. That is how the toilet flushes.

A view of some of the student houses from the takraw court.

Another view of a students house. The upper area is the sleeping living area and the lower area is the kitchen. Bathrooms are separate.

These little pots are the cookstoves for the students, and like what many people still use in the villages. They are out back of the kitchens and use wood for heat. I am very thankful for my cooktop!

Of course there is a soccer field! Go Zach!

Oh yes, the classroom! Greg spends most of each day in there along with the 18 other students.

Thanks for taking the tour!

Wow, a lot happens in BlogWorld when you are offline for nearly 3 weeks!

We rapidly coming to an end of our time at the Bible School in the Northwest of Thailand, and have been stretched and encouraged and frustrated and blessed, all at the same time.

The kids enjoyed washing clothes by hand, pretending to be pioneers and explorers, for about a day.

My first week here, I attended my first funeral AND wedding. (different people of course. Thank you Captain Obvious.)
Both of the ceremonies were Christian families. The funeral was a the mother of one of the ladies in my small group from our church in Chiang Mai, and so I knew someone there.
The wedding was a relation of our pastor and of one of the teachers here at the Bible school. Apparently, nearly everyone is related out here in Maesariang.

This is a lady dressed in the Lawa style. She was a guest at the wedding.

The wedding was a huge affair and although there were loads of people there, one family in attendance stood out like a sore thumb, can you guess who it was? Actually, the only awkawrd moment, (and it was probably only awkward for us), was when the bride and groom made their way through the guests and got us. Although their suprise registered on their faces, they were very gracious and just smiled and had their picture taken just like we were invited guests.

As for our language ability, I am pleased to say we can both see marked improvement. Greg even took a test last week with the rest of the students, and got an 84%! Most of the points off were fill-in-the-blank memory verses. Memorizing Scripture in Thai is very hard. For us.

There are days when it seems our brains just will not switch on, and the teaching sounds like a jumble, but then other days we can almost hear the click and for two hours, we can listen to the teaching and follow almost all of it!

We have both had the chance to lead a worship session and share a bit from the Word.

One Sunday we attended a Karen church about 30 minutes from the campus. Funny thing is that nearly none of the students understand Karen. The sermon was preached by one of the teachers here and then translated into Karen. That evening at our Sunday night meeting back at school, one of the students shared how difficult that was, to be at the church and not understand the preacher, the people around them, or be able to communicate.
Hmmm, I think we can relate to that.

Here are the kids at the Karen church. The building in the back is the kitchen.

I will try to get some more pictures of the campus up and posted in the next day or so. It is really a beautiful place, and seeing the housing for the students will make you very thankful for the home God has given you!

This past Sunday our normal routine was changed a bit. My oldest has been taking part in a puppet club at school, and they had a short performance at one of the international churches for thier youth Sunday. (International translates to English services. )

Leah’s puppet is the girl in the middle front. They are singing a country style song about being a Christian called “Ain’t it Grand”

We normally attend a Thai church which is a blessing. I enjoy the ladies there, the kids are making friends (when they break out of their shy-I-don’t-understand-what-they-are-saying-but-can-understand-the-instructions-for-the-game attitude), and I learn new words every week. There is one little girl who I think would like to have Leah for a big sister. She makes sure she sits next to her or me nearly every week.

But there is something about being able to walk into church, make small talk and conversation with the person sitting next to you, understand the announcements, prayer requests and jokes, and best of all for me, to join fully in the corporate worship of singing and praising God.

If I ever had any doubts about why we need to learn Thai and then the regional languages to teach and reach the Thai people, I only need to attend English church to remind me.

The sermon was just what I needed to hear that Sunday (of course, that IS just how God works!) and the chance to sing and concentrate on praising God and not following the words was just delightful.

I was sad to miss our regular church this week as it was my turn to help prepare the lunch meal with some of the other ladies, and I am ready to go back this coming Sunday, but I am thankful for last Sunday, for the worship, for the teaching, for the other people present, for seeing my daughter involved in the service, and having my other children sitting next to me. I enjoy having them listen beside me, and seeing what they are getting from the teaching too.

Leah is the one in the middle with the maroon pony tail holder. The puppets are two-person jobs, she is working the mouth.

Thank you Lord for your Church all over the world. Thank you that no matter where we are, we are one in You, united in Your death, burial and ressurection and our voices all rise to the same unchanging God.

HeavenlyHomeMakers has more things we can all thank God for. What are you thankful for?

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.

Today was the first full day of our month without Greg.

Yesterday Greg left to begin his term at CDM (Church Development and Missions), a bible school in Maesariang, about 4.5 hours from Chiang Mai. This is a chance for him to gain a new level of conversational Thai, build relationships with Thai Christians, learn the high language used for Scripture and teaching about the Lord, to sit under the teaching of two very good teachers and go through the main stories of the Old Testament, from Creation to Christ.

The kids and I will follow in a month, after the school year is done at Grace. That seems like a long time. At least for me.

I know that military and government wives are often separated from their husbands for very long periods of time. But I have been spoiled over these last few years, and have grown accustomed to having my dear husband around every day. It is one of the perks of being a missionary team, we see each other all the time and work together.

So for this spoiled wife, a month sounds awfully long. To date, in our marriage of 15 years, we have only spent 2 weeks at the most apart. (When Greg first came out to Thailand while we were still in training with NTM).

I just got off the phone with him as he was getting into bed. He gave me the rundown on what his days will look like at bible school. Very long. Starts at 5:30 and ends between 10 and 11 each night.

And this will be all in Thai. He will be the only English speaker until we arrive in June. Immersion, the best way to learn language, right? That is our plan.

So if you think of us, please pray for Greg. That he would be able to understand as much as possible, retain the new words he will be learning and recall them for use when appropriate. When he grows frustrated or discouraged, that he would lean on the Lord, and not rely on his own strength and understanding. Also, that this time would be one of blessing for him and that he would be a blessing to the other students there.

And for us too? I rely on Greg for so many things, ferrying kids back and forth from school and activities, paying bills (remember, no check to mail here, all is done in person.) and of course taking out the trash. Please pray that we will diligently finish our studies here in Chiang Mai before heading out to join Greg, and to take care of all that needs to done to leave the city for a few months.

Thanks!

Staying up late because I do not like to go bed alone,
Tina

Update. Yes, already. I am hearing all sorts of creeping and crawling noises that I usually do not hear. We have had a HUGE amount of rain these last few days and I am thinking it has washed creatures out of their lairs and they are looking for a dry place to ‘hang out’.
So far we have not had any snakes or other beasts in the house, beyond the normal little lizards, cockroaches and ants, but are we taking bets that now that Greg is gone I will have the pleasure of their company? eek.