A Bunch of Burts

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.

What to do when the pool is closed and it is super hot out?
Make do, right?

Actually, we are out particpating in the biggest holiday of the year in Thailand.
Thai New Year, or otherwise known as Songkran.

We do not have our truck available this year to go out driving around, so we camped at our mission office with another family and armed ourselves with buckets, garbage cans (don’t worry, they were clean and never used for trash), water guns and anything else we could fling water with.

Songkran is a huge event here in Chiang Mai, with people coming from all over the country to celebrate in this city.
The water part of the holiday began as a way of honoring the elders and recieving a blessing from them.

Of course it has changed into one big water free for all.

There are many spiritual elements to this holiday as well, being a Buddhist celebration in a Buddhist country. There are elaborate and special merit making ceremonies at every wat.

As we had fun joining in the water fight, we had many reminders of why we are here.

Truckloads of people passing us by, on their way to play and make merit, looking for peace and joy, but lacking the One who can actually give it.

We do enjoy the play and fun associated with Songkran, but know our real joy is Christ, because of Him we are secure in all circumstances and can rest in His care of each day and the next, no matter what comes.

Not exactly sure how Greg got the water to come of that side of bucket. He must have Songkran skills :0

Songkran ‘happens’ to fall right at the height of hot season, when everyone is looking for a way to cool off. We were using water right from the hose, so it was like bath water. But many of the passing trucks had stopped at one of the ice vendors and their water was very chilly! But welcome as we baked out there in the heat.

As we encounter and particpate in these Thai holdiays for the second time around, there is much we appreciate and enjoy about the Thai people and their traditions. We are eager to see them celebrate their culture while at the same time glorify the Lord and know Him. Not apart from their culture, not rejecting what them Thai, but as the center of it, bringing meaning and fullness that was not there before.

Last weekend we had the opportunity to get of Chiang Mai and visit a family about 31/2 hours NE of us. Their village is one of the locations we are considering joining, but it was fun to just go up and visit them. They have four children and our kids had a great time reconnecting and playing.

A treat of soda makes for cheerful kids in a hot car! Notice the sleeping dog. I believe this was before she threw up on Ema. ick.

Well, maybe Zach and Ema had a better time that Leah. There was no girl her age, but the 6 year old thought Leah was very cool and wanted to play with her all weekend.

Over the course of the weekend, we found out some very important information about this family, things that could make or break a relationship. They like to play the same games we do!
A couple of their favorites are Scum and The Farming Game.

Now I know The Farming Game is not a widely popular board game, but we enjoy it, especially Zachary. He chooses it more than any other game we have. It is a game that resembles Monopoly in design, but revolves around farming, (no surprise there,) and harvesting your different crops based on a roll of the dice. It was created by a farmer from Eastern Washington and had a short run in NW stores. Since it has been out of production for quite some time, we were quite surprised to know that this family not only knew of the game, but it is one of their favorites.

Greg had the chance to go out on survey with the dad, looking at potential villages for them to locate and base their church-planting effort from. A first for Greg, and one he enjoyed very much.
As we focus on our language learning in Chiang Mai, it is important for us to remin focused on why we are learning language. To bew able to take the Word of God to those who have not heard, who have no reliable Gospel witness in their language or culture.

Along the way to these villages, they stopped by the banks of the Mekong and Greg took these great pictures.

Please keep praying with us as we have many things to think about as we try to come to a decision in the next few months about where the Lord would have us work.