Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I apologize for my lack of blogs in the past couple of weeks. This is the end of the semester, so grading has consumed all my time.

Here is a recap of the past month:

- Soccer: Both my soccer teams played so well in the CMAC tournament. The under 11 girls came in fourth place, which was great considering that there were quite a few girls who never played soccer before this season. My under 13 girls were favored to win the tournament, but came in 3^rd due to a referee’s mistake of the overtime rules. It was very sad, but my girls pulled together and walked away with a medal.

- Teaching: Like I said before, the semester just ended and my time was filled with much grading. I have been teaching geography for the whole year, but wanted to make it exciting for the students. I decided to have a pirate theme to make the subject more entertaining. The students had 4 projects to complete before the semester was over. They had to write a research paper on one of the pirate groups they chose (Roman, Greek, Chinese, Caribbean, Barbary, Viking, or Spanish). Project 2 they had to create a pirate map of where their group of pirates sailed. This incorporated map skills such as a compass rose, ocean currents, wind patterns, and navigational skills. Project 3 they had to actually build a pirate ship again using the information they learned from their research paper. Finally, they had to write a short story using a pirate theme. We had a pirate party last Wednesday and watched a movie about Blackbeard. This made learning about geography so much more fun than reading out of a textbook.

- Roommate: My roommate, Cherilyn will be leaving on the 27^th to go back to Indiana to finish her senior year of college. She was here for eight weeks doing her student teaching in the 6^th grade class. I was a little nervous at first because I have never had a roommate. Why do I worry? The Lord had it all worked out and she was truly a blessing! We clicked immediately and have had so much fun and many crazy adventures together! I will be getting another student teacher in February, so I won’t be lonely for very long. Allison will be coming and teaching in high school, so she will also be working in my department, which should be fun!

- - Church: I am loving my church and am starting to meet so many new people. I have asked a few people about joining the worship team, so hopefully next week I can ask the right person and perhaps join the team. That would be so much fun. I miss playing the keyboard and singing so much! There is a family who live down the street from me who are in charge of a dorm for students. Last week, they came with the whole dorm and were caroling outside my gate! It was so amazing and of course it brought tears to my eyes!

- Holidays: Thanksgiving was pretty difficult for me because I had the stomach flu. I was so depressed because I was looking forward to go to Mike and Becky’s house and fellowship with them, but instead I was in bed the whole day. Although, this was not what I had planned, the Lord really put on my heart to stop complaining about my situation and think and pray for others who are in much worst circumstances than me, i.e. the Karen in Burma. I went to a missionary’s house a few weeks ago and she had Karen guests who work for David Eubanks and Free Burma Rangers. It was so amazing to talk with them about FBR and what they are currently doing. We sang Jesus Loves Me in Karen because that is the only song I know in their language. They were so impressed by my very limited Karen…ha ha! I met a man who lost his leg and just received a prosthetic leg just a few weeks ago. His story is incredible and His love for the gospel and for the Lord just radiates from him. It was so encouraging and such a blessing to be with these people! Christmas is only 5 days away and currently I am in Phuket enjoying the beautiful weather and majestic ocean. I will be flying from Phuket to Hong Kong on Monday where I will be going to Disneyland!!! I am so excited!!! I wanted a taste of home and Disneyland will definitely hit the spot. I will fly back to CM on Christmas Eve and skype my family the next day so I can see them and watch them open presents! It is all starting to hit me that I am not going to be with them for Christmas. I am trying to start my own traditions, which is fun! My house is decorated with my little tree and garland draped down the staircase. I have a Merry Christmas wreath on my front door and lights along my gate outside! Christmas in Thailand should be awesome and I am looking forward to this new experience.

- Prayer Requests: Please pray that Christmas will not be too difficult and that I will enjoy myself despite not being with family. Also, please pray for my coworkers who are not saved (Scott, Mike, Matt, and Dave). I work with them everyday and am really good friends with Scott. Please pray that I will be a light and that I will be an example of what a true follower of Christ is like. Also pray for the salvation of some of my students. We did a unit on Terry Fox, the Canadian man that ran across Canada on one leg to raise money for cancer research. I showed them a video clip from a young man who had cancer. In that video, he clearly shares the gospel and many of my students asked me questions, which was awesome. Please pray for more opportunities like that!

- Upcoming events: Stephanie, my friend who is currently in China teaching, is coming to CM on the 27^th. She will be coming with me as well as the team from SDCC to the Karen village on the 29^th. I am excited to see her and to see the team from SDCC.

I love you all and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Love,

Cynthia

The Reality of Lonliness

Blessings to you all!!

The night I returned from a wonderful vacation in southern Thailand, I was greeted by a short-term visitor that will be living with until the end of December. Her name is Cherilyn and she is student teaching at CMIS for 8 weeks and rooming with me! I did not know her prior to her arrival in CM and was praying that all things would work out seeing that I was not sure if she was a Christian or not. She grew up in Bolivia as her parents were missionaries there. I was so excited to have a Christian girl room with me!! I told her that I had prayed that she was a Christian and that if she ended up not being one, I would try and convert her...ha ha!! Anyways, her and I are getting along wonderfully and she is such a joy to hang out with! We have already had several funny moments and I am sure in the next 6 weeks we will have even more.

Her arrival was definitely divinely appointed because the last two weeks have been rather difficult for me emotionally. The reality of being across the world is finally starting to settle. I love it and do not plan to leave here. I am actually praying about staying here in Thailand longer or traveling to another country and teaching/ministering there. In the beginning, I was sad because I had to say goodbye to friends and family, but now the reality of missing significant events in my family's lives is very difficult. I did not really think about that, until I had to face it head on. It began on my dad's and cousin's birthday. Watching them open their presents over Skype was emotionally devastating. Thank God for Skype, but this new experience of not "being there" is very hard. On top of that, my aunt and uncle just found out that they are adopting a baby girl, from birth, and she will be arriving December 6th. When they told me over Skype, I was hysterical! I am missing this amazing moment in my family's life. How do I deal with that?

These last 2 weeks were filled with depression, excitement, joy, sadness, and confusion. I still do not know the solution to these feelings, but the Lord continues to show His Faithfulness and Gentleness. The day that I was emotionally a wreck, I received a package in the mail from the College Group with fun "American" things plus encouraging notes. The Lord knew that I would need that encouragement and knew that I needed that reassurance that people haven't forgotten about me! What an awesome God! He is so loving and gentle! I felt His arms of comfort and peace fill me as I read each verse written by dear friends.

Please pray for me, especially during the holidays as it will be difficult. However, I am thankful that He has given to me people here who have become my "family." The Lord provides even in ways that we didn't think possible.

I love you all! May the Lord fill you with same love and gentleness as He has shown me.

Psalm 68:6a

"God sets the lonely in families..."

Snorkeling

Hello!!

Wow, two posts in less than a week, I'm doing pretty good...ha ha!! Well, I went snorkeling on Saturday and it was amazing! We drove about 10 km past our guesthouse to this national park where local thais can camp on the beach. It was beautiful! We took a speedboat about 20 minutes from the shore where we stopped in the middle of two islands. Between the two islands was an incredible reef.

The drive there was a mixture of excitement and terror because I wasn't sure what creatures I would see when in the middle of the ocean. I was a little nervous to know that there could be sharks...yikes!! One of the guys that went along prayed for us before we went out, which calmed all my nerves!! It still amazes me that God would listen to those little prayers and have grace upon me!!

The exploration of the deep was fascinating. I kept repeating to myself, "The fool says in his heart, 'there is no God'." How could that be? I couldn't fathom anyone believing that there was no God after looking at the bottom of the ocean filled with perfectly scalloped clams, mulit-colored/shaped fish, and iridescent coral.

"O LORD God of hosts,
Who is mighty like You, O LORD?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them." Psalm 89:8-9

Prachuab!!!

Greetings from Prachuab!!

This is my first holiday, so I decided that it must be spent at the ocean. I have been craving waves and the smell of salt water for three months and now everyday is wasted away on the sandy shore of the Gulf of Thailand.

Prachuab is about 4-5 hours south of Bangkok. I flew with my friend Hanni (we work together) to Bangkok where we met her parents who are missionaries in Laos. We are staying at the OMF Guesthouse that sits just steps away from the ocean. My days have been filled with swimming in the ocean, playing volleyball in the pool, reading on the hammock, and playing games with everyone in the evenings. 2 days ago, I went with one of the families to feed wild monkeys! They were very gentle and were so cute!!!

There are about 7 missionary families that are retreating here as well and it has been so neat to hear their stories of how they came to Thailand and the ways they are adding to the Kingdom!

Saturday, I will be going snorkeling at one of the local coral reef spots! I am so excited! I have never snorkeled before! I will post pictures of this experience soon!!!

Chiang Mai Women's Retreat

Hello!!

Last weekend I attended a Women's Retreat here in Chiang Mai. There were over 100 women who came. We had 2 amazing speakers. These ladies had shared their traumatic experiences that they had over the years, but ended with the hope that we have in Christ. The theme of the weekend was being, "Deeply Rooted" in Christ and His grace! Some thought it was depressing to hear about the suffering that these missionary ladies had gone through, but to know that they were here to tell us the hope they have in Christ was so encouraging.

The highlight of my weekend came when I was able to sit down with Karen Eubanks and share with her about the Karen in San Diego. Karen and her husband David have to be the most influential people who work with the Free Burma Rangers and the Karen. So, meeting her and being able to hear her story and then tell her about our story in San Diego was unbelievable.

I was humbled because while I was telling her about the Karen she kept thanking me and telling me to thank you all at Grace for loving the Karen. I was so humbled because this woman and her husband and children have risked their lives and continue to risk their lives in the hills of Burma to train the Karen and share the gospel. Back home, we do not have that threat. We may have the inconvenience of getting a phone call to take a family to the store or take them to a doctor's appointment, but nothing like risking our lives. I was shocked that she would be thanking us. Instead, I was thanking her for giving the Karen hope; the hope of Christ.

Karen is very thankful for all that you (Grace Church) has done for the Karen. Giving them a chance to succeed and to begin a new life. What a blessing to work together with other believers, whom you may never meet, but knowing that we are working together to share the gospel with these refugees and help improve their living conditions.

Karen was truly an inspiration to me of a woman who radiates with the joy of Lord and is so excited to live a life on the edge for the sake of the Gospel.

I hope you at Grace Church are encouraged to know you are part of a global mission field!!!

Under 13 Girl's Futsal Champs!!!

That's right!!! My girls won the Chiang Mai Athletic Conference in Under 13 Girl's Futsal!! 

The first day I took 14 ten year old girls to APIS, an international school in the mountains, for the futsal tournament. We played four teams and at the end of the day, we came in fourth place. The girls were disappointed, but they played so hard!! 

The next day was so intense because of the intense competition between the under 13 girls. We began the morning in a close match with APIS, but we came out on top. The next 2 games were outside in the blazing sun, which totally wiped out the girls, but we crushed both teams that we played. The championship game was filled with a crazy dose of adrenaline! We won that game     7-2!! My voice is gone because of my coaching/yelling from the sidelines!! It was such a wonderful experience to watch my girls play as a team and come out on top! 

In about a week, I will begin coaching soccer!! Same girls, but will probably be adding a high school girl's team as well. I will be a busy woman, but it is worth it!! 

This past Sunday, I attended a new church called Chiang Mai Christian Fellowship and I fell in love with it. It is much smaller than the other church I was attending. I will try it out again this Sunday. Please pray that I find a church that I can get plugged into easily! 

Everything is wonderful here in Thailand. I absolutely love this country and I love my school! My students are so much fun and my colleagues are great and supportive. The Lord is so faithful!! I love and miss you all!!! 

All Better!!

I think it is ironic that back in the states and even while I have been here, I have thought that the swine flu (more technically, H1N1) was totally exaggerated and blown out of proportion. However, this was all before I caught it!! Yes, that is right, now you can tell people that you know someone who had the swine flu! 

I woke up with a cough about 2 weeks ago. It progressively got worse and I ended up being confined to my house for 10 days! I just went back to school this past Monday. It was awful to be stuck in my house for that long. However, it was nice to relax and spend time with the Lord. 

I went back to work and my schedule began to fill with various activities. I am coaching under 11 and under 13 girls futsal (basically indoor soccer). We had our first game yesterday and I can proudly report that we won both our games. The girls were awesome and played as a team. It is so much fun being a coach! I get to travel to the various international schools in the area. We have a tournament coming up in 2 weeks at APIS, which is about an hour away. It is going to be so much fun traveling to play sports!! 

This weekend I will going with some friends to a resort about an hour away. It will be a lovely weekend of relaxation and enjoying God's beautiful creation. I will be posting pictures soon!! 

I Will Glory in My Redeemer:

I will glory in my Redeemer 
Who carries me on eagle's wings 
He crowns my life with lovingkindness 
His triumph song I'll ever sing 
I will glory in my Redeemer 
Who waits for me at gates of gold 
And when He calls me it will be paradise 
His face forever to behold 

His face forever to behold

Phone Number: 615-732-3938

Hello!!! 

Well the last few days have been quite eventful!! I became ill a few days ago with a slight fever and a horrific cough. I didn't go to school yesterday and I ended up going to the hospital today. The doctor tested me for H1N1 or Swine Flu. I will have the results back by Monday!! So, at the moment, I am not feeling well and have been drinking lots of fluids and sleeping a lot. 

My roommate Jen left today and is currently on her way back home to San Diego. It was a growing time for her these last few weeks. I am sad to see her go, but I am very proud of her that she sought the Lord's voice and made a decision that to some may seem foolish, but to her, it is what God has commanded her to do. Obedience doesn't always make sense, but we are not to question, we are to obey!! Way to go Jen!! 

She was so kind to leave her phone with me. Jen brought a Magic Jack from America that can be hooked up to any computer. It is a device which works just like a telephone, it only hooks up to the computer, not a phone jack. So, I have an American telephone number and anyone in America can call my number and it is just like you were calling a relative in Tennessee (it is a Tennessee area code)!!! So, please feel free to call me. Just make sure that the time difference is correct  and you are not calling in the wee hours of the morning =) 

I am posting pictures of my visit to Royal Floral...it was beautiful!!! 

I love you all, please call me!!!! 

7th Graders!!

I know it has been a few weeks since my last post, but things have been a bit crazy over here. 

I started school on August 13th, teaching 7th grade English and History. At first I was a little worried because I have never had my own classroom like this nor have I taught two subjects. My worry disappeared as I wrote "Miss Edwards" on the whiteboard and turned to see 20 young, impressionable, nervous 7th graders staring at me. This was a big day for them. No longer were they little kids sitting at the teacher's feet while he/she read them a story. No, they were at the next stage where they had different classes in different rooms and have to use lockers. I knew they were scared about homework, about their need to "fit in" with their peers, and remembering their schedule. I looked at them with a compassionate smile, hoping to relieve their fears. I explained that this year I would do everything in my power to make it an easy transition for them. 

I want to be very active in the school and have decided to be the Under 11 girls soccer coach! I am so excited and can't wait for our first practice which is on Wednesday. I am also taking Thai lessons and am beginning to understand when people speak to me in Thai!! 

I have been teaching for a week now and going into my second. It has been wonderful and I love my classes. At CMIS, we are on a block schedule; therefore, my classes change times everyday. I am part of the Humanities department and really enjoy the other 6 teachers that I work with. Unfortunately, they are not all Christians, but I have formed a relationship with one of the high school English teachers. She and her husband are missionaries in Burma, working with the Karen!!! How awesome is that!! I spoke with her about my connection with the Karen and she is hoping to take me to a Karen orphanage sometime during our next major school break. I am very excited about this possibility. 

School is not the only thing occupying my time. My roommate Jen arrived only days after I started teaching. She is wonderful and it has been great to talk with someone and just have someone here. I now have the hang of taking her places on the motorbike...ha ha!!! At first, it was a little difficult trying to balance someone else when I had only a week to get used to balancing just myself. Nonetheless, I have been successful and now we ride everywhere together! 

The Lord has been so gracious and loving to me and I am constantly filled with an overwhelming Joy of being here in Thailand. I absolutely love this country! I have began to call it my home because I really do feel at home here. I have met two families that have adopted me and they have become great friends. Every morning I wake up to the golden sun shining through my window and the sight of a thin layer of clouds covering the tip of the mountain of Doi Suthep. The sound of roosters proclaiming a new day and the quiet laughter of locals on their way to work fill the early morning darkness. Somedays I feel as though this is a dream and I have not woken up yet. My country is beautiful, filled with adventure, but most of all it is my home!!! 

Motorbike!!!

Hello Everyone!!! 

Yesterday, I bought a motorbike!!! I am so excited. It was so great because my friend Ginny took me to the Sunday market where they were selling second-hand bikes. She said to bring about 30,000 baht which is equivalent to roughly $900. Well, because I haven't received a paycheck yet from the school, I could not afford that much. We looked around and I was able to get a bike with only 12, 000 kilometers for 16,000 baht or $470!! God is so good and provides in such remarkable ways. It is such a blessing because now I can go places and it only takes me between 10-15 minutes to get to school. 

Rest assured that I am driving really slow and that I am a very cautious driver!!! I did buy a helmet (a cute one) and am wearing it. Here are some pictures. I am new to these bikes, so all I know is that it is a Honda Dream 125. Don't really know what that means, but I was told by my friend that it was in really good condition and that it will last for quite a long time!! 

I had my first day of New Teacher Orientation which went really well. All the new teachers were given a tour of the campus and given some important information regarding government paperwork and school policies. I also found out that the school is giving the secondary teachers Netbooks!! That is so great!! All these perks are fabulous! 

I'm starting to get really excited about starting school and meeting my kids. Please pray for my class as I will probably be one of the few teachers that actually talks to them about a relationship with Jesus. The school said we could talk to them about God, but that we weren't their to proselytize, but that they accepted students from all different religions and that we have to be sensitive to that. I do not plan on attacking a specific religion, but I do plan on doing a small devotion before each class period. I am going to take advantage of teaching in a Christian school and really want to share my testimony with these kids. They are at that age, where they form their own opinions and worldview and I hope that by sharing with them the gospel, their worldviews and opinions will be used to glorify our Lord Jesus. Please pray with me now before school begins that their hearts would be softened to hearing the Word! Thank you!! 

How Marvelous are Your Works, Oh Lord!!!

It has been a few weeks since my last post and so much has happened. I have basically been relaxing at my house and watching movies because the weather has been so unpredictable here, it is hard to tell when it is going to rain and when it is going to be a beautiful day. Many people from the community church that I have been going to have invited me to attend various events, which has been a great way to meet new people. But, I have been longing for just one person that could be a friend, more than a friend, a spiritual encourager. Paul makes it very clear that we are to have fellowship with the body of Christ and I am realizing now that I am alone, just how much of a necessity it is. So, my prayers for the last week where begging supplications to God that He would bring me a spiritual friend or that I would find a solid church family. 

While I am over here in Thailand making requests to the Lord, He was orchestrating all the events in San Diego to answer that prayer!!!  

About 2 weeks ago, my friend Jen had written me an email asking me to pray because she was not sure where the Lord was leading her. Our mutual friend Dan had suggested that she look into moving to Thailand where she could perhaps work with ITDP or find a teaching job and then move in with me. She asked for my opinion and I immediately started job hunting for her! I emailed the director at my school to see if she knew of any teaching jobs across the street at Prince Royal's College (PRC). She said there was and gave me the contact info that Jen would need to submit her application. I think it was about a week later that she heard back from PRC and was given an interview!!!

I was so excited...perhaps God would send her here and give me a friend that I so desperately needed. I began praying and had asked many people to pray about this possibility; however, I actually had this sinking feeling that the Lord would say no. I am not sure why. Logically I knew that God was big enough to answer my prayers, but I actually never believed that He would do it. 

Oh, why do I do this? Why do I doubt the Lord God? Why do I think that He won't answer my prayers? He answered my prayer to come to Thailand, He answered my prayer concerning my house, why couldn't He answer my prayer in bringing me a friend? I was trying to rationalize why He would say "no" to this request by thinking that I was being selfish for asking the Lord to bring me a friend. He brought me here, He can be all that I need, right? I also felt as though maybe He wanted me to do this on my own and not have anyone here because He was strengthening my faith. All these questions and doubts were flooding my mind and I tossed and turned for several nights trying to wrestle against my fears and against the lies of the devil.

Two days ago, He did answer my prayers and is bringing Jen here the week of August 10th. I was so excited and cried and cried thanking the Lord over and over again. However, I felt extremely convicted because I did not trust God to answer my prayer. After all He has done, why do I still doubt? This is what I felt the Lord saying to me: "Oh my child, why do you doubt My Sovereignty? Why do you think that I don't hear your prayers or understand your heart's desire? Don't you remember all the things that I have done for you? Don't you remember how I led you to Thailand, how I allowed you to get the house that you had specifically asked for? My dear Cynthia, I love you and I want you to have the desires of your heart, but you have to remember that My timing is divine, that I know your future and that My way of getting to that future is perfect! I know you are anxious, I know you are battling being alone, I know that you are hurting, I also know that you are loving your new country that I have blessed you with. I am your Creator and I created those emotions that you are feeling right now! Be confident that I am your Heavenly Father and that I know what you need and when you need it. I have a wonderful plan for your life. You do not know what the path is going to be like. It will be bumpy, it may be very difficult for you, but the reward of trusting in Me and seeing what I have planned, passed those bumps will be worth it! Please remember these words, please remember that I know what I am doing and that I am Sovereign! Don't just know it with your mind, believe it! Be strong and courageous for the Lord, Your God, Your Heavenly Father is with you wherever you go! I love you, I gave My Life for you, so right now please trust Me!" 

I shared this with you all because I want to be real. I wish I could say that I have it all together, but that would be a lie! I do want you to know that this experience has brought me to a whole new level with the Lord! It is phenomenal how He works and when you have blown it, He picks you up, dusts you off and girds you with His strength! I know that some of you are going through doubts and fears as well. Please be encouraged and take confidence in the fact that the Lord knows and that His way is perfect and divinely orchestrated. Please pray for my continued growth in trusting Him as I do the same for all of you! Thank you for your prayers, they are greatly appreciated!! I love you all!!! 

Zoo!!!

I decided to go to the Chiang Mai Zoo to compare it with that of our world famous San Diego Zoo. I have to say, that I was totally impressed by this zoo and a little bit envious of this zoo's features that our SD Zoo does not have. For example, the best part of this zoo was that you could feed the animals and touch a lot of them!!! How cool is that!! As you can see from the pictures, I was able to feed the hippos, giraffes, and elephants!! It was awesome!! BTW...I did not have to zoom in on any of these pictures, because I was just that close!! 

Tomorrow I am going to try out 2 churches, the Gathering and then Chiang Mai Community Church. I really miss church that is a home!! Pray that I find a good, solid one!! 

Exploring My City

I love that in my weakness, the Lord's strength is perfected! Tuesday was a defining moment here and a victorious one at that. My friends left for Chiang Rai and I was left to a great big house again. This time was different, however, and I was able to brave the echoes of a giant house and peacefully go to sleep! I know this sounds quite silly to those back home, but it is a very big milestone for me!!!

Everyday I try to venture farther and farther from my home to explore my beautiful city. Yesterday was very exciting as I traveled to Lanna Cafe in search of Somsak or some other missionary I met back in December. I pulled up in a tuk tuk to the entrance of the ITDP office and there was Somsak. He did not recognize me at first, but I told him that I was the teacher that came in December and he knew me right away. It was wonderful to talk with him as well as the secretaries. I pointed out people in the pictures they had hanging and explained to them that they were my friends. All I had to say was that I was Dan's friend and they were all really excited!! Somsak took me home and I actually found out that I live right next to another one of the ITDP missionaries. 

After that wonderful adventure yesterday, I wanted to brave the shopping malls here. I went to the Airport Plaza shopping mall and let me just tell you that I felt like I was in America. It was huge! 5 story mall filled with a Mac store, a Sizzler's, Baskin Robbins, Clinique, Lancome, Nike, Adidas, and the list goes on. It was incredible! It was so much fun to shop, not that I bought anything, which I know is shocking!! 

Tomorrow, I will be going to the airport with the director to pick up a new teacher from America. I will also be getting a cellphone, which I need desperately!! 

Here is my address to my new home!! It is recommended that if you are sending me packages, to put them in small boxes. If you send a huge package, the authorities are more likely to look inside the package and steal items. I love you and miss you all!!! 

Cynthia's Address:

60/3 Nongpateep Rd

T. Nongpakung 

Muang

Chiang Mai, Thailand 50000

4th of July

Our veterans are amazing! Here in Thailand a VFW group organized a 4th of July celebration for all the Americans here in Chiang Mai. It was located at the Chiang Mai Stadium and filled with ballpark franks, watermelon, apple pie, and of course fireworks. I heard about this event through the principal, so I decided to go and hopefully meet people and hang out with some of the school staff. I sat there for about 2 hours all by myself, observing the various dynamics of kids competing in a potato sack race to watching the live band perform patriotic songs. 

Rewind to the night before. It was my first night in my new home and of course when I walk in the door, there is the biggest spider I have ever seen as well as two lizards! I freaked out and was up all night crying because I didn't know what to do. I sat there talking to God and asking Him if I was brave enough to be here in a house by myself and all alone in a foreign country. 

Well, the next day He did prove yet again that He hears the cries of His children, no matter how illogical they may sound! I was sitting at a table watching the festivities when three college aged people came and sat at the table in front of me. They began talking to me and asking me where I was from and what I was doing here in Thailand. Come to find out, they are here working as teachers up North and they are Christians from Azusa Pacific! It was so great and we all clicked instantly! We hung out after the event as well as today and they are actually all staying at my house, so that they will not have to spend money at a guest house or hotel! God is so amazing and it was such a blessing to make friends! 

They will be leaving on Tuesday to go to Chiang Rai, but we will definitely be staying in touch! I am also going to visit Lanna Cafe this week and see the missionaries from ITDP (Inter-Tribal Development Program) whom I went with during December's trip to the village. What an exciting few days! 

"When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
   and delivers them out of all their troubles." Psalm 34:17

* Today my friends and I visited Wat Phra Thart Doi Suthep, which is a Buddhist temple. It is one of the major attractions here in Chiang Mai. The architecture is beautiful, I just wished that it was used to glorify the Lord Jesus rather than deceive souls into thinking that gold statues will bring them good luck and prosperity and ultimately salvation. My heart was very heavy for those who burned candles and bowed in rhythmic fashion to a prayer that could only be heard by those standing next to them. Those statues could not hear that desperate plea! I could hear those prayers and I could feel the heaviness of sadness that I know the Lord sees all around the world every day. The ritual prayers of deceived souls that instead of saving themselves are condemning themselves to an everlasting destruction. My eyes began to swell with tears as young children walked around, head lower than the Buddhas, in ritual prayers. 

This is the society that I am living in. This is the society you are living in. Lost souls who are being deceived by false doctrines. Be a light that reflects the awesome glory of Jesus Christ. The One True God who is living and active, who does not grow weak or weary, who is eternal! 

Moving In!!!

Today Supaporn the director of CMIS asked me to speak at Prince Royal's College Chapel this morning. PRC is located directly across from CMIS. She asked me to speak and encourage the 11th and 12th grade students. Little did I know that this chapel was filled with 400 students! It was wonderful and I was able to encourage them to have open hands to the Lord. I explained that we have our plans and we think that our plans are right, but God has different plans for us His plan is to bring us a hope and a future and we need to have our hands lifted and not closed shut to Him. I also encouraged them to remain devoted to God's Word because that is the only thing that will not fail them! 

It was so neat to see the international Church and to see the students singing the same songs as we sing in America to the same Living and Active God that we serve! 

I also found out that I will be able to move into my new house today!! I am so excited! Here are some pics of the house. Again it has 3 beds, 3 baths and is 3 stories!! God is so good, He is so good to me!!  

I'm Here in Chiang Mai!!

I arrived in Chiang Mai yesterday at 11:40am. It was a very long flight, but comfortable. I'm not going to lie, it was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do. Leaving my family at the LAX airport as I stood in the security line and looking back at them through tear-filled eyes was something I probably never will forget. It was not just sadness because of our parting, but also an encouraging send-off that was filled with pride. I entered the plane with an aching soul and a sense of loneliness. I prayed at take-off that the Lord would calm me and comfort me in this time of uncertainty and anxiousness. As always, He heard my prayer and I was able to sleep very well, which in fact I never do on planes! 

After 18 hours in a plane from LAX to Bangkok, just one my hour on another plane and I was in my new city, Chiang Mai. I was greeted very warmly by Lance Potter, the principal and the director, Supaporn Yanasarn. We had lunch and I ate my favorite dish, Cow Soi...not sure about the spelling, but I would always request this dish back home from Kin, one of the Karen refugees that attends my church. I was so excited!! Lance invited me over to house for dinner, which was very fun as I played with his four little girls ages 3-9. I felt very comfortable in their home and was glad that I had someone to talk to. 

* This morning I woke up early, had a wonderful night's sleep and was ready to be adventurous. I checked my email and facebook like regular and began talking with family back home using Skype! That was very exciting and I was able to give them a tour of the house that I am staying in. 

Well, at 3pm I had an appointment with a couple to see about renting their house. I was pretty sure that this was the house that I was supposed to rent and asked God to give me discernment as I made a decision. Supaporn was kind enough to take me to this house. It ended up being very far away from the school...awww...that was so discouraging! The couple were from Wycliff Bible Translators. They were so sweet, but I explained that it was too far for me to travel. Bummer, now I had to begin looking for something else. God always has a plan, why do I worry? I remembered that last night I saw a "For Rent" sign posted on a house two houses from Lance's home. I asked Supaporn if we could talk to the owners to see if they had rented it out yet. She called them and they said they had NOT found anyone yet and they would be happy to show it to me that night! I was so excited!!! It is exactly what I was looking for: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 3 stories!!!! It is beautiful and it is two houses from the Potters and about 5-10 minutes from the school!!! God is so good and it is right within my budget! Supaporn and I began singing, "God is so Good" as we looked through the house because He knew my desire and worked it out perfectly!! I can move in on Saturday and Sunday and the owners are even going to come by and help me move my luggage over there! 

Not only do I have a home, but I also have a place for the Thai Team from SDCC to stay when they come to Thailand. May this house be a blessing to all and may it be used for His Glory!!!