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!!!