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!!