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!!!