Just For You, Mom

This post is especially for you mommy. I don't know if any flowers are still blooming in Iowa, maybe some fall flowers are, but just in case they aren't I'm sending some your way. The Fong's rose bush bloomed and I know how much you like yellow, so I took a picture for you to enjoy them as well.

Like the Jews

Okay, so here is the post that I promised last time. We helped make bricks! This picture has some of the other volunteers in it who are also in Mae Sai right now.

The orphanage is planning on making 2 mud brick houses and to do that they need 4,000 some bricks. As of right now they have 1,000 some.

This was the first day that they did it so everyone was getting involved. It was fun and something I definitely didn't expect to do on this trip. As Lydia, Lois, and I helped mix up the water, dirt, and rice husk we felt a little closer to the hearts of the Jews when they were in Egypt. I can't imagine doing that everyday! It's such dirt work but I managed to not get much on my clothes.

The process of mixing by foot :)

This was the guy who was incharge and who I think taught them how to do it.

Some of the finished products.

Some of the wonderful kids enjoying life.

Afterwards, some of the boys decided that they might as well enjoy a nice swim. It was a great way to get the mud off as well.

Wow!

Wow! What a wonderful encouraging time! We, Lydia, Lois, and I went and stayed at the orphanage. It is what I have been waiting for this whole trip. It was so good to be back and spend time with the kids! Especially my boy, Lor Sua. He can now speak Thai and when Lydia asked him how he learned he said by watching TV.

I was very encouraged to see that things are improving at the orphanage. Namely, one of the biggest things is that the man who started it is now a Christian and will soon be graduating from bible college. One of the biggest needs that I can see is that these kids have house parents. This isn't in place yet, but please pray for people who would be willing to give up to live with these kids and love them like Jesus does.

Me and Lor Sua. He loves attention and I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to return back to the US. He didn't want me to leave even today when we were just going back to the Fongs until he found out we would be back on Sunday and then he was okay.

I love this pic of him!

This is one of the many girls. She was playing around with the guitar when she looked up and saw me taking pictures of her. She was very sweet and was practicing her English on us. When we were there we gave some of the kids English names and hers was Ally.

One of the days some of the kids took us through the fields to the garden. It was so beautiful and refreshing there. Love this pic.

One morning I woke up to this beautiful sight! I so enjoyed looking at this mountain at different times of the day.

While we were there we enjoyed many things some of them being: teaching English, Lydia taught Chinese, eating with them, telling them the Kitty story from the conferences one night, playing with them, and something I didn't expect to do at all but that's for another post.....

special day

Happy Birthday to me! Wow if that doesn't sound vain, I don't know what does:) Once again the Fongs made my day special! I told them not to do anything but of course that wasn't an option as you can see from the pics. I'm still not quite used to the idea of being 22 instead of 21 since the other day someone ask me my age and I said 21 and then had to correct myself. It little embarrassing but I lived through it.

When I got up, this sign was sitting on the table.

My birthday cake!

I had to go on a treasure hunt for my birthday gifts. It was so sweet of them and they wrapped the presents so pretty.

Here are my birthday gifts unwrapped, a necklace with matching earrings, and a personalized cup. Thank you so much Fongs for all the love that you have shown me since I met you! May God bless you very much and give you wisdom for all your ministry here in Thailand.

I also got a wonderful packet from my family that I opened the morning of my birthday in the quiet of my room. It was wonderful to be able to feel like they were with me in a little way. I received a card from my Dad, Mom, Andrew, Grandma, dog, and deceased cats:) (Mom you forgot to add Alfie's name.) Thank you soooo very much to my beautiful family. I love you all and miss you so much!

And thank you to God for all that he blessed me with in this past year and on my birthday!

I look back at this past year and so much has happened! I have attended Perspectives on the World Christian Movement; (which I would highly recommend) then my family and I went to Colorado for a week and returned to a flooded CR; I had the opportunity to take a 3 week course called TESOL where I was stretched; I also took a class at the same time concerning cultures which I loved; then we had some Singaporean friends in CR and family; I helped with 4 BL conferences; went to VA to visit family; and now have been in Asia. The Lord has been good and it's hard to believe that this summer and fall will almost be gone when I return home.

Now, I can see that Jesus gave me a quieter winter to take time for Perspectives and his word so that I would be better prepared for the busy crazy months ahead! I knew that my life was going to be full in the late spring/summer/fall but I don't think I knew how full. I thank God I didn't either because I would have been too overwhelmed.

Even though I went through times where it just seemed like too much he was always with me. All I had to do is ask him for help and comfort and rest in him. One time when I was at Wheaton bible college, I was feeling so overwhelmed and he showed me that he has always been taking care of me and watching out for me! It was so sweet! Thank you Lord for you loving kindness to me.

the zoo

Yes, I'm still playing catch up from the earlier part of the trip.

This post I just wanted to share with some of the pic that I took when we went to the zoo in Singapore. We have gone to their night zoo but never during the day. It was fun but I wish that we would have had more time and more energy.

Polly here was near the entrance of the zoo and you could get your pic taken with her and then buy the photo of course when you were leaving:) At least that's how I thought it worked.

We made it in time soon after arriving to see the elephants perform. They were pretty good and I was delighted to have snapped this pic at the right time it's just too bad it's blurry

Dani, in heaven petting a kangaroo! It was really cool because she (the kangaroo not Dani) wasn't in a cage and anyone could pet her! I can now say I have touch and sat by a kangaroo.

She was really ugly and I'm sure mean as well but I liked this pic I took of her.

A beautiful white tiger! They were huge and their paws ginormous.