Prayer Requests

Well, I've been here a little over 3 weeks now. In some ways it feels like I just arrived yesterday and in other ways it feels like I've been here a lifetime. It's weird how time is! Whichever way I look at it, after 3 weeks I have noticed some things that need prayer -- both with the home and in me!

Home:
- We need to move to a better home (the home we're in now is literally falling apart). We feel that God wants us to build so Kathleen is looking at property. Please pray that God will lead us to the right piece of land and that purchasing can happen quickly (there's a church in the states that is willing to fundraise and pay for the property and building costs) and that the house can be completed quickly and fantastically! Kathleen is wanting to buy enough land so that the orphanage can expand with more house parents taking care of a new group of kids.
- That God will bring a godly man into the lives of these kids. There are currently 8 women raising these 7 boys and 1 girl and the kids are getting to an age where they definitely need a godly man to show them how to be masculine (and do this while following Jesus). God has really put this need on my heart and a couple visitors in the past week have felt the same way -- so I don't feel like I'm the only one worried about this.
- Anyone interested in donating money for a DVD player for the home? Cost is about $30. It's hard to have family movie night on Sundays when the DVD player stops working half-way through. It would also be great because a new DVD player is able to play CDs -- something that is not available in the home right now as well.

Me:
- Language -- I'm taking 8 hours a week of language and it's getting a little overwhelming. I've always been pretty good at learning languages and have really enjoyed it but I'm feeling like I'm just learning phrases right now and not actually learning how Thai works and how to create my own sentences. I've been trying to spend my own time working on this so that it will make more sense but then that's taking time away from memorizing all of the vocab that I need to learn each day!
- Pray that I will be able to lead the teaching time at the orphanage without stepping on any toes but that I will still be able to get the job done. Convincing those who do the teaching time when I'm off of good teaching practices is difficult!
- Pray that I will have patience when things at the home are not done the way I would do them!
- That I would make great connections with people! I've gotten to know the other western girls at the home fairly well but these things take time so I can always use prayer for this! :)
- Finances -- I've had a lot of one-time gifts come in but not enough monthly support to survive each month. Please pray that more support will come so that I can do what God has called me to do and not be worried about how I will eat!

God has really been good during my past 3 weeks in a new country! Psalm 139:9b-10 is currrently written on my bathroom mirror . . . "If I travel to the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast."

First Thailand pictures!

Gong -- the kid I was "in charge of" during our Chiang Rai trip. He's 2.



















A view of a songthaaw from inside another songthaaw!















Kathleen with Som Chai and Mark -- learning to share a toy that's built for 2 people!















An interesting view -- only in Chiang Mai! Along a very busy street in the 2nd biggest city in the country, there's a pasture with cows!















Ann and Paul (the 2 oldest) waiting patiently for lunch.

I'm very excited that I actually have the time today to sit down and get some internet things done!

The staff and kids went on a thiaw (outing) last weekend up to Chiang Rai. We visited other orphanages there to see what they had done with layouts, etc. because we are hoping to find some land and build sometime very soon! The house that the orphanage is in now is very run-down and is literally falling apart.

It was fun to see another part of the country (although Chiang Rai is still in the north). I met a bunch of people, including the guy who runs the DTS up there. He said that although I haven't heard officially, there is no reason why I won't be accepted to attend in January.

So, now I'm getting into the swing of things -- working at the orphanage, lessons 4 days a week, staff and intern meetings, laundry, etc. I bought a rice cooker and a electric frying pan on Tuesday and cooked for myself last night. It was really good (but that might have just been because I was so hungry!) :)

Today (half-way through my 2 hour lesson) is my last phonetics lesson! Yay! Now things will (hopefully) start making sense as I memorize -- I won't just be memorizing sounds and tonalities anymore! Yay! :)

First Days in Thailand

So, I've been in Thailand for a couple days now! I will try to keep these first impressions short with a good amount of bullets!

- There are 8 kids -- 1 girl and 7 boys. Two are 4 years old, one is 3, and 5 are two! They have warmed up to me at different speeds. The oldest boy spent Sunday morning before church trying on my sunglasses (I wouldn't let him try my seeing glasses) and showing me all of the English alphapet letters that he knows -- he still does have some trouble identifying a couple letters. At church, the 3 year old told Kathleen that he was scared of me (she says it is very like him) but the next time I saw him, he ran up to me and gave me a huge hug! The kids are testing me everytime I do something new at the home so tonight should be fun -- it's the first time I'm putting them to bed!

- Kathleen is being really good about not wanting to let my teaching experience/ability/training go to waste. I'm meeting (hopefully tomorrow) with the 2 other westerners and one Thai staff (they've been the ones doing "teaching time") to set some goals for the kids' learning for the next 6 months. Then everything that we do can be in pursuit of reaching those goals rather than just doing something because it sounds neat! :)

- I've moved into my apartment -- It reminds me of a hotel/dorm room. There's a big room with a bed, wardrobe, and vanity table and then a bathroom and a small deck/patio area. I did some shopping with one of the other western girls and then spent all afternoon-early evening yesterday shopping by myself. I went all over town on the taxi-like things and spent all of about 300 American dollars on 2 chairs, an end table, a little room divider, a cupboard that I will use for my pantry, some misc. small items, a cell phone, and a fridge! Luckily the store where I bought the cupboard and fridge delivered it free of charge!

- I started language study today. I will be tutored 4 days a week, 2 hours each day. My head physically hurt after today's lesson! But, my teacher said that she was impressed and that I was doing well!

- The orphanage group is heading up to Chiang Rai (2 hour drive) on Saturday so that we can see how other orphanage houses are set up -- we're really close to finding or building a new place because the house where we are right now is in horrible condition!

I am going to try to get pictures up as soon as I can. I won't have internet on my computer in my room until I move up to the 3rd floor at the beginning of August so I am going to have to use the "Internet Cafe" here in the basement of the apartment building.