Our time is coming to an end here in Thailand. We have been blessed in so many ways over the last 3 1/2 months. We have been in a course that teaches how to plan well step by step. We have finished our 5 -year project, and many other aspects to the main project of the school. It has been more than worth it, and we recommend this school to anyone in our company! Both Morgan and I have our individual finished projects that we will be working towards. The way I can explain the three months is by saying this, “I feel like I have always had goals or dreams for the future, but now those goals and dreams are ready to be accomplished. With my Father’s guiding, those goals will become history rather than just a dream that never gets reached.” What a sense of accomplishment! No we just have to do it!
Throughout the school we have grown as a family in many areas and are still learning. One area we are growing in is finishing well. Some of you can relate, with small children, 3 months out of your normal routine can start to affect the kids. Well it has and we have been working through it. I would like to say that we are a perfect family and have not complained about the curry everyday, the “squatty” toilets, no transportation, or living in one bedroom all together. Well, sorry to let you down, but we have let complaints slip out here and there. It is amazing how kids pick up on this and really act out what you are feeling. We may or may not have had a child stick out their tongue to the childcare leader!! Oh my!! Whose child is this? Ok so we started to pray, “God help us with the food, help us to finish well, help us to be grateful in all of this.” And…guess what happened? Drum roll please…a Mc Donald’s opened! OK so maybe not because of prayer, but it did help the situation a little. We made it to the grand opening and stood with all the other eager people ready to dive into a cheeseburger and fries. Tasted just like home!
Another lesson we have learned as a family is that our comforts and sacrifices are nothing compared to what Christ did for us on the cross. We have been thinking about the fact that in Heaven we can be with Grandpas, Grandmas, and cousins for eternity. We only have a short time here on earth to lay these things down. We have learned not to complain when it gets hard or lonely. It gives us a better closeness as a family, that whatever we do, and wherever we go we do it together joyfully!
So we made it through a school as a family, and are very thankful for everything…but there still is no place like home! We look forward to retuning home and finding the new Christmas toys we left behind. We are all very excited to see friends and have noodles again! We fly back April 27th to our home in Asia.
We have created so many memories this trip and I love Alleyah’s school journal of the weekend adventures. Some of the titles include: Hong Kong, The Beach, New Chiang Rai Home, Burma, Alleyah’s New Silver Tooth, Momma’s Birthday Surprise, Weekend at the Pool, Visit with Abi, The New Mall, Noah Eating Fried Crickets, and so much more! Pretty amazing 4 months for a 5 year old and what an amazing experience for all of us!
Thanks to all of you during this time for lifting up our family and our needs!
