In October, a friend of Lisl’s from Canada visited us…for about three weeks! We all enjoyed Jessica Rempel’s presence. It was fun showing her around the city, riding elephants, and hanging out together. One day, Lisl and Jessica went flower-shopping. They came back with hundreds of blooms, and spent all afternoon arranging them.
We’re in the thick of English classes again. This year, our attendance has been about 50 students, and our third term is no different. Dividing into four classes makes it easier for me in lesson preparation, but a bit more challenging with extra students in class.
We were concerned about having enough teachers. Two teachers from last term—Ajarn Kim, a Korean lady, and Abigail Hershberger—moved on to other things, and, as far as I knew, there was no one else. About ten days before class started, the four of us that make up the English “staff” met with Pastor Kiat to talk about the problem. We all felt that we would need to drop a class, but Kiat insisted that we should simply pray in faith that God would provide the teachers needed. We agreed, but…we needed teachers
ed me that we had our two teachers. One is a friend from Singapore that has lived in Thailand for several years, another is a young American guy who is working with a Lisu ministry, but is blessing us as w
ell. This is a big answer to prayer! We also have teachers for next term (starting in January), even though we’ll be losing two more teachers. Thanks for your prayers for teachers.
Friends
Though we aren’t as involved with church life at CMCC as we were before, we still treasure our friendships there. One highlight was making pizza together—a “farang” delicacy that our Thai friends manage to eat amazing portions of when it’s available! It was fun trying to explain how to do knead the dough, marinade the chicken, and season the sauce. Even sprinkling the cheese on was a learning experience! We learn a lot from each other as our cultures collide, and there are often questions about family life, child-training, and opportunities to share on a spiritual level.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving! Three families from our English classes, some friends from church, and a few IGo friends joined us. It was fun sharing ham, pie, salad, potatoes and rolls, which our Thai friends really enjoyed. It was also fun to introduce them to more, er…challenging foods, like olives, pickles, and cranberry punch. I will never forget Neng’s facial expression, when—after insisting to me that the small black object was chocolate—popped an olive in his mouth.
Each guest—Buddhist and Christian shared something they thank God for in the past year, and then one of the ladies asked what the history of Thanksgiving was. It was a special moment to share with them.
Duff, Kathy, and Sarah Browne returned to Thailand, just in time to join us for Thanksgiving. It’s nice to have them back. In a few weeks, the IGo students will return to the States, as will much of the IGo staff. We’ve really enjoyed fellowship with the small group IGo set up. We meet about twice a month.
Please pray for Pastor Kiat. He has a lot on his plate right now, as always. At the end of December, he and his daughter will be flying to the States. On top of it, he’s been struggling with a chronic twitching eye. It may sound insignificant, but it’s a huge challenge, causing insomnia and fatigue. He’s essentially exhausted all human cures, and so we’re all praying that God would give grace to endure and healing if it is within His will.
Mae Wan Goes to Africa
Mae Wan and I still get together regularly to read the Bible and pray together. A few weeks ago, she was asking about baptism. So, we did a brief study on baptism. As we read through Jesus’ baptism, the Great Commission, and then into the book of Acts, she was very interested.
We read the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch, and she really connected with the Ethiopian’s experience. As she read Phillip’s question to him (Acts 8:30-31), she nodded her head emphatically, and said, “I don’t understand all this!” Then she read the Ethiopian’s reply, and lit up. “That’s exactly the question I ask, too!” she said. The words from Isaiah (Acts 8:32-33) were as confusing to her as they were to the Ethiopian, and she affirmed that she really wants to understand the Truth better.
Even for me, reading the Bible with her can sometimes leave me scratching my head. How do you describe what “water springing up to eternal life” is? What did Jesus offer the woman at the well? We think we know what many of these phrases mean, but stripped of our comfortable clichés and assumptions, I find myself struggling to explain some of these things to her. It’s a blessing and a challenge to trust the Spirit that is at work in her heart to lead her into all truth, knowing that spiritual things are spiritually understood
Next Steps
We’re still thinking about the future, especially with our long-term vision to plant churches in Thailand, and all the steps between now and then. As well as thinking about studying for a degree, we will continue to reach out to Thai people. I met with Bob Miller, a veteran missionary who has experience in church development. He really blessed me, and encouraged in our vision. After hearing some of his experiences, we’re excited about the possibility of starting a fellowship with some of our Thai friends without a church family right here in Chiang Mai. Ideally, we could invite friends over once a week for “church” even while I study at school. Please pray for us as we think about how to proceed.
Though nothing is set in stone, we’re still planning on visiting the States in March and April. Are you interested in getting together to hear about our vision and what you can do to help (or just to visit!)? Would you like us to share about missions at your church? We can also share about our specific ministry plan and how your church can partner with us in this.
Family (Mostly from Lisl)
Family, yes. We are now four, so many Thai folks think we are the “perfect family!” They see we have one boy and one girl and say, “por laew!” (“That’s enough”) The idea is that now, since we had the luck of having a boy and girl first, and since we have the perfect number of children already, we should now be satisfied with the size of our family and, I guess get back to “real life.” The mom goes back to work, obviously.
I’m so thankful that I don’t “go back to work” when my babies hit 3 months old. Think of how much of their precious lives I’d miss!
Havilah is smiling and giggling for us now. Jube and Havilah love playing together, and it’s not uncommon to see them enjoying a good little giggle fit together. Havilah will also soon be scooting about wherever she wants. Last night Dru and I were trying to play a game and she was scooting her way right in and over the cards, frantically trying to get one in her mouth. I realized this morning that I need keep my floor swept up of all the little scraps and pieces that she may try to get into her mouth. Jube wasn’t a “taste-everything” baby but Havilah is. I hope I can keep up with her!
It seems as though our baby girl is ready to try “people” food now. She’s been waking up too often at night and has been begging for food for some time now…so we’re digging out the baby spoon!
Jubilant isn’t a baby anymore. Sigh. He does things like play outside by himself on his bike from Ya-Yai and help me vacuum the floor. And he can put his own toys away. He’s a happy boy except for when he’s not. I fear he was a bit low on iron, but good vitamins and sleep seem to be bringing him out of his slump. Funny…when he feels better he behaves better and is much happier.
I had to teach Jube that he’s not allowed to wake Havilah from her nap. He can’t wake her by talking loudly and not by putting on my flip-flops and stomping across the floor. Not by making any “accidental” noises. He prefers Havilah to be awake and is very tuned into her daily habits. Sometimes I hear Jube say, “Did you have a good nap, Halla?” Then, I have to decide if Havilah woke up from her nap before or
after he greeted her. He’s getting better, though.
Mom and Dad are doing well and enjoying the prospect of more dates without babies now and then, seeing as Havilah isn’t quite so dependent on Mom. The other night, Naomi Swarey came over to babysit, while we went out for supper, alone for a while. It was wonderful!
From an English teacher's perspective (Dru's perspective!), it's been really interesting to watch Jube's language skills develop. He's becoming quite proficient at using possesive pronouns, and he is already conjugating in the past tense. He loves to talk and repeat everything that's said. His Thai still is developing, but slower than his English.
The mornings are getting a bit nippy (down to 70 degrees), and it doesn’t rain as often now. Welcome to winter in Thailand! Although we enjoy our green year round, I’m struggling slightly with no snow at Christmas. Our decorations are up and we’re looking forward to sharing this season with friends…but still, after 4 years, the lack of snow is a bit of a stretch for me. So, when the sun has gone down, I turn on all the Christmas lights and just pretend that there’s snow out there. So thankful that the gift of God’s Son is available to us even without snow and there is indeed a reason for this season!
Pray:
-
Lisl and our neighbor, Phone, as they study English together. Phone has been very leery of getting involved in church things, but she’s a good friend. She’s heard the Gospel, and spent quite a bit of time with us.
-
The last few weeks of my Sunday school class, as we talk about marriage and family.
-
The special Christmas events we will have to reach out to non-believers.
-
Money to purchase plane tickets by the end of the year. We’re excited about the next couple years, and would really like to visit you all in the States to share our vision personally.
God bless you so much this Christmas season!
Dru, Lisl, Jube, and Havilah
