Just a little up date.....

It was naptime and I was in the girls room helping them get settled down and ready to take a nap. One of the girls insisted I lay with her first. As tired as I was, I did not even hesitate. So I lay with her on her bed, crowded with her stuffed animals, blankets and many pillows. I could smell a stale scent of pee. As I lay there she was scratching my back, as to assist me in falling asleep. I thought, hey, it’s me who’s supposed to be helping her fall asleep.....cheeky monkey! She’s good!! I enjoyed every minute of it and actually fell asleep for a wee bit, only to find that they had taken full advantage of me not paying any attention to them playing a game on the other’s bed. Ah, kids! They are the same all over the world. I got to experience my first rainy day here. It was amazing! I absolutely loved it!~ I just got an e.mail from a friend sharing with me the news of her engagement! I, with tearfilled eyes, was so full of joy for her and her new fiance. It’s been a long awaited day for her....which is where I see myself headed. I’m not sad. I’m excited....because I know that it will be amazing when it happens. I know my friend Emily doesn’t regret the timing of this time for her at all. I am sure she is so glad she awaited this day. Because sometimes what we think our life should look like, it doesn’t. And we get very disappointed when it doesn’t turn out the way we want it to. So then we become angry and closed off. But when we are living in the moment and roll with what life gives us, we can rejoice when the blessings come our way. I am really excited for my friend and I am going to try my best to make it to her special day. But it’s hard when I don’t have the income to use for stuff like that. So I am praying that if the Lord wills that I go to Virginia in the summer time to be at the wedding, He will make it happen.

Life at Baan Nam Jai is everything and more that I had hoped for. There are the occasional days that I wish so badly I could meet a good friend for coffee, or have a time of prayer and worship, or attend a service at my church, or sit at mom and dad’s table and enjoy a good dinner with the tv’s blaring......times when I miss home so badly that I can smell it, taste it. But then there are days that I feel like I need to pinch myself that I am not living in a dream! I love the life of Thailand so much. It’s so simple. So easy and yet so frustrating because I can’t communicate with the people I see everyday. I am learning thai. I started thai lessons last monday. So I am very excited about that. We also started a new roster (or schedule for those of you who don’t speak australian) and I have slots of time working with one of the guys that needs a little extra time during the day. If I were to diagnose him, I would say he is at a high functioning level of Aspergers. He’s very smart but has a lot of behavioral characteristics of Aspergers. So I feel like I am going to pull everything out of my little hat from what I learned from the amazing team back at Millwood (where I was an aide at in spokane) and do my best to help this little guy. I am very excited about this. Alison, I might be e.mailing you soon to get some ideas. Also I might be asked to take on some other responsibilities such as taking over the child sponsership role that Pen Wilcox has been doing. This summer there is going to be a lot of changes going on. People leaving and hopefully people coming. I am sad but know that the Lord will continue to bring more servants who feel called to help out at Baan Nam Jai. So I could use some prayers. I will be going to the border in Mai Sai again tomorrow to get my visa stuff worked out. I am praying that I can get enough time until I leave for Perth to work out my one-year visa. I will be in Perth for a week and then I won’t have to worry about it for a while. Whew! This has been such a hassel! But I am trusting that the Lord will work it all out. Sorry that this is so long. It’s been a while since I have updated everyone. So I’m trying to cover all grounds. I am doing ok financially. I am keeping track of my support as much as I can. It’s hard when it goes through a couple different sources and then to me. My mom is doing a wonderful job as well as Faith Community! Thank you guys so much! I really appreciate it! As for those of you who are not sending me financial support I am still greatful for the spiritual support you all have been to me. I am loving getting little updates and e.mails and messages from you all. Thank you all so much! If you do have a desire to know more specific needs at Baan Nam Jai, please check out the website- baannamjai.org . We have a bunch of projects going on and are waiting for funds to come in so that we can finish them. Two of the major ones are the hospice building and the other baby house to be completed. When these are finished we will be able to house more children and also have better accomodations for those moms and children who need a little more intensive care. Also we are working on some more homes located in the lakeview part of our property to be completed so that we can house more mother’s with children who are infected with HIV. So those are a few of our needs. As for me and my needs I am pretty well taken care of. I have been given a bike....which is a blessing but it’s slowly going to it’s last leg. It’s pretty shabby. But it gets me around. As hot season slowly creeps up on me I am trying to figure out if I should go big and purchase a used motor bike to get around or a new peddal bike. I priced the brand new Fino, which is the one I am totally coveting right now....and it’s around $900-1000. It’s not a need but it’s really nice....it looks simular to a Vespa but way cheaper. Ok, but if I wait, in June I will be able to buy a used bike from a couple girls who are going back to the states for half that. So I’m praying about what to do. When it’s hot here....it’s hot!! So a peddal bike is going to be miserable. So if any of you want to send a little extra my way just because....I would not be sad! I would be very blessed. Just something to think about. Well, I should probably wrap this up. I hate it when I’m so long winded! Sorry! I love you all and can’t wait to hear back from you all to see how you are doing!
Blessings and pruh jaow way pone khoon (that means the Lord bless you in thai)..........

Saying goodbyes....

Living here I am coming to realize that I am going to have to get good at saying hello and then after a season....goodbye. This is a going away dinner for a friend, Damaris, from Germany. This is the 3rd person that I have had to say goodbye since being here. Bittersweet......but becoming the reality to living here.

traveling?....feels weird

Some friends of Susie's (the house manager at Baan Nam Jai) were here visiting and I went to Laos with them. We also went to a hill tribe, Chiang Saen, and to a beautiful pottery place called Doy Din Dang Pottery. It was the first time I felt like a tourist here. Weird. But it was a very nice day. We had a guy that took us around and gave us the history of all of the places we went to. Thailand means the land of the free. Interesting eh? Here's some pictures of Leanne and Dayle and our trip.

Some more pictures....

Here are some more pictures from the wedding and just hanging out at Baan Nam Jai. The kids enjoy posing for me. Well, not really so it's up to me to get some good candid shots of them. Sometimes they will give me a good smile but I think they are sick of people trying to take pictures of them. I guess I would to. So you all could be praying for me. I was asked to think about doing some one-on-one therapy type teaching with a couple of the kids. If you go to the website: baannamjai.org , you can read the stories of the kids and realize that with a couple of these guys they had a rough go at the beginning and now their bodies are trying to catch up. So, please be praying as I step down from doing the full-time nanny position to doing this along with some office administration stuff. Baan Nam Jai is going through a lot of changes. We are trying to hire two new thai nannies, both of our kindy teachers are finishing up. Betty (who is one of our teachers) and Tlana are moving to India where Tlana is from to work with the new YWAM base there. Pui just got married and will be doing some teaching but we are praying about our kids to go to a thai school in the fall. Also Onn (one of the nannies I work with) finishes up her internship in April and we have two thai nannies who will be leaving when they have their babies. Casey (the guy who does alot as far as administration and heads up teams that come and so much community stuff along with fund raising etc.) is moving with his wife to the eastern part of Thailand where his wife's family lives. So we will be loosing him as well. Penny and Paul's son and his wife who have been helping out a lot in every area will be finishing up there time here shortly too. So be praying. It's not going to be a fun transition for me as so much is changing and a lot of people whom I just met but have become close to will be leaving me. And new people coming. It's a good season but also hard. Change is hard and now I know why these children at Baan Nam Jai don't even blink when someone else leaves. They are so used to it and that......well it breaks my heart and really makes me want to stay longer than anticipated. But that is all up to the Lord. I am not going to say I will leave or stay until I know that that is what the Lord has for me. I am just going to stay put until He says to move......I hope this finds you all well and hope to hear from you soon....
love you....

Another Thai Wedding Under My Belt.....

One of my fellow nannies that I work with just got married last weekend and all of the kids from Baan Nam Jai were in the wedding. It was very fun and the kids looked amazing but it was definately a lot of work. Remind me to not have a ton of kids in my wedding. Or I should let all of the kids direct my wedding....hmmmm, that's an idea. Anyways, it was nice. Here's some pictures from that day. Thanks for reading. I have more.....don't go!

After our fun time at Baan Nam Jai we headed down to the Guest House to finish off our festivities for the night.....I caught a lift down to the house with a friend where we would play games and eat lots of good food. It wouldn't be a complete New Years without the dropping of the ball (at least for us americans), so Jess worked with what she had and made the most beautiful dropping ball in the country of Thailand....we dropped as we watched the thai countdown on tv..... makin some good memories.

Yay for the flower festival.....

Ok, so my friend Jessica and I went to this amazing flower festival.....we ate um, good food and saw some amazing flowers. However....she forgot her camera and mine was barely alive. I got some shots but hardly any. So here's the only survivors.... enjoy. I wish I could have whisked you all away to share this memory with me. It was breathtaking!! And I'm not being sarcastic or dramatic.