Seasons change....they change me.....

Well, my season of studying thai is rapidly coming to an end folks! It freaks me out because I know that I am no where close to being fluent at this hectic/difficult/beautiful language we call thai. But I am ending my season of intense study and am really greatful for it! It's been a super intense and busy season and it's completely changed me! It's changed my relationships that I have now and future relationships to come. When you get the jist of the language it changes everything. It opens you up to a whole new world! It bridges the gap that was once there and that might still be there somedays when I am completely exhausted and thai just won't come out. It's in there somewhere! I could not have survived this season at all with out the help from the Lord! It's just not something that would come to me easily! I want to thank everyone for praying for me and encouraging me to keep it up!! I love you all and am blessed by you all! I will make sure to fill you in on my trip to Australia where I will rest and relax and visit some blessed friends! Until then....peace out!

Shop girl

I have a new friend....she does hair. She opened a salon next to P'Rut's coffee shop (Companion). I don't think she had any idea what she was getting herself into by opening up this shop next to Companion. She has experienced doing farang hair (non-thai hair) and enjoys us coming in for makeovers!  She didn't realize that she would be exposed to the community that flows out of this special coffee shop. My housemate and I have been praying for her and just building relationship with her. So tonight, on our regular bible study night we decided to just go and have dinner with her in her shop. We ended up just eating next door at the coffee shop and had a really good time visiting with eachother. I have this friend, her name is Ae and she's got the gift of teaching. She also has a huge heart and wants to see people come to experience God's grace and love for them. So as we were all sitting around visiting Ae went next door and just started visiting with P'Ploy (the girl from the salon).  Slowly all of us ended up in her shop listening to Ae tell her God's story and explain to her how God sent His Son to die for her because His love is so vast and great. And that nothing she could do could seperate her from His love. My other friend Kak began to share her testimony (which is beautiful) and then P'Rut came in and shared his with her. She started to cry and was so greatful to hear all of this. I think she was overwhelmed with emotion at the fact that the Lord died for her, for her sins, because of HIS GREAT LOVE for HER!  This is what it's all about! This is why I am here, this is why we listen to the Lord, this is why we have life, this is why we love......because God first loved us.

I am blown away at how the Lord works and His timing. I'm blown away at how much God still loves me even when I am not thriving from reading His word and spending time with Him. His grace is sufficient for me. I don't deserve it at all. I'm selfish and lazy and don't spend my time wisely- and yet the Lord is so jealous for my time and can use me as His tool to share His love. I am blown away at how God is moving so big in just this little area of my community that God has given me. What a mighty God we serve. I don't deserve His love and grace yet He gives it so freely! What a gift grace is! I sat in the coffee shop just thinking how this little coffee shop located on the outskirts of Chiang Rai in a little area called Baan Du in a little green coffee shop run by a regular guy has become a place of refuge, a place of healing and a place of community. Come-Unity! My life is rich!

Please be praying for Ploy and her business. Pray that she comes to understand God's love for her. Pray that we would continue to surround her and be her community! She's very lonely and very hungry for friendship and companionship. She parked her shop next to the right place eh? I believe the Lord wants to capture her heart! I believe He will use her salon as a place of refuge as well!

a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together.....

Tis the season for me to get ready to put all of my thai study to action! In 3 weeks I head to BKK to take my big thai language exam. I am both nervous and anxious to get this over with! I can't believe this time has come so quickly! This exam will cover reading and comprehension, writing and speaking. I know that I still have so much more to learn and that I am not at all at a place to say I am fluent in thai at this point but I see how far I have come in just the 5-6 months of study since coming back from the states. I know it's nothing I could have done on my own. I feel very blessed and covered by the Lord in all of this. I also have had the support of my friends and family here and back home as I have taken on this intense time of study. It is the end of an intense and growing chapter of my life. Thank you all for your prayers during this time.

One more exciting thing is that on the evening of my big exam I will fly out to Australia to spend 2 weeks with some lovely friends of mine. They are sending me there and have paid for it all! I feel so blessed to have this opportunity! Thank you all of my amazing Aussie bogans! Until we meet again.....