Graciously Tenacious

The other day was Halloween, for everyone in America that's obvious but here in Thailand it was just another ordinary day...or I thought it was. It was nothing like my previous Halloween experiences, I didn't dress up like a witch or superhero and go door to door asking for candy. There wasn't a Halloween party or decorations in sight. Instead there was flooding, water filled houses, hungry people and the holy spirit doing work. Let me back up and explain what that means. This weekend we had youth camp for the kids it the neighborhood, the theme of the camp was serving God. We had an awesome opportunity to serve God at the National Stadium which for the last month has been the headquarters for the flooding relief. People were donating clothes, cooking food, making sandbags and lots of other stuff. So with the kids we got to walk the walk after we talked the talk. It really was great and the kids learned alot. Once camp was over,we saw that we had...

This weekend was the first time I sincerely referred to Samaki as "home". We had a long weekend of youth camp, which included lots of kids running around, playing games, volunteering at the flood rescue relief center and all the prep that needed to be done to get through this weekend. On the last day, tired and wanting to get back to Samaki the thought rolled into my head, "I just want to get home, sleep in my own bed and use my own shower". I never thought I would say that because my shower is a bucket, my bed is about two inches thick and above all...I live in a slum. But after two months I now call it home. So there's this verse that has been popping up alot lately, its Jeremiah 29:4-7 which says, "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give yo...

Last week, I was having one of those days where I could have made a list of things to complain about...a very long list. Consisting of things I don't have at home, the food, the language and everything in between. Its funny how back home when I most experienced God's presence it was usually walking on the beach, praying with my brothers and sisters or at a huge, loud, awesome church service. But that day was different, I put my list of complaints aside, grabbed a hot cup of tea, sat by my front door and listened to the rain. It poured, the thunder was roaring, the lighting lit up the sky and all I could think about was the song that goes, " theres no place I'd rather be, theres no place I'd rather be, theres no place I'd rather be than here in your love, here in your love." I love how God used the rain to show me his power and gave me peace at the same time. God has been blessing me with these moments on different occasions. Teaching me that I don't ha...

I cant help but take a second to talk about the food that I have been eating here in Thailand. Let me start off by saying that no the spider isn't food...at least I think it isn't. But I hope you do enjoy the picture of it, I get to see this spider up close and personal as it has decided to move into my house...Yay!!! Anyways from the moment I got here I have been trying interesting new foods and having a history of not liking spicy food it has been interesting for me to try to stay away from the many spicy foods that cook on the streets of Bangkok. So far about 99.9 % of the food I have eaten is street vendor food and I wouldn't have it any other way. Many people back in the states told me either to eat the street food or to stay far from it. In the community that I live in (samaki) there isn't a grocery store nearby (unless you count 7/11, which are everywhere and you can get bread and other things there) and its alot cheaper to by from vendors. So street vendors ...

Even though Bangkok is an urban city, there are glimpses of nature everywhere, whether it be in the greenery growing between the houses of the long flowing canal nearby. It may not be the beach I'm used to back home, the hills covered in grass or the fields of produce but I still see the beauty and appreciate God's creativity in all that I see. My favorite thing to do back home is walk on the beach, praying and thinking over life. I could spend hours at the beach, whether at night or during the day, there is something about the warm sand, ocean breeze and sound of waves crashing that puts me at peace and opens up my heart to hear God. Singing songs about God's grace if it were like an ocean. Praising him for making such a beautiful place for me to live at. Today in thailand as I went to seek quiet time with the Lord, I ended up sitting by the canal. It is dirty, smelly, and not really a beautiful place to spend time at. It may not be the beach but if I close my eyes and blo...