Repeat the Sounding Joy!

Joy to the World is a popular Christmas song, but I use to HATE when we sang it! I didn't like it because it was SO familiar. This year that has come back to bite me because my students are singing part of that song in their Christmas program. That means that I hear it EVERYDAY! Yay! :) We even sang it in chapel today. I feel like I cannot get away from this song. Today as I was listening to my students sing it in chapel, they know the words. I mean they can sing the whole entire song! The heart breaking part is that they have no idea the powerful truth that they are singing. "Joy to the World, the Lord is come. Let Earth receive her King!" Right away that is like a sucker-punch! The King of Kings has come to Earth! "Let every heart prepare him room!" It broke my heart to hear them sing this line and to know that their hearts are full of idol worship and empty hope.

Christmas is such a special time in the States. Even if people don't know Christ, many will still attend church, and the whole country quietly directs their thoughts towards Christ, if only for one night. Here, no one even pauses on Christmas. Everything stays open, schools are still in session, and the only thing that changes are the prices at the beach because so many tourists come through at this time. How sad to be so far from the truth!

Just listen to this beautiful Christmas song that is now taking a special place in my heart and rejoice in the fact that our King has come! Our Savior reigns! Pray for my students, that these wouldn't be empty words but that they would take on new meaning. That they would go deep into their hearts and that they would prepare him room!

Happy Father's Day! :)

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."

Exodus 20:12 

This past weekend, we got to do just that, honoring the fathers at our school and the father of the country. It was a wonderful weekend! Here are some highlights from the ceremony in my classroom and the celebration downtown! :) Enjoy!

How amazing is our God!

Today in church it was announced that it is Thailand's national day of prayer! The government came to the Thai church and asked it they would hold a huge national ceremony to call on our God for the nation of Thailand and the flood devastation. How amazing that something as awful as this flood has turned the eyes of the nation to God! He is so amazing! Today from 5-10 P.M. they are giving the church the national stage right next to the huge reclining Buddha...a very holy site for the Thais! How amazing! :)