livin in a little piece of paradise!

So my roommate has friends in high places! She is friends with someone who works for the US Embassy so needless to say their house is AMAZING! They had planned a vacation for Phuket...an island down south and just extended their stay because of the flooding. They offered their house to us to stay in until the worst of the flood threats are over. So we packed up all our water and all the food that we had stored up and made our way over to this piece of paradise. This house has its own private swimming pool, huge comfortable beds, each bedroom with its own bathroom complete with its own tub and shower. We can order for a massage to come to the house, a golf cart to take us anywhere we want to go in the little village, and get take-out from amazing restaurants! We are living the life!

On Monday we are escaping Bangkok and the flooding and going 5 hours south to Koh Chang, a little island known for its beautiful emerald green water and of course elephants. Here in Thailand seeing elephants is like seeing dogs or cats, they are like pets that you can find walking down any street. We are going for a whole week because school is canceled until November 7th now, and even that could change and be pushed back until the 15th.

So a little update on Thailand and the flooding...God has protected and provided. If you look at a flood map, we are the island of dry. Everything around us is underwater but for some reason water has not touched us. The drains on the side of the road have filled and are going out into the streets but even that water is more like a big puddle than anything we actually have to fear.

I ran into one of my student's parents at a local grocery store on Friday and they said that the water in their house is up to their knees. Ice is the name of that student and he is the shortest student in my class. He is really tiny. His parents told me that he can't go downstairs or the water would go over his head and being the fact that he is Thai, he cannot swim! :)

Thank you for your prayers...keep them coming! God is certainly answering them! :)

my dad left and the water is coming!

So my dad and I got back from Chiang Mai Friday night and we decided it would be best for him to see if he could get an early flight out so he wouldn't get stuck here! It was sad that he had to leave early but I would have been a nervous wreck the whole time he was here.

I am sure that my mom has done a good job of keeping everyone updated but just in case she missed people, the flood is coming soon! It has hit my province really hard and we are pretty much just waiting now for the siren to go off that means it has come here. The dam has been holding so far but it will be a strong tide the next couple of nights because of the full moon so there is no way we can escape it!

Today my roommate and I went to a grocery store. It opened at 10 and we got there right when it opened. We were able to get two cases of water and I am glad that we could because by 10:13 all their water was gone. It was crazy!

I will keep you posted on what's going on. But before I sign off, I just want to share some pictures that I took with my dad when he was here! :)

so far we're still dry!

Well its Sunday night and so far we have yet to see the flood waters come. The surrounding provinces are really hurting right now but God has kept us dry so far! It has rained a lot this weekend though! Hopefully we can continue to stay dry tonight so we will have no trouble getting a ride to the airport tomorrow for our trip to Chiang Mai! I am really looking forward to getting away and seeing some different sights! It will be nice to get out of dirty Bangkok and breathe some clean air!

My dad and I are having a good time so far! It's weird always being with someone so tall in Asia though! I am feeling like a tourist and I like it! :) It's nice to be able to see things that people fly half way around the world to experience! Thanks for your prayers of safety! If you can remember, keep my students in prayer. I know of at least 8 whose houses flooded, it could be more now...may they be reminded of God's provision and His goodness....things I have really stressed to them this year that I am hoping will take root in their hearts!

flood flood go away...if you have to come, come another day!

So life here in Nonthaburi is a little crazy right now! There are all these intense flood warnings right now! People are building cinder block walls around their stores and houses, and the country is running out of sand bags. We are having emergency flood evacuation practice with our students, and half of my students have been missing all week because they cannot get out of their houses. On top of all this, my dad is en route to visit me! I am just worried I won't be able to get to the airport to get him, especially since we are right down the street from the pier. There are rumors that a dam is about to break, if that happens, it is looking like we will be underwater! :( We are also getting hit with a tropical storm this weekend, and if that is the case, the dam will certainly break. Pray for our little school, and me and my dad!

BUT there is humor in even this situation. On Monday, my class was finishing up their weather unit. Because so many of my students were missing, I decided that we would create extreme weather forecasts. I showed them some examples of weather forecasts and I told them that in extreme weather forecasts, the meteorologist will often times tell them things to do to get their house ready. I asked them in the case of a flood, what are somethings they could do to get their house ready. I was thinking in my head of examples that they could say like, "move the furniture upstairs, get lots of drinking water, etc." But no, not my little Thai students. As soon as I asked the question, without blinking 7-8 students AT THE SAME TIME said, "move the rice upstairs!" You know you live in Asia when rice becomes the number one priority! :)

What a weekend!

This weekend flew! On Friday we didn't have school because it was a teacher workday so we could get report cards finished since our last day of school for the first semester is FRIDAY! I cannot believe that I am already half-way finished with my first year of teaching. It has gone by so incredibly fast!

Then, on Saturday, a man from our church took me and two other teachers on a trek through the rain forest at a national park about 3 hours outside of Bangkok. We had these awesome leech socks that we had to wear, and even still I picked quite a few leeches off of me...one particularly big one! We got to ride an elephant, had an amazing lunch, and went on a hike through the jungle. We saw monkeys (ling in Thai) swinging from the trees, a green viper, several hornbills, and amazing trees and flowers. It was so beautiful and so quiet! I forgot how quite the world could be. I live on a street that never sleeps in a city that is always moving. We didn't see any other humans from the time we got into the rain forest to when we got out. No buses, taxis, motorcycles, people, vendors- just quiet! We could hear birds and monkeys, and rain falling on the trees. It was a wonderful day!

My dad comes to visit on Thursday! :) I have planned our trip 50 times over already! I just can't wait to introduce someone from my family to Thailand. I hope he loves it as much as I do! :)

who is your king?

I love going to the movies in Thailand. I just love the comfortable seats, the opera-like setup of the hallways, the funny Thai previews and of course the King's Anthem. Before every movie, they play the King's Anthem, and show pictures of the King. Everyone stands up to show their respect. Just before the song comes on, a sign comes on the screen in English and Thai to let you know that the Anthem is going to start next. It says (in English at least) Please Stand for the King, the Pride and Inspiration of all Thai People.

Last Saturday I went to see a movie with one of my friends. There were only a few other people in the theater (it wasn't a great movie). When it came time for the King's Anthem, the people a couple seats down from us did not stand up! I was mortified! Not standing up can land you in prison! They take the respect to the King very seriously! When the King's Anthem is played, the world stops. No one moves until it is done being played. I could not believe that they did not stand up! It bothered me all week.

But then I started thinking, the Thai king is not my king. I have another. But do I pay him the same honor and respect? Do I say the He is the pride and inspiration of me? Or do I make him worth less than what he is? All those people had to do was stand to show the King respect. It is so simple....but it meant they had to actually stand. I know what I should do for my King, but do I just not do it because of the inconvenience it is to me to "just stand?" Just wanted to share with you some thoughts this morning.

School is going good! Less than 3 weeks until the semester ends and we get 2 weeks off!

 I am having some issues with a student. He is my lowest student, in both English and Thai so I know that means there is something else going on there. His father runs with gangs throughout Nonthaburi (my town) and my student has been bringing in weapons into school (don't worry mom they are just plastic right now) but he draws disturbing pictures on all his papers and he only takes out books about war and weapons (which I will be putting a stop to!). He is also my student who for masquerade day dressed up in a full army and gas mask outfit. He is also disrespectful to the other classmates, lazy, and unmotivated. In other words, he is every teacher's dream! :) I have to have a meeting with him and the headmaster. I have been trying all year to have a meeting with his parents but they have been unresponsive. Please pray for me as I deal with this student, and for my student and his heart as well. His name is Folk.

hudson taylor

This morning I read a story to my student's from Hudson Taylor's life. It started with how Hudson Taylor was discouraged that no one had taken the Gospel seriously. One night he was particularly discouraged when a Buddhist man stood up and said that he wanted to know more. His grandfather and his father had been searching for the truth and he wanted to know more about this truth Hudson Taylor was talking about. The man became a Christian, was baptized, and even took Taylor to a Buddhist meeting where the man shared his testimony with his friend. It was this part of the story that made me stop though. It says, "However, a few nights after the man had accepted Jesus as his Savior, he asked Hudson Taylor a very hard question. "How long have the people in your land known about Jesus?" Hudson Taylor answered, "Oh, hundreds of years." "WHAT?" said the man in amazement. "You knew the truth for hundreds of years and didn't come tell us? My father searched for the truth all his life and died without finding it. Why didn't you come sooner?"
            Just a little something to ponder....:)