To Stop or Not

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.”

I pulled out of the driveway, headed to my second day at my new job. It had snowed that night and the roads were slippery, so I left early. About 5 miles from home, I hit a patch of ice and lost control of the car. I don’t remember everything, but I remember spinning into oncoming traffic, going up an embankment, and hitting a guardrail before the car shuddered to a stop.

“And by chance there came down a certain priest that way:and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.”

I somehow managed to stop shaking enough to call Daddy. I somehow managed to calm down enough to put on my hazards. I somehow managed to notice a highway patrol truck pass by me.

“And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.”

I got out of the car after a long line of cars and trucks passed me. I stood outside, looking at the damage, and watched a tow truck pass by me.

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him…”

I felt alone, abandoned, and afraid. Daddy was coming, but until he got there, I was by myself with a car that was making funny noises. There was no Good Samaritan in this story. And it made me think, would I have stopped? If I had been on the other side of the road at 7:20 on Tuesday would I make sure the driver of the little brown car was ok? Would I call the accident in? How important is my neighbor to me?

Honestly, the answer right now is, “No”. I would not have stopped. I would have been more scared about my own safety than whoever was in that car. And I don’t know if I ever will stop. But I know that I’m asking God to give me a Samaritans heart, one that has compassion on other, and not only when they obviously need help, but when their cries aren't audible.

Also, always wear a seatbelt.

Longing for Jesus

I long to go back to Laos.

I long with all my being to go back to Laos.

Lord, help me to long for You more than I long for Laos.

In Linguini We Trust

“We need to put more butter on my pasta.”

Mama looked at my three-year-old brother incredulously. “We already used two pats of butter. You don't need any more.”

“No,” Daniel insisted, “I need more butter.”

Mama sighed and added one more pat.

“Needs more.”

“That’s three pats of butter. If you have any more, you're setting yourself up for a heart attack at twenty. No more butter.”

Daniel missed the significance of watching his cholesterol intake. “It needs more butter.”

“No, you cannot have any more butter.”

Now it was Daniel’s turn to be incredulous. “More butter.”

“Why do you think you need more butter?”

“It needs more butter. I can't see any in there.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

Daniel learned to trust that the butter was actually in the pasta even though he couldn't see it. Unfortunately, this is a lesson I have yet to master. Not about butter on my pasta, but about God’s hand in my life. 

* * * * * * * * * * *

“I need more proof that You're guiding me.”

“My child, I've already shown you so much. Trust me. Trust that I will guide you as I've guided you in the past.”

“But, God, I can't see it. I can't see what You have shown me.”

“I have show you what you need to know. Your faith will not grow if you can see everything I do. You trust that butter will melt on your pasta. Can you trust that I will lead you as you need? This is about your soul, not your linguini. Trust Me.”

15 Things I Learned in Laos

1. Listen to your father.
Daddy: “I think you should be a teacher.”
Me: “I think I want to be a health educator.”
Daddy: “Ok.”
Me: Spend $500 dollars on a health educator course, decide I hate it.
6 months later...
Me: “I don’t know what to do with my life. I didn’t really like the health ed course. Now what should I do?”
Daddy: “I think you should be a teacher.”
Me: “I think I want to be a midwife.”
Daddy: “Ok.”
Me: Spend $250, decide I hate it.
A few months later...
Me: I’m going to be an English teacher in Laos.
Daddy: Ok
3 months after arriving in Laos...
Me: I LOVE being a teacher! I think this is what I want to do for the rest of my life!
Daddy: Yep.

2. You can't judge food by its appearance.

River weed is really good!

3. Kids are cute the world over.

4. Dressing up is a pain, but worth it. Heels are a pain and not worth it.

We went to a wedding, and the road was dirt, and the dirt was soft. 
My heels kept sinking in the ground. 
I was not very graceful.

5. Krataw (takraw in Thailand) is the awesomest sport on the planet.

6. Don’t believe signs in tourist areas.

This is what they said we would see.

This is what we actually saw.

7. Packages from America are huge blessings.
This cannot be emphasized enough. The highlight of our weeks was mail day, and it's terribly disappointing not to get anything. Even if it's just a postcard, send something to your friends overseas!

8. Write out lesson plans. Preferably before teaching.

Textbooks, red pen, computer, and tamarind.
All ready to lesson plan!

10. Never take hot showers for granted.
Or cool ones for that matter. Our downstairs shower thermostat broke, so the shower was either scalding or off.

11. Lao music is cool.

12. When living abroad, adopt a family.

Brothers

Sister

Sister

Kinda like sisters/cousins

Sister

Brother

Brother

13. Hot is relative.

14. Hmong is the awesomest language on the planet!
When nyob zoo is pronounced nyah zhong, you know you have met a cool language. Move over Russian! Hmong is now my favorite language.

15. Go sightseeing.
I didn't go sightseeing until the last week I was in Laos. Mistake. Don't be afraid to be a tourist. Take the crazy pictures. Make memories. You won't regret it.

Conversation with a Student

Yesterday was the first day of Buddhist lent. Everyone must go to the temple to give alms, or risk bad luck in the coming year. All my students are Buddhist, so I was expecting this conversation, but not how it turned out...
Nok: Teacher, did you go to the temple this morning?
Me: No, I didn't. I stayed home.
Nok: Why didn't you go?
Phet: Because she's a Christian. Christians don't go to temples.
Me: Phet's right. I didn't go because I'm a Christian.
Nok: But aren't you afraid of the spirits that will come if you don't go to the temple?
Me: No. My God is stronger than the spirits.
Nok: So your god is Buddha.
Me: No, my god is God.
Nok: But Buddha is stronger than the spirits.
Me: But God is stronger than Buddha.
Nok: How? Buddha is the strongest.
Me: Yes, but Buddha was a man. God created the first man. So God made Buddha, and He is stronger than Buddha and the spirits.
Nok: I want to learn more about God. I want to worship the strongest God.

Please join me in praying for Nok. I hope that all my students will learn to love Jesus.

Korat

The Korat zoo is a great place to vacation. If you're in Thailand and need a place to rest and relax, this is the place. But I'm not here to vacation. It all started in March...

In March, I was planning on going to Saraburi (Thailand) to visit the Adventist university there. I was so excited! Term break came around, and I was sick. In fact, I was so sick I ended up in the hospital for a day. Needless to say, I didn't go to Saraburi.

Then Pi Mai Lao break came around (that would be this week). I wasn't sure if I'd go to Luang Prabang (north of Lao) for the break, or maybe go to Pakse (south of Lao), or maybe I'd go to Cambodia and visit Angkor Wat. I got an email that changed all those plans.

You've been invited to join the Children's Ministry Team for the 2013 Asia retreat!We will be responsible for programming for 24 children, seven hours a day for five days, plus Sabbath Schools on both weekends and a 15 minute presentation for worship on the second Sabbath.  

I'm now in Korat, Thailand, living in a zoo for ten days, taking care of 18-20 children, and sharing a cabin with two amazing people (love you Ebby and Rachel!). The food is amazing, the kids are a blast, and the chance to to spend time with other people who work in Aisa is so encouraging. I'm glad it worked out for me to come here. It's so much better for my character than going on a real vacation. And I might get a chance to go to Pakse or Luang Prabang before I leave. Even if I don't, where God wants me is the best place to be.

More Rain

This past winter, the crocuses came up in February. Our garlic never really died. The kale in the side garden was green, and not because it froze. It was warm. We got the 80s in March. Then came April. Snowpril, as they call it. Then came May, a month of very little rain. Then came June, a month of very little rain. Now it's July 10. We have not had any rain since we moved here to Michigan almost a month ago.
The grass is dead where the sprinklers have not hit. Many trees are dropping their brown leaves. An entire row of trees near the preforming arts center is sporting a bright red crown. We shouldn't be experiencing September vistas with mid-August heat and Sahara levels of precipitation. This isn't supposed to be...
The grass outside the library here at Andrews is beautiful. It's green and lush. It's where the sprinklers are aimed. But as you get further from the showcase area of campus, it gets drier and drier. The grass on my way home crunches into dust under my feet.
A distant acquaintance posted this. I'd like to add a thought:
Every heavenly raindrop is a seed. A seed of love. A seed that somehow grows more rain clouds and sends the rain into another life. And as long as you share your rain clouds, you never lack any of your own...

Amazing things happen in a desert after it rains.

 ************************

God knows we need rain. All we have to do is ask.