Happy Easter!

"He's Alive!"
One of the benefits of being a missionary is getting cards that children have written to me. They remind me that Jesus loves me. Even adults need reminded of that. :) Here's a few made by a kindergarten class at a Christian School.

Knock, Knock

I like to start my kids' presentations off with a joke a fourth grader shared with me once.

Q: What country can you go to where you never win and you never lose?
A: Thailand!

I asked my nephew, who is five, the joke. He's still getting used to how jokes work. Then my brother and I continued sharing some of our other favorite jokes. When we finally got to his house, he runs in to tell his mom his new joke. This is how it went.

Aidan: Knock, knock.
Mom: Who's there?
Aidan: Thailand!

Did You Know?

Thailand is the world's top exporter of rice!

Telling Your Story

I had SO much fun sharing today with the kids at Carmel Baptist Christian School. I am thankful for all of you who listened to me verbally process how to be the speaker these two days. The theme of their Missions Week is "Telling Your Story, Showing God's Glory" (or something like that).

I had twenty minutes today to share my stories about how God has worked in my life and encouraged them in how they can share their own stories. Stories they can share include how God is doing something impossible in their life, how God has answered their prayers, or how they first became a Christian. One girl found me afterwards to share with me how her mother had cancer. She prayed a lot for her and she is now better. She said that was a good story in her life to share with other people. The same girl also summarized my talk by saying it was "Amazing!" :)

Looking forward to giving the fun Thailand talk tomorrow to them and hopefully leading a brief lizard dance!

Let the Little Children Come to Me

I have enjoyed thinking about that Bible passage when the little children want to go spend time with Jesus. His disciples tell them to go away, but Jesus says, "No, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them." It takes a special charisma for children to approach you on their own. Jesus must have had that charisma. And he enjoyed spending time with them at least as much as with the adults he taught.

I am sharing with a kids' club today here in Asheville, and then I head to Charlotte tonight to be the "Missionary" for the "Missions Focus Week" at a Christian school. A special part of being home from Thailand is taking the time to share with children and youth about missions too. Every time I connected with a missionary growing up, I remember! I want these kids to know about what God's doing around the world. I want them to see how God loves children. I want them to know the impact they have on the world too, as children. I have seen an eight-year-old girl pray for her mother's salvation for three years, and her mom became a Christian!

Please do pray for me. I am giving a new presentation I haven't given before encouraging the kids on Thursday to tell their stories about God working in their lives. Then Friday, I speak to 300 kids at one time!! Thanks for partnering with me in prayer. I need it!

Being an Aunt

Amidst the intense traveling this past month, I have been thankful for some good family time while in Charlotte. My niece turned four on Friday and had a bday party at Build-A-Bear Workshop. My nephew is making a hilarious smile here too. He's in kindergarten this year. I love being an aunt!

Visiting Another Church

I headed up to Mooresville this morning to share with a church there. They have already added me to their support for the coming year, even when they hadn't met me yet! A smaller church when looking at the sanctuary, but full of all ages and a very sweet church family. After the church breakfast, I shared for about twenty minutes. Everyone said they enjoyed it. I'm thankful to have another church desiring to partner with my ministry in Thailand.

I was invited by a couple from Charlotte to meet their friend, an exchange student from Thailand. That will be fun tonight, and then I head up to Asheville again.

How I am like Yogurt

A friend was describing me to someone else today by saying I was "cultured". I responded, "Isn't that what yogurt is?"

Shots of My Sharing

Views from the Road

The mountains crossing North Carolina's border to Georgia were SO BLUE! It's hard to capture on a camera, and even harder to capture on a camera while driving. :)
The icicles and frozen waterfalls from mountain sides are so beautiful. I just had to share.





...and after a lot of time in the car, I start taking pictures of myself. :)

Why are You Standing There?

The theme of this church's missions conference is, "Why Stand Ye Here Gazing?" The angels ask the disciples this question when Jesus leaves the Earth to join the Father in Heaven. The angels continue to encourage the disciples, "This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." Acts 1:11

The speaker, a fellow MTW missionary raising support to serve in England, explained that the disciples were still gazing at the sky because their teacher was leaving them. The Savior of the World was leaving them after such amazing intimacy for three years. Now they were thinking of their own fears. Often, we can remain frozen in our own fears instead of moving on to the ministries God has prepared for us. We can all be encouraged that Jesus does promise to come back for us and bring all believers to heaven with him. Until then, we can serve him here.

The conference has gone very well so far. I was able to give a field report on Wednesday evening and speak at a home meeting on Thursday evening. Thank you for your prayers.

Going His Way

Packing and heading to Georgia tomorrow for a five-day missions conference. On the way back from that, I'll stop by Waynesville to speak at another church Sunday night. I've been going so fast with the blessings of speaking opportunities that I haven't been able to think that far in front of each step.

I heard a phrase the other day that hit me, "being in tune with the Lord." I don't know if that's the correct words they used, but it hit me. Walking alongside the Lord in such a way that his way is your way. Would you pray that for me? Not just because I'm a missionary who has five talks in the next five days, but for me as a fellow believer. I desire to be in tune with the Lord. My greatest passion should be Jesus, not Thailand. And as I go into another Missions Conference, I want to be used for God's glory in all that I say. Thanks for your prayers.

Support Dream

Last night, I dreamed I went from having 65% of my support raised to 90% of my support raised! I was receiving congratulatory letters and everything! In real life, I don't believe it's going to happen that fast. Slow and steady wins the race. And I'm not sure why I was receiving congratulatory letters. Maybe I got support raising confused with the Olympics?

Missions Weekend

What a great weekend for a missions conference at the church I grew up in, in Charlotte. Each table was decorated for a different country.
Here's my Thai table, which people enjoyed. I really enjoyed meeting the women from the Ladies' Luncheon, sitting with others to share more intimately, as well as speaking in front of all 100 women.
Cera is headed to Australia for a month this summer. The youth group was able to pray for her and me at the Youth Missions Cafe in the evening. Then I spoke to the elementary age kids for Sunday School the next day. I really enjoy speaking. It's just the preparation which makes me nervous. Praise God for another great speaking opportunity. One mom said her teen came home saying she wanted to be a missionary after hearing me speak!

Thai Peter

Right before I left Thailand, I asked my friend to video me teaching Sunday School at our church. My Thai is definitely not great, but the Lord did bless my language abilities enough for the ministry he had in mind for me. The video is funny, even if you don't know what I'm saying. I think you can guess which Bible story I am sharing! Enjoy the flannel board and the cute kids' faces.

Looking like a Thai Restaurant

The Missions Conference in Charlotte starts tomorrow. Tables at the church have been decorated to represent countries around the world. My table was complimented, "Oh, it looks just like a Thai restaurant!" Green silk, elephants, and artwork from one of my Thai friends makes it complete. I'm squeezed right between the Haiti table and the China table. The sad news is I forgot my prayer cards!

I'm speaking for five minutes at the Ladies' Luncheon, then twenty to the youth missions coffeehouse, and then the Sunday School hour to some children. At least I didn't forget my Thai candy! It'll be a good weekend!

Too Serious

It seemed almost a sin to be "too serious" in Thailand. The word "serious" always seemed to have a negative connotation when people used it around me. Though most people say I smile all the time, I have been accused in Thailand of the dreadful sin of being "serious" quite a few times as well. My blog has recently been accused of being too serious, as have I. My accuser is right though. The hilarious stories of running into elephants and eating crazy foods have not shown themselves lately. I am just not encountering insane cultural adjustment at the same pace right now. Yet am I becoming too serious? Does being a missionary cause you to be serious? Do the things I now think about so much cause me to be serious? Does getting older make me serious? Or am I just not trusting in my Savior enough for my joy to spill out? I don't know.

I mentioned to a veteran missionary the other day of the accusation. She said she was accused of changing in the same way. In some ways, it is true. I think so much about what I saw in Thailand, the many people who needed to know Jesus. The poverty of soul as well as materially that I befriended. I dream of Thailand at least once a week lately. Last night, I returned there in my dream--speaking in Thai again. So, let me know when you hang out with me if I have become serious. And pray that the JOY of the Lord would overtake me yet again and I would know how to rest in Christ!

The Thrills of Support-Raising

I got a call today from a pastor asking me to speak at his church. Wow! Most of my time is spent following up with folks after my speaking engagements. But this pastor heard me speak on Saturday and has taken the initiative himself to call me! It doesn't take much to make me excited in this support-raising season of life. I am thankful for the little things.

The other thrill comes when I check my support report on the MTW website. Today I have three more one-time gifts and a monthly pledge! Praise God!

To Grandmother's Church I Went

As I headed to my grandmother's house, more than anything I wanted some quality time with her. Since my granddad passed away on January 1, we have all mourned the loss of him. She says she enjoys her time alone, but couldn't do it without knowing God was right there with her through it all. I am so thankful for her faith and how she talks about her relationship with God all the time.

I spoke at her church on Monday evening, being invited by the Women of Missions group. Twenty-five women sat to hear about a strange and faraway land called Thailand and what God is doing there. I was very encouraged by their interest. I was thankful to share with my grandmother the heart God has given me to be a missionary. She wrote me letters every week in Thailand. I know she misses her granddaughter, but she also understands the calling on my life.

I drove off early this morning to beat the snow back to Asheville. My grandmother sent me off with fresh sourdough rolls, sausage balls, and oatmeal cookies. With all this snow, those treats will disappear fast.