Last Post

October 15th is here. My last day of blogging. It's already October 16th in Thailand, and my church there will start within the hour. I have been in the USA for two months. The purpose of this blog was to help all those connected with me to keep up-to-date while I served in Thailand. I hope that many of you of all ages (I have some young readers) have learned a lot about being a missionary from me. And more than that, I hope you have learned about Jesus Christ, what he did for us, and how wonderful it is to tell others about him. From one child of God, I hope you have heard how God is working to grow his kingdom across the world. In addition, I hope all of you have been part of something so much larger than yourself by praying for people across the world that you don't know and seeing God answer those prayers.

I invite you, as you come back to my blog with sadness that this journey is over, to take some time and read over my past blog posts. How God has shown himself mighty these last four years! Or start following the other teammates of mine that are still in Thailand. You can find their blogs on the right-hand panel.

I am confident that where God has me is right where he wants me to be. I do miss Thailand and I still tell God that often. He knows. He reassures me everyday that he is working in my life and in that country too. Last night, I cried out of grief for all the friends I have left behind. I didn't feel like I could understand why these seasons of life make me lose contact with so many friends. God reminded me of Abraham who probably left a lot of friends to follow God. Then I told God how hard it has been to return to the US a different person, confused about how to be as I reunite with old friends. God reminded me of Ruth's mother-in-law in the Bible who returned home. God gave both Abraham and Naomi great blessings of seeing His provision, knowing him deeper, and being part of his plan so others would know him. I am reassured he will continue doing these same things in my life too.

May God bless you and the rest of all of your lives. Thank you for being part of my life. I look forward to running into you in the future to share with you how God glorifying himself continues in and through me. I look forward to hearing your stories too.

What is Most Exciting?

Thailand- What was the most exciting thing in Thailand was seeing someone come to know Jesus and trust and believe in God. Going anywhere with the college students was really exciting. Riding on the back of a motorcycle taxi was always exciting. Eating something really sour or spicy or both was always pretty exciting.

Here--Since coming back, what's been the most exciting? Hmm...renting my own house, seeing the fall leaves, and playing soccer at recess with my students has been exciting.

My Half-of-a-House

Ok, I confess, this is a silly picture of where I rent taken from Google Maps. BUT, I can't find my camera battery charger. And I need to end this blog soon but I want to show you where I live!

I am grateful for every little thing God has given me. I will try to share more of that tomorrow. As for today, here is my half-of-a-house. It is the house on the right. On the left is a house split into lots and lots of apartments. I took the snippet from this angle because that tree in front of my house is beautiful. My half-house has two floors with two bedrooms and one bathroom. There is no fence in the yard, though the picture shows one. I have a nice couple my age living next door. They have a dog which is fun to visit. The house is down the street from a cute bakery and I have some nice friends in the neighborhood.

The house is not really full yet but tomorrow I'm hoping to get a cute used red sofa moved in here. As for the rest, it will come. So, no housewarming party anytime soon. :)

Crossing Legs and Wearing Shoes

I woke up late today by a phone call from my co-teacher asking if I was okay. Late to school! It had already started! Oh, the hazards of an alarm clock. I jumped up, got ready, and headed to school.

Once I arrived, I greeted the students and sat them down for reading small groups. As I sat with my group, I thought to myself, "Something's not right, but what is it?" Then I realized it was my shoes. I was wearing shoes! Just like the Thai sleep-talking, once again my brain reverts back to Thailand. I couldn't wear shoes inside when I taught there. My brain was telling me I was doing something wrong today too.

And then during the staff meeting today, I kept sitting with my foot on my other knee. But my brain kept telling my leg to come back down, that was impolite. In Thailand, we never show the bottom of our feet to other people. So many changes. :)

"Pray for Thailand"

Many of my college friends in Thailand who are not believers are posting "Pray for Thailand" on their Facebook statuses. Oh, I wish they would really come to know the God that sits on his throne, accepting our petitions that we can bring confidently through Jesus Christ. Please pray for them to know Him as you pray for the present condition of Thailand.
the extreme flooding situation

even the elephants in Ayutthaya are struggling

People are being creative in these tragic days by making their own rafts.

When are you Fluent?

Are you fluent in Thai? Many people ask. I have asked in reply, "How do you know when you are fluent in another language?" Some people say it's when you think in the other language or dream in the other language. Well....I'm going to one up you.

Saturday night, while sharing a hotel room with my friends at that conference, I talked in my sleep IN THAI! Yes, I am a sleep-talker and even a sleep-singer, but I didn't know that I spoke in Thai! Now if I could just sing in Thai in my sleep. :)

Women's Conference and Purses

Life has been going at warp speed, so I gotta say I didn't go into the women's conference this past weekend with a positive attitude. Yet, God met me there as he always does. I went to share a hotel room that a friend has generously paid for so four of us ladies from church could attend the conference. I also went to carry some Napada bags to sell at a booth there.

As the conference started and I stood at the booth, people walked by to buy purses and ask about who made them. Instead of being stressed and fragile, telling stories of my friends was soothing. As the conference continued on, God provided people to walk into my path that could speak into my life. One former missionary came by to buy a bag and told me about how she left the mission field before she had expected. She encouraged me in how I was feeling and I just wanted to hug this complete stranger in front of me. Another guy worked at a booth selling handicrafts from Uganda. He encouraged me in the Lord's path for my life now too.

Two ladies that work with MTW's home office helped sell our bags this weekend. They sacrificially gave of their time to help the Thailand ministry. I'm grateful for them. They showed me grace in my fatigue and fragility, helping me rest and enjoying my stories from Thailand as well. So, I'm done with the weekend with gratefulness from God for his gentle hand of mercy on my life.

Selling Napada Purses

Off to a women's conference for the PCA churches this weekend. I'm delivering three boxes and four bags full of Napada purses to sell there! I will be helping these two ladies who have already started selling! Remember you can learn more about Napada purses by clicking the link on the right side panel.

It's 6pm. Haven't even left for Atlanta yet. Crazy life. Looking forward to the road trip and the hotel room with some good friends from church too!

Teammate's Wedding

Thailand Mini-Reunion! This past weekend, I drove down to my great friend, Katie's wedding. She had been my housemate in Thailand the last 8 months of my last year there. Carolyn, another great friend and teammate who has already returned, and I went to the wedding together. What precious times!

Searching for the One

That is....searching for the one car. Decided against the Camry I took to a mechanic today. I would really covet your prayers. The search is arduous and I'd like to be done. I'm still really tired.

More First Visitors

Badly pixelized...but here's a couple more wonderful friends and their camera phone pictures of their visits to my house yesterday. These two gals became good friends the year I was home 2009-2010. Then one served in East Asia this last year while I was in Thailand and the other became a teacher. So you can see we have lots of things in common! Grateful for good friends.

Here I am in my living room. Don't you love how I've shown you only a pic of my porch, and now one room? I'm a tease. :)

First Visitors!

My first visitors to my new duplex brought the best housewarming gift of all, icecream! We ate ice cream on my porch (with no porch furniture) and enjoyed my new house. When I first came to check out this house, they came with me too. I hear that a neighbor asked, "So, how many kids are moving into that house?" None. But a LOT are visiting!


Notice that the Thai girl in this picture is already wearing a sweater, yet mosquitos were outside. Sweaters and mosquitos? I always imagine mosquitos in hot weather. Or maybe it's just me.

The End

The end of the Thai Currie blog is near. At the two-month mark (October 15), I'm going to sign off. Before then, I hope to put in a few pictures of my life now so you can visualize me here. It has been difficult to be so transparent these last six weeks with all of you. Yet I believe you all deserve it because you have been such valuable supporters of mine.

I'll miss having supporters to send prayer requests to. Yes, I know. I can always ask people to pray for me. But its an amazing feeling to know there are like 500 people who are invested in me and God's work through me. The other week at church, I had a woman volunteer to pray for my teaching and class. I thought about how much that sounded like what all my supporters have been doing for many years. Praying. Sincerely caring to know. Invested in what I'm invested in. Thank you all for answering God's call to pray for the nations, to care for your Christian sister, and to come before his throne with petitions.

Jalapeno Chips and Toto

I ate jalapeno chips yesterday. They were awesome. They had just the right spicy bite that sent me back to Thailand. Spicy food. :)

Random, yes, I know. In other news, I finally "moved into" my new duplex. I slept there for the first time, though my furniture has been there for a few weeks. I'm grateful.

Also, I test drove a car yesterday. A green Camry. It may be my next car. Taking it to a mechanic Wednesday to check out it's innards.

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. I do ask for your continued prayers as I adjust. I went shopping yesterday for my own food. I slept in my own house. It's very surreal. I just keep saying to myself, "I'm not in Thailand anymore, Toto."

No Need for Speed

It's hard to recognize reverse culture shock, since I feel like adjustment has been completely difficult but I'm not sure what to blame it on. :) This morning, I think I've decided that the speed of this culture is a shocker for me. It's not just my inability to keep up because maybe I'm slow. It's also that the culture goes a lot faster than Thai culture.

When I lived in Thailand, I used to be surprised by how few things I could do in one measure of time. Everything took longer. Some of it was due to process--public transportation, language, unfamiliarity. Yet at the same time, Thai culture is just just really laid back. The people value quality of relationships over efficiency and productivity.

I'd love your prayers as I am in a turtle in a hare world right now. Because I am teaching too, it's hard to not get overwhelmed with the speed factor. Yet God is good even in showing me that this feeling is an effect of reverse culture shock.

State of Currie Address

5 Weeks in the U.S. as of today.

Eat, Sleep, Teach. That seems to be all I am able to do right now. When I add in any more to my list, I go into a tailspin kinda' like Goose in Top Gun. So, getting myself into the house that I have leased or test driving a possible car are difficult tasks to add in. Let's not even consider the possibility of keeping up any regular friendships at this point.

Would love your prayers. To add God into this address, I think of what I've been reading from His Word lately. I just started 1 Kings, where Solomon asks God for wisdom to be a ruler. Though this request is revered, the best request made to God by a leader is found in Exodus when Moses asks to know God or in Timothy when Paul asks to have fellowship with Christ. So, amidst this "State" I am in, I continue to come before our Lord refining my requests to the basics. I'm always and continually grateful that God knows me and desires to fellowship with me.

I Miss...

I dreamed about Thailand Saturday night. Then I woke up Sunday to a sweet message from my friend J. She took a picture with my young friend, S., and sent it to me. A heave of grief came over me. Every day, a different person finds me on Facebook to say they miss me. I miss them too. I do.

Please pray for Thailand. I know its hard for the church to see so much missionary staff turnover. I know God is still working there and the country is in desperate need of all of our prayers.

Please pray particularly for my friends and I as we continue going through this grief of losing each other. So many goodbyes. So much grieving still to go. I think the grieving process has only begun. I hate this part. I am tempted to just not make any more friendships because friendships always seem to have to end. I know that's not completely true and it's definitely not how God wants us to live. I'll get better. But I thought I'd share with you how I'm doing now.

Driving Instructor

I've become a driving instructor for my Thai friend. She needs to get her driver's license, so we're practicing together. She just needs to grow more confident with her driving. I won't let her pay for our Sunday afternoon drives so instead she's going to feed me Thai food at the restaurant she owns. Of course, I didn't object to that!

Unpacking

I started unpacking my things that have been in storage for four years. The newspapers between each plate read 2007. I thought to myself about where my life was going in 2007, and where it's now going. I didn't really know then, but I was going to be a missionary. What hopes were packed in those boxes. And now as I unpacked them, I thanked God for sending me on that journey. I thanked Him for His BIG dreams, making them mine, and making those dreams come true. And as I unpack those plates now, I thank God for the season I am in now, even if I don't know what's next.

By the way, my mom's talked me into taking all my heirlooms to my new place too. I've got a beautiful glass door cabinet my granddad made me. With hopes of filling it, I opened up boxes labeled in my child handwriting--"knick-knacks". Inside, I found lots of keepsakes that, as a child, I thought were very special. But now, I question if my squirrel made of tiny seashells is even good enough for a Goodwill.

I still feel like the same person yet I have changed so much over the years, and so has my perception of what's important, I guess?

I Dare You...

...to show me a fruit I haven't eaten!

A produce fair was hosted by our school yesterday with the objective of teaching about healthy food choices. A local farmer came and introduced the students to some cool fruits and vegetables, encouraging them to try new things like mangoes and zucchini.

After the speaker passed out the individual tasting trays of interesting new fruits, vegetables, and even an edible flower, he walked past the "teacher row." Glancing at me as I sat there nonchalantly, he asked, "Well, did you try anything new?" Trying not to brag, I replied that I'd eaten all of it before. So, thinking he was impressive, he invited me up front to try another fruit. A dragonfruit.

To his chagrine, as I followed him up front and saw the fruit, I recited as normally as possible, "I've lived in Thailand for three years and ate dragonfruit frequently." I'm such a shocker to people. I try to tell them about myself in a calm, slow way so not to sound like a show-off yet at the same time to inform them of my reality.