Just Two Weeks Ago...

Last night Dave and I had a little chuckle together as we made school lunches and cleaned up from dinner at how just two weeks ago we'd come and looked through this house and now we were well and truly at home here and living in it.
We smiled as we reminisced at how we'd liked it in its primitive, unkept, half finished state but how in just 10 or so days, the landlord had cleaned it all up, installed a kitchen, had it painted, put down a lawn ... and we'd moved in.  It still amazes me!
Well, the transition went well and we are all enjoying the new surroundings.  
Apparently the garbage gets collected at 2am here... well it happened that way last night anyway- Dave heard noises and looked out our window to see our bin being emptied by someone!! Hahahaha.
Our children are enjoying having other kids in the street to play with and already, on the first day here, Eliana ditched her training wheels to ride Tobi's old two-wheeler and keep up the pace with her brother and our landlord's two children.  

Serving up food seems to be about the only enticement to get our children to actually come indoors since we've moved.  
The excitement of playing outside either on their bikes, soccer or imaginary games with the used packing boxes has made it very easy to get all the unpacking done and keep the house reasonably tidy.
We have met several of our neighbors now and everyone seems very friendly as well as a little bit intrigued.  One lady brought her friend over tonight just to stop and watch our "farang" family (foreigners are called farangs).
David definitely wins the award for 'Most Popular Parent' this week.  Our decision to rent a motorbike for him has definitely made him much more appealing. 

Let's just say that the bike is by far the most-preferred mode of transport where the Cross kids are concerned! (Even in the rain!)

On the work front, we have just welcomed a new field worker to the ZOE family.  Elizabeth has just joined the team and we look forward to getting to know her more over the coming months.

A short-term team from America arrives tonight.  
Dave is currently napping on the couch before heading off to greet their flight at 10:50pm.
And my added role of teaching English as part of the home-schooling program for the children (at ZOE) unable to attend regular school has been super fun!  
I love being able to teach on a regular basis again but in such a different context.  
I am also enjoying getting to help some of the ZOE parents, rostered on to assist in translating, who desire to improve their English skills too.
Lastly, please pray for our Child Rescue Team.  
They are dealing with so many important cases right now and need to be covered in prayer.  
Please ask God to give them the wisdom they need in making crucial decisions, for break throughs and especially for the victims still waiting to be rescued.  
It's been a busy and exciting couple of weeks.  We thank you so much for being a part of our lives... I'm excited to see what the next two weeks have in store!!! 

Out of Control

I'm sorry, I know I haven't written much since being back.  But in all honesty some times, some days, some weeks... there really doesn't appear to be a lot that seems "news worthy" amongst the ordinary.
Oh, but our kids did begin their new school year this week.
That was exciting.
Tobi began Grade 2, Eliana Grade 1 and Spencer continued back at his preschool program.
Both Tobi and Eli's teachers are at the beginning of their careers, taking my memories back all of about 11 years ago when I first entered the teaching profession.  It's so wonderful to see their fresh ideas and enthusiasm.  I'm really excited for the year ahead.

Some of you may know from our visit to Australia, that we were coming back to begin the process of house hunting... {and that's another whole blog post right there}

People move houses for different reasons: for work, to be closer to family, to live near a particular school, for a view of the sea, to obtain a more peaceful life style or because they outgrew their house.

But one of the reasons that we are looking to move house is because we are comfortable.
We love the house we current rent.  It was a blessing to find it and it is just such a wonderful place to live.  We live opposite Tobi's school.  It has been a safe and enjoyable experience.  No complaints {seriously}.

And strangely, through all of that, there is a part of us that yearns for more of the uncomfortable too.  To rely on God more.  To have to speak more Thai to be understood.  To be able to reach out to neighbors outside of our comfort zone and to take the next step of immersing ourselves more into life here in Thailand.

There's a small part of all this that really excites me because firstly, I kinda like change and secondly, I know from past experiences where we've had to rely heavily upon God being in control (and not our own clever planning or systems) that He totally came through.
But honestly, for the most part, it scares me.  I know my Thai is not that good {yet}.  I know that I haven't probably been very hospitable to my English-speaking neighbors, and I know that relying on God {wholeheartedly} and being totally out of control is not really an easy task.

I read this passage recently about giving God control (like handing over the steering wheel):

I don't have a problem having God in the driver's seat when the road is straight and there are no other cars around, but throw in few curves, a couple sets of traffic lights, and some traffic, and suddenly I am  no longer a silent passenger:
"How come we're stopping here?"
"We should have turned right back there!"
"The freeway is faster."
And sadly, many times I ask God to get out of the drivers seat completely. And since He is the God of free will, He hands me a road map and sends me off to navigate the road He created.

So I drive. I make wrong turns, I get lost, I break the law and sometimes I even cause accidents. Yet I won't let the One that knows the road from start to finish navigate and I won't let the One with the perfect driving record drive.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of making wrong turns. I'm tired of driving through life so stressed out about the road ahead that I can't enjoy the section of road in front of me. Basically, I'm tired of driving, but the solution requires a decision that's not easy. It means I have to turn the wheel over.

To turn over the wheel to someone else all comes down to an issue of trust. God has proven over and over again in both the Bible and my own life, that He can be trusted and that He's far more capable than I of navigating through the roads of this life.

So if you're someone who prays, please ask for God's wisdom with our decision making over the coming weeks and months.  We want to be trusting in Him and not being lead by our own thoughts.
We have no time frame yet either, it could happen tomorrow or months from now, so any prayers for a settledness (especially for the kids) amongst the process of seeking and searching would also be greatly appreciated.

And my hope for you also is that whatever that 'thing' is that you hold so tight, that you be able to hand it Him this week.  To experience being out of control, but seeing how the "One who knows the road from start to finish" comes through for you.

A Precious Gift

I nodded and smiled at the young mother as I walked to our car after the drop-off on Wednesday morning.

She was one of the other kindergarten mums who was preparing to pull out into the traffic on her motorcycle.

About a minute later, I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye, in the farthest lane, come off their motorbike and land lifelessly in the middle of the road.  

I gasped and my heart skipped a beat as I automatically thought about that mum and her little three year old daughter that she had just dropped off.  

My thoughts raced. Was it her?  

From the right-hand lane, I slowed down and craned to look back and I realized that... it wasn't.

It wasn't her.

But it was somebody.

Somebody's son... and maybe father... brother... uncle... cousin... friend.

With my hands shakily gripping tightly to the steering wheel, I completed the short drive home; my thoughts quickly racing with feelings about just how short life can be and how each day is a day worth celebrating.

LIFE is worth celebrating!

I'm 34 today!  Some days I feel it... and other days I'm left wondering where all those years actually went.

But I am glad!  And so happy to have lived for 34 years.  I am grateful that I've had the privilege of being a mum for almost 6 years, a wife for 12 and half years and that I grew up in a wonderful family, surrounded by love and care for as far back as I can remember.  

Thank you for my birthday messages!  I felt very special as I read through each and every one of them ... and they all made me smile.

I'm smiling also at the thought of my wonderful husband who set his alarm clock early this morning just to bring me a coffee before I went walking at 6.

I'm smiling because Tobi wrote in his birthday card to me that I was his "bestest buddy".

I'm smiling because Spencer tells me each night when it's time to go to bed that, he'll miss me.

And I'm smiling because Eliana wrapped up one of her favourite things and gave it me this morning as a present.

So, you know, gifts don't have to be expensive or even "things".  

Special gifts reflect thoughtfulness, time, encouraging words and sacrifice.

And the most important reminder, for me this week, was just how each and every day (hour... and minute) spent here on earth can not be taken for granted.

None of us are promised another year, another month or another day. I believe that each day is a gift from God.  The shortness of our lives is compared in the Bible to vapor, grass and flowers that wither but thankfully God provides eternal life (in heaven) to all those who by faith accept what Jesus did for them on the cross.

And so I am determined to make this year one that counts, to make a difference here in Thailand and to be the best that I can be.

What's impacted you this week?  Please share!

Follow These Rules... or you could land yourself in some VERY HOT WATER

After reading Dave’s last blog about how some things in Thailand are just different, I found myself thinking about how crazy it is here on the roads.  Let me explain what I mean...

For example, if someone “flashes” their lights at you in Thailand, it’s not a friendly gesture alerting you to a speed camera up ahead but simply a signal to make sure you’ve seen their car coming and they’re warning you to get out of the way. 

The toot of a car horn is not given aggressively but as an alert that there’s a car passing you or turning that you may not have seen.  

Pedestrians in Thailand never have right of way- not even on what looks to be a pedestrian crossing!  

Drivers in Thailand must always be prepared for motorbike riders to be riding on the wrong side of the road, ignoring stop signs, riding with many passengers, cutting across in front of your car without looking and not indicating when turning.   All passengers also have to check for motorbikes when opening car doors on the side of the road as they frequently travel up the inside space between the road and the footpath.

And as a side note, it is not mandatory for children to wear seat belts!  Just the front seat passengers are required to buckle up! Scary hey?

Now, speaking of hot water… the answer is “no” there is no hot water in the kitchen of our home!  Actually it’s not too bad, I’m kind of getting used to it now.   Also, the mosquito situation seems to have settled down a little a bit now, which is good.  And, we are really enjoying living here. 

Tobi officially started ‘elementary’ school yesterday (primary school) at Grace International.  We can see his classroom from our house and Dave and I have taken it in turns to walk him across the road for his 7.55 am start to the day!  This is working well as Dave then jumps on the ZOE shuttle at 8am.  

As Tobi’s school program is just a half-day, he and some of his classmates, then ride the school bus to Hana Christian Kindergarten, where Eli attends (and Spencer goes for 2 days now too) to do an afternoon program there (including Thai lessons).  It’s very exciting to go on the bus and Tobi particularly likes it because there’s a TV/DVD player on board!!

His classroom is on the middle level, in the centre.

It’s nice to be living so close to Grace International School.  On Saturday, at the New Parent’s Lunch, I literally ran home and grabbed our bathers so the kids and Dave could have a swim.  How convenient is that?  I love the atmosphere here too in the mornings and afternoons as hundreds of kids walk and ride to and from school.  There’s a real “bustling” and community feel around the streets.

Last week we celebrated Thai Mother’s Day. On Wednesday Dave and the kid’s prepared pancakes for breakfast and I attended a special Mother’s Day service in the afternoon at Hana Kindergarten.  It was a proud moment when Tobi held the microphone and introduced his class song.  

Thursday and Friday were public holidays in honor of the Queen’s birthday and Mother’s Day, so we had a nice long weekend.  On Friday night we went to ZOE church, which also held a special Mother’s Day service.  It was very touching to listen as the ZOE children described how much their mums meant to them, even though they weren’t their biological mums.  This bond between child and mother is just so special.  These ZOE mums really care for the children as if they were their own. It’s just so amazing to see. 

Well I’d better wrap it up there.  I am so excited to have my sister coming to stay with us in September.  It will be such a treat.

Thanks for all your emails wishing us a smooth move and transition… I am trying to complete my replies as time permits.  We appreciate every email you send.  They’re often read several times as we enjoy them so much.

Blessings,

Andrea