Be Different

Most of what's on this blog has to do with ZOE's Children's Homes but ZOE also has another very important focus, its Ministry School. 

The 2 year intensive program teaches young adults in business, language, vocation and ministry. 

Today the Class of 2014 graduated! 

After attending the graduation, it got me thinking.

Here are these young men and women who have stepped outside of the 'norm' and spent the last 2 years in a full time, morning till night, live-in, study-work-serve scenario whilst many of their friends must have been out partying, getting paid good money and chillin' with their mates.  

Just "one" of the things these ministry students do during their time at ZOE is read through the entire Bible - twice! 

Not only that but they also become equipped with business skills, study English, go on outreaches to villages, teach children in slum areas {and more} along with developing self confidence, discipline and dedication.

Really, what each of these students represents is being "different".

And that got me thinking that actually… if we want change to come… if we want to make a difference in this world… we all need to do that - be different!

How often do we let the pressures of the world and society dictate to us what we "should" look like, what we "should" be wearing, where we "should' be living or how much money we "should" be earning.

But what if we dared to be different?

I love this quote:

"If you are going to reach your dream in the next decade, if you are going to fulfill your destiny, if you are going to accomplish your goals and see your vision become reality, you are going to have to dare to be different from others.  And until you settle this issue, you will never fulfill your destiny because you cannot make a difference without being different. You cannot be all God wants you to be and fit in with everybody else." {Rick Warren}

How hard it is not to just act in a certain way because we're worried about what others think about us, or just stay in our comfort zone because we fear change and feeling uncomfortable. Sometimes a focus on money or distractions on materialistic attractions around us seem to occupy our minds - how hard it is not to always want the next "thing".

But to make a difference … to really make a difference … if that required you to BE DIFFERENT, would you do it? 

~

While we all ponder that, I just want to say… we had a GREAT day today!  AND it's a long weekend, and for that, I am grateful.

After hearing hysterical laughter coming from the backyard, I stuck my head out the kitchen door to see what all the noise was about.  Then I saw it… my two little ones armed with water and buckets!  Thankfully Songkran is on its way.

Earlier in the day, a certain budding chef made a batch of scones that rivaled Grandmas!  With hardly any help, he was rather proud of his effort and we all agreed they were some of the best scones we'd ever tasted!!

 My biggest boy also had a turn in the kitchen remembering how to make chocolate spiders without the recipe.  Thankfully Eli had given a talk at school earlier in the week on the procedure of making them, so it was fresh in our minds.

Dave is going well.  Tomorrow he is preaching at the ZOE fellowship.  He has had a few computer troubles this week, so we're hoping that they all get sorted soon.

I had a couple of visits to Immigration this week as well as my first work report due.  I can't believe school finishes at the end of next month!

Well, I know I owe many emails, and this blog is not updated near enough but PLEASE know that we love and miss you our family and friends back home very much and think and pray for you regularly.

This week, let's all go and be a little bit different!

In Chiangmai We Play Hide and Squeak!

(Thanks for the photo Laura- too funny). 

Poor Tobi is not feeling well today.  I wonder if it could be from all the mice that are lurking around- living in MICE City and all!  No, no, no it really is squeaky clean here.  Maybe we should've had a mouse-warming party when we moved here. 

No seriously, I hope you're have a mice day.  It really was mice to meet you... What mice weather we're having at the moment... hahaha.  I crack myself up.  Okay, I'll stop now!!

Anyway, instead of going to church this morning, the children watched a dvd of the Bible Read and Share stories.  

I had to smile as the older two explained to Spencer that "Potiphar's wife was trying to get Joseph and kiss him."

It's been a quiet few days with a week off school and Dave away since early Friday morning in the village.  

We enjoyed a fun day playing at a new water park on Wednesday as well as 5km walk around a bush track with friends on Friday.  

Yesterday was a lazy day at home for the children as I continued trying to get my planning for next term completed.  We are looking forward to Dave getting home around 7pm tonight.  

Today is Spencer's "official" birthday (although we celebrated with school friends on Monday) so I was woken up to an excited, squishy face pressed against mine informing me that he was really 5 now!  Love that boy. 

Here's a few pics from Monday's Curious George party:

There has been lots of activity at ZOE as usual.  David is away with both the youth group and a small team from Hawaii who are here helping ZOE out with some videography and photography projects.  I am keen to hear about his trip when he returns later today.  

There have been a couple of emergency hospital visits lately within the ZOE family so please keep them in your prayers.  One girl had to have an emergency operation to remove her appendix and one of our key staff members has broken her leg in several places. 

The ZOE kid's camp program is always loads of fun as well as a special time of growth and develop for the children personally.

You can check out more about the recent camp here.   

Below are some photos taken a a month or so ago at ZOE.

And to finish off, a picture of our very own Rapunzel {aka Eliana} after her hair had been in braids for three days (me being slack on the school holidays and not doing it).  She was very excited with how curly it came out and Tobi liked it too. 

Well from our home to yours (mice and all) I hope you're having a blessed day,

Andie :)

Give it away~ Christmas that is!

I wrote a post at Christmas time last year entitled, "Give this Christmas Away".  I'm going to repost it now with some updated information relevant to this year, but the message for us all is still so challenging.

I've been reflecting about Christmas lately and just how completely different December feels here.  There's no junk mail filled with tempting gift ideas shoved into the mail box. We don't have a television, so there are no ads proclaiming the newest 'thing' that we need.

And besides some random attempts by the big department stores to pretty things up with lights and a few Christmas trees, there's not too many other clues that Christmas is just around the corner.  
It also dawned on me that for several of our ZOE children, this will be their first experience of Christmas, ever!  
For the majority of Thai people, who are Buddhists, Christmas is not celebrated but rather the coming of the New Year.  At ZOE though, the excitement is building and the children are looking forward to not just what they can get, but just as much what they can give.  We have service projects planned for a few days time where the ZOE families will be helping with cleaning in certain areas around our local areas, serving and sharing God's love.  And Christmas Day is going to be a special celebration of what this day signifies within the Christian faith. 

Have you heard the song, Give This Christmas Away?  It's one that I really like and I've posted it below if you haven't heard it.
I'm continually challenged to fully grasp what this looks like for our family and how we can act upon it.  
The true meaning of Christmas, and what Jesus' birth means to us, prompts me to ask how can I give back, focussing on the most important gift of all.
I definitely haven't "arrived" in this area, but I would like to share some of the ways that our family is attempting to give this Christmas away.  AND I am hoping that you'll join in and add some of your good ideas in the comment box below.  

Okay so these are the easiest ways that I've found so far:
1. Buy an extra pressie.

Choose a tag off one of those Christmas trees set up at your local shops or school that requires you to buy a gift for a child of a particular age/ sex etc.  This year we picked a little boy about Tobi's age who needed a new school bag.  
Result: This can be a great conversation starter for discussing needs verses wants, and a reflection on what other children do or don't have in comparison. 

2. Against the odds.

I wasn't going to buy Christmas cards this year (opting just to email or post out our Christmas letter) however I had the opportunity to purchase some from a friend who, in her spare time, works with an orphaned, HIV girl to teach her card making skills.  My friend was helping to sell the girl's cards for her.  I felt so happy to be able to support her in this small way and I scored some beautiful hand-made cards!
Result: Win-win!

3. Life goes on. 
When a natural disaster occurs, like last year's Bangkok floods, there was much to do to rebuild the lives of those affected.  Last year our church gave us a list of everyday grocery items that we could buy to make bags and send to those still requiring relief in certain areas.  I love to shop, so I found it fun searching for the items on the list like sardines in tomato paste {ew} and other practical items like mosquito repellant, oil, rice, fish sauce, noodles, soap, toothpaste, sugar etc.

Photo taken by Tobi!

Result: I bought three lots of everything and left it up to my three children to pack one bag each.  I was able to talk about why we were helping as we packed and Eliana even went and drew some pictures to put in the bags too!  Look for ways that your local community groups and churches are helping out after a crisis occurs and join their efforts to bring assistance.

4. Buy fair trade  
This is talked about often so I won't go into it too much.  When you have the option, make a choice that gives farmers a fair price and help in community development projects.  Over here, I found some Akha Ama coffee beans to give as presents that are produced by local entrepreneurs supporting Akha communities and encouraging farmers to put more efforts in sustainable and organic agriculture. The Akhas belong to an indigenous group living in the highlands of Thailand.   We also buy coffee beans from one of the ZOE staff members here whose grandfather has a coffee planation that Dave has actually been to.  And we have a small range of fair trade chocolate too which makes great "teacher" presents.
Result: Supporting local traders and communities so that they can strengthen and continue to achieve sustainable farming.  

5. Buy handmade. 

Over the years here, I found some great items in a little shop over here (similar to the Oxfam shop) that sells handmade items by local hill tribe people.  In buying products from this shop which includes clothes, bed covers, jewelry, silverware, musical instruments, and dolls made by Thailand’s six hill tribes, it helps to support artisans from the hill tribes to earn an income.
Result: Profits from BPP & Hill Tribe go to support hill tribe villages and to the Border Patrol Police school students and their families.

6. Get involved! 

Help out/ support/ attend your local carols.  In our local area, Tobi's school puts on a wonderful carols service every year and everyone from the school community pitches in by baking and supplying hot cocoa etc and the whole event: food, entertainment ... everything is opened up and offered for free to our Thai neighbours that live around the school.
Result: Building relationships, being generous, seeking to live in harmony and strengthen our community.

7. Buy local.
When possible, we like to buy from the person in the street.  This year with one gift idea, we were able to buy most of what we needed from a little Thai lady in a market stall at our local market.  Think about where you buy so that, when possible, your helping the people doing business locally and showing your support.
Result: Strengthening local businesses.

8. Share the load.

It often takes a lot of work to give out and provide for a large number of people (we sure know about that here) but it doesn't seem so hard when lots of people contribute.  The little Christmas stockings filled with candy and hanging on the Christmas tree at ZOE have been filled by several of the volunteer families here. Each family contributes just a little bit, and when we all pool together...
Result: A lovely little treat for the ZOE kids to enjoy over Christmas!

9. Out with the old. 
Go through your children's clothes and toys with them (before Christmas) and assist them with choosing some of their toys to donate to a community group that works with children, to either provide for or sell these items to fund their work.  We did this today and the result was two basketfuls of soft toys and some bags of clothes.
Result: A great chance to reflect on how much we have to be thankful for but also to think about not just giving away out of our excess.  Encourage children not to just give away what is broken, dirty, worn or outgrown.  This is very challenging!

10. Invest
It's so easy to get 'stuck' in our Christmas traditions that have become so comfortable and easy.  Have you thought about investing your time on Christmas day into an elderly neighbour with nowhere else to go, a single mother or the family that just migrated away from another country? 
Christmas is a time when you have a great opportunity to connect and share with someone around you and get the chance to make sure no-one is alone.
Despite not being with my family back in Australia during this special time, I am glad that I have such a big family here to join with on Christmas Day.  I am definitely being changed, stretched and challenged and I will continue to keep thinking about this concept some more.  Please share your ideas too so that we can all have a big list to remind us.
Enjoy the song!

We're Baaaaacccccckkkkkkk!

You could say it's pretty cold and chilly here in Melbourne right now, but from our perspective, we've experienced nothing but WARMTH!

Okay it's true the weather is not quite as hot as what we've become accustomed to in Thailand, but the hearts and homes of our family and friends have been radiating so much love that it's been easy to overlook the temperature outside and simply soak up the goodness and familiarity of our Australian home.

We've already had our first few speaking engagements this week, in fact David is currently out speaking at a Leadership Training Night as I write this.  It's been so wonderful to share about our work in Thailand and the lives that are being transformed at the ZOE Children's Home.

If you want to catch us, we'll be at the following churches this Sunday July 1st.

Narre Warren Baptist (10am) 

Narre Warren Baptist~ Latin American service (1pm)
St John's Anglican Church Cranbourne (6.30pm)

Don't Forget Your Toothbrush

Catching up on the past week...

Last Friday feels like a distant memory now, but the last day of school was a busy and significant day in the lives of the Cross children.

Starting at 8am we all went and watched the end of year concert at Tobi’s school.  His class and all the other grade levels dedicated their musical items to their school principal who, after many years service, was retiring and heading back to the USA.

The Grade 1 boys singing together.

It was a moving service and the children all demonstrated their love and best wishes to this much-loved leader.  The staff also showed just how much she meant to them too and I don’t think there were too many dry eyes left in the building by the finale.

After this finished, David headed in to ZOE and I gathered Spencer, Eliana and the Burmese twins that I have been driving to preschool this past month, and bundled them off with their teddy bears for their end of year teddy bear’s picnic.

I then raced back to Tobi’s school again to pick him up as his school finished at 11.30 for the last day.   Now officially a Grade 2 student, I left wondering, how is it that he is growing up so quickly?

After a quick bite of lunch, we chopped up some fruit for a platter, gathered the other items we needed and headed back to Spencer and Eli’s preschool for an afternoon celebration. 

Eliana, Spencer and the preschool teachers.

It was the last day of the first year that this preschool has been open, so all the parents prepared afternoon tea and put on a surprise celebration to show our appreciation to the teachers for a wonderful year.  Some of the mothers had organized a quilt to be made with all the handprints of the children who had attended the ‘first year’.  It was a lovely afternoon.  

The preschool class and handprint quilt.

Eliana has now completed the equivalent of Prep and will head in to Grade 1 in August when school returns.

Finally the end of the year arrived and all I felt like doing was putting my feet up and sipping a glass of cold iced tea, but then I remembered that we were going away for 6 days down south to the beach the next morning… and I hadn’t even begun to pack!!  

I knew David would be home late so it was all up to me.

After I had snuggled the kids into their beds I began the mad rush to get our bags ready.

By the time Dave got home, I was about to collapse, but the bags were packed, the house was tidy and our three excitable children had finally gone off to sleep.

And I was truly ready for a holiday!

These past five days have been just delightful.

We have been able to swim, relax, play, swim, eat, explore, swim, rest, chill out, laugh and… did I mention swim?

It’s been a gift.

It’s definitely been a vacation that we will remember for a very long time.  But, yes, the only thing I did forgot, in my rushed effort to pack, was in fact MY very own toothbrush!!  

Tomorrow we head back to Chiangmai.   We have Graeme Smith’s Australian team coming to visit ZOE for a few days and our final preparations to complete before we head back to Australia for 6 weeks.

Well I’m not going to sit here any longer. I am off to enjoy the last few hours of this gorgeous time away, the sun and the pool and my last chance to top up my vitamin D intake and UV rays before we hit the cold Melbourne weather.  Let’s just say, I’m hoping the memories of this sunny beach escape will be enough to sustain me through the chill!

And next time I’ll be sure to put my toothbrush in the suitcase first!

Thai Father's Day~ King's Birthday Celebrations.

A huge Thai Happy Father's Day to all the ZOE fathers.  You do an amazing job facing the challenges of parenting- especially since the children in your care have come from so many difficult and traumatic situations.  Your patience and your commitment to these children just amazes me!  You truly are everyday heroes.
December 5th marks the 84th birthday of His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand and the longest-serving monarch in the world.
If you've been to Thailand you'll know how much the Thai people love their king. The King's Birthday is also Father's Day here and a public holiday.
Yesterday Dave, and most of the other volunteers from the ZOE Children's Home, attended a special parade and concert organized by the Assembly of People of All Nations Who Love the King in Chiang Mai together with some other 117 organizations.
Participants were requested to wear either a national costume (see photos of Dave in his Akubra hat) or to wear pink to honor HM the King for his 84th birthday. All nationalities were invited to participate in the event.  
After the parade, there was a candle lighting ceremony, singing and a display of fireworks and floating lanterns (see video below). The rest of the evening saw performances by local bands and singers, both Thai and foreign, as everyone joined in to honor His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on his birthday.

สุขสันวันเกิด... Happy Birthday!

Birthdays.
They are a little bit different now.
But special all the same.

It was so great {coz} I received a birthday card in the mail today from my parents.
They'd actually posted it on my birthday and it took just 6 days to find it's way across the Indian Ocean and to my house!
And, I also received a parcel from my sister-in-law.... two words... TOTALLY SPOILT!

THANK YOU!

And today it is our super, fantastic, lovely, special, sweet friend Jessica's birthday.

Happy Birthday FRIEND!

We all love you lots.
We had a fun dinner out at one of our favourite places... the BBQ restaurant.
It's such a funny place.  Great food... unusual entertainment... random stalls set up next to our table selling second-hand clothes for 79 baht and a book stall! Go figure!
Anyway besides the crazy dancing on the stage {not by us} which just cannot be put in to words, it was an awesome night.
As you may be able to see from the photo, we were the only white ones there!  This always adds to the fun!
Despite not being each other's biological family, I feel so blessed to have people over here to celebrate special times with.  In the absence of our loved ones, it sure is nice to have some really cool friends!

Orphan Summit

On May 11, 2011, ZOE founders Michael and Carol Hart, traveled to Louisville, Kentucky for the Christian Alliance for Orphans conference called “Orphan Summit VII.”  

Tammy Morrell represented  ZOE’s USA office at the conference.  

Check out what she had to say after the summit on the ZOE Children's Home blog.

Founders: Michael and Carol Hart

Finishing Strong

Tobi's first day of school.

Tobi's last day of Prep

Our little boy Tobi, 5 years old, just finished Prep last week.  
Many of you may remember when he was born and it really has gone very quickly.

Thinking back to First Term (August last year) Dave and I wondered whether we’d made the right choice putting him in school as opposed to holding him back another year.  Would he cope being the youngest?  Would he adjust after so many changes?  
We had moved countries 7 months prior, visited Australia a few months earlier, moved him from a kindergarten that he loved and relocated ‘home’ again just the week before school commenced!

There he was, the smallest fish in the deepest of oceans and for the most part of that term, I would imagine that he probably felt very much out of his depth.  

From the start, there was the issue of left-handedness and now that ‘formal’ handwriting had begun, this proved very challenging for him.  There was also new teachers, new friends and a whole new way of life to cope with. 

You know, I think, deep-water experiences have the potential to either drown us or make us very strong swimmers!

And, as a parent, you just do your best.  You try to be supportive and understanding.  And, like in swimming, there are times where, as the stronger swimmer, your job is solely to keep your child afloat.

At other times, when they seem to be doing okay, you just stand on the side of the pool and you yell encouragement at the top of your voice.  But then there are also times when it’s just too much for them to keep swimming and so you wrap them up in a big fluffy towel and you pin their arms down and you just hug them so firmly that they know that everything is going to be okay, no matter what…

This week however, we watched as our little boy whose arms had been flapping and head had been bobbing just to stay afloat, finish his school year with strength, determination, strong strokes, a huge smile on his face and as someone who had conquered so many of his challenges and now has his eyes set on the next event… going in to Grade 1!

Last Monday I visited Tobi’s classroom to watch his class play and see the grade each receive an award from their teacher.  There was the art award, acting award, show and tell award… you get the picture, well I was so shocked when Tobi got his award for penmanship and for having the neatest handwriting that I almost forgot to click the button on the camera poised in my hand.  What a great lesson in never giving up!  I remember Tobi commenting to me mid year that he preferred the week-long standardised test-taking as opposed to doing handwriting!  But despite this, he would come home and color and draw and write and ask me to help him… and it finally paid off!  I couldn’t have been more proud.

Then on Wednesday, it was the elementary school concert.  Well after arriving early and securing front row seats, we were once again blown away by our boy.  He sung and danced his little heart out that morning and we sat there again just flawed!   It’s moments like this that you say, “Thank you God.  You brought him through.  You care about this little one more than I ever humanly could but I thank you for placing him in our family and choosing us to be his parents.  Please give us wisdom and strength as we raise all three of our precious children”.

We are really looking forward to coming back to Australia in a little over three weeks time.  We can’t wait to share with you some more of the stories that impact us here, that keep us on our knees in prayer and that increase our faith. 

We also can’t wait to hear what’s been happening in your life!  I can’t even begin to imagine how much all the little ones have grown in our absence as well as getting to meet many new little friends for the first time (so many of you have been busy growing your families this past year!)

I’ve attached a short movie of Tobi’s songs to finish… enjoy!

From one very proud and very biased mother LOL! 

PS You may've noticed the patch on Tobi's face... he fell off our swing set the weekend before his last week of school... a trip to the hospital but thankfully no stitches required!

PPS Just FYI, no, the uniform didn’t change mid- year, they have a mix and match uniform at Grace with a choice of navy or tan coloured shorts/ skirt as well as about 5 different coloured t-shirts.

Playing Hairdressers

Source: goodbyefuturehellopast, via bowsxblueeyes

I remember as a little girl getting out all the hair accessories, brushes and combs and playing hairdressers with my mum. How funny it was one night when the pastor of our church called around to our house unexpectedly and my mum had to answer the door with a very strange looking hair-do!

Our daughter Eli also loves to play hairdressers and very much enjoys trying to do plaits and piggy-tails in my hair.

The girls at ZOE are no different and it was with great excitement that they planned their hair-styles for last week’s headshot- hairstyle photo shoot. We were attempting to get some good photographs to frame and hang on the walls of the newly established hairdressing salon.

The salon was provided by ‘Life Outreach International’ and will be used to encourage and develop vocational skills in girls who have an interest and gift in this area.

Even in the short space of time since the studio has been set up, numerous new hairstyles have emerged on the ZOE parents, staff and children!

Checkout some of the photos from this fun photo-shoot!
Andie :)

Want to see more photos from the hair shoot?  Click here!