What's the Plan?

I'm not sure if you have someone in your family that continuously asks the question, "What's the plan?"  But I must admit, I like knowing what the plan is too!!

The other day, I was getting nervous and trying not to stress-out about it, but misplacing my diary (planner) felt like half my brain had just been wiped. Thankfully, after turning a few rooms upside down, and praying about it (ashamedly, in that order) the diary appeared tucked under a basketful of sewing things! Sigh.

Well now that it's back, I am looking at the calendar with disbelief... there's only 37 days till we're back on Australian soil!! What? How? Okay, that means I have a lot of planning still to do in a very small amount of time. But apart from all that, we are all very excited.  Our children haven't been back since September 2014 so they are SUPER excited!

In the mean time, I thought that I’d share with you a bit about what we’ve been up to lately.

Back in April, we enjoyed having David’s sister, our brother-in-law and our 2 nephews visit us. Especially for the week when our three kids were on school holidays, it was such a joy to have “cousin” time. There was a lot of laughter and fun that occurred and we made some great memories.

Also in April we had some of the children from ZOE come for a play-date as it was also their school break. We had fun Zentangling, making creations out of Paddle pop (popsicle) sticks as well as playing Lego.

The rest of the break included water, water and more water. The Thai New Year, also known as Songkran is a three-day celebration/ water fight.  As some of you may know, Thailand has had a big heat wave this past month so three days of throwing water and being wet is a welcome relief from the scorching heat. 

After Songkran, our kids went back to finish their final quarter/ term for the year feeling kind-of exhausted after so much fun. School finishes in June for them so they’re very much on the home stretch now.

I have been working on a project called “Family Baskets”. It’s a fairly new initiative to bring a basket of new ideas to the parents at ZOE every three months. It’s a way of encouraging family bonding, good memories and strengthen the family units.  It empowers the parents with new ideas and activities to try.  I try to provide activities based around these three areas:

1. Some sort of family bonding task or challenge or goal to work on.
2. Some type of craft/ something to learn/do e.g. make something/music related/arty/ fun etc
3. Something relaxing/stress relieving/ fun or a new game/activity.  

I love trying to fit within the budget and think of new and exciting things to do.

Dave and I are also working towards a big event this Saturday night where we are organising a project for ZFA. I am really looking forward to being able to share all about this soon… keep a look out! This is going to be COOL!

Aside from all that, there’s been LOTS happening here in the Transitional Home aka The Nest.

We are learning to keep handing the big and little issues over to God whilst continuing to love and reach out to these precious young people.

I shared with friends this week how I have struggled personally these past couple of months, often times feeling very disheartened. Praise God though as I have felt the fog lift. Whilst we feel like so much of this is unchartered waters and we don’t know what the next week looks like or how things will pan out; with our trust in God, we do not need to be afraid or discouraged. We need only to keep our eyes focused on Him. God is so good. He is faithful time and time again.
Within our little family, I am really enjoying watching our three as they grow and change. I really want to freeze them at their current ages but I am also excited to see each new step they take in becoming ‘themselves’; their beautiful, unique selves!  I love seeing them try new things and find the areas that they love to participate in.

Other than that, I have really valued the opportunity to be a part of the leadership team for the PTG (parent-teacher-group) at our children's school this year. I gained a lot of insight into the school and the annual events etc. I met some lovely people too and I will continue on being a part of this group in future.

Here are some pictures from the past month or so:

One of the young adults at The Nest bought 2 rabbits home the other day. Needless to say, there is always someone around to cuddle them!

ANZAC Day Dawn Service.

A particularly smokey day...

April in Thailand is typically hot and sweaty, but this year's scorching weather has set a record for the longest heat wave in at least 65 years. The average peak temperature each day this month has been above 40 degrees celsius.

Growing up so fast: healthy and strong.

The Flood Gates Have Opened...

Chiangmai has opened its floodgates for another huge Songkran (Thai New Year) celebration.

Beginning 'officially' today, there were already people gathering along the streets with buckets in hand and flinging water as early as yesterday afternoon.

You may remember my posts about this from last year and the year before.

But Songkran is not the only reason we've been getting wet this week. We are so happy to report that it's actually been raining! Whowhoo!

If you're not sure why I sound so excited about this, check out our posts about our desperate need for some rain to clear away the high levels of pollution in the air here as a result of the burning off season.

And thirdly, the flood gates were literally opened as we waved a very teary goodbye to my parents who have been here with us since the end of March.

It has been such a lovely couple of weeks. (Does that explain my absence here? Sorry!)

We do feel really blessed that we've had this time to visit special places and share this precious time but when the final moment came to bid farewell, so too did a flood of another kind caused by having to say goodbye {again}.

I've realized that we all cope with goodbyes differently.

For Eliana and I, crying hysterically whilst walking through the airport with no concern for who even stares at us helps us get it all out in the open ... Spencer thoughtfully summed it up in the car on the way home from the airport well by saying, "Now our family is back to just 5" and Tobi at bed time whispered to me softly, "Mum, I know you really miss your mum and dad. It's hard to always say goodbye... but I'm glad I still have you".

And the good news... the next thing to look forward to and begin counting down the days...

It's only 70 days until we're back in Australia! Yippeee!

Do you have a school, church, club or group that would like to hear more about what we do here in Thailand?

We are happy to talk about our experiences of being missionaries in a foreign country, as well as our passion relating to helping children in need.
ZOE Children's Home, where we are volunteers, proactively fight to abolish human trafficking as well as provide a safe refuge for the children that we rescue.

Combining multimedia, personal stories and an opportunity for  audiences to ask questions, we share about human trafficking, our journey of challenges, answered prayers and adventure.

For more information please check out http://sites.google.com/site/backforachat
There are printable brochures, biographies and a range of speaking options.

Please stay tuned for some more posts really soon {promise} as I begin to catch up after the past couple of weeks.  

Fresh Air Anyone? YES please!

Well, just when we thought that the air was clearing up a little bit, the smog is back. 

Apparently there was a large fire outside the city that had to be brought under control over the weekend which did not help the situation at all. 

Taken outside our house. Usually there are hills in back ground.

Our street. 

The pollution figures were as high as 263 yesterday morning at 10am. A safe level is 50!

As I talk to people at school, preschool and through my day-to-day encounters, I hear repeatedly about how people are temporarily leaving Chiangmai to escape the pollution.  

Others are being hospitalized with pneumonia, asthma and severe respiratory conditions.  Just about everyone else has headaches, allergies, coughs and a general feeling of being unwell.

I could go on, but I won't.  Please join us in praying for some heavy rain!

Talking about pollution and fleas... wanna read?

So {yeah} it's David's birthday today.  

I see that he got some Facebook messages!  

I'll be sure to pass them on to him tonight as he doesn't log on to check his page very often {unlike some of us LOL}.

He's actually gone to Chiang Rai today to attend a training session taking place at another NGO.

Here in Thailand we have three seasons. 

We are now in summer (approx. March- May).  

I'm not sure if you've seen any news reports but the air pollution in Chiang Mai has been above the safe levels lately but where David has gone today, the levels are even higher!! Yikes.  

I hope he remembered his face mask.

In the period between March-April, a continual environmental problem faces Chiang Mai in relation to air pollution. 

It is currently shrouded in smoke during this period leading up to the rainy season.  

The Air Quality Index shows that a moderate level of pollution is between the range of 51-100.  Obviously below this though is best!  Here in Chiangmai, it can rise between 190 and 300 at this time of year.

Whilst there are several causes of air pollution, the main one in Chiang Mai is the age-old practice of burning-off undergrowth in forests in the mountainous regions, especially along the Thai-Myanmar border. 

This problem is made worse by the location of the city which is located in a natural geographic bowl surrounded by mountains (which we currently can not see).  

There are many people we know who are suffering respiratory problems right now.  

Spencer has also been a bit unwell today so I have kept him home.  Thankfully tomorrow is a public holiday so another day inside at home should help him to feel a bit better.  

As we are unsure what time Dave will be home tonight, we will celebrate his birthday tomorrow at dinner time.  

It will be fun having the kids home tomorrow to get things ready.

On Thursday, ZOE has a short-term team arriving.  I am looking forward to meeting them on Saturday when we all head out to ZOE for some activities that both the ZOE children and missionary kids will be involved in together.

And this week, as I feel tempted to complain about the air, I remind myself of a snippet of a conversation between Corrie Ten Boom and her sister, Betsie, after arriving at the barracks of the Ravensbruck extermination camp in Germany during WWII.

'Give thanks in all circumstances!" That's what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks." .......

"Thank You," Betsie went on serenely, "for the fleas and for--"

The fleas! This was too much. "Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."

"Give thanks in all circumstances," she quoted. "It doesn't say, 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are a part of this place where God has put us." 

And as you read on further in the book "The Hiding Place", you come to learn that Corrie Ten Boom and her sister, Betsie, were able to hold massive Bible studies in the sleeping quarters of their barracks without being discovered because the guards were too afraid of the fleas to enter. 

The fleas were what God used to allow the gospel of eternal hope to reach hundreds of women, many of whom lost their lives shortly thereafter.

This always helps me to keep things in perspective! 

How about you? 

Winter Wonderland

It's winter here right now.  You could be convinced that it was going to snow by the latest fashion ear muffs, scarves and beanies in the stores, however, besides the {welcome} fresh mornings and the cooler nights; winter in Thailand is definitely my favorite time of the year.  The forecast this week is for 30 degrees every day and it's been the same for the past few weeks.  What's not to like about that?
I just realised that this is our third winter here! It's hard to believe.  When we arrived in January 2010 it was the end of winter, last Christmas we experienced our second winter and now here it is again- winter time!

I am loving the kids being on school holidays right now- not typically a holiday period for the Thai schools but most international schools have a two-week semester break.  I love not having to rush off to the school and preschool drop offs.  I love having the chance to see my children playing together and watching their development.  And I am also loving that we have been able to see the ZOE kids a lot more lately.

Tobi, Eli, Spencer and I went out to have lunch at ZOE today.  We arrived just in time for some delicious Japanese curry cooked by a visiting Japanese team.  And after filling up on a hearty meal, I sat in the sun watching the mixture of kids roll down grassy slopes, playing soccer and chasing {wrestling} each other until the dirt stains looked permanent and the grass through the hair signified a group that had definitely had some fun.

Both tomorrow and on Friday, Dave has the day off! Whoop, whoop!  That was part of a special present for the missionary kids to have their parents home for two days this week.  As, you can imagine, ours are very excited.  Sadly, we have to go to immigration early tomorrow morning but once that is over, the fun begins!  We have planned a fun-filled two days together.  Then on the weekend we will be spending time out at ZOE celebrating the coming of the New Year as well as some time on Sunday with the Japan team by having a pot-luck dinner at the Night Safari.  It's sure to be a exciting next few days.

And so as I sit here reflecting about another Christmas gone and a New Year just around the corner, I am already sensing that the next 12 months are going to be GREAT!  This weather is so refreshing and rejuvenating, and I am excited about what 2012 has in store.

By the way, thank you for all your Christmas messages.  They meant so much to us, each and every one.

Well, for now, I am off to snuggle in to bed {yes, I'd forgotten what that felt like} under my thin bedspread, enjoying the sensation of coldish feet and crisp air because (in the words of Annie) I know that:

The sun'll come out 
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar 
That tomorrow 
There'll be sun! 

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow 
Clears away the cobwebs, 
And the sorrow 
'Til there's none! 

When I'm stuck a day 
That's gray, 
And lonely, 
I just stick out my chin 
And Grin, 
And Say, 
Oh! 

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow 
So ya gotta hang on 
'Til tomorrow 
Come what may 
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow! 
You're always
A day
A way!   

Have a great week!

JUST a DROP

"No individual raindrop ever considers itself 

responsible for the flood" (author unknown)

How often do we go through life not taking responsibility for our own actions because {well let’s face it} we’re only one person. 

Imagine for a minute… someone saying,

“Yeah, I stole something from that shop without paying for it, but hey, it wasn’t my fault that they went broke”.

If everyone had that same attitude, just think about the outcome.

But the same can also be said about volunteering and helping others.

Often we may wonder if what we are doing to help really makes a difference.

We may question, how effective could one person actually be?

Well when we ponder the words of this quote, we see that a flood is made up of individual raindrops… lots of them!

That’s definitely something that residents of Chiangmai understand at the moment.

In light of the recent Chiangmai floods and seeing teams of rescue crews in action, my initial response as a foreigner {with limited Thai} was,

‘But what can I do to help?’ 

It took a couple of days but eventually I noticed some big wire baskets set up outside our grocery store collecting clothes for the flood victims and at another store, a clear box was filling up with loose change donations.

My bag of clothes… my loose change… might not do that much by themselves, but if lots of people contributed even just the smallest amount, just imagine the difference that could be made.

And so I challenge us:

There’s always need surrounding us; there’s always something that we can give and always something small (even rain drop sized) that we can do to help. 

My little contribution might not seem like much on its own but put together with yours… and theirs… and hers… and his… we suddenly have a flood!

I’m also blogging over at the ZOE Children’s Home site this week.

Click here to read about how our ZOE youth are getting out and about and helping others through the recent tragedy of the Chiangmai floods.

Got a comment on ‘JUST a DROP’?  I’d love to hear what you have to say!

Flooding May Continue!

Sadly the disaster department says that 188 people have been killed and three others remain missing as a result of the tropical storms which have hit Thailand since late July. 

Nearly 2 million people have been affected by floods and mudslides.
Heavy rains here in Chiang Mai caused the Ping River to burst its banks and flood the railway station and central business district.  This has forced a temporary shutdown in train service to northern Thailand.  And from what I saw today, much of the train track looked to be under water too.  

Whilst out and about today we were redirected several times due to road closures; it's reported that 122 highways and roads nationwide are currently impassable. Unfortunately more rainfall has been forecast in northern Thailand for the weekend.   Please pray about this situation because there is a typhoon hitting Vietnam soon and we are expected to have even more heavy rainfall possibly starting tomorrow and throughout the following week.

Here's some photos that I took today... actually I put my camera away a lot because the devastation and damage actually became a bit too overwhelming...

Us Crossies are still safe and dry here but our thoughts and prayers go out to all those 20,000  people who live so close by but whose homes, businesses and lives have been affected by this disaster.

Whole streets under water.

Rescue crews helping people evacuate their homes.

Heading off in to some of the worst hit streets to help
with evacuations and deliver food supplies.

The railway track under water.

Residents leaving their homes.

Sand bagging

The edge of the road can't be seen under rushing flood waters.

I'll try to keep you updated!

Andie

Are YOU okay?

Thank you to everyone who messaged us to see whether we were okay in the current floods.  We are dry and safe here and thankfully no flooding in our house this time.  Praise God!
We weren't sure whether Tobi's school would be open until early this morning but with a relatively dry night last night, the surrounding waters had significantly subsided around here.
Sadly, not so much for many other residents living in and around Chiangmai.  A drive through some of the streets today showed just how many houses and businesses were still under threat or had already been completely flooded. 
From one news report:
"Residents of parts of Chiang Mai city prepared for possible evacuation Wednesday as the Ping River kept rising and spilling over its banks. Thousands of students were ordered to leave school early, and tourists and vendors in the famous Night Bazaar area were told to be ready to evacuate.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said at least 173 people have died and about 600,000 households in one-third of the country’s 77 provinces have been affected by the floods.
The dead include five members of one family who died in a flash flood Tuesday in a mountainous area of Chiang Mai province, department official Chayut Wongwanish said.Train services to northern Thailand has been cut off, and more than 110 highways and roads across the nation are impassable".

Here's some photos I took today.

Our Internet speed is really slow tonight so I'll try to upload more photos later...

I'm living in a bubble here, so what's happening in your neck of the woods? Do share!