Building Update July 2010

Please see the video for a sneak peek of Stage 1 of the new ZOE Children’s Home.

We commence moving tomorrow and will all be in our new facility in 2 weeks!

Shouldn’t be too hard ... just have to move 50 kids, 40 students, 30 staff, 12 missionaries and of course the beds, computers, office supplies, clothing, food, kitchen supplies and playground equipment .... AAAHHHHHHHHH!!

Thankfully Carol and Jessica are logistics experts!!!!

PS: Thanks again to Ben for giving us this handy little camera to take video with!!!!

DAVE :)

SNAP, SNAP, SNAP

We had such a fun day yesterday.  Our family left home at 7am and headed out to ZOE Children’s Home for a photo shoot.  Photographer? .... Me! Ha ha. I know, pretty funny, and I mainly only agreed because Carol said I could use the cool SLR camera.

The aim was to get head shots of all 50 ZOE children.  And we had just one hour to do it!

Everybody in our family had a job: Dave was to help getting the kids to stand in the right spot and making sure their hair was neat etc.  He knows them all a lot better than I do so he was great at being able to elicit lots of smiles, which made my job easier.

Spencer took it upon himself to help out in a ‘pastoral care’ type role, running in front of the camera and wanting to hug the kids.  Very funny.

Tobi and Eliana went around handing out lollipops to the children and playing with them while they waited until it was their turn.

Me... I had to try to control my laughter and keep the camera still at the antics going on around me.  It was a funny morning and one I’ll remember for a long time.

Here’s a few of the shots that won’t be being used!!!

The Ordinary

"You've spoiled me for the ordinary ..."  was what one man said as he reflected on his visit to ZOE over the past week at a team debriefing this morning.

I knew what he meant.   I sat, close to tears, as each member of the short term mission team went around the circle and described how this trip to Thailand had impacted their world and changed their view on "life" as they had known it.  

I found it encouraging to be reminded about the emotions that I too had felt, on my first visit to ZOE.  It was so amusing to hear the anecdotes of their first experiences using a 'squatty potty'- I still find it tricky!  But, it was also so moving to see their tears as they recounted experiences of how the ZOE children, teens and Bible School students had touched their hearts and impacted them more than anyone else had before.  

As wonderful as it was to hear all the stories of the past week, I also understand how hard it will be for them to return home.  How will they articulate what they saw, felt, lived and breathed while they were here?

It is easy to be on an emotional high and describe life when you are in a different country for a short period of time. However, once at home with your bags unpacked, pictures shown and stories told; your "old" routines stare you straight in the face!  How can you return to life as you knew it, not changed by what you've seen? 

You know though, despite living in a foreign country (which can often be filled with adventure) there is STILL so much time that is filled up with the ordinary moments of life- grocery shopping, making dinner, cleaning.  So, I have to remind myself that each moment is a gift from the God no matter how mundane and "unspiritual" it may seem.  

I seek to fully understand that if anything matters, everything matters. I can make each day count whether I am working in a children's home in Thailand, teaching my children good manners at home, or simply sweeping the floor for the sixth time that day.  Even though I feel like I fail at seeing this perspective so often, I really want to live my life with a heart that embraces all the moments in time whether they seem exciting, breathtaking or just plain "ordinary".

Back to Thailand....Back to ZOE.... Back to 35 degree heat..... It’s great to be home!

It’s hard to believe that we were in Australia for 4 weeks.  Getting back to ZOE today was an emotional experience!  As we drove up the driveway there stood two of the Thai staff.   Seeing us arrive a big smile spread across their faces.

Further along the driveway was my good friend Par Bowan.  ‘Good to see you P Dave’ he said.  He is a big strong man, with a heart to match.  I reached out the car window and we embraced.  This man has been so very kind to me.  ‘We have been praying for your family’ he said.  Tears began to form in Andrea and my eyes.  

What a blessing it is to be back at ZOE.  We have enjoyed working alongside the wonderful Thai staff so very much over the past 6 months.

It’s hard to think I could be this happy going to work!!!

It will take me a few days to get back into the rhythm.  I felt that before we left we had built up a great deal of momentum and we were really starting to assist in making some of the  improvements that ZOE needs so that we can grow to a children’s home with 500+ kids.

It also appears that my accent has strengthened from our time in Australia, so the American missionaries are once again having a hard time understanding me! But I will adapt my language over the coming days, so I can be understood.

The highlight of the day was when Andie brought the kids into ZOE tonight.  At 6pm tonight we did changeover at ZOE.  I clocked off and Andie clocked on! 

Andrea is out tonight hosting at a traditional Thai dinner with one of the short term teams that are in Thailand for the rest of the week.  The short term teams are great to ZOE.  They bring out supplies, clothing as well as an energy and enthusiasm that rubs off on everyone around them.  

So once I had the kids, we of course headed to the playground to play with the other kids.   The kids from ZOE were excited to see Tobi, Eli and Spencer.

Our kids come form very different background to some of the children at ZOE so it always warms my heart when I see all them all playing side by side. 

Kids have a way of making the complicated so very simple.

A swing is a swing.   A spinning wheel is a spinning wheel and a ball is a ball, no mater what your background!

Thanks to Ben Stickland for giving me this new little camera.

Here is a short clip of the fun we had today!

Thanks For Sticking With Us

A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together!  

~Author Unknown

Well I didn’t see any snowflakes on our holiday in Australia, but it sure was icy cold!

One of the nicest things that I experienced during our trip, was the overwhelming sense of support and encouragement that was shown to us from not only our extended family and close friends but also from many new people whom we’d never even met before.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has been “sticking” with us on this journey.  It is amazing to look back on what’s been accomplished through your support.

I read somewhere that “snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled” and it made me reflect on how snowflakes come from the sky separate and yet when they’re stuck together and are moulded into a particular shape, they can be crafted in to snowballs, igloos and of course snowmen. 

‘Unassembled’ and ‘separate’ we are less able to achieve what it is we came to Thailand to do~  We are here to help care for children.  ZOE rescues orphans and children who may become victims of human trafficking and fights to protect the rights of these children.  

You’re helping us to achieve this and your part is just as important.  You’ve moulded with us. With your help and support, we’ve been able to come and stay in Thailand.   So, thanks ... for sticking with us!

Andie:)

We're Back in Thailand... stay tuned!

After extending our trip, and spending almost a month in Australia, we arrived back in Chiang Mai safely late last night.  The children seem very happy to be back “home” and enjoyed playing with all their toys this morning.

I’ll write more soon after I’ve unpacked and caught up on some sleep but  in summary, we’re all good!

A Week of "Goodbyes" and "Hellos"

I posted this quote (author unknown) on my Facebook profile this week “Missing someone gets easier every day because even though it's one day further from the last time you saw each other, it's one day closer to the next time you will”.

There have been so many mixed feelings this week:

I think that one of the interesting parts of life here in Thailand is going to be getting used to living in a missionary community.  We will continuously have people transitioning in and out of our lives as they come and then go back home.  Just this week we have several families going back to their homes for two-months furlough as well as another one of the beautiful women here, Auntie Joyce (or AJ as she has been fondly named) returning to America indefinitely.   I’ll write more about AJ in a minute (pictured below, teaching a dance class at ZOE Children's Home).

I am feeling excited about our short trip back to Australia and giving away some of these hugs that I’ve saved up.  I will endeavor to make the most of each second I get with my family and friends and then muster up every bit of strength to say  “good bye” again.

Also this week our very special friend Jessica, who has been house-sitting next door, has moved in to her new house.  And whilst I am SO HAPPY for her- she’s found the perfect little house and she is desperate to unpack and settle after being in transit for so long; selfishly I am also feeling quite sad.  I know she is just a drive away but I think I drew a lot of comfort knowing that she was so close.  She has been our rock since we arrived and Dave and I will be forever grateful for all she has done to help our family settle in here.  Thanks Jess, we love you! 

On a more positive note, Greg and Nancy who actually live next door will be returning soon with their two small boys (and play mates).  I am really looking forward to meeting Nancy as I’ve heard so much about her and I know our children will welcome having some more children around to befriend.

Tomorrow is the last day of the year for our children.  They have completed semester 2 and will be saying goodbye and thank you to their teachers.  Both Todd and Cheryl have been so kind and welcoming to our children and we are really appreciative for their assistance in helping to make our kid’s experience of ‘formal education’ so much fun.  Eli’s teacher was just commenting this afternoon that she doesn’t know how she’ll survive without Eli there to organize her! We are looking forward to Tobi and Eli’s end-of-year concert and graduation tomorrow morning!

And now back to why I began writing this blog… for AJ 

(or Joyce-ee, as Dave calls her).

I can't tell you enough what a blessing Joyce-ee has been in our family’s time in Thailand.

We laugh at her clever, witty blog entries and perfectly crafted emails.  We feel inspired by her spirit of adventure and truly amazed by the way she just makes things happen at ZOE.   Without a fuss, she just moves around and puts her little touch here and there; a conversation with one person, a smile at another, some advice and of course her wonderful sense of humor.

We will truly miss having her as part of our lives and as part of our 

ZOE family.

How could we be so impressed by someone we have known for such a small amount of time?  She is wise, graceful, elegant and fun!

We Crossies reckon you’re a beauty!

God Bless you Joyce-ee and SEE YOU SOON!

And, as a side note, once again we feel so blessed and amazed.

You know how we borrowed all Jessica's things when we first got to Thailand?  Well, the day we gave all her things back was, ironically, was the same day that all our freight arrived. 

We still had her DVD player though and a fan so on Saturday we finally gave them back to her as she was moving again- this time in to her new house.  As we gave her DVD player back, Jess handed us another one, which she’d picked up from Joyce’s house for us to ‘mind’. 

Now, as you know, having a DVD player is not a necessity.... BUT, it sure is handy to have one.  Our children especially appreciate it because they do not watch any television here (it’s all in Thai). 

As always, God's timing is perfect and he again engineered things to the exact moment (literally) when there was a need.