Meet Ehthamu

5am....

I get up
short devotions
out in the fields to work
rice and fish paste for breakfast
school
short rest at noon -- no lunch
back to school
back to the farm
rice and fish paste for dinner
hand wash laundry
clean up
bed

repeat

again

some more

three years...

My name is Ehthamu

God gave me visions. Three of them. I met him. He is with me.  But this was after. After I walked for days from my village in Myanmar to escape, to survive. I don't know where my family is.  Are they dead? Are they looking for me?

Six years I have no school.
Six years I am a refugee in a camp.
Six years I am alone.

I leave, I must try to find my family. They live! They couldn't believe I was alive!

I came to Thoo Mweh Khee.  It's a Christian School, Six hundred of us here by the border.  I have food. I have shelter. I have a future.

I am 23. I am in 3rd grade.

Grace School invites me to come to visit. I know them! They come out every year to give us games and laughter and fun. They give us hope.

Seventy of us ride to Chiang Mai. This is a rare treat! We get different food-- a LOT of food -- more than twice a day! We get to practice our English and try new things. We sing for them.

The three days went fast!  I know what I need to do. I need to learn more and go back to my village to tell them about Jesus. They don't know about Him....yet.

"Despite the difficult life they lead, they have joy." -Callum, 12th grader @ GIS

"She is 21 and just now learning subtraction.  I never thought as homework as a gift.  I am so thankful for Grace School." -Kati, Senior @ GIS

Shane Bennett over at Missions Catalyst hit the proverbial nail on the head regarding refugees:

"This is hardship, pain, and desperation on a scale I cannot imagine. It is also opportunity for the gospel which we dare not overlook. 

I want to care for refugees because the gospel, as embodied in Jesus, is for people in the most desperate of situations. Jesus not only taught us but showed us that he came for those with little or no hope, the homeless, the dispossessed, and the overlooked. "

More info: Thoo Mweh Khee Migrant Learning Center

A table, some water and Hayley Mills.

You know the verse about rejoicing in the Lord always? (Phil 4.4)

I have those times where this verse is so great, and I can underline it and put happy faces by it and all is well. For example:

While in the US, I was thumbing through furniture catalogs (dangerous considering the luggage limit on the airlines).  Wow, look at this table:

Shanty-2-chic.com 

Boy, this could handle lots of kids, spills, homework, food, and all at the same time! I ripped out the ad, maybe I could find a worker in Chiang Mai who can replicate this someday.

We get home. We get life back in order. I forget about the ad.

A few days pass and my neighbor comes over,  "Sawadee-Ka (Thai greeting) Jill, I hired a carpenter while you were away to make a whole bunch of random furniture.  He made this table, and these benches, and I don't know where to put it.  Do you want it in your house?"

WOO! Rejoice! I'll even rejoice again!!!

But the times come where I wonder just why I underlined this verse and put happy faces next to it. For example: Juniper got sick in the night, the sick where a pile of sheets await upon waking. First thing next morning, after kicking the ants off, I grab the load and hold my breathe ready to toss them in the machine...wait...oh no....

The water is filthy! I can't wash anything in this! The nasty pile of sheets must wait, along with the other laundry, dishes, and people who are needing a scrub. Not a whole lot of rejoicing going on. I am thinking this verse, sometimes it's easy, but today: impossible!  

I sigh. I glance down in the same chapter in Philippians,

"Then you will experience God's peace, 

which exceeds anything we can understand.

 His peace will guard your heart and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." v.7

Wait, peace? Even during the nasty days?

I figure it is choosing to remember that my circumstances don't have to dictate my attitude. There is always more than meets the eye in the events of my life. Of your life. We don't get to see the whole picture, maybe never will.

Used with Permission 

My mind wanders to the Glad Game. You remember in the movie, Pollyanna, where she finds something good in everything?  Should I start playing? It would annoy my kids; it would annoy the world. 

Nah. I will spare everyone.

But I can keep trusting the One who has the big picture in mind!

"Rejoice in the Lord always and again, I say rejoice!" 

And while on the subject of trust and life, Stew wrote an article "Faith In Thailand" and it was published on the Summit Church website. It is a two minute read, find it here: Life Stories

Going Into Year Three!

We are back in full teaching-homework-grading mode. Six hundred kids (K-12) have come from all over the globe to attend GIS, their parents are working in and around Thailand, and we love being part of it!

We went to the US this summer; what a great time!  We got to see many of you and chat a bit. Over those six weeks, six questions came up often: 

1. How's your shoulder, Tim? 

Its doing tons better, thanks to frequent visits to physical therapists in both Thailand and USA. 

2. What exactly do you DO there?

Tim teaches secondary English/language arts at Grace International School, which has been in existence for 15 years, which educates the kids of relief workers and missionaries in SE Asia. Jill attempts to keep the ants and roaches away while feeding the rest of the family. She leads elementary worship. 

3.  How long will you all stay in Thailand?

Roots take time to grow, and in order to deepen our relationships with students, staff and neighbors, we feel this will be home for awhile.  We have no plans to return permanently to the USA.

4.  GIS offers affordable tuition for the missionaries who send their kids, how does that work?

To quote the GIS website:

“Our purpose is to provide quality, low cost education to the children of Christian workers in Southeast Asia. To keep our tuition costs as low as possible, our foreign teachers..." (That’s us!) "...and staff come as volunteers through sending agencies or churches and raise 100% of their own financial support. GIS does not pay salaries or provide any financial compensation to foreign teachers.”

We are fortunate to have an incredible team who faithfully give each month. We couldn't be here without them! At the present time, we are low on monthly supporters. If you are interested in joining our support team or want to know more, drop us an email, or donate here. 

5. Are you sick of Thai food yet?

Tim: "No way!"  

Jill: "It's still great!"  

George and Finn:  "We love the pork skewers."

Juniper: "Rice and seaweed for LIFE!"

6.  What is going on with The Coup?

We just heard from our Thai friends:  "Most of the country is happy with the coup. We hope for a change and a brighter future in leadership here.  Also, there is nothing to worry about."

And....a bonus question:  

** Is your name Tim? Or Stew?

Yes.

Lots of waiting. Lots of flying. 
Little sleep.

Great to see the flag again.

Layers and more layers.

Sharing at Summit Church in Spokane....talking about the mission of God.

We had a grand time! Thanks, Brad.

South Hill Bible in Spokane seeing the BIG picture of the work in SE Asia.

Great to see many familiar faces, and a few new ones. Thanks, SHBC!

Cotton candy ice cream....once every two years seems too often.

Yes, those marshmallows are unnaturally bright.

Mustard dispensers of gargantuan size.

Thanks, Finn.

This was our first choice for our car rental. The museum said no.

The force of Costco is strong.

It was a proud moment for Stew.

Ms. Juniper Bea, or...

Packing done, goodbyes said, tears shed.
Time to head back to CM and begin our third year!

A Carnival to Create Change

Not your average carnival. Not your average crowd (for this area).

Partnering with Joni and Friends, our family played a part in planning and running a personalized fair for local kids and teens with disabilities. For many of the attending families, this was the first time they experienced an atmosphere of love, acceptance and personal attention.

We relished this day. We still talk about it. On the way home Finn stated, "Next year will be great doing this again!"

Why is this so special to us?

This is my younger brother, Joe.  The Lord gave him to our family over 30 years ago.  Joe has given us a great gift:  a heart for people living with disabilities.

The challenges that confront families affected by disability are magnified in developing countries. Because of their disability, these families are often marginalized within their own cultures. Resources, education, and health services are extremely limited. Impoverished living conditions can bring even greater difficulty.                     -Joni and Friends.org 

 We believe God has called us to have a small part in changing this reality here in Thailand.

At the carnival, we all fell in love with Gaaw. Here is his story, told by my friend who ran the Family Retreat:

This year at Family Retreat it was neat to hear from returning families. These grandparents are raising their grandson with hydrocephalus and they shared how last year before they came, they had nearly given up fighting for him. They just didn't feel like they could go on and had lost hope. 

Last year inspired them to keep on fighting for Gaaw and his life.

This year you could see such a difference, I don't think I ever saw them without a beaming smile on their face. One of my favorite moments was watching both grandparents beam proudly while they helped little Gaaw 'fish' during the carnival. Another favorite was this grandpa going down the water slide like a pro!

It was incredible how the Lord gave us an opportunity to be a part of this. We are already planning how to make it even better next year!

In other news...

Over spring break, we went north where peaches (a treat here) and cool weather (a HUGE treat) are plentiful.  We weren't sure if it was wise to go with Stew's surgery a few days previous but with the help of pain medication and lots of deep breathing, we made it work! Since Stew had to rest and recover, he might as well have a view.

It was so nice to have a few days to rejuvenate before the last, crazy-busy six weeks of the school year.

The foxholes by the Myanmar/Thailand border.  Hours of hide and seek potential.

Since Stew couldn't go out and look for critters, they came to us.  Jill found this little non-poisonous guy in the bathroom.

Former opium farms have been converted to growing tea.

Thanks for reading.  Thanks for your prayers and support.