Full hearts and tired heads

Cultural experiences can be a challenge when you have no choice but to participate in them.  Oftentimes it's a language barrier while shopping or a misunderstanding while eating--like asking why a roll of TP is on the table (they're your napkins, silly foreigner!) But when you need to stop and take that dreaded trip to the hospital with your child, knowing she isn't okay, that's when "cultural experiences" aren't too fun.  

 My neighbor and I rushed Juniper to the hospital on Tuesday to find out a nasty bacterial infection was making its home in her stomach and intestines. 

No thanks.

I don't want to be a million miles away right now or  have to translate in my head while my child is hurting. And please don't tell me we have to stay here a night or two or more....

Juniper gasps for air while vomiting, she looks at me and asks me to pray.

It stops my negative thinking and I grab her tiny, pale hand. I  remember Jesus is here with us in Thailand, to thank Him we had this hospital down the road.  I look up and there is our neighbor; I thank Jesus for her. I also thanked Him for yet another opportunity to trust Him with all I have. 

As we waited for a room for 3 hours, this bed was available. I chose not to photo the blood stains, but was assured by the staff that it was clean.  I had to pray for protection for her little body, and once again, surrender her to the Lord.  Her life is in His hands, and really, I would want it no other way. 

Our neighbor/Thai grandma  is amazing. She stayed with Juniper and I  for hours. 

Finally, a clean, private room. They had a mat for me so I could sleep next to her. Breakfast was supposed to be ordered the night before, but I didn't know.  So we waited over two hours to get our food.  The fact Juni was hungry was a good sign. 

A visit from Dad helped to perk up the sick girl.

Less than 24 hours later, Juni was taking off down the hall to see her "friends". 

We left the hospital with a healthy girl, a bag of  medicine, and gratitude for the heaps of family and friends praying for us. Our hearts of full and our heads are tired.

  

Father, we know full well, our lives are yours to do as you wish.  

So we will continue to Proverbs 3:5-6 it each day.

 "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; 

don’t try to figure out everything on your own. 

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go

he’s the one who will keep you on track."

Fresh Start

While you are most likely enjoying a few more weeks of summer, we are ready to start a fresh school year on August 13th.  I passed by a rice field in the early stages of growth and was reminded how God told us in Lamentations 3:22-23:

 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  

They are new every morning; 

great is your faithfulness. 

Fresh start. What an amazing Lord to offer this to us, no charge! 

Jill was the MC at the Welcome Luncheon for the 50 new families attending Grace Int'l. A good welcome combined with a free lunch, door prizes, and a school tour helped make some happy new students!

Finn and George are pretty pumped to start 2nd and 5th grade. 

Juniper teaching her good friend how to play Candyland.  

Never a dull moment preparing a fresh room for students.

If we get only one bulletin board...then this is the one poster we will hang!

Getting all the textbooks in order is no joking matter.
 Tim will be teaching 10th Grade English, British Literature and Creative Writing this year.  

A fresh new chick; George already had it named before we left the farm.

With new mercies every morning, who would want to drive ahead while staring in the rear view mirror?  A glance now and then is fine, to remember, to reflect....but we are pressing on.  Thanks for your encouragement and support of our work in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai Aquatic Development Farm

Since arriving in Thailand, George has developed an intense interest in fish. He loves to catch them, raise them, and sometimes eat them. Aquariums and fancy fish are very popular (and cheap) here, so George fits right in. A few months back, I learned that one of my student's parents run a fish farm as part of their ministry. We jumped at the chance to go and have a tour. 

Chiang Mai Aquatic Development Farm is a business as mission project that has been around for 15 years. It produces 2 million tilapia fry per month! The fry are sold and are ready for the frying pan in about six months. Fifty families are supported by the farm, as well as Thai music ministries, church planting and a youth camp. 

It's so cool to see the amazing and creative ways people are making God's name known here and around the world!

Yesterday & Yesterday & Yesterday

We sat down to write an update tonight and couldn't remember much from the past six weeks--it's been a blur! Luckily, our phones had a few pics on them to tell the story. 

One year of service=one flower.  Nice job, Stew!

International Day. An American and a Canadian representing Brazil in Thailand.  What? 

Hot days of over 100 degrees require makeshift pools.

George Sawyer and Huck Finn

Hair cut = happiness

Stew helped organize a service project for the 10th graders, sweeping the neighborhood.
BYOB: Bring your own broom. 

Happy Thai New Years! They celebrate with a countrywide water fight. 

  "Are these grasshoppers fresh?"

Jill & Juni getting to know the Thai staff at school. 

Stew's hosted a satirical coffee shop for class one day. Who says high school English is no fun?    

Write On! The annual poetry and prose night at a local coffee shop for students with contest-winning entries. 

Jill worked on fixing up the guest house.

Red welcome mat is out; come on over....it has AC!

The kids are doing well with  life here in Thailand.  At the moment they are all healthy.. hooray! 

Thanks for your emails, your support, and the prayers you say on our behalf...love you all!

trust

  We've had a rough go the past few weeks:

• Extra bouts of illness and trips to the hospital.
• Air pollution this month: face masks, cancelling PE/Recess, cough drops by the kilo, and hacking around town is the new norm. 
• A friend back in the US was killed in a car accident. We've had to grieve this huge loss while being so far away.
• Our fridge decided to freeze all our food for a few week (a repair man convinced it to stop.)
•   Living in a foreign country catches up to us and we get so tired.

You have your list too; the tough things, the way life goes sometimes without making a lick of sense. In the midst of this, we choose to trust. We take the time to pray for everything and anything, because we know God wants to hear it all. He wants us dependent on Him. So we consciously make the decision each day, each minute, each second, to trust in Him.

He has proven himself faithful, and even in the midst of the smoke (literally here) we see the sun burst through.

Surely God is my help.  The Lord is the one who sustains me.

Psalm 54:4  

Thanks for the prayers and encouragement,

The Stew Fam