If you know me you know I don't do bugs. If a stink bug comes within 10ft of me I am immediately immobilized. Well let me tell you about the last 24hrs. OK so its 12:30am and we find out from the other team that McDanald's delivers...You have to realize that all we do is sweat out salt and never eat it, so naturally the sound of horribly salted french fries was like crack to an addict. We get them and I'm just sitting there not trying to taste the staleness (b/c the driver got lost and we don't speak Thai and our address is in Thai...you can't "sound out" Thai...its symbols), but instead relish the first american fattiness I have tasted in weeks. At some point I must have dropped a drop of plum sauce (they don't carry honey) on the arm of the chair. I put my arm down and when I brought it up I scratched my forearm. I realized I missed getting the rest of my paint off my arm from face painting earlier. OH wait, nope, gotcha...not paint, MINIATURE ANTS!!!!! I put my arm in a colony of ants that had come to the plum sauce...it wasn't paint in my nails, but squished ants!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OMG OMG OMG....I had an entire nation of ants all over my arms and in my nails and about 10% were still living and crawling around!! then I look down and the arm rest is just covered in Ants!!!. And this is why we aren't allowed to eat inside...now I follow that rule. I thought it was the most horrifying moment of my life until....
We are getting ready to leave to go to dinner and Boy (my newest BFF and our translator) motions me over to show me something. He says, "Look, I killed a scorpion." In case you didn't read that last word right, let me repeat it...a SCORPION!!! I asked him where he found it and he said in our shoes! There was a scorpion in our shoes! (Let's just say I quadruple check when I put shoes on now.) He said he coaxed it out and away from them and then took his flip flop and smashed it and then stepped on it (just to make sure). OK When I say flip flop, I mean $2 Old Navy Flip Flops (but Thai version, bc I don't think they have old Navy here). And they weren't new sturdy ones, nope, they were about July ones...you know when they are perfectly broken in and in a few weeks rocks will split through... All I can say is, is that boy is brave (no pun intended). Did I mention it was the size of my hand? So it would have fit nicely in one of my shoes.
Ok so a few minutes later after all the scorpion drama has died down, we finally leave. We are 10ft out of the gate when someone throws out there hand to stop us. There are GIANT snails in the middle of the road. GIANT...the size of a small apple. Just chilling in our driveway. Eating a piece of corn (who knew snails liked to hang out with corn on the cob?). Julie touched the shell of one and we got to watch it sneak back inside.
OK so after all the snail drama has calmed down, we continue off to our favorite restaurant for dinner. (They know us so well, that they now always have a table set up for us with extra stools). We get to the restaurant and Brynn options for the stool. I grabbed her arm and said don't sit! There was the biggest Daddy Long Leg I have ever seen, just sitting on her seat like he owned the place. Of course we are girls so we freaked out and the owner came over and brushed it off and laughed "with" us. It was pretty funny, but seriously its legs were at least three inches long fully extended.
Then we went on a prayer walk around the bars and no joke about 10 cockroaches ran across my path. Not to mention the one we found in our room the week before that hid in Brynn's suitcase. Don't worry we have video of Noah killing it.
Gecko's don't really count as bugs per-say (no clue how to spell that) but there are at least 10 who find their home in our house and in our bathroom. At the end of our prayer walk Rachel was trying to catch a baby gecko (she is determined to catch one before we leave Thailand). Noah and I walked up behind her and I said, " Rachel. I wouldn't reach any higher..." There was a giant butted spider (probably deadly) inches from her hand. She did a freak out dance and ran away. Wehoo 2 saves from spiders in one night, I'm worn out.
OK that's all the bug drama for now. I'll try to write more ministry based stuff soon. It's hard to put it all in words, b/c I can't really explain it all/ haven't processed all we are doing. When we are in the slums it seems so normal and natural to play with the kids and laugh with the moms. At the bars it just seems natural to paint watercolor pictures and joke and play pool with prostitutes. God has taught me to not be afraid. They are all his children and all people. They are funny and sweet. I was so afraid they wouldn't want to be my friend or talk to me, but God has changed my views entirely. It is wonderful. So to write about them as ministry is hard, because they just seem like my friends. I think it will hit me really hard when we are back home, and all of a sudden all the poverty isn't the norm anymore. Until then I'll tell you what I can!
Love you all! I need to go night night b/c I'm leading devotion in 7 hours :(. Feel free to leave comments. I love reading them and it helps me not miss home as much :)
xx
Lil Bug whisperer.
P.S. a gecko just ran across the wall I'm sitting in front of. OH and I've eaten more rice in the last three weeks than in my entire life combined. Oh and I forgot...The count is in...I have 34 mosquitoe love bites on my left leg and 41 on my right...and that's only from the knee down. They ate me through my clothes!!! OK good night for real this time.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Invasion!
We've been invaded!!! Our cute little chateau has been invaded by 13 other people!! OK so that sounds a little dramatic, but it was our cute little home and we were becoming a cute little family. Mamma Noah and Momma Julie (Noah prefers momma over poppa...we aren't exactly sure why...but considering he let me paint his big toe orange with a teal N on it and he wears Kara's necklace around...it fits him now) and Uncle Boy and then all their little chick-lets. Actually they seem really neat, maybe they will become our extended family. They are on some world race ministry thing, 11 countries in 11 months. Crazy! They all seem really awesome and will be a great addition to our ministry. :)
Anyway. So today was our first official day off...so natural we played with Tigers and did cartwheels in the rain. I'd say it was quite a successful one. We went to Tiger Kingdom in the morning; it was awesome, but I'm morally conflicted. One part is saying awesome I just took a cat/kat nap with tigers and the other is saying I just paid money (aka funded the continuing of) letting people keep tigers in cages and hit them with sticks. I'm pretty sure the big ones were either drugged or all the life and joy had been sucked out of them. The baby ones still had their innocence though... But I did whisper encouragement in their ears and got some really great pictures with them. At one point one of the babies was crawling up me eating my hand while another one was trying to eat its tail but mistook my foot for its tail...a slight ouch but very funny :)
Then we went and ate lunch with our Taxi driver Ping Pong...he is so funny! He drives us around everyday and is amazing. Julie and him are best friends...he's a joker so they bond very well. Then we came home and took a much needed nap. We now have air conditioning...except we couldn't figure out how to work it...who knew 30 degrees C was like 86 F...woops my bad, no wonder it was blowing hot air and we were sweating even more than normal (which I didn't know it was possible for anymore sweat to come out my pores). Then we headed to church. It's called The Light, and meets at the Wongen Kafe that we hang out at. It was really good and this week we split up into small group for the sermon section and we got to do an English one so we actually understood the message which was nice. Then we headed home and were going to get dinner and hit up the night market.
On the way to market a man on a bike rode up and started talking to me. He offered me food and jumped off his bike. A little sketch but randomly turned out to be super awesome. Julie and him started singing the Eagles and then he sang us a song he wrote. It was really good, he's a musician but doesn't have a guitar at the moment so he can't get a job. Julie asked if we could pray for him and he said yes please :) We invited him to dinner, but he declined. We then ran into him later and he asked us when the rapture was coming. lol It was hilarious.
We had to skip the market and just do dinner b/c it started raining...and when it rains it pours. Julie went and bought us all ponchos. By the time we got home the road was almost flooded to our knees. So naturally we went and put on shorts and t-shirts and went and played in the street. Brynn, Rachel, Kara, and I had the entire neighborhood out to watch us. I'm sure they were all thinking, "Who are those crazy white girls doing cartwheels in a foot of water? Haven't they ever seen rain before? And don't they know that the goal is to not get wet?" We actually made a guy fall over on his moped...it was soooo funny. He stopped and turned back to look at us and then fell over. He probably thought we were girls gone wild, not little missionaries...just kidding...don't worry we were wearing black shirts not white t-shirts... ;) We came home with all sorts of new species growing on us I'm sure. Don't worry we showered and disinfected.
OK here is the general update...I'm being eaten alive. One day Brynn is the victim of all things bugs and the next thing I know they discover my feet. OMG I have sooooooo many bites all over my heels, the side of my feet, my ankles...the latest...right smack in the middle of my bum and one in my armpit...really mosquitoes? really? Awkward get out of there.
The bars are good. We are making lots of friends. Sadly our English lessons aren't going as well as planned...no one has yet to show up. But we aren't getting discouraged, God has opened some other doors and we've been able to make a lot of friends on campus as well because of it. What we are realizing is that some times tasks that seem the least of importance, God is using the most. The other day we handed out flyers on campus for the cafe and the entire time we kept complaining saying this is so pointless. Then we get back to the cafe and a ton of students we had given a flyer to were there and want to come to English class...weird right?! God is so good :) This reminds me of a line of Sr. Custodian's opening duties from Job's daughters "It teaches that the smallest task deserves the same attention as one of more importance and should be promptly and cheerfully performed." So true and very humbling.
We are having soooo much fun and love Thailand! We are teaching Boy lots of important phrases such as: the song: "Neaner neaner neaner, I speak Thai and you don't.", the phrase: "You are a tool.", how to make the doi doi noise with your hand against your mouth and saying girl over and over (we call it his "call"), and lots of other high class sayings. My favorite is making him do news reports about our trip. He wants to be a reporter so I give him a mic and make him be from the BBC. Its great fun. Don't worry we don't torture him or anything...
OK more later...I'm off to bed. Oh one more thing. We did face painting in the slums the other day...SO MUCH FUN! I loved it. I will say though I've never painted so many Winnie the Poohs in my life, and I'm not sure Brynn so many flowers. Rachel's was the best...she got requested by a 3 yr old to paint a watch on her wrist. Julie got painted by a 3 year old...she had tattoo sleeves of pre-school art down her arms by the end. It was hilarious. Kara and Sam were the photographers and everyone one else spectators. It was quite a lot of fun...till we started getting eaten alive that was. :) Those mosquitoes are cra cra.
Ok Miss you all! Yesterday I got a little bit homesick...I miss hearing my family's voice whenever I want...
But here are some of those pics!
Love and miss you! xx
KL
Anyway. So today was our first official day off...so natural we played with Tigers and did cartwheels in the rain. I'd say it was quite a successful one. We went to Tiger Kingdom in the morning; it was awesome, but I'm morally conflicted. One part is saying awesome I just took a cat/kat nap with tigers and the other is saying I just paid money (aka funded the continuing of) letting people keep tigers in cages and hit them with sticks. I'm pretty sure the big ones were either drugged or all the life and joy had been sucked out of them. The baby ones still had their innocence though... But I did whisper encouragement in their ears and got some really great pictures with them. At one point one of the babies was crawling up me eating my hand while another one was trying to eat its tail but mistook my foot for its tail...a slight ouch but very funny :)
Then we went and ate lunch with our Taxi driver Ping Pong...he is so funny! He drives us around everyday and is amazing. Julie and him are best friends...he's a joker so they bond very well. Then we came home and took a much needed nap. We now have air conditioning...except we couldn't figure out how to work it...who knew 30 degrees C was like 86 F...woops my bad, no wonder it was blowing hot air and we were sweating even more than normal (which I didn't know it was possible for anymore sweat to come out my pores). Then we headed to church. It's called The Light, and meets at the Wongen Kafe that we hang out at. It was really good and this week we split up into small group for the sermon section and we got to do an English one so we actually understood the message which was nice. Then we headed home and were going to get dinner and hit up the night market.
On the way to market a man on a bike rode up and started talking to me. He offered me food and jumped off his bike. A little sketch but randomly turned out to be super awesome. Julie and him started singing the Eagles and then he sang us a song he wrote. It was really good, he's a musician but doesn't have a guitar at the moment so he can't get a job. Julie asked if we could pray for him and he said yes please :) We invited him to dinner, but he declined. We then ran into him later and he asked us when the rapture was coming. lol It was hilarious.
We had to skip the market and just do dinner b/c it started raining...and when it rains it pours. Julie went and bought us all ponchos. By the time we got home the road was almost flooded to our knees. So naturally we went and put on shorts and t-shirts and went and played in the street. Brynn, Rachel, Kara, and I had the entire neighborhood out to watch us. I'm sure they were all thinking, "Who are those crazy white girls doing cartwheels in a foot of water? Haven't they ever seen rain before? And don't they know that the goal is to not get wet?" We actually made a guy fall over on his moped...it was soooo funny. He stopped and turned back to look at us and then fell over. He probably thought we were girls gone wild, not little missionaries...just kidding...don't worry we were wearing black shirts not white t-shirts... ;) We came home with all sorts of new species growing on us I'm sure. Don't worry we showered and disinfected.
OK here is the general update...I'm being eaten alive. One day Brynn is the victim of all things bugs and the next thing I know they discover my feet. OMG I have sooooooo many bites all over my heels, the side of my feet, my ankles...the latest...right smack in the middle of my bum and one in my armpit...really mosquitoes? really? Awkward get out of there.
The bars are good. We are making lots of friends. Sadly our English lessons aren't going as well as planned...no one has yet to show up. But we aren't getting discouraged, God has opened some other doors and we've been able to make a lot of friends on campus as well because of it. What we are realizing is that some times tasks that seem the least of importance, God is using the most. The other day we handed out flyers on campus for the cafe and the entire time we kept complaining saying this is so pointless. Then we get back to the cafe and a ton of students we had given a flyer to were there and want to come to English class...weird right?! God is so good :) This reminds me of a line of Sr. Custodian's opening duties from Job's daughters "It teaches that the smallest task deserves the same attention as one of more importance and should be promptly and cheerfully performed." So true and very humbling.
We are having soooo much fun and love Thailand! We are teaching Boy lots of important phrases such as: the song: "Neaner neaner neaner, I speak Thai and you don't.", the phrase: "You are a tool.", how to make the doi doi noise with your hand against your mouth and saying girl over and over (we call it his "call"), and lots of other high class sayings. My favorite is making him do news reports about our trip. He wants to be a reporter so I give him a mic and make him be from the BBC. Its great fun. Don't worry we don't torture him or anything...
OK more later...I'm off to bed. Oh one more thing. We did face painting in the slums the other day...SO MUCH FUN! I loved it. I will say though I've never painted so many Winnie the Poohs in my life, and I'm not sure Brynn so many flowers. Rachel's was the best...she got requested by a 3 yr old to paint a watch on her wrist. Julie got painted by a 3 year old...she had tattoo sleeves of pre-school art down her arms by the end. It was hilarious. Kara and Sam were the photographers and everyone one else spectators. It was quite a lot of fun...till we started getting eaten alive that was. :) Those mosquitoes are cra cra.
Ok Miss you all! Yesterday I got a little bit homesick...I miss hearing my family's voice whenever I want...
But here are some of those pics!
Love and miss you! xx
KL
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Ministry Begins...
OK Day two of Ministry. Wow God has been so generous and gracious to us these last two days. Yesterday was our official first day of "ministry work". We went to the Slums that are behind where we live and walked around and said hi to people. It was fascinating. I was talking to Boy, our translator who is from Chiang Mai, and he said he didn't know Chiang Mai had slums (he said he only thought they were in Bangkok). So yesterday was his first day in them too. I thought that was really interesting and a really neat experience for him as well as for us. If you are my parents you are probably thinking, WHAT?! you walked around the slums, is that safe? But actually I felt really safe and comfortable. It's not like walking around in the "ghetto" in the US. It is a completely different dynamic. Within each little area there is a Village. They all live as a family. They are truly living in community. It was beautiful. The kids were playing on the dirt road and a few road bikes. Their parents sat in the doorway watching them as they worked. Some preparing food, some sewing, some just sitting enjoying. Everyone seemed so peaceful and happy. Everyone says hi (well Swatdee kha) and gives you the "y" (Hands in a prayer position and a slight bow). They were in such poverty but so happy and kind. One thing about Thailand I've found that is very unique is that everything is very open. Most of their houses had rolling gates similar to store fronts you'd see in a city. That was their door. So their entire living room was on display. Not every house but quite a few. One thing I love about Thailand is they work off the Honor system. In Bangkok no one even locked up their bike! They are a very trusting culture. Something I think we could all learn and bring home :).
After our walk we ate dinner and went home to change. At 8pm we headed to the bars. Also know as the red light district. Scary right? But no it was the same thing. Everyone was so sweet and nice. It felt so safe. Before we left we all went off and prayed. Brynn and I sat on our bed and prayed and then prayed Psalm 91, which is a prayer of protection http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2091&version=NLT (click here to read). God was so faithful and his protection was so evident. I really saw why the power of grounding ourselves in prayer was so important. We split up into groups of 2-3 and each picked a bar. What you have to understand is that probably 95% of the girls in the bars are prostitutes. So Brynn and I prayed and asked the holy spirit to direct us to a bar. We walked into "Kooky Bar" and ordered a RedBull. Two girls that didn't look a day over 16 greeted us; their names were Mae and Mean Mean (everyone in Thailand goes by nicknames, not their real names). Their english was very limited but they invited us to play Jenga. We played and laughed for about an hour but then they were asked to go somewhere so they left and we played with Pancake a boy that was working there as well. As we played a little boy came up and poked me in the back and then hid behind a chair. He was selling flowers and I realized we had met him in the slums earlier that day. He went up and started playing with the knocked over Jenga blocks. He was probably 7 or 8, but I was enamored by his precision and artistic ability as he stacked the blocks in patterns. Then he put them together and played Jenga (he didn't want us to help). He placed each block in perfect precision on top. I was speechless. I wanted to bring him home and send him to art or architecture classes. He was soooo talented, but in reality will probably never see college or hold a paint brush. It broke my heart.
We then walked and met up with some others in the group. Noke (who is the caretaker where we are staying and part of the Light House ministry) introduced us to some of her friends that she had met on previous trips to the bars. The bar was called "Kat's Bar" a bit ironic. Especially since I taught them to play tick-tack-toe and we had a Cat's game with Kat at the Kat bar...lol We sat and talked and laughed with them for hours. They had been given English lessons with teams before us. They asked if we would continue and teach them during the week. One of the girls informed me that it was her last week of working at the bar and that she was going to start working at Wongen Kafe (the cafe the ministry we are working with works with). It was so incredible to see how those that went before us had really made an impact in a place where there seemed no room for Hope. We got to see the fruit of a seed that was planted, but Christ harvested. That is one less girl having to sell her body to support her family.
I think what struck me the most was their ability to bring so much joy to the conversation. When we left I felt like we were already friends. I couldn't see these girls as prostitutes. God crushed my former thoughts of these women. I realized these were God's children and even though they were probably so broken inside they still were overflowing with joy, His joy. Psalm 30:5 says "Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." There is no way anyone that experiences what they do should be able to continue to be so joyful in life. I had envisioned these girls that were numb and scared, but they were laughing and so excited to talk with us. God is so much greater than I give Him credit. He continues to shine His joyful light into their darkness.
We will go back to night. I ask for your prayers as we do. Pray for these women, pray for us, and pray for the men. Pray for our hearts toward these men, that we can remember that God has extended the same Grace to them as he has us. We are all covered by the same savior and by the same love. It is so hard not to look at these men in disgust, and instead with compassion. An older gentleman, 72 to be exact, sat with us while we spoke with these girls. He had kids and was from France. He sat with his hands on a beautiful and incredibly sweet Thai girl, we knew his intensions and so did she. Everything in me wanted to tell him to go home and ask him if his kids knew where he was. I was so frustrated. He wasn't the only one. We met others, saw others. It was heartbreaking, but I know God is greater than all of this. Please continue to pray.
On a lighter note, today we hung out on campus and met a ton of Thai students. It was SO fun. I now have Thai friends on facebook!!! I'm hoping we will continue to get to hang out and speak truth in their lives while serving them.
I'll tell you more later, but I have team Dev-o time (devotional) so we can prepare for tonight. Love you all!
xx Kat
After our walk we ate dinner and went home to change. At 8pm we headed to the bars. Also know as the red light district. Scary right? But no it was the same thing. Everyone was so sweet and nice. It felt so safe. Before we left we all went off and prayed. Brynn and I sat on our bed and prayed and then prayed Psalm 91, which is a prayer of protection http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2091&version=NLT (click here to read). God was so faithful and his protection was so evident. I really saw why the power of grounding ourselves in prayer was so important. We split up into groups of 2-3 and each picked a bar. What you have to understand is that probably 95% of the girls in the bars are prostitutes. So Brynn and I prayed and asked the holy spirit to direct us to a bar. We walked into "Kooky Bar" and ordered a RedBull. Two girls that didn't look a day over 16 greeted us; their names were Mae and Mean Mean (everyone in Thailand goes by nicknames, not their real names). Their english was very limited but they invited us to play Jenga. We played and laughed for about an hour but then they were asked to go somewhere so they left and we played with Pancake a boy that was working there as well. As we played a little boy came up and poked me in the back and then hid behind a chair. He was selling flowers and I realized we had met him in the slums earlier that day. He went up and started playing with the knocked over Jenga blocks. He was probably 7 or 8, but I was enamored by his precision and artistic ability as he stacked the blocks in patterns. Then he put them together and played Jenga (he didn't want us to help). He placed each block in perfect precision on top. I was speechless. I wanted to bring him home and send him to art or architecture classes. He was soooo talented, but in reality will probably never see college or hold a paint brush. It broke my heart.
We then walked and met up with some others in the group. Noke (who is the caretaker where we are staying and part of the Light House ministry) introduced us to some of her friends that she had met on previous trips to the bars. The bar was called "Kat's Bar" a bit ironic. Especially since I taught them to play tick-tack-toe and we had a Cat's game with Kat at the Kat bar...lol We sat and talked and laughed with them for hours. They had been given English lessons with teams before us. They asked if we would continue and teach them during the week. One of the girls informed me that it was her last week of working at the bar and that she was going to start working at Wongen Kafe (the cafe the ministry we are working with works with). It was so incredible to see how those that went before us had really made an impact in a place where there seemed no room for Hope. We got to see the fruit of a seed that was planted, but Christ harvested. That is one less girl having to sell her body to support her family.
I think what struck me the most was their ability to bring so much joy to the conversation. When we left I felt like we were already friends. I couldn't see these girls as prostitutes. God crushed my former thoughts of these women. I realized these were God's children and even though they were probably so broken inside they still were overflowing with joy, His joy. Psalm 30:5 says "Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." There is no way anyone that experiences what they do should be able to continue to be so joyful in life. I had envisioned these girls that were numb and scared, but they were laughing and so excited to talk with us. God is so much greater than I give Him credit. He continues to shine His joyful light into their darkness.
We will go back to night. I ask for your prayers as we do. Pray for these women, pray for us, and pray for the men. Pray for our hearts toward these men, that we can remember that God has extended the same Grace to them as he has us. We are all covered by the same savior and by the same love. It is so hard not to look at these men in disgust, and instead with compassion. An older gentleman, 72 to be exact, sat with us while we spoke with these girls. He had kids and was from France. He sat with his hands on a beautiful and incredibly sweet Thai girl, we knew his intensions and so did she. Everything in me wanted to tell him to go home and ask him if his kids knew where he was. I was so frustrated. He wasn't the only one. We met others, saw others. It was heartbreaking, but I know God is greater than all of this. Please continue to pray.
On a lighter note, today we hung out on campus and met a ton of Thai students. It was SO fun. I now have Thai friends on facebook!!! I'm hoping we will continue to get to hang out and speak truth in their lives while serving them.
I'll tell you more later, but I have team Dev-o time (devotional) so we can prepare for tonight. Love you all!
xx Kat
Sunday, May 29, 2011
My mullet curls and my food comes on Leaves...
Sawatdee kha! (hello)
Well. I'm in Thailand. Who would have thought. I'm trying to learn less is more so this is an attempt at a summary...let's see if it happens.
Things you should know:
1. Squat-tay Pot-tay...aka toilet on ground with feet marks on each side that you squat over. Did I mention Thai's don't use toilet paper? So I've been fortunate to have had a large enough bladder to hold it till we get home to the western toilet that lives in our room, so I've refused to use one yet...but I'm sure my luck will run out soon enough. But don't think I'm safe yet...you can't flush toilet paper...even in our precious western toilet. So there is this nice little waste basket that lives next to it and yes we put it in there....SO GROSS. But its ok.
2. Miniature Ants...Everywhere!!! Yesterday we were laying on our beds talking and all of a sudden I look down and see that the corner of my bed and half my pillow are covered in Ants. OMG I almost died! But PTL for wet wipes...
3. Food. We go to the market and eat every meal. Its awesome! Imagine cooking an awesome meal at home...then imagine showing up at a stand and having the same meal for less than a $1 and no clean up. Yes sometimes you're not sure you are eating chicken, but other than that its great. Yesterday I ate noodles for breakfast and they came wrapped in a leaf. Last night I ate something off a stick that was supposedly chicken but from the size of the spine, ribs and what I swear was a full wing, I'm guessing bat. We saw a Thai Chicken in a pen on our walk yesterday and they are really skinny...but really tall, so there is not way that was chicken. Other suggestions from the team were Rat, Hamster, and dog.
4. Dogs and cats. You know how we have foxes that run around or mice? They have dogs and cats. Wild cats! Millie and Calli would never be able to tough it here. Cats literally just wonder through the market and dogs are just chillin' on the side of a road. The only "pet" I saw was a pig chained up and I was informed that it wasn't probably a pet. I chose to ignore that its leash chain was connected to the side of a restaurant. So for my sanity and the innocence of heart I am saying pet.
4. Markets...why don't we have these? You can get a pile of cooked duck heads (don't worry when they serve you it they cut it up and throw out the beak) or you can go for the pig leg with all the shin and hoof attached or some live eels or roasted insects or my favorite tiny hot peppers (see ssection labled peppers below). Right next to all of this in the next tent are some of the cutest clothes I've ever seen (don't worry mom they only come in a size zero (so I can't buy them)...remember I'm in Asia. Seriously everyone is so tiny). But what I could buy was a Cath Kidston purse!!! Yes that's right. I kept seeing them everywhere and then I found it! So instead of $110 I got it for $25. It was a beautiful day. And very practical...I needed a day bag that went across my body ok? It just happens to be my favorite designer and floral.
5. Transportation. So we get picked up from the airport (ps the coolest building ever...how is that in a 3rd world country?) in a covered truck...aka a truck with a bench on each side, a roof, and a gate across the back. Don't worry of course there were no seat belts and it was all open on the sides. It reminded me of a ghetto version of the tram we took at universal studios. We got taken to the night bus in this too...in rush hour for 2 hours...I'm not sure how we didn't die from the fumes. So the buses we road around town? No one talks! Seriously. It is rude to talk on a bus! And we had like an hour ride to the train to take us to the temples. We got shushed a lot by our tour guide. Thank goodness Thai's have a lot of grace for "farangs" aka foreigners. We rode a boat too. The water is Brown. Brown. This is probably why we can't drink any water from the tap. Its crazy most of the people that live on the water are in extreme poverty. Like metal scrap houses. So different from the US. To drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai we took a 10 hr night bus. Let me tell you something, the Thai's know how to make a bus. Seats that recline fully, have a pop up foot rest and come with pillow and blanket provided. It is so strange, I'm in a third world country with extreme poverty and extreme luxury.
6. Rain...You think you know rain until you come to Thailand during their rainy season. Flash flood has an entire new meaning. Rain drops so big that in less that 5 mins you are wading through the streets up to your mid-calf. The adorable little floral raincoat from Target is not totally waterproof I found out. Better than nothing but...i was still soaked. Dad that plastic rain suit...GOLD here. The first time it rained we were on a prayer walk going to a bunch of the Buddhist temples in Bangkok. The second was Yesterday in Chiang Mia. Our dirt road to our house was flooded and we had to wade through it to go get dinner. The streets were so flooded that when cars drive by you can only seen half of their tires and I have no idea how all the motorbikes drive in it.
7.(which should be #1) Heat. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG it is sooooo hot and humid here. Everything sticks to you all the time. My hair is so curly and with my horrible hair cut I got...it looks like a mullet. I change clothes probably 4x a day and shower at least 5x. I know...you are all so proud. I have never felt so gross in my life. And guess what? Culturally they don't wear shorts above their knee or tank tops!!! 99% of everyone I've seen has been wearing jeans and 60% of those are SKINNY JEANS...can you imagine? And girls were wearing cardigans. And they weren't sweating...so weird. I'm intrigued. But my SPF 50 is doing its job. I don't even have a tan line (side note...they sell whitening cream! You know where we would look for self tanner...they have whitening cream. The whiter you are the higher your class and the more beautiful you are. So sad, b/c we all can't get over how beautiful and tan they are.) Oh and dad thanks for all the bug spray...we will use it all and the bug relief stick is in high demand...Brynn's bug bites are the size of silver $$.
8. Housing...Ok so one thing I love about Thailand is that there aren't "bad" parts of down exactly. Its all mixed in which gives it a much safer feeling. There will be a beautiful sky scrapper apt building and right against it are scrap metal houses. There will be a nice shopping center and right in front of it people have stands selling chicken. There are luxury cars driving next to rusted old work trucks. It is so beautiful. They live life together.
9. Everything is soooo Cheap...The average meal costs the team 250 Baht. That equals a little over $7...That covers our entire team! There are 7 of us! That means that each of our meals is about $1. Its crazy!!! And a 2L bottle of water is like 25 cents. Its crazy. And the food is AMAZING and the portions are perfect and normal.
10. Peppers. OK so Bik, who was our tour guide in Bangkok is from the south and said that all he has eaten is spicy food since he was born...so remember he has a crazy spicy tolerance. So he takes us to dinner at the market and orders a bunch of dishes for us to try. He says one is on the spicy side. I'm eating it and go to take my last bite of it and pick up what appears to be a red and green pepper. I think to myself, I shouldn't eat this, but naturally put it in my mouth. I'm chewing and swallow and think that wasn't bad. About 2 secs later I can feel this heat rising in my mouth...OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG my tongue had knives stabbing it. I almost died. I was shaking and crying and laughing and screaming all at the same time. I was chugging water and eating ice cream and nothing would make it stop! Apparently the smaller the pepper the hotter it is well I had not 1 pepper but 2, 1 inch long peppers. It burned for at least 20mins. I had to suck on ice cubes to keep it numb the entire rest of the meal. Then Bik who was dying laughing informed me they were for decoration not eating...who puts decoration in a sauce? He then jokingly ate one to make me feel better, but chewed it twice and spit it out! Now if he can't eat it who can? Well me apparently. Don't worry I'm alive, just a few taste buds and brain cells short.
OK so much for that summery. You are probably wondering, isn't she on a mission trip? Where is all the ministry she's doing? Well we start tomorrow when our translator gets here :) These last few days were spent learning about the culture and praying and team bonding. So the next blog post will probably be more ministry focused. Don't worry donors you didn't pay for a vacation! ;) Also I'll tell you about fisherman pants next time too.
Oh one more thing...You know how I'm short and well my feet don't touch the ground...imagine flying for over 17 hrs with your feet dangling...OMG my Kankles are insane!!! My feet and ankles were so fat that I couldn't even put my TOMS back on. They've gone down a bit but are still fatty. After the bus ride they were so bad again I couldn't get my Chacos on...Thank goodness for adjustable straps...
OK so my nicknames so far are lil pepper, lil flasher (oh I walked all over Bangkok with my skirt caught up in my backpack...not once, but twice...thank goodness for spandex shorts.), lil kankles/lil fatty foot, and more to come I'm sure...
Ok well we are off to the market for Lunch! Oh one more thing...I get up by 7am every morning! Can you believe it? I was the first one up this morning!!! Love you all and miss you dearly!
Love from Thailand! xx
Lil Blogger
Well. I'm in Thailand. Who would have thought. I'm trying to learn less is more so this is an attempt at a summary...let's see if it happens.
Things you should know:
1. Squat-tay Pot-tay...aka toilet on ground with feet marks on each side that you squat over. Did I mention Thai's don't use toilet paper? So I've been fortunate to have had a large enough bladder to hold it till we get home to the western toilet that lives in our room, so I've refused to use one yet...but I'm sure my luck will run out soon enough. But don't think I'm safe yet...you can't flush toilet paper...even in our precious western toilet. So there is this nice little waste basket that lives next to it and yes we put it in there....SO GROSS. But its ok.
2. Miniature Ants...Everywhere!!! Yesterday we were laying on our beds talking and all of a sudden I look down and see that the corner of my bed and half my pillow are covered in Ants. OMG I almost died! But PTL for wet wipes...
3. Food. We go to the market and eat every meal. Its awesome! Imagine cooking an awesome meal at home...then imagine showing up at a stand and having the same meal for less than a $1 and no clean up. Yes sometimes you're not sure you are eating chicken, but other than that its great. Yesterday I ate noodles for breakfast and they came wrapped in a leaf. Last night I ate something off a stick that was supposedly chicken but from the size of the spine, ribs and what I swear was a full wing, I'm guessing bat. We saw a Thai Chicken in a pen on our walk yesterday and they are really skinny...but really tall, so there is not way that was chicken. Other suggestions from the team were Rat, Hamster, and dog.
4. Dogs and cats. You know how we have foxes that run around or mice? They have dogs and cats. Wild cats! Millie and Calli would never be able to tough it here. Cats literally just wonder through the market and dogs are just chillin' on the side of a road. The only "pet" I saw was a pig chained up and I was informed that it wasn't probably a pet. I chose to ignore that its leash chain was connected to the side of a restaurant. So for my sanity and the innocence of heart I am saying pet.
4. Markets...why don't we have these? You can get a pile of cooked duck heads (don't worry when they serve you it they cut it up and throw out the beak) or you can go for the pig leg with all the shin and hoof attached or some live eels or roasted insects or my favorite tiny hot peppers (see ssection labled peppers below). Right next to all of this in the next tent are some of the cutest clothes I've ever seen (don't worry mom they only come in a size zero (so I can't buy them)...remember I'm in Asia. Seriously everyone is so tiny). But what I could buy was a Cath Kidston purse!!! Yes that's right. I kept seeing them everywhere and then I found it! So instead of $110 I got it for $25. It was a beautiful day. And very practical...I needed a day bag that went across my body ok? It just happens to be my favorite designer and floral.
5. Transportation. So we get picked up from the airport (ps the coolest building ever...how is that in a 3rd world country?) in a covered truck...aka a truck with a bench on each side, a roof, and a gate across the back. Don't worry of course there were no seat belts and it was all open on the sides. It reminded me of a ghetto version of the tram we took at universal studios. We got taken to the night bus in this too...in rush hour for 2 hours...I'm not sure how we didn't die from the fumes. So the buses we road around town? No one talks! Seriously. It is rude to talk on a bus! And we had like an hour ride to the train to take us to the temples. We got shushed a lot by our tour guide. Thank goodness Thai's have a lot of grace for "farangs" aka foreigners. We rode a boat too. The water is Brown. Brown. This is probably why we can't drink any water from the tap. Its crazy most of the people that live on the water are in extreme poverty. Like metal scrap houses. So different from the US. To drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai we took a 10 hr night bus. Let me tell you something, the Thai's know how to make a bus. Seats that recline fully, have a pop up foot rest and come with pillow and blanket provided. It is so strange, I'm in a third world country with extreme poverty and extreme luxury.
6. Rain...You think you know rain until you come to Thailand during their rainy season. Flash flood has an entire new meaning. Rain drops so big that in less that 5 mins you are wading through the streets up to your mid-calf. The adorable little floral raincoat from Target is not totally waterproof I found out. Better than nothing but...i was still soaked. Dad that plastic rain suit...GOLD here. The first time it rained we were on a prayer walk going to a bunch of the Buddhist temples in Bangkok. The second was Yesterday in Chiang Mia. Our dirt road to our house was flooded and we had to wade through it to go get dinner. The streets were so flooded that when cars drive by you can only seen half of their tires and I have no idea how all the motorbikes drive in it.
7.(which should be #1) Heat. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG it is sooooo hot and humid here. Everything sticks to you all the time. My hair is so curly and with my horrible hair cut I got...it looks like a mullet. I change clothes probably 4x a day and shower at least 5x. I know...you are all so proud. I have never felt so gross in my life. And guess what? Culturally they don't wear shorts above their knee or tank tops!!! 99% of everyone I've seen has been wearing jeans and 60% of those are SKINNY JEANS...can you imagine? And girls were wearing cardigans. And they weren't sweating...so weird. I'm intrigued. But my SPF 50 is doing its job. I don't even have a tan line (side note...they sell whitening cream! You know where we would look for self tanner...they have whitening cream. The whiter you are the higher your class and the more beautiful you are. So sad, b/c we all can't get over how beautiful and tan they are.) Oh and dad thanks for all the bug spray...we will use it all and the bug relief stick is in high demand...Brynn's bug bites are the size of silver $$.
8. Housing...Ok so one thing I love about Thailand is that there aren't "bad" parts of down exactly. Its all mixed in which gives it a much safer feeling. There will be a beautiful sky scrapper apt building and right against it are scrap metal houses. There will be a nice shopping center and right in front of it people have stands selling chicken. There are luxury cars driving next to rusted old work trucks. It is so beautiful. They live life together.
9. Everything is soooo Cheap...The average meal costs the team 250 Baht. That equals a little over $7...That covers our entire team! There are 7 of us! That means that each of our meals is about $1. Its crazy!!! And a 2L bottle of water is like 25 cents. Its crazy. And the food is AMAZING and the portions are perfect and normal.
10. Peppers. OK so Bik, who was our tour guide in Bangkok is from the south and said that all he has eaten is spicy food since he was born...so remember he has a crazy spicy tolerance. So he takes us to dinner at the market and orders a bunch of dishes for us to try. He says one is on the spicy side. I'm eating it and go to take my last bite of it and pick up what appears to be a red and green pepper. I think to myself, I shouldn't eat this, but naturally put it in my mouth. I'm chewing and swallow and think that wasn't bad. About 2 secs later I can feel this heat rising in my mouth...OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG my tongue had knives stabbing it. I almost died. I was shaking and crying and laughing and screaming all at the same time. I was chugging water and eating ice cream and nothing would make it stop! Apparently the smaller the pepper the hotter it is well I had not 1 pepper but 2, 1 inch long peppers. It burned for at least 20mins. I had to suck on ice cubes to keep it numb the entire rest of the meal. Then Bik who was dying laughing informed me they were for decoration not eating...who puts decoration in a sauce? He then jokingly ate one to make me feel better, but chewed it twice and spit it out! Now if he can't eat it who can? Well me apparently. Don't worry I'm alive, just a few taste buds and brain cells short.
OK so much for that summery. You are probably wondering, isn't she on a mission trip? Where is all the ministry she's doing? Well we start tomorrow when our translator gets here :) These last few days were spent learning about the culture and praying and team bonding. So the next blog post will probably be more ministry focused. Don't worry donors you didn't pay for a vacation! ;) Also I'll tell you about fisherman pants next time too.
Oh one more thing...You know how I'm short and well my feet don't touch the ground...imagine flying for over 17 hrs with your feet dangling...OMG my Kankles are insane!!! My feet and ankles were so fat that I couldn't even put my TOMS back on. They've gone down a bit but are still fatty. After the bus ride they were so bad again I couldn't get my Chacos on...Thank goodness for adjustable straps...
OK so my nicknames so far are lil pepper, lil flasher (oh I walked all over Bangkok with my skirt caught up in my backpack...not once, but twice...thank goodness for spandex shorts.), lil kankles/lil fatty foot, and more to come I'm sure...
Ok well we are off to the market for Lunch! Oh one more thing...I get up by 7am every morning! Can you believe it? I was the first one up this morning!!! Love you all and miss you dearly!
Love from Thailand! xx
Lil Blogger
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Beauty of the Cross
This song spoke to my heart on Sunday. I really realized how unworthy I am of God's love. I can't ever compare to His beauty, but he still chooses to Love me, and not just Love me, but LOVE me. Like let his son be killed b/c He loved me. Who does that? Who am I to deserve that Love? I am messed up and ugly, but he brings the beauty to my life. He is so beautiful. And he loves me!!! Me! and you! Pretty awesome right? We aren't deserving. We might think we are pretty great, but you put us next to Him and we are ugly...ugly... We are so unworthy, but still He loves us. And really loves us. He Loves all those insecurities we have about ourselves; He loves it all. His opinion is the only one that matters. Let's not take for granted the Joy we have that someone so mighty and beautiful loves us, all of us, all the good parts-the bad parts-the ugly parts. Let's not forget His majesty that we stand in front of. Let's not forget what He did for us. Let's not forget How unworthy we are. But let us also not forget that we have been redeemed by Him, that we have been made beautiful before Him, that His grace takes us just as we are, that we have freedom in Him, that He has rescued our souls. So give Him the glory. Don't take credit for your life. Nothing is yours. You earned nothing. Everything is a gift. You couldn't breath without Him. You couldn't find means for food, clothing, a car, a house, a family, without Him. None of this life is ours. We sometimes forget where the credit is due. Always return things back to praise. Humbling right?
Here are the Lyrics to the song The Beauty of the Cross by Jeff Johnson:
At the cross I find the beauty of the your matchless grace
At the cross I see a King who died to take my place
Its the moment that you made me clean and pardoned my soul
Amazing grace that I would be alive unto Your throne
Not by my own will but solely by Your will alone
I'm unworthy of this love you are showing to me
I see my desperate need
The beauty of the cross is that there's one who has redeemed my soul
The beauty of the cross is that I'm finally free and letting go
The beauty of the cross is that Your grace has found me just as I am
Verse 2:
Not by my own words that I may boast or I may come
But simply through your Son the sinless and Exalted One
Only through the cross am I made clean to draw near to you
Saved so that you would receive all glory due Your name
Everlasting God from age to age you never change
A true love story remains for all eternity
That all the world would see
The beauty of the cross is that there's one who has redeemed my soul
The beauty of the cross is that I'm finally free and letting go
The beauty of the cross is that Your grace has found me just as I am
My sinful soul could only be
redeemed by the blood of a sineless King
So you came to the world that You had made
Conquered sin on the cross and you rose from the grave
The beauty of the cross is that there's one who has redeemed my soul
The beauty of the cross is that I'm finally free and letting go
The beauty of the cross is that Your grace has found me just as I am
Intense right?!
<3 Kitty
Here are the Lyrics to the song The Beauty of the Cross by Jeff Johnson:
At the cross I find the beauty of the your matchless grace
At the cross I see a King who died to take my place
Its the moment that you made me clean and pardoned my soul
Amazing grace that I would be alive unto Your throne
Not by my own will but solely by Your will alone
I'm unworthy of this love you are showing to me
I see my desperate need
The beauty of the cross is that there's one who has redeemed my soul
The beauty of the cross is that I'm finally free and letting go
The beauty of the cross is that Your grace has found me just as I am
Verse 2:
Not by my own words that I may boast or I may come
But simply through your Son the sinless and Exalted One
Only through the cross am I made clean to draw near to you
Saved so that you would receive all glory due Your name
Everlasting God from age to age you never change
A true love story remains for all eternity
That all the world would see
The beauty of the cross is that there's one who has redeemed my soul
The beauty of the cross is that I'm finally free and letting go
The beauty of the cross is that Your grace has found me just as I am
My sinful soul could only be
redeemed by the blood of a sineless King
So you came to the world that You had made
Conquered sin on the cross and you rose from the grave
The beauty of the cross is that there's one who has redeemed my soul
The beauty of the cross is that I'm finally free and letting go
The beauty of the cross is that Your grace has found me just as I am
Intense right?!
<3 Kitty
Sunday, October 24, 2010
God's Childlike Poetry...aka God talking to me on my level...
So the week before last was one of those weeks where your head is filled with doubt and you look in the mirror and think, why am I doing this? You know everything going through your head is a lie, but you can't seem to stop them. So the Monday in Staff Prayer our time was spent journaling and dialoging with God. Most people I think would write a situation and and work through it with God. Mine, came out as a 7th grade poem. I couldn't stop writing it just flowed... When I finished I looked back and was amazed at what had come out. Every lie in my head, was challenged and God discredited. After I was done I felt a since of freedom. My heart felt so light and next time I looked in the mirror, I knew why I was here. So here is my cheesy but heart changing poem...
It's called "God...let's dialog" (so we did)
My heart is filled with doubt oh Lord
Why don't I trust you?
My heart is found not in you
but in non lasting places
Immediate gratification must be broken
My heart must be open
Those things I love need to be put to rest
My body and soul re-broken
Only I can put you back together
Only I can make you whole
I take time because I care
my love will always overflow
You say you cannot hear me
You say you cannot feel me
But when do you listen
when do you stop
when do you ask
You say you are tired
but you don't ask for rest
You say I'm not here
But you never come.
You say you feel fake
But you have met me
Come meet me again
But stay for longer
Stay for always
Stay for forever
Stop trying to do it on your own
I will fill you hearts desires
I will go grocery shopping
I will sew
I will be there
What if you just invited me?
You are never alone
so stop depending on people
I'll take the critics and the looks
I'll show them one day that I
Always loved them and never left them
Love.
What is love
Who is and has love
I AM, I do
let me love you
Let me calm your soul
Let me lift your eyes
When you don't have enough
Strength to do it yourself
Stop being me
Stop being God
Only I can be God, not you
You don't need the responsibility
You can't take the pressure
I want you to live life
Intentional, but care free
Stop trying to be perfect
Let me do that and you just be you
Just be you.
You, Kat, be you.
Be Kat, be Katherine, be Kate
I will be God
I just need you to be you.
Just you.
Because I will use you, not someone else
You try to be
I choose to use you
My child, my princess, my creation
You.
The Crazy thing was He used all of these throughout my week. It was awesome. I would highly recommend journaling with God when you have some time. Actually make time. It's great b/c all those thoughts get written down and are tangible so you can reread them and be reminded of God's goodness and greatness in your life. Also it is a way to organize your thoughts and frustrations as well as to seek counsel on pressing issues filling your thoughts.
Night Night everyone.
More later xx
-KL
It's called "God...let's dialog" (so we did)
My heart is filled with doubt oh Lord
Why don't I trust you?
My heart is found not in you
but in non lasting places
Immediate gratification must be broken
My heart must be open
Those things I love need to be put to rest
My body and soul re-broken
Only I can put you back together
Only I can make you whole
I take time because I care
my love will always overflow
You say you cannot hear me
You say you cannot feel me
But when do you listen
when do you stop
when do you ask
You say you are tired
but you don't ask for rest
You say I'm not here
But you never come.
You say you feel fake
But you have met me
Come meet me again
But stay for longer
Stay for always
Stay for forever
Stop trying to do it on your own
I will fill you hearts desires
I will go grocery shopping
I will sew
I will be there
What if you just invited me?
You are never alone
so stop depending on people
I'll take the critics and the looks
I'll show them one day that I
Always loved them and never left them
Love.
What is love
Who is and has love
I AM, I do
let me love you
Let me calm your soul
Let me lift your eyes
When you don't have enough
Strength to do it yourself
Stop being me
Stop being God
Only I can be God, not you
You don't need the responsibility
You can't take the pressure
I want you to live life
Intentional, but care free
Stop trying to be perfect
Let me do that and you just be you
Just be you.
You, Kat, be you.
Be Kat, be Katherine, be Kate
I will be God
I just need you to be you.
Just you.
Because I will use you, not someone else
You try to be
I choose to use you
My child, my princess, my creation
You.
The Crazy thing was He used all of these throughout my week. It was awesome. I would highly recommend journaling with God when you have some time. Actually make time. It's great b/c all those thoughts get written down and are tangible so you can reread them and be reminded of God's goodness and greatness in your life. Also it is a way to organize your thoughts and frustrations as well as to seek counsel on pressing issues filling your thoughts.
Night Night everyone.
More later xx
-KL
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Sabbath
So today is suppose to be my Sabbath. I'm not going to lie...its not as easy as it seems. I've never taken time for a Sabbath in my life. A day with just God and I and limited interaction with others. I need to lock my computer and phone up somewhere...they become more of a distraction than people.
Last night at mid-night we launched the 24-hr prayer room on WSU. I got there to set up at around 10:30 and then stayed till 1:30 The last hour I spent in the prayer room praying. As I was driving home I thought to myself, "wow what an awesome way to start my sabbath." I got home and knew I needed to sleep but I some how convinced myself it was a good idea to watch a show on Hulu first...not a good idea. So I didn't go to bed till after 3am! Not smart. Then I woke up around 10:30 with a massive head ache...I think it is the worst migraine I've ever had. I couldn't even open my eyes. So I didn't get out of bed till 1:30! All day I've had the head ache. I took meds, drank water, everything, but nothing is taking it away. I thought to myself, I'm not going to let the rest of this Sabbath be ruined. I I tried to read a chapter of a book, but it was so painful. So I just laid in bed. I checked facebook, my email, and a bunch of other time wasters. Then I just felt lazy and exhausted. See a Sabbath isn't just a day to "rest" it is a day to rest in Christ. All these activities I was doing weren't really resting. Yes, my body is rested, but my heart isn't, my mind isn't, my spirit isn't. How am I suppose to pour into people the 6 other days of the week if I only let facebook and email pour into me, not God? Pastor Keith said this Sunday, Jesus is always better. I'm trying to teach myself that. Today as I laid in bed I should have prayed. My headache might have gone, my spirit would be more joyous, but no now it is worse from staring at a computer screen and I just feel depleted.
I guess what I'm trying to say is. I don't have everything figured out. I still struggle keeping up my relationship with God. I need to learn how to spend "quality" time with him before I can effectively invest fully in others. I have no excuse. I have an entire day dedicated to spend with him, not everyone has that luxury in these crazy lives we live. But I have to change my mind set. I have to start with square one. My sister said something quite brilliant the other day (ironically on facebook...), she said, "Learned today that I may have a smile on my face, but I'm a mess inside...." That is such a statement of truth. We make ourselves look so good on the outside, but inside we have no clue what we are doing. God has been speaking to me that I need to change from the inside out...not the outside in. When we try to change from the outside first we don't have time to work on the inside. If we are to work on the inside first the outside will happen naturally.
I feel like i'm starting from scratch. So if you all would pray that I will learn to spiritually discipline myself. That sounds so harsh, I don't like the thought of the word discipline, so I guess I mean that I would learn how to spend my time wisely and with Christ. That it would be a natural relationship that I crave to partake in. Not a time I want to spend but let other distraction easily fill.
My prayer for all of you is, that you find a time to cut out of your schedule to spend with Him. Because Jesus really is always better. Always. Everything else in life will let you down and never fully fulfill you. But Jesus will always lift you and complete you. "Creation was not meant to fulfill what only the creator was meant to provide."-a quite brilliant line by Pastor Keith the other Sunday.
What is the solution to all this? The Gospel, Worship. We worshiped our way into this lifestyle....we need to worship our way out.
I realized I need to make my life a prayer tent. I'm not always going to have to have a place dedicated to prayer. I need to be dedicated to prayer, I need to say no to hulu, facebook, cell phones, etc. It's not that those are bad, its that they have become ultimates in my life. I choose them over Christ. Let's fix this...:)
Happy rest of my Sabbath...now I just need to apply...
Lots of Love,
KL
Last night at mid-night we launched the 24-hr prayer room on WSU. I got there to set up at around 10:30 and then stayed till 1:30 The last hour I spent in the prayer room praying. As I was driving home I thought to myself, "wow what an awesome way to start my sabbath." I got home and knew I needed to sleep but I some how convinced myself it was a good idea to watch a show on Hulu first...not a good idea. So I didn't go to bed till after 3am! Not smart. Then I woke up around 10:30 with a massive head ache...I think it is the worst migraine I've ever had. I couldn't even open my eyes. So I didn't get out of bed till 1:30! All day I've had the head ache. I took meds, drank water, everything, but nothing is taking it away. I thought to myself, I'm not going to let the rest of this Sabbath be ruined. I I tried to read a chapter of a book, but it was so painful. So I just laid in bed. I checked facebook, my email, and a bunch of other time wasters. Then I just felt lazy and exhausted. See a Sabbath isn't just a day to "rest" it is a day to rest in Christ. All these activities I was doing weren't really resting. Yes, my body is rested, but my heart isn't, my mind isn't, my spirit isn't. How am I suppose to pour into people the 6 other days of the week if I only let facebook and email pour into me, not God? Pastor Keith said this Sunday, Jesus is always better. I'm trying to teach myself that. Today as I laid in bed I should have prayed. My headache might have gone, my spirit would be more joyous, but no now it is worse from staring at a computer screen and I just feel depleted.
I guess what I'm trying to say is. I don't have everything figured out. I still struggle keeping up my relationship with God. I need to learn how to spend "quality" time with him before I can effectively invest fully in others. I have no excuse. I have an entire day dedicated to spend with him, not everyone has that luxury in these crazy lives we live. But I have to change my mind set. I have to start with square one. My sister said something quite brilliant the other day (ironically on facebook...), she said, "Learned today that I may have a smile on my face, but I'm a mess inside...." That is such a statement of truth. We make ourselves look so good on the outside, but inside we have no clue what we are doing. God has been speaking to me that I need to change from the inside out...not the outside in. When we try to change from the outside first we don't have time to work on the inside. If we are to work on the inside first the outside will happen naturally.
I feel like i'm starting from scratch. So if you all would pray that I will learn to spiritually discipline myself. That sounds so harsh, I don't like the thought of the word discipline, so I guess I mean that I would learn how to spend my time wisely and with Christ. That it would be a natural relationship that I crave to partake in. Not a time I want to spend but let other distraction easily fill.
My prayer for all of you is, that you find a time to cut out of your schedule to spend with Him. Because Jesus really is always better. Always. Everything else in life will let you down and never fully fulfill you. But Jesus will always lift you and complete you. "Creation was not meant to fulfill what only the creator was meant to provide."-a quite brilliant line by Pastor Keith the other Sunday.
What is the solution to all this? The Gospel, Worship. We worshiped our way into this lifestyle....we need to worship our way out.
I realized I need to make my life a prayer tent. I'm not always going to have to have a place dedicated to prayer. I need to be dedicated to prayer, I need to say no to hulu, facebook, cell phones, etc. It's not that those are bad, its that they have become ultimates in my life. I choose them over Christ. Let's fix this...:)
Happy rest of my Sabbath...now I just need to apply...
Lots of Love,
KL
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