SeAsoNs GrEeTinGs

"Why is there a picture of Winnie the Pooh kleenex?" I can hear you asking. The fact is, here in Thailand, you really should carry some of these with you wherever you go, 'cause chances are your stall in the public restroom will be devoid of toilet paper. In fact, you'll find that, oddly, none of the stalls have any of this suddenly precious commodity. Suck it up (literally) and remember your Pooh wipes next time!!! ;)

Well, it's been a crazy month, to say the least! Warmest Christmas ever!! And I never thought I'd be graduating yet again... It's been a wild and amazin' ride!

I must say, I've put on a few holiday pounds. I was just noticing this morning that my pants don't fit as loosely as before. Ah, the joys of bein' married!! No one to impress any more! Hmm, I hope Lydia doesn't read this... Here's a sampling of what we had:

• chicken and beef enchiladas
  
• German sausage and potato salad


• tom yum pizza (much better than I remembered it)


• a bucket o' fried chicken.


• steak chili

Okay, it may not sound like much, but we live in Thailand, okay?. Lyd made a chocolate mousse pie and an apple pie (fresh baked from scratch, no less!), and our friends made these amazin' cookies made from ritz crackers and peanut butter dipped in melting chocolate. Mmmm!!

That list is a pretty comprehensive list of three small parties' worth of food. One Create Christmas Party, one with YWAM friends (our long-time Thai friend Naret included), and one with some Thai friends from our building (Nope, I would never order a Tom Yum Pizza on my own). We got to share the reason we celebrate Christmas with our building-mates, definitely the highlight of our Christmas!

Our church went caroling at the big mega-mall near the airport. I've joined the worship team as well, switchin' between backup and lead guitar twice a month.

But December hasn't been all fun and games!!

Right before graduation, we went elephant riding (Our "driver" dude was riding on the elephant's head, and it looked really fun, so when he dismounted, I asked if it was okay if I tried. It was fun, but also a little scarier. And my inner thighs felt it the next day). Afterwards, we went to a waterfall, where I slipped and fell off a slimy rock into a leech-filled stream. Our camera was in my pocket (It took a while to dry, and the flash still doesn't work). To finish the day, we went on a bamboo raft ride, where I fell into the river. I remember thinking to myself, "God hates me."

Seriously, though, that was only one of a few days where everything seemed to be working against us, threatening to plunge us into discouragement and despair. If life goes in seasons, this month alone has been like a whole year's worth!

But, God has been good. Even when we felt like we were only hangin' by a mere thread, He was grasping our hand firmly, even holding us in intimacy. We are coming forth as gold refined, even more dependent and in love with Him. I guess we really needed this break... Some time to get perspective. Graduation came just in time! We've had a lot more time to pray these past weeks. It's been great! And God has opened a lot of doors regarding relationships with Thai people!

HOT DAWG!

Yup! Finally got to try dogmeat in China, and I haveta say, it's...not great. The meat is tough, and even with a lot of spices thrown in, it wasn't all that tasty. But at least I can say I've had dog, so I guess it is somethin' to write home about.

It's pretty common to see someone riding an electric motorcycle, even in some of the poorest areas of China. At first, it was alarming for me to see people comin' outta nowhere without warning (usually, you can hear 'em comin'), but soon their novelty wore off. I did not get used to the traffic, however, and the rules it seemed to go by (or lack thereof). I never thought any place could make driving in Thailand look desirable!

Everyone plays basketball in China. Once again, even in the most unlikely villages, you could find a basketball court. And, of course, everybody everywhere you go knows the name "Yao Ming." A lot of rural village folk got money together and bought satellite dishes this year so they could watch the Olympics.

They have these mosquito rackets (like tennis rackets) here (I've seen/used them both in China and in Thailand). They're so much fun! It's hard to describe the feeling of satisfaction one gets from zapping mosquitoes with these contraptions. It has a screen-like mesh that sparks when coming in contact with "mozzies," as they call them in Australia. So wonderful! What'll they come up with next? Actually, I have some ideas. Like, maybe some chemical that makes them turn on each other, or causes them to spontaneously combust or implode...

I've also noticed that in both China and Thailand, "Playboy" is simply a brand of clothing. You can see people wearing the infamous bunny symbol on shirts, jeans, even plastered on motorcycles (Ours had one on it when we bought it used. Don't worry, we've since peeled it off)! In fact, our cultural advisor had a pair of said jeans. Of couse, he didn't know better.

Thankfully, we had Western toilets most of the time, but squatty potties were prominent everywhere we went. In fact, one hotel that was pretty confidently named (see photos) had a pretty surprising one. It wasn't bad, though, and gave me a chance to perfect my "asian squat."

My Nike's finally fell apart the last week in China. There was this really cool specialty shop, exclusively for repairing shoes. They used some interesting tools, including really strong glue, some metal tools, and a blowdrier. They're as good as new now! Cheapest new pair of shoes ever!

Well, it was a really good trip! But it's good to be back, too! Lydia is teaching English to some Korean kids now, so she brings back tons of Korean food every week! It's sooo good! God is good to us!

schoolboy

school again . homework...papers...it's been a while. in a lot of ways, i feel like i'm in dts all over again. christian staff and curriculum far from family and friends...and constant reminders of how far my heart is from God's for the nations. it's still so hard for me to care about anyone besides myself...

and yet, i'm not the same. this time, i didn't come alone. i can't be nearly as selfish as i was back then. i remember praying, pleading that i wouldn't forget the things i was learning, and that i wouldn't return to the same life i'd left (God really answered those prayers in His timing!). now, i'm more worried about forgettin what the Lord taught me back "home." worried about gettin' lost in the busy-ness of school and married life, livin' for the weekends. i can never forget why i'm here. i gotta keep growin'...not backsliding...not stagnating.

and there's so much opportunity here:

there's a slum of sorts basically in our backyard, where people live in houses made of tin. we've been prayin' for opportunities to just show 'em Christ's love. last week we finally made first contact (lyd baked some of her amazin' cookies, and we paid 'em a visit). we're prayin' for wisdom on how to continue building a relationship with them.

we've been gettin' to know a few people playin' basketball once or twice a week (lyd runs around the track nearby). we'd like to invite 'em over sometime, but our place isn't real hospitable (it's kinda like a dorm room).


it's hard living in tight community here at the school. hard, but good. there's a lot of opportunity for misunderstandings, frustration, and selfishness. but, there's also so much opportunity to show love!

we've also started a relationship with an older YWAM couple (named Jeff and Jean!! our pre-marital counsellors' names were Jeff and Jane!!!). they're really cool, and we look forward to fellowshipping and learnin' from them.

God's been speakin' a lot to us through His word, sermons at church (yeah, we finally settled on an international church called the Christian Outreach Center. it's got an australian flavor, and worship rocks! yup, very hillsong-ish, as you can probably guess), pictures, movies, video clips... we've been really encouraged as well as challenged!


not everyone's excited about God's work in our lives, though. the devil is attacking us fiercely in areas ranging from our health (we all got pretty nasty food poisoning last week) to our marriage (attitudes towards one another at times). we've heard that some of the strongholds in thailand include miscommunication (there's this seal that thais wear on their uniforms that signifies the god of miscommunication, or somethin' to that affect) and apathy (buddhism).

but we know the One who's in us is greater than the one who's in the world, and nothin' can stop Him from pourin' out His blessings on us! it'd be great if you( readers) could pray for love and wisdom as we build relationships with our neighbors, for me to do a good job on my paper, for obedience to God's leading, and for us to have joy as we grow closer to God through all these changes! kahp kun krahp!

food 4 thought

well, it's a beautiful day (got a little bit of rain, but it is the rainiest part of rainy season). as i type, we're chowin' down on some "seafood mayonnaise" chips (Lay's). yup, they have some crazy flavors here (we know some of you live for flavor diversity). just for starters: seaweed, sweet basil, spicy squid, barbeque spareribs, and hot dog flavored cheetos. pretty good stuff...

our stomachs have shrunk considerably from when we were in the u.s. (i'm pretty satisfied after a thai meal portion now!!). some of you (our fellow die-hard fans of the stuff) will be happy to know that we have been consuming ice cream almost every day! in fact, they sell something a little unusual here. there's this dude who sells it from a cart, announcing his presence with the ring of a bell (we can hear him from our classroom). what is it? why, ice cream sandwiches, of course!

"umm...so what's so unusual about ice cream sandwiches," you say? well, hold yer horses now...let me explain...(sheesh, so impatient):

about six or seven scoops of vanilla and cocunut ice cream are shoved into a plastic bag between two pieces of--get this--white bread! a scoop or two of sticky rice with sweetened condensed milk get in there somewhere as well! finally the whole thing is doused in some more sugary condensed milk goodness, and topped with chocolate sauce and peanuts! mmm...gives a whole new meaning to "dairy bread," doesn't it?

...huh? what's that? no, i ain't gonna just talk about food the whole time (some of you are disappointed)! God's been speakin' to us like mad! a few weeks ago i was shootin' hoops with walter (the student from vanuatu) and he twisted his ankle. he told me later he heard two pops. i've twisted my ankle many times, and i knew what was comin': at least a week of hobbling pain and regret. we prayed for healing at walter's suggestion. and when he prayed, he prayed with such faith! i was impressed, and, most likely because God has been answering so many prayers in our (lyd and i) lives miraculously, i believed! the next day, walter was walking completely normally! God is awesome, and i'm thankful for a brother like walter.

well, there's a lot more to what God's been doin' here in our lives, but i'll write more later! got the major portion of a big paper due next week, so i guess i'll do a little studyin'!

Back 2 School

i (lydia) have to admit that i'm a little nervous writing this post, but i'll do my best to update you on the latest with the hongs. peter's swamped with homework and school projects so he's relegated the blogging to me this time.

though it's been a little while for both of us (longer for peter), it feels good to be back in school. peter's in his 4th week of the School of Frontier Media (SFM), and so far he's learned lots about cross-cultural communication, media strategies, and animation. peter's school is quite small (only 3 students total), but the small size makes everything more personal. Birgit is from Germany and Walter (married to Tarassa) is from the Pacific Island of Vanuatu.

i'm in the midst of reading and writing tons of papers for my Master's program in TESL (at Payap University). I have classes only on thursdays and fridays (all day long), but it gives me time during the rest of the week to do my homework, study thai and help out around peter's school. we've been feeling quite busy lately, but we still find time to try out new food, explore the city, and learn more about thai culture.

since we last updated, we've moved out of the guesthouse into a student dormitory. we now live right next door to peter's school (which is a big house). our room has an amazing view of the mountains. it's a bit small at times and has no kitchen, but we're thankful for a place to call home. not only do we have a new home, but we've got wheels now too! we got a good deal on an automatic honda click. peter is a great driver, except when he's trying to get somewhere in a hurry, then it's a little scary! but both of us have gotten used to driving on the "wrong" (left) side of the road, although turning can still be a little tricky.

Though peter and i have been through a lot of transition in the last 2 months (yes, we've been married for 2 months already!), we've felt God's peace and presence through all the crazy times. we're grateful for all of the incredible people here, the SFM staff, peter's classmates, other YWAMers, as well as the thai friends we've met. we're still looking for a church and for ways to work with the poor. it's such a privilege to be here . . . with both good and bad times, but we're loving it! we miss everyone lots! so feel free to drop us a line anytime . . .

our new address: PO Box 46, Sam Yaek Suan Prung PO, Chiang Mai 50201 THAILAND

oriental orientatin'...

well, it's been a few days now, and we've gotten a little more familiar with chiang mai. shirley townley (school of frontier media director) has been so warm and helpful showin' us the major hot spots in town. we went to the YWAM chiang mai office yesterday for the first time. we were pleasantly surprised to see an old friend there...Naret! actually, we saw him earlier at Central, a supermall, where he snuck up on us. the mall has a gym with weights and treadmills (which is good, since we haven't been gettin' much exercise).

needless to say, the food here is SOOOO amazing! as i type, i'm digesting some pork skewers from street vendors i had for dinner. just the other day we had a breakfast of pork buns and yogurt from one of countless seven elevens, too!

we've managed to get a few thank you postcards (thought they'd be a nice touch!) done. we mailed 'em today. also visited Doi Suthep, a temple at the highest point in chiang mai! finally, we're startin' a collection of bootleg DVDs (just 2 so far) ;)

our cell phone #: 011 66 8 01241223

arrived!

we are sitting in an internet cafe on the first floor of our guest house in chiang mai, thailand! as we step out onto the outdoor deck right outside of our room we can barely believe we're finally here!

well, it's warm and humid (of course), but it's great to be here! i've already racked up eight plus mosquito bites, but we're gonna get some repellent today. o yeah, and a phone and exchangin' money. God's provided so much through you and other family and friends! we're so thankful! and our hosts are so nice! seems the school will be goin' through after all, even if there are only three students! prayin' for more, tho (about ten potential students right now).

the trip was long, and we're pretty tired, but altogether good. guess what they had at the airport in korea (Incheon)? green tea mcflurries!! mmmm...so good! we had our first thai meal today! one dish was so spicy i was about to cry! God planted so much rich culture here...the smells, the landscape, driving on the wrong side of the road...and, most of all ,the people. the memories are returning...it's refreshing and invigorating!

well, we're plannin' on takin' it easy this week, just resting up from the hectic-ness of late. then we'll go visitin' people we know, bearing gifts from the US (thanks, mom!) and some korean stuff too!

anyway, hope all's well with you and talk to ya later (hopefully with a phone number you can reach us at)!

in the beginning...

there was cheese. and pizza. yum.