And the time keeps rolling by...

Whew! What a whirlwind! In the past month I have slept in my own bed only a handful of times. It has definitely been busy- filled with activity and travel. My time here is taking on yet another feel as we enter into the home stretch. While our work is in no way winding down, I do know that our time here is growing ever shorter. It is giving me urgency and appreciation for what we are doing but lots of mixed emotions as well. Here’s what I’ve been up to this last bit and a sneak peek of what’s to come.

The last week of October was spent on a visa run and vacation to Thailand. We came back into the country only to head up north for a women’s retreat for our company personnel. Around thirty women from many different parts of the country and surrounding ones met together for a time of retreat and rejuvenation. A team from the States was in to bless us in many ways. The retreat included a 6.5 mile hike, a mini-Christmas party, a fancy dinner, and much time spent fellowshipping and encouraging one another. It was great to get to know the many lovely women who live and work here. I was able to soak up the wisdom they have learned on the field and hear about how the Father brought them to this place. Shout out to all those here and in the States that made that time possible!

A beautiful view we witnessed during our 6 1/2 mile hike!

After the retreat everyone else headed home but I stayed put to do some work on the Lilypad farm. It was a busy week full of feeding rabbits and cutting their teeth (ask me about it sometime), making pig feed, fertilizer, and bricks, and harvesting fruits and vegetables. I also had the opportunity to learn their process for making a soap that treats lice and scabies and how they make their moringa capsules. It was hard work but more than worth it. Not only did I learn a lot but I also will be able to use that new knowledge to help with the website I am creating for them. The farm’s staff and my friend who runs it are incredible people chalk full of knowledge and love for the Father. They, as always, took me in and treated me as their own. This was most likely my last trip up to the farm so goodbyes were hard to say.

Some of the finished bricks Lilypad produces.

The manual machine used to make the bricks.

After 3 ½ weeks of time away it felt good to be back home and in the swing of life here. We are still teaching our classes and doing small group. As a part of our schoolwork we have now started doing some discussion group times with some of our neighborhood friends. These times have been a great avenue for learning more about their lives and sharing our knowledge of the Truth with them. Please lift up these discussion times as they take place over the next month. Ask that our friends will be curious and open to the things we share about the Father and that we will be attuned to His promptings in what we should share.

This past week, one of the schools we teach at held a Farewell Program for us. They knew that schedules were about to get busy and wanted to treat us while they could. It was an incredible outpouring of love that was overwhelmingly touching. The students did several traditional dances for us, sang songs, did impersonations (of us!), and even hosted a fashion show. I’m not sure that I have ever laughed as much in my life. In addition to all of this they also gave us both some of their traditional fabric so that we could have outfits made. The fabric is beautiful and my favorite color. My favorite gift by far however, was the beautiful individual notebooks they gave each of us. The students had taken the time to write many little notes of thanks and encouragement as a way for us to remember them when we return home. It was an evening I will never forget and is a perfect example of the love and hospitality that is so often found in this culture. 

Leah and I in our sets made from the beautiful fabric they gave us.

Us with just a few of the students that participated in the program.

Cultural Corner: This post I would love to share with you about how our people celebrate birthdays, since it’s pretty different. Here when it’s your birthday it is your turn to treat everyone else. This means that if you invite someone to your party you are expected to pay for their food or activity. It is a way to show others you are grateful for their friendship and also that you want them to enjoy themselves on your day too. Friends will still bring gifts but the birthday person is responsible for the cake and party. The cake is another thing they sometimes do differently. At some birthdays after the singing takes place, the birthday person takes a huge slice of cake and a spoon. They proceed to go around the room feeding everyone in attendance a bite. Perhaps they aren’t trying to get it on your face on purpose but if it happens, well…it’s good for a laugh right? Each birthday party I have been to has been a joyous and wonderful occasion to take part in. I am grateful to have had these cultural experiences. They may celebrate differently but the heart of the celebration is the same- love and joy for a special person on a special day.

Here are some special requests I have for the next few weeks:

Tomorrow morning we will leave our city with about 45 others and head to the beach. We will be spending four days hosting a retreat for our national partners here. As I have mentioned, we hope that it will be a time for the Father to speak to them about His work in our city and around the country. Please lift up this time- that logistics will work out, that fun will be had, rest received, and the Father heard.

Directly following that retreat we have a team coming in from the states. While they are here we will be busy showing them our city and more importantly putting on many Christmas programs. These will be times for us to invite whole neighborhoods to learn about the importance of Christmas and how it fits in to the Truth. Please be lifting up this team as they prepare and travel here. Ask that they will have smooth flights and lots of energy to hit the ground running. Please also lift up the Christmas programs we will do with them and the many others that we will be a part of as the holiday approaches. Ask that the Father will open the hearts and minds of those who will hear that they too might come into His family.

I have two final special requests. The first is for a family of fellow workers who live here in our city. They have three children and just a few weeks ago found out they would be welcoming a fourth into the family. This past Tuesday however, the mother lost the baby. The whole family has had to fly to Thailand so that a medical procedure can be done. With Thanksgiving and the dad’s birthday in these next few days, this already extremely difficult time will be even more trying. Please lift up this family- ask for peace, comfort, healing, and understanding for both the parents and the young children who are trying to grasp the situation.

My final request is for loved ones back home, especially family. My family has been beyond incredible when it comes to supporting this journey and me. I can’t express how grateful I am to them for that. But as Thanksgiving is here and Christmas approaches it can be tough to be apart. The holidays are a time for family and coming together to celebrate what the Father has done for us. Often times, workers abroad are lifted up and those left at home are forgotten, but they too are making sacrifices. So when you think about it, say a little something to the Father about my family and the other families of His workers all over the globe. Ask that we are all filled with His peace and comfort- knowing that the work being done in His name is worth many holidays apart.

Thank you for your love and support! I may sound like a broken record when I say that at the end of every post but I promise I’m not broken- just grateful. It is a joy to take this journey together. I hope that you are just as encouraged by reading what the Father is doing here, as I am knowing that so many are supporting me. Please continue to faithfully lift up this place and its people. Much love to you all!