At the end of last year, one of the men from LVBC preached a message about intentionally praising the Lord. I’ve pondered that message countless times, so I thought I’d take the time to share some recent praises.
Rachel is my first praise! I’m so thankful for my little girl and the smiles she readily gives out. Paul is her #1 fan, and she adores him too! She is now 5 months old, and her favorite thing to do is roll from her back to her front. Sometimes this becomes a little inconvenient in the middle of the night when she gets “stuck” and can’t get back to her back and requires some help. Rachel loves Thai people and is sold on the idea that smiles are a good exchange for tickles. 🙂 The thing people comment on the most when they see her is that her eyes are blue. That’s a rare sight in Thailand. Being the third born, she observes the activities of the other two and tries to join in! I’m curious to see how she does on her first trip on an airplane coming up soon.
We’re very thankful for the quality healthcare readily available to us here. Back in March, Paul broke his arm after falling off of our bed and onto the hard tile floor. Nat took him to our local hospital where the doctor recommended surgery since the break was at a critical spot. God provided the right doctor at the big city hospital, and surgery went well. After 5 weeks of having a cast (during which the days were unseasonably cool – what a blessing!), the doctor checked out his arm and was pleased with the way it was healing. All praise to God! Another blessing is the cast came off only three days before the kids started summer camp – which included swimming. Perfect timing!
Paul and Ellie have done extremely well taking part in a summer camp run by the same Thai school a friend of ours teaches at, and we’re thankful the excitement has endured throughout the whole three weeks. Long days, but overall it has been a good experience to be around Thai children, listen to instruction from teachers, and participating in many activities. Swimming has been the favorite activity, and it’s been neat to hear them say a few phrases in Thai.
As I mentioned above, hot season started off by being cool. How unusual! Many days were pleasant, and so far, we’ve only had two weeks of temperatures in the high 90s/low 100s. We’ve also had quite a bit of rain, which has helped keep things cooler. This past week, the humidity has started to build to the point we’re taking showers twice a day to help stay cool. But the ability to take showers is another praise, right?!
The day Nat took Paul to Chiang Rai (one hour away) to have his cast removed was the day the truck overheated. You may ask, “How is that a blessing?” The truck overheated only 5 minutes from home, and I was able to go in the van to get Nat and the kids. Praise God! Another praise is that we now have our truck back, after several weeks of being in the shop. Again, we see the hand of God in meeting our every need, as we had planned to use the truck to get down to Chiang Mai. What a faithful God we serve.
In anticipation of returning to the US, we’ve been working out some logistics on this side: renewing visas, re-entry permits, rental agreements, and a few other things. God is so good to provide the right timing in taking care of these tasks, and I’m grateful to say so far the transition from Thailand to the US is going smoothly. We start our journey on Wednesday, May 23rd with a well-known (and well-loved!) drive to Chiang Mai before departing that night. Lord willing, we will see you soon!
Living in Thailand is a daily adventure for Anne Williams and her family of six. In between all of the many language blunders, running after toddlers, and giving the neighbors plenty to smile at, she is grateful God’s grace is always available just when she needs it.
Read more about their ministry here and watch her testimony here.