As our Thanksgiving Day comes to an end on this side of the world, many of you are just starting your special day. This day has brought back memories of many different Thanksgivings and many colder ones, as well! I missed having the boys around from our Children's Home and all the extra people that came over to our house just because they had been exposed to our "Special Day." Oh how we enjoyed the extra company! As I made deviled eggs this morning, I remembered all the times I had made many more dozens only to watch the boys devour them in a short amount of time! This Thanksgiving, we spent our day with other missionary families and had a wonderful time! The children had so much fun being able to play with other children their ages.
I have been reading a book over the last few weeks entitled Thanksgiving: The Pilgrims' First Year in America. I have learned many things about the Pilgrims that came to America that I never knew. It has made me even more thankful for how God provided for our move to Thailand. First of all, it was a fairly easy journey for us, even with 5 children, compared to what the Pilgrims had to endure. When we arrived, we had friends to greet us and a place to stay our first night. We had food to eat, clothes and shoes to wear, school books for the children, and toys for them to play with. We were able to buy dishes and only a few pieces of furniture because most of the furniture we needed was provided in our rental house. We were able to buy pillows and sheets. We had a computer and a phone to communicate with our loved ones on the other side of the world to let them know we had made it safely. All of these things sometimes seem so commonplace to have and I think we take them for granted many times. All of these important things to us were not readily available to the Pilgrims. They suffered through many things during their first year in a land which would one day be known as America. Yet, they endured their suffering and pushed on. Not one Pilgrim returned to England when given the chance. Through hard work, cold weather, and many other hardships, they continued to trust in God, knowing that He had led them to do what they were doing. Many of the Pilgrims died along th way. Their desire for freedom of religion and worshipping God the way they felt was best drove them to do what was needed for survival. My difficult times over the last few months haven't come close to the difficult times the Pilgrims suffered through. My desire, to see people here gain their "freedom of religion" and worship the One True God is what pushes me forward. When I experience these times, I have to refocus my attention on what is truly important, pick myself up, and move forward. God is teaching me to trust more deeply in Him. "I'm just clay in the Potter's hands." I must be willing to allow Him to mold me into what He would have me be.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things - my salvation, my family, my freedom. I am thankful for what God has done for me and what He has given to me. Most of all, I am thankful that He has chosen me to serve Him in the place He has put me. I am thankful that He knows what the future holds and I don't have to worry about it. I am thankful that He hasn't given up on me and that He continues to teach me. I am thankful to know that whatever He has for me is something I can handle as long as I keep my eyes on Him. I am thankful for the difficult times because that is when my faith grows. I am thankful for the mountain tops where I can look down into the valleys He has brought me through. I am thankful that my God supplies ALL my needs!
Hebrews 13:15 - "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
During that time, many parts of Bangkok were experiencing flooding and we thought we were not going to be able to visit the temples we wanted to take them to see. By the end of the time, however, the flooding had gone down and we were able to go!
We were also able to take them several hours out of the city down south to a place called Cha'am. They enjoyed being able to see more of the country than just the big city. Cha'am is on the east coast of Thailand next to the Gulf of Siam. Of course, since we were at the beach, we had to have a meal of crabs and shrimp! 
The children had an especially fun time, starting with the fact that they didn't even know their grandparents were coming! It was so much fun to watch their faces while they were playing when they looked up and saw their grandparents walk out of the bedroom the morning after they arrived. The highlight for them was getting to have Christmas early.
If it wasn't for my parents' love for missionaries, I don't believe I would be where I am today. My parents have always been involved with missions in every church they have been in. They housed missionaries in their home many times. They allowed my brother and I to stay up late at night even though there would be school the next day so that we could hear their stories. We learned many things about many countries, and from a little girl, I wanted to be a pastor's wife or a missionary's wife. My mother, many times, allowed missionary wives to do their laundry at her house. I believe that my mother's willingness to help in an area that was never known about was rewarded through me while we were traveling in the States on deputation and furloughs. I have always been offered a place to wash clothes or at the last minute, found a roll of quarters in a missionary basket I was given, in order to wash clothes at a motel when needed. God watches out for us in every area, no matter how insignificant it may seem to others. Thank you, Daddy and Mom, for allowing me to have the influence of other missionaries in my life. God has used you both in a tremendous way through my life. Who knows how He will also use my children?!
