A Little Miracle

Psalm 139:14 says, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." This verse always comes into my mind every time I see a newborn baby. Last week, this verse held an even deeper meaning as I "met" a new little baby named Alissa. A sweet couple in our church, Wat and Amanda, have been blessed with a little miracle, born three months ahead of schedule. She was born a week ago today (January 19) and she weighed 1 pound and 13 ounces and measured 13 and 1/2 inches long. I stood in awe of God's creation as she lay in her little bed. 10 fingers, 10 toes, everything so perfect and yet so tiny. This innocent little miracle has been placed into our world early for a reason that, for now, only God knows. Wat and Amanda have been given a strength and grace that only God can give. The doctors say that Alissa is growing stronger every day. She is only using her respirator at 30% and they estimate that in 2 weeks, she will no longer need it. Her parents are thrilled because they know that at that point, they will be able to hold their precious little daughter. Please pray for all of them. They need a renewed strength every day. Amanda is now home from the hospital so they are making trips back and forth every day to spend time with Alissa. Please pray for their safety as they travel. Also, Wat is finishing his last semester of college so pray that he can remain focused on his studies. God's power is being witnessed by all who attend to Alissa. Maybe her little life will have an eternal effect on someone else who is watching.

To find out how Alissa is doing, please visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/babyalissa. Her parents created this website page through Caring Bridge in order to keep people informed of her progress. Please keep them in your prayers!!!

Busy as Bees!

Our year got off to a quick start! We are all trying to adjust to new schedules with school. The children start their classes at 8 a.m. so that they can get most, if not all, of their school work done by the time Randy and I leave for school. We have a very tight schedule but thankfully we know this is only a temporary situation! Randy and I leave for class on Monday and Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. when the Nanny arrives. If the traffic isn't too bad, we are able to get a quick lunch on the way. When our class is out at 3 p.m., he goes on to another school for several hours while I go home. It is usually about 5:30 p.m. when I arrive home to make sure the children get supper before their Thai class and then have them bathed and in bed by 8:30 p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Randy leaves in the morning around 8:30 and is in school until the evenings. Depending on his classes, he is usually home around 9:30 p.m. On Fridays, Randy and I have class like on Monday and Wednesday. We both come home from school together on Friday because Randy teaches an English and Bible class that evening at the church where we attend. Saturday we have a free day to spend with the children. We try to get all the school work caught up and do something fun together before Randy has to teach another English and Bible class. On Sunday morning, Randy teaches English and Bible during Sunday School and then we go to the regular morning service together. Sunday afternoon we rest and get ready for the week ahead. I know, this is a very scheduled week but it is for a greater purpose. As our Thai gets better, we will be able to "let up" some on this schedule and have more time at home. We praise the Lord for what He is doing in our lives. Although it may be difficult, it doesn't compare to the "difficult" He went through for us. We are thankful to be able to serve Him in whatever capacity we can. Please pray for us as we go through this time of learning. May the Lord find us faithful. As Paul asked the saints in Ephesus, we also ask that you pray for us, "that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel," Ephesians 6:19

Reflecting

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! The last few weeks have been full of fun, new traditions, and very warm temperatures. As we prepared for the "big day", we took turns taking the children out shopping with us. Surprisingly, in several stores there was English Christmas music playing! Outside the big malls, there were decorations and lights. The children (along with a few of their American friends) had the opportunity at church to do a short narrative of what the decorations on a Christmas tree mean. A few days before Christmas, they were able to "perform" the same narrative inside one of the largest malls in Southeast Asia as well as one of the department stores inside of it. They were so thrilled to have the chance to do this! They did a very good job.

On Christmas Eve, a group of people from the church went out caroling and came by our house to sing Christmas songs. I think the highlight of making it "feel" like Christmas was being able to take the children (Thanks to the help of some very sweet friends!) on the skytrain to one of the malls that was decorated for the holidays. There were many lights and decorations, and an oversized "snow globe" that we were able to get inside of to take a picture!

This year, Christmas Dinner was very different as there were just the 7 of us! We had grilled chicken instead of turkey! After lunch, we took the children to the park so they could ride the bicycles they got for Christmas! What a difference to have 85 degree weather on Christmas Day! And, what a blessing it was to be together as a family. God allowed many new things to happen in our lives this year but I think one of the biggest blessings for me is that none of us are sick with illnesses. For the first time in 9 months, we all have runny noses, coughs, and something similar to the flu, but we are mostly over that now. But, as far as serious problems, we are free of those. To have five children and to be able to say that is truly a blessing! God has watched over us over the last year. As I have been reflecting over all that has happened in the last year, a verse came to mind: Psalm 23:6a - "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Even during the times when I haven't had the right attitude or haven't been as faithful to God in things as I should have been, God has allowed good things to happen and His mercy has surely been poured out on me! How wonderful to know that He is always there with us, guiding and leading, even if the path is unknown to us. All praise to Him Who knows where the path will lead and what lies ahead. With all the changes the past year brought, and all the blessings God showered on our family, I anxiously await what is in store for us this year. I know there will be "bumps in the road," but I also know that He will continue to show Himself good and faithful.