Here we go....again....maybe?

I cannot believe it's been 3 years since I posted. Isn't it funny how life just picks you up and sweeps you along in its grand scheme of living and experiencing? Since I last wrote, we saw God move in huge ways. As I have said in previous blogs, I write mainly for myself....to look back and see where we've been, what we've done, and to see how God's hand has moved in our lives. The last time I wrote, I said that we were waiting for Zane's passport because we were moving to Thailand. We ended up staying in Paraguay longer than WE had hoped, but the passport arrived at the perfect time. We were able to go to South Africa for a week to wait for our visas, and during this time, my brother had a meeting in Johannesburg (he lives in Cape Town), and so we were able to see him too! What a blessing. 

We've now been here in Thailand for 3 years, going on for our 4th. 

Chiang Rai International School

What a ride it's been. This is such a beautiful country with the sweetest people! I have been reunited with my old college friend, Jenni, who I hadn't seen for almost 30 years! Time doesn't change good relationships. I've been able to meet so many new people and create precious friendships that I know I'll keep forever.

So what HAS happened in the time that we've been here, and where do we see ourselves in the future? Well, we have always seen our future back in North Carolina. More so now that Shelaine had a beautiful baby girl - our precious granddaughter Rae Leslie. We got to spend 6 weeks with them last summer - absolutely the most precious time of our lives.

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I also got to spend 2 weeks in November last year with my parents as my dad had cancer and I needed to spend some time with him before he passed. Jenni and I flew together, which was a fun adventure in itself!

                     

Thailand is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived. It is also one of the easiest places to live in. The cost of living is affordable, medical is very affordable, the people are super friendly and sweet, and it's a place where you feel safe wherever you go. I've never once felt threatened here.  Why would anyone ever want to leave? Well, here we are at a crossroads again, having to make decisions about our future.  We have been asked by so many when we're coming back to the U.S. It's not as simple as just picking up and leaving. This is where we are:

Zane is about to go into 10th grade. Shelaine is now able to sponsor us for a green card (only Marlowe and myself) and if we started the process now, we could walk through immigration next summer and immediately receive our green cards. However, we have to get a student visa for Zane, because his sponsorship is different (it can take 10 - 12 years to petition for a sibling....). Once we are in the U.S., we can go ahead and sponsor Zane for a green card - which will still take quite a few years. We should also be able to sponsor Brendon once we are there. So we are looking at different scenarios.

1). We apply for a student visa for Zane and Shelaine will sponsor our green cards this coming year, then Zane will complete his Junior and Senior year in the U.S. What are the pros of this? He will get NC residency which will make college a whole lot cheaper. We will get to be with Shelaine and get to know Rae when she's 2 1/2 (that already breaks my heart!). We will finally be home - something we've wanted and needed for so long - a place where we can get ourselves rooted.

What do we need? We need for Zane to be accepted into a school (hopefully BCA). We need to be able to pay for his visa as well as our green card. Many $$$$$, but not worrying about that aspect as God has ALWAYS provided what we've needed.

2). We let Zane finish school and graduate in Thailand and then move over. Pros? We will have time to save for both his college education and for our move over, including visa and green card costs. Cons? Rae will already be almost 5....Shelaine is sure to want another baby, or 2, and we will miss that whole process.....again😢

Some challenges that have just come up since I wrote this:

**** Our passports expire in September 2021 so we are planning on going to Bangkok to renew them. However, they only send applications at the beginning of each month, and they still have March's applications due to the lockdowns and shutdown of Home Affairs in South Africa. Normal applications from overseas take around 8 months, but now this could be much longer. One of the things I'm looking into and praying about is - do we HAVE to have 6 months validity on our passports when we enter the USA? If not, we can always get our passports sent from here. The opposite of this is - if we decide to stay and our passports don't arrive before the old ones expire, how will that affect us here? We have to check in with Thai immigration every 90 days. And we need current passports to renew our work permits (not sure how long our passports have to be valid for that either). *****

It seems like a no-brainer, but for those of you who know us, we've always tried to make decisions based on God's will for our lives. His timing is ALWAYS different to what make sense in our heads, but looking back, we can always see the perfection of that timing. And in the process of waiting, we have learned so much. I am not sure whether I'll ever perfect the trait of patience, but I feel like I am definitely better at it after all these years. 

So our first step will be giving Zane's paperwork to BCA and praying that if this is God's will, He will open the door wide. If he is not accepted, then we will have to stay until he graduates from here. 

                                              

So, what if we just decide to move next year, whether we hear from God or not? I mean, it feels right, and we have been given free choice. But... I know, from experience, that stepping out of God's will and failing to wait for Him can delay His blessings, can bring pain and suffering (in the end) to ourselves and others, and can cost us financially (which has happened in the past). We do not want to have to rely on others for everything we need. But we also know that many times, this is how God has provided for us.

So, for now, this is how we should be waiting:

- patiently

- quietly

- trusting

- expectantly

- courageously

- standing on God's word (Charles Stanley)

                                      

If you are reading this, (and remember, I mostly write for myself so that I can look back and see where we've been), please cover us in prayer that we can receive wisdom about our decisions. We do not want to decide on a whim, or because we think it sounds right. Do we trust in God? Absolutely, 100%. Do we trust ourselves?  Not at all..... We do not want to be out of God's will, His plan or His timing. It's just not worth it to us!

Here are some pictures from the last year or so with people who have become a part of our hearts, our memories and our experiences:

    Teachers' Amazing Race at the beginning of the school year.

The dreaded smoky season : 

       Our favorite breakfast restaurant.

 Chiang Rai Flower Show

.          Bamboo and sticky rice treat - warmed on the fire

 Always something surprising to eat - not for me though!!

       

Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai

  This was the highlight of the boys' holiday!!!

 So many beautiful restaurants.

 Boy Adventures!!

Town lights.                       

Christmas Fun!!                          

. The beautiful Tokay - found in and outside of houses, making loud calls nightly. Don't let it bite you!!

Irresistable, of course!  

.     . Adorable Thai candies and desserts.

Vietnam, just like Thailand with tons of scooters everywhere (although I think there are definitely more in Vietman!).

                                   

                     

Closings

As the school year starts to come to a close, we are looking at where we've been and where we are going. No, we don't have a passport for Zane yet, but we are trusting that God's timing is better than ours (even though it may not make sense).

The last few weeks have been very trying. We have been struggling through various issues, or spiritual attacks, from many different places. Each issue/attack totally different, but just as difficult to get through. We have, however, been learning more about ourselves and others through this, and, most importantly, how God wants us to handle these situations.  As much as it hurts when people you love act in a way towards you that cuts to the core, we remember that in God's word is says that we need to rejoice when we face trials of any kind, because these trials will test our faith, and the testing of our faith produces perseverance. Who does not want perserverance in this day and age when it's so easy to just give up and take the easy road? We also remember that none of us is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Something easy to forget when someone errs against you and yet you are accused of being the one making the mistake

So, even though our flesh has been running rampant with our thoughts, I am thankful that God gently reminds us that we need to act in the Spirit, and not in the flesh. We are not anything special...we are sinners who are not perfect but are saved by God's grace. So we need to extend that grace to other, because : 

Last night, we had a women's evening at a dear friend's house. She organized for us all to come over and fellowship and spend time with one another. Each woman, that was not leaving the school at the end of this year, was asked to give a verse or say something about each of the 3 of us that were leaving. Needless to say, it ended up being an amazing tear-filled, snot-dripping, full-of-love evening. I have not been feeling too devastated, because we don't have a departure date yet, so there isn't really a FINAL day for us yet. So I didn't expect to have any trouble getting through the night. Nope!  God's Spirit was there and touched each and every one of us in an incredible way. To have had the honor of working with women as amazing as these is something I don't deserve!  I cherish each one of them and will always have a part of them in my heart.

One other thing that has touched my heart the last 2 weeks has been watching the passion for Christ and others that the students at this school have. A dear friend opened her classroom for prayer during recess for Zane's passport. So we have been there every day praying, on our knees, or standing praising with worship music. To see students come in and pray for something that is not for them, is an incredible thing to see. I have cried many tears watching these sweet children - many of whom I don't even teach!

The trouble with international teaching is that you end up leaving with a broken heart, but so much better off because of relationships that have been formed.

No, this was not part of our plans when we initially moved to the USA. But I wouldn't change it for anything. I wouldn't change meeting the students I have met. I wouldn't change the relationships formed with all the wonderful people at this school. 

Thank you, God, for 

lessons learned, 

a heart enriched, 

friendships woven, 

and faith strengthened. 

When Things Don't Always Go According to our Plan or Timing

I generally write these blogs for myself, so that I can look back at the journey our family has been on and see how God has been working to bring us through the difficult times, and all the challenges that we have had to face. I can see how things have not always worked out the way I have wanted, but that, inevitably, God’s plans has always been better and His timing has always been perfect.

We have learned to trust Him - He WILL do what He says.  So many times, when we’ve been through something challenging, kind friends and family have said, “Oh it will be alright - God has got this!!”, or, “Of course it will happen - God is in control!”  Well, I KNOW that. God DOES have it all. He IS in control. But when it does happen, it’s not just because He waved his magic wand and made everything work out. He took us through a place where we had to trust in Him and lean on Him for whatever outcome. I have had people tell me that, and it DIDN’T  work out the way we had planned - the few times we thought we would get to stay in the US but had to leave…..

Many people have told me, “Zane’s passport is coming, God has it…” and so on. I KNOW God has it, but if you understood what was involved and how complicated this actually is, you would understand what a great miracle it will be when it finally arrives.

The South African government is a mess right now.  The South African Embassy in Argentina is having a hard time talking to them about the passport. When you try to check online to see where it is, they haven’t yet removed the information on his old passport. So no-one knows what’s happening (I KNOW…….. God knows!!).

So, I was recently contact by a gentleman who has an agency that works with passports, expediting them, etc. I did not want to contact him back because I figured God has this all under control. Until someone reminded me that perhaps God sent him. So we’re going to use him to try to figure out what is going on. He is in South Africa and will physically be able to go to Home Affairs to see what is going on.  He said that if he is not successful, payment is not required, but I am believing that it will all come together.

Do I understand God’s plan and His timing in everything - absolutely not. In fact, He confuses me most days! But I do trust Him. Am I confused as to why things are not going through smoothly and quickly - oh yes. But I will continue to trust Him.

Louis Giglio said : God doesn’t give us a blueprint of our lives, because then we’ll run and try to do it on our own - He gives us enough light for each day.  He says, “I’m going to give you a big enough task that you’re going to have to cling to me because the task is going to be bigger than anything you think you can do in and of yourself”.

So as we cling to God and continue to believe in His promise that we have a hope and a future, please continue to believe with us - not letting glib words slip off our tongues about how God has got this and how He will make this all right, but truly believing and understanding the power and depth of what He can do.

And while we cling and wait, we trust that everything will fall into place in exactly God’s timing - which is always perfect.

The Journey Continues

This is kind of a continuation from my last blog....where I spoke about the fact that we were prepared to be wherever God showed us He wanted us to be.

So let me go back a few months to the events that lead up to where we are going.

In October, I was chatting to my dear friend, Jenni, on Facebook. She and her husband left South Africa for Thailand a little before our journey here. They have loved it there, and she mentioned that we should come over and teach there too.

I told her it would be fabulous, but we were planning on going back to the US, if God opened those doors, and hopefully back to Shelaine and my old school.  So we didn't think any more of it...much, anyway. It was always at the back of my mind, but not as something that I thought would pan out.

So, in January I sent out my resume to a couple of schools (including the public schools) in our area in North Carolina, and emailed my old school asking if there was the possibility of an opening.  Marlowe and I then prayed, and asked God to open or close the doors, so that we would know where we needed to be.

He firmly closed the doors and, though we were a little disappointed, we felt at peace. This is what we asked for.

In the meantime, I was chatting with Jenni again and she told me that I should send my resume to her school. That even though there were no positions available,  positions sometimes came up when people finished their contracts. So I sent off both our resumes, and we prayed that God would open or close this door too.

February 11th :  Acts 5:38  Let them alone : for if this plan or this work is of man, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, You cannot overthrow it.

On February 23rd, one of my friends, came to me and told me she had a dream about me. She said she did not often dream of others, but she felt that this was possibly a prophetic dream.  She dreamed that she saw me standing in the middle of a road on the median.  I was getting ready to cross to the other side when a guy, dressed in black and red, started attacking me, beating me on the head and hips. I fought back and eventually neutralized him by pushing him to the ground. A car drove past and hit his bike, and I crossed over to the other side.

I did not totally understand this dream at first, but as we started hearing more from God, it began to make sense.

It had been about a month, and we had not heard anything from Thailand. Jenni told me that often the schools don't email if they don't have positions. So we rested, believing that this was probably a sign and that we would be in Paraguay for another 2 years. We were at peace with that.

On March 5th, I received an email from Chiang Rai International School, saying that they would love to have a Skype interview with us. I must admit, we were shocked because we thought that door was closed, and so we prayed again, asking God to open that door to an opportunity, or to close it shut, like the others, if this was not from him. I asked Him for confirmation. As I was seeking him, He gave me a bible verse and a devotion :

• The door God opens will never contradict His word
• The door God opens will come/be accompanied with confirmation
• The door God opens will require you to depend on Him

Some of you may understand when I say He "hid" the bible verse from me, even though I wrote it down. There was a reason for this

The interview went well - it was almost like a meet and greet. We enjoyed meeting Johanna and Jim, and they told us that if they wanted to more forward, they would contact us for a 2nd interview.

During the next week, we continued to seek God, wanting desperately to be where He was, follow where He led and do what He set out for us to do. We were told that they had other people to interview, and this also set us at ease. Please God, find someone more suitable for this job if it's not from you.

Then we laid out some things that we needed to fall into place, asking God for confirmation :

• We needed to have a way for the tickets to be paid. After all our travels, and earning less than half of a salary in Paraguay, we have no savings left. We have never been in need, but we don't have a buffer to help us.
• A position for Marlowe. They only had one position available.
• Zane's passport
• Brendon's passport so that he could continue to apply for schools in the US and leave whenever God opened those doors

On March 13th, I received an email for a 2nd interview. We immediately went to prayer. God revealed a bible verse to me, and it was so clear, that I was shocked. I asked 2 close friends to please pray over it, but I didn't want to reveal it to them. I wanted confirmation of that particular verse.

On Friday, March 17th, I went to our staff worship, with the mindset that I was hoping to hear from God. I was asked to read a passage of scripture out loud after our 2nd song.  This is what I read :

Wow!  It hit me hard that God was opening this door, and that He was with us. We did not need to fear or worry.

Later that day, we received an email with a job offer from Thailand. I read the email and then went to my prayer journal with my requests - I was able to put a check next to 3 of them :

• Brendon's passport 
• Job for Marlowe - possibly a sub / helping out with ESL 
• Tickets - mine is paid for, and the school will pay for Marlowe's and Zane's and we can pay them back.

Wow!

We realized that we needed to be in prayer because, even though this seemed like a confirmation, we needed peace at the same time. 

On Saturday, March 18th, I was going through my prayer journal, paging back to see where this had all started and where we were now.  I paged back to March 6th and was shocked to see the bible verse that I asked my friends to pray over, written down. God opened my eyes to the fact that I had written this verse down just a week before, and this was the confirmation that I had been asking for.

March 23rd : I woke up with this repeating over and over in my head : you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.  I knew it was somewhere in Jeremiah so I looked it up. This is what I found :

The first part is a verse that's carried us over the last 15 years. How amazing that God tells us that all we need to do is seek Him and we WILL find Him!  Later that day, a friend posted this on my wall :

"Because God rules all the places where you live, he is able to deliver his promises to you in the very circumstances where they are needed." - Paul Tripp

So there you have it. A rather complicated, yet beautiful process that we are honored to be a part of. A journey that has taken us to places we never expected, to meet people we never would have met, and to form relationships that will last a lifetime. 

So, we have accepted the position in Thailand. However, this is a huge step of faith because we still don't have Zane's passport (it has mysteriously gotten "lost" in South Africa). We believe that God knows where it is and that it will be here in more than enough time for us to leave. Scary, but exciting!  Please believe with us!

Finally, after much prayer, and what we believe is confirmation from God in many ways, I signed my contract and sent it off. 

Thailand, here we come!

Prayer requests :

• Zane's passport
• A place for Brendon (who now, being an adult, has to forge his own way and find out what God's will for his life is. This is hard for us, because as a parent, you do not want to leave your child - albeit a grown one - behind. But I do believe that God is going to work through him, and teach him what it is like to lean on Him and trust Him for all that lies ahead).