strangers in this world

You Lose!!

2012-01-29T05:03:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday afternoon, I have had my nap and Noah is getting bored playing by himself so he moves on to me. We start wrestling. He thinks he has me and says "You lose, so you have to lick your toe." "What! The loser has to lick their toe?" And with a couple moves I have Noah pinned with his toe an inch from his mouth. "Now whose the loser? You're the one licking your toe!" And I proceed to put his toe in his mouth. (Not hard since he's laughing.) Then I tell him, "since you had your toe in your mouth you will not get another kiss from me today!" Noah replies, "You lose, cause I suck on my toes all the time and you kiss me after!"

How did it come to this? How is it that my six year son out smarted me?

Sustenance and other stuff…

2012-01-11T08:16:00.000-05:00

Eating out can be quite an experience here in Bangkok. Of course there are malls where we can get Pizza Hut, Burger King, McD’s and KFC. But right on our street are vendors fully willing to sell you what they got. Now when we first got here (and really still) we cannot speak thai nor read thai, so we have to order from places that have pictures or the menu in English and thai. Our favorite place is Yellow Yellow (It’s so good; you have to say it twice).

So in Singapore there was a huge Muslim presence making many restaurants Halal (no pork, mainly). Thailand is very Buddhist and they LOVE their pork products! The problem, it's not like American pork; bacon and ham are still expensive here, but this entire case is pork products on a stick; cause really isn't this the best way to eat food, on a stick? You pick out what you want and they have a little charcoal grill going that they cook it on.

I think I may miss the fruit stall the most if we leave Thailand. No more peeling or cutting off tough outer skin; they have done it all for you. I pay about $0.30 for pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon, or guava; all ready to eat (with a stick of course!)

This is the strip right next to the street.

I think of this as the classic pick and point. Decide what looks the best, point at it and they put it on a plate for you.

All the food stalls are on the left side of the street, hiding in the shade!

These are the stalls under the car park right next to our building. This is where we get our cheap Starbucks! $1.30 for my "cocoa blended". Oh and the fruit smoothie lady!! She has a big crush on Steve!! It is hilarious! She will be polite to me, but when Steve comes, she gushes! All in thai of course, so we have no idea what she is saying exactly, but her actions speak very loudly!!

The King's Birthday

2012-01-10T09:50:00.000-05:00

I believe the king is now 84 years old and spends most of his days in the hospital (so I’ve heard). And how exactly do you celebrate the birth of the king you love some much? (Of course you get the day off of work.) By planting flowers! The parks are beautiful and full of flowers! We decided to visit a park close to the house and play Thai for the day. Before we could even get to the park the streets are crowded with vendors selling clothes or toys or whatever they had in their house, oh and food; can’t forget the food! Inside the park there are so many people! I am amazed this is how so many thai people spend the day. It was also interesting that most seemed young. It was almost like this was a mall substitute for the day. They got dressed up and met up with friends at the park!

I was by no means the only person with a camera as well. Even in Singapore, I noticed people posing for pictures a lot. They will take a picture with anything and everything. So of course, they pull out a camera at a park to hopefully get that perfect pic for facebook!

In this picture these are for real lily pads! I have never seen any so big! I thought they were fake added for the king, not so. People throw coins onto the pads, kinda like we would into a fountain.

Noah posing with the sunflowers. Isn't he cute!

Taking a break in the shade with a orange Fanta!

These two were too cute to just walk past. The "bigger" girl was determined to carry the "smaller" girl. We watched her struggle for a while.

Water Water Everywhere

2011-10-17T03:27:00.001-04:00

A few of you have asked about the flooding in Bangkok. Thailand’s method of dealing with water is simply to push it off on someone else. The rain water in the city is pumped out to the rural areas. And the farmers are not happy about this because too much water is not good for their crops. (It is possible for rice to have too much water; who knew!) Farmers are so upset they tried to tear down a dyke so the city would flood and save their land. And now the idea of lets just push our water problems on to someone else is affecting our “neighborhood”. Water is being pumped onto our soi (pronounicated ‘soy’ meaning side street) and I guess the guy who owns the street (yes individuals own streets) has not figured out who to pump our water too. So on Friday the water was standing in the street. School was let out early and sand bags were placed around the school.

Saturday we visited Michelle and her peeps and saw the river near their place. You can just make out the houses across the river that is nearly flooded. When we came home that night it took us 30 minutes to travel 10 minute distance due to water in the road. Not just on our soi, but on the main road. The taxi driver could/ would not go down our soi, so we got to wade thru the water to get to the house. Sunday was more of the same; school was cancelled for Monday and on Monday the water has dried up. Not completely, but not nearly what it once was. So we’ll have to see how the rest of the month goes. November 1^st marks the end of the rainy season. So if we can make it thru the month we will be fine. Well we will have survived the flood and now get to survive the heat!!

First Thoughts of Thailand

2011-08-15T07:39:00.000-04:00

So we have now been in Bangkok for almost 4 weeks. Some things are very similar to Singapore; but most are different. In Thailand we have been blessed with on campus housing. As you enter campus there is a commercial building with a coffee shop/ book store, a music studio and laundry facilities on the first floor. Then the second thru fourth floors are studio and two bedroom apartments. We managed to get a two bedroom on the second floor. Noah has a bunk bed which he has enjoyed and has taken advantage of two beds by sleeping in both!

Like Singapore we have hawker eating! They do not call them hawkers but food stalls. We tend to order our food by pointing at pictures or getting a menu with English and Thai and pointing at the item we want. Like Singapore eating like this is very cheap. We can all eat for 100 Baht which is just over $3US. However eating Thai food is not something we want to do everyday. And buying American can cost quite a bit more at the grocery store. So we try to eat out the cheap Thai way but realize to get the comfort food we enjoy and crave we have to dish out some money.

Getting around – This is our next big obstacle. We have not been brave enough to get on a bus. The bus transportation is nothing like Singapore! So our mode of transport has been the taxi. And the taxi drivers do not speak English. So I can tell them where I want to go but if they ask me anything else I stare and shake my head and say I have no idea what you are saying. So far we have gotten where we wanted with no major problems. We have heard many horror stories including our own adventure the first time I visited my sister in Thailand when we were in the car accident. Our only taxi adventure so far has been a driver that I think was mad because we put 7 people in the car (3 were children) and proceed to take the long way home and drove 130kmph (80mph) on the highway. The other family in the car with us was more worried than we were. The taxi driver kept shouting something at us and of course none of us have any idea what he is shouting. Normally Thai’s whisper when they talk so we had clearly upset his guy in some fashion, just no idea how??!

We have got to do some tourist kind of things. We visited the Rattanakosin museum. Ratt. is the fourth Thai Kingdom and when the capital was moved to Bangkok. I think this statue is a demon (or represents one), so Noah has his mean face on. This black roofed building is "special" cause its the only metal roofed building remaining in the world. Is tin not a metal? There are still tin roofs in the world are there not?? And we got to visit the old floating market. Back when people lived on the water and travelled by water this market was huge. Now it is open only on the weekends and is a bit more touristy; but neat to see people cooking from their boats and selling to people walking the market.

More to come…

The Game is On!

2011-04-24T08:36:00.000-04:00

So since we have been back from Sri Lanka we have had a few roaches come to visit. And the thing is they are not in their usual hang outs. They have decided to venture out! Into Noah’s bedroom and our bedroom and our bathroom. As a side note this is the creature I believe I hate most in the world and I am having to not freak out when I see one so I do not teach my son to freak out over a roach. So this is what my day has boiled down to, waiting. Riding it out. The first roach I found in the bathroom yesterday was squeezed into the far most corner of the shower. Steve had gotten out of the shower maybe 30 minutes earlier and when I asked him to come kill it, he words were, “He didn’t bother me.” So he showered with the roach. Lovely! There are some details of my husband’s life I am ok not knowing about. This would be one. So I was a burden to ask him to kill the roach before I get in the shower. Today I wake to find yet another in our bathroom. This time however he is on his back. But you cannot come in and out of the bathroom and not notice him. And yet he has sat in the same spot all day. He doesn’t bother Steve! So why should it bother me? So the game has begun. Who will be bothered first? Who can out last the other? At what point will it bother Steve? When he crawls into his shoe? When he finds one on his pillow? There must be a breaking point and I am going to find it! Unless of course I break first.

Girl’s Home and Vocational Training Center - Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

2011-04-17T04:36:00.000-04:00

Sri Lanka was amazing! I will split up our travels into the different places we visited throughout the week. Vavuniya was not our first stop, but definitely set the tone for the remainder of the trip and I think these girls had the biggest impact on our students. So a very brief history on Sri Lanka; the country is made up of mostly Sinhalese Buddhist (~80%) and Tamil Hindus (~20%). The two groups have struggled for position and recognition for most of their history. Since Sri Lanka gained its independence around 1950, the Sinhalese have controlled the country. ~30 years ago the Tamils decided they wanted control and civil war broke out. The war finally ended in 2009.

In Vavuniya, we first visited an orphanage for Tamil girls age 14-18. All of the girls at the orphanage were impacted by the war as their fathers, and often their mothers and other family members were casualties, some even fought or were training to fight when the war came to an end. Communication was very difficult for all of us as we do not speak Tamil and they do not speak English. We tried to learn names and ended up playing a game together. The girls challenged our boys to arm wrestling and one girl could very easily have you on your knees all from a pinch in your hand.

After lunch and playing at the orphanage, we headed down the street to a vocational training center for about 40 girls (18-23 yrs old) who were former Tamil Tiger (considered by many to be the most successful terrorist organization ever) soldiers in the war. Most of these girls volunteered to fight or felt obligated because they watched their father or brothers killed by the Sinhalese army. Whether it was training new recruits, making and placing land mines, security guard for high ranking officers, suicide bombers (clearly not fulfilled), or simply out to kill the “enemy”, these girls (18 to 22 years old, recruited at 11 or 12) were soldiers in every sense of the word. Now that the war is over the country does not have a need for terrorist bomb makers or assassins, so they need a skill. At the training center they learn to support themselves and contribute to society by sewing/making purses, clothes and shoes.

At the training center the girls sang and danced for us. We tried to reciprocate but quickly realized these (singing and dancing) were NOT our group’s strong suits! The 2 hours we spent there could best be summarized as “Girls just want to have fun!” And 20 year old girls have the most fun when boys are present! As they danced they simply went up to our boys and pulled them into the circle to dance with them. Our boys were incredible uncomfortable, but opened up quickly and let lose! As we left the girls followed us down the road to our bus and waved and screamed and even jumped on the bus to give one last goodbye hug. For only being with these two sets of girls for such a short period of time our time with them will long be remembered. Here was a group of young ladies that have never played with dolls, never played dress up, never even gone to school. When they were little kids, they learned to kill and as 18-23 year olds they are learning how to live with only one leg, or with the pain of shrapnel lodged in their bodies, or the horrible memories of what they did or what was done to them in the war. Yet, in the time we were there, we saw smiling faces and heard laughter. It is truly amazing what having someone show them the love of God (the ladies that run the training centers were pastors before their churches were taken from them when they were sent to refugee camps) has done for them. These girls, most of whom have killed numerous people in their short lives, are being changed by God and we feel privileged that God would allow us a glimpse into His mighty life-changing power.

More to come on the rest of our trip…

13 Years

2011-01-06T03:44:00.000-05:00

Monday was Steve and I’s 13th wedding anniversary. Hip Hip Hooray! So, how do you spend #13? At a five start hotel of course!! This ain’t no Holiday Inn baby! The Marina Bay Sands is unreal. It has been featured on the Discovery channel’s ‘Build It Bigger’. It’s not only a hotel but also the island’s first casino, luxury shopping mall, theater and Sky Park. Now a casino, mall and theater are pretty self explanatory however how many of us can say we’ve been to a park in the sky? Being 57 stories off the ground does lend to a different kind if “park”, however when it’s Singapore they do not disappoint!

Steve and I went back and forth a bit as to how to spend #13. I gave in to the hotel since the anniversary is not all about me! Who knew? So how exactly does one get to a five star hotel, by public bus transportation of course!! I felt really weird getting off a city bus in front the Marina Bay Sands and walking in with my book bag packed with the incidentals for the night. Which of these things doesn’t belong?

The lobby was immense. I first realize you pay so much for all the employees who are standing around and greeting you. Our room was on the 47th floor so we get to take an elevator that skips the first 22 floors and goes just to the top half of the hotel. I had no idea elevators could go so fast! When the doors close the elevator takes off unbeknownst to me and I realize that we are close to flying because my ears start to pop and the elevator dings to say we arrived in flash!
It is true that it is in the details. There is still a bathroom and a bed and a TV, but the details in everything are wonderful. Looking out our window or standing on the balcony we got to overlook the soon to be water treatment plant (in case you were wondering, not romantic at all!). However we had a planter off the balcony filled with lovely flowering plants. The bathroom is huge and amazing! Separate tub and shower which are marvelous and a double vanity and many other niceties. I believe all the hotels over here have a little room key holder at the door. Now this is really not so you don’t lose your key in the room but because they conserve energy when you leave the room by shutting everything off when you pull your key and leave the room. (Imagine not knowing this and entering your room with no power and calling the front desk for help! I can only imagine the stupid white people comments from the staff!) But I say all that because as we reenter the room and insert the key, the lights come on and the drapes are controlled electronically and they open when we enter! It was like a helper was there making the room presentable as we arrive.

The mall was a mall with all the stores I could not afford to buy anything in, but it did have a few cool details. Many water elements and the main was the ‘channel’ with gondola-like boats giving people rides. They would do a u-turn in a large fountain looking area, however of course in Singapore it’s no ordinary fountain. Above the water feature is the bottom of a giant bowl with the inside of the bowl on the outside of the building and you can see in to the mall from outside the building. So the inside of the bowl fills with water and then the bowl empties through a hole in the very bottom which “floods” the fountain in the mall. It really creates more of a water fall in the mall. The amount of water falling actually creates a good breeze.

I do have to admit that I really wanted to go inside the casino. I had no intention of spending any money. I’d rather throw my money away on a greater enjoyment! But I have never been to a casino and just wanted to walk through and see a slot machine up close or watch a table of blackjack or roulette. However due to my carelessness leaving Indonesia at Thanksgiving I lost my green card and I did not think to take my passport with me, so I did not have ID to get in. (As a side note just to see how Singaporeans live, they must pay $100 a day to enter the casino. That’s just the fee to get in not a minimum chip cash in!) But as we wandered the mall we came upon an upper level where you can look down upon the casino. It was humongous!! I wander if Vegas comes this close? This is just the main floor. We could see the levels immediately under us where the machines were and the roulette tables.

So all of this was lovely, but still simply a room and mall. The real thing that added the 5th star was the Sky Park. From across the city the park looks like a boat sitting on top of the hotel. Any and every one can come to the observation deck. (Non-hotel guests can pay $20 to access the observation deck). They have different areas labeled to help you with the sites you can see. The view is remarkable. At night you can see the lights from Batam, Indonesia.

Then there’s the section of the park that only hotel guests can use; the bar, restaurant and pool. The pool ends at what appears to be the buildings edge. You can swim to the “edge” and see more amazing views. It is simply the coolest thing I have ever seen.

As you can see I have added pictures, all thanks to the internet because our camera died the day we left. We knew it was on its last leg and talked about getting a new one for Christmas, but of course didn’t and are now picture-less. I may be spending $20 to go back just to get pictures I wanted!

Language

2011-01-04T01:26:00.002-05:00

After living in Singapore for over a year I have heard plenty of Singlish. Singlish is a Singaporean’s way of speaking English. At first you would think they were speaking mandarin and then you just might pick out an English word and be a little puzzled. Singlish also includes a mixture of Malaysian language, since Singapore was once part of Malaysia. And the icing on the cake is that English in Singapore is British English, not American. There are random words such as lift, flat, Q (queue) that are everyday English speech here.

So I (Holly) can do by own little Sing impersonation, “Hey, you cut Q, go back!” (of course in a Chinese accent). When standing in line (Q) you don’t leave room for someone else to get in front or it’s sort of an invitation for someone to get in front of you. Normally I have this problem when ordering food at a hawker (from an American point of view, cheap hole in the wall kind of places). You order and they make your food and they only take as many orders as they can handle at once, so you may have to wait (no problem) until someone just says forget the line and walks up and tells the hawker owner what he wants to eat and walks away. “Ah, excuse me?! Can’t you see me standing here patiently waiting to make my order and you’re just gonna cut and place your order?” Of course I think this thought, but not do not say it. I would get a really weird look and chances are they would have no idea what I said; however if I said “Hey, you cut Q, go back!” (of course in a Chinese accent) I would be listened to. Chances are they would respect me.

However my dilemma is I do not have the guts say this. I have realized it’s partially a courage issue, but also in the states if we mimic someone it is disrespectful. If I were to throw out my Jersey accent and say “Hey, let’s meet up at the shore and listen to some Springsteen,” someone would be offended! It’s the American way. However over here because I speak proper English, I am looked at like a snob. If I were to say “Please” when I order is a dead give away to my “snobiness” They are thinking “Why you so polite?” If I throw MY English out the window and speak singlish it is in no way disrespectful but just the opposite.

I had this epiphany when it comes to talking in Singapore just recently. My realization came when I was talking to our Admissions Director at school who is a Singaporean, however has spent many years in the states. They were in Singapore when her daughter was about high school age and though she knows mandarin, refused to speak singlish. And after many years of fighting and not wanting to speak in an uneducated manner she gave in and was able to enjoy her time in Singapore. So the question is now, can I give in and play the singlish game?

Noah & Anna

2010-11-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

After school Noah hangs out with a few other kids from his class (whose parents also work at school) and they are watched by other kids (whose parents work at the school too). Noah plays with Karis and Daniel and Anna and sometimes Isaiah. They had their play time and the sitter brought them down to us. I asked Noah to wait just a minute while I finish up and we can go home. Anna was following Noah and she decided to show off her strength and pick Noah up. She did this a few times and Noah just went along with it. While my back was turned I hear a smack sound. Not the sound of a hand hitting a cheek, but more like the sound lips would make. I turn around quickly and see Anna wiping her cheek and saying he slobbered on me. I try not to show a reaction and I tell Noah that if Anna’s daddy was here he may beat you up. You might not want to do that again. Anna interjects in, “My daddy’s out of town. He’s in India.” Now if she was 15 that would have a whole new meaning, but thank God she is only 5 and she was just stating a fact. Trying not to laugh I turn back to finish up so we can leave and again I hear a smack! I quickly turn around to find Anna and Noah grinning and Noah says “I’m not gonna wipe it off!” Oh dear! It’s time to go home! We try to talk to Noah about kissing without making it a big deal so he doesn’t do it again just to get a reaction. The next day after soaking in our conversation he tells me that he has decided to kiss Katelyn next! Ok baby I think you miss understood! How about I word it like this, no kissing!

Another Unwritten Rule

2010-11-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

This year I am teaching and working in the office. My office work mostly includes helping in the accounting office. Elena our accountant went on a vacation to visit family so I was left to man the ship. No sweet! I realize I need to make a deposit which included lots of change from the bake sale the PTF had just put on. So I head to the bank with all the coins. I ask the teller if I need to roll the coins or if she has a machine that can count them. She looks at me puzzled and I realize that “rolling coins” probably is confusing. I give her the check deposits and decide to finish with the cash. She counts the bills and then is puzzled why the deposit ticket does not add her count. “It’s because of the coins. You have got to add the coins to the deposit.” She whispers to her neighbor. “No coins today. Only Tuesday Thursday” she says. Really! I can only deposit coins on Tuesday s and Thursdays? Come to find out they also charge you for depositing coins. There’s a fee to process them. Why bother?! Get rid of the coins if the money is no good.

So take note. Don’t try to deposit coins in Singapore! Who knew?

Welcome Home

2010-07-27T05:35:00.000-04:00

It seems Noah has got more of his dad’s genes than appear on the surface. Noah took two nights to get over jet lag. He is up and doing fine. Of course he’s still complaining about whatever is going on; wouldn’t be Noah if he wasn’t gripping about something. I (Holly) on the other hand would really like to sleep when it’s dark and be awake when it’s light out! Maybe one day...

We are back in Singapore and had a small welcoming party. Actually only one was alive to run away the rest of the “party” was belly up in my cupboards. Thank you Jesus for the roach motel!! We were met with our power out and the fridge has a hard time keeping food cold if it has no power. So I threw away a lot of food, well really condiments. And surprisingly that was the only odor waiting for us.

Our time in the states was very nice. We were very glad to see many of you. If we were not able to get together I am sorry and hopefully we can catch up next year! I do have one sort of disappointment/ surprise to our journey. As I looked forward to our trip to the states I wanted to hear the immigration agent when entering the US say “Welcome Home”. Maybe I have watched too many movies, but I pictured hearing those words and feeling relief or a peace as I entered “home”. However all the US agent had to say was “Did you bring any fruits back?” So I didn’t get my Hollywood entrance. I’ll survive. Then we are coming back to Singapore and the last time Steve came back into the country (after his Indo trip) the agent told him he could go through the short Singaporean line. So that’s what we did. No line. Right up to the agent. And as we approach I see the signs for “All Passports” and the ones for “Singapore Passports”. I’m feeling uneasy as I approach knowing my passport is not Singapore issued but we do have a “green” card. Then I notice the sign change and it now reads “Welcome Home”. We go through with swiftness and ease and I laughed at (or maybe with) God. Ok Lord, I hear ya!

Noah in Singapore

2010-02-20T07:44:00.000-05:00

Thought we'd showcase Noah. Noah has adjusted well to Singapore. Of course there was jet lag and then when school started it took him about 6 weeks to be ok leaving Holly to go to class. And if she ran into him walking the halls at school it spelled trouble. But now he is a bit of a celebrity on campus. Holly's middle school girls think he is just the cutest thing; so if Noah actually speaks, touches them or hugs them it's a big deal!! Though that doesn't happen often usually he looks at the girls strangely with a look that says who are you?

Noah has visited the zoo and a local water park when his cousins came to visit in October. The zoo was fun. Noah and Karis even got to feed the manatees. Noah was not as excited as the rest of us about this!

Later we visited the bird park. This was Noah's favorite place so far, asking us mulitiple times if we can go back. Noah wanted birds to land on him so bad he pretended to be a tree! It was quite hilarious!! He did get an opportunity to feed the birds, which he loved and then was jealous cause the birds were landing on dad and not him. In an attempt to help encourage the birds to land on Noah I held his hand right at the feet of a bird hoping it would climb on. Instead his little fingers must have looked like tasty worms so the bird took a bite! It was painful for everyone, but Noah did recover and went on to feed more birds.

While at the bird park Noah got to play scientist. This is his new gig. He says he's going to be a scientist one day and he loves to ask questions about other scientist he sees (usually in movies). His favorite movie is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (very scientist friendly!) So anything labeled as science he is on it!

The blue tear drop is part of Noah's favorite playground. It is on the roof at a mall we frequent quite a bit cause it's the only place we can get a real american hamburger with pork bacon! As soon as he is done eating (really it starts before he's done) he is asking if he can go play. There are many other acpects to the playground, but he loves to be turned around in this crazy seat.

Coming home from the mall on the train, Noah starts practicing his Mandarin (Chinese). This lady knows exactly what Noah is saying and doing and starts to help him count to ten. She continued to teach him other words, mostly body parts. The people are very friendly especially when it comes to children!!

And most recently we purchased Noah an authentic Indian outfit. He liked it a lot more than we were expecting. We hope we find him a chinese outfit too so when we visit the states he can dress up like the locals!

So Noah for the most part is loving life. Except when the 4 yo inside tries telling us that because "no" is in his name he does not have to listen to us telling him no. It's never ending, but life would be so boring otherwise!!

Way overdue update

2010-01-04T23:57:00.005-05:00

We made it through our first semester of teaching and are now coming to the end of a well deserved 2-week time of rest and relaxation in Thailand with family. This 3 week teacher Christmas vacation is very nice. Life has been extremely busy and there are many things that we should have blogged about, but between killing our computer, the busyness of the end of the semester and such we simply haven't had a chance. But I am going to attempt to bring you up to speed with this post (might take 2 posts - we'll see)

First semester ended on Dec. 18th and we spent a couple of days finishing up our Christmas shopping and such in Singapore before heading to Thailand to spend some time with Holly's family. One of the coolest things we had the opportunity to do was taking Noah to play in the Singapore snow (see pic). It is still 90 degrees here which made it hard to convince my self that it was actually Christmas. To make it feel more "Christmassy" one of the malls setup a Christmas village and every evening they made it "snow" using giant bubble machines. Noah loved playing in the snow, especially since he could do it in his swim trunks and didn't have to worry about coming in to warm up. While not the same as real snow, it was pretty cool.

Following our snowy outing and a couple last minute trips to Toys R Us, we boarded a plane to Thailand. Holly and I were excited about seeing family, but Noah was ready to ride an elephant. Back in October, we went to the Singapore zoo and he saw people riding elephants. He wanted to do it, so we told him we would do it in Thailand over Christmas break. As a result he has brought up riding one at least once a week.

During our two weeks in thailand we have experienced lots of new things (mostly good, some not so good). We got to ride in tuk-tuks. Singapore definitely needs to invest in some tuk-tuks around the MRT stations. We have had some great Thai food from the local street venders and restaurants. We went swimming on top of a mall. Now that is a great concept - put a pool on top of shopping mall. Mom can shop while dad hangs out with the kids at the pool. Noah got to ride on water slides for the first time. Don't know what was up with the water slides, but I (Steve) could not slide on them. Everytime I went down I had to push myself the whole way. Holly and I got pedicures, sad to say no polish for me (Steve).

After a week in Bangkok we took a day trip to Ayutthaya to check out some of the ancient buddist temple ruins. To get
there we rode
3rd class on a
train (Note: trains
in Thailand are very different from trains in Singapore). We did not have seats, so Holly, Michelle and I had to stand. But not Noah, he was basically adopted into a Thai family. They squeezed him into their seats, feed him, gave him something to drink, etc... Once we got to Ayutthaya we went sight seeing. At one of the stops Holly and Noah got to see the ruins from atop an elephant. Afterwards we went to a Buddhist temple. This was a great reminder to me of why we came to Southeast Asia to serve.

Holly and I also got to celebrate our 12th anniversary in Thailand as well. We left Noah with family and headed off to Kanchanaburi for the weekend. The biggest obstacle of the weekend was the fact that no one on the bus or taxi spoke english which made it tough to travel. On several ocassions during our trek we had no idea if we were going to the right place, but praise
God we made it. The lack of being able to communicate was by far the thing I missed the most about Singapore. Once we made to to Kanchanaburi we had a great time - Thai foot massage, great Indian and Thai food, hung out at a water fall, took an elephant trek thru the forest, piloted a bamboo raft down a stream and took a tour of a WWII memorial called Hellfire Pass.

It was a great anniversary weekend, then we trekked back to Bangkok by bus with no translator. We got on the right bus and after several instances of second guessing ourselves we arrived at the correct bus terminal where we got a cab and ended up close enough to family's house that we could walk home.

On our next to the last night in Thailand, we took a river taxi downtown to eat somee chicken tikka masala and nan (Indian food for my american friends). The food was quality, not quite Al-Ameen in Singapore but very good. Following dinner, we caught a cab and started making our way home. Our cab driver was the first one of the trip that could speak a little english and he was excited to have someone to practice talking with. Actually he was too excited about being able to use his english and we rear-ended another cab. Thankfully no real injuries, just a little sore necks. After the crash, he kicked us out of the cab and told us to catch another one and off we went. This was Noah's first car wreck and our first in Asia.

Now we are getting ready to head back to Singapore for a couple of days before we head back to school. It has been a great Christmas break, but I am ready to get back to our lives in Singapore. This trip has shown me how much I take for granted in Singapore and how much like home it has become. Thanks for keeping up with us and hope you had a Merry Christmas and your New Year will be awesome. We hope to be more deligent about keeping this updated.

Buses and Trains

2009-09-24T08:26:00.000-04:00

During the morning commute the buses and trains are crowded! Do not expect to get a seat. Noah and I only have 3 stops to travel on the bus in the morning but they are normally standing and there is no consideration for personal space! I will give it to a few folks that see Noah and will give up their seat for him! I am very appreciative even though Noah thinks he’s big enough to stand. On the bus and train are signs about giving your seat up to someone who may need it, like an elderly person or a pregnant lady or a woman with a small child. My favourite is the sign that says “Stop pretending to sleep and give this seat to someone who needs it!” I have not seen the sign again to get a picture, but I did capture this one.

This is a normal site on the train or on the bus. It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is. Maybe this is how they can stay up so late and get up so early. They sleep on the train/bus, oh and at the BK Lounge! I have no desire to assimialte to this ascept of the culture, however Noah dove in! After our trip to the “beach” this was the train ride back.

He really didn’t completely sleep. He struck this pose on his own and so I snapped the shot and a few moments later something woke him up.

Monday I got to visit Litte India. Just like China Town, Little India is just what you would think. They are getting ready for their new year celebration, Deepavali. The streets had the beginings of decorations going up. I went shopping with a fellow teaher’s wife. I did buy 2 Indian style shirts. I did not completely go for the prize. The traditional Indian dress can be a simple shirt, pant and scarf combo or the can get very detailed and intricate in thier sequins and beads. Betsy bought one such “suite” and I was taken back by the weight from the sequins and beads. Those who know me know that I stuck to the plain, bland style and colors. Maybe next time I be more daring!
I do have to say that Indian food is becoming my favorite. While in Little India we found a cute little restuarant and decided to try it. Yummy!! I had butter chicken (not what it sounds like) and chicken tikka masala (creamy red spicy sauce w veggies) and then there was nada bread. And we had some covered in garlic. And it's no American garlic portion. Oh no they took like a garlic clove for each piece of bread. Another Indian favorite is roti prata. It's a dough they stretch till it's really thin and you can have egg or cheese or nothing at all in it and they kinda fold it up and it's fried on a griddle. I have seen chocolate ones but have not tried them. Makes me want to go get one now!

3 day weekend & 3rd unwritten rule

2009-09-21T07:41:00.000-04:00

The past month in Singapore has been very hectic (can’t believe it has been over a month since my last posting). We are officially 1/8th of the way through the school year (tomorrow is the midterm for the first quarter). We had a three day weekend, today was Hira Raya (?), so we decided to get out and see some more of Singapore. On Saturday we took Noah to the beach (East Coast). The beach in Singapore is nothing like the beaches in the States. You don’t swim in them (no problem for me as I don’t really like salt water, but Noah was not overly happy with this) and there is very little sand to play in either. We did however find a sand castle building area during our travels. Noah thought this was great. The “professional” sand castle builder and most of his team got out their gear and started building a giant castle. Noah, being the normal 4 yr old, wanted to build a castle, so Holly took him over to the other members of the sand castle team to see if he could have a bucket or something to play with.

It was at this time that we discovered “Unwritten Rule #3” – there is nothing for free in Singapore.

They were more than willing to give Noah a sand castle kit and even teach him how to build a castle all for the low price of $40. Don’t get me wrong, the stuff was OK but not $40 worth. And the teaching would have been nice if Noah were a little older, but not for a 4 yr old. So we decided to wait and buy Noah some sand toys at the store. I will give Noah credit, he was a trooper and after just a little whining decided that he could wait and that he could play in the sand without toys. After awhile, we caught a bus to the mall (Vivo City – little touch of America) to get some dinner. We started in the food court, but no one would take a debit card. Next we hit the BK Lounge – no debit card either. Finally we made our way up to the top floor and found the Carl Jrs, who it turns out will let you pay for your $13 combo (chilli cheeseburger, fries and drink) with your debit card. I will give them credit, they make a goooooooood cheeseburger and free refills are an indulgence I really miss.

After some grub Noah and Holly went to the playground while I hit the electronics store to get a cable for the computer. On my way to the playground, I found a DVD sale going on where I was able to pick up Ice Age 2 and Spiderman 3 for $8 each. Always sweet to find a good deal. Finally we made our way home and called it a day.

Sunday evening we had a great time grilling out with a couple of teachers from school. When we got there, I found the “real charcoal” grill smoking, but no fire, so I decided to lend a hand. We were putting any and everything in the grill in effort to get the charcoal to light. Man do I miss lighter fluid. Finally we sent Mandy (it was her house) to the store to see if they had anything like lighter fluid – success, they had fire starters. Finally we got a fire and soon after were enjoying some chicken dogs. What are chicken dogs you ask? They are hot dogs made out of chicken parts (aren’t you glad you asked). The night was capped off with smores and banana boats. The only thing that would have made the night better would have been a drop in temperature by about 20 degrees.

On Monday, Holly and I had plans to get out of the house for a few hours. Holly went shopping in Little India with Betsy, one of the teacher’s wives, I played Frisbee golf with her husband and a couple of other guys while Noah and their 3 yr old son had a baby sitter. I will let Holly share about her shopping, but my Frisbee golf outing was great. Our Frisbee golf field was a reclaimed cemetery – the city has decided to build houses on the property so they removed all the graves and now the area is being overrun by grass and weeds. For Singapore to be a flat island, we found the only hills on the island and decided it would be a great place to setup a Frisbee golf field. Couple the hills with the humidity and heat and walking the 19 hole course was extremely draining. I wish I could blame my poor play on lack of conditioning, but the truth is “I hoover.” (think vacuum). I remember being pretty good in college but my skills did not come back to me today. Every drive I threw had a massive slice or slammed into a tree well short of the target. If it weren’t for my short game it would have been a real train wreck. Despite my poor play, we had a great time and I am looking forward to being able to get back out there soon. Most importantly it was just good to get out and hangout with people.

After stinking up the course for a few hours, we headed back to the house to cool off. We picked up Noah and Aaron and headed down to the pool. Thankfully it has rained a bunch the past few days so the water had cooled down. It was a great end to a great weekend. Thank you three day weekend. Now it is time to get Noah ready for bed so I will have to write more later.

Peace out - Steve

So off I go to shop first thing in the morning

2009-09-07T06:37:00.000-04:00

So off I go to shop first thing in the morning. I was going to the equivalent of Walmart in the states. If you hit the store early you can actually move thru the aisles with a cart and have an enjoyable shopping experience. Well I got to the mall a bit early. I had 30 minutes to burn. So I walk around checking out the things I had been missing when I come and it’s too chaotic to window shop. I decide to hit the food court and pick out the next place to eat at. All the stores were closed except the 3 American fast food places that serve breakfast. So as I stroll I came across what has now become a normal scene, a man sleeping. It seems that this man got up and came to a mall to eat at Burger King and more importantly; to take a nap!! Asian’s are taking naps all the time! I wonder if they’re wired differently. Like if they sit still for more than 5 minutes their body shuts down. What would possess a person to get up out of bed only to fall asleep again at a fast food joint??

I believe I may have some insight however I need another pic to help tell the story, so to be continued...
Another strange thing for us but not for Singapore is the “helpers;” essentially another name for a maid or a nanny or cook. Pretty much someone who will help you with whatever you need done. As we leave in the morning I will see 2 or 3 helpers washing cars. (side note: your car can only be like 4 years old and then you have to get a new one. For real NO ONE has an old car. I imagine the government thinks it bad, so it’s not allowed.) You cannot drive a dirty car! Having the helper clean your car does not seem that weird, except that they clean them every morning! I suppose your car can get really dirty driving across an island?? But it can’t get all that dirty from the parking lot because there are people cleaning those as well! I have watched helpers sweep the driveway and even the road right in front of the house, but this was a new one for me as I left the house to go to school one day! My rent helps to pay for this man to sweep the parking lot by hand every morning! Not like there’s a whole lot to sweep since it gets done every day, but it’s his duty and so here he is sweeping the parking lot.

Maybe it’s me. Maybe flying at 30,000 feet for 24 hours affected my brain and these are normal things.

Unwritten Rule #2

2009-08-17T09:10:00.000-04:00

So when you go to the grocery store and buy your produce you go to the check out and they can ring you up using a code and placing the food on the scanner that doubles as a scale. Not so in Singapore! Your produce needs to be weight and priced in the produce department. Clearly I do not know exactly where this is and when I asked the cashier after she returned from getting my items priced all she could say was “in produce.” So the next time I shop I have got to pay attention for a weighting station so I'm not the stupid American holding up the line!!

Unwritten Rule #1

2009-08-08T21:51:00.003-04:00

So the primary mode of transporation for us is a bus. Pretty much what you would expect in a city bus. Well not NY City bus, cause Singapore is much cleaner. Some are extra long w this crazy area in the middle where the two connect. The newer ones are double deckers! Noah loves to go upstairs to sit and see the city. Well he loves to go upstairs, I don't know about the seeing the city thing!
So the buses have two doors; very front (by the driver) and one half way back (the extra longs have a third door way in the back!) The other fact you need to know is that you can use cash to ride the bus but 95% of the people us an EZ Link card. It's the size of a credit card and you add a prepaid amount to them to pay for your rides thru town. At the doors there are readers for the cards. So you hold your card to a pad and it "reads" it and beeps to give you the ok when you enter and exit the bus.
Maybe our second day in Singapore and we are waiting for the bus. It pulls up and we happen to be at the back door. The doors open and we enter and try to get the pad to read our cards but they don't seen to want to work and then we notice the bus driver shouting at us and pointing to the front readers.
Unwritten Rule #1 - You must enter the bus at the driver and exit the bus at the rear. Can not simply enter or exit at whichever door is your convenience!
Ignorant Americans!

experiencing Singapore life 1st hand

2009-08-07T21:26:00.002-04:00

this week i get to share an experience that will show what living in Singapore is really like. in order to get around on the buses and trains you need an EZ pass card. when we arrived, the school provided all 3 of us with cards, but after a week our cards were getting low on funds. as such i had to figure out how to put more money on them. so around 7pm i headed out to catch a bus to the nearest train (MRT) station. very uneventful. once i got to the station i found the card balance machine and checked the balances on our cards (the 3 from the school and 6 from the Rogersons - thanks Donna). after getting the balances i had 3 things to get accomplished; 1) get the balance on the old cards transferred to one of our cards, 2) top up (add money to) our cards, and 3) figure out how to get noah a kid's card so he could travel much cheaper. with that in mind, i headed to the nearest counter. i asked the guy at the counter if i could transfer the balances to one card and his answer - "not at this location." i would have to take the train to a different station. ok then, "can i add some money to these cards." the guy told me the only way to add money to EZ pass cards at this station was using a credit card. strike 2. figuring i would go 0 for 3 if i asked about noah's card i decided to leave that question for later. i boarded the train and headed to the next station.

upon my arrival at the next stop (only 5 minutes) i headed to the ticket area. my first stop was going to be at the balance machine - carrying 9 cards makes it somewhat difficult to keep up with which ones have money and which ones don't. surprise, this station didn't have card balance readers. so i hesitantly headed to the ticket window to inquire and about transferring money. again a no go at this window, but thankfully all i had to do was walk across the station to the other ticket window. success - i was able to combine all the old cards into 1 new one. now lets see if i can go 2 for 2. can i top up my other cards here. rejection - NOT at this station. guess where i was told to go to get money on my cards - the previous station. trying to remain optimistic i asked about noah's card and found out that had i brought his passport i could have bought his card. so the lady gave me a form to fill out. once i have the passport info entered i can go back to the station and get noah a card. to be honest this stop was pretty successful by singaporean standards.

now back to the original stop - i had to go back to this stop anyway to get home. upon arrival i headed back to the ticket area and found someone new to talk with. i asked if i could top up my cards and her response - "only with cash at this window." i handed over my cash and cards and having accomplished 2 and a half of my objectives i called it a night and caught my bus home. as i rode the bus i realized that it had taken me almost 2 hours and about $3 for me to accomplish what should (still basing things off of american standards) have taken about $0.20 and 15 minutes.

this is how most things work here. i am quickly learning that nothing is easy to do. ordering food (post to be coming soon), getting to new places by bus, shopping, etc...it all takes patience and understanding - something neither holly or i was overly gifted with yet we are doing OK. it makes every day a new adventure.

enjoying the ride

some singapore sights

2009-08-07T21:11:00.003-04:00

So this week we went on a bus tour of the city and i was about to get some pictures of the touristy things. I hope to start posting some pics of "real" life soon.

me and noah waiting to catch the bus

school - where we spend most of our time

holly and noah at the hawker stand - these local food stands are all over the island and are where we eat out most of the time

this is the tallest hotel in the world

city skyline from the Singapore river

parliment

holly needed a drink

a touch of america

local chop houses - over 100 years old

Our first week in Singapore from Holly’s perceptive:

2009-08-05T18:21:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! This has been quite a week. For starters as Steve mentioned the plane ride was not as bad as expected. (Setting your expectations low goes a long way!) No surprise that the food was barely edible and I was disappointed that the movie selection was weak. I guess that’s why I don’t go to the movie theatres much anymore. Noah and I were able to sleep lots on the plane. I learned that those neck pillows really work! I took the one I had thinking it was smaller than a normal pillow but wow, no neck pain!! Get one of these! We get “settled” in for the night at the elementary principals flat and manage to sleep from 2am to 6am.
As I walk thru the kitchen on our first morning I am hit with an odor. “What is that smell?” It seems that breakfast food is really an American thing and eating garlic, onions and all the other asian spices first thing in the morning is a great way to start the day!! Yikes! I believe they do recognize that what they are eating is stinky because the incense will follow shortly!
We had medical exams. Since we’re poor for Singapore standards we are probably carrying some sickness so we have to be checked out! A side note on government health care. In Singapore they are much more efficient than the US health care system. The price you pay for that efficiency is a lack of privacy! You pretty much go from one line to the next and the people behind you will know all about your business cause the dr will repeat everything at an elevated voice and with a thick accent.
I realize now I was running on adrenaline the first day; because the second day (Friday) I (really all of us) hit a brick wall. Steve and I viewed a few apartments our first day and the realtor and owner made out the commute to school would be a nice 20 minute train ride. Being warned that commute times are not what they seem we decide to venture into the city on our own to time the trek! We proceed to get off a bus stop to early. Not a big deal we’ll walk. But when we get the train station Steve and I might have made the evening news! Nothing incredible dramatic except for the fact the we are the foreigners and Steve and I are yelling at each other over where we are suppose to go! Now that I think about it, I bet we actually fit right in! When you think of Asians, don’t you picture two people who appear to be yelling at each other all the time; but that’s just the way they talk.
We have looked at a lot of places. The stories there we do not have enough time for! But I do believe we have chosen a place. It’s more than we wanted to spend but have realized that Noah’s little legs do not carry him as fast as we would like, so morning commutes are taking us longer. We have decided on a 3 bedroom condo 2 – 3 bus stops from the school. Because it’s a condo and not a HDB (gov’t subsided apartment) we get an amenities center including a large pool and the unit has aircons (essentially window type AC units) in all the rooms (well not in the kitchen or the bath rooms).
Another difference is in a condo you cannot hang your clothes out to dry. On the HDB’s you will see poles coming off the units with people’s laundry hanging to dry. One of our first days days the number one reason why I would not want to hang my clothes out on a pole was brought to life. We were walking back to our home and had to step around a pair of ladies undies!!! So do you go after them or are they a lost cause because you don’t want someone to know those were yours??
For today I’ll end here! We will take more pics of the city and other oddities!!!!

Our first post as Strangers in Singapore

2009-07-31T21:09:00.001-04:00

We made it. We arrived in Singapore at 11:30pm on Wednesday night after 26 hours of airports and plan rides. As for the flights, they were not bad at all. We bought economy tix, but we received a blessing (this was a great reminder that God is in the little things) on the Dulles to Tokyo (13 hour) leg as we were reassigned to economy plus which meant I had 5 extra inches of foot room. Let me tell you, those extra 5 inches really make a difference to someone who is over 6 feet tall. It was so awesome that I paid to upgrade our Tokyo to Singapore tix to economy plus.

Upon arrival we were given one of the teacher’s “flats” to use as our home while we search for an place to call home. Let’s just say this “flat” is cozy. Very small and simple, but I am grateful to have somewhere to stay while we look for a place to call our own. It is nice to know we can spend our time really looking at different places so we can find the place that fits us best. So far we have checked out 7 places and they have been all over the spectrum. Two are really nice but one of them is about a 40 minute commute and the other is kinda pricey. The rest are fixer uppers (some are expensive, some not so much). The problem is everything is a rental so a fixer upper means someone else is going to benefit from my hard work and money. The best part of the searching happened tonight as we walked through the 2^nd “flat,” where we discovered a squatty potty (see picture on right). Even our Singapore realtor was taken back by this. I really want the last “flat” we viewed tonight, but the cost is just outside of what we budgeted so we are going to have to negotiate with the landlord – hopefully we can come to an accord in this matter. Something to be in prayer about.

In addition to house searching, we are battling some major jetlag. We have been here a little more than 48 hours and jetlag is kicking Holly and Noah’s booties. I have traveled enough and have enough sleep problems that I am pretty good at adjusting to the new time zone. The same cannot be said for Holly and Noah however. Noah’s poor little body is trying hard to sleep on American time which means he is begging to take naps and once he is out, there is no waking him. Yesterday we made him cry by refusing him sleep (no we aren’t bad parents, forcing him to sleep according to Singapore hours is the only way to combat jetlag). Finally we had to give him a shower and then we went to the playground, which woke him up for at least a couple of hours. All the while, Holly was dozing off but I am proud of her, because she managed not to take a nap today, which helped her sleep tonight. The problem is Noah is still waking up several times a night so our sleep is interrupted. I am praying that God will give Holly and Noah a great night’s rest tonight which will help renew them for tomorrow.

I had some pictures to post of Noah playing on the playground, riding his first train, him and Holly dozing off and such, but I had a slight situation this evening and I ended up deleting the pictures. It appears that when we took Noah to the playground we double locked our door. This means that we activated the deadbolt twice (I know it doesn’t make since, but the dead bolt locks as you turn the key, but if you keep turning the key, the lock will lock one more time). Anyway, I was trying to get in and I was convinced that the slide lock has somehow locked when we shut the door. As a result I had to pry the window open and slide the camera in to get a picture so I could see what was going on. Of course the slide bolt was not locked and I was left scratching my head. To make matters worse, the realtor was coming to pick us up. All this was really trying my patience (being tired really didn’t help), but I walked away, took a breath, and asked God for some help. When I went back to the door, I turned the key and I noticed that it would keep turning. And tada it opened, crisis adverted.

As I close this posting, I was finally able to rig the portable DVD player up to the TV and power outlet so we can watch TV and use the computer as a computer. It is amazing how when you live in a foreign culture you are thankful for the small things. It is really helping me to be thankful for all that God provides.

Strangers

Singapore update coming soon

2009-07-31T10:06:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know we are in Singapore. I will be posing some information tomorrow along with some pictures, if I can manage not to delete them again.

thanks for your prayers and support as we begin our ministry here in Singapore. Talk with you soon.

It is time to say good-bye

2009-07-27T10:08:00.003-04:00

I can't believe we are actually moving to Singapore tomorrow. Just think, 5 months ago, becoming missionaries was just something I was thinking about doing. Now it is a reality. Time has flown by and July has been a very hectic month between finishing up at work, packing up the house, trying to say good-bye to everyone, and packing our lives into 7 suitcases. I knew this process was going to be difficult, but it has almost been overwhelming at times. But finally the leaving stage is coming to an end. Tomorrow morning at 10:08am we board our plane at RDU and begin our 26 hour journey to Singapore.

Now we are going to enter the transition stage. The next few months are going to be filled new experiences - new living conditions, not having a car, new jobs, not having family close by, having to make new friends, etc... The question we have to answer is what attitude to we take with us. Do we go expecting to have all of our needs taken care of, or do we go as empty vessels who will allow God to move and work. My deepest desire is that Holly and I arrive in Singapore empty, that we leave all of our perceived needs, wants and expectations at RDU. I don't want our wants and desires to get in the way of what God is going to show us and do for us. We aren't taking America to Singapore, our hope is that while we will be strangers in Singapore, it can become home for us. Because we won't be able to accomplish anything for God if we are constantly worrying about having our expectations meet. Please pray that we go empty.

As I am typing this I have come to the realization that I am optimistic about becoming missionaries. I can't believe I just said that. Those of you who know me, know that "optimistic" is not an adjective which describes me. But I am very optimistic about this move and opportunity. I have no doubt that we are going to have an awesome experience in our new ministry because I know that God is in this. I know our transition will be difficult at times (see I am still a pessimist at heart) but these difficulties are going to make us stronger and if we allow them to, they will draw us closer together as a family and with God. So for the first time in a long time I can actually say "bring own the challenge."

I wish we could take some of you with us, but this is our calling not yours. As such we must say good-bye for now. Don't be sad, and please don't forget about us. We will need your prayers and your encouragement, so please keep in touch. We leave for Singapore on Tuesday morning at 10:08am and will land 26 hours later at 12am Thursday morning (Singapore time). This will be my last stateside blog. I don't know when we will have access to the internet again (one of the many things we have to get setup after we find a home in Singapore) so I don't know when my next post will be, but hopefully it will come from foreign soil sometime in the next week.

Please be praying for us and don't forget that God has called us to be strangers in this world. This is not our home, heaven is so we need to live like it.

- Strangers

PFO is over

2009-07-04T00:16:00.002-04:00

Praise God, we survived our two week pre-field orientation in Mississippi and are back in Richmond. It was an awesome experience and we met some great people who will be heading around the world over the next few weeks. It was truly amazing to spend 12 days with ~180 men and women who, like us, are willing to sacrifice their lives here in the states in order to carry God's love to the corners of the world (South America, Africa, Asia, Europe). But I am glad to be home and looking forward to sleeping in my king size bed tonight.

Over the next 3 weeks many things have to come to completion. My time at Panera will come to an end which I am really sad about because I work with some awesome people. Holly will hopefully have her replacement trained at her job. We have to get all of our stuff put into storage - thanks so much to Daniel and Amanda, and the small bit of our lives that is going with us will be packed into suitcases and rubbermaid tubs. To be honest this is the most excited and scared I have ever been at any point in my 33 years on earth. I have done some amazing and crazy things, but all of that fails to compare to this. But it is a good fear as it is causing me to think more about who God is and how He is working through this opportunity. I am super excited to see what God is going to do in Singapore and in our lives. Please continue to pray for Holly, Noah and me as we try to get everything finalized on our end before we head overseas.

Strangers in the world

2009-06-25T23:34:00.002-04:00

As many of you know, my family has accepted the call to become missionaries to Singapore this fall. As I write this post, we are in Mississippi going through our Pre-Field Orientation which is designed to help us prepare for our move. I really didn't know what to expect from this training and at times I have felt overwhelmed with all the information that has been given. But one concept has run through almost everything we have discussed - Christians have been called to be strangers in the world. This concept is found in Peter's first letter which begins as follows;

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout...who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood..." (1 Peter 1:1-2).

Up until this week, this verse was just another verse in God's Word. By this I mean that it was important but I had not yet allowed it to truly change me. All that has changed over the past few days as I realized that in a little over one month I will be moving my family to a different country. Before we step foot on Singapore soil, we have to get rid of most of our personal possessions whether it is being sold, put in storage, given away or thrown away. We must say goodbye to our family and friends and to the jobs we have come to love. Then we will board a plane and 30 hours later we will arrive in a country where we know nothing or no one. Everything we consider "normal" will be replaced with the wierd, the different and the unknown. And at that moment we will truly be "strangers in the world." We will no longer "fit in" or have our comfort items. Everything that we have come to rely on will be gone, except for us and God and yet I am completely OK with that. Why is that? Because I realize that moving to another country doesn't make me a stranger in the world, my relationship with Christ does. He expects me to be different and to have different values (obedience to His Word) than those who don't know Him. His desire is that people will see that I am different and want to know why. As such I should be just as much a stranger in my own land as I will be in my new land.

My home is in heaven and until I get there I want to be known as a "stranger in the world"