"Let Your Heart Be Broken"

How precious are all children in God’s sight. He loves them so much that He says it would be better if a mill stone be put around a person’s neck than to let that person hurt or abuse a child. When I think of all His love for the children around the world I think how God’s heart must ache to see and hear the sad things that happen to these little innocent ones. There are some sad stories here as well.

                                                                                            

Precious girls selling Limes at the roadside stand at the school

Leading out in song service at worship

First of all, you must remember that we are volunteering in a country known for child traffiking. So very sad, but so very true. One morning after worship (we have worship every morning and evening at 6:00 except Sabbath evenings because there is an afternoon meeting instead called AY - Adventist Youth at 4:00pm), one of the teachers, Thara Da Boo, got up to make an announcement. All such communications to the children is always in Karen, so we checked with one of the teachers that speaks English to find out what was being said. This English speaking teacher, Thara Sub Let, said that they were telling the children that only the ugly little girls should be out by the road to sell the extra limes (with the proceeds going to the school cook Mu Dah for such extras as salt, seasonings, etc). They are worried for the children’s safety, girls and boys, of being taken right here in front of the school and sold into slavery or postitution.      

Eating their meal above the creek

I wondered how it would make those who weren’t so cute feel, if they could sit up by the road side to sell limes because they weren’t cute. There is even a risk if the children walk into Mae Salit, the little village about 5 km away of being picked up. I would think it would be a good place to be a little homely, if that is what you want to call it.

Between where the school is and Meta, the village with the closest hospital, is a dangerous section of road, especially if you are on a motorcycle. Apparently there is a motorcycle pirating group, out to steal motorcycles from people. If you happen to be along that stretch of the road, on a motorcycle, just pray for protection, that you will not be shot at or scared off your bike. Being white is definitley not any safer, if anything we have been told, it could be used to bring in more money if they kidnapped one of us to use for a ransom to get money. I am not sure what people group this would be that would do that, but I think it is those against Christians.

The little boy on the far left found his mother in the jungle

Back to the children. There is a little boy here who went into the jungle to look for his mother who had not returned home after being gone for sometime. He found her, but he did not find her alive. It has affected him, mentally ever since, as I can sure understand why. Many of these children have seen loved ones die or be killed right around them. They know what it is like to flee for their lives. They know what it is like to not be wanted. 

Sometimes it is very hard to know who to trust too. There was an article in the Bangkok newspaper recently about a nice, I believe American man who had a very good, kind reputation who ran some children’s homes. Well, he got caught. He had been “selling” young, 4-5-6 year olds, girls and boys. He had a place where he kept them seperate from the other children. What a sad, sick world we live in and the worst of it is the innocent ones are the ones that suffer. 

Jaw Day Paw is in the front on the far right

There is a little girl here that I have mentioned before in a previous blog, named Jaw Day Paw, (but I actually found out I spelled her name wrong, but so to keep things consistant for reference I will continue to mispell her name for you). While I was registering her, it is obvious that she is very poor. Ripped, torn skirt, stained shirt, and she stated she only has the one set of clothing, but when asked what she needs (we ask every child what things they are needing ie. toothbrush/tooth paste, soap, Karen clothing, uniform, Sabbath clothes, warm jacket, more blankets or mats etc.), she said she was content, she needed nothing more. Wow, how many of us would be content with what we have when we have so much? And here she is with so little! Well, in the process of the registration it came up that her father had died in the last several months and we didn’t even know! Life is so hard for them, they must just, go forward and not look back as looking back would be to painful. Looking back would not change anything so the only direction is to look forward and keep moving on. 

Mu Dah

The cook for the school, Mu Dah, has had a rough life. In brief and because I do not know all the details I will share what I understand. She was stolen from her family when quite small and taken to Bangkok, not to go into the prostution scene, but to be used as a domestic slave. As she grew older she was forced to work in a restrurant giving all her pay to her owners. Eventually she married, but she wanted to go home, back to her roots and escape her life of slavery and the city. Her husband did not want to go with her, so she took her small child and walked from Bangkok to the area where Sunshine Orchard Children’s Home and Learning Center is located, to home. That is a long walk. She did not have Thai papers, she was not her own person, being able to freely go whereever she wanted to go. So she did the only thing she knew to do. Escape and walk home. Although she is Baptist, she attends worships as she can morning and evening. She also presented one of the Truth 4 Youth presentations and did a good job.

Eda Say with her baby-what is her story?

There are so many stories of so many children, staff and teachers. I do not know but a fraction of them, but I long to know more to share about this people group so others can know.The more people that know the more people can pray. The more prayers there are the more awareness, support and involvment on many different levels will be happening. Oh, friend, please keep these dear people in your prayers, like my favorite hymn says - #575, “Let Your Heart Be Broken” - Give and give again. 

Public Transportation!

One of several types of Tuk Tuk's

Being here in Thailand without personal transportation has been challenging at times but interesting all the time! As I have mentioned before there are various types and modes of transportation that one can pick from in most situations. In the larger cities you have the most options of course, with the bicycle rickshaw’s, Tuk Tuk’s, Taxi’s, Song Tau’s, city buses, cross country buses and trains. In Mae Salit we have Song Tau’s going by approximately every 1/2 hour and you can use them to get all the way to Mae Sot to Mae Saring if you needed them too. You may be traveling with not only lots of other people but maybe a pig or two, maybe a chicken tucked under someones arm or lots of bags of produce or whatever needs hauling from point A to point B for the people in the area.

Different colors of Song Tau's means a different route

I enjoy doing the public transportation very much. It is a way to connect with the people and be one with them. It is so interesting to see how people react to us, how they live, what is important to them, how they are dressed and if there is anyway we can communicate or if we just end up smiling and laughing at our attempts to bridge the gap with each other.

Bus station in Chiang Mai

The front view 

There are obvious drawbacks to public transportation: 1. You are on “their” schedule meaning you end up waiting or running a lot. 2. You go only where they are scheduled or willing to go and maybe not where you need. 3. If you see a perfect “Kodak” moment, you will see it disappear also, most likely. 4. You may see the most interesting market or   store to purchase that needed item, but if you are on a bus it is impossible to stop and continue with your journey without difficulty. If it is one of the smaller modes it is possible to stop, although you will either have to pay a larger amount to keep the, let’s say, Tuk Tuk driver waiting for you or hope you are not so far out of the main thourough fares that eventually another one will come along before to long of a wait. In our area you know you will most likely have at least another 1/2 hour wait for another Song Tau or more. And, 5. If you are riding in anything other than an air conditioned bus, it is hot, windy and maybe crowded.

The inside of one of many styles of buses-this was a single level one

Laren and Davis sitting together on a City bus - much slower, non A/C

A woman selling "spirit" flowers among the stopped cars

Last week we had to do our visa run. We had two options that we knew of: 1. Go to the Immigration Office and pay the 1,900 Baht each and also each one of us would have to show that we had 20.000 Baht to prove we were not working for pay while we were here. We could do this in Mae Sot, which means only 

a 4 hour round trip as far as traveling time is concerned. OR 2. we could get bus tickets head to Mae Sai (it took us 13 hours total travel time with layovers and rest stops to go from home to get to Chiang Rai which is 60 km from Mae Sai, one direction) for 2 - 3 long days of travel and border crossing to get extensions on our visa’s. We thought we had taken care of all this before we ever left. We had gotton 3 month visa’s for each of us, but when we got to the Bangkok airport they were scratched out leaving us short the time we needed by 10 days!). We have been told by numerous people that it is much cheaper to use US money ($10 each) and supposedly, we do not have to show any proof of Baht in hand. We found out that that was true! We opted for the what seems much more laborious and time consuming option for 2 reasons: 1. We just plain do NOT have 20,000 Baht each to show them that we are not working. Period. And 2. This way we were able to meet our new school principal at the Chiang Mai airport and introduce him to the bus system when we went back to the school together on that Friday.

Spiders & Other Interesting Creatures

When we first got to the orphanage/learning center I was a bit nervous about walking from our hut, say, up to Adams home, or to the outhouses. It was all new, and I knew there were such things as snakes, spiders, scorpions or other miscellanious and unfamilar creatures. I knew I really didn’t have to worry about anything like wild boars or even monkey's, as they are not around this area anymore. There are evidences of tigers though. One of the volunteers while hiking around in the area heard a tiger and there have been tiger tracks seen on the other side of the Moei River. Tigers like the water and to swim so we know they are in our area. We did finally get to see an elephant walking down the road and right past the entrance to the Adam's house. That was exciting! But so many of the animals, big or small, here have been hunted till there are very few if any around (there still are rats around, which the people hunt and eat them. They make a rat paste that they eat with their rice or they will place them on a stick like a Big Frank and roast them!). This hunting supplements what these poor people have to eat. I know many people that live here aren’t poor and yet they still eat these creatures but many of the people around where we are, eat these unclean creatures (rats, snakes, beetles, larvae, etc), and enjoy them! 

Patiently waiting by the footpath for the next insect 

But back to my walking around at night. The very first night we were here, I needed to go up to ask a question, so I grabbed by head lamp, put it on and cautiously headed up the steep path to the Adams home. On my way up, I saw a large toad sitting quietly by the trail. It never moved, just sat hoping I would not see it, for fear I was a toad eating human being, (he didn’t have any worries). On my way back down to my hut, in about the same area as the toad had been was a spider which was large in circumfrance, but skinny in body and leg thickness but looked like a tarantula. It was exciting, and fortuantely, neither toads or spiders scare or bother me.

One of MANY spiders with the beautiful eyes!

One evening Davis came into our hut after evening worship and asked, what were all those shiny things on the ground at night? Lexi promptly answered him, telling him that they were all the spiders that come out at night. And she was right! Those spiders have the most beautiful eyes! They sparkle just like little blue or white diamonds! I was walking around with someone one evening and I was commenting on all the beautiful "sparkles" and asked this other person if they could see them. They answered that they didn't see anything like I was describing. I gave them my head lamp to put on to see if that would help them to "see" them better. There was a gasp and a quick return of my headlamp. They did NOT want to see all those eyes or even know that they were there. I guess they didn't see them as beautiful like I did. Different perspectives I guess.

One evening after a very long, busy, hot day when I never had a chance to get down to take my “creek” (it isn’t a shower, or a bath), until it was very dark after worship. The nights are warming up as we near the wet season so although I didn’t get in the water, which still would have been cold, I did take a creek side wash. All along the way to and from were those beautiful glittering “diamonds”. 

One of the small, poisonous kind of spiders that are found here

There are poisnous spiders here too, very amazing. The ones that have points all over their backs. Miles has seen two of them so far. He says they are pretty neat lookng. He took one picture of them, but unfortunately it came out blurry. I will see how bad it is and see if it is worth showing you or not. He showed me a different kind that was in one of the lime trees between our hut and his, just hanging out along the path. I had walked that path many times as that is the way I go to get to worship every morning and evening, but I never saw it! I do not know how poisonous is poisonous about these spiders, but I do know I had walked past that spider by inches for many weeks and never knew it was there. How many other times has there been something potentially dangerous that God has kept me or my family safe from or you. Only when we get to heaven will we have that answer!

A brown scorpion commonly found here on the border

Another member of the arachnid family are scorpions! One night as I was needing to use the outhouse (as I frequently do), I headed over to the 6 block cell of them and went in one of the 6 options. I try to always check and make sure there is plenty of water in the container to be able to flush the squat toilet when I am done before I use the toilet. As I was looking in the direction of the container, there on the wall was a 1 1/2" - 2" brown scorpion. The brown scorpion's give a bad sting something like a Bald Faced Hornet (if you have been stung by them you know how painful they can be), but it is not deadly. There are black scorpions that are much more poisonous and deadly but I never did see one of those.

Beautiful but poisonous

One day, I was trying to find a good cell phone signal so I could call my dad, (“Hi, Daddy!”).  But no matter where I moved to, before I could ever get the call through, the bars on the phone would decrease and disappear altogether! Never was able to reach him that day. But while I was “hunting” for just the right spot. I saw this very interesting catapillar on a plant near the rock by Adams home. Lena was also trying to call someone and saw it. She told me it was a poisionous kind of caterpillar that causes a person to break out in bad hives all over their body and other issues. Not long after I saw this very attractive, white catapillar Miles told me a little girl from one of the local villages came to get treated from touching one of these catapillars. She was in a lot of pain and her hand was extremely swollen. She had come in for treatment 2-3 days after it had happened. Since we didn’t want that to happen to anyone here at the school, it was put in the fire, don’t worry we didn’t eat him!

So many interesting creatures that God created! They aren’t still as beautiful and safe as they once were, but they are so very interesting to look at. It would be fun to study each of them and their habits but we certainly don’t have time for that.

I am so thankful God doesn’t shudder or shriek when he sees us and what we do or don’t do. He isn’t disgusted or even thinking we are untouchable at all. He loves us so, even with our weak, sinful natures. He sees us as the "diamonds" He died for! With all our wicked ways, I could easily see how he could think of us as terrible spiders, like some people think of spiders but He never does! We serve such an amazing and patient God, longing for us to have that relationship with Him He longs for, but never impatient or forceful. What a blessing it is to be loved no matter who we are or what we look like or even what we have done. It just makes me fall more in love with Him doesn't you?!

                                                   

Mortars!

Today for the first time since arriving in Thailand I was afraid. The house was rather chaotic with many things going on: we had a visiting dentist who lives 7 months in Cambodia and 5 months in Sweden, who came to donate her time checking all the children’s teeth. What a blessing. Many teeth were pulled, cleaned and filled. Because of the dentist was set-up on the porch part of the children were waiting in the house for their turn, that was noisy. There were several of us in the kitchen preparing lunch and we were noisy. 

Moa Wah, Ju Ju, Saw Que Lay & Nihgeh

The babies; Ju Ju (18 months), Nihgeh (18 months), Moa Wah (3 y/o) and Saw Que Lay (5 y/o), were playing and they were noisy. Will was outside working on the table project he has been working on right outside the kitchen windows and running the skill saw he was noisy. But above all the noise that was being produced at the house, a much louder noise began to be heard...loud land mines! 

Not only were the land mines going off in a sickening way, but then the big guns... missles, started going off. Instantly, most of the children disappeared to go pack and get ready to flee if necessary. That is what they always had to do while living in Burma, when the eneny came in, they ran for their lives. The only thing that was really heard after the fighting started just across the river was Ju Ju screaming, with her little chin just quivering in fear. I picked her up and held her to my chest snuggly, giving her some warm security which instantly calmed her. The loud, big guns only fired for about 10 minutes or so, not long, but long enough for me to know I didn’t want it any closer to home. Even as it was, it was uncomfortably close. The teachers had the students all go down to the school which has more protection than were the Adams house sits, since it is up above the school with only a slight hill hiding it from the direction the gun fire was happening. All this was happening on a mountain that we can plainly see.  

I have never been so close to a battle before. It is very sobering, especially when you realize people are getting killed while you are listening. Apparently, from what we have heard in the last week several different soilders not sure about others, have been killed by land mines and possibly gun fire. There is a battle raging and both sides are wanting to win, even though many will die in the process. This battle is for keeps and there is no mercy for those who run to slow or are in the wrong place and the wrong time.

How similar this situation is to the battle that is going on right now for our souls. It is also for keeps. Satan will do anything to keep us out of heaven and out of a relationship with Jesus and Jesus will do anything to protect us so if we choose to serve and love Him that we will not be left standing outside those heavenly gates. 

Getting Sick

Amazingly, I have done really well, as far as staying well during our time here in Thailand. I was ill and down for 1/2 a day with a fever and cough, but was then able to carry on with the various tasks I needed to do even though I still had a cough for a week or so. But now when I need my voice more than at any other time, I am loosing it! I began feeling a sore throat a couple days ago and began treating it with all the arsonal of fighting herbs we brought with us, but unfortunately, I’m afraid I’m loosing the battle. This coming Sabbath evening I am scheduled to present the Truth 4 Youth talk on Health and had some ideas on some different demo’s and ways of helping the young people catch the importance of wanting to live as Daniel did. Also, I was asked to be the narrator for the promotional DVD that is being filmed this week here at Sunshine Orchard to help bring awareness on the critical need we have in raising funds. 

These funds are the money needed to pay the first 1/2 of the total sum which would allow us to actually occupy the property we have been praying about across the road from the already owned 6 acre piece. Once we can occupy we can begin to building and complete the various projects that need to be completed before the new year begins. This new year will be quite different from previous years with the beginning implementation of the vocational training program and all that that will entail. The deadline for this first 1/2 of the total is due next month! We believe God will supply as he has promised in II Corinthians 9:8, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” NLT

Will, teaching Chai Htoo in word working

So why am I getting sick right at this very time when I need my voice more than ever? Maybe the young man who is volunteering here for the past 2 months who is very health conscious, is better suited to present since he is still a “youth”, where I am only a youth want to be. I have always loved to work on helping myself and my family be healthier, and I love teaching it is so much fun to help people understand something they never understood before. But I am not young anymore, younger ones will probably have more influence over what is presented then someone my age! I know there are others who can narrate the DVD. I was very excited to be able to do something behind the scenes and yet be a blessing, but I’m not that good with words so others who are better can take it and make it more descriptive. So I have had to give both of these looked forward to things to the Lord and know that if I broke health principles in any way that illness is only a consquence. If it is because I have gotten overly tired then it is time for me to rest so I can get well. All in all, I am hoping that I don’t start feeling really bad, but that I will just have a softer voice for awhile.

I had just recently begun to make a habit of drinking much more water than what I had previously and to walk every morning after morning worship. Miles goes with me at times which I really enjoy, as it gives us a chance to connect and talk. Even though we live just a few huts apart, we see very little of each other with our busy schedules. But if Miles can’t go I usually just go myself. I try to walk to the next little village north of us Mae Salit Noi, a bamboo village on the Thai side of the border river. I don’t always make it that far though. 

Girls waiting for their tea

One would think that since I am drinking more water and walking consistanlty that I would be healthier, but I have been taking care of many sick little girls every morning and night. The Nafie girls gather these little coughing ones and brings them to the Adams house where I have been making various blends of herbal teas to which I add, lime juice (we are located in a lime orchard so no shortage of limes), fresh garlic and vitamin C powder. First one of us distributes a few pills, such as garlic, grape fruit seed extract and olive leaf. Then they are given their tea which we water down a bit to get more water into them (the Karen do not like to drink water. Some beileve that it is unhealthy and even bad for them.), then someone gives them a drop of Oil of Oreganol  and finally they get 1/2 a dropper of children’s echinacha/golden seal. We have already run out of the vitamin C tablets that we brought, but I’ve been filling in with vitamin C powder we brought along. I hope we have enough to get these 15 or 16 little girls well and sleeping through the night again before we run out of what we are using and before we leave. 

Jennison giving Jaw Day Paw Oil of Organo Drops

I think the girls think it is quite an adventure drinking all this bitter herbs and taking all these strange “medicines”, but they do it and seem to find it overall quite amusing. I really appreciate Marianne and Jennison bringing them up morning and night and helping to dispense what we give them. Lexi helps each time too, and Laren and Anna have both helped at times to squeeze the limes. Josiah and Davis go lime hunting as we need to resupply. It takes quite a team to keep these little ones well or return them to health. It is such a joy to be a part of this work. I am really hoping to take care of my ankle issue and see how God leads us in the future. There is so much work to do throughout the world, lonely people, sick ones, anxious ones, fatherless children, divorced children, etc, etc. I know many love vists, encouragment, to be prayed with or just knowing they have someone they can call on. It doesn’t matter where God has us just that we are faithful where we are. 

Hope you are staying healthy where you are and that you are a warm spot of encouragement and cheer to those around you where ever you are and wherever you go. 

The Garden

The gardeners hut is barely seen on the L of picture

How the garden looked after the first weeks of "gardening"

I think if I had time exposure on the garden we would be able to literally "see" the garden growing! It is looking so beautiful and expanding so quickly! A beautiful miracle from God in deed.

The garden at the end of January

There are actually two parts to the garden right now. One garden is on the South side of the school and the other, larger garden is to the North-NE. It is this second garden that is growing so quickly and that is only because it is in a location that there is space to expand....well, let me explain. 

We have outgrown the 6 acre piece that Paul and Lena bought with the last of their retirement money over a year ago now. It has been a spot where they have been able to build the girls and boys dorms, bathrooms, learning center, teacher and staff housing and where the chapel building was already located; in and among the lime trees in the orchard. Not an ideal situation, but it has worked and allowed the children to have a home where it is fairly safe, much safer than where they were, for sure. 

Looking at the Gardeners hut across part of the garden

As they have outgrown their space, they needed somewhere to start the gardens and to place some of the volunteer housing. They talked with a man from the forest service and found out that if they paid a fee, they would be allowed to use some of the forest service land. Kind of like a lease, but I am unsure if there was any time limit established during this transaction. So in order to begin the gardens that is needed to help, not only to feed the children, but also to give the children a good way to have healthy practical physical recreation, land or space was needed. 

Laren and the Gardener

Watering with watering cans

Before we arrived the gardener, a quiet older man, began making beds 

and planting the garden in this mentioned location. Once we came, Laren met with those at the school that are especially interested in gardening made some plans on expanding, composting, mulching and what seeds to start planting. Then the garden really took 

off! Every morning from 7:00am - 8:00am and then from 3:00pm-4:00pm, (There is also a watering team that goes out from 

Some of the little boys doing their part with the watering!

12:00-1:00pm to water again as we are in the dry season right now). The children are out there clearing land, watering with watering cans, hoeing, harvesting and composting the garden.  It goes so quickly with so many willing and eager hands helping to make it happen. If you were to walk along the creek from the Adams house to the foot bridge, you would hear laughing, singing, talking and hoes or rakes in all different degrees of volume. 

Water gourd w/plants benefitting underneath

Some of the things that have been planted are: water gourd (they eat the gourd when it is mature plus the greens now), morning glory, several kinds of water melon, several kinds of musk melon and banana melon, tomatoes, yard long beans, radish, mustard greens, pumpkin (but we would call it winter squash), eggplant and basil. They are also preparing a place for papaya trees and a banana grove. To bad we couldn't be here until each of these will be harvested. But some plant and some harvest; guess we are the planters in more than one sense.

The new water lines

After the "fee" had been paid, it was found out that this "fee" probably was nothing more than a bribe. It makes our stomach sink, just thinking about it. So we are using this land that a forest service man said we could use, but really the three little huts that have been built on it should not have been built there. Despite all the land issues, the garden in this area is growing wonderfully!

There are water lines being laid to bring water from farther up the mountain down to the garden for easier watering ability and better pressure. The compost has been brought in by the 50# sized bags by the hundreds with the willing muscles of the big boys, who collect it, bag it, and then haul it to the truck and from the truck to the garden, Miles, Laren and some of the teachers of the school. It is a 

Cleaning the picked greens for the cook

Water buffalo compost waiting to be added to the garden

dirty job, but to build up the soil it must be done. Trellis's have been built for the gourds and tomato garden areas. Bamboo poles have been placed for the beans and taking advantage of the shade that the 

water gourd relies provides plants have been planted underneath the canopy it provides. Good honest work that makes a healthy, beautiful garden, but it isn't land we can use like we would like, but such a blessing as we wait for God's 

timing on the property across the road from where the gardens are located currently.

Many hands make lighter work!

We are looking forward to doing all this again on Sunshine Orchard's legally owned land that needs to be purchased as soon as possible. Please keep this specific prayer request in mind as you bring your praises and burdens to the Lord. I recently updated a previous blog about 

the property that the down payment has been put on. Please refer to it for more info and to see the pictures that speak much better than my words. 

Our school cook Mu Dah is using these greens daily now!

Proverbs 22:9 “Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.” There are poor people all over this planet, and these are some of them that are not only poor in this world's goods but do not even have a safe place to live without fear of stepping on a land mine or 

being destroyed by those that hate them. Please 

pass on any of these blogs to anyone you think would like to have a part in purchasing this land and praying about it. Thank you and may the Lord bless you as you serve Him.

What To Do About Rats?

The front view of our "home", here at Sunshine Orchard

As you can imagine those of us that live in the little bamboo huts have other creatures that would like to call it home such as geckos, lizards, termites, spiders, rats and the occasional snake or scorpion. I do not believe God intended us to live with these creatures after sin like this. Studies even show the dangers and risks of contracting diseases when rats, dogs and cats live inside of our homes. Although we use to have a dog and 2 cats inside our home, after finding out Miles was very asthmatic and that having pets inside was contibuting to the problem, we gave our cat away to another family who loved her and who wanted her inside, and we had lost our inside dog several years earlier and decided to not start that over again. Miles’ lungs greatly improved without the cat dander around, although we still had cats outside, that didn’t bother him. Well, none of us like menagerie of living things that comes uninvited into our hut. We haven’t known of a snake or scorpion to come in yet which I am very grateful, but we do have at least 2 rats that frequently come in, yuk!  

Thurston & Eugene dreaming of catching the big rat!

I have known people that are petrified of mice/rats, going into screaming extremes from fear. I’m not that way, I’m just not a screamer, but I do NOT like mice or rats in my house. In fact, trying to get rid of them is a goal of mine. Some missionaries who just recently left Thailand gave their 2 cats to the Adams since they could not take them back to America with them. We didn’t want to poison the rats because of the cats. Paul said he would get some live traps, but they have been gone and unable to obtain them yet. I thought, what is better rats or cats. Well, I definitely vote for cats. So Laren went up and “kidnapped” one of the cats (not sure if it was Thurston or Eugene), and brought him down to our hut. He was as happy as could be to be here with us. He was purring, wanting to cuddle and sleep with anyone of us. That of course would not work since we are all in our mosquitoe “tents”. How would he get to the rats when they came if he was zipped in? Besides, it wouldn’t be to healthy to cuddle up with him either. 

He stayed down the whole night and all the next day, but after that he would rather go up to the house were he got more attention as more people are always around there than at our place. I don’t think he got either of the rats, but it was comforting having him here even though it was brief. 

Looking out the master bedroom window

One day Laren and Davis came into our hut to do something in the middle of the day. Guess what they found? At the time Davis was getting over his illness and so was still blowing his nose quite frequently, sometimes with quite a little mound of used toilet paper before he would throw it into the trash due to the zipping and unzipping of his tent. Well, one morning he did not take care of his dirty tissues leaving them in his tent. It was that morning that he and Laren came into the hut. There in Davis’ tent was a big, ugly rat which had chewed his way into his tent and now was trapped inside, running around trying to figure out how to get out. He was after those dirty tissues!

Wow! There are a lot of lessons one could learn from this story. The first one is keeping our room, tent, or house clean is very important! Just as it is important to keep ones mind clean from evil thoughts, or unhealthy conversation where the “rats” would come in and chew holes. Or, cats (or put anything here that may be distracting from the most important parts of life for you), are wonderful pets, but do they pull their weight contributing to the overall scheme of things or are they just a “want”, something fun to have around, but an extra? Do I have things in my life that are just “wants, fun, comforting or extra”, that are keeping me from doing what God has for me to do or to believe? Or is that thing, whatever it is just comforting but not made of any real substance? I'm afraid as I begin to really ponder these thoughts, I will find those things that are time consuming, but not life enriching. But that is a good thing; to learn and to grow, even if sometimes painful! God bless as we search out those useless things in our lives for Him.