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Hello All!

I have officially been in America for a little over a month! It seems strange that it has been that long. Time seems to be flying! I have been in my home in Maryland for the last month. It is good to be home! I missed the country side and all the green. I would love it though if it would warm up. I am looking forward to all that spring brings, the flowers, babies, and sunshine.

Easter this year I was able to be with my family. It was so good! We had a great meal! Spent the afternoon and evening playing games and eating food. We even had a Easter basket hunt. (Mom and Dad really like making clues for us!) It was just really good to spend time with family and people who love me.

Time here has been pretty good. There are of course some hard things like missing food and friends. But I really feel at peace being here. I know that this is where God wants me.

During this time I am learning to really rest in the peace of being in Gods will. I am learning to not worry about what I will do in the future or how things will happen. I am amazed to see how God provides for my day to day needs. I love going for walks and freely talking to God. My soul finally feels like it can fly and seek God freely. A resent lesson I learned was that Discontentment is simply saying “God what you have given me is not good enough.” Ouch! The cure to discontentment is simply to give thanks! Thankfulness is a great cure for the heart.

For those of you who read my last update, I would like to tell you just alittle more about Daw. Daw was diagnosed with leukemia when she was just just 2 years old. She had been fighting it for the past 4 years. But this year she finally was able to take a medican that healed her. She is Better! No more treatments! God is soooo good! P'Great (mom) says “Thank you to all who prayed!” She will finally be able to live a normal life!!

As far as my future plans go, I will be moving to Columbus Ohio on may 21^st. I am hopeing to work at the same pizza place I was before. I am thinking about taking come college classes about hospitality management also while I am there. I am looking forward to reconnecting with some of my older friends . I am hoping to return to Thailand in August of 2015 God willing. I invite you to continue walking with me as I fallow God's plan for my life!

Call To Prayer

Hello Friends and Family,

I am writing you to join with me in Prayer for my Thai Host Family. My little Thai sister named Daw has Leukemia. She has had it for the past 3 years. Right now she is being treated, but it is not the best treatment. The Doctors are afraid if they give her the strongest treatment she will go in to shock. The Doctors say that when she is 6 years old she will be able to receive that treatment, but P'Great (her mom) is not sure. Daw is 5 years old right now, but she is still very small for her age and not very strong. This is the first time in P'Great's and her husbands marriage that they had to go into debt. Even though this family has been through so much their generosity never ceases to amaze me. I am always welcome to their home and always leave with a full belly and heart. I invite you to pray for this family. Please know I am not asking for your money, but only for your prayers. Pray That God would provide for this family in unimaginable ways. Pray that little Daw would be healed. May God bless this family for all the ways they have blessed his workers!!!
 

Little Daw!!!

   

The Family

Blessings Abound!

Hello To All In far off lands!
There is so much to tell and so little time, lets start with my departure time.
(Enough with the rhymes, or at least wish to be rhymes.) ;)

My departure from the land of Thais is on March 20 at 1:30 bright and early in the morning. I will leave from here and fly to South Africa. You may be wondering why would I fly to South Africa??? Well I will tell you!!! I have a dear friend living in South Africa now. She invited me to go see her and her husband when I flew back to the USA. Flying the way of South Africa is out of the way and so I said a little "God that would be awesome if I could do this." kind of prayer and emailed my supervisor. I received a response that as long as I covered the extra cost of the ticket I would be possible. A couple days latter I received an email saying what the normal cost of a ticket was and what it was if I went the Africa rout. It was only $275 more!!! Ok so that was awesome! But I was not sure how I would pay for it. But it just so happened that right around that time some people sent me some extra money for Christmas.... Guys it was enough to cover all but $40 of the trip!!! I was stunned!!! But God had more goodness in store... As I was talking to my friend she said Dani me and the hubby want to treat you while you are here. All you need to pay for is anything you want to buy. stunned silence!! Guys I am still shocked... I am going to Africa for $40. Lets Just Give God a big hand in thankfulness!!! To amazing!! He is showing me the fireworks!!

So I will leave Thailand on the 20th and arrive in South Africa. I will leave South Africa on the 24th and arrive in America on the 25th of March. In America I will stay in Columbus for a week of re-entry and processing. Then I will be going home! I am so excited to see you all!

As far as future plans, They are still in process and I will fill you in when I know for sure.

I am Blessed and Highly Favored!
These last months have begun to get crazy. I feel like now that I am leaving soon I am making so many more new friends!
Some really cool news is that my friend Rabbit has shown a little interest in the bible. I have this comic book bible and she read it and asked me questions about it. Before she showed no interest in anything, and now she is trying to learn a little more for knowledge sake. She was telling me that she does not like the Chinese missionaries because they come and try to force her to say things that she did not want to say. She said that I never tried to force anything on her, but showed her by example. Lets keep her in out prayers for this and also for when I leave. It will be very hard on her. We are best friends, she does not have alot of other friends.
 Please also pray for my room mate. She was pretty sad to here that I was leaving. She was telling me that she has no one else to really be open and share with who try to encourage her as well. It is encouraging to see that I am making some differences here.

The situation here in Thailand seems to have quieted down some. They are still protesting. I know that there was a vote but alot of people did not go. My friend said her mom was paid to vote for a certain person. Her mom took the money and did not vote. The corruption seems like it will not end.

Another prayer was answered!! Last week I was able to go with my friend Emmy to her home in Korat. It is around 4 hours away form Bangkok. She had invited me to go before but I had a class that I could not miss. This time I was able to go!! It was great to go into the deep country and be in nature. Ice cold bucket showers and hot lazy afternoons are always nice. I enjoyed hanging out with her family and her. 

Classes here are going well. Finals are coming up at the end of February. I feel pretty good about most of them. For my hotel course I had to have a custom made suite. I got the suit and found out it was too big. Between the time they had taken my measurements and I received the suit I had lost alot of weight due to sickness. haha Now the suite fits like a bag.   

I also ask for prayer as I am preparing to leave. I am feeling pretty worn out. I ask that you would pray for vision for the future and my remaining time here. It is getting increasingly harder to connect with God I feel like. Pray That I would leave the distractions behind and fallow him!!
Thank you all and God bless!!          
  

Thailand Protests 2013 explained

Hey you all! Just a little update one the happenings here. I have many friends that are being affected by these protests. Some of my friend's families have sold rice and after a month have not been able to receive any money. On January 13, 2014 there is to be a big protest. I invite you all to pray for Thailand. May god bring peace and resolution to this situation.  

Hello All!

Wow it is a New Year all ready!

I wanted to share with you all how God worked this holiday season.

Christmas:

For me this year getting in the holiday spirit was next to impossible. I bought a Christmas tree and some decorations hoping it would help. But as I put them up all I could think about was home and how lonely I felt. My Friends tried to cheer me up saying we will do something special. I even thought that I would try to make some rice crispy treats in my room, though I changed my mind on that. (My cooking adventures in my room always end badly.) So I sat my self  down and thought about what I really wanted this year. 

I really anted to be with family. So I prayed and asked God that he would make it possible for me to have Christmas dinner with my Thai family and provide the money for that as well. Needless to say I was not very hopeful. My Thai Family are especially busy and I had no idea where I would ever get the money. 

We had a Christmas party for all our Thai friends the Sunday before Christmas. Lots of people showed up. We had Thai, Chinese, Philippine, Nicaraguan, and American people there. It was a great time of eating, playing games, reading the Christmas story, and being together. At one point I was able to talk to P'Geat (the mom) and ask her if it would work to meet on Christmas. She said she would have the girls miss some extra studing and come. My Heart leaped in the air! One big hurddle was just jumped... now for the next. 

Sitting around waiting to eat!

They got a rabbit!

                                                 

Thing 1 and Thing 2

Food!!!

Christmas tree!!

Not sure wat is going on...but i think it is funny.

Christmas eve morning I was sitting on my bed just looking around my room in thought when I saw all my extra coins I had. I decided to count them up. As I began to count I got more and more excited!!! The axact amount I prayed for was there!!! Wow! God worked it all out! The people could come. I had enough money! I was getting excitied! 

Christmas Eve the team had a small meal togeather. It was alot of fun just hanging out and talking and eating good food. 

 Nicaraguan style Rice and Beans

My Team!

Christmas day came. I had class so I dressed in my uniform and went off. My class was a cooking class so because it was christmas we got to make cookies. I love baking cookies...but these were the worst cookies I have ever made in my life. Even now when I think of them I shudder. They turned out so salty that you had to drink water after eating just one! How that happened I dont know, bacause I fallowed the recipee to a T. Christmas cookie fail. My friend Rabbit decided to try them... and loved them! She just kept eating them... until she got to the 4th cookie and then refused to eat more. hehe 

Chef Dani and the Salty Wonder cookies

Christmas Dinner with family

That evening I left to go meet the family and uncle Sari. The trip was long, hot, and I was beginning to feel like I was car sick. Finally I arrived. Everyone was so happy to see me and so glad that I came to meet them. They said that they felt like I placed importance on them and I think they felt loved. We made our way to the restaurant, ordered and began to eat. Suddenly I am beginning to think that maybe I was not car sick after all. I was in the middle of a conversation when I suddenly said, "I think I am gonna throw up." And sure enough I made it to the bath room with plenty of time to empty my stomach of anything I ate the last 3 days. 

I went back to the table feel much better, but after sitting for a few minutes I knew I needed to get home fast. I felt so bad having to leave in such a rush. The ride home never seemed so long and that night seemed even longer. I spent the next 2 days emptying everything out from my body. The only thing I drank and ate was water. I had a feaver and my body hurt so bad. Luckly I had my faithful friend Rabbit to bring me food, water, and anything else I needed. She was helpful in reminding me that I was "one sick mutt." (She always knows how to make me smile.)

Because of being sick I was not able to go on a 2 day trip to Big Mountian with some friends. I was super bummed. I was so looking forward to getting off campus and into some nature. The other down part was that most of my friends had left for home (we had a short 5 day break). I was all alone. 

Now I look back and laugh. Christmas fail. Break fail. Wonder what New Years will be like. 

New Year Eve-

I was able to get of my friends to go with me to Central World, a huge shopping mall, and where the 2013 Bangkok count down would be held. What an adventure we had!!! When we first got there we were interviewed for a TV news channel (none of us heard the lady say the channels name or number so I have no proof), but needless to say it was Awesome! The place was so crowded it was funny. We had pushing on us from all sides, at one point my friends and I just broke out laughing beacuse we were literality stuck in place. We could not go anywhere. We did get to see some action when a fight broke out... I have never seen a crowd of people move so fast in my life. The police came running in and did like a running fly tackle on all the fighters. The very best part was the fire works. I say this was God's gift to me because I love fireworks. I literately got to stand under the fireworks. When I looked up into the sky it was as if I was flying straight up! 

God is good and faithful! 

Welcome to the mass of craziness!

These are only the people behind me... there about twice that many in frount of me.

The view from above me...beautiful!

          

In summery....

Hey everyone!
I first of all want to apologize for not writing an update in a very long time.
School-
I am now studying in my second term here in KBU. I feel like the first term was very good, I learned alot but I am ready for more of a challenge. This term has been a bit hectic trying to sign up for classes. I am taking a few hotel classes, and so that has created some scheduling problems. I am learning a great deal of patience and learning that this is just the way Thailand works. My adviser wanted me to take an English class. We are talking about basic English. I went to class and with in 30 mins the teacher kicked me out. haha Not really, but she said it is a waste of time to take the class. I agree too. Some of the classes I am excited about include classes about food and hotel. When I come back  hope to major in hotel management. It is great because I get to study some with thai people. I am also taking science, law, and religion classes which are in Thai. For the most part I understand what is being said and read. I am very excited to study this term.

Ministry-
Ministry here in Thailand has many up's and downs. One of the main people I am working with is my room mate organ. I think when I last wrote you about her she had just asked for the holy spirit. Me and my team were so excitied about the process she had made! She was always excitied to study the bible. But then the devil came. She liked one of the people on my team alot. When he made it clear that she needed to stop her behavior because he was engaged she with drew. She has been in and out of relationships. I still ffer to study the bible with her... she always says yes. But in the end she always has some excuse as to why she can not come. We still invite her to group activities and she aalways says she will come.. but in the end she does not come. Ministry here in thailand is like this all the time. For every step you take forward the devil pushes you back 5.
It has been very discouraging for me to see this and it seems very hard to understand. She was sincere when she asked for the holy spirit.. but the devil has a way of getting in and hindering God's work.
My friend rabbit has shown no interest in God. But I know she can see him in me. She told me the other day that I was one of her only friends that was really real with her. It just lifted me up to hear that. You see, ministry here is about showing people Jesus. This country, these people have never seen Jesus. They have no or very little knowledge of who he really is. And to be able to share you must be very close to these people for them to be open to listen to what you have to say. I knew rabbit for around 5 months before she felt close enough to share about her life. This work takes time.
I am excited about meeting some new friends and reconnecting with old ones. I have meet several new Chinese students! God has blessed me with a lot of favor.

Self spiritually -
These last few months I have been struggling spiritually. They have been very hard. Being alone with little encouragement and no one to really support me was very hard. But god has been faithful to me. I learned to stop fearing what others think and focus on what god thinks. He is my judge. I have found a lot of freedom in that. Things are beginning to feel slot better here. The spiritual battle is still strong but I feel like god has given me a renewed strength.

I wanted to let you all what I am thinking as far as the future. I am hoping to come back here when school reopens. 

I have decided to change my major to hotel management because I feel like in the long run this will provide me with alot of useful tools. In the future I will be able to use this skill where ever I go. I will also learn the English that people will need to know to work in the hotel and restaurant industry. This will be helpful in teaching english. I am enjoying the class so far and and making many new friends. My classes are mostly in English... But if they are in thai I end up being a translator for my class mates. 

I am not sure of the date I will be coming home but It will be in about 4 or 5 months. It seems so close I am Very excited!!! My home assignment will include a week of re-entry, church visits, and attending some seminars. I will also have time with family and friends. I hope to use that time to get a lot Of spiritual rest and refreshment. 

As far as long term vision... I really would like to come back here to Thailand and I would love to get a degree. I would like to ask for prayer for long term vision from god.

I hope to return with rmm. I would appreciate prayer for that also. I am still in the very beginning stages of the whole process. One thing that is being talked about is if I should come back alone. I ask you to pray that god would send done one with me to work with me. 

I also hope to continue relationships with people here at kbu and I would like to see our bible study grow.

Please pray that God would continue to guide me to many people who are intrested in hearing about God. 

Thank you all so much for your love and support!

Pattaya and other news!

Hey everyone!
It has been along time since I have last written.
Alot has happened since I last wrote.
There was an international night. I had to sing a thai song called, 'Som Tam'. It is a fun little song about making papaya salad. Good experience that I am not eager to do again. I did get to dress up in a traditional Isaan (north eastern Thailand) dress! That was cool!
The president of the University also took me and some of the other international students to see and thai ballet and opera. It was cool to see.    
My University also took the international students on a trip to Pattaya. What a great experience it was! It was so good to get away form the university. I made alot of new friends! The international array of students included students coming from China (the majority), India, America, Nicaragua, and Thailand. The commutative language spoken was not English like you might think, but Thai!

Love the Boy's Terrified expression!!

At the Art Museum.

We left on an early Saturday morning and arrived in Pattaya around 2 hours latter. In the morning we went to an Art museum. It was super awesome, because it was a 3-D interactive museum. We spent hours taking pictures and becoming part of the art. At lunch time we went to a revolving restaurant. The entire building was around 57 stories high. They had a huge buffet with a variety of thai foods. It had a great view of the sea and surrounding city. The best part of this tower was the way to go down. For the people who have little love of heights or thrills there was a lovley elevator complete with a person to push the buttons for you to go down. For those who are alittle more daring, there was a sky line to ride down. Now I have to say, as much as me and my friend Anabell love thrills, we have a huge fear of heights. But we were determined not to let that get the best of us.
There were several types of skylines. We chose the one where you could go down together. Our turn can and we climed onto the ride. I should have known right off this was going to be an extravagant ride because I could not even stand strait on the lift. I have always said I have baby bearing hips, I just did not know how true that was until I got on that ride. The ride took forever to start. Now the first rule for people who have a fear of heights is to not look down. But that is the first rule I always break. It felt like the ride was at the top of that building forever, when suddenly we started. Slowly at first, and then almost as if the attendent wanted a good laugh, the ride droped around 5 feet. Yep, us girls both lost it. I screamed, and Anabell begun to pray. Oh Lord help us. over and over. I could not get over how funny this whole thing was, and I begun laughing. I laughed to hard that I started crying. I thought I was going to throw up. Just in time, we saw someone taking a picture. Both of us, stopped what we were doing and posed. When the shot was taken, we continued. By this time I was laughing so hard I could bearly get off the ride. We looked at the picture and laughed some more. I am sure the workers thought we were on drugs or something. Good memories!

Kissing the fish!

This was the pose!

One thing I should mention is that Pattaya is know for the Ladyboy shows. The most beautiful ladyboys go there to work. So In the evening we went to see a show. I have to say, it is amazing what humans can do to the body. On the outside They pretty much looked like a girl. The show was mostly of them dancing. It was fun to watch. It was also sad to see what God had created completely rejected and turned in to an object for pleasure. At the end of the show I asked one my guy friends what he thought? He said they were beautiful, but as soon as he heard the voice he just shook his head and turned away. You see they can change the outside, but the voice is a little hard to change. haha. It is crazy.

This is one of the Ladyboys.

The next day we went to the beach. We had to take a boat on a 15 min. ride to an island. I enjoyed the trip, but there were quite a few sick bunnies. The Island was beautiful! The water was Chrystal blue and the beach nice and white. It was a great time to relax and play in the water. I was sad to leave, but I hope to go back again to just relax on the beaches.

I was defiantly not ready to come back to study. Luckily that week some of my class were shortened or cancelled.

I also had the opportunity to go to a Thai funeral. P'Lung's father passed away. I went to help P'Great with the girls. (This is my Thai host family.) Normally a funeral lasts anywhere from 3 to 5days . You are allowed to wear black or white. I was really supprised at the casualness of it all. In America, you must dress up. But here sandals, shorts, and a T-shirt are fine, as long as there is some black. There are alot of things you have to do, like, feed the monks before you can eat. Or Bow and pray to the person who has died. I asked P'Great what she thought about it all, cause she is becoming a christian. She said there is too many rules and things you must do. To me she seemed to think it was all kind of silly and a wast of time. In thailand, the cremate people. The process is as fallows. They walk around the oven with the body, like a funeral prosesion 3 times. Then everyone goes and bows down to the body one last time leaving a flower on top of it. There is one last viewing and then the body is burned. I felt so sad for the man's wife. They were married for so long and now he is just gone. I can't imagine.

Nice beach!

My Thai costume!

One day I had a bible study with my roommate Organ. She wanted to study about prayer. So we studied the passage in Luke. After that we were talking and she said she wanted to receive the Holy Spirit. So I told her all we have to do is pray and ask for it. So I prayed that God would allow her to receive the Holy Spirit. Afterwords I asked her how she felt about prayer. But she understood it as me asking her to pray. I could see fear on her face, but then she just started to pray. At first it was just simple, and then suddenly her prayer took off. She started praying for people to come to know God. The Spirit of the lord was on her. She told me latter that she wants people to come to know Jesus so they can receive happiness. I asked her about baptism. She told me that she would tell me when she was ready. I could see fear in her face, and I think she is counting the cost. Praise God that he allowed this to happen. For real I felt just like Moses. I did not know how to speak or explain things, but God was still glorified.

Annabell and me!

I have a little over a month before this term is over. I am looking forward to it. I have decided to change my major to hotel management. It will be in English and I think be more useful to me. I can speak, read, and write Thai already. That has become my normal language, even to the point it can be troublesome to talk English because I forget. It is vary tiring being in another language almost 99% of the time.

There is a song called "Worn" By Tenth Avenue North. I feel like it describes me pretty well. Here are some of the lyrics.

I’m Tired I’m worn
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes
To keep on breathing
I’ve made mistakes
I’ve let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world

And I know that you can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn
I wanna know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that’s dead inside can be reborn
Cause I’m worn

I know I need to lift my eyes up
But I'm too weak
Life just won’t let up
And I know that you can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left
 

My prayers are wearing thin
Yeah, I’m worn
Even before the day begins
Yeah, I’m worn
I’ve lost my will to fight
I’m worn
                          So, heaven come and flood my eyes  

I am struggling with homesickness and lonesomeness. I have lots of friend whom I love. But they can not understand what it is like to be a foreigner or the only one who thinks like I do. God is faithful. He gives me the strength for each day. But I do ask for your prayer. I need it now more then ever.

Pray that God would give me daily strength.

Pray for Organ that the spirit would continue to move in her.

Pray for my friends, that they would see God in me.

Pray for guidance for the future. I hope to come and stay in Thailand for a long time. Pray that God would open doors, and answer prayers like never before. 

Thank you all so much! God bless! 

Dani