Yay! This is a special day.
I heard from my publisher that my book is live in their bookstore. They are drafting a press release to share the book with other sellers including Amazon, but when you buy directly from my publisher's website, my royalties are higher since we don't have to pay the middleman.
I've been working on this for over five years and have written the book at least three times. I almost feel shy as it finally lands out there in the world and out of my hands.
My prayer is that my journey to grow, heal from trauma and find Mr. Wright can inspire and encourage others with laughter, hope, insight and the power of redemptive grace!
Here is a sneak peek at one of the interior photos!
It was a great adventure in Thailand, but I also love to come home!
Lance picked me up at my Mom's in Brantford after a great night's sleep. We went directly to the dental office to have his sore mouth looked at for infection after his gum graft surgery last week. The roof of his mouth was too sore to talk or eat. The dentist assured us that all looked healthy but the roof of the mouth had the first healing layer of skin sloughed off to make it an open wound. No wonder he was experiencing so much pain.
We got home to James on the couch having not eaten for three days because of a stomach bug.
Lance thought he had the stomach bug because he felt queasy, but I removed the prescription Advil since it creates stomach irritation and switched him to Agilease and Tylenol. I used some copaiba and rollers along the jaw and on his abdomen to ease symptoms. He hasn't been getting enough water and food since it hurts to put anything in his mouth. I worked at increasing his intake and easing symptoms.
I didn't even feel the jet lag as I started taking charge of caring for my guys and our household. I made nourishing smoothies and soup for both. And James managed to keep down an egg and toast by evening.
I ran through all the laundry and dishes, unpacked my things, and put them away. Cleaned surfaces in the kitchen with my Thieves cleaner. Got my diffuser running with Peppermint and PanAway to ease stomach queasiness and muscle aches. Walked the dog and fed him after a good cuddle. Then I saw my plants were all crying for attention. Hopefully, I can save them. 
Andrew got home from school and I loved hearing about his weekend away with Young Life and about how he managed his round of the stomach flu the week before. He was helping James think through things to take to ease the irritation. Honey to settle the irritated stomach, flu tubes to fight the virus, rollers to apply oregano in our raindrop roller to the spine and Digize on the abdomen. They were doing a lot of the right things. But I was glad to be home to troubleshoot with them.
I was concerned about dehydration for James since he had been losing water at both ends. I added electrolytes into his water with our Vitalyte drops. He was feeling stable by bedtime after we enjoyed a family movie night.
If my guys wanted to make me feel needed, they succeeded. I'm glad to be here to care for my family. That is ministry, too!
February 18
At church on Sunday morning, as soon as one of the Agape girls saw Steve, she ran over for a hug. The wai is the normal welcome in Thai, but we are finding many people enjoy a hug.
Sunday morning pre-service had our staff recapping our experiences and messages from our Kid's Camp day! During the service, we had a chance to hand out more of our senior care packages in memory of my dad. Then Mom spoke with Gan translating. She tied together the threads from the week and called our Thai family to continue to press into all God has for them. Her love for the people here rings out in every sentence! She asked them to listen for their unique purpose and called them to share God's love with those who are still working and striving to feel valued. People were invited to come to the front to have their feet anointed to move into their purpose. I placed a dot of Valor essential oil on their feet as we prayed for each one.
The church prepares a meal for all who come each Sunday and we ate together in a hall at the back of the building or outside under umbrella-covered tables. We knew that this would be our last good-bye to some of the church people until our next trip.
We didn't linger too much after lunch because we had to get back to the ministry centre to prepare for guests arriving. We hosted a dedication of the Agape Home and Ministry Centre as spaces for safe shelter, hosting and working on Mighty Oaks daily operations. Gan, Noii, Tum and David put many hours into preparations. David and crew set up chairs for 130 and we were delighted when every chair was filled under the rented tents for shade. The children gathered on the porch in the cool shade. Gan had been personally messaging people for weeks to invite them.
Many sponsored families, teachers from the local school, pastors from the villages and supporters from the earliest visioning for Mighty Oaks traveled in for this special day. It was fun to show people around the centre and celebrate together how far God has brought this grassroots ministry to help protect vulnerable children from exploitation. So many graduates came and thanked Mom for the chance to follow through with an education and have opportunities to rise out of poverty into a secure future. I enjoyed meeting them and hearing their stories.
Pastor Jaroon, Mom and Steve did an official ribbon cutting during the celebration. The Agape Girls led a few songs with Gan and Tum. Several of the pastors that are on our Mighty Oak Tree Board in Thailand spoke and led the group in prayers of thanks. The pastors prayed over the people that live and work on the property daily. Then Mom and Steve shared final words of thanks and dreams for the future with those who gathered to continue this important work together!
I soaked in story after story as Mom moved among the crowd to greet old friends and surprise guests. It took three photos to capture photos of all who came.
I was able to show my sponsor child, Nat, the photos of family we left up from our Celebration of Dad's life the week before. It was great to have a translator so we could talk. Nat asked for prayer for her studies as she works hard at school. She is a sweetheart. I invited she and her friend to take one last photo with me. I gave her a gift at the camp the day before. It was fun to encourage her artistic side and offer her an essential oil and bracelet to help calm stress.
As people gradually left, we said fond farewells with our hearts full of gratitude for this Thai family we have gained. Mom and Dad's retirement project has been so transformative in this area as their step of faith was met by God's provision and care for each of these. We look forward to what God will do through these people of Northern Thailand in the years to come.
After a quiet hour where we focused on packing for the trip back to Chiang Mai and making sure any last gifts were left to our staff, we had a farewell dinner with the MOT staff and the Agape girls! Gan and David had a few more surprises planned. After dinner, we moved upstairs to the beautiful sunset views from the balcony.
The staff and the girls shared gifts that they put on us! A Thai scarf, purse, fan, necklace! So lovely! We also had gifts we had carried from home and purchased in Thailand to hand out to all!
Then the Agape girls had a dance and song they performed for us and the staff had choreographed moves to a song together to perform. Then we went around the circle and shared any last words we wanted to say. It was an emotional time! Dada could hardly speak as she talked about her grandparent's deaths and how MOT (Mighty Oak Tree is the name of the Thailand Foundation) had become her family. The girls all expressed how grateful they were to have a home together that was safe and gave them the chance to learn and grow together.
The staff then spoke and talked of how much they have learned by working with my parents. Many of them had not understood grace until they had to tenderly deal with tough situations that arose among our sponsored students. My parent's and Steve's heart for the children guided their decisions to allow second chances when that would not have been a normal response in Thai culture. They all mentioned Mom, Dad and Steve's example of servanthood leadership and Christ-like compassion.
Our Canadian team then took a chance to share what was on our heart. I was struck by how in such a short time God had inscribed each of their names on my heart. I knew I would continue to pray for them and hold them in my affection. Mom isn't sure how many more trips she will get to make as she approaches 80 next year. Her words for each one were both a call and a blessing.
Our Thai family then prayed for our Canadian team, and then we prayed for them. It was a meaningful exchange. It really felt like the perfect closure before heading back to Chiang Mai on Monday!
January 19:
We left early in the morning for Chiang Mai. I enjoyed the mountain scenery again as we wound our way South.
We had a nap at the hotel before heading to the night market to pick up any last gifts to bring home with us. We are on our last lap now as we leave for the airport tomorrow. Steve will be staying an extra week after getting us set up for our flight. We will be able to share in person soon! February 17:
Friday was Gan and David's Anniversary! In our devotion time in the morning, David started the sharing about what we are thankful for with reflections about how wonderful it is to have a partner that is his best friend who draws out the best in him. We had a great time talking, singing and praying together! I really appreciate this team!
After worship time, we largely spent the day doing last preparations for our weekend events. Our team and the Mighty Oaks Staff are hosting a camp on Saturday for all our sponsor children and their friends. We decided to do a Music and Drama Camp using the story of the Prodigal Son. Mom and David will lead the artistic campers who want to create props and backdrops. Sylvia and Air will work with the group of actors to tell the story using the script and costumes Sylvia prepared ahead. Noy, Tum and I are working together with the music group to create the score for the play. We sat in our groups after a worship and prayer time together in the morning to clarify our plans and identify any missing resources.
On Sunday we are hosting the area Mighty Oaks families and church leaders to come to the ministry center after church. Gan and some of the Agape girls put together beautiful flower arrangements for the event. Thailand has so many flowers that it is the natural way to decorate.
We had a special celebratory lunch together in honour of Gan and David. Gan and Noy did most of the cooking! It was awesome! Mom bought Gan a sweater that matched her own - so we insisted on a photo!
By late afternoon we had accomplished all the physical preparations at the church and centre. We took the evening off and I spent time trying to refine my talk for the camp evening and then catching up on our blog! Mom helped me with the details.
February 18
What a full and amazing day! We expected around 60 children and youth to attend our camp and had over 85!
We met the campers and they learned our theme for the day and our theme song: Give Me Jesus. You can hear it in Thai at this link - ข้าต้องการพระเยซู (Give me Jesus) - Bright Romance Live Moment - 030222 - YouTube
We then divided into groups of more than twenty campers each. We weren't sure how this would work but we were looking forward to seeing what we could put together in a couple of hours!
The artistic group talked about dividing into teams that would work on backdrops, signs, fake food for the feast and large props like a doorway to the Father's house.
The drama group identified cast members and dancers as they ran through the script.
And our music team identified instrumentalists as we talked through the transitions that we could use music to create the atmosphere and the party music. Tum taught a song that he wrote to the instrumentalists while Noy walked through the story of the prodigal with the rest of the group. Then we taught them the vocals for the play.
I worked with the dancers to help them picture how they could move to the song we had prepared.
Then we put our pieces together to see how it worked!
The result was a really fun version of the lost son with ownership from all the children! And that was all before lunch!
After lunch we did a dress rehearsal and then the campers had an afternoon of games.
David drove us Canadians back to the ministry centre for a break before the evening events! After dinner, we put on our production as a camp for parents, volunteers and one another! Every actor had memorized their lines, the song was really solid and the props were way beyond what I imagined! It was a great experience of what we can do when we work together!
When the children settled after a wonderful job of telling the story of the lost son from Luke 15, Sylvia shared a personal reflection about her own experience of a child who had gone her own way but then was restored to a wonderful life.
Tum and the worship team led a great music and prayer time.
After that, I spoke with Gan's translation about unconditional love and God's desire to restore all of us to our true selves through the cross. We then had time to write down something that got in the way of God's best for us - a limiting belief, a bad decision that we needed to repair, or anything that hindered us from living out of fullness - and brought them to the cross. We had a great prayer time and finished the night with worship.
It was a full day but we all felt so great about having our first kid's camp in four years! The kids had a great day connecting and making beautiful memories. I was so proud of our leadership team from Fang. They really shone! It was also a pleasure to see the pastors from the area churches bringing in their truck loads of children! Their care and involvement in the children's lives was obvious! There are good things happening in Northern Thailand! We are excited about what the future hold for these sponsored children and hope to see many more children have a chance to thrive!
February 15:
Wednesday morning we were scheduled to meet with the English department from Fang's State School where Mom has often been invited to teach before. Sylvia and Mom are retired teachers and I homeschooled for seventeen years, so teaching is a passion we share. Sylvia organized our materials for the day. We introduced Canadian seasons, geography and Random Acts of Kindness day to two groups of English students.
We were warmly greeted and ushered into a computer room where they had projection set up. Then Mom lit up as a long time friend ran to hug her. Pom has been teaching at this school for many years. A long time ago, she got to know Mom over some deep conversations outside of the classroom. Mom had the opportunity to lead her to know Jesus. Mom shared scripture with Pom around an issue they were discussing and then felt prompted to give her favourite study bible to Pom. She spent all night reading from it. She met Mom the next day with exuberance that the bible was riveting and she couldn't put it down. She and Mom have felt a deep connection ever since. And shortly after Mom returned from the mission trip, she was given a bible just like the one she gave away. God is cool that way.
In true teacher style, we had the students repeat phrases after us and insert their own information to teach us about Thailand. Mom is holding up a winter scene to see if they can identify the seasons after her lesson.
The second class posed with us and then we shared a lunch with the English staff. It was fun to sit around a table with people who spoke our language fairly well. Our conversations were able to flow easily with such interested and caring communicators. Their students did well with the language and it was a pleasure to spend time at this school where some of our sponsor children attend.
Wednesday afternoon was unstructured. I was ready for a Sabbath day and took the afternoon to rest before we shared a dinner with Gan, David, Beulah, and Tum. Gan was starting to feel a sore throat so they headed home for rest. They have so much translation and leadership, that we were glad to release them to some recovery time. We would really appreciate your prayers for health and strength.
After dinner, Sylvia wanted to see if the Agape girls were busy. Mom, Steve, Sylvia and I knocked on the door of our closest neighbours. We were invited in to find that we had interrupted dinner and the girls were heading to bible study soon. So we wished them a great evening and went out to enjoy the Mighty Oaks property!
There is a great campfire pit and volleyball court across from the Agape Home. You can see the ministry centre where we are staying in the background.
The staff and girls have done an amazing job of raised garden beds. They grow their own lettuce, cilantro, squash, ferns, pumpkins, peppers and a few other plants I couldn't identify.
This shelter on the property is a sturdy and welcome cover from the hot sun. You can see the haze in the background of the photo from nearby burning that leaves a campfire smell in the air. We are looking forward to rain in the forecast for Thursday to clear the air.
This is a view of the property from the road. The ministry centre is the first building you see with the Agape girls home safely tucked behind it at the back of the property.
February 16:
We had the opportunity to meet the different pastors and see the churches who partner with Mighty Oaks by identifying students among their congregations that are at risk. They encourage the families and keep in touch with the needs of their church community while Gan, David, Noy and Tum check in on our students regularly. We have over 160 students currently in our sponsorship program. Over the twenty years we have been in Fang, we have had over 370 students.
At our first stop, Mom was drawn to an elderly woman sitting on a blanket whose eyesight seemed poor. She spoke with her through Gan's amazing translation abilities. The woman was much younger than Mom but had less opportunities for medical care. God was tugging on Mom's heart to do more for seniors in our communities. We left our senior care package, some t-shirts and some dolls with this church family.
This church was built in the past three years and was simple and beautiful as a gathering place for the Lahu hilltribe people and other neighbours that surround it. The view of the mountains was stunning from the second floor balcony. They are raising corn, chickens and small garden produce on the property.
Our second stop was with another pastor and his wife whose congregation is largely Lahu and Chinese. They had tea and oranges on the table to welcome us. We had a great conversation with these church leaders that care for several of our sponsored children and families.
They smiled often and showed us the 'bell' they use to call their congregation in for worship. We had time to pray together. They asked for prayer for the older children and teens who begin to drift away from church.
The third church we visited had outgrown the original church building which was repurposed as a home for the pastor's family. The pastor's wife had a kidney stone that she asked prayer for. Her husband is scheduled to leave soon to go to Chiang Rai for a conference and she needs to be in good health to care for their children while he is away. An elder member of the church asked for prayer for her knees which are swollen and sore. I applied some essential oils as we prayed over our new friends. We left gifts of dolls, backpacks, shirts and an elder care package.
Below is the new building they are now gathering in.
We stopped at the home of relatives of one of our Agape girls and one who is joining the girls home soon. We missed the family but had other encounters that made this an interesting stop.
We met this mother of six who was wearing her sleeping two month old. She was adorable and looked well cared for! Her mother held an umbrella over both of them to shade them from the noon sun. We shared with her some beautifully dressed dolls donated for this trip.
At the first house on the laneway, Mom was drawn to another senior woman who could barely walk, yet her property looked well maintained and she had a variety of plants drying on mats around the yard. Mom was struck by the bamboo pole the woman used to hobble around. She wondered if it would be beneficial to provide a walker for her. We left her with a care package.
We got back to the ministry centre just as the rain began. We divided into groups to prepare for our busy camp weekend. I am speaking on Saturday evening to the children and youth at the camp so needed time to narrow my thoughts and pass them on to Gan so she knows what is coming up for translation. The rain was heavy mixed with some hail and the power went out. Thankfully, my battery on my laptop was fully charged and I was able to finish editing my talk. The rest of the team was helping prepare props and costumes for our Music and Drama Camp where we will be performing a version of the Lost Son story from Luke 15. Mom was polishing off her talk for Sunday morning worship.
After the rain, the mountains were more visible. The haze of smoke was gone and the air smelled sweet and fresh. The colours were more brilliant as if the earth was cleansed. Just one more prep day before our camp!
