Three Little Birds and One Big Prayer
Joy is all around us and hope is rising in the hearts we once thought were out of reach. God is at work in beautiful ways.
We tried to film a video blog with our new camera, but my computer couldn’t handle it, so it shut down and we only ended up with a two-minute clip.
What’s been happening:
Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know we’re finally back in Chiang Mai. We left Hua Hin on Thursday, and that drive felt like it would never end.
Right before the trip, my wife’s car started acting up. We’d had problems with the transmission before, and this time it seemed like it was really going out. So we took it to a mechanic. He checked it and told us, "Whatever you do, don’t drive this to Hua Hin. You need to get the transmission replaced."
Road trip!
We decided to get a second opinion and went to a transmission specialist. He said he didn’t think it was the transmission and told us to have his mechanic take a look. It turned out his mechanic was the exact same one we had already gone to.
At that point, we just had him change the transmission fluid. When he pulled the pan, it was full of metal shavings. That should not have been there. He told us again we should replace the transmission and not risk the drive.
Three little birds pitched by my doorstep
But we were scheduled to leave in two days. I told my wife not to stress and just drive. If anything happened, we would deal with it on the way. I said that because the transmission has been giving us trouble for a few years now, but we have still made it to Hua Hin and back a few times without a breakdown.
We made it again! But we had to drive 80 km(50 mph) the whole way, which made for the longest drive I have ever done in one day, 17 hours. We made it though!
Now that we are home we are banging out some IEPs and enjoying the time that we have with the 4 older kids gone, they went to go back to family. They are all in safe positions and enjoying 2 weeks back with family before school starts again.
Eyna the baby bird and Evangeleen the human
One of the best parts of our week has been having baby birds right outside the house. You can see them clearly from inside. As we woke up in the morning and smiled with the rising sun, there were three little birds by our doorstep, singing sweet songs with pure and simple melodies. It made the whole week extra special for the kids.
This morning, I was outside working out near the birds when two of them flew off, while one stayed perched on our shoe rack. He tried to fly but ended up falling. We found one of the others that had flown away hiding under the house. We’ve been trying to figure out how to help them fly on their own. The girls and I had so much fun spending the day with them, even though they still can't fly yet.
The soap we made
Miracle:
Two of our girls come from the same town in Thailand, and one of them went back to visit. When she went to church, she was surprised to see the other girl’s dad there. We’ve been praying for him to stop drinking, quit smoking, and go to church. Some of those prayers were answered. He was there, and he was even singing in front of everyone.
This man has done things to his daughter that no father should ever do. I would say he’s been one of the worst people I’ve known. But praise God, he was in church. Please keep praying for her dad. Pray that his heart will change and that he will repent for what he has done.
Hannah and Evangeleen protecting their eyes while we make soap!
The only one who can truly change the heart of any broken sinner is Jesus. We are praying in His name that this man’s heart will be made new. She hasn’t been home since she came to our family about 3 yrs ago and we still don’t feel like he is safe to send her back to. Please join us in prayer.
What I’m Listening to: A New Song
What I have been thinking about:
Our prayers:
Pray for our daughter’s father
Pray for our kid’s safety while they are back home
Pray for Preaw and obeying God with a boyfriend
Pray for our peace during homeschool
Pray the bank acct is approved again
Answers to prayers:
We got home safe
Our daughter’s father in church
We visited the bank and the lady said she called us to tell us we got approved, but she said we told he we didn’t want it. Not the answer we were looking for, but still answered
Our needs:
Music teacher
Volunteer
A house
What I’m watching: This is crazy. Network states is the dream of billionaires?
Photo dump:
Hannah and Eyna
Goggles!
Birdz!