Here are a couple of Eliza's Delaware activities...
Learning to ride bike.
Feeding Rosetta Rose, her cousin's pig. (She's on her way to a wedding in this picture - we thought the pig would make a nice contrast to her fancy dress.)
Last week Silas got to help replenish the sand in Grandpa's sandbox. And he thoroughly enjoyed every stage of the process - using the shovel, rake, and wheelbarrow, riding in the pickup, watching the digger, and then playing in the new sand.
On our first weekend in Delaware we went camping with my family (an event officially known as the S.A. Mast Reunion). We had a lot of fun and especially enjoyed watching the 8 grandchildren play together. We also did a lot of eating, bike-riding, and canoeing. We stayed in cabins and yurts right on the shore of Trap Pond. The weather was a little cool part of the time but that just made us enjoy the campfire even more!
One of the things that has humbled and blessed us during the last couple of months in America is meeting a number of people who regularly pray for us (some on a daily basis!) Some of them don't even know us outside of the prayer bulletin that RMM sends out each month, but they know about what's happening in Thailand and they pray faithfully and knowledgeably for the work there. We had the privilege of meeting with two groups of "senior intercessors" - groups of older people who meet monthly to hear and pray for requests from RMM workers. It's great to see how many people are willing to invest their time in prayer and we're going back to Thailand encouraged by this renewed reminder of how many people are involved behind the scenes.
Candice has been doing some posting on our other blog (feel free to email us for those details) but we've let this one fall behind. Since the last post we've finished up our time in Ohio and are more than halfway through our 4 weeks in Delaware.
In Ohio we met with a lot of old friends, the kids made a lot of new friends, and we had a lot of good conversations with our Mission Support Team and RMM. We also spoke in two churches and attended a prayer conference. During our meetings in Rosedale we were able to talk and pray about our future and we came away excited about where God will lead us. At this point we are planning to return to Thailand for one more year - focusing on discipling our small group of new believers and doing some English teaching. After that (in the summer of 2013) we plan to return to the States for an extended time. We're feeling like the time is right for our kids to make the transition to American schools and to learn more about where they come from. We're feeling mixed emotions about this - we're excited about a potential future in Columbus, we're dreading the pain of leaving Thailand, and we're trying to focus on the upcoming year.
Our month in Virginia was absolutely wonderful! I felt like it met so many needs for me and for the kids too. Best parts: Spring weather!! We hadn't experienced Spring for almost 6 years and our kids hardly know what it is- just from movies and books! Grandparent time! My parents were very creative in coming up with lots of activities from caverns to building tee pees to making donuts....and also just spending time combing their hair, reading to them, and playing outside. The time with my siblings. Our family was really thankful that everyone made time in very busy schedules to get away to a cabin and take some "time out" with us. We miss our family and realize that we can't completely make up for lost time in such a brief visit, but we loved connecting again and just being together was wonderful. I have posted a lot of updates from our time in VA on our family blog if you'd like to see more.
It was fun to have a Thai meal for some of our family. Tom and I are don't cook a whole lot of Thai food but we did our best to produce something at least somewhat authentic (although it would never be eaten in this combination). On the menu: sticky rice, spicy pork salad (but we used turkey), fried chicken wings and spicey dipping sauce, and Tom kah gai (chicken, coconut milk soup), and Thai fruits. Eliza provided the entertainment by doing a Thai dance and of course Silas had so jump in and do his too. :)
Tom works the sticky rice. He's the sticky rice expert in our family.
On the way to Pennsylvania for a church visit last month, we drove through the beautiful springtime hills and farms of Big Valley and stopped for supper at a diner. As we left to find our host's home, Claire asked, "Why in the world would people who don't know us let us come to our house to stay??" We tried to explain about how they follow Jesus and want to help others, about Mennonites and hospitality, but she was still confused. After our time with Dale and Debbie, she got it. :) What a wonderful experience of hospitality. We were welcomed so warmly and loved our whole stay in comfortable rooms, playing with their fun toys, eating great food and getting to know new friends. Silas was lucky enough to get a ride in a cement mixer and got the gift of a tiny wooden one to keep (our hosts own a cement business). We also had a wonderful afternoon with Max and Brenda and James, learning about animals and enjoying Spring beauty. Thank you so much to all the people who made us feel right at home in PA and taught our kids about Mennonite hospitality! We very much enjoyed worshipping with you at Allensville and would love to come back someday!
For pictures of our afternoon on the farm and other more personal family details about our time in the States, feel free to check out our family blog. If you need that address, you can e-mail or facebook us for that. -C
On our flight over Claire and I ended up with a 9 hour layover in Tokyo. We weren't looking forward to sitting in the airport for that long so we decided to explore the small town of Narita. It's primarily famous for its important shrine and attracts a lot of Japanese tourists. It's amazingly easy to leave the airport and to get around even without speaking any Japanese. The one thing that we hadn't counted on, however, was the cold rainy weather. We had winter coats waiting for us in Virginia, but they didn't do us any good in Japan! We bundled up the best we could and were very grateful for the hand-knitted scarves that our friend Gaet had given us just before we left. It was a lot of fun to explore a new place. We saw some of the local specialties (like grilled eel) and tried some others (a hockey-puck sized cake filled with "bean jam.") We also spent a long time sitting inside the shrine watching the monks perform a ceremony involving a humongous drum and fire. (We stayed through most of two rounds because it was the warmest place we could find!) We'd love to go back sometime when the weather is warmer - or when we have an umbrella.
Claire and I arrived safely in Virginia last Saturday and were happily reunited with the rest of the family. We've been enjoying spending time with Candice's family (and loving the beautiful weather). Here's a quick overview of our schedule for the next couple of months. We're looking forward to seeing many of you.
Now-March 28 - in Harrisonburg, Virginia
March 24-25 - trip to Allensville, Pennsylvania
March 28-April 22 - In Rosedale/Columbus, Ohio
April 14-15 - trip to Fredericksburg, Ohio
April 22-May 19 - In Greenwood, Delaware
Thanks to those of you who prayed for our family during our separation. We're glad to have that part behind us and are looking forward to some good times of bonding as we travel and experience American life together.
Saturday evening dinner at a Thai-style bbq restaurant. (Photo stolen from Colleen's Facebook page.)
Over the past week we've had the unusual opportunity to reconnect with several old friends. Lan has been staying at our place for the past week. He came to visit from his home in Laos because he wanted to see Colleen, Nixon, Dan, and me before we all left Thailand temporarily. Lan and I had made plans to travel together to northeastern Thailand to meet up with Pon and Piak. But those two generously offered to come all the way to Bangkok instead when they heard that Claire had exams on Monday. They arrived Saturday morning and we had a very full two days - talking, eating, studying the Bible, and meeting various other friends. They got very little sleep, but they had a good time! While I miss the days when these guys lived close by and we could meet regularly, it is also exciting to see how God is leading and using them in their respective contexts. All three of them are attempting to live faithful Christian lives in the midst of friends and families who hold very different beliefs. So it is especially encouraging for them to have these times with each other.
Claire also had a busy weekend. Our friend Gaet invited her to come spend the night with their family (they have two young daughters). Claire has enjoyed playing with them, but this was the first time that she spent an extended time alone with the family. She enjoyed some new food for supper (and then again for breakfast) and did her best to sleep in a crowded room with the TV playing! Now she's back to school for three days of final exams (with a break on Wednesday for a Buddhist holiday). We're looking forward to leaving on Friday and rejoining the rest of our family in Virginia.
For the past month or so Silas has been reminding Candice about their upcoming trip - basically every time we talked about any future plans or anytime he heard or saw an airplane! Last night he was VERY excited to finally be heading to the airport. The rest of us were not quite as excited since it marked the beginning of several weeks of separation. Claire and I are staying in Thailand until her exams end on March 9. We'd appreciate your prayers for all of us...that the two youngest kids would be cooperative, travel well, and get over jet lag quickly and that Claire wouldn't be too lonely here! Actually we have several upcoming events that will keep us busy - and we'd appreciate your prayers for those as well.
At the end of this week Lan will come to visit. He'll probably stay with us for at least part of his week here. Pray that our time together will be encouraging and strengthening for him.
Next Sunday we're planning to have a celebration meeting in a local park. Over the next few months almost all of our team is traveling (to the States and Nicaragua) and many of the university students will travel over their summer break as well. We're hoping that this meeting will be a good time of commissioning each other and thinking about how the Holy Spirit will continue to connect and direct each one of us even while we are scattered.
The following weekend (March 3-4) Claire, Lan and I are taking a quick trip to northeastern Thailand where we'll meet up with Pon and Piak for a time of Bible study, prayer, and fellowship.
As soon as we get back from that trip Claire starts her final exams and we'll fly out the night after she finishes her last one.
We're nearing the end of the Thai school year and all three of our kids have been involved in a variety of special activities. Here are a few pictures...
A couple of weeks ago Eliza and Silas' kindergarten had their year-end extravaganza. Eliza was a busy girl. She graduated (here she's with her best friend, Beam).
Then she participated in a traditional Thai dance. Afterwards the emcee said "The foreigner danced and wai-ed as well as a Thai person." We were so proud. :) There's a clip of the dance on our Facebook pages.
She also danced to a pop song and recited an English welcome speech at the beginning of the ceremony.
Silas also danced - and did he ever enjoy it! While some of his classmates cried the whole way through the song, he skipped out onto the stage, grinned like crazy and started dancing before they even started the music. (See the video on our Facebook pages for the full effect.)
Last weekend Eliza was selected to participate in a track and field day for local schools. Of course the day had to start with a full-on costumed parade. Eliza's costume represented the northeastern region of Thailand. She also ran one race but decided that she likes dancing better. :)
And finally, Claire performed in a magic show and danced with the rest of her class at her school's big year-end bash.
The kids had fun doing all of this...but we're also all glad that it's behind us now!
I am always amazed by how these ladies cook. I don't mind, and even kind of enjoy cooking for a group if I have lots of time to plan, plenty of time cook and spend awhile at the grocery store choosing ingredients for just the right dishes. I love the way these two can wing it. They can stop in at the market in the afternoon for a lot of veggies and meat, cook over one puny gas burner, serve a huge meal on the floor and then wash dishes on the balcony from a spigot. So impressive and completely delicious. Here is the feast they prepared for a home meeting a few weeks ago that George and Mindy (Tom's brother and his wife) got to be a part of. It was a good night of discussion as the seekers like Seri and Geat talked about how it is easy to understand and believe the Bible when they are together with our group and can be much harder at home, surrounded by Buddhist things and how the Bible can be more difficult to understand when they are reading alone. Pray for more and more understanding and for their faith to continue to grow. We believe that as they become closer to Jesus that the Holy Spirit will open their eyes and help them to truly grasp the gospel. Thankful that they are on their way to knowing Him!
-Candice
From left to right the dishes are: kale and crispy pork (x2), fried chicken wings, basil chicken, and pork salad.
