flying. Just...flying

Time is flying. Just...flying. The SBFM's midterm exams are already over a week behind us and their departure for outreach is coming up in just over a month. Flying. Their departure will herald my Christmas break- I will be visiting my family in Arizona for just over a week. And that trip is just flying up on me.

I almost get butterflies in my stomach from the momentum.

Flying...

living the day in front of me

We're now over a month into the Fall SBFM and the students have settled into a bit of a routine. They rush to make their coffee in the morning as they run out the door to lecture, then they encamp themselves all over the couches and kitchen table doing homework in the afternoons. They would tell you that their enthusiastic early mornings and afternoon beach breaks of the first weeks now feel like a lifetime ago. 

I, on the other hand, have struggled to get into a routine this past month since the students moved in. The routine of life in this old house dances by me, and I feel out of step. My computer crashed nearly a month ago and left me scattered in my administrative work for the school. Its hard to borrow laptops here and there and try not to worry that I'm forgetting something. Usually I spend ages just sitting in front of my screen fine tuning and thinking through details- this semester I feel I am always just pounding out the bare necessities on the fly. I don't like to operate that way, so it makes me nervous. But so far, so good. I have had the grace to just live the day in front of me. I do think it takes up a certain amount of my energy reserves... resulting in my needing quite a lot of sleep. 

However, this week, things have begun to fall into at least the semblance of a rhythm. This is largely due to my receiving word that the computer specialists managed to salvage most of my data from a corrupted hard drive- and then my generous family investing in a laptop for me to put that data on. I say invested because its more than a gift. Its a ministry investment. My laptop is possibly my most essential ministry tool. I serve in areas of administration, communication, teaching, training, etc... and to do these things requires organization and preparation. So my laptop is a vital part of the ministry I am involved with on a daily basis. Sure, sometimes my role is mentoring over coffee, or standing up in an Asian village with just my bible and a few hasty scribbled notes. But for most of the year, I am part of a staff responsible for organizing and conducting training for other young missionaries. All that to say that the arrival of my new computer was an enormous blessing, allowing me to get back up to speed with my SBFM responsibilities. 

I still don't quite have my personal morning routine in place- probably because I haven't been drinking coffee with my former regularity... but now I am starting to get there. In the meantime, I just take it one morning at a time- and live the day in front of me. 

the Fall 2014 quarter is underway!

We are officially a week into the Fall 2014 quarter of the School of Biblical Foundations and Missions course. Its our largest class ever, with twenty three students (and just a handful of staff) so we have plenty to keep us busy! The students seem to be outstanding so far- they have already evidenced a lot of maturity and commitment. 

My involvement this quarter is scaled back significantly as I am still in an ongoing process of  recovering my health after a rough year struggling with a thyroid disorder. Even so, I am fairly busy with my responsibilities: coordinating the outreaches, training the outreach teams, and preparing to teach an upcoming week of lectures. I am really grateful to be sufficiently recovered to be working with the school at all- and working specifically with the outreach related aspects is a good fit for this time. Its both an area I am passionate about and is largely made up of independent tasks- affording me a lot of much needed flexibility. 

Thank you for your prayers... for me and my health; for the team of us staffing this course; and for these precious two dozen students God has called.

end of summer heat

Summer in Maui always goes out with a fight- usually more of a long, drawn out, two month struggle, actually. That is to say, summer here goes on even when our break is over- we go back to work, but the season isn't quite done with its fits of heat. And so it is now. 

We are are gearing up to begin our busy Fall quarter, since September is upon us. However we are likely to be saddled still with blazing afternoons and the warmest temps of the year well into October.  I find the climate rather sapping lately, more so than usual. I usually take a break in the afternoon with a cold drink and lay in front of a fan. Its not air-conditioning, but it will do:)

pre-departure coffee on Waikiki

To wrap up our lovely couple days on Oahu, Sarah and I got Starbucks and walked along Waikiki and  out onto a little pier for some last views of Honolulu's most iconic beach.

me and Sarah: a self portrait gallery

scenic oahu

This past week I was privileged to spend a couple nights on Oahu with my very dear friend Sarah, who flew over from the mainland for my birthday. It was short but sweet- and I was so blessed to be with such a good friend and enjoy a mini-vacation adventure.

Our first morning over there on my neighbor isle, we went for a drive along the east shore.

 Our much anticipated scenic drive did not disappoint. Gorgeous!

summer mornings

Just sharing moments from these slow summer mornings that have been such a restorative time for me.

 I like the warmth of the sun on my feet as it pours through the window beside my bed.  The heat of sunlight, which eventually grows uncomfortably warm, is one of the two things which usually wake me. The other is less pleasant: the neighborhood's rampant overpopulation of wild roosters that have no sense of time whatsoever. Trouble in paradise...

I like the rich aroma of coffee when i squeeze the bag. Most mornings I drink cold coffee out of the fridge, but eventually I get around to brewing for the following day and squeezing the bag is the best moment.

I like to turn off the porch light and open up the front door. The night is over and a new day is here. If there is a breeze, it builds for a moment and sifts through the screen door at my heels as I walk away.

I like the fresh start of washing my face. Its like a baptism into the day- washing away what remains of the night. Its simple and refreshing- well, usually. The bathroom side of the house sits broad to the morning sun, so sometimes the water that sits in the pipes (exposed on the side of the house) comes rushing through the old fixtures much warmer than expected. Not always the refreshing splash I have in mind, but I try to think of it as a sort of hot springs effect...

Slow, warm, unhurried mornings have been a great blessing this summer. These are just a few of my morning moments.

beautiful industrious ( welcome to the feast)

At the beginning of the July, I declared it a personal month of simplicity, contentment, wholesomeness, and simple pleasures. This is a month of intentionally setting aside cravings, letting my graspings subside, and recovering the art of rest. I am using up what I have; choosing to be grateful for it, creative with it, and ultimately enjoy it. I am taking time to go walking on the beach thats so nearby- going out with thanksgiving, celebrating that I am sufficiently recovered as to be able to do such simple but pleasurable things.  I am staying home if there is nothing I need to go to town for, and have enforced an almost total shopping ban on myself for the month.

This may sound like a sort of fast. And in a way, it is: letting the hold of things slip off me, allowing entitlements to ebb away, and bleeding out cravings. But in a greater sense, I see it less a fast and more as a feast. It begins as an abstaining from dwelling on what I don't have, but that aspect is quickly swallowed up in a feast of remembering -or discovering- what i do have. The lean fast  is soon eclipsed by the fat and happy feast. A time of laying things down has given way to celebration and gratitude. The really good things that cannot be bought- things like contentment and a quiet heart- begin to really brim up and overflow in these times when lesser things are subdued.

I feel like I am rediscovering the gift God has given me to rally beauty from all around me and to beautify and cultivate pretty much everything I encounter. I have exerted this beautifying agency on forsaken plaques, old clothing, uninteresting food, sidelined makeup products, grimy jewelry... restoring, altering, and re-imaging. A kind of tiny redemption- recreating value where its been lost. Its such a joyful mode of expression for me... I almost feel like its a kind of dance. It flows beyond inanimate objects into the keeping of my person, into conversations, the eyes I see people through, and my ongoing interactions with God Himself- who is the Beauty and the Feast above all feasts.

Staying home more than usual has me rummaging in drawers and dragging these projects out of dark corners. Beauty has proved industrious. Just in the past few days I have taken to sewing projects- quite the undertaking since I have to do it all by hand. I have taken in and changed the whole cut of a dress; sewn a wide headband from the scrap fabric; altered a pair of denim shorts; converted a cheap trucker hat into a very girlie beach hat; restyled a teeshirt, and made changes to a bathing suit! Things that didn't fit have been brought back into circulation, other things cleaned out to simplify and  have found themselves for sale on eBay:) Then I took to painting a plaque and other household items, before turning to fashion. In that area I set to recommissioning formerly set aside makeup, and experimenting with hairdos to reemploy accessories or products that had been left to the wayside. Fresh beauty in my wardrobe and style- not through shopping, but through industrious creativity!

All of this has been a breath of fresh air. A real feast for my heart. A restoration of my soul where hardly expected- after all, I didn't know when I embarked that this ship's month long voyage would make landfall so quickly on feasting shores. I have learned more in this time than in many a fast before. My eyes are open and I am awake to the bounty provided all around me. I sense the presence of the One who invited me to this feast, and who ultimately is The Feast, and I have a lasting impression of His joy over me as I partake in this most unanticipated abundance.

crafty like a fox

A little something I made over the last few days.

i see beauty

I see beauty.  Sometimes its the Himalayas. Sometimes its the little things. 

One afternoon I was thinking of those small passing beauties and decided to record a few. I carried my little camera with me for a half an hour and took a snapshot every time something caught my eye and pulled me in to find beauty. Below is a few moments from that experiment.

Small beauties. Like the color of late afternoon sun filtering through a beverage.

A glowing edge of cloud front 

The scuffed bottom of an ill kept pool that looks to me like an inadvertent portrait of the moon

The curious batting of a bewhiskered inquirer

Radiance as close as the fabric of my shirt

Bits of sunset clouds reflected in my sunglasses

Sometimes life is difficult. Painful. More than we can take. But there is beauty. Maybe it seems too trite to talk about aesthetics in the same breathe as suffering- as if they could cancel each other out. Certainly not. Beauty doesn't negate the difficulties. But it does testify in the midst of them. It is like the pale orange creeping up from the horizon when the sun has not yet risen: it promises us that this darkness is not the whole story and that a dawn is breaking yet. 

a corner of my heart

A corner of my heart will probably always belong to Bangor, North Ireland. I have wonderful memories with friends there and in Belfast...we have history North Ireland and I. The very sound of the local accent there lights up my heart- hands down my favorite accent in the whole world.

I have long heard of a band called Rend Collective, but never really looked closely. As I was looking at some worship music this morning, I ran across a bio mentioning that the group hails from my own precious Bangor. They immediately have moved into the corner of my heart set aside for the North Irish.

If you aren't already familiar with the group, you may still be familiar with this song- one of their most well known. If not, enjoy this foot stomping celebratory introduction:)

the way i am

Just thinking about the way I am these days.... a self interview.

1. Strangest change from being sick: I used to only eat dark chocolate. Now I don't want anything to do with it and am only interested in milk chocolate. Its like the twilight zone!
2. Most annoying thing that my medication isn't helping: I used to be cold all the time- and wore jeans when it was 80ºF. Now,  I am hot pretty much all the time. And I have worn jeans about once a month.
3. Summer hobby: learning Italian with a fun, motivating, and FREE Duolingo.com. I have loved visiting Italy when I have had reason to be in the neighborhood, so maybe if i go back again eventually, I won't have to navigate with lousy fourth grade Spanish anymore:)
4. Favorite entertainment discovery: Magnum PI. How did i not know Tom Selleck is amazing? (I know you tried, Jasmine.) I guess the mustache always got in the way... The show actually has me interested in my neighboring island Oahu, since the show is set there and shows a lot of truly gorgeous scenery.
5. Biggest summer bummer: Being hot, hands down. I used to enjoy the hottest of the hot weather- now I feel like I am going to spontaneously combust. Or fly into a panic, at least. I am literally, a hot mess. 
6. Latest book: I have been rereading portions of one of my favorite books, a nineteenth century Russian novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov. I am using excerpts for an apologetics teaching I am doing this week with a class of alumni from my course. Since I have minimal duties at the base right now (with the aim of facilitating a full recovery), I am really putting a lot of effort into this session and look forward to presenting it.
7. Bible Reading: I am Hebrews lately, occasional tours into the Corinthians and Revelation.
8. I am crazy because: I am enthralled with how good a sausage McMuffin is when you eat it with a hash brown on it. I have been doing this for a couple years now (my special Sunday morning treat on the way to church) and never tire of it. Seriously, it makes my day every time. I know I am crazy, but its always the little things.  

Thats just the way I am.

thoughts on Memorial Day

Before I came
You were already the home of the brave
Before I was me
Your men and women died so I'd live free
Before I walked
I was served at great cost
Before I knew who to thank
Your men and women fought for my freedom- for what makes America great.

a day away

I don't keep my blog anymore- as you are well aware. Sometimes I have nothing to say. More often I just don't feel up to it. But today I thought I could post a brief update.

On Wednesday, I will spend the day away- an island away, to be exact. My appointment with the endocrinologist is finally in sight- a landmark occasion because its taken a couple months of doctors appointments and jumping through hoops to get to this point. Now I am going to an appointment that may get me a few steps closer to treatment for the thyroid disorder I am currently dealing with. There was no endocrinologists on Maui that accept my insurance, so the insurance company is flying me a couple islands over to the city of Honolulu on Oahu to see the specialist there. This important day trip is scheduled for this coming Wednesday.

Thats all the update I can muster for the moment. I am already feeling not so up to it anymore.
Thanks for your prayers.

Aloha!

additions to my schedule

Starting tomorrow, i have an addition to my (currently empty) schedule: Physical Therapy. I will be working with a Physical Therapist three times a week. The primary goal is for me to get stronger- my prolonged sickness has resulted in serious muscle weakness to the point where i struggle with daily tasks. Also, we will be looking to regain flexibility as my muscles and neck are extremely stiff and bring discomfort to even regular movement. The secondary aim is to work on my back, which has been fitfully problematic over the years and now (after spending so much of my time supine) has been stiff and at times, debilitatingly painful.

In addition, next week brings another addition to my schedule: A part-time course presented by my department. Unfortunately, being unwell, I am not able to help with the course and instead will just sit in the classes when i can...when Physical Therapy doesn't overlap, or make for too long a day.

I got some test results back and will be seeing the doctor to discuss the findings in about a week and a half. I am looking forward to it, as it brings me a step closer to having my health sorted... and eventually, feeling normal again.

In the meantime i have the Physical Therapy to help me get stronger, and the classes to help me feel semi-normal and somewhat involved. Good additions to my schedule.

meeting MacGyver

When i was leaving for this last trip to Asia, i was at a thrift store and picked up season four of the old television show MacGyver. I knew what it was about- a guy with a mullet that fixed everything with duct tape and a swiss army knife. I mean, we use his name as a verb nowadays, yet i still don't think i ever saw an episode over the course of my life (which spanned the 80's). i decided to buy the discs and get familiar with the legend... if i ended up bored in an airport or something.

Little did i know that i would be sick to some degree for the entirety of my trip, and that my illness (mono) would involve days on end of being in bed, decreased concentration, and difficulty focusing my eyes- which made reading my lost love. So naturally, with all this being sick in bed, the MacGyver discs came into play. 

The MacGyver character is my new television hero... he is innovative, sacrificial, a gentlemen (although he does seem to enjoy all the ladies that throw themselves at him), and is all around a pretty legit guy. He never uses guns; granted he turns everything he touches into an explosive- but its always for a good cause. He is never self interested. 

Being in Maui, i am feeling more normal but still unwell- and will be seeing a doctor soon. In the meantime, MacGyver  continues to help me pass the time. His bedside manner is next to none:) 

home on Ulumau

Most of my years living in Maui have been spent in a couple houses on Ulumau. I love this little street- and love coming home to it. 

Its nothing glamorous.  Not much to look at.  It a little Hawaii side street lined with houses- all crowned with rusty corrugated tin roofs. My house is the same- a weathered and termite weakened structure with little or no glory. But I love the airiness, the open windows, the giant mango tree that shades the dirt patch which is where our front lawn should be, and I love the mountain view at the end of the street... its the little things. Always the little things. 

And in the end, its just home. And i am so delighted to be here.

no need to count down

Things here are going well this week. I am feeling better and am out of bed finally- and I even had a couple outings: one out to dinner, and another to a salon for my hair. Now if i still look kinda sick, my hair at least looks cheerful and healthy!

I am glad i feel more stable again this week- i need that to continue so my travel goes smoothly. Travel, you ask? Yes, I am about to travel. With much prayer -and the council of my leadership and colleagues-  I have decided to shorten my trip and come home to Maui immediately. The aim is to fully recover from mono- not to strain my recovery or have it continue to be long and drawn out- as it could cause permanent damage to my health. I see the Lord's hand in how i booked my ticket (changeable) and the commitments i made (none beyond teaching the course we just finished)...as well as in the outside confirmation i received while praying about this, even though i didn't mention it to anyone.

This shift in my plans is unexpected, but I believe it's a wise decision. Now it's just a week until my flight- and my heart is already turning toward home. My roommate asked if i was in countdown mode- but i'm really not. (Even if i did talk about bagels, cheeseburgers and eggo waffles for a half hour last night!) I have said it before, but on a trip like this, you push and persevere toward the end, even when you are tired- for months you push. Then suddenly, about a week or so out from the end, the momentum catches up with you- you see that the end is coming whether you push now or not. That's always the time i can enjoy where i am and be present the most. When there is so much time, you fight it; but in the end, because there is so little left - it becomes more precious. And you savor the moments.

There is no need to count down when time is flying.

an over-due but under-exciting update

Its been difficult to concentrate to write an update on the goings on here- and honestly, this past week the only thing i have had going on is bed rest. What an exciting way to spend my time in Asia!

For two weeks prior to this downswing in my health, i was teaching a course on worldview and apologetics. We had a couple dozen students and it was really a privilege for me to invest in them. Its been a time of pioneering, learning, persevering- and certainly a time of growing in my teaching capacities. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity.

But then, with one week left in the course, my body decided it had had enough. I spent the last four days in bed- until yesterday eating only saltines. I am just grateful they even have saltines here! However, yesterday i ate toast;  it was like seeing the glint of light at the end of the tunnel. Then last night I managed a scrambled egg and a muffin... so it seems the worst may be over.

I will still be taking it easy, spending a lot of time resting. In view of that, i will not be teaching the last week of the course, but have divided my material among several friends here. They will be covering the content of the last week while i continue to recover. Its a relief to have everything covered.

This was my second round of this kind of illness on this trip- i think with mono i can only take so much strain (travel last time, teaching schedule this time) before I kinda collapse. If i am correct in this understanding, it means that even though my stomach is on the road to functionality, i still need to continue to take it easy and rest. Especially as i don't wish to see any recurrence of these difficult
setbacks. Thanks for lifting me up- i know I am in His hands and that mono doesn't last forever.

Over in Asia

Just a quick glimpse of the people i am serving with over here. Its a really sweet group of people with a warm sense of community.

 

Sorry the blog has been idle and lacked photos. I plead illness and distance (my sister posts this for me when i am gone because of internet censorship here). I have a total of six photos from this trip. And i only took four of them myself! One day i will be normal and write on my blog again...but today is not that day:)

taking it slow in Thailand

Its been fun to be with friends for a conference in Chiang Mai- unfortunately, it proved too much for me a couple days in. I was really ill for a couple days and went to the hospital...but ended up only getting blood tests. I moved into a nicer hotel, courtesy of my friends, dropped out of the conference, and have been spending a lot of time in bed. I feel a lot more stable now.

I am leaving today for Bangkok to meet my teams again- after a few days there i will be heading back to Oriental Asia. Its hard to rest on travel days- please pray for grace for me those days. Back in Asia, i should be able to stay home for a week straight...rest time that I definitely need before attempting to teach the worldview and Apologetics course starting mid-February.

Thank you for lifting me up. Your partnership in prayer is greatly appreciated.

goodbye Myanmar, hello Thailand

Today I flew from Myanmar back to Thailand. I am currently in the airport in Bangkok, waiting to fly to Chiang Mai for the week. 

Leaving Myanmar felt premature- because of resting so often during my stay, I felt a little removed from the city...however, i still got out to nearby coffee shops to meet with my local friends. The Myanmar people are so sweet- and the brothers and sisters at the fellowship we serve with in Yangon are precious. I am grateful for the time I got to spend talking and praying with them. 

With Aimee, the leader of the Myanmar team. Less than two years ago she was my student. She was on the outreach team i led to London (and Ireland) during the Olympics. So proud of how she has grown as a leader and stepped out in God's call on her life!

Myanmar in motion

Rapid changes over the past couple years have brought Myanmar out of a long standing, oppressive, military rule. Fragile beginnings of democracy have heralded new freedoms. Its incredible to me to see the changes since I was here two years ago. Myanmar is in motion.

Tourism was extremely limited. Several areas of the country could be visited, but you had to fly there from Yangon- foreigners were not allowed on inter-city public buses. What may be seen in the countryside (including the state of the roads) was considered bad for the nation's image. Now the nation has thrown open its doors to tourism, and the embassy in Bangkok was swamped with people getting visas. The plane was no longer full of locals, asian business people, NGO workers, and the occasional culture-loving retired western couple. It was full of backpackers, and adventurous tourists. It concerned me rather deeply, seeing the influences that are arriving by the plane-ful.

In other changes, limited numbers of permits were given for vehicle ownership. The permits were expensive- as were the cars. Cars were old (often 30 years old) and in ill repair, taxis the same (no meters), and roads were often seen quite quite empty. Now the cars have multiplied- many shiny and new- and there is traffic at once quiet intersections.

The list keeps going. Sim cards for mobile phones were very expensive and limited. They too have become more easily acquired. Newspapers were only government owned and the censorship was extensive- now privately owned papers have sprung up and are able to publish. The entire country used to operate on an cash basis with no ATMs. As foreigners, we had to bring fresh new USD to exchange- and had no way to access more money if we ran out here! The money was in small denominations and we were told not to leave it in our rooms... so last time I was here i carried a bundle of money the size of brick in my purse (and my coleader carried another two!). Now there is ATMs easily accessed. There were about a dozen restaurants in the city that our contacts listed as safe for us to eat at (sanitation at stalls and local restaurants was notoriously low) and now there is easily over a hundred.
The changes go on and on- and these are only the things I experience or observe on a surface level. I can't imagine how this fast moving transition is affecting the culture at large. Freedom has blown open the door and the winds of change are rushing in so fast and all of Myanmar is in motion.

Please pray for Myanmar - as I mentioned, not all the influences rushing in are good things. For instance, there has been an influx of cults (JWs, Mormons)- making me glad that during my last trip I spent time teaching the church here about guarding themselves from false teaching- it was for "such a time as this". In addition, Myanmar culture has preserved a precious degree of modesty- but thoughtless and culturally (and often morally) clueless tourists could quickly deteriorate that. So please lift up the church here, that they would shine as a light in their nation, taking their cues from Christ, not the world thats rushing through their nation's open door.

leaving for Myanmar

Tomorrow morning I leave for Myanmar to visit the team there. I am looking forward to catching up with them, hearing about their experiences, and encouraging them.
Due to the small airports, I believe the travel will be less strenuous and therefore not so hard on my body. I am feeling quite well today and hope to keep stable as I transition to my week in Myanmar.
Please pray that I would be a blessing as I serve the team there.

upswing

I am feeling a lot better today, even though I had to do some travel back and forth across the city getting my Myanmar visa. Today is a welcome upswing.  I am really thankful for God's grace on my physical body today.

Passing through Bangkok

I arrived in Bangkok last night. I was kinda ill after the strenuous afternoon of traveling, and to really put me over the edge, i accidentally left my carry-on in the taxi. I remembered it just moments later. I threw my small rolling suitcase toward the curb and took off chasing the taxi down the little side street yelling at the top of my lungs. I got my bag back... unlike another visit to Bangkok when i forgot a bag in a bus station. I was not about to let it happen again!

Welcome to Bangkok.

As a result of all this action, I apparently exceeded my "mono-recover-activity-limit" and have had to keep to my bed most the day. I went out on the street this morning for Thai iced coffee from a stall, and then popped out for lunch as well. But my room is on the third floor of the hostel, so i really have to think through outings (the stairs do me in). 

Aside from not feeling too well, its nice to be in Bangkok. Great food, smiling locales, interesting  people-watching, cheap iced coffee stands, deep fried bananas... 

A morning shot of Khao San Road: the backpacker mecca of Thailand- and the rest of southeast Asia!

Lined with hostels and cafes, Khao San is swamped with pedestrians by midday. Stalls and vendors of everything you could possibly want/need run thick along the curb... its pretty much a backpacker wonderland.

Glimpse of Asia

Just a couple pics from Asia...

This is the view from the patio of the apartment i am sharing- its in the same complex as my last trip, but facing the opposite way. Its a shame... the other direction is a spectacular view of the the downtown skyline. When i get back to the city at the end of this month, this is where i will be staying for the next few months.

Me and Emmy on the bridge by the apartment we stayed in when she was my student a several years ago. Emmy is leading the team there now...so proud of her!

mono and the aftermath

I apologize for the scarcity in entries on this blog lately. I know they would be somewhat infrequent, but the last few weeks have amounted to a total standstill. This is owing to my unexpectedly contracting mono.

In December, following the close of the course I was leading this autumn, I fell ill with what has proved to be mono. My last two weeks in Maui before traveling were quite difficult and I am grateful for the Father's grace in that discouraging time. I was even concerned that I would have to cancel my trip to Asia, as I was not well enough to travel and a couple weeks had seen no change. Thankfully, I
improved substantially two days before traveling to the mainland to see my family for Christmas. The week of rest there saw continued recovery and last week I was strong enough to make the extended
flights to Asia.

Now I am in Asia, in a familiar city where I have often served, and have visited one of the teams we sent out. I have been delighted to find them fruitfully engaged in leading studies of the Word, teaching, and sharing the good news one on one. Encouraging them has been encouraging to me! They have departed to another location, and I am leaving tomorrow for Bangkok myself. I will be acquiring a visa for Myanmar, then heading there to visit my other team this weekend.

Please lift me up for continued recovery from mono. Although I typically walk a great deal in Asia, I am weak and easily winded which is difficult for getting around large cities- especially on a budget.
Please lift up my joints which have often been painfully stiff since I became sick. Also, lift up the request that there would be understanding from those around me. I don't look sick anymore, but am told that  I will still require a LOT of rest if I am to fully recover. I am trying to minimize exertion, and I make sure to rest often. I will continue to do so despite my moving from country to country for a few more weeks.

Thank you for your care, support, and for lifting me up during this time.