W.I.F.E.

I just love this picture!

I got to tell you that God is molding me every day in being a wife and mother. I am praying that God's Word would be alive and active in me - specifically in these areas, my first calling.

Reading today I came across a cute little "gem" by Elizabeth George from her book , A Wife After God's Own Heart. :

W- Warm up his life with your love
I- Improve his life as a helper
F- Follow his leadership with a willing heart
E- Esteem him highly with utmost respect

What a beautiful picture. By the power of the Holy Spirit - let it be a reality! I hope this encourages you as it does me.

-6

I am a Texan. Born and raised in Texas. I served on the mission field in Ban Nam Khem, Thailand for a couple years (tropical climate). I am temporarily living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. My journal entry for today:

IT IS -6 Degrees outside.

I am trying to walk "in the Spirit and not in my flesh" towards this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trent said it best last night as he joked..."I am convinced that there will not only be fire in hell, but it will be cold too!"

Todays prayer: "Lord, thank You for all the years you blessed us to live in Texas"

Encouraging!

"Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift up your hands toward Him for the life of your children." - Lamentations 2:19

I came across this Scripture today & was touched deeply by it. So, I thought I would post it and pray that it is just as encouraging for any other parents out there that may stumble across this blog.

Every day being a Mother is a high calling. It doesn't always "feel" like it as we are wiping "snotty" noses, maybe changing diapers, or even settling little...disputes between the little angels.

However, it is a high call! We are shaping! We are discipling! Stand in Him and be encouraged to pour out - especially in the mundane things of life. They are life shaping moments.

Do it all unto Jesus.

My High Council

I don’t know about you, but I have the tendency to just run right to Trent and say what ever I am thinking about. Usually I have not put too much thought into those words. Probably because I know Trent loves me unconditionally – ha ha! But, being the good husband he is – he does his best to try to correct my wrong thinking, fix my problem/situation, and/or try to encourage me.

To no fault of his, most of the time- I don’t want to hear it! Unless of course, he is giving me a big FAT



I said it! It is true!!!

99% of the time my husband is right on! Rebuke and all (when needed)! But, after being corrected by the Holy Spirit on receiving a word of correction, the Lord revealed to me my real “problem”.

My real problem being that I did not come to Him first. The Holy Spirit is my High Counselor. The good news for this uninsured lady is that I have full insurance in HIM!

By going to the Lord first, even before my best friend and husband, I have the ability to allow my thoughts to come in align with His thoughts. To allow the Lord into that intimate place of High Council He longs to be. Not that there is wrong in seeking your spouse’s council, but what a beautiful intimacy to share that with the Lord.

The second part of what I feel like the Holy Spirit was sharing with me is the power in my words.

Proverbs 18:21 (New American Standard Bible)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

By taking time out to meet with the Lord and seek Him in my thinking, opinions, and concerns – this allows me to protect myself from…..myself! Choosing words of life, rather than words of death! There is power in that!

Not to mention, I get to be the help meet to Trent he needs, instead of more work! Ha!

Fighting Home School Burnout!

Hello!

I wanted to take a minute to jot down some challenges to the call of home schooling. I often write here things dear to my heart. I pray that as the Lord guides and directs my thoughts to come in align with His, that it blesses those who might be going through something similiar.

Well, recently home schooling has been so difficult! My children are precious. I am realizing that I am not! LOL! Just kidding, but honestly my attitude toward the challenges have not been....precious! Anyway, I know a lot of mothers who are venturing out into the home school realm. I am by no means a pro as I have only been doing it 3 years now, but I do have some insight to some challenges.

Why did I want to home school.... Well, initially it was a group of reasons.
1. We were moving to the foreign mission field.
2. I wanted to be the influence in my childrens lives.
3. I see raising children more as discipleship than education alone.
4. I thought it would be fun!

I am sure there are many more that might come to mind, but those are the ones I remembered. Well, home school is just like everything else in life. There is a excitement of the curriculmn & the anticipation of what it will be like. It is still fun, but for me it grew into the reality of the discipline of it. There is also challenges as to the responses from your children. Some days I just think, "Are they getting it?!" Another difficulty is the 24/7 of child rearing. "Mother's day out programs" being something of the past at this point - I realize it for those refueling times they had been.

I see the beauty of home schooling. But! How do I avoid that burn out feeling? Feeling home school burn out , I just read was described by examples such as a lack of patience or maybe even overreacting to minor things. Well, the last 2 weeks that was me to a T! I don't know how it crept up on me, but I was in burnout. 3 years non stop homeschool, 24/7 with the kids, motherhood duties like laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.

So, I had to reflect. I have such HIGH expectations of my kids and myself. We have had 3 moves in the past 2 years(2 being international), and lots of change. Not to mention we are moving AGAIN at the end of the month. And I am trying to find a way to finish our late started school year with the worlds calendar system.

I realize...I need to relax! I need to quit trying and let the Lord do it! Yes, I have to get up and fill up & teach, but I need to rest in the Lord. I also realize that I have to not go by the worlds standards - even to the calendar months! Of course the standards by which I hold my childrens education to is still the highest. So, today we did 1 Math class. We had fun at school today & are going to have a GREAT weekend! By taking a little break, and learning what the Lord had to show me through it - we will all be able to restart again Monday.

SO! If you ever get to the point of feeling the burn out in home school. Don't feel condemned! Take a break, give it to God, and follow the desire that took you to home schooling. For me, discipling my kids in the way they should go. That is it. If we don't finish our school year until AUGUST! There is liberty! If I feel overwhelmed to be perfect in their education, well that is a good thing, but I am learning to take a day off to get my house caught up if that needs to be done. Freedom, baby!

My brother in law Todd Pruett once said to me, "Amy, everything, every person, every situation as a child of God is to form you into the image of Christ". That 100% applies to HOME SCHOOLING!

LET LOVE REIGN in YOU!

And you know I love my kids, so here are some snapshots as we decorated Christmas cookies yesterday :)

Good Ol' days....

Have you ever thought to yourself…”Do you remember the good old days?” Well, yesterday Jackson and I were in the truck going to his follow up appointment & he was staring out the window when he asked me that very question.

I have to admit the question perplexed me as I thought of how many good OLD days he has had in his little life of 8 years! I thought it was cute & he went on to describe the beach days in Ban Nam Khem, Thailand. He went on further to describe how he wished you could pray and God would take you back in time. Now there was much more to this conversation, but I will stop there.

I kept thinking about the good old days in my mind. What were the good old days to me? Well, if you have ever tried to get something back that is already gone – well it is just impossible!

For example, I remember being so excited about coming home from Thailand the first time. I could barely wait! Now it was a good time (aside from all the warfare), but in NO WAY did we return to the way things had been. On the contrary – I was ready to go back to Thailand at that point.

Then Trent and I were talking this morning & were talking about God’s plans for us. Then he said something similar to this, “Watch out for the trend of thinking back or trying to look ahead.”

Honestly, it really irritated me! AH! Why? Well, because that is exactly what I was doing! Convicted? Yes. I am ready to get on with what God has for our family. Notice = I. I am ready. But, it really ministered to me as I thought upon that statement.

Then the Scripture came to mind, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Just as I am growing in faith of God’s provision, I need to be just as faithful in trusting God with HIS plans for our lives & in HIS timing. I am ready now, but HE has not yet moved us. Do you find yourself looking back or looking ahead? Well, don’t let the devil rob you of TODAY!
********************************************************************************* We celebrated Jackson and Bradens 8th birthday party this weekend. It was a surprise party :) Enjoy the pictures of us celebrating Star Wars style!!!

Beautiful

The heart of a child is the most precious of God's creation.
Never break it. At all costs, never break it.

-- Joseph L. Whitten


Lord help me to gently, without compromise, and completely in love guide the children YOU have given in the way they should go. To know You first and the reality of You in their lives.

Here we go again...

Well, after several days of ups and downs with Jackson's asthma - we ended back in the ER Sunday night. This time we did not have to go through all of the quarantine so that is a big PLUS!

He is doing well & breathing is better. He is having more testing done to see what these "triggers" could be. So, he should be home later today or tomorrow. Daddy is there with him. I have to report that Jackson was SO BRAVE! It can be kinda scary not breathing too well & then he had to go through SEVERAL attempts before they were able to get an IV in. He wanted me to take pictures for Braden & Trinity to show how brave he was being. So, I thought I would share them with you.

The face covers are just preventative of the spread of respiratory infections on a children's floor. No quarantine! We are believing God for a COMPLETE healing! No more asthma in Jesus Name!

Today's Thought & Challenge!

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
-Philippians 4:8 NASB

Challenge: Practice LOVE


Encouragement: Trinity thinking according to Philippians 4:8

Thanksgiving time.....

Ok, so it is already cold here! And, guess what!?!? This is nothing with what I am about to share, but – we won new snow suits for the kids on ebay for $24.99 each! If you do not know, snow suits for the kids that will do the job here in S.D. are very expensive!!! We have just moved from the tropics & it gets below zero here & we have been praying how to go about the cold with our kids. Then in complete shock, I won a ridiculous bid on ebay. I know that it was and is The Hand of God! Here is my kids all suited up…..now all we need is some snow!



I find it a bit interesting that we have returned to the states – right before the holidays….. Anyway, I start there because I have had such a different perspective on life since returning to America. Don’t get me wrong, I saw God in all the little things in Thailand too. I loved our time in Thailand! It was life giving, sustaining, and changing!!! But, to live life away from many modern conveniences, wow, it just proves that they are indeed – conveniences. Gifts!
So, I continue to thank the Lord daily for the things I feel so blessed. From hot water at the kitchen sink to a drying machine for our laundry. But today I have to add an AMAZING PRAISE report!
Once we got here, within 8 days, Jackson became ill. He had a serious infection that was also overdramatized into a airborne disease by the hospital. Anyway, needless to say after a few doctor appointments, an emergency ambulance ride, a good stay in an isolated private airflow room, including all medications and a breathing machine to take home……it started adding up! If you didn’t know, we don’t have insurance! But, then again we do! We have Holy Ghost insurance! Ha!
The bills starting coming….we couldn’t pay. We talked to the hospital. Then, we got a notice from a collection company over one of the bills. We stood still in FAITH!
Yesterday we got a call….a beautiful call. The State of South Dakota has covered our medical bills! From our prescriptions to our ambulance rides to our hospital stay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank You Jesus! I want to encourage you who are reading. Just when the enemy tries to get you to doubt the faithful Father! Stand Firm! He is Jehovah Jirah – The Lord Will Provide!

The Change is a Hard Reality in Many Areas

Notice new photo's to the right....new slideshow...

As you may already know, my sister in law, Carrie Pruett, is sick with Typhoid Fever in Chiang Mai Thailand. We had been serving with them for about 2 years while we were in Thailand ourselves. Please keep her in your prayers for a speedy recovery. She is on medication & is finally able to rest.

When this happened I started feeling very ..... very .... strange. For lack there of a better explanation. It was a feeling of helplessness. I know I can pray, but I could not physically help. Help by taking the children so that Todd could be free. Help by making meals. All the things we would naturally do like when we were together. So we prayed our hearts out! I share that to explain this "transitional feeling" our entire family is feeling.

It is like you are in the middle of 2 places. You go from being a foreigner to being a citizen. That may not explain it well. But regardless - we are all starting to have feeling about our return to America. It is great in so many ways & we know, that we know it is the Will of God for us, but wow - so different!

Braden still cries A LOT about missing plants, our dog, our house there. He likes everything THERE! He misses his cousins and friends with whom he played with A LOT. He misses his family there (Unlces and Aunts both related and not). He is by far having the hardest adjustment.

Trinity cried herself almost to sleep last night about missing her cousins. She doesn't know why we have to be apart. It is heart wrenching to hear her cry, because it is such a deep cry.

Jackson, well he is by far our BEST at this transition. 1 month later & he misses our home there, but content with today.

Trent too is doing really well, but the reality of not being on the mission field is hard to swallow even in the will of God. He is praying and praying to stay working full time for God.

Me, well I have a very different attitude coming back. A very thankful heart! I am so happy for all the conveniences that we have here & the easy communication with people ANYWHERE. But I do miss the joy of serving there. I miss our team. I miss our dog too.... But more than anyway of being able to actually describe it, it is just this lost in the middle before we walk into what God has before us.

So! I do not post this to be a downer. Really, it is a great day! I just thought I would put in a journal entry about some realities we have had returning to the states. People have asked me, "Do you miss Thailand?" Then I thought, maybe other people returning from the mission field might be able to relate? Anyway, here is my view point about our cross cultural move - 1 month after stepping back onto American soil.

Motherhood, home school, and ministry

Welcome to the maddness~


It has been quite a while since I have posted - sorry! It usually takes me a while to get into my groove once I have an adjustment. Well, I feel like I am getting there. So, what's been going on?

Jax - He is free!!!! Yes, no more being confined to the house!!! No more sickness! No wheezing - complete healing!!!! Woo hoo!

Braden - Still would rather be in Thailand. Still really sad about leaving our dog, Samson. BUT! We are making progress. He does not cry EVERY day about Samson. So, we are using this difficult time as a ministry for him - handpicked by God.

Look! Matching pants :) And yes, it is already COLD here!


Trinity - WOW! The word that comes to mind...LIFE....LOTS OF LIFE! That girl is something special!!!! She is a comedian at about 99% of the time. She has a heart of worship & is singing most of the time worship songs to God. She is such a joy!

Trent - Praying, seeking God's direction in many areas. Already helping out in the church as opportunitites arise. Not to mention, becoming very handy! Trent used to not have a handy bone in his body. But guess what?!?!? He is handy! He even made a table!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Check it out:


I don't know about you, but I am IMPRESSED!

Amy - Home schooling, ironing, staying ontop of laundry, home cooked meals in a fast paced world....preparing lesson plans for both Junior High & Childrens Church! I love it! I love being used :D It is so fun to prepare for sharing the love of God with children and youth & God has given me an opportunity to do that!! Thank you Jesus! As for the home, I think stepping back into a world where things are more convenient that it has given me such a thankful heart. In Thailand daily chores are so much work. You have the heat, and very few of the conveniences that you have here. So with these new found freedoms my goal is to remain thankful & to do a better job of living my life unto the Lord serving my family. Laundry is so much more easy here that I am done so quickly & am actually ironing! I know many moms out there have that down, but this is a new accomplishment for me. I am enjoying the will of God for us right now!!!


This washer and dryer IN PERFECT working condition was given to us as a gift to help us set up a home in America....once again.


Home school....Well, this is a huge deal now. Going into 2nd grade with my kids has been a big adjustment. Right now it is taking us from 9:30 am to 3:00 in the afternoon. This takes commitment from each of us. We do have break in the morning & then an hour for lunch to break up the day. It is just longer than last year! More classes, more time. But hey, the kids are getting smarter! Me too!







Ministry. Well, we have officially taken on the Childrens & Junior High positions at New Life Christian Fellowship here in Sioux Falls. We are excited to get started. There had been a Sunday School class for the kids. All ages in one as the staff was short handed. They were however getting solid teaching! Both Michele & Rita were serving whole heartedly & we hope to be able to follow in their footsteps! So we are excited to put a special ministry together for them. We are going to now have a midweek program for them & Sunday mornings. Sunday morning will now have the childrens program & an age appropriate Junior High program. There is a special need for hands on ministry for this age group for what they are about to walk into. Trent will be heading up the Junior High along with serving in Men's minsitry, assistance to everything Jeff needs, and he will also be doing Prison Ministry.

I will be doing the lesson planning for both. I will be specifically handling the Childrens Ministry, and helping Trent in anyway. There are a lot of opportunities to serve here and I am trying to go slow. I want to say yes to everything, but I know I have to take one step at a time. I am praying about leading a weekly new Christian discipleship for women as well as prison ministry for women. Keep me in your prayers for hearing what the Lord is asking of me. Not what I can do to be busy, but what He is truly asking of me.

I hope this catches you up to date, and I will post again soon!

A thought worthy of meditating on...

God delights to increase the faith of his children. We ought,
instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for
patience, to be willing to take them from God's hands as a
means. Trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats,
are the very food of faith.

-- George Müller



In light of what we have just walked through - this really ministered to me! Jackson is home, recovering & doing great! Thank you for your continued prayers.

As soon as we get Jax out of the "home zone" we will be moving forward with our ministry call. We are really excited to get started with our passion of sharing the love of Jesus!!!

God has been faithful to keep us & just this morning the kids and I were reading Psalms 121. We are really trying to focus on God as our keeper around here. There has been a lot of adjustment & the kids are doing well in spite of it all. Braden would rather be in Thailand & Trinity is so so so missing her family there. BUT! We can trust our God that He has called us here & will keep us. That He is THE GOOD FATHER & His eyes are upon us & we can rest in Him & His plans for our lives.

Isn't that true for any situation we are going through? God's love and His Word applies to us all - ALL THE TIME! AMEN & THANK YOU JESUS!

With love, Amy

Jackson is home!

Wow! What a 48 hours!!! This evening we were able to bring Jackson home. He is home and we are all sooo happy! Thank you for your prayers, and words of encouragment.

The TB test will be complete in the morning, but we know in our hearts that is not the case.

SO! Thank you Jesus! Thank you family & friends!!!

Hello from "America"

I have to apologize for taking so long to write. Quite honestly it has been crazy busy since being here. Days were flying by & it was hard to stay connected without Internet at the house. Then we were blessed to have my parents bring a Uhaul of stuff to help make a home here. Such a blessing!

Then out of no where, Jackson got really sick. He had a cough when we left Thailand, but we just figured it was a cough. Well last night he went into a severe asthmatic attack. It began with coughing & then we took him to an Acute care. They gave him breathing treatments & sent him home. At home we gave another one, and then he took a huge turn for the worse barely able to breath. We returned to the Acute care & they then transferred him by ambulance to Sanford Childrens Hospital.

Once there he was admitted and treated, with little reaction to medication. They then put us in quarantine & have been treating Jackson as if he has an infectious disease such as Tuberculosis.




Trent and I are NOT receiving that! We are believing for a complete healing in Jesus Name! Today Jackson has been able to respond to the steroids and i.v. medications & the Doctor thinks that is a very good sign that we may not be dealing with T.B.

The Dr. may keep Jackson admitted for another day or 2 as Jackson is not breathing at levels he should be without treatments.

Please join with us in prayer for a speedy COMPLETE healing. Also, please pray for Braden & Trinity as they are really upset about not being with their big brother..

Love, Amy

Change....

As you know if you have been reading our blog, we have been spending a lot of time in prayer about our upcoming move.

Well, a little over 2 weeks ago when Trent returned from Narathiwat we had our answer. Not only did we have our answer, but our leadership knew too.

We had to pray about the timing of this change, and we had to seek counsel from our sending church which was the delay in posting. Well, all have prayed and all "bare witness" and we are free to share.

So read our letter by following our newsletter link at the top right or below to see what is going on. (cut and paste in browser)
http://ignitethenationsministry.net/newsletter.aspx
click on the "Letter of Change" link.

We wish it could be more personally, but things are never easy on the other side of the world! Please feel free to email us with any questions.

Love,
Amy

Time in prayer

Hello. I just thought that I would post that Trent and I are going to be spending some time in prayer and being still before the Lord. During this time I am going to take a break from blogging unless led otherwise.

Thanks for praying with us!

Love, Amy

Stranger things have happened....

If you have been reading my blog for awhile you will notice I have obviously had a release from the desperate prayer request! I am rejoicing in God's beautiful faithfulness! Trent gets home and I can not wait until we can pray together and see all that the Lord has put before us! He gets home - TODAY! WOO HOO!....

Anyway, just when you think things couldn't get any more strange...



know that there are far stranger things! I read this article from MSN about a rooster with it's head cut off & it lived! Of course the duration was not long....but it lived! How about that! Blog worthy.... I don't know? But, it sure spoke to me about living daily for the Lord & in His plans for your life!

Welcome to my brain!

Braden's Hair Do

 

I thought this was worthy of blogging..... to all my family and friends out there! I hope this was just as hilarious to you as it was to our family!!!

Both boys are growing out their soldier cuts, and we are in an "akward period". During this time we are trying to teach the boys to "style" their hair. Well, here is Braden's! The downside to this "do" was that he used a product that is like GLUE! It took 2 washings to get it out :D

Update...

Well, the kids are well! Trent and the guys are doing great too. They did pray through that area of Narathiwat and did not feel that is where the team was to go for ministry.

Our family is still seeking specific direction for 2009, so keep us in your prayers. Also, thank you for praying!!!! I love the body of Christ & the faithfulness of His praying children!!!!

Love, Amy

2 bombs went off in Narathiwat....Trent and the guys are ok...

Just a quick note incase some of you are following the area Trent is in Narathiwat. There were 2 bombs that went off, but the guys were not injured. They did not see it either. The first bomb was to draw attention and the the 2nd brought the destruction. Thank You Jesus for your Almighty Protection over our guys! However, I am sad to report that there was a loss of life today as the Muslim Insurgents made an attack. A local Thai reporter, Charlee Boonsawat died at the scene. There were 32others injured as well.

As far as the home front (which pales in comparison to that) we are on the road to recovery from all the sickness! Thanks for your prayers.

With love,
Amy

2 days Trent is gone, 5 more days till he's home

I am about to pass out because I am so tired. Just wanted to do a quick update. Please keep those prayers coming. Today was Trent and the guys 2nd day gone & this was my 2nd day at the hospital with one of my children. The devil never plays fair. We have the victory in Christ & Jesus holds the keys!!! I am holding on to the promises of God!

Braden today went in with problems breathing. Trinity was treated for the same thing yesterday. We now have an at home nebulizer as the children are requiring breathing treatments about every 3 to 4 hours. Jackson's fever is gone, but still has a lingering stomache "bug". Mommy is tired!

Trent is doing good. He was surprised at the area of Narathiwat. He said it was beautiful & the people were really nice. More friendly than Chiang Mai! I thought that was interesting considering the thoughts on Southern Thailand. So he is doing good and will continue to pray throughout the area. They have some contacts there from other missionaries that used to serve that area and they hope to make a connection.

Thanks for your prayers!

Queen of Thailands Birthday & other home matters

2 weeks ago it was the Queens birthday here in Thailand. It is also considered Mothers Day, a day in where all Mother's are honored. It appears to be an almost sacred day in Thailand. Our teacher invited us to her church & we had a special time! Take a look:






Also, Trent should be arriving in Narathiwat in the morning. There was a bit of a delay, but the boys are on their way. Trent got the opportunity to teach at a Bible School & that was really exciting! On the home front, we have definately felt the "warfare". It all began with Jackson spiking a fever of 102.1 right after Trent left & continuing through today with stomach pain. Then Trinity began getting sick with fever, stomach pain & breathing problems. We prayed through breathing difficulties, but did end up going to the hospital for medical attention. Turns out she has a chest infection. Bless her heart! We are doing breathing treatments every 5 hours & praying through this terrible attack!

Desperate for your prayers

Being desperate is the best place to be before God! I trust God & I trust my husband as we put our prayer request before you. I know God will guide us & not mislead us. None the less, it is a serious need for prayers. We believe in the power of prayer!!!!

As you know we have been faithfully serving God here in Thailand for almost 2 years. During this time we have also been under a discipleship program as well. It has been a life changing 2 years! It has been refining & humbling, and amazing too!!! We are nearing the end of our 2nd year & desperately seeking God for His direction for our family.

The team we have committed to through the end of the year is moving South in January. Our discipleship period will most likely be completed, and so we are in a place of – Where God? This direction to Narathiwat has not been confirmed with our family. Trent and I love our team, but can not deny things that have been stirring within our hearts.

Please intercede for us. During the next week Trent will be going to Narathiwat, Thaialand with the men on the team, Todd (Trents older brother) & John Blake to pray and check out the area. The team either way is going South, but what does the Lord have for our family????

Personally, I have not felt the call to Narathiwat. I have had dreams & other confirmations on another area. However, this other location has not been spoken to Trent personally….. So, we are desperate to hear God. The best place we can be!
Please keep us in your prayers

America Needs Missionaries!

If this girl can do it, so can you! This is the first clip I came across when I referenced evangelism. I thought that the girl was awesome! She is young & taking it to the streets!!! I sat with Braden (my almost 8 year old son) & he grew bolder! IF you listen to the responses the rest of my blog is even more right on!



America needs missionaries!

Yesterday I was thinking about America. I was thinking how easy it was to share your faith with someone, and how much I missed that. There are so many hurdles in language and cultural barriers to sharing “vocally” your faith here. 2 years later and we have the opportunity to study the Thai language (real school) with an actual teacher. Sitting across her desk, I am having a real revelation that this is a very long process to actually speak Thai. 6 months after study I should be able to talk like a KINDERGARDENER. Wow, humbling….. However, you have to start somewhere.
Back to my original thoughts towards America. If you are a Christian & you are truly saved – take the Great Commission and take the Good News to America. You are called according to Matthew 28!!! I am jealous of your opportunity! I get emails of a lot of evangelism that goes on from our friends back home & it is so encouraging. It is so exciting to hear how God is moving! If it has been awhile since you shared about Jesus - do it today! Tomorrow has not been promised to us. Check out these statistics: (final calculations are mine) I hope you are encouraged to Preach the Gospel by these numbers!

301,139,947 people listed living in America (cia fact sheet)
51.3% Protestant
23.9% Catholic
1.6% Christian

76.8% profess in Jesus as their Savior. It is thought that only approximately 4% of the professing American church is truly born again, saved.

.03% of the American Population thought to be Biblically Saved!

Today I witnessed a young boy dying

Today was a bit different from our normal day. Aside from Thai language school, we were all going into see a dentist. I don't know about you, but this is not one of my favorite things to do, especially living in Thailand! Also, Trent and I both have new language teachers. So, that is always an "adjustment". She is great & we know we are going to learn a lot, but it will also take time as we readjust to her expectations & learning style. So, today needless today was very ….. what's the word… mentally and emotionally challenging?.?. I guess that is how I would describe it.

The day is coming to a close & it is time to pick Trent up from language study. We are driving through Chiang Mai & it is full of traffic! Motorcycles everywhere! It is madness, but strangely I am used to it so it is really not a big deal to us.

(Here is a typical group of kids coming home from school on their motorcycles)

The kids and I are jamming out to Jesus Culture singing at the top of our lungs having a lot of fun. Then, suddenly we come to a sudden stop. There had been a motorcycle accident, a bad one. I am not sure what just happened, but we were one of the first to witness. We were on a busy highway & could not stop in our lane of traffic, but it is one of those moments in time that seems to last forever. This young man, a teenager, was near death. He was shaking and bleeding heavily. My mind took pictures of the scene. There was a girl standing helpless & in shock. There was a young man holding on to the boy crying. There were people stopped in traffic. There were tuk tuk driver's calling for help. Actually I think there probably 20 different people calling for help. Then, there were people like me that had to keep going or more accidents would happen on this Super Highway. Could you imagine seeing your friend in a state like this? They were on their way home from school in uniforms. This boy was probably having a normal day. Instinctively I began to pray & cry out for his soul! This seen took me to a state of brokenness that you can only know if you have been broken in prayer. Jackson, Braden, and Trinity and I reached out our hands and began praying & interceding for him. Unfortunately we did not get to witness a miracle, (although we do not know that it did not happen) but we do know that we were before the throne of Grace! We know as we cried out for this young man - God was hearing our prayers for him.

After I picked up Trent I began thinking, "What if I am the only one aside from Jesus that has ever interceded for this boy, personally?" I mean, we live in a country that is mainly Buddhist and Muslim too. Less than 1% of the population is Christian. In America, there is a church just about on every corner (and we need them!), but here the gospel is not known to the majority. We have had the privilege of sharing the gospel with people that have never even heard the name of Jesus. It is truly incredible to introduce the Savior by divine appointment. Tonight as I was thinking about this question I was reminded of why we are here! Everybody is going to die. Nobody knows when they are going to die & probably most will die on just a normal day. But as Christians we know we are living for Eternity. Living for Jesus. We have a job as a child of God & that is to share the gospel! Today, if you are a Christian – Go and Preach the Gospel!

Read - A - Thon Success!

Well, it was a lot of hard work, and the kids did AMAZING! What an exciting way to grow in reading and enjoy reading more.

Braden read 18 books, Trinity read 14 books and Jackson read 11!

Here are some pictures, enjoy!

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Qoutes

Qoutes are fun to me. It amazes me how just a few words can make such lasting impressions. Here are a couple anonymous qoutes I read today....

"Whoever gossip to you, will gossip of you"

"If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it"

"A man should be like tea, his real strenth appearing when he gets in hot water"

C.S. Lewis, "To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."

Love righteousness. Hate sin.

July 2008 Newsletter Now Available!

Trent and I are posting our newest newsletter online. Follow the link in the top right hand column to see what is going on, then click on Newsletter June July 2008 to read.


Blessings,
Trent and Amy

The Will of God...

Simple, beautiful....

Jesus is the will of God demonstrated.

This thought captivated me this morning & if you meditate on that simplicity - wow!

Trinity's Song

So... Trinity has had this song stuck in her head & now ours too for 3 WEEKS! Today we went online to find the correct words to this song. It has been cute, but it is time for the correct words now. LOL!

Anyway, we found this little youtube video & thought it was cute enough to share! I can't wait to be In My Father's House!!!!!

JUly 4, 2008

 
 
 
 

Thursday Night we got to go to a special July 4th party at the U.S. Embassy here in Chiang Mai. It was a lot of fun! We sung the National Anthem, ate American food, and even had a special flag ceremony where U.S. Soldiers came in and took down the flag & did the official folding. The kids were mesmorized & had a History lesson all in one. It was a blessed evening & even made new friends. The pictures are of our family, Trent's brother Todd's family.

Also, please please please remember me in your prayers this week. I am taking an exam to complete the first module of Thai Language. I have to speak for 5 minutes in Thai & I have a spelling test & vocubulary memorization! Love, Amy

God is Amazing to Me!!

I have been in awe lately at the Lord's personal touch in my life. As Christians we always worship God because He is worthy. We pray because it is our lifeline to God and our hearts desire. But, you know, those personal touches He does in your life that just make your heart "gush" – well that is what I have had recently.

For example, Just the other day I prayed for a Thai friend. We meet many Thai people at school, but I wanted something a bit more personal. So I decided to pray about it. I go before my Father & put my desires before Him. Literally the NEXT day a family in our muubaan (community) walks up to our house and starts talking to Jackson. They have a 3 year old son. The man is American and from Carrollton of all places (very close to our home town) & he is married to a Thai women. The woman (I am ashamed to say I can not remember her name :0) and I begin talking in Thai & English back and forth. It was beautiful! She is a Buddhist & I am excited to get to know her more & share the gospel with her J I knew just then that God was showing me He loves me & cares for me! At the same time I get to share with her the passion & love & Lordship of my life – Jesus! I pray this friendship blossoms & the Kingdom advances!!!

Another example was just yesterday. It was my birthday (I turned 33!) Anyway, we were at a coffee shop having coffee & out of the blue my friend Brad walks in! Brad had been a part of our missions' team the last 1.5 & we all became like family. Anyway, he was called to the boarder of Thailand to do relief work after the cyclone hit Burma. We had no plans of meeting & he had no idea we were there. He was simply passing through Chiang Mai & thought he would have coffee. Wow! Happy Birthday Amy!!! I get to see a person precious to our family, unexpected J Nothing is unexpected to God!

Well, something similar happened to me in prayer. I was praying for God to keep my heart pure. To reveal things in my heart that needed to be brought to light. I realized that I had judgement in my heart. There is always a whisper here or a whisper there. After I repented before the Lord I asked Him, "How do I keep my heart pure Lord?" "How do I not judge my brother/sister?" One thing was revealed is to test all things against Scripture, but from there I was given 1 Corinthians 4:5 –

5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Wow! How freeing that is? God will judge the motives of men's hearts. I do not know why I ever thought it was my place anyway? Wow, pride too! Forgive me Lord! I share that because I hope it brings freedom to your life if you ever go through something similar. Freedom!!!

 

Summer Read-A-Thon!

Jackson, Braden & Trinity are inviting you to their "Summer Read-A-Thon!"

It goes something like this:

Each child will be reading as much as they can for the rest of June & the month of July. They will be asking for "pledges" as incentive for reading. They will record the title of the book, page numbers & date completed for each book read.

For example, Braden just read a book called, "Mad Dog" which was 24 pgs. & he finished it yesterday June 23, 2008. We pledged him .50 per book. At the end of July we will be tallying it up & rewarding him for his enthusiasm for reading!

If you are interested in sponsoring each child or just 1 email me at thepruettgang@gmail.com & we will keep you updated.

God Bless!

What is new around here....

So, I have not been updating the blog regularly! Ahhh! Let that just be a unspoken understanding in how BUSY we are. Whew! We are so busy, but it is all great. We wake up early in the morning to pray and worship, then it all begins.

The children are up & hungry. Everybody rushing around to get ready for the day. Trent is out the door by 7:00 to make it to his Thai class. The rest of us begin a day of home school by 9:00. We read, we spell, handwriting is practiced, Science is interesting, math is the favorite, we even go through History - all in time for lunch :) Yes, it is quite a full mornnig - but the kids are going strong :)

From there I quickly throw down some "chow" & am literally passing Trent as I head out the door for school. 20 minutes of review in the parking lot, then I am upstairs to sretch my brain for a good 2 hours. After that my brain is in shock. I am learning apporoximately 30-50 new vocabulary words a day + sentence structure on how to say it correctly. That may not sound hard, but let me just say...IT IS. It is so hard making sure tones & pitches are correct & staying on track to take in new material the next day.

After class....quite honestly.... I like to zone out into the heavens for a bit. Yeah, some might call it "veg". I am too drained think of what to call it at that point. Ha ha! Usually at this point, after I shake off the traumatic shock, (ha ha) I try to go put my vocabulary to use. Did I mention I am talking at a Kindergarten/1st grade level? Yes, this is also a lesson in humility. Yes, I like to find some person to try and conversate with.

Then I go home, Trent is out the door to study for 2 hours. I put my study time in with the kids. I drill over and over for the 2 hours Trent is gone & then he comes back we all eat dinner. Showers, bed time stories... You know the rest.

This is a difficult season, but it is not torture! Ha ha! We are so excited to be able to understand the people better & even their culture as we study Thai. We will be studying Thai a few more months & then we will be off to reach more of the lost. We are truly thankful for the ability to share our hearts with the people the Lord has placed in our hearts. We love the Thai people!

Above is a picture of Trinity missing her 2 front teeth :) Oh & Happy Father's Day to all of the Daddy's out there!

God Bless you! Amy