Out of 2012 and into 2013

We ended 2012 and entered 2013 with a bang. For New Year's Eve we went to have a Thai BBQ with the family of one of our students in our neighborhood.It's always a noisy night with the karaoke and fireworks, but we had a great time. We missed having Gam's family with us. We usually go to another neighbor's house on New Year's, but they were out of town this year with family. It was nice to change it up a bit.

 For lunch on New Year's Day, we had the traditional southern favorites. I don't get into the "lucky" meanings of all of the food, and I certainly don't think I'll have a bad year if I don't eat my black-eyed peas. But I enjoy the southern meal and try to make it several times through the year.

 Rusty got a new toy this year. We found a really good deal on a small power washer that has really made short work of washing the truck, and it was a great help in getting the gate ready for some primer and paint. It also helps wash the moss/mold off of the driveway. That will be great during rainy season since it can get pretty slick out there!

 We also went to visit Pawn's village to celebrate the building of her parents' new house. I really enjoy the time in the village because the church there meets together several times during the week. We had an afternoon worship service with devotional for the house dedication, and then we had another service at a different home that night.

 The church also meets one other time during the week for mid-week prayer service. Life in the village would be hard, but I like the idea of meeting together so often.

 Sunday mornings start at about 6:30 for prayer service.We got up and dressed while it was still dark. I could probably do that with ease at my own home, but trying to do it in the village is a different story. Most of the people came in what they were wearing the night before. I didn't know the proper protocol, but I just figured I had an early start to being ready for the whole day.

Rusty preached during the regular morning worship, and Pawn translated. It's good for her to keep up with her Karen langauge. Although she talks a lot in Karen throughout the week, she does most of her Bible work in Thai.

It was a good looking group for services. This village has a mixture of Buddhists, Catholics, and this church group. Please pray that more would respond to the Gospel!

After services we handed out the underwear, toothbrushes, and toothpaste that we had planned to do for Christmas. It didn't work out in December, but it seemed to go well on this visit. The kids were happy, but I think the parents were happier.

By the time we were getting ready to leave, Rusty had quite a following of kids. He was teaching them some English, and one little girl was his parrot. It was really cute!

As we were driving home, I was thinking about how pretty the scenery looked. Sitting inside the truck, you could almost convince yourself that it was a beautiful fall/winter day outside. The trees are changing colors (due to it being dry season), and you can imagine the cool weather until you stop at the 7-11 and realize it's 85 degrees outside. It ruins the mental imagery, but that's the way our weather is.