Provision

Tim has crystal clear memories from his childhood that I just cannot summon, owing at least in part, I think, to the differences in our experiences- mine largely in the same place with many of the same cast of characters, his widely diverging from multiple cities in the U.S. to life lived in two other countries. Neither situation is better or worse than the other, each has its distinct advantages.

I think about this occasionally because our family's life, unlike my childhood, is lived in cycles of transition. We don't move as often as Tim did, but nonetheless our lives have been, and continue to be, marked by transitions. We've lived in 3 homes so far in our 7.5 years in this country (and will add another this spring when our lease is up), and we have, so far, had 3 different 'homes' in the U.S., including our own home pre-Thailand and the mission homes we've lived in during our home assignments. Though these changes have, at times, been physically and emotionally trying, and there's a lack of sense of permanence (which is, in the most stable of situations, something of an illusion ), God has provided for us abundantly each and every time.

As we moved downtown, I felt a real separation from my community in the area in which we used to live. It's only a 20-25 minute distance as the crow flies, but the crow doesn't fly in this gigantic city, rather, the traffic crawls, and distances sometimes feel insurmountable. I haven't lost my connection with those I value in our former area (largely because the children still go to school there), yet God has also been faithful to give us new family friends in our current setting, friends with children whose ages and interests relate to those of our children, which is a unique blessing. We recently took a weekend trip with a family we've known for years from our old neighborhood and one we've known less than a year in our new one.

That's a lot of kids on a bull!

We spent an incredibly rainy weekend in a 'resort' that did not deserve that lofty designation, with leaky toilets but wonderful Thai food, and spent Saturday dodging showers at Khao Yai national park, one of our favorite places in Thailand.

And in other news, we are very thankful to have a camera again. After ours spent a long time at the doctor's office, we received the news that the illness was quite serious and would cost ridiculous amounts of money to treat. So it seemed the right time for a wee upgrade, and Tim is now the possessor of a Nikon some number or other, and we're all happy to be able to take decent photos again. So, in celebration, pictures of our recent Saturday jaunt to Wat Arun, Temple of the Dawn, on the bank of the lovely (and oh so filthy) Chao Phraya river.

With our 'brilliant' British friends. That's Wat Arun behind us to the right.

Lisa was in town from Cambodia and joined the fun!