After I came home from a lovely walk with my mom, I went to the school kitchen to get "curry" for breakfast. In the mean time, four people were having too much fun. In other words, they were planning what they were going to do for my birthday.
While we were busily eating breakfast, my mom called my attention and said, "We're going to Mae Sot, today, after breakfast...." Ah ha! I thought. I bet this has something to do with my birthday. And we're probably going to go eat at our favorite restaurant there.... I was largely sure since it is usually up to us English teachers if we want to go or not since we are so busy and have a tight schedule. And I often decline going. But I realized that there was no use, nor did I desire (for some reason), to ask this time if I could stay behind.
The first errand in Mae Sot was to get take-outs from the restaurant. Yep, my suspicions about going to the restaurant we accurate. But why so early? and take-outs? Where are we going to eat? in the car? or at some place I didn't know about with some fellow SO missionaries who also were doing shopping in Mae Sot? I was puzzled, but decided to do my best to not show whatsoever that I was sure something was up that it had to do with my birthday.
We did a tiny bit of shopping (way less than our usual monthly shopping).
When that was completed, we ( including my "other younger sister", Heidi Reinecke) drove out of town on the opposite side from where our school (2 hrs. away) is. Now, I was very sure that my suspicions were flawless. And I was sure that we were headed to a national park (an hrs's drive) that my mom has wanted to go to for quite some time.
We winded through many "Asian" corners on the road and through the mountains. Mom proved quite well that she's picking up the Asian style of driving. Scary, yet a bit fun...with no seat belts. Heidi and I were riding in the back on benches that face that line the walls of the car. We were pretty much holding on tight to try to keep from falling onto the floor.
We finally got to the park that has the biggest some kind of tree in Thailand. (Sorry, I don't have pictures of the day.) We had a good lunch with our take-outs, yummy fruit, and "cake" (thick, rectangular pineapple filled crackers). Then we hiked down over 500 hundred cement steps to the tree. And let my tell you, I think that's the biggest tree that I've ever seen.
Then we returned home and had family worship (very special since we rarely ever do that).
Monday...the day
I am truly blessed abundantly by our Commissioner to begin another year of life at our school where my heart is!!
Monday was pretty much the normal school day with a couple of exceptions. I had a "birthday cake" of raisin bread topped with tapioca pudding. I was also determined to double my quiet time in the middle of the day. And that was more than worth it.
The following verses are some of my favorite Bible passages that I reviewed and wrote in my devotional journal during that time:
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." ~ Joshua 1:9
"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."~ Psalms 32:8
"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." ~ Psalms 37:4-5
"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." ~ Psalms 55:22
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:" ~ Isaiah 26:3-4
"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength....But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." ~ Isaiah 40:28-29, 31
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." ~ Isaiah 41:10
"But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."
~ Isaiah 43:1-2
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
~ Isaiah 55:8-11
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." ~ Matthew 11:28-30
"...Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." ~ John 6:37
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." ~ John 14:27
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me....But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:13,19
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." ~ Psalms 27:1-5,10 ~ These verses that have meant a lot to some of our students.
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." ~ Psalms 46:10
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." ~ Matthew 28:18-20
"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." ~ Isaiah 58:6-12
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58
"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." ~ Psalms 126:5-6
Thank you, Sharon! What a blessing! Happy belated birthday! I didn't realize that our birthday's were so close together. Mine was the Friday before yours. :)
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