We started our journey in Thailand nearly 5 years ago when Sara and I came to Thailand as college students looking for a 6 month internship overseas.  It was that several month experience that broke our hearts for the people of Thailand.  We’ve never been the same since.  From that point on everything that we did was pushing us toward the goal of getting back to Thailand.  We were young in our marriage?  Fine, we spent three years in counseling and preparing ourselves for life together overseas.  We were inexperienced in ministry?  No problem, we invested nearly 3 years (which in reflection isn’t all that much as a 27 year old) as pastors at our home church back home.  We grew a ton and learned a lot about ourselves and working with people in ministry.  We had a mountain of debt to pay off for our collective 8 years of private, Christian higher education?  Fine.  We’ll wait and pray for that to come together also…

All of these things helped prepare us for our lives here in Thailand this past year and a half, yet all of the sudden we find ourselves running on empty.  The daily grind of life in a new culture, language and being so far removed from all of those whom we love and miss has gotten to us.  Now, we’ve studied the books, had classes specifically devoted to burnout as part of our 4 year degrees in Missions from Huntington University and are aware of the warning signs of burnout; yet it still found us.

The stress we experience here in Thailand isn’t anything so acute that we can’t stand it.  We still tackle each day as it comes.  It’s more of a dull stress that accumulates over time.  The feelings of inadequacy, frustrations in language learning, and general sense of being lonely eventually gets to you… …no matter how much you’ve read or prepared.

Which brings us to now.  Some time ago everything that I did came out of a deep passion for doing that thing, but lately I feel like I’m operating from a place of emptiness.  Where did that passion go?  Where’s that thing that when all else fails, pushes me to keep doing what I am doing?

These are questions that I’ve come to understand that nearly every missionary experiences at some point.  But I miss it…  I miss feeling like I’m accomplishing something.  I miss feeling like I’m good at something…  I miss that passion I had to do what I am doing…

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So a lot has been going on in the past few months, thus it is time for another newsletter!

If you haven’t already, check out our latest newsletter by clicking on the image above.  It’s an exciting update on all that’s been keeping us busy in the past few months…  and even some exciting news on page 2!  Your thoughts and prayers continue to be such an encouragement to us…

If you are not currently receiving our newsletters and would like to get them delivered straight to your email inbox, please fill out the online form here!

Thanks for your ongoing prayers and support…

Blessings!

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This past month has been filled with quite a bit really.  In early February we spent a week at a marriage course put on by the OMF Medical Adviser for Thailand and her husband.  Sara and I have had our fair share of marriage evaluations, counseling, etc leading up us moving overseas, but it was nice to get away for a week and once again reflect on the things we do well and things we could do better–which is all the more important when we find ourselves living our lives so far removed from the support of family and friends back home.

The weekend following the marriage course we were once again off to another retreat.  This time it was a retreat for all first-term missionaries with OMF still in the language program.  At first we were less than looking forward to this retreat.  Sara hadn’t been feeling the best due to Baby Sarver and the idea of another several days away from our own bed didn’t make us too excited for this adventure.  And, as often happens during those times, we were pleasantly surprised.  It was a great weekend!  We got to catch up with old friends from Language School days and meet some of the new students that have come to the field since we left Lopburi many months ago.

Then that next weekend we were once again off to another Thai province.  OMF in Thailand runs two guesthouses primarily for missionaries serving around Asia.  We had been asked to help fill in at the guesthouse for 4 or 5 days so the couple that usually runs the holiday home could have a bit of holiday themselves.  We looked forward to seeing a new area of Thailand and being right next to the sea.  Sadly we didn’t have much free time to play around in the ocean as the guesthouse was completely filled!  But even then we were able to have a few minutes to take a walk on the sandy ocean-side and soak in the view so different than the concrete playground that is Bangkok.

A beautiful sunrise in Prajuab, Thailand

Finally we are back home here in Bangkok.  I’m still figuring out life having a pregnant wife…  Still figuring out how to navigate day-to-day problems such as broken water pipes, oil changes in the motorbike and being locked out of our own home…

But the key is just that…  We ARE figuring out… Thanks for your prayers!

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Back in December we took our (semi) secretive trip home to the States.  This was the first time in a year and a half that we had been home…. …and it was amazing!  We got to spend Christmas with family, New Year’s with friends and snow up to our knees throughout most of our trip!

It really was a great trip.  Once “home” in the US we realized just how much we probably needed a break from the daily grind of Thailand.  For the first time in a long time we were actually able to completely relax, let loose and just “be” around family and friends…  And honestly, it’s helped us get a new passion for the work we are doing here in Thailand.

Christmas with Sara's family

My Mom's side of the Family

You can see more photos of our trip home via Sara‘s Facebook album here:  http://www.facebook.com/saraj.sarver#!/album.php?id=153800143&aid=2024629

So, what else is new?  Oh yeah, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!!!

We found out early in December but have waited to tell everyone until just recently.  Since coming back to Thailand we’ve chosen a hospital, met the doctors there and have had one of our first ultrasounds…  To say that we are excited/nervous would be an understatement.  We are completely filled with both of those combating feelings!

So, yeah, that’s what we’ve been up to!  Now that we are back and getting settled in, stick around for many more updates on life, ministry and that little Sarver baby that is soon to come!

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And, honestly, it’s been a really good change of pace.  You know, some days have just been language learning in the past year… even some entire weeks.  But it’s nice now to have other things on the to-do list.

I’m in the middle of said to-do list now with much more to finish up before the day ends here in Thailand, but I was just reflecting on the blessing that it can be to just be busy sometimes.  I like feeling productive (and sometimes even like feeling unproductive on certain days), but this has been a nice change of pace for me.

So, I’ll leave you with a HOT picture of my wife and I!

November, 2010.

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Another few months have come and gone.  And life over here has yet to really slow down, make sense, etc.  We still feel like we are holding on for dear life at times!

But we are doing well.  If you haven’t already, check out our latest newsletter by clicking on the image above.  It’s an exciting update on church camps completely in Thai, language tests, and prayer meetings (again; all in Thai!).  Your thoughts and prayers continue to be such an encouragement to us…

If you are not currently receiving our newsletters and would like to get them delivered straight to your email inbox, please fill out the online form here!

Thanks for your ongoing prayers and support…  Life has been crazy over here and we look forward to sharing more and more about our lives here in Thailand!

Blessings!

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Seeing as it is Thanksgiving day, I figured I would take the time to reflect on this past year(s) and give you 10 things I am thankful for.  Now any good Thanksgiving list could easily be pages long, but I’ll keep it to 10 things.  Mostly because 30% of you reading this probably won’t even make it to #8!

November 2010

1.)  I’m thankful for my wife. There has been plenty of stress, highs, lows, pain, sorrow, agony, irony, anger, and felony-committing rage at times in the past 8 years of us being together.  Oh, and love too…  But still, I absolutely know that my life would fall apart without her there to hold it all together.  Sure, I like to pretend that I could do it on my own if I had to, but truth be told, I’d be in the corner rocking all day without her.  So, Sara, I’m thankful for you!  Your patience with me.  The joy you bring me…  And even the times that you throw your little fits about something that I have done wrong….again.  (You should realize by now that I do some of those things on purpose just to ruffle your feathers…)  <—  Time for marriage counseling?

2.)  I’m thankful for the opportunities that we have had the past few years to live an amazing, adventurous life.  We love Thailand.  We love travel.  We love new foods, new languages, new people…  But being an Indiana boy from the cornfields, I never imagined that I would be living in SE Asia doing what I am doing every day!  This could be the best job ever!  (Some days)

3.)  I’m thankful for my family. Between about being arrested on a few occasions growing up to being a Children’s Pastor, and now a missionary in Thailand, I’ve put them through a lot.  But I know that my family is both one of the most messed up & most unconditional loving group of people I have ever met.  I miss you all and I am sad I can’t be around for all the conversations, laughs and inappropriateness this Thanks-turkey-day…

4.)  I’m thankful for God’s provision. Let the clichés begin, right!  But seriously…  We are in our mid-20′s, and despite having 8 years of private college education, have no debt.  Not only that, but we have never NOT seen a need met…  We’ve seen God raise $50,000+ per year in order for us to be here doing what we do…  And despite the falling value of the US dollar and the hard financial times in the US, we’ve still never NOT seen a need of ours met.  In fact, we continue to see blessings beyond those needs in many areas…

5.)  I’m thankful for friends in the US that despite the 8,000 mile difference, continue to be there for me.  I have friends who Skype with me once a month, friends who comment on our Facebook stories.  I have friends who pray for us and give to us despite having their own young marriages and bills to tend to also.  These friends do more than keep me connected to home.  They also get me through many tough times here on the mission field.

6.)  I’m thankful for friends here in Thailand. Making good Thai friends is no easy task… …and still isn’t…  So I am thankful for the few that I have been able to build.  The language and cultural barrier can sometimes be pretty steep even after a year and a half of language study, but I am thankful that there are a few there for me if I need them.  A Christian Thai family in our neighborhood has all but adopted us into their family and literally help us navigate our new lives in Bangkok every week.  My language teacher (who is less of a teacher and more of a friend) continues to provide good laughs and help when we need it.  While I miss many of my friends back home, I am thankful that God has given us a few friends here to help us day-to-day.  And the number of those friends continue to grow as we get to know new people in our area!

7.)  I’m thankful for the internet. It almost sounds pagan for a missionary to say that, doesn’t it?!  But imagine just a few decades ago missionaries around the world had little-to-no connection with the rest of the world in any timely manner.  Today we have email, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, international calling plans, etc…  All of which help bridge that gap between here and home.  Sometimes it does get in the way, but other times it comes to rescue just when you need it the most.  So, yeah, I’m a big fan of the internet…  Hulu even lets us relax and watch some TV from home when we need to “escape”…

8.)  I’m thankful for our supporters. Just as I am thankful for God’s provision over these past few years, so many of you have been sacrificially giving your finances and time to support us and pray for us.  I never thought that I would be worthy of people’s sacrifices in their own lives.  Yet we have seen churches and individuals from all over the world chose to support us in prayer and finances.  Why?  I don’t know…  I’m thankful that God is bigger than the messed up man that I am.  And in being so, He has called people to support mission work in Thailand… …and specifically us.  Thank you!  But just a reminder, we don’t really deserve it…

9.)  I’m thankful for our new home. Some of you may know and many of you may not know, but our first year in Thailand was a day-to-day struggle…  Nearby clubs, bars and karaokes (which the Thai people love) kept Sara awake every night.  Not only that, but we had some new young neighbors move in about halfway through last year that played Linkin Park from 10 AM until 10 PM (he had no day job)…  Our new home here in Bangkok is nothing but peace… …which we love!  It’s quiet at nights.  People are friendly and willing to have an extended conversation despite our (still) broken Thai…  We just love it here and our monthly rent is within our means…

10.)  I’m thankful for Jesus. There.  I said it.  Maybe now is a good time for another cliché, but we’d have nothing to be thankful for in the long run had Christ not given himself for us.  Friends and family, while great here on earth, would be but nothing but lacking when it comes to eternity…  I’ve been in church services on 3 continents and can tell you that Jesus brings it all together…  Worshipers, while singing in different languages and tones, still sing that sweet song for the free gift that they have been given…  And, well let’s be honest, without Christ, I wouldn’t have a job…

I’d be glad to continue this list and tell you about how I’m thankful for my kid sisters.  How I knocked one’s teeth out with a crisp elbow the face when she was 3 or 4 years old.  Or about how I used to drag my other sister around the house by her hair when she was little, but I’ve already lost 30% of you a few paragraphs ago and now seems like a good time to stop vomiting up my thanksgivings in this post…

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Ummm... I just found a 7-8 foot King Cobra snake in our yard! Blargh!

November 18, 2010 1:10 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@two10eleven

Brook Sarver

______________________________________________________

Remember the last time we had a snake in our house and Sara ran around the house like a scared 7 year old?  Well that was more snake experience than we ever really wanted to have.  I mean, I’m not scared of snakes.  I just don’t like them.  They creep me out.  Not to mention that snakes in Thailand are no garter snakes like we were used running over with the lawn mower growing up.

King Cobra

Sadly, our first Thailand snake saga wasn’t our last.  Last week I was back behind our new home here in Bangkok tending to some laundry that Sara had put up to dry in the intense Thai sun when I heard some rustling in some weeds around our water tank.  This isn’t the first time we’ve heard animals messing around under our water tank, so I went to have a closer look.  Usually we would find an assortment of frogs and lizards (and to be honest, probably even a rat or two).  But this would be no usual day.  It didn’t take long to see the dark color of a snake starting to take off across our yard as I came closer….  And this was no small snake either.  At least 7 feet long and probably closer to 8 feet in length!  Not only that, but it’s body was nearly as big around as my wrist!

As soon as I saw it, I knew it was a King Cobra.  After our previous snake encounter I did quite a bit of reading up on my Thai snakes trying to figure out why in the world a snake would come in our home.  At least this time it didn’t come into our home, but seeing as King Cobra snakes are one of the most poisonous in the world, it could have done a lot of damage had I got in a wrestling match with it.  In fact, they have even proven able to kill a water buffalo and elephants with a single bite!

I quickly ran inside yelling for Sara to bring the camera but by the time we both got outside with our cameras, the snake had left.  And, like any good & curious missionary, we spent the next 40 minutes in the Thai sun looking all over for it.  We tore through our yard, bushes, pots, our neighbors’ yards, drain pipes, etc.  Still, it just seemed to vanish before our eyes.  And, honestly, I can say that I’m glad.  I’d rather believe that it was just visiting our yard and is now gone for good rather than find out it has a nest and 14 little snake babies under the bush in our front yard!

So, just when we thought our lives in one of the largest cities in Asia would help keep all the snakes away we find out we were mistaken.  And come to find out, I guess they aren’t all that uncommon here in our area of the city.  Most of our friends and neighbors said that this wasn’t the first time they had heard of or seen a King Cobra…  Oh boy!

So I guess now we should start a checklist of creepy crawlies that we’ve had deal with in Thailand.  It seems like ThaiPulsedotCom’s YouTube Channel would be a good place to start.

Here’s hoping our King Cobra snake friend doesn’t come back anytime soon, but if it does, we’ll have the camera ready…

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I have to admit.  I’ve closed my eyes on more than one occasion while reading people’s posts to Facebook about the first snow, frost on their cars in the morning, and the final yard mowing of the year.  Coming from the Midwest in the US, I grew up enjoying 4 distinct seasons and some days even managed to experience all 4 of them in a 24 hour period!  The problem is that, here in Thailand, it’s always Summer…

Our newly manicured yard

Just today I was outside working in the yard and it just felt like Summer.  The sun was beating down.  My shirt was soaked in sweat.  I was cutting the grass and pulling weeds.  I was listening to my Country music playlist on the iPod.  It just felt like Summer.  And, in fact, it was 97 degrees out with about 75% humidity.  Yep, it was Summer.  Problem is that this is supposed to be the cool season.

Now we’ve been around in Thailand long enough to know that the only true seasons here are “Hot”, “Wet Hot” and “Really Freakin’ Hot”; and I thought we had adjusted by now… until I pulled up Facebook and saw a photo of my sister at Purdue bundled up in a hoodie for a football game.  Then it dawned on me:  we’ve once again missed Fall and it’s colors, the first snow, seeing our breath on a crisp morning, snuggling up in three blankets just to take away the chill after an afternoon outside.  And it’s a bummer.

Now, I like Summer as much as anyone.  But I guess we still have a ways to go before we are truly adjusted to the fact that it is always Summer in Thailand…

Also, I’m not the only one in our home whose heart is confused by the fact that it is mid-November and still nearly 100 degrees out.  Just last night Sara cranked down the air conditioner in the room and watched Elf on her laptop.  And today she sweat through two shirts putting up our Christmas tree.  She’s confused…  …or crazy…

Leave us a comment and make us jealous of the weather you are having.  That should help, right???

Ever since moving into our new place my hands look like this and hurt after just 5 min shower. Anyone know why? http://twitpic.com/2f8hh7

August 16, 2010 1:03 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@two10eleven

Brook Sarver

Old Man hands?

I recently posted the Twitter / Facebook message above in hopes to find an answer to an issue I’ve been having since moving into our new place here in Bangkok.  I literally spend 5 minutes in the shower or helping do the dishes and my hands wind up looking like I just swam a triathlon in January…

I really don’t know what is going on.  Could it be this country boy’s reaction to Bangkok’s Chlorinated water?  An allergy of some sort?  Fungal infection?  Leprosy?

I’m not ruling out any possibilities at this point.  Still, I thought it best to post up on my blog in case some SE Asian, missionary doctor happens to come across this blog and save my hands’ lives….

Oh, and it hurts when it turns this way.  Not a sharp pain, but an aching pain as if to say “Ouch!  It hurts when my skins folds up on itself into deep crevasses and pretends it is those little Silica Gel packets in the toe of your new pair of shoes you just bought!”…

…Yeah, I may have issues…

Any thoughts?