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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Brook and Sara at O'hare

First off, I will say that we utterly underestimated what was about to take place after returning from Colorado in mid-July.  We enjoyed our time in Colorado getting to know OMF and working through all the details of our partnership with them and our denomination.  At the end of our time with them we were merely 6 1/2 weeks from moving to Thailand…

Those 6 1/2 weeks were a blur at best.  We continued to pile on the support development by traveling to and from Illinois twice a week to share our hearts with churches out there.  We’ve dealt with our car being broken into, having to sell most of our belongings, last minute budget changes, more medical testing, saying ridiculously hard goodbyes to family and loved ones, little sleep and long days.  These have easily been the most stressful times that we’ve ever experienced…

We understood that there was value in the the process…that through all of this we would grow stronger, leap higher, etc, etc, etc…  But it didn’t make it any easier.  As much as we were excited about Thailand, goodbyes were still hard to say.  As much as we feel called to Thailand, I still lost sleep over budget questions and all the details involved in finalizing that process.  But what happened was that God moved in miraculous ways during those stressful weeks.

In just 5 weeks we went from 65 % funded to right at 100 % of our budget being funded — to God be the glory.  In five months He was able to lower my cholesterol level some 70+ points (despite my best efforts during support development traveling to negate God’s work in this area…  I stopped running, ate red meat A LOT, and every pastor’s wife seemed to have a pie or cake they were famous for that we needed to try about 10:30 at night) — to God be the glory.  Since April we have seen more than 500 individuals and churches show interest in our ministry in Thailand — to God be the glory.  In just one week we were able to get a letter from OMF Thailand via Postal Service, apply and receive back our passports with the illusive non-immigrant type-O multi-entry visa (didn’t understand a word of that one?  Trust me…  that’s a big deal and a huge blessing) — to God be the glory.  God brought about great conversations with unsaved family and friends about our ministry and how it’s important to us and our purpose in life.  God blessed with a great afternoon with church family following our commissioning service… knowing you’re loved by so many is such an encouragement.

So, with all that said, we really didn’t accomplish to much of this.  It was truly God’s hand moving the mountains before us and paving the way for His work among the Thai people.  We feel so blessed to be a part of this.  Oh, and we are now living in Thailand.  More to soon follow.

So what’s God been doing in your life lately?