Sunday, September 10, 2006
Taxes
Taxes are not my favorite thing right now. Apparently because I moved out the country, I have to pay several thousand dollars in taxes for this year. I wish that I had known this sooner. It doesn't seem fair. I guess that I should start fundraising soon...
Dentists don't actually "pull" teeth out
Last year I had a root canal which in itself was a very unfortunate experience. About a month ago that tooth started to hurt a little bit and continued to get worse until this past Tuesday when any pressure on it caused horrible pain throughout my mouth. I gave in and went to the dentist even though everything in me told me not to. But none of the horrible scenarios I pictured could have prepared me for walking out of the dentist's office two hours later with a gaping hole in my mouth.
Did you know that when a dentist says he is going to pull your tooth out, he actually means that he is going to hammer away at it, breaking off piece by piece until the tooth is gone? Well, I discovered that the word "pull" is just a nice way of describing a horrendous thing.
The good news is that I have the strongest bones in my mouth that the dentist has ever seen and this is apparently good for the rest of my teeth. The bad news is that because my bones are so strong, he had to do quite a bit of damage to get the tooth out.
I walked out of the dentist's office after two hours, sat on my motorbike, called Rachel and just started to cry. It was very sad. The dentist that I would feel better in no time. Unfortunately when a tooth is pulled, the blood in the hole is supposed to clot and cover the hole which eventually allows it to heal. Well, my blood did not clot and I have been back to the dentist two more times this week. My mouth is infected and it hurts. It is amazing how pain in my mouth can affect my whole life.
It only cost me 1000baht (about $26) to have to tooth pulled and it is going to cost me another 50,000baht (about $1335) to finish the work and get an implant. I have no idea where I am going to get that kind of money. I guess that this is where trusting God comes in.
Did you know that when a dentist says he is going to pull your tooth out, he actually means that he is going to hammer away at it, breaking off piece by piece until the tooth is gone? Well, I discovered that the word "pull" is just a nice way of describing a horrendous thing.
The good news is that I have the strongest bones in my mouth that the dentist has ever seen and this is apparently good for the rest of my teeth. The bad news is that because my bones are so strong, he had to do quite a bit of damage to get the tooth out.
I walked out of the dentist's office after two hours, sat on my motorbike, called Rachel and just started to cry. It was very sad. The dentist that I would feel better in no time. Unfortunately when a tooth is pulled, the blood in the hole is supposed to clot and cover the hole which eventually allows it to heal. Well, my blood did not clot and I have been back to the dentist two more times this week. My mouth is infected and it hurts. It is amazing how pain in my mouth can affect my whole life.
It only cost me 1000baht (about $26) to have to tooth pulled and it is going to cost me another 50,000baht (about $1335) to finish the work and get an implant. I have no idea where I am going to get that kind of money. I guess that this is where trusting God comes in.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Sometimes I ask God for things like patience and boldness and peace just because it sounds good and not because I really feel in my heart that He will give those things to me. I know, I am a horrible person! :)
On Friday morning I asked God for boldness and the request came directly from my heart. I really wanted to share about God with my 5pm class and I was nervous about it. So I asked Him for boldness and I had an amazing day!
Before my classes started, Noon came in. She is a new Christian and has been doubting God love lately. I did not know that but I did know that God has been putting her on my heart a lot lately so I told her that I have been praying for her. She was so happy that she was in tears and I was able to spend some more time in prayer for her.
I have been teaching my 5pm class about people who have changed the world in big and small ways, some Christians and some not. On Friday we talked about C. S. Lewis. The story brought up the subject of communion which they did not know about. I was able to talk with them about Jesus and what He has done for us and why we take communion.
My 6pm class is just three girls. Two of them attend bible study and church occasionally and the third has had no interest in Christianity. The third, Boom was the only one to show up for class Friday. Somehow I ended sharing my whole testimony with her and spent over an hour talking about God's love for us. She was very interested and asked lots of questions, it was amazing.
After class I went downstairs and saw Peaw who has been a Christian for about six months. She told me that she had just found out her job was sending her to Bangkok for three months and she was leaving the next day. I asked her if I could spend some time praying with her and by the end we were both in tears.
Friday night Tay and Aom (my two students who did not show up for my 6pm class) came over and spent the night with Rachel and I. We were able to spend some time in prayer with them, praying specifically for their needs that they shared.
Overall, I had an amazing day and when I got to the end of it, I could not help but thank God for filling me with boldness. I should definitely be asking God for help more often because I know that He will provide it!
On Friday morning I asked God for boldness and the request came directly from my heart. I really wanted to share about God with my 5pm class and I was nervous about it. So I asked Him for boldness and I had an amazing day!
Before my classes started, Noon came in. She is a new Christian and has been doubting God love lately. I did not know that but I did know that God has been putting her on my heart a lot lately so I told her that I have been praying for her. She was so happy that she was in tears and I was able to spend some more time in prayer for her.
I have been teaching my 5pm class about people who have changed the world in big and small ways, some Christians and some not. On Friday we talked about C. S. Lewis. The story brought up the subject of communion which they did not know about. I was able to talk with them about Jesus and what He has done for us and why we take communion.
My 6pm class is just three girls. Two of them attend bible study and church occasionally and the third has had no interest in Christianity. The third, Boom was the only one to show up for class Friday. Somehow I ended sharing my whole testimony with her and spent over an hour talking about God's love for us. She was very interested and asked lots of questions, it was amazing.
After class I went downstairs and saw Peaw who has been a Christian for about six months. She told me that she had just found out her job was sending her to Bangkok for three months and she was leaving the next day. I asked her if I could spend some time praying with her and by the end we were both in tears.
Friday night Tay and Aom (my two students who did not show up for my 6pm class) came over and spent the night with Rachel and I. We were able to spend some time in prayer with them, praying specifically for their needs that they shared.
Overall, I had an amazing day and when I got to the end of it, I could not help but thank God for filling me with boldness. I should definitely be asking God for help more often because I know that He will provide it!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Sometimes I feel like a bouncing ball...
Sometimes living in another country is so hard that I just want to pack my stuff, buy a plane ticket and go home. And sometimes it is so easy that I can picture myself still living here when I am eighty years old. There is also a middle area where I am content and yet miss my friends and family. I wish that I spent more time in that middle area but I tend to bounce back and forth between the hard and easy stages instead. I wonder if it is always like this when someone lives overseas or if it will even out eventually. Any thoughts?
By the way, right now I am in the middle area where I am content and yet missing you all. Rachel commented today that I seem like I am doing well lately. I thought about it and realized that this is the longest that I have been content and happy since I moved here in January. That thought made me smile. Maybe it does get easier...
By the way, right now I am in the middle area where I am content and yet missing you all. Rachel commented today that I seem like I am doing well lately. I thought about it and realized that this is the longest that I have been content and happy since I moved here in January. That thought made me smile. Maybe it does get easier...
Gracie
This is Gracie, my new puppy. She is a two month old minature poodle and only weighs 1.5 pounds. She is adorable and completely attached to me which of course makes me happy. Today I took her to the vet to get rid of her worms and next week she is having her vaccinations. I cannot leave her alone for long so she goes with me everywhere. I love her but she makes me miss Sammy and Suki so much more! Tam, I have not replaced Sammy and Suki, I have just adopted them a cousin!!!
Monday, August 21, 2006
Why I Love The People In My Life
In Thailand:
- Because Rachel said that I sing better than Hilary Duff which was probably meant as a negative remark towards Hilary Duff but I took it as a great compliment towards my singing skills.
- Because last night Opal practiced dance moves with me after we watched High School Musical and her hip roles were as bad as mine.
- Because last night I had a very long and satisfying conversation with P'Max and Wor about Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia.
- Because Peaw makes me smile just by walking in the room and she does a great job cutting my hair.
- Because when I call Run to tell her how much I miss her, she interrupts and tells me how much she misses me which makes me feel good to know that it is a two way thing.
- Because I just have so much fun hanging out with Im and every moment that I spend with her I am reminded of why I am here.
In the U.S.:
- Because Tamara is like a part of me that I am missing. She understands me and knows me like no one else. She also possesses so many qualities that I admire and lack, like creativity, wit and the ability to open locks with a bobby pin just like MacGuyver.
- Because a minute spent talking to Katie is so refreshing that I just want to pack her up and take her everywhere with me. She also represents so many qualities that I wish I possessed.
- Because my parents unfailingly call me every Sunday night and fill me in on their lives. They are such examples of who I want to be.
- Because my nephews bring me joy unexplainable in words.
- Because no matter how long I go without talking to Justin and David, when we do talk it feels like only hours since our last conversation.
- Because the first time I hung out with Jenn in 1995, I threw up all over the hallway (barely missing her) and then all over the bushes outside Bank of America and yet she is still my friend today.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
I am trying this again
So I have been using friendster.com for my blog for a year and now I have decided to try out my old blogger account again. The main reason is because people have been complaining that they cannot comment on my friendster blogs and I really want to make you happy. Second, I am having some issues with Friendster and it may just be easier for me to come back over here. Now, I just have to figure out where to post all the pictures that I take... I will let you know when I figure that out. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)