I shall try to make this short. Heaven KNOWS i shall try .. if I dont make it .. sorry from the onslaught!

Well, this story starts about a year ago .. actually nearly 2 years ago but i shant go back that far. Oh ok .. i will for a sec. It begins on this very page, and another (UncleMuncle) when we both decided that xanga was the place to hold our very first chat for a few hours on each others comment box. It seems like forever ago now .. Mike, you are awesome mate, thanks for that chat that started this ball rolling.

For those of you not in the know, Mike moved soon after from MS to Chiang Mai to work with these people .. http://www.globaltribesoutreach.org/ .

*applause here please*

Needless to say, I have bothered and flamboozled the poor man since. I would say sorry, but my Mummy told me never to lie .. so I shant. Chuckles .. live with it bro!

It would be, oh goodness .. maybe about a year ago that the weirdest thing started happening to me. Now you have to realise that if you would have asked me 3 years ago if i wanted to go to Asia, I would have politely turned my nose up and said NO WAY .. there was no way i would wanted to go THERE! It was ranked as one of the last places on earth i would ever want to go.  Then of course after seeing the pics of the kids, people and the places that Mike had taken and posted, after a time I really did a 180o on that judgment, though I still wasnt in love with the idea of going other than to meet some awesome people that i had heard about and such.

Twas about then that the weirdest thing started to happen. EVERY new person that I spoke to .. was either going to, been to, had friends who were going/ been to Chiang Mai in the Northern Region of Thailand where GTO headquarters is.  Even the woman at the Post Office who received a package for Chiang Mai from me was going in a few weeks. Children whom i worked with in the preschool would start telling me about how they had ridden elephants in thailand .. hard to pronounce for a littly, but Chang Moo was close enough for me to understand where they had been and to roll my eyes accordingly.  Even when i went to read the news paper at that time, CM was there in the travel pages EVERY time. I would turn on my travel shows that i love to watch .. EVERY one had CM in it. It was totally bizare. We were invited to a 40th birthday party way back then, and I remember meeting friends we hadnt seen for about a year. I knew that Pete had been going on mission trips to India, so asked him what he had been up to. "Oh Mate," said he in his typical nasal australian drawl, "we are all going on a mission trip together."  By now, with my family standing in line around me waiting for their piece of the pig off the Hungi, I had an inkling after the past few weeks as to what was coming. "Where Pete?"

"Oh this place in Thailand called Chiang Mai!"

Ok, so my family just about dropped to the ground laughing, as it was the family joke that the Lord was teasing me for some reason. Ok .. not biblical, but YOU know he has QUITE the sense of humour. If you dont yet .. just you wait! 

The next day, after surviving the party whilst just about ready to jump out of my skin, my friends birth mum and her friend came to see my friend and her family take the service and speak about their mission trips to Vanuatu. Safe, thought I .. its nowhere NEAR Thailand ...

WRONG!

You see our Pastor likes a bit of a chat .. in the middle of the service as well. He decided to ask the lovely lady who accompanied my friends birth mother what her mission field is. I hung on to the seat. "Oh I have opened a free bible school in India," said she.  "But I have also worked in Thailand."  At this, I looked back at my daughters in the back row to see them just about rolling on the floor laughing and pointing at me .. its a pentacostal church ... I could pass it off later I was certain as a move of the Holy Spirit..........

I ended up speaking to the lovely lady later and she confirmed that she had worked in CM.  We prayed together and I offered the Lord my will to make it His in whatever way he desired, especially if it meant going to Chiang Mai.

Anyhow, about last April, I was telling my After School Care kids about the poster of their adopted missionary .. yes, the one and the same.  They really enjoyed seeing the photos of the bible camp that GTO had run for the Ka ren kids this year and their Uncle Muncle with the kids.  It was when i was speaking to the children and taking comments and questions that i felt the Lord tell me to start speaking out my desire to go and work on the camp next year.  I decided not to say anything to the kids until I spoke to Mike, but when the parents came in and we were showing them the poster of the above pics and emails, I did start telling the parents that i hoped to go to the camp next year. I received nothing but encouraging words from them.  The desire to speak out grew. I spoke to Mike about it and the ball's rolling started to take on momentum.

So far I havent heard back for certain as to whether I am accepted to work with GTO next year but i do believe that whatever happens that the Lord has it all in his hands.  Needless to say, I have been seeking the Lord about going.  I wont mention all the different confirmations I have received about going, but I will mention the latest.  I KNOW that I KNOW that i am going to Thailand for three weeks around March/ April some time when the camp is announced.  I also know that I am going for the children. That after all is my ministry.  A few years ago i was so silly as to be kicking against the pricks when it was decided that to help pay for my childrens christian education that i would work in After School Care .. and you should have heard me winge when I was told that I was going to have to pay over a $1000 for the pleasure of having to legally study to continue on with it. Man .. you have FULL permission to kick me for my rediculous fleshiness ... if your feet can reach that is ... *winks*

Back to the continueing saga. This Sunday just gone, I was sitting, minding my own business in church when Ps David got up and began to tell us that he received a phone call during the week from a couple who were missionaries. Apparently the church had been financially backing them through the missions group that the funds go into, and they asked if they could come and minister to the church. David introduced the woman and believe me .. on remembering what the Lord did about a year ago with CM, I had a feeling that something was afoot. Mariaana got up first and started speaking about where they had been ministering for over 15 years ... you got it .. Thailand.  I looked at my eldest who was sitting next to me and she said straight away, "Settle Mum, settle."  I knew what was coming by this point. I knew if they mentioned CM that i would probably lose it ...

So .... lose it i did.

They have a ministry that now includes working with the Ka ren people in Hangdong which is, if i am correct about 50 km away from Chiang Mai.  They showed a video of the children worshiping God and singing and just repenting greatly for Thailand. What you have to understand is that these people are considered the lowest of the low from what i hear. Most of these children have lost their parents to aids. (www.firstprioritydevelopment.org  click on ministry and you will see a video about the ministry there .. its an eyeopener.)  These children and their community are experiencing personal revival.  It is beautiful to watch.  I dont think it would surprise you to know that i spoke to Erik and Marianna afterward and they invited me to go and spend time with them at the converted hotel/brothel that they have cleaned up physically and spiritually for the ministry there. 

Wow .. this is still so amazing to me. The fact that the Lord would bring this couple here to our church so that I could meet them and link shields with them also on this journey. My full ambition for what i believe that I have been called to? To start in Chiang Mai and then take what i learn into Cambodia. 

To be honest with you? I have NO idea how i am going to pay for this trip. All I know is that when the Lord calls, He provides.  I do ask that you will pray for the financial position, for my family as I prepare to leave, and whilst away, that all will fall into place there.  I also ask that you will pray for me and my spiritual preparation. I want to stay humble before the Lord; I want for Him to open the doors or else they stay firmly shut.  This is to HIS praise and glory ... not mine AT all.

Oh by the way, I know that most of you know that i am studying for my Cert III in Childrens Services which is law for people working in the child care industry.  I went to pick up my next subject out of .. erm .. 23 i think .. could be wrong. I have completed 3 so far. I paid my money and the girl went out the back to get a random subject that they had there. I am amazed at this ...

The subject I will be working on is: Working effectively with culturally diverse clients and co-workers.

*blink*

........ did I mention that i hadnt even mentioned a thing to ANYone there that I was going overseas next year?  The first 3 pages of about .. 60? in my book of readings metions Thailand and its customs 5 times .... *blink*

Lord, I KNOW that you are getting a kick out of spinning my head on my shoulders like this ... and hey .. believe me my dear,sweet King .. you aint getting no complainin from THIS daughter of yours AT all!

Bless you all,

  Lily

 Thats right .. I am now 40 years old.

Did I plan on it to arrive someplace in, what seems to me to be, my 26th year? No .. but here it is anyhow.

With this benchmark now under my belt, I decided that maybe, as a good little blogger, I should take a look at my age through the eyes of one of those old blokes who are 40 'for real' and see how I align with his thoughts on the matter. After all, surely THIS will prove my real age .. shouldnt it?

40 things about being 40

Stuart Jeffries
Friday February 28, 2003
The Guardian

Ok .. so what do you think? Am I over the hill yet?  Should I start sinking money into shares in Depends? Should I start learning how to Tango?

Your deliberations on this subject i would love to hear ... as long as they are in line with mine.

*winks*

Love you all,

   Lily

Apparently next Saturday is World Blood Donor Day. What a wonderful way to share life with others who are in need. Not only in the physical way, but also in the spiritual way. Just think, the blood that we donate is a link to someone we may never have a chance to meet, but it can carry our prayers for that person with it and stay as it pumps around the very heart and inner parts of the man, woman or child that it is ministering life to.

In recognition of this day, I have decided to also place on my site a video that I am sure will remind you, just by the memory of it, to go ahead and do what you feel is best about World Blood Donor Day.

Come now my dears. You should KNOW by now that there is no way that i could stay serious without at least adding SOMETHING cute or that at least I find funny.

Know you are loved and appreciated,

  Lily