What exactly is a visa run?

How about a visa tutorial?
No, I'm not talking about a visa credit card.
I'm talking about that little stamp you get in your passport that allows you to enter another country.
Well, every country is different and the rules for acquiring those visas are all different. There's not a simple cookie-cutter visa process so it can get a little complicated. There are different types of visas and each type usually allows a specific length of time you can stay in that country.
For the country we're living in, a tourist on a tourist visa can stay up to 30 days.
We have business visas, so we're allowed to stay 70 days, but after that length of time, we are required to exit the country. 70 days is the longest amount of time any foreigner on any visa (except maybe a diplomat) is allowed to stay in this country at a time.
Then to make matters more complicated, we actually have a one year business visa so we only have to go to this country's embassy in Thailand once a year to renew it. Every other 70 days, we are only required to exit and then a couple days later we can return.
These short trips out and back, we call "visa runs."
I like to think of it as the government's way of keeping up with visiting foreigners.
For us, those short trips out usually take us to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur where we can get mail, get money, use high-speed internet for computer updates, etc. It's also pretty much the only time we get to eat Western food. It's also when we do planned medical check-ups and dentist visits. Not to mention those flights out are usually cheaper than the cost of filling up our gas tank.
Also, our company has housing in most of the bigger cities where we can stay for just the cost of using the utilities.

For our family, last week the time arrived for our visa run. This would be our last visa run before our long trip back to America for our furlough, so we really had nothing important to accomplish. Normally during this time we would do our Christmas shopping, but since we'll do our Christmas shopping in America and we're having to pack up our stuff and move before coming home, we didn't need to buy anything. We're actually trying to slim down the amount of stuff we have. Normally we bring back suitcases loaded up with goodies and gadgets, but this time it was nice travelling light.

We made our visa run to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but instead of staying in the city, we drove up into the mountains of the Cameron Highlands with another family who have become close friends over these last few years.
The company house there was beautiful and the weather was COLD. It was awesome!
We were only there three days, but it was a great break from the heat and hecticness (is that a word?) of the city where we live.

CJ made it his personal project to have a fire in the fireplace every night.

The girls enjoyed eating breakfast with a view.

They also loved spending time with the other family's kids - especially this cutie!

The front porch of the house.

Uncle CJ pointing the way while out exploring... :)

Lots of selfies!

This area is known for its tea production and we enjoyed exploring a local tea plantation.

Our favorite place to eat was a restaurant that had amazing Indian food. 

We were, however, happy to return to our beloved city. Especially with the knowledge that we have only nine weeks left to go until we'll arrive back in our other beloved city, Columbia, Mississippi.

We want to soak up every minute we have here with our dear friends and partners in the work in the coming days. As much as we're looking forward to coming to America, we are going to miss our Asian family so much during our absence.
Is it weird to say we're already looking forward to being back with them too before we've even left?
We are truly so blessed!

A little rant and a little rave.

It's been one of those weeks....

Electricity has been bad - it's not always just off or on, sometimes (lots of times actually) we have low electricity. That means it doesn't come in at full strength. This week for some reason, we had high electricity and as a result our dryer exploded.
Of course it happens on a day when we have 30 people coming to the house and it's impossible to get rid of the burning wires/smoke smell.
We're already down to our last few sets of clothes and the ones that happened to be in the dryer when it exploded were also rendered unwearable.
This was all compounded by a couple days of no water. I couldn't dry clothes anyway, so not being able to wash them was not a big deal. We've learned to adjust to this problem which occurs frequently. We do stock up on drinking water, but no water for washing dishes or flushing the toilet is still a frustration.
The electricity in Zoe's room has been bad for several months - she's not able to do anything in her room like even run a fan - so she's been sleeping in Mia's room ever since. It's just too hot in her room without some form of air circulation. Mia's room was also filled with smoke from the dryer situation, so she and Zoe had to sleep the night in our bedroom on the floor. We've all had colds and coughs, probably from all the mold that's growing in our apartment. (Water pipes behind the walls are leaking, so nothing can be done to stop the amount of water damage and increasing fungus.) So someone was always coughing through the night and none of us could get any sleep.
I went to the grocery store to buy some needed items that I would use to make meals for the week, but at the grocery store there was no skim milk, no beans, no cheese and no peanut butter. At the bakery, there was no bread. (It's really not unusual as it sounds. They don't eat bread here so the bakery is mostly cakes and cookies. Sometimes though they have bread. This particular day, of course, they did not.)
Homeschooling was particularly brutal this week - partly because of the girls having too much "together time" these days, and they seem to continuously irritate each other.
Of course, CJ is busier than ever (which is a good thing) but it means that I end up having to deal with a lot of this at home on my own.
Then the worst thing happened. The outlet where I plug in my coffee pot burned out and I had no other place to plug it in. We don't have outlets throughout our apartment like in America, mostly because we just don't have enough electricity to run a bunch of electric appliances. We do have one random outlet by our front door which is rarely used but it was too high up on the wall to plug in my coffee maker. I had to rig up a system to be able to use it for a couple days until I could get the lone outlet in the kitchen replaced.
On top of all that, everyday when I sat down to do my quiet time, inevitably some sort of hindrance or distraction interrupted me.
It just felt like I couldn't win.

Trying to come up with ways to feed my family without having basic staples (or quick restaurants to run to)....
Trying to make sure my girls are healthy and happy and receiving a good education...
Trying to keep our home clean and comfortable...
Trying to communicate with family and friends in America...
Trying to do the "work" we're called here to do (our real purpose for being here in the first place)
Trying to keep myself sane while doing all these things without coffee!

This is my job and frankly this week I just didn't feel like I was doing anything very well. I was aggravated and frustrated and, well, sorta losing it.

Part of the problem is that, no matter how much we try to focus on where we are and what we're doing, in the back of our minds is the thought that we're going to America in three months. That also means that we'll be packing up and moving out of our apartment in two and a half months, so it just doesn't make sense to put a lot of money into fixing some of the household problems we're having or even buying a new dryer because we won't have a lot of room for storage during our time Stateside. So we basically just have to endure the challenges for a few months.
Easier said than done.

However, in the midst of it all, I've felt Father speaking to me.
Music lately has been my place of refuge. When I exercise or those few minutes right before crashing into bed at night, I find encouragement and inspiration to keep on going by listening to some of my favorite songs.
Broken Hallelujah by The Afters is one of those songs that I sing at the top of my lungs when I'm running. Sometimes I even find myself raising my hands up in the air and then I realize that there are a bunch of local folks around me just staring - half in fright, half in confusion. I can just hear them thinking, "Crazy foreigner..."
Desert Song by Hillsong United was one that I first heard at our summer convention this past July and it seems to be the theme song of my life these days. The words are so true and I find it so meaningful.
Finally, I always like to finish up by listening to Fix My Eyes by for God and Country. It always always always brings a smile to my face and gives me fortitude.

The message that all these songs have in common is that no matter what happens, no matter what hardships come our way, no matter how many times I struggle or fight or fall, I know that He is with me.
That's HUGE! The creator of the whole world, the one who knows all and sees all and is all-powerful is with little-ole me. How could I ever be discouraged when that is my truth?
Well, I do still get discouraged, but not for long.

Yesterday I was out running and I happened upon a group of young monks, all likely aged 8-15, walking through a neighborhood seeking rice and other food from the people in that area.

Can you imagine having to go house to house everyday asking for food and living completely dependent on the perceived karma of the people living there?
Everyday I see children without shoes.
I see families hungry.
I see desperation and hopelessness, and I know I have nothing to complain about.
Even writing this blog, I already feel guilty.
We have so much and so much to be thankful for.

Ok, so I'm feeling better now.
What about you?



Broken Hallelujah by The Afters:

I can barely stand right now
Everything is crashing down
And I wonder where You are


You know the things that have brought me here
You know the story of every tear
'Cause You've been here from the very start


[Chorus:]
I've seen joy and I've seen pain
And on my knees I call Your name
Here's my broken Hallelujah
With nothing left to hold onto
I raise these empty hands to You
Here's my broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah



Desert Song by Hillsong United:

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand


[Chorus:]
I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Homeschool hurdles

I was thinking this morning back to when CJ had first finished seminary and was interviewing with churches throughout the South, seeking the Father’s leading for our lives.

I remember the lunch meeting we had with Dr. Wayne VanHorn and immediately feeling a connection with him and his church that we had not even yet met.

I remember the drive we made up to Columbia, Mississippi, that first time when we met with a small group of church leaders to discuss the student pastor position and pray for divine guidance.

Most of all, I remember feeling like God was laying the path for us and all we had to do was simply walk forward.

It is still true today.

All of those moments were a part of a bigger plan that would lead us ultimately to where we are today.

To me, it is so comforting to know that someone who is all-knowing and all-powerful is guiding my life. All I have to do is walk with Him.

These thoughts have given great comfort during times of difficult transitions, culture shock, language learning and now homeschooling.

We knew Father was guiding us to homeschooling. (See previous blog called "Decisions" from March 14, 2014.) This is obviously what He wants for us for this season of life.

We had been praying like crazy over this idea of homeschooling. We had talked with wise educators and conferred with mentors. We had prepared and planned – basically we had done everything within our power to make sure we did this thing right.

I was so excited for that first day we would start our homeschool.

That’s why the weekend before when I started getting sick, I got worried. I knew how important it would be to get our school started on the right foot and didn’t want anything to prevent that. Having bronchitis during those first days was not part of the plan.

Also the first morning when we had planned to start, I got up early to get things ready.  I was coughing a bunch because of the bronchitis and at one point when I coughed so hard, I bent over at the waist and in the process threw my back out.

“I’m not old enough to have these problems!” I screamed in frustration.

I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t sit. How was I going to teach the girls?

I remembered that some friends had sent us a couple bottles of Aleve in a recent package and so I quickly downed a couple. I would just have to bear up and endure the pain for a little while.

The rest of the morning went okay, but then our afternoon got disrupted by an EARTHQUAKE!

Oh, it was a minor one and no damage was done. It was still a huge disruption and a little unsettling, as you would imagine. After that, our day was pretty much shot.

“What else could possibly go wrong today?” I thought to myself. 

At one point I realized that all these problems could be spiritual warfare, and I was bound and determined to not let anything like that conquer us.

The next day was better, and everyday since then has continued to improve. There’s been a couple hiccups here and there, but we try to learn from those issues and press on.

Through it all, I’ve been continually reminded that God is with us. He is in control, and I’m so thankful.

Last week, we had the opportunity to go out as a family to do some “outreach” in a new area. It was so awesome that the girls got to participate in this activity which they would not have been able to do had they been attending a real school.

It’s also been really fun having this extra time together as a family. We get to do school together, and eat all our meals together. We have countless more opportunities for silly dancing (which we love) and singing and playing.

We also know that homeschooling will make our visit in America much easier. We’ll be able to travel around to see all our friends and family without the girls getting behind in their studies. After all, our homeschool will go with us wherever we go. It really works out great.

By the way, the name of our homeschool is SWAG Academy. To be sure, our girls are swaggy in their personality, but for us SWAG means so much more than just that. It stands for “Saved With Amazing Grace.”

Everyday when we start school and we think about this name, it reminds us of why we’re here and doing all this in the first place.

We’re still seeking ideas for a mascot…. Any suggestions?

We sectioned off a part of our living room to do homeschooling.

Each girl has their own bookshelf for all their books and supplies.

There are giggles coming from this part of the house throughout the day. :)

Natural light from the window helps during times when we have no electricity.

There’s been laughter. There have been tears. And we’re still really just getting started. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And as I sit here in the quiet this morning – Miá is taking a math test and Zoë is writing an English paper – I’m in awe of how once again Father has brought such great things into our lives. 

Clouds of change

It's still dark this morning as I sit with my cup of coffee, studying my Good Book and planning my day.  Planning several days actually...
It feels like the calm before the storm.
CJ has been out of town.
It's our last week before school starts, so the girls have been sleeping late and then spending the days with their friends.
I seem to find myself mostly alone these few days and it's been good to accomplish so many things on my "to-do" list, as well as a little time for reflection and introspection.

I've been trying to get organized for homeschooling, and the awareness of being the sole provider for my children's education has been weighing on me. The perfectionist in me is trying to give way to resting in Father to provide all that we need, and I know that He will. I just gotta keep giving that over to prayer.
I think "incompetent" could pretty much sum up our lives overseas. We are constantly reminded at just how inadequate we are to do anything - speak the language, share the Truth, live cross-culturally, etc. We are forced into dependence on Him who IS able to use our weak selves as His vessels.

Homeschooling is also going to be a huge change for us. Our girls have been in school since they were just six weeks old. (When I returned to work after my maternity leave, Z&M went to daycare.)
They have always been surrounded by other children, and I know this is going to be one of the biggest obstacles in homeschooling.
We've also just had to say goodbye to two families who have been living and working in our city. Included in those two families are nine kids who have been some of the best friends for Z&M. We have all been heartbroken over seeing these families leave, despite knowing that it's Father's will for their lives. There is no doubt that He has big plans for these families in America, and while we are happy for this new chapter in their lives, we will miss them so much.

Hopefully being busy will help take our minds off the abundance of change we are experiencing.
We've got so much going on in these next five months, and it's our prayer that we will see Fruit sprouting up all over the city.
Would you please stop right now and pray for a few things?
#1.) First and foremost, pray that we will be about His work above everything else in our lives.
#2.) Pray that He would rise up local partners throughout the city for us to work with.
#3.) Pray for the friends and volunteers who will be making trips here before Christmas. (We have people coming in October, November and December!)
#4.) We are going to have to move before we make our trip to America. Please pray that Father would provide a place for us to live that would meet our needs of living here as well as being conveniently located for reaching the people of this city.
#5.) Pray for our whole family as we begin homeschooling.
#6.) Pray that Father would send more families for the Work in this city! (Especially families with teenage kids.)

As the sun attempts to poke holes in the rain clouds this dark morning, I know that's my sign that it's time to get busy.
My verse for these days is I Thess. 5:16 - "Be joyful always; pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances..."
Bring on the day.
Keep looking up!

July journeys

Well, I fell off the bandwagon... again! It's been two months since the last blog, but can I tell you, it's because things have been going so good and we've been pedal-to-the-medal busy.

The month of July every year since we've been overseas has ended up as a travel month.
This year was no different.
We started the month with a trip to Bangkok for our family to do full physicals and medical screenings. This part wasn't so fun, but while we were in Bangkok we were able to pick up our mail. It had been six months since our last trip there, so we had several packages waiting on us. It was great! We can't receive mail in the country where we live, so everything gets sent to our company office in Bangkok and we pick it up whenever we're there to do our visa renewals. We were so excited to find boxes of goodies from friends in America there waiting on us.

Next we headed off to Chiang Mai in the northern part of Thailand for the girls to attend a camp for all our older company kids living in the mainlander section of Southeast Asia.
For them, camp is the highlight of the year.
It's the only opportunity for them to spend time with friends living lives just like they do in other countries and it's so encouraging for them. Actually, it's great for all of us since CJ and I always work at the camp each year too.

After a week of meetings with co-workers in Chiang Mai, our family went on a small vacation to Kanchanaburi, Thailand which is about a two hour drive from Bangkok.
We stayed in a rustic, yet peaceful resort on an island in the middle of the River Kwai. We did some sight-seeing at the Bridge Over the River Kwai (did you see the movie?) and visited a museum about the POWs and others who built what is called the Thai-Burma deathrail railroad during World War II. (They call it the deathrail because of the number of people killed  in the construction of the railroad including over 100,000 Burmese who died.)
We also got to go hiking in some nearby mountains that had beautiful waterfalls, and we enjoyed lots of fun sliding down the falls and swimming with fish.
It was restful and re-energizing and a great time for family fun. We made so many memories!

Now we're back in the saddle and excited about all the Good Work that is happening in our city. We are seeing Father doing some amazing things and it's so fun to be a part of it all.
In five months we'll be returning to the States to spend some time sharing about our "work" with friends and partners in America. We can't wait to tell you all the many stories that we're just unable to share publicly on the internet.
We will only be Stateside for six months and we have so much to accomplish during our time there. We're already filling in calendar dates for places to visit and speak.
If you would like for us to come speak at your "Gathering Place" send us an email (seepy1@gmail.com) and let us know when would be a good time. We look forward to seeing you all soon.

We have lots of neat things happening during the coming months, and I promise to do a better job of blogging.
Until then, keep looking up!

Kenny Rogers, the Eagles and tears on my cheeks

So, our car broke down.... again.
It happens a lot, so we're kinda accustomed to it.
Recently when our car broke down in the middle of a busy intersection, the girls and I had to jump out (in our best Sunday dress) and push it to the side while CJ steered it. He was driving and we didn't have time to switch. We did get lots of stares and gaping mouths, even more than we usually do.
Also we had some visitors come in town once and when our car broke down then and we had to get out and push, my friend kept wanting to take pictures of the whole ordeal.
"I've never had a car break down in the middle of the road before," she said excitedly. She said it was one of her favorite experiences of her trip here.
So glad we could provide her that opportunity (said with heavy sarcasm.)

Anyway, I'm not complaining. We're really thankful just to have a vehicle and normally we just take it to the shop and it gets fixed. Easy-peasy. No problem.
But this time, the car repair shop was full and they said it would be a week until they could look at it.
Thankfully, we have some co-workers who are currently Stateside and so our logistics coordinator said we could borrow their car until ours gets fixed.
The borrowed car is the exact same make and model as our car, but the only difference is, the borrowed car has a radio in it!
Our regular car doesn't have a radio and when you have to sit in traffic for several hours, you really notice the absence of music.
So the fact that this borrowed car has a radio is a big deal!

This morning, I had a language class and then had to run some errands downtown.
When I got in the car, I noticed that the previous drivers had left some music cds in the glove compartment, and much to my delight, one of them was an "Oldies, but Goldies" collection.
I just can't express how great it was to have music in the car. It really made the traffic seem not as bothersome and I didn't mind so much having to sit in bumper to bumper stand-stills for long durations.

As I sat there enjoying some beloved ENGLISH language songs, the memories associated with those songs also came flooding in.
There was an old Kenny Rogers song that played, and it took me back to when I was a little girl riding in the car with my mom who loved to play Kenny Rogers on the 6-track. We used to sing those songs at the top of our lungs while driving down the road. Before long, I had tears running down my cheeks.
"What's wrong?" my friend who was with me in the car asked me.
"I miss my mom!" I whined.
The emotions connected to songs I haven't heard in so long just bowled me over.
There were Elvis Presley songs that reminded me of when my uncle used to dress up as Elvis and perform.
There were songs that reminded me of my grandmother who recently passed away. She loved Dolly Parton and other country music.
There were songs that reminded me of my high school days and the friends from there I miss so much.
There were some Eagles songs that reminded of the long drives I used to make from Samford back to Nashville during college breaks.

It's amazing the power music has to bring back memories and fond experiences.
Today, it made me miss home.

Often we're so busy here, running around doing stuff all day, everyday, until we come home and crash at night. We just don't have time to think about all that we're missing.
And I guess, that could be a good thing.
But then sometimes those feelings come washing over you, and it can be really hard.

I'm so thankful for the "job" that we get to do and the place where we get to live, but it doesn't come without challenges.
Missing family and friends at home is just one of those challenges.

I think my friend in the car with me was really worried because I kept crying the whole day.
I assured her it was tears of happiness because I have so many wonderful memories and loved ones that I made those memories with.
"Maybe next time, we shouldn't play the music," she thought out loud.
Well, soon we'll have our regular car back and so it won't be an issue.
But for today, I was grateful for the trip down memory lane and the wonderful music of my youth.

I'll leave you with some sage advice from the brilliant Kenny Rogers:

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done.

I think that song'll preach!
Amen.

Warning: this may be painful

"That's just not the way I was brought up..."

Have you ever said that before?
In the past, those words have always meant something good.
Like when I saw some other kid being disrespectful to their parents, I would say, "That's just not the way I was brought up." - I was taught to use good manners and treat elders with courtesy.
Or when there were people who didn't go to church on Sunday because something else got in the way - whether that something else was worthwhile or not - I would typically say, "That's just not the way I was brought up." - I was raised up going to Sunday morning service every single Sunday, no matter what.

Well, all those things are fine and good, but I've come to understand, living in a foreign culture, that the way I was brought up doesn't always fly over here.
I'll give a funny example. (Well, it will be funny for my Western friends.)
Here, it's pretty common to see someone picking their nose in public. They don't find anything wrong with that and you see it being done pretty much everywhere.
Opposite to that, they find it very rude to pick in your teeth here or even using a toothpick. That is something that should only be done in private without anyone else being able to see you.
My American culture is just the opposite of that, right?
It's not that my American way is right, and the SEA way is wrong or vice versa. It's just that our cultures and traditions are quite different.

Another thing, everyone here wears longyis (long skirts from waist to ankle wrapped around the lower body and tied with a knot at the top). Both men and women wear the longyis.
You ever seen a man in America wearing a long skirt?
Probably not, unless it's for some special occasion.
Here, it's more common to see a man in a longyi than wearing pants.
"That's just not the way I was brought up," would probably be the typical response for a Westerner visiting this part of the world.
And that's ok, unless you want to be a part of the culture where you are.
Which brings me to my point.
I frequently have to ask myself, "Do I want to separate myself from the local people and be more like a visitor or do I want to embrace this culture and try to relate and understand their way of life?"
Oh, I will always be an American (and proud of it!)
I will always be a "white face."
But I have tried very hard to be a part of the culture here and not isolated from it - i.e. speaking the language, dressing like the locals, and taking on some of their habits.
I frequently have to question some of my traditions to discern whether these practices help me to reach the people where I live or do they segregate me?

For instance, like I mentioned earlier, I was brought up to go to church on Sunday mornings. From 10am - noon, every Sunday like clockwork, you could find me in the big brick church with the steeple on top.
And that's the way it's supposed to be, right?
Well, what if you have a job - a job you're thankful for because it means you can feed yourself and your whole family - but you have to work everyday from sun-up to sun-down? Everyday including Sundays.
What if you have to attend school on Sundays? (They have school here every day of the week. They don't have weekends here. In fact there's not even a word in their language that means "weekend.")
What if there are no brick buildings with a big steeple on top?

Please hear me. I'm not saying that any of our Western traditions are bad.
I'm just trying to point out that sometimes we have to change our way of thinking in order to do whatever it is that God wants us to do.

In the book of Mark, chapter seven, verse eight, we read: "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
This was Jesus talking to the religious leaders of his day.
He was telling them that what began as good intentions - good habits and traditions of following God - had become rituals with no meaning. The leaders were more concerned with how to do the rituals and who was doing them, rather than focusing on the meaning and purpose of those rituals.

As I read that passage this morning, I began to question myself again as I so frequently do.
"Lord, are there traditions or habits that I'm holding on to that keep me from doing what you want me to do?"

Can I challenge you with this same thought?
What is it that's hindering you from doing what God wants you to do?
Is it a tradition that's been engrained in you from your earliest days? - "That's just the way I was brought up!"
Maybe it's your culture and the practices of your culture that separate you from the people God wants you to share His love with. (We have many cultures such as a Southern culture, or a teenager culture or a professional culture, etc.)
Maybe it's even the concept we have of ourselves and the things we hold dear that isolate us from others.

Whatever it is, if it keeps us from doing His will, then we need to lay it down.
Even if it goes against the norm.
Even if it makes me stand out from the crowd.
Even if it brings persecution.
Even if it brings judgement and scorn.
If it means doing what He wants you to do, are you willing?