Favorite moments in America so far - Time, Slow Down!

It was a long flight.
Well, to be honest, it was two three-hour flights and one 11-hour flight that brought us back from Southeast Asia to this part of the world.
We were jet-lagged to be sure when we arrived at the New Orleans airport, but when I saw my mom and dad at the end of arrival hall, I took off running (as best as I could with my hand luggage in tow.)
The tears were streaming down my face when I finally reached them and hugged their necks. I think they might have been holding some signs to welcome us home, but I was so excited to see their faces, I couldn't focus.
As I was hugging my mom, I opened my eyes and noticed a friend of Miá's standing not too far behind.
It was a moment of confusion.
Although we arrived in New Orleans, our final destination would be Columbia, Mississippi, which was another two hour car ride. I wasn't expecting to see other people we knew at the airport besides my parents.
Yet there were about 25 people standing just beyond my parents waiting to welcome us.
I can't recall a moment where I have ever felt so humbled and yet so loved to know that so many had gone so far out of their way to come welcome us home.
They were smiling and clapping and cheering as we came through the gate.
It was such a shock to see them all there, that I know I must have seem dazed and bewildered.
Still, that has to be one of my most favorite moments since we have arrived in America.

There have been other favorite moments...
Sitting with my family at the Christmas eve service at our church, singing Silent Night and other beloved hymns.
Enjoying the fire pit and fireworks at the strike of midnight with some of our favorite people.
Reconnecting with co-workers and good friends from other parts of the world at a week-long conference.
Seeing snow for the first time in many years.
Sharing about the "work" going on in Southeast Asia and seeing people here get excited about what Father is doing "over there."
It's been a whirlwind to say the least, and it's been great!

I'm really hoping things will slow down some though. I know it may be too much to expect that we will ever find some sort of routine, but I really just want to enjoy doing some of the things we've been missing. I want to have friends over for dinner and catch up on life. I want to just sit in the audience of our home church and listen to our pastor preach. I want to sit on the back patio and sip a cup of coffee in the cool morning air. I want to hear the giggles coming from our girls' bedrooms when they have their friends over. These are all things we don't have the opportunity to do when we live on the other side of the globe, and I just want to soak it up now while we can.

If only time would slow down a little...

A heart divided

I never imagined it would be this way...

When we arrived in this country three years ago, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were called to this place. I knew the needs here were great. I knew that the people would be wonderful and gracious. I also knew that it would be a challenge - learning the language, adjusting cross-culturally, living life in a third world country, etc.
One of my dear friends who lived here for many years sent me an email before our arrival, and she offered some sage wisdom. She said, "Keep low expectations." For example, expect that you will not have great water or power, then when it's better than you expected, you're happy. She said, "Expect that the traffic will be frustrating and expect that it will take you a long time to learn the language." So when the situation is better than we expect, we end up feeling successful and blessed.
The only problem with that thought, is that the Spirit is able to do far more and greater than we could EVER expect or imagine, so when He intervenes and you've already got low expectations, it can just rock your world.
I never could have imagined how He would tie my heart to this place in the ways that He has.
I never could have imagined the relationships and friendships with the people we have in our lives here would be so close.
I never could have imagined the amazing ways He would work in this place, drawing more and more people to Him.
And as I sit here writing, six days before our return to America, I'm feeling torn.
We are so excited to be back among our friends and family in the States.
We are thrilled at the idea of holidays with those we love most.
We cannot wait to sit in an English worship service to just sit and soak in deep, spiritual teaching and to be able to sing praise in our own heart-language.
There are so many aspects of being in America that we are excited about.
But can I tell you, I'm really having a hard time swallowing the idea of leaving this place. Even for just a short time.

Yesterday morning, we went to our "Fish Factory" gathering place for a time of teaching and praise. When we arrived, the people had already gathered and were singing.
As I took my place near the front, I was overwhelmed with the volume of singing that was being produced from this small crowd of people. With every fiber of their being, they were giving glory to their Creator and offering their hearts completely to Him. It showed in their song. It showed on their faces. And it was overwhelming. The tears began to pour down my face...
See, I know these people. I know what they've been through to get to the place where they are now.
I have seen them come to faith and grow in their faith. I have seen them being discipled. I have seen them overcome obstacles and persecution and challenges like people in America could not comprehend. I know where they come from and I recognize the likelihood of what lies before them in their future.
Yet despite it all, there they stood, singing their praise to Him with complete abandon.

And as I stood there, listening and praying and singing, I realized this would be the last day with this special group of people for many, many months.
When they called me forward to offer some encouragement to the people yesterday morning, my mind went blank. It's hard enough to communicate in the local language when I'm thinking clearly, let alone when I'm feeling emotional.
All I could say was that I loved them. I would be praying for them. And we would see them again soon. There was so much more I wanted to say, but couldn't.
Of course, CJ stood up next and his words were eloquent and perfect. He was challenging and moving and inspiring. I am continually amazed at him and what Father does through him. Again and again, I'm reminded of how thankful I am for this amazing partner and spouse.

Now compound the feelings I'm having about this group by about 10.
We have relationships with other groups like our Fish Factory group all over the city.
It's so good.
Father is so good.
He has given us this "family" in this city. And I'm just so thankful.

I never could have imagined how excited I would be about coming home, and yet at the same time, so similarly excited about the prospect of our future return.
The goodbyes are hard, but we are joyful for the hellos that are soon to come.

Through it all, praising Him...
Merry Christmas.

Thankful

Blessed.
Blessed because of salvation.
Blessed because of God's love.
Blessed to know the truth!

I have so much to be thankful for.
This Thanksgiving, more than ever, I'm thankful that I was born in a country and in a family where I could grow up knowing the Creator, the Master, the King.
I look around me and see so many who have never had the privilege to know; people who have never heard, and I wonder, why have I been so blessed?
My greatest prayer is that I live a life of thankfulness and that, in turn, I can share this wonderful blessing with others.
I think it's one of the many reasons why Thanksgiving has become so important to me. It's a reminder that on this day, and every day I am called to live a life of thankfulness. (I Thessalonians 5:16)
What are you thankful for?

This is the list of what I was making to take to our group meal.

My personal favorite

Making the first of two pie crusts

A bunch of us rented a field to play some friendly softball and some touch football.

TCK BFFs

Ready to get some grub!

We had a group of about 50 expats all gather to celebrate our American holiday.

We had so much food!

This was my plate of food. All the food groups were covered. :)

CJ got the turkey leg

Mia is always taking care of the little kids and babies - it's her special gift.

I'm avoiding what I'm supposed to be doing

Well, I'm on a roll this month. Two blogs in two days!
Actually, I'm avoiding what I'm supposed to be doing - PACKING!

In a little over a week, we'll start moving all our belongings into a friend's house for storage while we're away for six months. I'm supposed to be sifting, sorting, eliminating and packing various groups of things like our medicine box, my growing pile of assorted bags (I have a bag addiction), kitchen gadgets and the most dreaded filing cabinet.
Why does it feel like instead of making our piles grow smaller, they're just getting bigger.
My piles are labeled: (1) Pack for storage, (2) Into suitcases for America and (3) Giveaway.
But then I've got sub-piles, like under Giveaway, I've got: (a) Giveaway to expats and (b) Giveaway to local friends. - i.e. our Myanmar friends wouldn't know what to do with a bottle of pepto bismal, but for our American friends, it's a valued possession.
On top of that, I've got one child who just wants to give everything away, rather than have to pack anything. The other day, Miá said to me, "Mom, can I just give away all my pillows and blankets so that I don't have to pack them?"
To which I replied, "Well, what are you going to use when we get back?"
She smartly retorted with a smirk, "We can just buy all new when we return!"

My other child, however, doesn't want to give anything away.
"Zoë, you haven't worn those shorts in a year," I said.
"They don't fit me anymore," was her reply.
"Then let's give them away to someone who can wear them," I reasoned.
"Aww, but they're soooo cute!" she whined.

It feels like an uphill battle, everywhere I turn.
And just when I think I've got one corner cleaned out, I find another box of junk waiting its turn.

I recognize that part of the problem is the lifestyle we lead.
We don't have access to most Western items, so if we get the chance to purchase something that we think we might at some point use in the next three years, we buy it. Batteries are a good example. We have a ton of every variety stored up, and now most of them have gone bad. So I'm staring a big box of old, unusable batteries and I think to myself, "How did this happen?"
Those will end up going in my fourth pile: the garbage.

So instead of doing what I'm supposed to be doing, I'm sitting at my desk drinking coffee and writing a blog. Actually, I wrote a poem first, but that inspired the blog.
Hmmm, what else can I do to avoid what I really need to do?

Packing
     by Julie Johnson

Should it stay or should it go?
What to do, I just don't know.

Clothes and shoes, books and gadgets
Acquiring things has become a habit.

In less than a month this place has to be empty.
Our things will be gone, but we leave behind great memories.

Friends, family, food and fun,
This apartment has been full of love.

Instead of filling boxes, I sit here scrawling
Because what follows packing is a lot of hauling.

I'm hanging on to my "handle"

Living in a third world country has given me so many life experiences. I have learned about things that I probably never would have been exposed to had we never left our comfortable, first-world home.

For example, I know now that if you find little ants all over your bread, all you have to do is pop that bread in the freezer for a few minutes and they miraculously disappear.

I’ve learned that if you open your silverware drawer and find roaches there, they will run away from the light. Just leave that drawer open (never close it) and they’ll stay away.

I’ve learned that if you put your food in a cabinet that has legs and stand those legs in little bowls filled with baby powder, it keeps the bugs away. Apparently bugs don’t like baby powder – I would have never known!

I’ve also learned a lot about cooking.

Because we can’t buy convenience items where we live, I’ve had to learn how to make those items first in order to feed my family the foods they love most.

For instance, we can’t buy sour cream here, but the recipe is so simple. You mix one cup whipping cream with one tablespoon of white vinegar and in 30 seconds you have sweet, smooth sour cream.

You can make an easy buttermilk (perfect for frying chicken) by putting one tablespoon of white vinegar in a one-cup measuring cup and fill it up the rest of the way with whole milk. Stir it around a few seconds and you have exactly what the recipe calls for.

We can almost always get natural ingredients like local vegetables and fruit and pretty much any kind of noodle or rice. We can get different kinds of meat, although they don’t taste quite like the stuff in America because it’s not been processed the same way and there are no preservatives. 

The spices are a little different… I’m still learning how to use turmeric and masala and star anise. If you want regular old garlic powder or ground mustard, you’ll have to go to the import/export store for that.

The problem is you can never predict what you’ll find at that store which brings in goods from Thailand, Singapore and the sometimes the U.S.

I’ve been needing mustard for weeks now. The last jar I had was pretty much full when I accidentally dropped it and shattered it all over the kitchen floor. I’ve been wanting to make a replica of Outback’s honey-mustard sauce for homemade chicken tenders. It’s hard to make when you can’t get the main ingredient.

Some things we can get pretty regularly, but they’re very expensive. A small package of Hershey’s cocoa powder will cost upwards of $12.00.

Still we’ve learned to make do, and it’s been fun trying out new recipes and experiencing new foods.

With Thanksgiving knocking on our door, I thought it might be nice to visit the idea of cooking in an underdeveloped country.

Thanksgiving has, over the last ten years or so, become one of my favorite holidays. Oh, Christmas is great, but it can be so busy and hectic. Honestly, I’m having a hard time recalling all the other American holidays because they’re not celebrated where we are. But Thanksgiving has always been the one holiday that is purely about family and friends and great food. I think that’s also why it’s been the holiday that is most difficult for me, living so far away. Christmas is the busiest time of year for folks in our line of work. We have so many opportunities for sharing during the season of Christ’s birth. But Thanksgiving has been the day where I just sit and mope and miss my family back in the States.

That’s why a couple years ago we started the tradition of going on our visa run to Kuala Lumpur over Thanksgiving. It keeps us busy and we get to eat at Chili’s Restaurant (they’re only found in Malaysia in this part of the world.)

But because we’re coming back to America in a few weeks (five to be precise), we won’t be taking another visa run this year. However, as it happens, this year we are invited to a big Thanksgiving shindig with some other expat friends who live in our city. This is going to be a big party with about 50 people all gathered at one house. We’re going to have a friendly, flag-football game followed by what’s sure to be some amazing food, but best of all lots of fellowship and fun. I’m really looking forward to it!

I’m signed up for a few of the requisite dishes including the ever-faithful green bean casserole. So here we go… I can get fresh green beans here (not canned.) Main ingredient, check. Sometimes I can even find the cans of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, so a few weeks ago when I discovered some at the import/export store, I stocked up. Main ingredient number two, check. The problem comes in the dried onions to go on top. It’s just not a green bean casserole without those onions. I had been searching recipes online on how to make those from scratch when I found out a friend was coming in from Thailand. Unfortunately, even in Thailand they can’t get the dried onions, but that friend has a team coming to visit from America before she comes here. So those volunteers (who happen to be from Alabama) are bringing in a couple cans of dried onions to Thailand, and then my friend will bring them with her from Thailand to Myanmar when she comes. Talk about going to great lengths for a Thanksgiving dish.

I’m also in charge of the pumpkin pie. Pie crust from scratch? No doubt. No pre-made here. I did, however, buy a couple cans of pumpkin puree when we were in Malaysia this past September. So that recipe is good to go.

My problem is found in my all-time favorite Thanksgiving dish… deviled eggs. I can’t find mustard! How do you make deviled eggs without mustard? Oh I’m sure there’s a way. I can probably make mustard using the little bit of ground mustard I have stored in my pantry. Maybe that should be the next core ingredient I tackle learning how to make.

I’ve heard people say that when you move overseas, you have to find your “handle.” It’s what you hold on to, to help you keep your sanity when the challenges become overwhelming. For me, that handle has been cooking.

When the power doesn’t work or when I can’t speak the language as proficiently as I’d like; when I can’t remember simple algebraic expressions to teach my home-schooled high-schooler or when I can’t figure out the rules for driving like the locals, cooking is the one thing that I know will work.

You add a smidge of one ingredient to a smidge of a few others, and voila! You’ve created something wonderful.

Oh sometimes there are mishaps. I’ve been working on some Indian dishes – I can’t seem to get them quite right. More often than not the power goes out right in the middle of baking something in my electric oven. But on the whole, it’s been a really rewarding and educational pursuit.

Before we came here, I had to have a map to find the kitchen in my house. Now, it’s the part of the house where you’ll find me most often.

I do have so much to be thankful for during this season of Thanksgiving: American holidays celebrated with friends, a family that’s always willing to try the crazy recipes I come up with, and the opportunity to experience it all from this part of the world.

I am truly blessed.

Now if I could just find some mustard, I’d be even more thankful! J

Mia is such a big helper and quite a good cook herself!

Local favorite noodle dish

Cashew chicken, at least once every couple weeks my family demands this.

I think I've just about mastered the panna cotta. This one was with an orange jelly. 

This one we served with caramel. Yum!

Homemade Reese's cups

Happy family...

Three years and counting

Yesterday (October 17) we celebrated three years on the field. THREE YEARS!

In some ways, it seems like the time has gone by so fast. Yet it also seems like it was such a long time ago since we last stood face to face with our friends and family in America.

I remember that morning like it was yesterday.

The day we were to set out for our harvest field, we had decided ahead of time that we should say goodbye to my parents at their house rather than having a long, drawn out, emotional scene at the airport. I’m pretty sure it would have been a two-hour tearful drive all the way down to the New Orleans airport, and that’s just not the way you want to start a long plane ride.

Instead our dear friends, Rene Dungan and Carol Davis, arrived at the house at 4am that morning to drive us down. Before our departure, we were also surprised by a visit from Tom and Gloria Thurman who wanted to join with us in a parting prayer. 

I remember the sunrise that morning as we crossed the Lake Pontchartrain bridge into New Orleans. It was the dawn of a new day and a new adventure.

These three years have been an adventure for sure, but it has also been so much more than that. It’s been a life-altering, mind-blowing, rock-your-world kind of experience.

There was our initial culture shock: there’s no cellphones here? There’s no Western restaurants of any kind here? There’s no hair salon that can do highlights? What?!?!

There was the really fun experience of language learning: um, can you speak a little slower? Um, can you say that again? Um, can you speak to me like I’m a toddler just learning to talk? Huh?!?

There are all the mistakes we made: you can’t go in there. You can’t sit like that. You can’t say it like that. You’re not supposed to eat that! Uh oh…

But most surprising of all were all the relationships and friendships that were made: you cooked that for me? I can’t believe you came this far just to see me. She did that for me! Wow…

Over these three years, we have fallen in love with this country and these people, and we are so thankful for every opportunity we’ve had with them.

We celebrated our three year anniversary by doing what we do pretty regularly here -

CJ spent the morning training local partners.

The girls and I did homeschool.

In the afternoon, the whole family went out to visit some friends, and that evening CJ and I had a dinner date. (Our dinner date is not an everyday thing. It’s about a once a month opportunity that just happened to fall on our three year anniversary. Perfect timing!)

Sharing the Good News and spending time with friends and family – what better way could there have been to celebrate these awesome three years?

Three years and counting, I should say.

We are looking forward to many more years of serving our Father in His harvest field, as He sees fit to lead us.

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!