Oh, Love That Will Not Let Me Go

  I began writing this post Sunday morning... :-)

 I'm laying here in a hammock, with the breeze blowing in my face, looking out across a very special piece of property which is home to more than 300 precious people. The sun is shining. It isn't too warm; it isn't too cold. A dear friend rests in a hammock near me. She isn't well. I am her "nurse" for the morning. I pray she heals soon...

  There is no place I would rather be at this moment. This is where God has called me. This is where He wants me to be. And I could hardly be happier. :-)

  There are just so many reasons to love this place. True, there are difficult, unpleasant things too. But the good far outweighs the bad!  Every day I can thank God for many blessings He sends me. There are just so many precious things here, how could I ever leave? I know, I still have 4 months left. But I can't help but think how much I will miss this place and all these beautiful people.

  I can't help but smile as I look back to when I first arrived here. I was so scared.  I wanted to go home so badly. All I could think of was asking my mom to buy me a ticket home as soon as possible! I didn't want to be here- to face all the new people, the new way of living, the new challenges. I didn't think I would survive. But now? Not a single one of those fears and feelings remains. The opposite of those feelings now holds me firmly. I realized the other day with thankfulness to God that I would be perfectly content if God said, "Go, and stay," and I found myself a more permanent resident at the Sunshine Orchard Children's Home and Learning Center. I get excited just thinking of that possibility! :-)

  Here are a few memories from the past few weeks... Some are spiritually strengthening-others very comical! But all are precious moments that bring me joy. :-)


  I was standing in the back of grade 4 while Tharamu Raquel taught the energetic youngsters. I looked down at the notebook of one of the boys near me and there discovered my name written neatly on the top of his paper. Raquel had written my name on the blackboard some days before and I suppose he wanted to remember how to spell it or something. You can't help but smile. :-)

  This day we were in Mae Sot on a shopping trip. After we ate breakfast, we took Moo Koh Paw and Naw Blet (her sister) to the hospital. Outside of the hospital was this sign: "Unwalkable patient, Place here." Hehe... Asian English can be very amusing at times. ;-)

  We saw another sign in Mae Sot that said: "Give 100% to live 100%." Oh, how true that is! If only everyone could truly realize that, how many more completely happy people this world would have! This was a good reminder for me that if I am holding any part of myself back from God, I cannot expect to live happily and fully. Surrender is the key God has given. It won't do me any good if I don't pick it up and use it though.

  While Raquel was reading sentences on the blackboard with her students, we all got a good laugh out of one of them! Raquel: "OK, this one says, '_I_like_to_eat_red_- no, not children!! Chillies!!! We don't like to eat children!"

  After AY one Sabbath, Thara Dee Htoo came over to shake Mr. Meyer's hand, who was standing by me. After shaking Mr. Meyer's hand, he shook mine. Turning to Mr. Meyer he asked, "This is your daughter?" Mr. Meyer replies with a laugh, "No, she's not my daughter. I'd claim her as my daughter, but no, she's not my daughter. She's a student missionary here from America for a while."  Hehe!  I had to laugh at that one...

  It was morning and I was having my devotions. Before opening my Bible, as always I prayed for enlightenment and guidance. In my study, I came to a verse that was difficult to understand. The verse was Psalm 61:8, which reads, "So will I sing praise unto Thy name forever, that I may daily perform my vows." Perhaps this is an easy verse for some of you, but its meaning puzzled me greatly. I was trying to figure out how praising God could help me perform my vows. I felt impressed to ask God to show me what the verse meant. I bowed my head, struggling to not doubt, and asked Him to please help me to understand. I continued to pray and ponder the verse for maybe a few minutes. Suddenly, the interpretation flashed into my mind. I had no doubt that God had answered my prayer. David said he was going to praise God forever because he had made vows to do that and wanted to keep them daily. I could hardly contain my joyfulness and excitement as I thanked God from the bottom of my heart! Time and time again He has shown me that I can trust Him completely. I'm still learning... It isn't easy to reverse the thoughts of a lifetime, but praise God for His faithfulness and patience! :')

       One afternoon I was beginning typing class, and asked a bright young man named Saw Pah Noh to pray. Everyone closes their eyes, and I prepared myself to hear sounds of a foreign language. It wasn't long, however, before I realized I could understand what he was saying! This precious boy was praying in English! True, not everything was perfect, but almost! His words came slowly, and I could tell they were well thought out. Happiness flooded me as I knelt there on the cold tile floor and listened to my own language being spoken to our Heavenly Father. I told Sharon later, and she said she wasn't aware of any of the students ever praying in English before. :-) Keep up the good work, Saw Pah Noh!!  


   "Can I give you  hug goodnight, Haley Bug?' I heard one evening while preparing for bed. After Hannah went to bed, I was still thanking God for such amazing friends who could perceive and administer the very things I loved-a hug and hearing my nickname. :-) 

  During a conversation Sharon and I had, she said, "Micah, Gayle Haberkam's youngest husband-son!" Oops... Hahaha! I certainly hope she doesn't have more than one husband!

  At a birthday party we went to for the granddaughter of the pastor at the Mae Salit SDA Church...
Mrs. Steck: "Are all three of these tables vegetarian?"  Mr. Steck: "No, just the stuff on them." Oh dear... Hehehe! That's Mr. Steck for you! ;-)

  Morning had come too soon, and I was still so tired. I'm not sure if I heard my alarm or slept through it, but somehow I had overslept again. How could this have happened again? I questioned myself. Inwardly I groaned and felt positively miserable. I wanted to get up early, but for the thousandth time I found myself incapable of accomplishing the task. What do I do? Surely God cannot forgive forever... Is it too late? Am I forever lost already? My guilty conscience rang out loudly as I sat there on my mat. In my misery, I cried out to God to please show me somehow, someway, if there was still hope for me. I then looked at the verse of the day from the Bible app on my phone. Tears filled my eyes and ran down my cheeks as I read these words from Genesis 40:21- "And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:" Lord, will you truly restore me as Your servant? Why? I have done nothing to deserve such love! Thank You, Jesus... Thank You so much...

  I cannot fully comprehend this love so freely given by a Holy, Almighty God! It stretches far beyond my imagination. It encircles everything in the universe. It reaches out to each one of us-calling us to rest in the loving arms of a faithful Friend. Words cannot describe it. But this I know-it does exist. I have experienced it so many times! It will not let me go. I pray that I may never doubt it again. Will you pray that prayer with me, friend? Jesus loves you-yes, you! Please don't reject that love any longer. It waits for you-eagerly, longingly, patiently. Time is so short. You never know when your last chance could come. Accept His invitation today. :-) 

 Me and some fifth grade girls. They are so sweet! :-)