We wish you a Muddy Christmas!

It's Christmas eve, and today we made mud men. There's no snow outside, so we used what we had! Sand, clay and sticks. We had great fun getting all muddy & dirty!

Some may want to sanitize the Christmas story, and wrap up Baby Jesus in the manger with a red bow. Instead, we invite you to reflect on the true meaning of Christ's mission to earth - to save us from sin & to give us a new identity!

We pray that during this year, you will have a muddy Christmas.

• Remember how God got His hands muddy when He made us
• Remember that we are dirt, yet precious to God
  
• Recount the times He pulled us out of problem pits
  
• Retell how great God's love is that He loves us no matter how messy we are
• Rethink that sooner than we realize, Jesus will return to take us to be with Him

We wish you a Muddy Christmas!

Wading in My Flooded Yard

Last night it rained a lot. This morning when I go ready to go to school, I came outside and found my yard under water! I was so shocked! So I put my boots on, and I put my back pack on and went to school. The flood lasted for about four days. I had fun wading in the water with my boots. I like using my Dad's boots, because they are bigger and taller than my boots. So when I want to wade in the deep water, I can walk around without my boots filling with water!

Have you ever waded in boots in your flooded yard?

Learning to be a Wise Steward

One thing I like to do after church is Adventurer Awards with my family. Here are a few things I learned on how to be a Wise Steward.
1. God owns everything. John 1:1-3

1-2 The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one. 3 Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing! — came into being without him.
from The Message (MSG) Copyright © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Because God owns everything, He asks me to be a wise steward of His world.

2. What is a Wise Steward?
A wise steward is someone who is responsible and faithful. They care for God, others, their family, the environment, animals, time and money.

1 Corinthians 4:2 (New American Standard Bible) In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

3. Caring for the Environment God has given me.

As a Wise Steward, I care for the environment that God has given me by not littering, picking up trash, composting grass, leaves, and food scraps, and recycle tin cans, glass jars, batteries, and paper.

Genesis 1:26 We are created in God's Image, so we have to care for the animals, and our environment.


4. Explain one thing that a Wise Steward does from the Bible verses from Malachai 3:8-10.

Malachai 3:8-10
8 “ Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say, ‘ In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

A Wise Steward is faithful to God by paying tithe and giving offerings. Tithe is ten percent of the money that you get.

These are a few things I had fun learning about. You too can have fun doing this award by clicking here, or by going to the Adventurer website at www.adventurer-club.org.

Blog readers, tell me how you are a wise steward.

• How do you recycle?
• What do you compost?
  
• What stories do you have about God blessing you when you give tithe?

Furry Trouble Makers

Last night we went out to eat and went shopping. When we came back home, we turned on the lights and we saw a disaster!

We looked in the kitchen and saw a pink mess! And they got out all of the pink napkins and tore the napkins to pieces! I imagine that they were pretending that the pink napkins were delicious pink mice! They even unplugged the refrigerator!


Our cute cuddly cats decided to play with our beads! They got all the beads out, but did not put them away! They chased the beads on the floor like they were little tiny mice! My mom was not happy and she said that we had furry trouble makers!

What's your experience with furry trouble makers? Please tell me your story soon!

Playing Dress up with my cats

Today I dressed up my cats with my dolly clothes. I think that when they are dressed up, they look cute! I love to dress my cats up. I pretend that they are beautiful princesses. They are very cuddly.

Do you think that my cats like being dressed up?
Yes or No

No, they do not like being dressed up. Sometimes my cats try to take off their pretty dresses and tear them.

Do you have a story about playing dress up with your pets? Tell me a story, please!

My Cats Come Home

Today I went with my Mom to pick up our cats. They are so precious to me. My cats have been at the vet hospital. They have been there for four days. They had to visit the hospital and have surgery. We had them fixed so they won't have any kittens. There are already enough cats around our house!

When I first saw my cat, I felt happy. When I saw the stitches I felt scared and sorry for my kitty. My cat got some hair shaved off because that's where they got their stitches.

My cats didn't sound happy when they got home. They said, "Meow, meow, meow!" They looked like a two headed animal. The vet put on a white hood around their neck. He put this on them so that they would not lick their stiches. They didn't like the white colloars. They were bumping their heads around the house, because they couldn't see where they were going.

But the funning thing about our cats was when we weren't looking, they would lick each others stiches!

Questions for my blog readers:

• Do you have any pets at home? Yes or No
• Has your pet been to the vet? Yes or No
• Has your pet been hurt before?

Please tell me your story!

Stamp Collecting

When you go to another country you have the opportunity to collect stamps.

You can learn a lot about another country from their stamps.

One thing I have learned about Thailand through stamp collecting is about the King. I learned about the King’s hobbies, and how the King likes to help the people of Thailand.


Another thing I learned through stamp collecting is what the houses of Thailand looks like. Some of the old houses of Thailand are made of wood, and are built up on stilts. The houses have stilts because it floods, and if your house is on stilts then it won’t wash away. If there is a huge tidal wave it could wash away.

I have some stamps with crabs on them. The crabs have many colors. One crab is black & white. Another crab is red, white and blue. I haven’t seen these crabs before, but I did see a gray crab at the beach.

Thailand has tall mountains, sandy white beaches, loud waterfalls and coconut trees. It looks beautiful! I haven’t been to all of the places that I’ve seen on the stamps, but by collecting the stamps I can see lots of places.

Stamp collecting is fun!

What to name the kittens?

When we first got the kittens, we didn't name them right away. I couldn't think of a name that would fit their personality.

I decided to name my cat Mocha. And my sister decided to call her cat - what is it's name?

I can't remember her cat's name because she changes its name every day.

And my mom calls the cats, Tesco & Lotus, because we read the story called, "Because of Winn Dixie." So one grocery store here in Thailand is called Tesco Lotus.

Other names I have given to my cat include: Starbright.

Hannah wanted to call the cats, Salt and Pepper. So what name do you suggest?

Kittens - part 1

We got two baby kitties from one of our neighbors. They are sisters, and have four other brothers & sisters in their litter.

I helped chose my cat because it was so nice and cuddly. When I first held my kitten it snuggled me and purred. So I chose that kitten!

My friend Ruben also wanted to take it home, but his Mom & Dad said he could not have another cat!

We brought my kitten home, but all she did was walk around the house and meow! She was missing her mommy! So we took her back to her mommy, and over the next couple weeks would bring over to our house for a short visits, with one of her sisters.

A Puppy Brings Kids to Church

Today I am a new church plant in Bangkok. One girl brought her little baby puppy to Sabbath School. It is two month old. It's cut and chubby! He has black & white fur. A little bit later, the puppy's mother and another doggy friend came to Sabbath School.
Because the other neighborhood kids wanted to see the cute puppy, now there are six kids!

God can use even a little puppy to bring boys & girls to learn about Him!

Be Ready to Use Your Strong Muscles for God

I learned that when you want something, you have to be ready to use your muscles.

Today I got my desk. I need a desk so I can do my homework. Last year I had lots of homework. But don't think I'm still in same grade. Because I'm going into the next grade now.

I helped Dad & Mom find a desk. So I picked one out that I liked and it fit me. But I had to help build my desk. I had to put in screws. I also had to help put together the different pieces. At first it was easy to put in the screws, but then it got harder and harder. I had to use my strong muscles.

I challenge everyone who reads my blog to make sure when you want something, to be ready to use your muscles for God.

Pray for the boys & girls in Thonburi!

Today I went to visit a church plant in Thonburi. I played with the boys and girls there. I had fun doing a Bible quiz and we had a fun Bible lesson. The kids welcomed me. I liked being welcomed, but I was shy.After Sabbath School was done, all the children went outside to play. They don't have any yard to play in. They only have the road to play in. We have to be careful playing in the street, because you could get run over by a car!

If you are reading this, please, please pray for these children at Thonburi. Pray that the boys and girls will learn to love Jesus.

Collecting coins

For Life Skills class this year I started a coin collection. I went with my Mom and bought my coin album near our house at a little stationary store.

My classmates and I bring our coin albums to class every Tuesday. During class, we trade coins. So now I have coins from many countries, like India, Canada, Australia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.

It is fun collecting coins and learning about different countries. It's exciting!

What do you collect?

There’s a frog in my shoe!

Yesterday, I was on my way to play outside. I picked up my shoes to put them on. I noticed the tongue of the shoe was at the bottom of my shoe. So I reached in to pull it out.

There was something squishy in my shoe. It was brown and black. It was a small frog hiding in my shoe. It hoped away. It scared me!

What I Miss From Home!

Guest interview with Arielle

1.) The first thing that I miss is my friends from home!
Why? Because I can be myself around them and they accept me the way I am! They know how I am. They know why I do the things I do because they do the same thing! But here my new friends don't do the same things I did back home. Most all the friends I have here I would at any time of the day, week or year rather be with my friends. Friends my age that I really like to be around are: Joelle, Jijije, and Down. I only get to see my best friend in Thailand Joelle once in a blue moon because she lives so far away! And both Jijie and Down are in another class. I can only see them on Sabbath and once in a blue moon during the week! Anyway I could go on and on about this but for your sake I will go on to # 2.

2.) My family.
I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that my family should be # 1, but the thing is that the family that is not here I only see some times any way! Anyway on to #3

3.) The food!
I really miss the food from home! But it is not as hard to live with as I most people might think! I think when I go back I'll miss the food from Thailand!

Well I think that is all I have time to type now even tho I have lots more to say!
Thank you for reading what I had to say! Just remember that God loves you no mater where you live in the world and he all ways will be there for you to talk to if you don’t have any one else to talk to! Try your best to be content where ever you are!

Help! An Elephant stepped on my toe!

Ouch! An elephant stepped on my toe! Was the elephant big or small? It was a small, baby elephant!

We went to Ayutthaya to visit friends. We went to an elephant camp. I gave the momma elephants pine apples, pea nuts, and grass to eat.

I had fun petting the baby elephant. But it stepped on my toe! It felt like a big giant stepping on my toe. But it didn't break my toe. I didn't like to baby elephant stepping on my toe.

My advice is to be careful when you feed an elephant and watch their feet. Especially the momma elephants!

Tiger Poem

I sat by the tiger's rear,

I couldn't believe I was so near!

I gently held his tail,

While he ate from his pail.

I saw his long claws,

Then I looked at his paws.

When I had to tell the tiger goodbye,

But I didn't want to, and that's no lie.

Sabbath in Thailand

Let me tell you about one Sabbath. Our family went to a new church plant. When we got there, they were praying. To show respect to God they wai when they pray.


Another way they show respect to God is to take off their shoes before going inside.


In Thailand not too many boys and girls know about Jesus. But when they learn about Him, they are eager to get involved and learn more.


One thing they don’t have here are weekly Sabbath School Lessons with the stories in them. Sometimes we share stories from the lessons we brought from home.

They especially like fun action songs. The songs help them learn English too. And they are teaching us some songs in Thai. We are eager to learn their language so we can communicate better.

There are many small groups worshipping all across Bangkok. And often the children lead out in church. It is exciting to see their joy in worshipping the true God in heaven.

Sabbath in Thailand

What’s is Sabbath like here in Thailand?

I like Sabbath because we sing songs to praise Jesus. One thing different about Sabbath in Thailand is the language.
I can’t understand the language because I’m studying Thai. I’m just learning the songs the boys and girls sing. The one song I know in Thai is the National Anthem of Thailand.

I don’t know the kids, but sometimes I can make friends with them.

On Sabbath, we go to the church plants in Bangkok. To get there sometime I have to take a taxi, bus, water taxi, or BTS – the Sky Train.



Sometimes I don’t know where the bathroom is. So I say in Thai, “Where’s the bathroom?”

We eat lunch at the church plants. I like to eat noodles, rice, vegetables, fruits and soup.

The boys & girls at the new church plants don’t know about Jesus. They come to church to learn more about Jesus.

I Like Millipedes

In Thailand there are so many interesting bugs. There are grasshoppers, big spiders and poisonous centipedes. I will tell you about the great giant orange and yellow millipede (GGOAYM).

I found my first GGOAY millipede under some leaves and dirt. I was scared because it was a creepy crawly bug.

But now I am not scared of them, because they are nice bugs. I collect millipedes. When you pet a millipede, it curls up into a flat ball, or coil. I put them back where I found them, after I play with them.

In my garden there are many great giant orange and yellow millipedes (GGOAYM). I like them because they help the soil so the plants can grow better.

Beetles I've Seen part 2

Thanks to Dr. Brett Ratcliffe from the University of Nebraska for identifying this beetle!

Xylotrupes gideon, a common rhinoceros beetle widespread throughout much of Asia.
Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Dynastinae
Tribe: Dynastini

Males have horns, females do not. Totally harmless. Nice beetle.

For more information about New World beetles, visit SCARAB CENTRAL and the Division of Entomology at from the University of Nebraska at
www-museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/index.htm

Beetles I've Seen

I went camping with four of the church plants last weekend. After Friday night worship, we saw a big black beetle. It had a pincher horn in the front its head.

I found it on the sidewalk in front of my room. I held it. It felt like hard plastic. It had sharp claws, that when I tried to shake it off my hand it would cling to my hand!
After I held it, I put it into the bushes near our room. It didn't hiss any more because it was happy!

One interesting thing about this beetle is the sound it makes. It hisses when its mad. When you bother the beetle, or touch it, it hisses at you.

The female doesn't have a pincher.

Mom says it sounds like the Hissing Cockroaches from Madagascar that I saw at the Palouse Discovery Science Center.

Bamboo School

Guest Interview with Joelle

Last week we went to the Bamboo School. We drove a ways through different cities, and then we started climbing up the mountain. It took a long time. Finally we found the person who was going to help us go the rest of the way to the Bamboo School. We saw a village and it was the Bamboo School. But the lady said it was not. It was the village right before it .

We got there and all the kids came running out to meet us. They were so glad to have visitors.

The Bamboo School is a night school! These people are from the Karen tribe. They have to study at the Thai school to get a Thai Visa so they can work in Thailand. At this school kids live and work. Before the Burmese and Thais were fighting over the land. Most of the kids witnessed their parents death! This school is helping these poor kids.

It really was nice to see the happy faces of all the little kids, when I gave them the toys I brought with me.

I babysat this little baby boy who was both deaf, blind, and retarded. I felt so sad 4 him .

I'm glad God called me to go to the Bamboo School with my family.

Learning to speak a new language

A Guest Interview with Dani, A Missionary Kid

Sometimes it's tough being a missionary kid. Because we have to move from our home to go to a foreign country to share God’s love. I have lived four different countries of the world. It's also tough to learn other languages. Because you have to learn the language before you can communicate with other people.

The first time I came to Thailand, it was pretty tough for me because I didn't know how to speak either English or Thai. It was pretty tough for the first few months. I couldn't communicate with people at all! One day a classmate said to me, “Do you want to be my friend?” Then I said in my thoughts, “Thank you Lord!” because she was an American girl and she taught me how to speak English.

God strengthened me by putting tons of knowledge in my brain so I can learn other languages. I thank God for that because now I’m one of the top students in my class and I’m really thankful for that.

My Class at School

I am in second grade at my new school. My teacher's name is Ms. Marie. She is from the Philippines. There are 8 students in my class, 4 girls and 4 boys. Five of my classmates are Thai, one girl is from Sri Lanka, a boy is from India. Most Thais go by their nicknames because their given names are very difficult to pronounce, and there last names are very, very long and even harder to pronounce. For this reason, most adults are addressed as Mr. Tom, or Ma'am Sue, instead of using there very long last names.

I like math and Bible class because they are easy. My hardest class is Thai. I take Thai at school three days a week and it is a hard language to learn, but I am learning. It is a tonal language with 5 tones so being musical helps in learning this language.

Fruits I Like

When I moved here, I tasted these new fruits. Here are some of my favorites! If you ever have a chance to eat them, try them!

• Pomelo: Pomelo is my favorite fruit in Thailand. I like it because it tastes like grapefruit. It’s hard to peel the thick green skin. Here's a link to learn more about the pomelo fruit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomelo
  

• Mangosteen: Mangosteen is a cool fruit because the outer skin is purple, and the inside is white. It has sections like an orange. It tastes like the sweetest mango, but better. It is my second favorite fruit. Here's a link to look at mangosteen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangosteen
  

• Snake fruit: Snake fruit has a spiny outer skin that feels like a snake. I like snake fruit when its in a drink. Explore more about snake fruit by going to this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakefruit
  

• Pineapple: Pineapple is another one of my favorite fruits. I like it because it tastes sweet and sour at the same time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple

• Mango: Mango is a cool fruit because it has many varieties. There are many colors too. It tastes sweet and melts in your mouth at the same time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango

Teasing is No Fun

I’ve been teased a lot at my new school. I don’t like it when people tease me. I feel upset when I am teased. I don’t want to be teased.

The people who are teasing me are just trying to get my attention.

So here is what I say to those who tease me:

• “Hey, come on! Let’s go play freeze tag or another game!

• Or I ask them, “Please stop teasing me.”

• I try to ignore their teasing way.

Jesus says "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
John 13:34

This Bible verse reminds me to love those who tease me.

Learning about Jesus at the Beauty Salon

I went to a beauty salon this past Sabbath afternoon. Pastor Konkrit's church plant shares Jesus with the boys and girls of this neighborhood.

The owner of this beauty salon lets use her shop! She is nice.
At this Branch Sabbath School I was brave and got up front and said my memory verse. There were a lot of boys and girls here!
We sang songs, said Bible verses, and listened to Bible stories.
It's fun to learn about Jesus at the beauty salon!

My Bunnies

Our family had four bunnies. Two of them were mine, and the other two were my brother's. My bunnies names were Snowball and Hoppy. They liked to eat vegetables, especially carrots and spinach!

Weather Forecast for tonight: A snow storm!

Where can you get snow flakes in Thailand? Our snow storm came from America in the mail. These snow flakes didn't melt! I miss the snow.

Our friends, the Coles, mailed us a snow storm. They cut out paper snowflakes for us. It was fun to hang the snow flakes up on our window in front of our air conditioner.

They sent us hot chocolate with marshmallows. It tasted so yummy. But I drank the hot chocolate too fast, and it gave me a stomach ache!

Meeting Uncle Dan from Your Story Hour

For many years I have been listening to Your Story Hour. I like Your Story Hour because they have interesting stories about history, the Bible, and life.

I met Uncle Dan in person at the Thailand Adventist Mission Centennial. He and his family used to be a missionaries here in Thailand. He was a missionary pastor. I was surprised to see how tall Uncle Dan is! His real name is Pastor Chester Damron.

I liked listening to his story he told at the Thailand Adventist Mission Centennial about the girl who was looking for the key to the golden castle.

He is a good story teller. You can listen to his stories on Your Story Hour. Click here to listen. www.yourstoryhour.org