Joel Soi?

We lived for 7 years on a street in the U.S. called Joel Court. (No we did not name our second son after a street! LOL) Every year during the summer rains, the street flooded and the rising water gave the effect of lake front property. Of course, the kids were tempted to wade in it, but sewer water was a big turn-off to their mama. All they could do was race their newspaper boats on the draining waters. No one ever told us that it flooded like that.

Flash forward (haha) to today. It's rainy season in Thailand. We live on a soi (Thai for street) and, well, no one told us about the flash flooding, marble-sized hail, and water approaching our doorstep!! As we watched our shoes float around the front yard, we wondered if we'd be bailing out of the livingroom soon! Fortunately, we made it through dry. The neighbors on the next soi were not so fortunate...We'll keep you updated...

Mercy and Grace

Have you ever started a book and wondered soon into it, what's the end gonna read like? We started on our India journey many years ago, and after one year in India, our time there has ended. I thought we would need grace for a dying or dead child (it does happen in disease ridden areas). Or perhaps we would be persecuted for our faith. Never did I think we would need the grace to endure the hurt and shame of what we have at the hands of people we trusted to guide and lead us. But we did. And God's so faithful that He gave it to us. Just the grace we needed.
He said He would.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

And He was merciful, too.

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may find mercy and grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

These things happen in life, and while we own the part we played in this melodramatic chapter of our lives, we are devastated about our departure from India, for we were just learning our way. But our Lord Jesus has helped us move forward with His grace and mercy. And we plan on being a blessing here to the Thai people as we walk in His love.

Your grace is sufficient for me.
Your strength is made perfect when I am weak.
All that I cling to I lay at Your feet.
Your grace is sufficient for me.