life overseas

The following is my humble, quick attempt to convince my fellow missionary-types to jump the hurdles of fear, time and know-how and just go ahead and start a blog of some sort.  {That is, of course, unless you are one of those super-amazing people living in a closed country where blogs are illegal or in [...]

{ 10 comments }

Interview with an Urban Missionary in Bangkok

by Laura on January 28, 2012

Interview with an Urban Missionary in Bangkok

So I met a family last week that suddenly made me want to sell all my stuff and go live in the red-light district of Bangkok, buying rice for the homeless crazy woman in the mornings and giving warm socks to the male prostitute on the street corner, trying to make a buck. Their story [...]

{ 5 comments }

8 Reasons You Should Never Become a Missionary

by Laura on January 24, 2012

1. Don’t Become a Missionary if You Think You Are Going to Change the World. First, high expectations doom to disappoint, but, also, maybe your desire to change the world is trumping your desire to serve. Ask yourself if you would be happy moving overseas to a much harsher environment in order to quietly help [...]

{ 59 comments }

How a Missionary Kid Gets Lunch {a Video Experience}

So the number one comment I read last week asked for more writings, images, and videos of our daily life here in Thailand. I’ve done videos of the local market where most people shop, the process of riding local transportation, my daughter eating worms, my husband making chopsticks and riding an ostrich, but I realized [...]

{ 19 comments }

Army of Worms

by Laura on January 12, 2012

I was talking to a Chinese neighbor the other day while his kids were playing with mine.  My friend and I began asking him a little about his work in Thailand, and it turns out he trains Chinese nationals to go into countries of the Middle East– Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq. And then he told us [...]

{ 17 comments }

Tropical Fruit from Thailand {And How My Kids Don’t Eat Much Else}

So, yeah, our family has food issues. I have one kid that has claimed vegetarianism for the past 6 months, one kid that I think has a gluten-allergy and also hates rice {yeah, in Asia, he hates rice}, and another child that literally wants ketchup on everything from noodles to watermelon {yeah, I am not [...]

{ 11 comments }

No Island {On the Value of Mentorship}

by Laura on January 9, 2012

packs

I originally wrote this article following the three month opportunity we got to host and mentor a team of college-aged students on a trip to Thailand in the Fall of 2010. As we begin to re-launch this ministry this summer, I’ve been thinking lately about the immense value of a life done in community, in [...]

{ 21 comments }

Sunrise

by Laura on January 5, 2012

I watch the sunrise this morning, listen to the roosters wake up the world. The sky gradually grows more pink and less grey, like God has daylight on a dimmer switch and is patiently spinning the knob. My instant coffee, which I’ve actually grown not to hate, sits on the table stacked with books I’ve [...]

{ 26 comments }

Favorite Posts of 2011

by Laura on January 1, 2012

So they say that you need to look back to look ahead. Okay, well, I’ve actually never heard anybody say that. I just made it up because it sounded like a good introduction for a post about favorite posts from the past year. Though, really, I guess if you did that, you would just end [...]

{ 0 comments }

From Our Ride to Yours, Merry Christmas

by Laura on December 23, 2011

family crazy bike 275

Merry Christmas, Friends. Thanks for journeying with our family, for entering conversations here, and for supporting us in a million different ways this past year. We hope your holiday season is full of rich, take-your-breath-away-good-kind-of moments. We hope, too, that the gift  of the King-who-came-down truly overshadows everything, everything, else. Happy Holidays, ya’ll.  And we’ll [...]

{ 11 comments }

Simple Idea for Making Christmas More Meaningful

by Laura on December 21, 2011

If you are a last-minute kind of person who needs a super simple idea for making the Christmas season more intentional with your kids this year, even 4 days before the big day, consider this:  “{# of Days Left Before Christmas} Days of Holiday Cheer”  1. Declare the Tradition. Insert however many days you have left [...]

{ 1 comment }