Ate durian tonight!

If you don't know what durian is, watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQj-hFfmYkQ

It's raining, it's pouring :)

This morning has been awesome! I fell asleep before 8 and didn't wake up till 7:30! And I came out to Vicki making Mango Muffins! While we waited for them to get done I went for a run in the neighborhood--it was SO good to run. Then I got back and ate the muffins. They were like Heaven! Best I've ever had, yum :) Then after breakfast I watched Rich murder bugs with this thing that shocks them to death and sounds like fire crackers-- it was good to see that they make those for places like these. Anyway!...

After that we went out and had worship time on the porch and it started to sprinkle. This is a HUGE answer to prayer because it has not been raining pretty much at all (Its rainy season which means they need it for the rice.. Yesterday we told that family we spent the day with that we were going to pray for rain, and on the way home we prayed. A couple hours later it started raining!!)

So for it to rain again today was AWESOME! Not only was it needed, but we all went out and played in it together :) First it ws just Caleb and I, but soon after that R & V joined in for a few minutes. So fun :) I love it here, it's going to be sad to leave! This family means so much to me.

Lately...

This morning we went to the temple to watch people give food to the monks & do all the chants and stuff. It was very very sad, broke my heart. These people are spread out across this huge floor and bowing down to an idol. I couldn't believe my eyes, it was so upsetting. Especially because we went with our friend and watched her and her whole family do it.

After that we went to their home in the village. They live on a farm, it was really fun. They raise pigs so we saw those... and we took a walk to the rice field. Oh, and for lunch we sat on this bamboo thing a couple feet from the ground and I ate a bunch of crazy food. Including.... MY FIRST BUG! Yes, I did it.. I ate a 6 leg insect that they called 'delicious'... it was worse than the eyeball. I almost threw up! But I did it! FUSION here I come ;)

After we came home Vicki and I went to get our nails done, they look SO awesome and we had a really great time. On the way back we got hit by a motorcy. It was super scary but the Lord protected us, and the guy who hit us. Praise be to Him for keeping us safe! Next up for tonight, ordering pizza and spending the night relaxing as a family. I feel so at home here, it'll be hard to leave Vicki. She is so encouraging to me and I'm learning so much! :) Thank you everyone who helped me get here, and are praying me through this trip!...

• Answered prayer: Popes did great in surgery! God is SO awesome!! Jeremiah 29: 12-13 :)
• Prayer request: Benz' family. They need Jesus. And Benz' heart, he needs direction!
• Blessing: got to talk to mom last night, along with chatting with Kent a few times! :) So good to hear from home.

Jesus, bring the rain.

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain...

Just got off the phone with my family. They're at the hospital for Popes surgery... This is when it's hard to be the farthest from home you can fly. I prayed that God would let me experience everything that missionaries go through while I'm here, but I had no idea this kind of thing would happen. It's so hard to know that if something goes wrong.. I'm not gonna be there. But it's alright, I'm going to trust God because He can hold my family in His hands.

I got to talk to Popes, it was such a blessing. He answered how he always does "howdy do?" haha. I told him I loved him and that we were praying for him.. He was like 'they've got me at the hospital, they're trying to get me up and going again...' and I told him I would hug him when I got home. He said he's holding me to it. I love him so much. Thank you Lord that I could pray for him and talk to him before surgery. Please keep him in your prayers, this is a big surgery and may lead to open heart surgery if something goes wrong. Love you all. Miss you right now more than ever.

Your the God of this City

You're the God of this City. You're the King of these people. You're the Lord of this nation. You are. You're the Light in this darkness. You're the Hope to the hopeless. You're the Peace to the restless. You are. There is no one like our God, There is no one like our God. For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this City...

Today Vicki and I got to go to the school and spend the day with Kristen, Josh and students there. It was really good. We met a professor there who reads the Bible a lot, knows it inside out basically, yet he believes more in science than God. Science is his 'god' which is very sad. Pray for him please! My heart is burning for the lost. I am so broken for people who will never know God... so sad :( I'm halfway through my trip now and so far it has been great. I'm learning so much and am so blessed to be here and share in the Casebolts life. Vicki is so amazing and teaches me so much. We pray together, it's powerful and I love it... God has been so good to me on this trip. I see a lot of open doors, but also a lot of things that need to happen to get me through them. So thank you for the prayers!... Hoping to visit a Temple soon and also go out one morning to watch the monks collect food from people. Trying to see what religion looks like over here! It's really sad to me to see how much people put into their beliefs over here considering that it's not the truth. I mean, most Christians don't even give God half the time of day that these people give Buddha... Thats a sad commentary. & Thats why I want to see revival and vision start to come to life when i get back. I'm tired of our lukewarm attitudes.

Prayer Requests:

• R & V leave for a 2 day one night getaway tomorrow so I'll have the boys. Should be really fun, please pray for safety and energy!
• Please pray for Daisy Love. She's going through cancer for the second time and it's really devastating. You can keep up with her story on her dads website I know they would appreciate prayers! http://brittmerrick.com/ Love you, precious Daisy!

Training for Mission Life...

Loving it over here! At church last night I ate food that I didn't know what it was, plus i ate leaves to make me live longer ;) Then I was holding a toad and it went pee on me 3 times! haha.

AND Guess what I did today??! I ATE A FISH EYE BALL! hahah :) It was SO nasty but what can i say? I'm gonna be a missionary! I ate part of the fish too. It's the kind that is still a fish--not just the meat. So you have to pull scales back to eat it and I DID. Crazy huh?! Next up, I wanna try bugs and Durian! :) World, here I come!

This is your life, are you who you wanna be?

...12 hours later, we're back at the house. That was a long car ride! Last night we had dinner with Benz :) he's so awesome! Today we're just chilling at home, the usual. And I really don't have a ton to say this time except that God has been taking very good care of us :)

Whats on my heart:

A couple days ago I was reading Authentic Beauty (Sadie, your right. It's amazing) and I was also reading the Bible and started to think about why we're here... Guys, this may seem like a really obvious, no-brains needed statement BUT I will share it anyways. God has chosen to use us in His perfect plan of redemption for the WORLD! People so often get caught up in the motions; making money, going here and there and just.. existing. Now, I'm not hating on Americans (or humans for that matter) And I don't have issues with people having nice things, having 2 kids and enjoying life...Thats fine! But The 'American Dream' is pitiful. It's not a dream at all, its a trap. Its a way of life that makes us numb to the big picture.. The real reason we're here.

Honestly, I've wasted so much time being afraid that someone won't wanna hear the gospel and they'll be mean when I share it. Or I'm afraid to be made fun of.. But My Savior was killed for it. People spit on Him and hated Him more than anyone else. So I guess what I've come to after thinking about all this is that I'm done just existing. I'm done living as if there are more important things in life then sharing my hope with others, cause there aren't. People who don't hear and believe are gonna go to Hell. They are going to be separated from the true God forever. That SUCKS. And I want to be like Paul, who was innocent of their blood because He had told them the truth. I'm not just talking about people in Asia, or Africa. I'm talking about our family and our neighbors! Lets GET WITH IT PEOPLE! Lets start something big :) If I tell someone, and they are saved..and then they tell someone and that person is saved, and they tell someone this could be AWESOME! =) think about it. God can use us. He can use us for HUGE purposes. And I'm saying US. The body of Christ has got to work together. We've got to step it up.

So, in application... Everyone should pray for that person on your heart who you really want to come to know the Lord. Pray the Holy Spirit will begin working in their life. Pray that they can come to know our Savior and share in ETERNAL LIFE. Let your LIGHT shine :)

If God is for us, who can be against us?! Romans 8:31 :)

Story Time =)

Okay guys, fasten your seat belts cause this is CRAZY!... So, yesterday we went out to dinner. There was an amazing fountain when we got there so I decided to make a wish (it actually did come true, by the way) anyways!.. We had a really great dinner and then it was time to pay. Guess what? My travel pack was missing! And if you didn't know, my PASSPORT, all of my MONEY, my DEBIT card and my ID were in there!! So as you can imagine, we all panicked. We searched the whole place and it was nowhere to be found. So we took V and the babies back to the hotel, I called daddy and then we headed to the Police station. We filed a police report, I signed a bunch of papers, we visited the 'crime scene' and then went home with no good news.
Then today, after V and I had an awesome heart to heart and prayer time in the hall way, R called her phone and said someone turned a passprt into the station for an American female. SO we were all super excited but i didn't wanna get my hopes up. After lunch we went to the station..... And guess what?!?!?!?!
THEY HAD MY BAG! I started jumping up and down screaming in the Police station and praising God! The Asians thought i was crazy ;) I opened my bag, not sure what I would find. Wanna know what was in there?! My passport. My Money. My Debit card. and my ID. The only thing missing was my Thai money. THANK YOU JESUS!!! God is SO good. Because this was such a huge deal, lots of people got to share in my joy and also have a their prayers answered. I had people praying for me in California, Missouri, Washington, and ASIA. What an awesome way for God to show how great He is! :) It is seriously 1 in a million that I got my things back. :) I'm so thankful!! FGG- grace.

• Please pray for Caleb & little K. they are both sick. Also pray none of us get it :)
• Answer to prayer: I had a sweet dream last night!! :) yay!
  

10 long hours later..

We're here. We arrived Wednesday night after a VERY long car ride. The boys screamed. and screamed...and.. lol. On the plus side, I never had to use a squaty potty! And Rich is an awesome driver. Mom, you would have hated it. In the mountains he would go around curves at like 80! :) Anyways.. It's really pretty here. Lots of tourists. The food is yummy, my room mate Sue is cute. She's Chinese haha. The meetings today were awesome, I learned a lot, including a song that makes me super joyful. It's called Jesus is the Lord. I loved being in a room full of M's praising God :) M's is code, figure it out ;) But I need to go, I will update when I can. We only have one laptop and limited time in the internet place. So yeahh. XoXoXo thanks for following my blog everyone :) I really appreciate the prayers!

• I miss home, but I'm trying not to think about it much. V thinks thats why i'm having scary dreams. She also says it might be because this is an evil place. Or jet lag. Please please pray they go away, as silly as that sounds.
  
• Please coninue to pray for this meeting to go well, and that everything stays secure and private.
  

Thanks everyone! Love you!! FGG- Grace

Psalm 121

Today was amazing. Absolutely amazing. :) God is so awesome. I just came in from worship on the front porch. Richard played guitar and we all got to sing to God while looking at the stars and the lightening in the clouds! Ahhhhhh. perfection. Seriously, I can't even imagine how much more Heaven will be, it was so great. I love nights like this =) Earlier Vicki and I got to go to the school while daddy stayed home with the boys. So we picked up Josh and Kristen, from the IMB team and we left. When we got there we sat and prayed together at a table outside. We also read Psalm 121, which is what I started my morning with today. WOW. That chapter is so powerful. Here it is, so you don't have to look it up...

"I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made Heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither sleep nor slumber. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever more."

What a promise! It was so awesome to read that today and know that its true. To know that even in this dark place where spiritual wars going on and people constantly worship golden idols... God is our keeper, He will keep us from all evil, even demons. So amazing. Thank You Lord, thank You Lord, thank You Lord! Love you all! ♥ XoXoXo

What I'm up to..

So most days i get up with the boys and watch them so r & v can sleep in. Then we babysit play and cook during the day. Although it seems like a pretty average day, i feel like its more crazy here :) Today Caleb and I build a brick castle out in the dirt field. And V made a really yummy dinner. Caleb was falling asleep at the table, and hit his head on the table, it was hilarious!! tonight we went to the college and played soccer and hung out with some students, it was so fun... On another note, I was trying to get tan before I left and tonight they were like smiling and Rich told me they loved my white skin. hahaha. full success! i love the people here, EVERYONE smiles! :) im so hot right now. it was muggy all day, and only rained a little big so it's all sticky. cold shower tomorrow for sure. I'm loving it here though. Got to skype with Zach Lorraine and Benjamin. That was a blessing! God has been so good to me, and is guarding me from getting home sick thus far. I know I have a long trip in front of me, but I trust Him :)

• we leave for Chang Mai Tuesday morning. Please pray for the trip to go well, its 12 hours in a car! :)
• Continue to pray for my health please. and Kenan, he wasn't doing well today. THANKS :)

Love love love you guys. Miss you daddy and mommy :)

The 4th of July...

So Thailand is a really good, the people are my favorite part :) They are so sweet and beautiful. Today was church, I loved it! The worship was energetic and exciting. I LOVE hearing people with another language sing to God. What an awesome noise! The pastor had me stand up in front of everyone to introduce myself. It was funny i turned bright red. Then we went to the students house and had a 4th of July 'party'... The 4th without fireworks is like Christmas without snow. Buttt it's alright :) I'm so blessed to be here.

This has been a hectic , busy trip so far! We're always moving, or driving somewhere and all that. But it keeps life interesting. My time with Vicki has been wonderful. I love talking with her, she's incredible and has an amazing heart. This morning we mad frosting together for out patriotic cupcakes. Last night she had to come in the bathroom with me and teach me how to turn on the shower. Awkkkward! lol jk. But seriously, I love her. Mom and dad, don't worry.. She makes me feel very comfortable and at home. I saw a little lizard thing in the bathroom when we stayed the night in the safe house! and i touched it!! haha. Oh, and. I ate squid (Benz made me) i miss Benz.. ANnnnndddd I am officially the stinky kid in class mom! It's so hot here, it's awful. But God is good, and He is using lots of different things, including that to keep my mind on the here and now, and not missing home too much. But i do miss you guys. I love you all and am so thankful for the prayers.

We leave for our 12 hour ride to Chang Mai on Tuesday. Thats by car, not plane. So prayers are very welcomed. :) Thanks guys!! FGG- Grace ♥

FINALLY HERE!!!

So we made it! There are so many stories to tell... I got to spend the night in Tokyo! But I'm too tired to tell everything right now. Hopefully Benz will let me use his computer again later.. love you! I really appreciate the prayers.