Thoughts with Kristin - "Fear"

Okay, so once again, I forgot to post yesterday, because we were very busy.  Today's thought is "Fear".  Fear is something that everyone has.  Everyone has been scared at least once.  I know I have.  Some people have phobias.  Some people are afraid of the dark, some are afraid of heights like me, and some are afraid of going underwater.  But it does not matter what kind of fear you have, there is a remedy for all fears.  Some people would say talk to your friend.  Some people would say talk to someone close to you like a family member, and those remedies work too.  But the remedy I am going to mention comes from God.  God is there to help His children.  When you're scared, just talk to God.  Pray and ask Him to help you through it.  Then read your Bible.  It always helps to read your Bible when you're scared.

Currently reading

I have changed my mind, and decided to start a book called The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall.  I am on page 21 of 194.  I will post more about it later when I have time.

Thoughts with Kristin - "Prayer"

Sorry I forgot to post yesterday, but today's thought is "Prayer".  We all know what prayer is right?  Prayer is the way we talk to God.  Now here is how it works, God talks to us through His Word and we talk to Him through prayer.  But how often do you pray every day?  Prayer is one thing that we should do everyday along with our Bible reading.  Most people find a time in the day when they are not doing anything, and pray and read their Bible.  Praying may not mean much to you at first, but after you talk to God for a while, you will find that you can't seem to quit.  Praying may seem weird at first.  But after a while, you will begin to see that praying about something helps alot.  You will have to spend more than five minutes just to talk to God about everything you want to talk about.  Prayer is a wonderful thing!!!

Thoughts with Kristin - "Goodbye"

Today’s thought is “Goodbye”.  This is one word that not many people like to say.  I have said it so many times since I became a missionary.  There is just something about that word that makes me feel sad inside.  Especially when you think about whom you are saying it to.  But you know, there are two kinds of goodbyes.  One is just goodbye, not really caring, just saying it because that person is leaving.  Then there is the other kind.  The kind I use, the kind that is said with love and a longing inside for that person to stay with you.  I have said it a lot.  First, I said it when we left the states.  That was one of the hardest.  Then I said it to my good friend Bounmee when she went back to Laos.  Then I did not have to it for a while.  Then I had to say goodbye to Bounmee and Baiyan after they had both come to Thailand for a visit.  Then I had to say goodbye to our good friends Asim and Tina who went to the US.  And next month I am gonna have to say goodbye to my good friend Hannah Frederick.  But there is just something about all of these goodbyes.  You never get used to it.  You never know when one is gonna come at you.  I cried on every one of those goodbyes.  Mainly because I was sad, but why would you cry?  Because you are saying goodbye to people you love.  With this one coming up, I know I am gonna cry.  Not because it is sad.  But because one of my best friends is leaving and I am gonna miss her.  Now some people would not cry.  But I cry because God gave us ways to express our emotions and I like to use them.   Hope you enjoyed this!!!!

"Last Plane Out of Paris- Attacked!" Book review

This book was ok.  It started out very dramatically with two people being killed in the military in WWII and their son joining the military to avenge his parents death.  The book itself had a good start to it, but as you get into it, you can see that it is not very interesting.  It is like a continuous conversation and there is not much happening except a whole lot of talking.  The author does not really give us much to go on about what is going on in between conversations.  I have also read the author's other book called the Florida Chase.  It is ok, but you can tell that the author kind of rushed it when he was writing.  I read the first book of both series because they were both free.  But I am not so sure I will get the next ones which are not also free.

Kristin Reads

I have two other blogs, but this one will be used for updating you about what books I read, and giving reviews about what books I have read and things like that.  I don't have much to say right now, but here is the name of the book I am going to start.
Harken by Kaleb Nation

Thoughts with Kristin - "Food"

Today's thought is "Food".  When I say food, you think like physical food, or something like that.  But that is not the food that I am talking about.  This food is spiritual food.  Just like we need physical food to live in life, we need spiritual food to live for Jesus in our Christian life.  Now food in our spiritual life is different than food in our physical life.  Physical food is like good ole fried chicken and Apple pie.  But how do we eat spiritually.  By reading God's Word.  The B-I-B-L-E!!!  If you are a Christian, then you know what I am talking about.  If you don't eat every day you will die right?  OK well if you don't eat spiritually every day, then you will never grow in the Lord.  Just a chapter a day along with a little prayer is all it takes.  You will find that after you get started, you will want to read more and more every day.  You may start with one chapter, then the next day you will read a chapter once again.  Then you will find that you don't want to put your Bible down.  I know how it feels.  I read every morning.  When I first started, I only read like a chapter a day.  But now, I can't seem to put it down.  So every day , don't forget to eat spiritually and physically.

BTW, check out my new blog that will keep you updated with what books I read and such.

Thought's with Kristin - "Love"

Today's thought is "Love".  When you think of love, what or who do you think about?  You may think about someone you love.  You may think about someone you know loves you.  Now love is a very important thing.  True love is something that is also very hard to come by.  Parents love their kids.  Husbands and wives love each other.  But I am gonna tell you a story of the greatest demonstration of love.  A long time ago, Jesus came into this world and took on the form of a man and was born through Mary.  He then grew up and Became a great teacher.  Some people sat at His feet and listened intently, but some people (meaning the religious leaders) did not like Jesus.  With the help of Judas, they had Jesus crucified.  Now why would Jesus come to this world and die?  Because he LOVES us.  He came to this world and died because it took the precious blood of the Lamb of God to take away the sins of this world.  Jesus loves everybody with a real and true love.  But you may ask, who else loves me in this world?  Why don't you try your parents?  Or maybe a friend?  Like I have said before a friend loveth like no other.

Thoughts with Kristin - "Happiness"

Today's thought is "Happiness".  Have you ever had true happiness in your life?  True happiness is something that is hard to come by for some people.  But if you know Jesus, it can't be very hard.  For example, when something is funny we laugh, and laughing is a sign of happiness, but it doesn't last forever.  It doesn't last all the time.  It eventually goes away, and after awhile it is not even funny anymore.  Let me tell you how Jesus can give you true happiness.  Jesus can come into your heart and save you.  And the idea to know that the King of kings is living in your heart, and living with you all the time is a pretty happy thought.  Once again, I am gonna use my life as an example.  Before I got saved 7 months ago, I was not happy on the inside.  I got happy sometimes on the outside, and acted happy all the time, but I was never truly happy, for many reasons.  Mainly because I had no friends at all, and most importantly because I did not have Jesus living inside of me.  Then as I said last time, I met a friend named Pookie, and she was nice.  But one thing about her stuck out.  She was always HAPPY.  And I don't mean just physically happy, I mean spiritually happy.  Something about her made me think, "Why is she always happy?"  I had been dealing with salvation for a long time, so I then knew, she had Jesus in her soul and that is what made her happy.  I knew I needed to get saved, but I was too prideful to do it.  I then asked Pookie if I could start helping in teaching Sunday School on Sunday.  She was very helpful, and helped me learn how to teach the kids correctly.  I wanted to teach the kids, because it kept me away from the thought that I just might not be saved.  But it did not help much, because most of the lessons I studied mentioned salvation, and it just made me think even more.  Then one Wednesday night, I listened to the Pastor preaching, and he was preaching about Being Afraid to Die.  I knew he was preaching right to me.  After the pastor finished preaching, I told dad that I needed to get saved, and he said, "Okay honey, wait until the service is over, and I will take you out."  But I told him that I needed to do it right there.  He then took me out, and I took care of it.  I had peace in my heart.  I had true happiness.  Can't you see how the happiness of one person rubbed off on another person, and caused me to get saved?  Happiness is a really great thing if you are truly happy.

Thoughts with Kristin - "Friend"

Today's thought is - Friend.  Who do you think of when you say this word?  You may think of you bff.  You may think of you dog (like duh, man's best friend).  You may think of you sibling or a family member.  I have alot of people that I call friends.  But what is a friend really?  A friend is someone who is there to lend a helping hand.  One who is there to encourage you.  One who loves and cares for you.  One who feels your pain when you are feeling down.  One who is easy to talk to.  I know sometimes it is easier to tell a friend something than it is to tell other people.  You may think about this and say, I don't know if I have anyone like that in this world.  Let me tell you friend.  I was at this very same point a long time ago.  I came to Thailand and had no friends.  I had friends in America, but it was not like having a back door neighbor like I used to.  Then one day I met a friend at church named Pookie.  She affected me for life.  Something about her caught my eye though.  She was always happy.  No matter what happened she always had a way of making my day brighter.  I knew she had something in her that made her happy.  But because I had no other friend, I just hung out with her more and more.  Mainly because she spoke English, and it felt good to speak to someone in English.  Then on September 26, 2012, I got another friend.  His name was Jesus!!  I asked Jesus to come in to my heart and save me, and I had a friend like no other.  Jesus is there to encourage you through His word.  Jesus is there to lend a helping hand through prayer.  Jesus loves and cares for us.  Jesus feels your pain when you are feeling down.  He is also very easy to talk to.  Have you ever noticed how easy it is to say something to Jesus when you are praying?  I have many friends in this world.  My first friend is Jesus!!  Then there are my other friends like Pookie, Hannah, Kate, Sarah, and many, many more.  It is so easy to talk to all of these friends.  How do you get a friend like this?  From the Bible. "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." - Proverbs 18:24.  I hope you enjoyed today's thought!!!!!

Thoughts with Kristin - "Home"

My other blog is going to be used for updates and such, but now in this blog, I am going to blog about things that interest me, and what goes through my mind as a missionary kid in Thailand.
Today's thought is "home".  Have you ever even thought about the word?  I thought about it the other day as we were in Malaysia for visa purposes.  I couldn't wait to get home, but I did not mean home in America.  I meant Thailand.  I looked up the word home in the dictionary, and it gave 5 things.  But this one caught my eye.  -The place or region in which one's domestic affections are centered.  Now when I first came to Thailand last year, I did not call Thailand home.  To me it was just awful.  I was homesick most of the time.  It always felt like everything and everybody was against me.  I would call our house home, just because that was where we lived, but to me, America was my home.  The main reason for that kind of thinking was that I was not yet saved.  I had never truly accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.  I never had peace about coming to Thailand.  Many people asked me about it, and I would just say that it is going to be an adventure.  Now I see things differently.  I see Thailand as my home.  I belong in Thailand.  In the mind of a teenager like me, something changed that day I got saved.  Some thing clicked.  It was like I knew the reason I was here.  That was why the LORD helped me learn the Thai language so well.  I believe the LORD wanted me here.  So what is a home again?  Home is where you belong.  My home is Thailand.
I know my thoughts may seem a bit cluttered, but that is why I called this blog thoughts with Kristin.  Because it is just my thoughts.  Straight from my head, typed on to the screen.  Hope you enjoy it!!!

School is almost out

     Hello again folks!!!  I have not updated in a very long time, so this will give you a big insight on what has been going on with the Rutledge family in Thailand.  As most of you know, the school year is coming to a close.  Kenton and I will finish school tomorrow, so I am very excited.  But that excitement goes away when I see all those tests that I have to take tomorrow.  

     English Camp was a blast.  We all had a great time, and I think that includes teachers and students.  We had 9 souls saved at the camp, PRAISE THE LORD!!!  I was able to give my testimony one morning at the camp, and I was very nervous.  I am ok singing with someone else in front of a lot of people, but it was just me and the Pastor and I was talking.  My friends said they could see the microphone shaking while I was talking.  But all went well. 

     At church, our piano player went on a trip, so me and another lady were the only other people there that could play the piano.  So therefore we split it up.  She played the first two songs, and I played the offertory and the last song.  I was VERY NERVOUS.  I had never played for people singing before, and it is very hard.  There is a whole lot more thinking involved in it that I thought.  But thankfully, I lived, but now I know I have to stay in practice, because now that they know I can play, they might use me more often.  :D

     Next week, we will be taking a trip to Malaysia for some visa stuff.  We will be gone from the 14-18 of May.  I would explain it, but I don't get it myself, so I can't.  Anyway, Kenton and I will be done with school, so we are going to make a small vacation out of it.  We are going to see many of the sights in Kuala Lumpur.  I have heard that there are some high towers there also, and dad says we might tour them.  I am ok with that, but I am not looking over the edge, because I am scared to death of heights.  

     That is about all for this update, check out my youtube channel and my Facebook page for more updated pics and such.  TTYL!