Guest Post: Growing Up on the Mission Field

Today we have a guest post!  It was written by my friend who goes by the pen name Emma Greere.  We had an idea not, too long ago, to do a guest post on each other's blogs.  So here it is, enjoy!!

Growing Up on the Mission Field

My parents first told me that our family was going to Thailand to be missionaries when I was around four years old. We started going from church to church when I was five. So I have been in the ‘missions business’ for nearly my whole life.

When Kristin asked me to write this blog post, I wondered what I should write about. I do know what it's like to grow up on the mission field, but what do I say about it? Do I talk about the frustration? The times I hated Thailand? Should I reveal that much?

Frustration... if that's one thing missionaries knows it's frustration. For myself, it's been frustration with Americans. For a while I was kind of a bitter and judgmental person and I prided myself in knowing more about the world. Well, I say 'know' more, I'm still learning about the world. It wasn't until the day I read a book and the lesson was that everyone has issues. That's when I realized that not everyone is as 'all knowing' as other people are. Just saying that I know a lot about 'the outside world' I would be lying to myself. Because I don't. I really don't, I'm still learning about the world just like everyone else. Proud and full of myself... that is what I was. Gotta accept what you were before!

I won't lie, I had my moments that I hated Thailand. Growing up, I felt different from my friends in America. Because of the fact that I grew up in Thailand and that I was the 'missionary's daughter'. I wanted to be a 'normal American girl' like everyone else. I wondered what our lives would have been like if we had stayed in America. But now as I think about it, I would never want to go back and change things. I like living in Thailand, I like being a missionary kid.

The thing I am so extremely grateful for, is that I had amazing parents! During deputation (when we went around America raising money from churches) we got to go to awesome places and saw national monuments, historical landmarks, and got to go to theme parks.
Even when we came to Thailand, we went to temples and went elephant riding, we were tourists for the first few years we were here. My parents made me love Thailand!

Even though there was the difficulty of growing up different from the average American I'm proud to say that I grew up a missionary/third culture kid.
I believe that living in Thailand has made me who I am now.

Hope you enjoyed this!!  Here is a link to Emma's blog!  The post that I wrote on her blog is on there!!  Until next time, TTYL!!

Special Father's Day post!!!

It is Father's Day!!  Well, it is in America.  Anyway, I have already made a video for Father's day and I will put the link to that video in the bottom.  I also wrote a poem for Father's Day which pretty much sums up what I am gonna write in here.   A father is a special person in the life of any child.  I mean sometimes I think we take dads for granted.  They work so that the family can eat, have a place to live, have clothes on their backs, and even after working all the time, they still have time for their children.  A father loves and cares.  And now I am going to brag on my dad a little bit.  My dad is my favorite man in the world.  Ever since I was little I was always daddy's little girl.  He has loved me all 13 years of my life.  I remember when I was little, I could not wait for daddy to get home from work.  Partly because he would always bring me a different chocolate bar every night, and another reason, because I couldn't wait to spend time with my dad when he got home.  Anytime I had a problem, I would go to dad and he would always be glad to help me.  Then I got older.  I know he probably had a hard time dealing with me sometimes, but somehow he did it.  I know he gave me enough spankings to make a big difference.  Then we moved to Thailand.  When he told us that we were going to be missionaries to Thailand, I was a little scared.  But I went on because I trusted my daddy.  I knew that if daddy was doing it, it must be the right thing.  So now I am in Thailand.  I am 13 years old.  I think he has a hard of a time being a dad to a preteen as I had being one.  But through it all, he has been the greatest dad I could ever have.  He and mom have both dealt with me for 13 years and I love both of them.  Here is the poem that I wrote for Father's Day.

What a Father is to Me

A father is a special person,

A man who loves and cares,

He loves and cherishes his children,

With a love that never wares.

He is a strong and encouraging man,

A shoulder to lean on,

And when I don’t think I can,

He helps me stand thereon.

Another thing, a father,

Guides me as a child,

So that when I am older,

I will know to do what’s right.

And best of all, my father, 

Follows the Lord,

So I know I’m in God’s will,

If I follow my father.

So that is all I have to say!!  Hope you enjoyed this little blog post, and watch the video that I made for Father's day too!!  :D  Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there!!  And Happy Father's Day to you too, DAD!!!!

Finished with a book!!! The Sound of Sleigh Bells

If you don't want spoilers please don't read this.  I really enjoyed the book, the sound of sleigh bells.  It is set in amish country.  I think Cindy Woodsmall did a very good job of keeping reader's attention throughout the book.  It could be classified as a romance novel, and normally I would not read a romance, and I was worried about that when I started this book, but I got into it, and Cindy did not always emphasize the love.  Beth was a hurting girl who worked with her aunt.  She has been mourning the death of her fiance for a year, and she is mourning for one particular reason.  She goes on a business trip and hears about a carver named Jonah Kissinger.  She thinks he is an old man, because that is just what everyone calls him.  Lizzy noticed Beth's interests in this man's carvings and deceived the both of them into writing each other.  Beth ends up sharing secrets with him that she would share with no one else.  That is all I am gonna say, if you want to know more read the book.  She also ends up telling Jonah about he BIG SECRET.  you wanna know what the BIG SECRET is?  you have to read the book to find out.  I am not going to spoil it for everyone else just because someone wants to know the secret.  Hope you enjoyed this "little" review!!!

Thoughts with Kristin - "'Be yourself"

Okay, I know it has been a very long time since I have blogged.  This is supposed to be a daily thing, but I am going to change that right now.  I will try to post every day, but I may not so don't be disappointed if I don't.
Today's thought is be yourself.  This is one hard thing to do sometimes.  Some times we start making friends.  And nobody is the same so that friend may do something different than we do.  We always want to be like our friends, and be like everyone else.  Everyone longs to fit in, but let me tell you that it is not that way sometimes when you're a Christian.  Being a Christian is not really that hard.  But standing on what you believe may be sometimes.  You may have a friend that does not believe the same way as you.  You  may have a friend that is not even a Christian.  That friend may do things that you know is wrong, and they invite you to do it with them, but what do you say?  Do you turn away from everything you've been taught and go and do with them?  Or do you stand firm on what you believe?  Let me tell you that when you have unsaved friends, it is hard sometimes to do the right thing, but if you ask God to help you, He will.  You will be able to get through any problem or temptation with the Lord's help.