So the termites are back in full swing, so i bought a termite baiting system to trap them, this actually works really well, but takes a little bit of time and I will need to refill the baiting stations until they disappear. The ceiling in my classroom is caving in, but has not quite completely collapsed. I have already jerry rigged half of it to keep it up for now. I talked with the church about replacing the roof or at least repairing large sections of it, and replacing the ceiling, and they asked to guy who replaced the bakery roof last time to give them estimated prices for both. I am hoping for a new roof, because it will be metal frame, and will hold much more weight, and we can use the attick space for storage, or maybe we can convince them to lift the roof a few feet to make an extra room. Please keep this in mind when you pray for us, this location is really a good location for us, and the rent is not too bad.
Calvin's birthday was on the 31st of august and Abby's birthday will be on the 11th of September. We celebrated their birthday together this year. Fang has had some spikes in business this month, and we are hopeful that maybe its a sign that the economy way be bouncing back. It would be nice if we could grow the bakery into a more profitable business. Needs So we said that we needed 2600 last month, and this month, and this month we received 400 dollars in donations. That puts us at 2200, which is looking good, but still a way to go. Thank you so much to everyone who is helping. I should mention that I will need to put the money in my account here before I extend my visa so that I have the full 12000 dollars needed in my account here in Thailand to extend my Thai visa. I am a few thousand short this year, so I am hoping I have enough from donation to put in the account for a couple months, and then we can use that money for out trip to america once I extend my visa here. That deadline is in 3 months. Looking at the amount needed in my Thai account to extend the visa, it falls at the same amount of 2200 dollars, so hows that for coincidence. After all of this is done, and we come back from america, I will have several months to put the money back again, and I'm not sure how that will work, but that is a problem for a future day, and I'm not going to worry about it too much now. I am sure that this trip will set me back a year or so, which is why I haven't been back in what? 13 years or so. It's ok, God has a way, and there is so much to be thankful for, we don't have any credit card debt or bank loans to pay off, we have a vehicle fully paid for now, it works great, we both run businesses that generally speaking pay the bills, my son is smart and eager to learn. I have a ministry that is active, not very successful if we are counting conversions, but active nonetheless, and I am thankful to be entrusted with it. When I start to worry, I count my blessings. Thankfulness is the key to happiness. Writing I have started even more, while I have yet to completely finish any. Great. I started one called Superstitions around the world, which is supposed to be a fun look into various beliefs around the world regarding good and bad luck, especially things regarding safety or good business. There are a lot of crazy things people do. This actually started because of a conversation I was having with my students about the toy stuffed rabbit sitting on my computer, it is missing a foot and looks angry, Americans get it, but it takes a bit of explaining to get the kids to understand. It has actually been a very useful tool to get the kids to take the side of the rabbit. In a Thai context, hanging an idol from your mirror is not going to protect you when you drive, following the rules of the road will. Superstition is silly, but it is also dangerous, and God hates it. That's what this book will be about, both from the angle of things we do to give us good luck, and things to prevent bad luck. By picking fun at american superstitions first, I take any kind of awkwardness away that may feel like I am picking on Thailand in particular. While it is true, a person driving a black car may write "this car is blue" in the back of the car to ward off evil spirits, and this seems a few levels more superstitious than other countries, its not an issue unique to Thailand, and we miss the point if we make it about Thailand. Plus, it has the potential to be a fun educational book. I did finish the last few verses of the level 1 memory verse system, and I'm content with it, so any additional verses will be put in level 2 or 3. Each level has several subcategories, which makes it a little difficult, but not impossible to put together. Now I can go about making it into book form and card form, Thai on one side, English on the other. I rushed this one because Calvin is in a memorization phase, and I want to encourage that and keep it going. Teaching My classes have been good, Calvin is starting to become my mini translator, translating everything I say into Thai. It can be helpful but often he needs to learn to give the other kids a chance to answer first. I tell him he is my little helper, and usually try to spend 5 minutes with him before class to get him in helper mode. He is my best student, he has good posture, and almost always has a good attitude. I am thankful that my child is a good example for the other kids. If he keeps this up, he will live to be an old man. Making This week I build about 6 different molds out of old particle board I had no use for, got it from some shelves someone threw away years ago, and have reused them multiple times already. I will line the molds with a plastic bag when i do papercrete pours so that they stay somewhat dry. I have already painted them a few times. Making good molds is key to being able to make things repeatably with little effort. I will also dissolve a ton of old foam and put that in the molds to create plastic versions. These things will be quick to make, unique, useful, and scalable so I can make more in the future, and the profit should be pretty good too. Conclusion Looking forward to a trip back to America. In the meantime, we will continue making every effort to know God and make him known in Thailand. Thankyou for your continued prayer and support.
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AuthorMy name is Kaison, my wife is Kritti, our children are Calvin and Abigail, we are a missionary family living in Nakhon si thammarat Thailand for the longhaul. I want to start blogging regularly but pretty sure the posts will be pretty random about things i think are not being covered at all, or family related updates. So follow along and leave a comment, i love comments, thankyou. Archives
September 2024
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