October 2024

We've been sick again this month, lots of stuffy noses and mucus, but are starting to come out of it i think. Other than that, the kids are doing well, and business is okay. I've had some good conversations with people. It's rainy season here now, which is my favorite season here.

Needs
My parents have generously given us the money for the plane tickets in advance, which should be the amount needed to extend my visa. After I extend my visa, I can use that money, but by this time next year, I have to have it in there again, so I guess I shouldn't say I am completely in the clear, but we are good to extend the visa, and we have money to use temporarily. Thankyou to everyone who has donated to help us come home for a visit.

Here are some things I have worked on this week:

Reformation day book for kids
Usually I start working on something related to a holiday when that holiday is right on my doorstep. It may take me a year to get that thing done, so I've just accepted that this is ok, but I think I am going to put notifications a month before every holiday I want to prepare for about a month in advance so that I can give myself enough time to get ready. I know that this christmas I want to have a wooden sign finished that sits right under or next to our christmas tree that explains the history of the tree, but if i don't warn myself, it will sneak up on me. Fortunately most of my projects are 1 time projects or almost one time, which is great because growing is easy. That sign can be passed onto my children if i do it right. Regarding the reformation book, I have found that none of my students have even heard of the reformation, which i think is a shame, so this booklet will talk about what the reformation was, and its impact on various spheres of society, including thailand. I may touch on other asian countries like burma, india, and china as well, because the history there is similar and equally interesting. Basically, without the reformation, we'd all be illiterate, we would still be living in the dark ages, and technology would barely exist. But I will end the book on the most important note, the gospel, as given in God's word. 

613 levitical laws tract
I think this one has been a long time coming. Buddhism has 227 laws that are much stranger and seriously outdated. I think that the levitical laws are good and still good today. I believe this to be the position of the reformers, this is covenant theology. The reformers divided the laws into 3 categories, Moral, ceremonial, civil.  Moral being the still standing laws about right and wrong. Ceremonial being mainly symbols of the atonement which were completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and Civil, being the legal requirements and penalties under the ancient kingdom of isreal, but which should still be used as an example of the types of laws our governments should pass even today. I find that the problem with this break down is that certain laws lack a place. Particularly dietary laws, sanitation laws, medical laws, etc. So I would add an additional category (hope I'm not being heretical) which would be something like "practical rules" or the like, which are not really ceremonial, civil, or moral, but are still a good idea to practice, especially in light of medical science nowadays. So this tract will break down the laws into each category, with the brief verse mentioning them, and a short description. It will be a good way to explain how Jesus fufilled each and every ceremonial law, even the ones we still partake in like baptism, or the Lord's supper. I will also mention some misconceptions regarding certain civil laws that are often misunderstood, and examples of what laws like those might look like nowadays. I think this is going to be one of those difficult long ones, but it will be good and useful. I have an entire shelf full of these useful tracts now and I do find them useful. 

Why does God allow bad things to happen to ordinary people tract.
Last week I had a new customer who brought his children to study with me, when he came in, we talked a bit, and he came out very directly and said "My wife died last month" and explained later that he is searching for answers now, and sometimes goes into the church to listen and pray, but also sits in temples. He took some of my tracts, but I really wish I would have had a tract like this. He caught me off gaurd, and I really didn't know what to say other than "I'm sorry for your loss", and "I'll pray for you". The reality is that I could really make him angry if I was to talk about where his wife is now, but I think, if done right, that can be helpful. God may be calling his sheep to himself by drawing attention to the scary reality that awaits sinners upon death. That is the direction that the tract should go. Pray that I approach the issue with balance and sensitivity. 

Papercrete product prototypes
So far, my prototypes have gone very well. I managed to make a very large heavy looking but lightweight concrete lighting fixture that is now over my wifes counter. It feels like heavy foam, but is actually papercrete. It looks like cement, which is the look I am going for. It costs slightly less than it would if it were normal concrete because the amount of cement is less. Colorwise, the smallest amount of cement instantly turns the pulp that concrete grey color, function wise, i put enough in there to be solid when it drys, but not so much as to make it heavy. It is essentially like paper mache but with the cement as the binder. 

I also made a few smaller things, and then finished the inside walls of the cave under the kids treehouse. Almost finished anyway, have a small bit more to do there, then cleanup. That area will be Calvin and Abbys play room i think, and they will be in charge of it. I might put some kind of lock that they control so that they can keep their lego creations in there without worrying about my students raiding it. However, if the kids want, they can allow their friends in. 

I also made a very large papercrete stool, it is so big, it is still drying out. Now i have an even bigger one drying out as well. These are easy to make, the molds are reusable, and I think they could be a great seller. They are essentially big pillars that are round and tall like stools, but made of about 70-80% paper, so when they completely cure, they are light and still very tough. Because they are easy to make, I will be able to sell them for cheap, making them one of the cheapest things i will sell, and one of the biggest. I may incoorperate slots for boards so that the seat can be a bit more fancy, or they can be stacked to make really big shelves. 

Some new machines I've working on. 
Finished my mason jar blender adapter for our blender here. A lot of old blenders have mason jar compatibility, check your blender, you might be surprised, but ours, which is a very standard industrial blender here in thailand with cheap replacement parts available, does not, so I decided to make an adapter. It was a very fun and satisfying project, and I got to use up some old gears I was saving from other broken machines. It works like a charm, and now fang can make smoothies in customers cups without having to wash the blender every time she does it, and we can just serve the drinks in the mason jars that have handles. 

I also started building a sheet metal roller using some old parts I have, I decided it will double as a melted plastic roller too, so that I can flatten out hot plastic into sheets using the roller on top and the middle roller, and the bottom will be the 2 metal rollers and the middle roller will move downwards to form the bend as I crank the piece around. Metal rollers are expensive, so Its great that I happen to have the parts to make one without spending any money. Shouldn't take too long to put it together either. Another tool to the shop. 

American Passports for the kids
We went to Bangkok and had an interview at the american embassy, it was quick and easy, they basically said I provided more than enough evidence, and there was no need to worry. So within a couple weeks Calvin and Abby had their certificate of declared citizenship, and passports. I am very relieved. Its funny how I don't know how worried I am about something until its over. My wife knows me better than I do in this area I think. Next is Fangs green card interview, which if i understand right, will require an interview, and they will give a temporary green card, and then a long term immigrant visa. It's a pain, but she will still be in a better spot when its all done than i am even after 13 years in this country. They require me to be filthy rich before they will give me a long term immigrant visa or permanant residence. 

Memory Verse system for kids
So i finished the memory verse system for kids. Chat gpt is useless. I found out that it can only give accurate thai bible verses from the version i request, one verse at a time. If i ask for more, it takes the esv and translates it into thai. It is very frustrating, and we had several arguments before I gave up and decided to go back to doing it manually. It took a couple days to redo everything, but then i formatted the verses to fit one verse per page, thai on front, english on back, and gave it a trace the letters font. Now Calvin has plenty of copy work that is systematic enough that it can be shared with other. I will eventually have a worksheet drawer system in the front room where anyone can take worksheets for their kids to work on at home. Need to get the boy writing. Abby seems to know how to hold a pencil already, but Calvin can not, and its frustrating trying to teach him. He is always happy however, and is starting to make some progress. I will have to pdf file on my website soon after I get a cover put on it. 

Conclusion
God is good, and we are blessed to be where we are, to serve and share the good news. Thank you for praying for us, and standing with us. 

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