Hello all! Welcome!

This is my first post ever on my first blog ever! This blog has been created to relate and communicate to you all while I'm away on my first 6-month-mission-trip ever! Whoo hoo! The Lord is good!

Throughout my time in Kenya I will be sending news updates about what the Lord is doing, pictures of all kinds of people and curiosities, and things to pray about all via this blog. So if you're ever interested in what the news is or how you can pray for Mark and I and the 41 kids at the orphanage, or just wanna see some native Kenyans and African culture, visit this blog.

You can also comment, express your concerns, post prayers, give ideas and encouragement etc... on this blog site. PLEASE DO! It will be good to hear from you all while I'm away going through strange emotional times (as the books say) and trying to get ahold of "ki swahili" and the Kenyan culture.

If you're reading this now I can't tell how much I appreciate your support! Thanks for caring and praying! I need it! I don't leave the country until Feb. 10th, but I'll be posting again soon.

Praise be to the one true God whose desire is to feed the orphans all over the world! Praise Him who uses His people to do His will and gives unending joy with peace beyond understanding! The Lord is good!

your brother,

-Nick

Don't forget a quick stop in Bangkok to visit the Royal Palace and temple with the Emerald Buddha!

Happy New Year!

So the time came for another Visa Run and I jumped over to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to wait in line this time. Spent a few days in the city and I am proud to say I have it down. I loved navigating the fairly well structured subways and monorails there. Visited the Petronas Towers, which a few years ago were the largest buildings in the world, and this crazy cave temple called the Batu caves.




Celebrated New years Eve in the Cameron Highlands, where there are gorgeous hills for hiking and tea planatations for miles.
A little lonely traveling alone though, looking forward to returning to my good ol' Chiang Mai.

Visit from Nick Jackson wooohooooo!!




































































Hanging out with kids, hiking on Doi Suthep, little time at the beach, my birthday, watching me work, sitting next to fat smelly men on the truck taxi = awesome and encouraging!!

Merry Christmas!

Wow I have now passed my four month mark!
Honestly, it is difficult for me to summarize and lately I
don't fully understand my own thoughts let alone have the ability to
communicate them through a mass email. Don't think I have forgotten
about you because I think about each of you far more than you would
even believe.















As of late:
-still living with my awesome children and enjoying them as much as ever
-teaching part time at Chiang Mai University Language Institute and
some occasional children's camps
-taking Thai class with my precious tutor Bee who is now my friend
-teaching kids on the weekends at two churches
-meeting tons of people from all over the world doing all kinds of
cool stuff and trying to make meaningful relationships with them
-trying to eat something and somewhere different for lunch every day
-running and trying to relearn the guitar with my free time
















So my first holiday away from the US… Coming soon and on my thoughts
is a feeling that I am missing Christmas or skipping it or something.
I don't normally go crazy over this holiday to the extreme, I don't
have an extreme amount of sentimentality, am not a very talented gift
buyer or giver, and sometimes I am turned off my the American media
version of Christmas; but I never imagined the opposite in a place
where there is a complete void of the entire holiday (at least in its
real meaning- I did see Santa stuff at the market). Children will be
at school, work will go on and food will be rice and noodles as usual.
I will miss my family and at a time when most of us have that on the
forefront of our minds, though I am surrounded by many people, none of
them really know me. I realized the other day that no matter what
house or state or part of the family I have been with on Christmas, I
have been with my brother for 18 years straight and this is the first
year for that to change. But I praise God who "sets the lonely in
families" (Psalm 68:8) for he has given me a breakfast date with some
other girls working here and an invitation from a New Zealander couple
(the associate pastor at the English church I go to who I just love
and want to be adopted family) to join them for Christmas dinner! I am
so encouraged by their hospitality and for a God who sees me and
provides. I will also be spending New Years in Vietnam which will be
very fun!

Otherwise, life is continuing in its strange way here. Lately I have
been squirming over circumstances that are uncomfortable and
stretching but exist so that I can serve and love just because God
says to and not according to my conditions.















To those of you who have supported me financially in the past, I would
like to let you know that this part off my budget has been going
towards medicine for the kids, my visas that must be renewed, my
motorbike and Thai lessons. If you would like for more details I would
love to let you know more and can give you a copy of my budget and
expenses. I am so thankful for God's provision while I have been here.

If anyone is considering a last minute Tax deduction, the ministry I
work with has had two churches cut funding this month and the
construction of the new home (as the current one has tons of termite
damage) has been put on hold. Any donation no matter how small will go
to the kids that I work with every day (and my future home as well!)
Please go to www.saltministries.com for some info (some a little
outdated but generally helpful) on the foundation and send checks to:

SALT Ministries
P.O. Box 58145
Jacksonville, FL 32241

(you can make a note of "Children's Home" in the memo)

If you think of me, please pray for:
-my next visa run where I will be spending some time praying about
future decisions and being near to God
-funding for the new house especially the boys as they have a pretty
limited accommodation
-My Thai students and friends to be drawn to God
-the children's health and knowing God's love
-My relationships with those that I work with in the ministry
(cultural and language barriers, love and patience, etc.)

I am so thankful for all of you who are praying and have been so
supportive of me. I miss you a lot right now.
Merry Merry Christmas!
Maggie

Laos and Ayuttiah

SO I still have a tourist visa and this brought me to Vientienne, Laos to visit the Thai embassy there to renew my visa to be in Thailand for another 3 months. Vientienne was a peaceful little capital and I met many interest people including some crazy danish travelers and a sweet Laotian girl who walked along the Me Kong River with me for a while.
































Then I had the wonderful opportunity to take the train to Ayuttiah to visit my dear friend Marissa Oliver (soon to be Henniger) as she is doing an internship there. We also traveled to Bangkok and visited a church there which was so refreshing!

One Month Aniversary!

Well, Thailand has a new Prime Minister, who just happens to be the brother in-law of Taksin, the guy who was ousted in a coup a couple years ago and is now in exile in London… (the one before the most recent resigned Prime Minister Samak- I know, its confusing.) Let's hear it for democracy!

The former could be an example of one of the differences in how some things go here in Thailand compared to the US. Not wrong at all, just a little different. For example, I was apparently hired as a teacher at the Chiang Mai University Language Institute, however I have yet to know when I will start or what kind of classes I will have. Thank you for your prayers though, God was gracious to encourage me with this job and He knows when I will be ready to begin working.

As a result of my unemployment, I have enjoyed some liberty this past
week to explore the city and other areas, to seek encouragement from
others and for God to give me some rare and very special opportunities
to talk about His love.



















As for fun, I had a chance to go to the Chiang Mai zoo which is in a beautiful setting and has some wonderful animals. Also, while in the pursuit of a visa extension, I got to go Burma/Myanmar which is a stamp on my passport that not as many people can claim! We only crossed the border and visited a friend I met that works in a coffee shop on the Burmese side and spent an hour or two in the border shops. My interest in Burma is increasing as I learn more about the conflict and oppression going on there.

(This by the way, is Chinese imitation electronics paradise so if you
are in the market for a fake Blackberry or illegal copied DVDs, I can
make a run!)
I also had an adventure taking the public bus to Phayao,
the city where the medical team was stationed and had a blast spending
time with them. We ate at an outdoor restaurant that served food in a
way similar to the Tokyo Pot except all-you-can-eat, with a grill and
boiling broth and only like $3! It was awesome. (Why do I always get
excited to report about food?)

Encouragement has poured in from many sources this last week as well and I
know it was due to God's answering many of your prayers and His
knowing the needs of my heart. I went to a really cool youth meeting
where I heard my first sermon in English since I've been here by a guy
from New Zealand who had a translator, as well as a community church
where everything was in English which provided some much needed food
from God. I also spent time with heart-friend Marissa who is here in
Thailand and people from the medical team including Jim and Hunter,
who poured into me with much needed prayer and encouragement.

As for special opportunities, still hoping to meet with Pee and I
might take a guy who translated for the medical team with me. Praying
for how God wants to lead him.
While with the medical team I had a really special encounter with a
lady named Mugda who listened about Jesus and wanted to learn about
him. After hearing the story and talking for a while, I got to hold
her hand and tell her she was like one of God's children that He had
been searching for and she started crying and hugging me and called me
sister. Another very real conversation and connection from God and a
rare scenario I could never have created! Please pray for Mugda to
continue to be drawn to the Lord and that He would put people in her
life to help her on her path.















(This a what i call a braid attack!
They periodically come in my room and create varying amounts of braids on my head. This one is one of the best ones yet!)

In SALT Ministry news, the middle school kids had a Bible bowl
competition which I got to help set up and staff and they had a ground
breaking ceremony for the new children's home and church! It was
incredible to see the dreams of Virgilio and Esther come to fruition
after almost 40 years!

Long winded, but I can't help sharing of the things I've seen and heard!!

Praying for all of you in Houston and for those who lost friends in
Stillwater.

Love, Maggs