A little photo update

Henry with Meeju

Our AYDC kiddos

Sweet little Aevi.

This years recipients of educational scholarships from the Olive Hope Scholarship Fund.

Ahmee Tuttu, Henry, Aevi, and Ae.

Apee Pae (Luka's mother) teaching Henry a game with rocks.

Doi Chang Akha Village

Aevi! Could you be any cuter?

Our AYDC kids at youth camp.

Missing Co

I haven't been very good at updating my blog over this last year, and though I haven't brought her up very often here I am missing Colleen so much these days. It's hard to believe she is really gone. I get a pit in my stomach when the reality sinks in.

I don't think I could have been blessed with a better mother-in-law than Co. This women remembered all the little details and went above and beyond to make sure you knew how much she cared. I could tell her anything about problems in my  relationship with Rusty, and know that she had both of our best interests in mind. Rusty could hear things from his mother that he couldn't hear from me or anyone else because he knew how deep her love was for him and how pure her intentions were. Even if she sided with Rusty over me in an argument she would never get involved...this is a rare mother-in-law trait indeed.

She prayed and prayed for our marriage over the years through some very low times.

She was always quick to listen and slow to speak. Full of love. Way more patient than me, and selfless.

Coming home and visiting her meant spending hours sitting together on the couch and catching up. Though this women was amazing at checking things off lists and getting things done, she placed her relationships before her lists. Any time we visited Ro and Co in New Mexico she would take off work and make sure Rusty and I had good quality time with her. Lots of good meals together, long walks behind Rehoboth, games, and long chats on the couch before bed.

The Polinder family has changed so much already with out her. She was the glue, the stabilizer...the overcommunicater that kept everyone in the loop. She was the best gift giver, and paid attention to the little details throughout the year to make sure you had just the right gift.

She was an amazing nana to her grandkids. Loved each of them so well and made sure each of them knew it. I'm so sad when I think Henry will only know of Colleen through our stories and memories. My only comfort is knowing that she is with Olive now in heaven.

The cookies I made for the kids at the hostel two weeks ago was Co's famous choc chip cookie recipe. I know if she was here visiting she would do the same thing for them, and of course they loved it.

She was an amazing women...and I'm not just saying it. Ask anyone who knew her well and they would echo my words and add to them.

Real grief is not healed by time… If it does anything, it deepens our grief. The longer we live, the more fully we become aware of who she was for us, and the more intimately we experience what her love meant for us. Real deep love, is as you know, unobtrusive, seemingly easy and obvious, and so present that we take it for granted. Therefore, it is often only in retrospect —- or in memory—- that we fully realize its power and depth. Yes, indeed, love often makes itself visible in pain. — Henri Nouwen

As of Late

Life has been busy here with lots of transition. All the kids are back at the Akha Youth Development Center (AYDC) after returning from summer break (March-May). We just moved Baan Sun Fun (the project with our older students) to a new location in town so things have been busy getting everything fixed up and in place. Next week we are planning on opening a store as a way to earn extra income to support this project.  I've been in charge of getting this venture rolling and though it has taken more time and energy than I was originally anticipating, it's been a lot of fun. 

Rusty is in the States for a few weeks to get Hank and Bubby's (a small ice cream truck business) up and running for the summer which has meant that I've been a single mom for a the last few weeks with Henry. Thankfully where we live there is a strong sense of community and I have had plenty of help when I've needed it. Henry is changing and growing fast and making me laugh all the time...with the exception of this morning when he chucked my last bar of secret deodorant into the toilet as it was flushing. Sigh. This has given me the delightful ongoing task of getting to use a plunger with each following flush. Little turkey.

Finally getting the last of the sponsorship letters into the mail for the spring, and finishing translating the last few. Tonight I made chocolate chip cookies for the 56 kids at the Akha Youth Development Center.  It's not every day that you get to bake in the sweltering heat and while breaking out in a body rash because of a skin reaction to black little hairy caterpillars. The kids were excited enough about the cookies that it made the rash worth it in the end. 

Speaking of critters, they sure seem to come out in rainy season. I've killed two big spiders on my bed last week and woke up with a cockroach crawling on me in bed four times this last week. Barf. 

Overall life is busy, overwhelming, and for the most part enjoyable.  Trying to savor each day here.

Henry hanging out with Ahmee Tuttu, one of his favorite buddies here.

Baby Aevi

Henry with sweet Meeju

Rusty and Pat selling Abonzo Doi Chang Coffee at a Business as Missions Conference in Chiang Mai.

hmmm.

Photo update.

Photo by Michael Elzinga.

 Sheesh. Things have been really busy around here and I'm realizing how poorly I've been keeping up with the blog. Here is a hodge podge of photos over the last few months.

teeth.

At our friends wedding.

Lots of our students graduated last month. This is Rusty with sweet Boonta at her high school graduation.

Decha and Rusty at Decha's college graduation.

Aevi in the hospital with her grandma!

Rusty's cousins and our good friends Jon and Sarah came to visit us all the way from Lombard, IL. Here Rusty and Jon are eating fried scorpions.

Visiting some of Olive's nurses at the government hosptial.

Boat ride.

Foxy Sarah.

Remember the little girl a few years ago who was in the motorbike accident? Here she is with her family.

Church with the kids at AYDC.

Aevi

Henry is REALLY into kicking balls these days.

At our Ghan's brother's wedding, Lin.

He feels his emotions very strongly.

In the village with Ahmee Tuttu's mom.

Ajo. Best laugh ever.

photo by Michael Elzinga

Henry LOVES Blah.

First horse ride for Wot and Aunglee.

Troy, Heather, Chloe, and Cam Mulijat came to volunteer for a week and we had a great time with them!

Home again

Look who is home and doing much better after being in the ICU over a week!

Pray for Aevi

Please pray for baby Aevi. She was admitted to the hospital in Chiang Rai last night because she was having difficulty breathing (possible pneumonia), and we just got a call from Joe (her father) in tears an hour ago saying they are moving her to the ICU and putting her on a ventilator. If Aevi is in the ICU the parents aren't allowed to be in the room with her (worse rule ever), so of course they are besides themselves about this. Pray for all three of them.

Two Cameras One Mission

In February we were privileged to host a wonderful couple from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Claudia and Michael Elzinga. They are volunteering for one year with Christian Reformed World Missions using their photography and videography skills to make movies for different organizations and missionaries they visit. Did I also mention they were really fun to hang out with, and also incredible musicians? It's true. So far they have traveled to The Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Cambodia, Nepal, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, New Zealand, Burma, and currently in Egypt. Here is their blog, Two Cameras One Mission, if you are interested in learning more about their work.

These two lovely folks helped us make a video highlighting two of the students from the foundation we work with here in Thailand, The Akha Youth Development Center. The video touches on some of the struggles that our students face, and the success they can have when they are supported and given the opportunity to receive a basic education. Here is the video link if you'd rather watch it in a bigger size.

Akha Youth Development Center | Thailand from Michael Elzinga on Vimeo.

Back in Chiang Rai.

We've been back in Chiang Rai now for about a month so this is a long overdue post.

We survived the flight here, though by threads. Rusty came down with a high fever, cough, and chills about two hours into the first 10 hour flight. That pretty much left me to take care of Henry by myself for the next 21 hours. The first flight he slept for one out of the 10 hours. Yup one out of 10.  I now have a hatred for the 6 books I packed along which I probably read around 300 times. He slept for about 4 hours in the next 7 hour flight, so that was at least better than nothing. I will spare you further details, but in the end we all survived.

It has felt really good to be back home after being in transition for so long.  I forgot how much I love living in community like we do here. We live at the Akha Youth Development Center with six other local staff and around 55 children. Henry loves it here as well and he has no shortage of friends. At least once a day one of our friends will come over and take Henry away on their back in an Akha sling and put him to sleep for his nap...a gift that I can really value now after being away from this culture for a while.

It has been especially good to be with Joe and Ae and help with baby Aevi here and there. She is growing and now weighs about 8.5 lbs which is much more than the 573 grams that she weighed at birth. Ae's milk is drying up so I'm planning on pumping for her for the rest of the time while I'm here. They of course are living with lots of what ifs about Aevi's future, and trying not to get too worried when she is behind other babies her age. She is a living miracle that sweet little lady.

Henry is loving taking his baths outside with boiled water in the garbage can (which is clean). He also loves going outside and sticks anything and everything in his mouth, his favorite being rocks and dirt. He is quite the independent little booger, and would rather run down a hill and wipe out then to have someone grabbing onto his arm. He little personality always makes us laugh.

The staff from the medical clinic that I worked at came over to visit me the same day we came back and we went out for a nice meal together too. Life is busy with translating letters for the sponsorship program, planning meetings and looking through applications for the Olive Hope Scholarship Fund, and working through details of other projects we are involved with here. Besides this there is Henry to take care of and my schooling that I continue to work on.

One disappointment happened the week we returned. Rusty was in a bad accident that totaled our truck. Though the accident wasn't his fault, the person who made the accident fled the scene, even though another Thai driver tried to chase after him. That meant that our insurance had to pay for everything which would normally be fine except that the insurance that covered our truck went bankrupt a week before the accident. Just our luck. The good news is that no one was seriously hurt. There is still many other things to be grateful for.

Overall our hearts are full and we are feeling very thankful to be back in Chiang Rai.