Coming "Home"

Hi! I just wanted to let you all know that plans are a little more finalized for Arm and I to return to the states. Arm picked up his visa here and they wouldn't change the date, so he has to be in the US before February 27, 2010. I talked with my boss today and (Praise GOD!) they are going to work with me as much as they can. They're going to give me mostly Listening and Speaking classes because those final exams are before the official final exam weeks, so that means I can finish my classes before I leave. This is a huge blessing because we were nervous that Arm would have to be in America about a month before I could join him because grades won't be turned into the university until the middle to end of March. However, with Listening and Speaking classes, those final exams are taken in February and are very easy to grade. Therefore, I can either go with Arm or follow him a few days later. We're still ironing out those details and we probably won't know for sure until after this semester is completely finished, which is mid-October, however it is a huge blessing that I am able to get listening and speaking classes and that we know it will be no more than 3 or 4 days at the most that Arm may have to leave before me. We are planning to be in the states for 3-5 years. I want to get my master's degree in education and I think I will have to work first because we're not sure when Arm will recieve his green card.

Please continue praying that things will be worked out and that the other foreign teachers won't be too mad at me for taking all the listening and speaking classes which leaves them with a lot of writing classes (and grading).

Also, pray for Arm during this transition process. We will be spending quite a bit of time with his family, which is expected, and he will have a big transition. The longest he has been away from home (and in the states) is 2 months, and he was really homesick. While he's been living in Thailand, he calls his family at least once a week and visits them at least once a month, so this will be quite a change. In addition, he will be training 2 students to kind of take his place after he leaves.

Also, pray for me that reverse culture shock will not be too bad when I arrive in the states since it will be almost 3 years since I have been in the states. I know a lot of things have changed and my ideas of what America is really like may be sugar coated since we usually tend to remember the good and forget the bad. Pray that I will be sensitive to Arm's culture shock and that we will both find jobs quickly when we arrive in the states.

Thank you all for your continual support! I really appreciate it and we look forward to seeing you all soon :D :D.

Finos Everywhere!!!!

Praise God! Two weeks ago, three students accepted Christ. One girl has been coming to our church for several months and the two boys are in another ministry that Arm works with, but I don't know many people, but God does and they are now His children!!!!

It has been a good week. This week I just had to proctor tests at the university, so it was nice to rest a little bit. I also got to meet up with a friend for some Mexican food. Arm had a little bit of a rest week too. Since he does campus ministry at our church, when the students have exams, they step back a little bit and allow the students to study.

We went to his hometown on Friday night and Saturday. We got to spend time with his parents, some aunts and uncles, and his grandma. His grandma is 90 years old and she loves to just sit and talk, but she doesn't speak Thai. She speaks a language that is close to Thai, so I can understand some of it, but not all of it. Plus, she speaks mumbled, so it's hard to make out words, but she is SO cute! We showed her some of our wedding video because she couldn't be there. She just wanted to see pictures of my family the whole time and would look so carefully at them. I'm so blessed to have warm in-laws who accept me even though I'm not from their culture.



Another interesting thing happened this weekend. We left a celebration of the opening of a new clinic and Arm wanted to take us to the dam in Nakhon Nayok because it's the 3rd largest in the world and he wanted to go fishing. The whole way up there, we saw people riding the motorcycles in the picture above, but had no idea why. We just thought maybe it was a major club or something, but the more we kept driving, we kept seeing more and more of these people, which made us more and more curious. As we kept driving, we saw they were trying to break a world record. Arm and I think there were at least 10,000 people there all seperated into regions of Thailand (North, South, Central, Northeast) and lined up about 3 or 4 rows for miles. It was quite a sight! I'm so sad that we didn't have our camera with us because it was quite a Kodak moment!

Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers. We are looking forward to seeing all of you one day. As soon as immigration things work out, we'll let you know. Please continue praying for the immigration process. May God bless you all.

Jessica's wedding

I'm sorry, but all the pictures loaded from the end to the beginning, so you'll be seeing the wedding backwards, but at least you get to see the pictures!!!



They left in a rickshaw, which I think is amazing! They only went down the street just out of sight before getting in a car where someone drove them to their hotel for the night. They are currently on their honeymoon at an island off the coast of Krabi, Thailand.




Going for the garder :D



Throwing the boquet!







Father/daughter and Mother/son dance They danced to the song "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts.



My favorite picture from their first dance!





CAKE!!!!!!









Unity candle





Table setting. We all love gerbera daisies!



Rachel and I with our FIRST wedding cake!!! Rachel planned a lot.



FOOD!!!




The groom's cake. Rachel baked it and Liz made the icing and decorated it. It was yummy too!




The kiss!




Rings




Giving her away. Both fathers led the ceremony and married their children together. I've never seen that before, but thought it was really cool!