Blessings!

A year ago, I had never been outside of North America. I had traveled a lot within the States and gone on a trip to Canada, but I had never left my cultural bubble. If you would have told me at that time that I would be living abroad and traveling all over the world I would have called you crazy. Now, having reached my six month mark in Taiwan and traveled to 5 different countries, I would tell you I am blessed.

Chinese New Year is an exciting time for the missionaries of Taiwan because it is our first (and only) big vacation of the year. We have three weeks off from teaching and we all take the chance to travel. Members of my team went to Italy, China, Cambodia, and America.

My friend, Stephanie were able to go to Thailand to visit some fellow missionaries. It was an exciting and energizing trip. We went all over Thailand. We stayed in Bangkok and traveled to Hua Hin on the coast and stayed at resort on the beach, attending a Thai wedding. We flew to Ching Mai and rode elephants through the mountains. We went to Wat Po, Wat Aron, and the Grand Palace. We even went to Thai school for a day and took a trip to a museum to learn about the history of the country. We were able to see many new and different things. I even got my first real massage. It was an amazing trip that I will never forget.

Now is the time for making the decsion to stay for another year or move on, and I have decided to stay. I feel so blessed every day by the experiences I am having , the people I am meeting, and the work we are doing. Though the work has its challenges, I feel that God is calling me to stay. I am excited to learn more and more about the language and culture so that I can better serve the people of Taiwan.


And for all of you who have been praying for my family, my mom in particular, I would like to tell you that you are all miracle workers. I truely believe in the power of prayer and just as God listened to the persistant widow, God has listened to you. My mom is now tumor free and has finished chemo treatments. She is getting stronger every day and will be returning to work March 2nd. Praise God for He has done marvelous things!