Our Baby Boy Turns 2!

It's hard to believe that Cayden Truth was born 2 years ago! What a special blessing from God he has been!! He's brought lots of joy, life, and patience into our lives. ; )

I thought I'd add some of the pictures from his birth and the first week of his life so I could reflect on God's handiwork.

Only a couple of hours old

One day old

A very tired mamma with her new baby

Joseph's been kissing this baby since he was in the womb

1 week old sleeping on daddy's lap

Now here HE is at 2 years old! My they grow so quickly! He's been sleeping with his hand on his face since the day he was born. I hope I never forget.

He had on white in this picture and the sheets were white and his precious cheeks are white....I couldn't resist!!

This baby is an angel from heaven

All he kept saying was, "Whoa! Look my hair! Awesome!" Daddy has put sunscreen on his fair head and this was the result! He liked it!!

He loved his hair

If you've never heard a two year old ask, "I play iPad?" You simply MUST!! It's the cutest thing EVER and we have a reeeeeally hard time resisting.

He knows how to play on the iPad! What?!?

Here are some pictures from Cayden's 2 year birthday party on March 17! 

These two are buds!!! Can you tell?? How they've both grown. 

The resemblance is uncanny! I've never had a child that looks THIS much like me! I LIKE it. 

Unfortunately, he got my strong will too....ugh! *being changed*

We spent Cayden's birthday at a place called the Funarium...FUN it IS!!! Sliding down slides, riding bikes or roller blades, climbing, jumping, playing in balls, basketball, punching bags! You name it they have it! 

Our very serious bike rider trying desperately to keep that darn helmet on.

Cayden still has the balls confused! He thinks the basket ball is a soccer ball. 

We're working on it. Okay!

The menu had a great variety of both Thai food and Western food. And it was GOOOD! 

Our Thai boy got Western food, but his Western Mamma and Daddy got Thai food.

hot dog and chips

nuggets and fries

 Yes, I know, I've been here waaay too long! The choices of Western food were endless, but what can I say, I went for the Green Curry with Chicken and a fried egg. And it was a gooood choice! Very good!! Not like the food you except at a children's play land.

Thais eat fried eggs with their rice. It's offered at every meal and can be a meal in itself as well.

When the funds are low, we too, opt for rice with a fried egg on top with a splash of fish sauce. YUM

This was Clinton's choice Pat Krapaw Moo (spicy stir fried pork with Thai Holy Basil leaves) AND a fried egg.

Bank had an egg omelet with pork over rice. You can't see the rice but it's there. 

They (we) eat this dish with catsup. Actually Thais eat catsup with EVERYthing...even pizza. And, for inquiring minds, we do too. ; )) 

Things that once seemed so strange are very normal to us now. 

Baby boy turns 2

Cheeese

Love

Amber

Amazingness

Before we came on furlough, God encouraged us with some of His amazingness!!

Two of the children in our "children’s home" got their birth certificates after 2 looong years of trying. Please bare with me as this next part is long, but I promise it's worth it!

Two lives chained because of a piece of paper.

I’ve written before, Thak has taken in seven children. Clinton and I have been overseeing this work and helping out in the many areas where help is much needed. 

Five of the eight siblings didn’t have birth certificates when we met them and we helped to get three of them right away.  But we’ve been trying to obtain the other two birth certificates for the last two years!!! We’ve knocked, begged, pleaded on the doors of many government offices to no avail. Because the children are much older now (4, 7) there was no proof that the children we were bringing into the office was the same children who were on the birth certificates. They don’t finger print the children at birth like in America so there’s lots of underhanded things that go on as you can imagine. So they wanted the parents and the children to do a blood test, among many other things  to prove that they were in fact related. This is impossible, as the state of the mother and father has deteriorated in a most disturbing way.

            

In any country, if you don’t have a birth certificate you don’t “exist”. You can’t go to school, get medical treatment, open a bank account, and the list goes on……… it would be like an American not having a birth certificate or a social security card. For the Thais it’s one and the same.

            

SO!! On March 2, we went to the highest man in the city’s office and prayed God would give us a voice with him. Now imagine with me for one minute, a pregnant whitel lady with a Thai lady and 7 children some without shoes on, waiting outside this man’s office. We were a sight!! He invited all of us(kids included) into his large beautifully decorated office and has us sit at the 12 person table and tell us why we were there. After we told our story, he said he couldn’t help us, but then got on the phone. A few minutes later several people came into the office and he began to relate our story to them. He told them emphatically that they were to help us to their fullest capacity, but assured us that it would take several months before we would have the birth certificates because we had to go by the book.

            

They walked across the street with us to the Municipality and took us to another office in which we shared the story of the children.  This man was less concerned with technicalities and more concerned for justice, and he told us that after lunch we would be questioned by another man, but not to worry that we would leave with the birth certificates that day. I began to cry!! I could NOT believe this man’s mercy!!  Thailand is SOOOO corrupt and people who are trying to do the right thing are always the ones who have to biggest problems with the government. However, if you’re scandalous and have some money to put under the table, then you can get help even if what you’re trying to do isn’t right……. However, this man believed what we were saying and said, “I’m not afraid of anyone. I believe you two ladies and I’m going to help you! We’re not going to try and tack the mother down and do all the silly things they want you to do. “ What a relief.

            

He sent us downstairs and paid for our lunch. After lunch we were questioned by another man who clearly was NOT going to help us!! He began to talk about things 1 to 9 that we must do to follow the laws and do it the right way.

            

I sent Thak back upstairs as we were both in tears and couldn’t NOT believe how cold, and uncaring this man was. The other man(the Mayor) was FURIOUS and told him that whatever he had to do that we WOULD LEAVE WITH THE BIRTH CERTIFICATES!! (Because the Baw Yai was already 7 years and 3 months, the computer wouldn’t issue a birth certificate without the Governor’s signature) SOOOO the Mayor told them, “EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE CHILD’S BIRTH DATE THEY WILL LEAVE HERE WITH BOTH BIRTH CERTIFCATES!!!!”  So that’s exactly what they did!!!!! Can everyone say with me, “This IS Thailand!”  We listened as they all collaborated what Baw Yai’s new birthday would be and WE WALKED OUT OF THERE WITH TWO BIRTH CERTIFICATS!!!!!!!  To God be the GLORY!!!!!!! 

           

The next amazing thing that happened this month is Thak got her car driver’s license!!! At 43 years old, she learned how to drive, got a truck and got a driver’s license!! We were celebrating with her on this big day!! 

43 and a first time driver's license holder for a car/truck

Our little village church has grown from 1 adult and his child to 23 adults and 15 children!!! AND we just sent out our FIRST missionary the week we left!!! 

Our first church disciple from this village and his son

Our church today!!!

 Here's our precious Nan. We were privileged to live right in front of her when we lived in the village. We quickly became an aunt/uncle to her and began to disciple her. She was one of our Bible school students from the first graduating class. Now she's ready to give her life as a missionary working in Northeast Thaialnd with the Stubenrauchs, the family that we moved to Ban Pru with and started the village church.

First missionary from our village church

 And lastly, the fact that God has graced us with another baby!! I'm 19 weeks in this picture and that's a reason celebrate as I've had two miscarriages in the last three years. God is sooo good to give us another baby!!!

Me 19 weeks pregnant!! 

These may seem like minor things, but for us they are HUGE victories, miracles and testimonies of his goodness!!!! 

I still lie in bed at night in awe and wonder about the birth certificates!!!

And when I think back on Thak's past, 18 years of prostitution, totally consumed with her self and a lifestyle full of selfishness, and what she is today,  I cry!

E V E R Y  S I N G L E  T I M E!!

Now here she is laying her life down for children, driving not only a motorcycle but also a truck all that God provided for her!!! Wow! God is sooo good!!!!

When I go to church each week and see God growing our community despite our weaknesses....I'm like, wow! 

So Praise Him with me as I ponder HIS amazingness!!!!! 

Love

Amber

Our Furlough in Bangkok

View from our living room

God has graciously sent us on and in-country furlough! We've been here for 3 1/2 years without a trip home and it will be another 2 1/2 years before we are able to travel to America as a family.

Because our Thai boys aren't our legally ours on the American side of the adoption, America will not let them enter. Bank will be ours on the American side in just a few months, but we will still have to wait on Joseph. I've written about this before but wanted to give a short recap for any of you who missed the other post. To read more you can check out this post which will explain everything.

Sweet Joseph with his new goggles

Bank loving on his baby

SO! Our mission board agreed that we should take an in-country furlough!! After getting approval we wrote to a few of our supporters and asked in lieu of plane tickets would they be willing to give towards our stay in Bangkok and God greatly supplied!!

March and April are the hottest months of the year in Thailand and because of the odd weather we've been having all over the world, this March has been unusually hot!!!

Keep in mind....WE DON'T HAVE CENTRAL AIR!!. We only have air in our bedrooms and can't run the air very much as it is SUPER EXPENSIVE!! SOOO we usually just melt and try to stay wet by taking three showers a day... a Thai custom we quickly adopted!! ; )

In times past missionaries would have to leave their field of service and head to the mountains to escape the heat as many contracted what they called "hot head" and would loose their minds. So, the ones who wanted to stay sane fled for their lives...... ; )

That's what we've done this year... FLED FOR OUR LIVES. ; )

Cayden saying, "Thank you for saving his Mommy's life and mind"

I thought it would be fun to share with you a little of our time here in Bangkok, the Land of the Living!

Our living room

Boy's bedroom

Tiny kitchen but hey less mess. ; ))

Our bedroom(didn't get a picture before the bed was wrecked by little boys)

We're staying in a very modest apartment by American standards, but for these missionaries we've stepped into an OASIS!!!! I tell the Lord at least twice a day 'Thank You for this time away and for the central air!!!!"

Oh, friends, it's been soooooooo restful!!!!!!!! We've been here for 9 days and haven't done too much but just being in a place that has a pool, breakfast, and central air is MORE THAN I COULD ASK FOR!!!

SO THIS IS A THANK YOU FOR ALL THOSE WHO MADE THIS TIME POSSIBLE! God knew I was on the verge of HOT HEAD was nearly loosing my mind. : 0

But now I can float my very pregnant body in this beautiful sea of water every single day and come back to the apartment and sit in central air!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

And OOOOH the pool!!

Cayden having fun with the dolphins

Joseph practicing his swimming skills

Love,

Amber