I know it’s been a crazy long time since I have sent out an update
letter. I’m soooo very sorry that I have taken so long. There is a lot
to update on, so here I go. . . .
I know I have sent some things asking for prayer for little Hope. She
broke her femur bone in her left leg. She has gone through quite a lot with her healing process. She had to have three surgeries. She was in traction for a long time, and then a wheel chair for a few weeks. Praise God, she is finally walking again. You can tell by the way she walks that there’s still healing that needs to be done. She is limping a lot. This has been a very long and hard time for her. She has gone through a lot. Her spirits were up and down a lot (mostly down) at first. Now she is really quite joyful and happy. I can see her going through a lot of change. I really can see how having a lot of one on one time with us nannies has been good for her. I can see how God can turn anything into good. He has such an amazing way of doing that. Please remember to keep her in your prayers. It’s amazing to see her smile as she is walking. You can see on her face how happy she is to be up and out again. Praise Jesus.
In September Foon and Hope will start going to the FLC School here in Chiang Rai. There are very excited to be going. They are doing a small summer school thing right now. It seems like there loving it. The Family Learning Center is the local missionary school. You can find out more about it on their website: http://www.flcschool.com/index.htm
The Internship I have been doing over the past year is coming to an end. I will be able to start working full time at the home. I can’t wait. It’s been a lot of fun studying Thai, but I very much look forward to having more time with the kids. I think that even though I will be busier next month with working full time I will try to keep some time to study. I still have a ways to go with speaking. My reading and writing Thai has come faster then speaking. Please keep me in your prayers with learning this language; it is a very difficult one to learn.
I am thankful to God for my teacher. She is not a Christian but I have had many opportunities to talk with her about Christ. We have spent hours just talking about God and his love. She is very interested in learning more about Jesus. I believe she is close to believing. Please pray for Ploy, she seems very eager to know more about God. Pray that God keeps drawing her to Himself and that He would give me wisdom with the questions she asks me.
I have started teaching the girls ballet and it’s been so much fun. They’ve enjoyed it so much that the boys wanted to join, so now I will have one day a week that I teach ballet to the girls and do excises with all the kids. Mostly on exercise days I just but some music on and we play and dance around. They are all so cute. The girls really want some ballet clothes and I was wondering if anyone would like to send some to them? I can get some here but I have to go to Chiang Mai and there not as good quality things that you can get in the states. If anyone as any old ballet outfits or shoes for girl’s ages 3 to 7 it would be very much appreciated if you wanted to donate them. Bam very much wants an outfit she asks me for one almost every class. She enjoys dancing the most I think. I will be working on doing a little dance with them around Christmas time.
I would like to share with you all something very exciting going on in my life. I am in a serious relationship with Ryan Munyard. He is from Australia. I met Ryan here in Chiang Rai last June. He came to Thailand to visit a friend who was in my DTS. Ryan and I did not really speak much when he was here, but we started becoming close friends through chatting on Skype. We talked and talked, and by September we realized that there was something more than just friendship coming along here. We sought God on how to pursue our relationship. God told us to wait. So we waited. It was not always easy waiting on God's timing in our relationship. We set boundaries on how often we would speak to each other and how we spoke to each other. We wanted to remain friends until God gave us the peace to pursue something more. God taught us both a lot about patience and trust during that time. Ryan came here to Chiang Rai in January to do a DTS. We sought God on our next step. Through prayer and the wisdom of our leaders here, we decided that we would start courting with a view towards engagement. So that is the short story up to where we are now. We are courting.
You can see here:
Ryan's Photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stunners/
Ryan’s blog http://munnayard.blogspot.com
Ryan will be staffing the next 3 DTS schools here in Chiang Rai. He is very gifted with leadership. I know that I am very blessed to have Ryan in my life. He is everything and more that I have prayed for in a man. His heart is pure and I’m very much in love with him. God has blessed me more then words can express by giving me Ryan. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek God on the steps we take together. Our biggest desire is to honor God with our whole lives.
Well this next news really does not have much to do with me, but I’m very excited to say that my sister Rebecca is having her first baby. William David Roerink is due on September 26, 2007. I’m very excited for Rebecca and Chad. Part of me is also very sad that I can’t be there with her in the time. One thing that I seem to always be learning is the sacrifice in living so far away. It’s hardest in times like this. God is still so faithful though. I have learned that when serving him there really is no sacrifice in it. One of my favorite songs is by Jason Upton. I'll write the lyrics at the bottom so you can read them. I try to make the words of that song the way I live my life. Sometimes I’m good at it others I depend wholly on God. I like the times that I have to depend wholly on Him. I don't like the way my life is when I try to take it in my own hands. God’s ways are far better than mine, so I’m learning to really love those times of leaning on Him.
I have had a few of those times that I just had to run to God and have Him hold me. A little while ago, my house was broken into and my computer and camera were stolen. I realized I had a choice in that time to trust God and know that He is looking out for me or to blame God and ask why would He let this happen. I’m glad that I chose the first. See I learned that things can be taken from me but no one can ever take away the love I have for God and the love He has for me. He is my number one in life. Yeah, not having a computer is not easy, but God is still there with me, loving me and being my best friend. I also realized that the enemy can’t win. See, he may have thought oh if I take Grayce's laptop she will draw away from God. But what happened is I became closer to Him. A distraction was taken away in my life. I was able to use the time that I would normally get online as a time to spend with God, reading my bible, praying. . . So, the enemy loses again. I’m trusting God that He will provide for me in the loss of my computer. I’m learning in a new way how to wait on Him.
God is so amazing and I just can’t express how extraordinarily blessed I feel to have God in my life. I pray that we will all keep seeking Him and that more people will come to know the God I know. I pray that He will use us in bringing Him to the world.
Well I guess I will be signing off now. I will really try to keep updates coming more often then I have been. I know I’m probably the worst at getting them out. Please forgive me.
Blessings,
Grayce Hollingsworth
Prayer requests – Please pray for:
* Continued healing for Hope's leg
* My boss Penny as her cancer has come back.
o her healing and peace for her and her family
o peace for all of us here as she is a true blessing on our life at Baan Nam Jai
* God's leading for Ryan and me
* Hope and Foon starting school in September
* finding a new house to live in by September because the one I’m living in now, I have been subleasing for a family and they return in the first week of September
o for God to open doors for a new house
o for finances for furniture - The house I’m in now came fully furnished so most likely I will need to buy some things for my next house
* for my sister as she gets closer to giving birth
* Finances to live in Thailand
* Wisdom as I share with my teacher Ploy about Christ
* Wisdom with working with the kids
No Sacrifice
by Jason Upton
album: Faith (2001)
To you I give my life, not just the parts I want to
To you I sacrifice these dreams that I hold on to
Your thoughts are higher than mine
Your words are deeper than mine
Your love is stronger than mine
This is no sacrifice
Here's my life
To you I give the gifts
Your love has given me
How can I hoard the treasures that you've designed for free?
Because
Your thoughts are higher than mine
Your words are deeper than mine
Your love is stronger than mine
This is no sacrifice
Here's my life
To you I give my future
As long as it may last
To you I give my present
To you I give my past
Because
Your thoughts are higher than mine
Your words are deeper than mine
Your love is stronger than mine
Your thoughts are higher than mine
Your words are deeper than mine
Your love is stronger than mine
This is no sacrifice
Here's my life
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