Sometimes it is the little things in life that can take us down faster than a speeding bullet. In Thai, we say "our heart's energy is gone" And thatjust about sums it up. we lose heart, feel weak at the knees and all we can do is fall down and cry tears of despair.
And often... it's just one seemingly insignificant event that tips the scales......
Well, that is what happen to my co -teacher Hawm today.
Hawm had spent weeks preparing a student workbook for her class at LTC. It was a new assignment for her; a Bible book she had never taught before and she wanted so much to do a thorough job. There are so few resources in Thai and you can't just run down to the Christian bookstore and pick something up. Well, she got it done in the nick of time despite some obstacles...
And often... it's just one seemingly insignificant event that tips the scales......
Well, that is what happen to my co -teacher Hawm today.
Hawm had spent weeks preparing a student workbook for her class at LTC. It was a new assignment for her; a Bible book she had never taught before and she wanted so much to do a thorough job. There are so few resources in Thai and you can't just run down to the Christian bookstore and pick something up. Well, she got it done in the nick of time despite some obstacles...
Hawm's front room
You see, Hawm is a working mom with 2 babies (a 25 month old and a 11 month old). She and her family live in a 2 room "Store Front" building. The front room is a computer Cafe that her husband manages. Behind is an open area where she cooks and hangs her laundry. The second room serves as both bedroom and storage room.
Before you think, "Wow, folks in Thailand live simpler easier lives", let me affirm that it isn't easy to live in such small quarters with little privacy. Hawm had to find time between babies sleeping and a cafe full of noisy teens playing video games. She often worked way into the wee hours of the morning.
And to make things worse; both her little girls traded off being sick all school break. If she wasn't up late typing, she was up walking a sick baby. Hawm was really tired, but at the same time, she felt excited and ready for her new assignment.
And then it happened! Her husband decided to re-load Windows before she had backed Hwup her work or printed it off. In just a split second, it was gone!
Before you think, "Wow, folks in Thailand live simpler easier lives", let me affirm that it isn't easy to live in such small quarters with little privacy. Hawm had to find time between babies sleeping and a cafe full of noisy teens playing video games. She often worked way into the wee hours of the morning.
And to make things worse; both her little girls traded off being sick all school break. If she wasn't up late typing, she was up walking a sick baby. Hawm was really tired, but at the same time, she felt excited and ready for her new assignment.
And then it happened! Her husband decided to re-load Windows before she had backed Hwup her work or printed it off. In just a split second, it was gone!
Hawm walked into the office and I knew immediately that something was wrong. Her eyes were full of tears, disappointment and anger.
But...this is what caught my attention. The first words from her lips were not of anger or blame, but a simple plea..... "Please pray for me, my heart is gone."
I rushed from behind my desk and we sat on the sofa and prayed together. I reminded her
of God's promise in Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."
We both laughed at the irony that the lost workbook was for her class on Romans.I told her...."Hawm, I know it won't be like you had planned, but I am believing that God is going to
do just a little bit of good here."
As I mentioned above, there are few resources, so what training/teaching that happens in class is crucial. Once these students leave, they won't have a library of resources to help them prepare sermons and lessons. So, Hawm dug in and started over.
Well, that is not the end of the story............
But...this is what caught my attention. The first words from her lips were not of anger or blame, but a simple plea..... "Please pray for me, my heart is gone."
I rushed from behind my desk and we sat on the sofa and prayed together. I reminded her
of God's promise in Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."
We both laughed at the irony that the lost workbook was for her class on Romans.I told her...."Hawm, I know it won't be like you had planned, but I am believing that God is going to
do just a little bit of good here."
As I mentioned above, there are few resources, so what training/teaching that happens in class is crucial. Once these students leave, they won't have a library of resources to help them prepare sermons and lessons. So, Hawm dug in and started over.
Well, that is not the end of the story............
Hawm went home that evening and Nopchai said he was sure he had backed that file up. So, they looked. They went through every file on her flash drive and his! Nothing. They looked again.... and still nothing. So, Hawm resigned herself ...again..
The next day, she worked hard again on trying to redo some of her lessons. She had to cancel class so she could get her thoughts pulled together. By the time she went home, she was frustrated and decided to look at again for that file.
She clicked on the Flash drive menu and began scanning down the list of files. Half-way down there was one folder with an English label. She was shocked because she nor Nopchai ever use English. The folder was titled NVNV. Strange.
She clicked on it and there were several files. In the middle of the list was her Romans file. She clicked and it opened... all there!
Where did this folder come from? Why was it in English? And another thing... all the other files in the folder could not be opened.
Hawm called me at home with the news and we both said the same thing; It was a Miracle!
God is faithful... He knows just want we can handle and when things are getting a bit overwhelming... even in the little things of life... He surely does work things out for good!
The next day, she worked hard again on trying to redo some of her lessons. She had to cancel class so she could get her thoughts pulled together. By the time she went home, she was frustrated and decided to look at again for that file.
She clicked on the Flash drive menu and began scanning down the list of files. Half-way down there was one folder with an English label. She was shocked because she nor Nopchai ever use English. The folder was titled NVNV. Strange.
She clicked on it and there were several files. In the middle of the list was her Romans file. She clicked and it opened... all there!
Where did this folder come from? Why was it in English? And another thing... all the other files in the folder could not be opened.
Hawm called me at home with the news and we both said the same thing; It was a Miracle!
God is faithful... He knows just want we can handle and when things are getting a bit overwhelming... even in the little things of life... He surely does work things out for good!
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