From the Heart of Bess: When Niah Prays

 I can't believe she's almost 2.5 and this is the first blog entry with her as the subject! She calls me Bess and I love it! She can totally say my full name correctly, but this has been her choice, I've even chuckled when she's corrected her Daddy, when he says, Mary Beth, she says, "No, Bess!"  

Over the summer I was visiting these cutest kids in the world (I'm NOT biased, I'm very well traveled & seen thousands of kids therefore this is a statement based on much research and therefore fact) I stepped off a curb and before my foot ever hit the ground something popped and waves of pain and nausea swept over me! Niah was on one side and her cousin Kyah was on the other so I was trying NOT to cry or teach either of the lil parrots any new words and trying NOT to throw up! Niah began to cry because she knew I was hurt and Kyah just kept saying, "Be careful! Be careful! and patting my back!"  Niah is super sensitive to other people's feelings so she was a bit frantic and kept saying, "Daddy pray!" Matthew said, "Niah pray!" And then they did.  Her prayer went a little something like this, "Jesus, Bess foot, amen." 

I have to say it STILL hurt, but Bess was brave and we went on about our business.  The next morning Niah's great G'ma Chickie asked me at church how my foot was, before I could answer, Niah said, "It's okay, Niah pray!" I mouthed silently, "It still hurts a little!" 

I drove back to Springfield went to a Cardinals game with my roommate all the while walking on the foot which by this time was twice the size and a nice purple color, but it didn't hurt.  My boss told me I needed to go to the doctor, so I did, after doing tests he tells me I've ruptured my Achilles and torn a couple of ligaments and wants to know what kind of pain medicine I want.  I said, "It doesn't hurt!"  He said, "Yes it does!"  I said, "No it doesn't."  He said, "It has to, what do you want?" I said, "My two year old niece prayed for it, so I'm guessing that's why it doesn't hurt!"  He snarkily replied, "Whatever helps you sleep at night," and handed me a script for pain meds, which I never had filled, and fitted me for a brace, which I think I wore twice, it didn't really go with any of my sandals!

If you asked me the hardest thing about being a missionary, for the past 2.5 years it's been being away from Miss Sassy Pants and now her chunky lil brother Malachi who pretty much just smiles all the time! Before they were born, I guess my answer would've been not being a good squatter and bed bugs! 

As much as I'd love to head home and open up my own private therapy practice in Niah's new play house, I rest easy knowing that's not where I'm needed at all. Jesus is the center of their home and she gets it! Her first instinct in time of trouble and fear was to pray! When Niah isn't excitedly telling me about her day, or sticking both fingers in her nose, or showing me her shoes, (I'm confident this happens EVERY Face Time conversation we have!), or telling me what her lil brother is doing, she's quoting her most recently memorized scriptures or telling me how much fun she had with her "friens" at church! She's safe, loved, very well fed (just ask her what she had for breakfast when you see her IF you have time for her very detailed list! "Umm.. I have pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, some of daddy's chocolate chip pancakes!" and her play house may or may not have more square footage than my current dwelling! But best of all Jesus is the center of her lil world, half the places I've been since she & her brother were born lacked all the things she has; safety, love, food, and the knowledge of where to turn in times of trouble or fear! Where I currently dwell Jesus not only isn't the center, but He's practically unknown.  So, for now, we'll face time and talk about boogers and shoes and breakfast and bows! And laugh! My luggage will be filled with gifts for her and her brother and my heart will be filled with peace that while I'm sharing Jesus here, she's surrounded by Jesus there! 

Bess loves you Niah!

10 NOT so Great Things about Driving a Motorcycle in Thailand

1.  Rain.  Even sprinkles hurt at 100kph (my friend told me) Also, no one looks cool in a poncho.

2.  Being behind garbage trucks, cattle trucks, and pig trucks.  Did you know when animals are in the back of big trucks, they get scared, like they're being taken to slaughter or something, and they potty a lot!? It stinks!

3.  Being behind concrete trucks, loose gravel trucks, pretty much anything that could be carrying loose particles of any kind.  They HURT!

4.  Thai parking lots, a.k.a. where ever they stop in the street.  Need to run into a store?  No problem, park in the lane and turn your flashers on while you shop or don't turn your flashers on, whatever.  Also, when they use the shoulder for parking the driver's door is going to open to the street side sooo seriously watch out!

5.  The A/C just plain stops at stoplights and works rather poorly under 50kph.

6.  Helmet head! Sometimes my head is soaked by the time I arrive somewhere! So that hope of meeting Mr. Southern, Short, Tan, and Handsome in Thailand is greatly diminished when I'm soaked in sweat upon arrival to any and all destinations. I was trying to order a Starbucks the other day and the guy taking my order said, I'm guessing you want something COLD?! I like to be told I look hot, but I don't think this was a pick up line!

7.  Giving an accidental stop light concert.  Ear buds are in and music is at 100% volume so I can hear it over the roar of the traffic so I sing at 100% volume too! Unfortunately, the roar of the traffic stops at stoplights and my motorcycle gang compadres at the head of the line with me get to hear NOT my music at 100%, but my singing!

7.5 Going deaf because of the 100% volume.

8.  Speed bumps! Sometimes ya see em sometimes ya don't, but you always FEEL them! Sometimes flying off the seat in a forward motion is kind of fun like when your bum gets lifted up out of the seat on a roller coaster, it's the coming back down part that's a real downer!!! Punny?

9.  When you have to go to the bathroom! We can all recall a time when we had to go real bad and we're on the road and there's just no restroom in sight so every bump and turn becomes a challenge and your friend starts singing TLC's Waterfalls or talking about leaky faucets or something more offensive.  Well intensify that by the start and stop of CANAL street which gets it's name because of the Canal running down the middle of it, as well as, feeling not just every bump and turn, but every pebble AND you're needing to use your core muscles as well as other muscles to hold the bike up right so they're not as useful for holding anything else! It's just a lose, lose situation.

10.  Bicycles! Dear cyclist, there is no bike lane, and if there was it would be for motorbikes not for YOU! Unless you can accelerate to faster than the speed I am going when you pull out in front of me or when you're riding with your buddies 3 bikes wide, then you should NOT get in front of me! Also, man who was weaving between my bike and a car and began to wobble, reaching out and grabbing me was not the appropriate reaction as you nearly gave me a heart attack. Also, it's super hot here in Thailand, I'm guessing from your short tight shorts that you're European, it's cooler there and I don't think the traffic is so bad either. Bike on back!

10 Great Things about Driving a Motorcycle in Thailand

1. Stop Lights.  Bikes go to the immediate front of all lines. And you all KNOW it was your favorite day of kindergarten when you got to be the line leader.

2. Cool Factor.  All the cool kids do it! Duh! And you know how I said all the bikes go to the front of the line.... so when I'm up at the front revving my lil engine with like a dozen other bikers it's kind of like I'm in a motorcycle gang!!!  Except the other night, I was up front all by myself and I start to hear this roar of engines behind me, like REAL engines. I thought it was a big truck, nope it was a REAL Harley Davidson motorcycle gang, with Pure Thailand bedazzled on the back of leather vests, before I knew it I was surrounded.  It would've made a great photo for Highlights, "One of these things is not like the others" section.

3.  Lanes do not apply to me - at all! Left lane AND Right lane moving slow, well down the middle I go! No room? No problem! Outside that yellow line was created with me in mind!

4.  Great AC at 50kph and above.

5.  Parking! I fit almost anywhere!

6. Gas mileage or is it kiloage?  It takes $3 bucks to fill up my tank ($4 if I forget a few days past red) and I can go for weeks!

7.  Stop light convos.  Pull up next to your friend at each stoplight and ask how their day is going or if you have bugs in your teeth or high five them for running over that cat back there!

8.  All lights are relatively green. For instance,  the light is red because cars are turning from the intersection, but I'm driving outside the yellow line anyway, therefore the light is relatively green and I need not stop.

9.  The Asia Pacific sun, the beautiful mountains, the wind in your hair, and the adrenaline that comes from knowing death could happen at any moment if the car in front of you stops short or the beer truck beside you loses a case causing you to skid into oncoming traffic, or if you resist the turn and end up under the bike instead of on it! It's all very exhilarating!

10. If you forget you're in a nation that drives on the left instead of the right, bobbing and weaving is much easier on a bike than in car! (A friend told me this!)