asking for big things.

You said ask and you will receive whatever you need
You said pray and I'll hear from heaven, and I'll heal your land
You said your glory will fill the earth like water the seas
You said lift up your eyes, the harvest is here, the kingdom is near
You said

Ask and I'll give the nations to you
Oh, Lord, that's the cry of my heart
Distant shores and the islands will see
Your light as it rises on us

This song, "You Said," was written on our hearts all summer. We have asked for so many big things for the Karen, for Burma, and even for ourselves as we look ahead to the unknowns of our future. We also had so many people praying big things for us from home, and we are so thankful that.
We were able to share this song with the students and invite them to join us in asking for big things from a big God who loves us. We want to invite you to do the same as we return. Please keep praying for Burma, for the Karen people, and for the students at Noh Bo. We ask you'd be praying big things for us, too, as we return to a very stressful two months before our wedding and countless decisions and unknowns.
Thank you for the prayers you have offered up for us already! We pray God will bless you for your faithfulness.

saying goodbyes.

We made it home this week and wanted to catch you up on our last few weeks with the students. We miss them already and are so thankful for our time there. We hope these pictures give you an idea of the blessings God had for us at Noh Bo.

Noh Bo loves holidays! We got another day off school for the "Ribbon-Tying Ceremony". This is traditional Karen holiday where they tie strings on each others wrists and bless one another. The whole community showed up and filled the place.

This is Stephen in his traditional Karen attire having a string tied on his wrist.

Kelli is waiting with the girls to have a string tied on her wrist.

Hsar Khee Lar, Kelli, and Eh Dee Na are "having style" in the dormitory during a girls night.

Bingo was really popular all summer. It was a great way to include lots of students of all ages and English levels. It also helped us to pick up our Karen numbers, through fifty at least.

One of the highlights of the summer was discovering Christ Stone Records in the little village of Noh Bo. Christ (pronounced Chris) is the music teacher at Noh Bo and also has his own recording studio. Stephen was able to spend some afternoons and Saturdays working with him. It was great for them to get to teach one another, as well as for Stephen to get to see God use his degree.

These are a couple more pictures of Kelli spending time at the girls' dormitory. They are making necklaces and friendship bracelets in the bottom photo.

Near the end of our stay eight computers and internet were donated to Noh Bo. This will be a great opportunity for the kids, so we tried to help them get started. Here Stephen is teaching them about the internet, trying to show them the good websites that can help them and warn them about being careful.

Still more Bingo...

All of the students really love music and many are learning guitar. We found that most of the guitars were missing strings or parts and pretty far out of tune. The last day we were there, Stephen worked hard to put new strings on eight guitars and fix a few broken ones. He also got them all into tune and left a tuner for them to share.

On our last day, the students gave us an incredible farewell ceremony. They prayed for us, sang us a song, and gave us these handmade yarn leis. It was so sad to leave, but we felt so loved.

This is both of us after the ceremony with the Special 2 (grade 12) students. The headmaster, Candlepaw, is also in the front, third from the left.

This is Stephen with Toehla. He was a great help to us all summer and has a great heart. He gave a speech in English (a huge accomplishment!) at our farewell ceremony and wrote the song that the students sang.

After leaving Noh Bo, we went back to Mae Sot for a few days of rest. One morning we took a 4-hour cooking class to learn how to make ethnic foods in the area, including some Karen dishes. We really enjoyed the class and are excited to be able to cook some local foods for our Karen friends in America. Overall, our time at Noh Bo was incredible, and our time of rest was much needed. God has been good to us.