God's Sufficient Grace

My Bangkok family and new apartment

I feel like God has lavished His goodness on me this past week. As my first year in Bangkok comes to a close, he has been showing me not just His provision of sustaining grace in the past few crazy weeks, but also how He's provided for my needs all year. This all came to a climax in my move to a new apartment last Thursday. The way He brought about this move was replete with evidences of His love to me.

First of all, I guess I better explain. This past year I've been living on campus in apartments designed to make the transition for new teachers moving to Bangkok easier. It did just that and I am so grateful that God provided so much right away through the generosity of ICS. I was able to focus on work from the beginning without having to worry a whole lot about setting up home in a foreign country. Some new teachers moved out of those apartments within a few months when they found a place, but most of us were actually content to stay as long as we could because they were/are very convenient and nice apartments. But with a whole new crew of new teachers coming in next year, we were kind of encouraged (asked!) to find a new place to live before the end of the school year.

God very clearly led me to an available apartment in the large, very nice apartment complex next to the school (where many of the teachers and students at ICS live). This apartment is actually in building that I had hoped and prayed to live in - because it has probably the best views of all the buildings! - and it is the size and price I was looking for. It is a small studio apartment - perhaps even smaller than my other one, but everyone who has been here has said that it feels more open because of how it's set up. It is fully furnished (except for a kitchen table) and even has a washing machine! The furniture is pretty quirky - with a bright blue refridgerator and everything else being either different colors of wood or different shades of blue (nothing matches) but it's actually kind of fun and I've arranged it in a quirky kind of way! But the best part is, it is on the 8th floor (these apartments have elevators!) and has a balcony with sliding glass doors and another large window. The windows open towards the morning sun (I love bright sun in the mornings!) and look out across a huge green field, with the city in the background (and no other apartment buildings or parking garages in my immediate line of vision!). I have been leaving my curtains open all day and night and am constantly looking outside! I have a little longer walk to school in the mornings, but half of it is on a winding sidewalk through the park-like grounds of the aparment complex, with trees and green grass on either side, flowers, benches, a pond and even gazebo! It makes me feel like I have a yard again! It is so beautiful and life-giving to me! God has been so good to meet my needs and answer the desires of my heart!

Another huge way God has shown His love to me is through the love of the MTW team in serving and caring for me these last few weeks. Soon after I had found the apartment and scheduled a meeting with the landlord, I shared with Crystal about everything and she asked if I needed anyone to come with me to the meeting. I had been asking advice about what to ask the landlord, but it hadn't occurred to me to invite anyone to join me. Crystal rearranged her whole schedule and care of her children to come with me that Sunday afternoon and I am SO GLAD she did! My new landlord is Thai and understands a fair amount of English, but not nearly enough to answer my many questions. Crystal was able to translate and advise while we looked at everything and I felt so much more at peace when she said it seemed like a good deal and that she also had peace about it. Later, Paul volunteered to let me use his truck to move my stuff (Paul and Crystal always give so freely as they serve others with their vehicles and home!) and help me move. Last Thursday (which was a school holiday), he and Dave and James, Katy and Jonathan all came to help me move - volunteering before I could even ask for help! And I couldn't believe it, with all of them helping, I was out of one apartment and into another in less than 1 and 1/2 hours time! (It would have taken me a few days and dozens of walking-trips to get it all over there alone!) At the new apartment, Dave looked over my Thai lease and talked to my landlord again, reaffirming that I was doing the right thing. Then Katy stayed for a few more hours that afternoon to help me rearrange my quirky furniture and unpack some of my stuff. Later that evening, I went out to celebrate Yu's, Kieow's and my birthdays with the women on the team (eating at an incredible Mexican place, then having ice cream cake and watching a movie at the "girl's" apartment). The whole day made me feel so loved, so humbled and yet so honored, and so protected and cared for - I honestly felt like I had a family here in Bangkok that was caring for me in the same ways my family would have had I been at home. God is so good!

posted by Catherine Rogers @ 6:45 AM