Healing

Please forgive me if I don't seem excited about the following story, but I am definitely truly grateful to God - it is just that I wanted to share this with Emily before I told the world, but I have been unable to. Also the victory does not seem so great in light of recent events.

As many of you will know, I have been really struggling with my health this year. The main symptom has been serious fatigue that, I think, sets in when my blood sugars (I am diabetic) change rapidly (not necessarily going too low or too high, just any rapid change). I have tried absolutely everything including having a quite rigid regime to my day and diet, but the sugar level changes seemed to happen quite randomly. A major problem was that even the smallest amount of exercise would make my blood sugars suddenly raise very high. This was easy to then get back under control, but the effect of the fast change seems to completely wipe me out, make me feel ill, and give me a serious headache.

When my friend Dan came to visit, I felt reasonably good and went on a few short trips with him, but I think that I was too eager as I suddenly felt really bad during our last trip, and for the last month of poor Dan's visit to Thailand, we just sat at home.

About 5 or so weeks ago, I started feeling better and seemed to be able to get out a few times per week with no real problem. I even purchased some running shoes - although I said that they were for walking as I am very fat just now :)

But it was not until the week before Em and I separated that things suddenly became remarkably better and I was able to get out every day. Every day I walked 5-10 kilometers with no ill effects at all, and in fact my blood sugar levels just don't change at all - which is just TOO weird. They seem to be even more consistent than someone without diabetes. I even went for my first run last night (only 2 kilometers but I was surprised that I was not too unfit for even that) and I have been able to reduce my insulin quite a bit (unfortunately I still need it though).

I am so sad that I was unable to share this with Em, but I wanted to test it for a good week before breaking the news to anyone for fear of giving false hope. I know that this year has been especially hard on Emily, and I have really appreciated her being there so much for me as I have struggled through this, and I am truly grateful to God for this small miracle, and even more grateful that the healing came at a time so that I would be able to cope physically with this separation that Em and I are experiencing.

Funnily enough, I expected that my other main symptom (serious inability to sleep) would solve itself as I started exercising more, but nope! No matter what I do, some nights I still only get an hour or two sleep.

Anyway, praise God for this small miracle!


Hayden

A time for God's grace

Emily and i have been going through some very difficult and trying times recently, and as a result, we are now spending some time apart.

We are not both in agreement that this is the best thing to be doing at this most difficult time, but it is the situation that we have found ourselves in, and we remain supportive of each other even though we are in disagreement.

You are more than welcome (more than welcome) to pray for God's blessings, goodness, grace, healing and restoration in both of our lives and our marriage, and you are welcome to encourage and support either/both of us during this difficult time.

We will probably not be monitoring our joint email account just now, but we remain contactable at our normal individual email accounts. Email Hayden, Email Emily.


Hayden & Emily

Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!

I am very excited to announce that I (Emily) will be returning to England for 3 weeks over the Christmas holidays this year. I am obviously very keen to spend Christmas with my parent's and hopefully siblings and equally keen to catch up with everyone at Kingsland.

Unfortunetely due to Hayden's health problems over the last year, he does not feel comfortable making such a long trip as it may have pretty sever effects on his health. So he will stay behind in Bangkok. I am sure he will be enjoying the emptiness of our little apartment for a few weeks ;)

I hope I will have a chance to update you all on what is happening over here, and I also hope to have a chance to spend some proper time with some of you this time. I admit that visiting Kingsland can sometimes feel strange, especially with all the changes happening and new faces around. So I apologise if on my last visit I seemed distant and I realise I did not find much time for catching up with people. Please believe me that it is only due to my own shyness and feelings of being a little 'out of place' that made be behave that way. But not to fear :) this time Hayden is coaching me to be confident and I will be sure to catch up with everyone!

As you can tell I am getting pretty excited about my visit - I hope some of you will too ;) he he he (cheeky). I have already arranged for a couple of trips to London which is always gorgeous at Christmas time - one to see my dad performing in Oedipus at the National, and another to see a musical with my best friend, which is becoming some what of a tradition for the two of us whenever we meet up :) I have also organised a get together with all my old school friends, so I am expecting to have a really good, nostalgic time.

Well, I am REALLY looking forward to seeing all of you, worshipping with my church at Lexden, listening to Neil preach while seeing him in person and not on a computer screen, laughing with my mum and sister, watching romantic comedies with Clare, seeing the Christmas lights on the high street....This sentence could go on forever - so I will tie it up by saying - I am really looking forward to coming :) Blessings to you all!

Tae Kwon Do

Some of you may be amused to hear that I, Emily, have been learning Tae Kwon Do for the past 3 months. Tae Kwon Do is a Korean Martial Art, Korea's national sport. Although I will never, ever enter the ring for a fight because of my wimpy attitude towards pain, I am enjoying the experience.

For some of you that knew me during my school years this will be even more amusing because you know my attitude towards sports and 'keeping fit' - lets just say I was never, EVER keen to get involved in these sorts of activities. ha ha ha. But now I am at the old age of 22 my body seems to be telling me I need to do some kind of exercise, any exercise, and eat less which is just as difficult as doing the exercise because I am a lover of food (mmmmmm......food, I am a bit of a Homer Simpson unfortunately) OH!! the stresses of growing up are far too great! ;)

My work has Tae Kwon Do as an after school activity for the children and my boss decided to offer it as a class to the staff for free! So obviously I jumped at the chance to get a bit of fitness in :) We do 3 hours every Monday after work - I'm exhausted and my muscles all want a hot bath (only we don't have a bath tub, only a big bucket) after every class.

Here are a couple of photos of me in my highly attractive outfit after a 3 hour class. In the second photo I am proudly holding up my certificate because a few weeks ago I passes my white belt exam with a B+!!! I am very proud of myself, only one person got an A (she is awesome at it) and everyone else B's and C's. We are all very proud.

Hayden's Health Update

I am not sure when we last updated you all on Hayden's health so here is a quick update :)

Hayden has still not recovered from his stint in hospital in January. During April Daniel came out for a visit which was great. They went away a couple of times and after their last trip Hayden's body just shut down. He couldn't leave the apartment for several weeks, he needed to sleep but could not, he wanted to eat but could not, he couldn't even handle conversations because every thing inside him was crawling , uneasy and unsettled.

This continued until recently. The last few days Hayden has begun to feel better. We went to Tesco the other day and was fine. (This sounds insignificant but truly is not). I hope that he continues to feel better and build his strength back.

As you can see his health continues to be a serious battle. Hayden now fears traveling anywhere. We used to love going away for a few days, meeting some people and practicing our Thai, especially as our heart is really for outside of Bangkok. But now we will have to wait until Hayden feels comfortable enough to make a trip. The fear of collapsing in the same way again is very scary for him.

In a similar way, I may be visiting England again at Christmas time, but Hayden fears making such a huge journey and his body shutting off again, so if i do come it will be on my own once again :(

Hayden will go to see a Diabetes specialist soon because his insulin in running out. Unfortunately we cannot get the insulin he uses so he will have to change his insulin. This is a big deal as his body has to adjust to the new medicine and his blood sugar levels will probably be all over the place while he makes the transition to a cheaper and less effective insulin. I will let you know when he begins to change the insulin so that you can keep him in your prayers over that time.

Thank you all for your prayers for Hayden's health, please continue them because we are truly in a battle over his body right now.

Being a Christian in Thailand and England

I have continued to visit churches here and there, and continue to feel quite alone in the church department. It is very difficult to keep bothering when you find nothing that seems to fit. Once upon a time I judged people like me, who do not attend a church 'every' Sunday and are not a member of a church in their local community - well now I understand how you get to that point.

We do not realise how blessed we are to live in a Christian country until we leave it. To have churches on every corner and to have a whole community within a church. But here, and in much of the world it is a different story. Sure there are International churches, but the community is not there. Many of the churches are filled with people passing through the country, or have people from every corner of the city coming together once a week, but meeting other than that can prove difficult for us because of out non-central location. Also the hour trip into the centre in an open air bus with pollution filling your lungs and pores is never very inviting, especially when I am doing it every other day of the week for work!

Then there are the Thai churches of which there are some more locally located. Hayden and I had originally hoped to join a Thai church as we are here to meet and bless Thai people. However, language is obviously always a barrier even though we continue to try and learn. I certainly couldn't follow a sermon in Thai although I have observed Hayden do a pretty excellent job of understanding in the past ;). Thai people are also so giving that they would feel obliged to find a translator for us and their whole service would turn into an effort to meet our needs and not their own. Sometimes it just doesn't seem to work in the Thai churches, and sometimes you just feel like you are not wanted, not in a very negative way but because of the extra hassle you bring with you.

On the other hand, being Christian here can also seem a lot easier than it is in England or other Christian countries. People here have never judged me, people at work do not put me in a box of 'Christian therefore strange'. Thai people are often very interested to hear about what being a Christian means. We are also extremely blessed here because Christians seem to have a good name for themselves. Most Thai people think Christians are here to help, to work with the poor, to assist the needy, they are never put off thinking we are just here to convert them which is what most English people think as soon as you say you are Christian. Some countries are so badly bruised by a history of Christians doing bad things, that they no longer have any respect for us, but Thailand is truly blessed to have such a good record of Christians in their country.

I know that many of you back home struggle with the continued persecution from people in the work place or family, and it is very difficult to say 'I am a Christian' when you are first meeting and making friends. People usually move away pretty fast or stop talking when you are around because they think you will judge them for what they do.

In conclusion, I cannot decide where it would be 'easier' to live as a Christian. All are persecuted, all struggle, all have blessing and curses, all are judged by the world. Yet God is there beside every one of us, wherever in the world that may be - Thailand, Uganda, Israel, Switzerland, France, Australia or England.

All my love, Emily

Emily on Songkran

In 2006 we arrived just after the Songkran festival, so we missed it! In 2007 we had to return to New Zealand over the Songkran Festival, so we missed it! In 2008 we were here!!!! YAY!

I have been waiting to join in with Songkran for a long time now. The thought of having a massive water fight, everyone out on the streets throwing water at everyone else, no matter who they are, cooling down with a bucket of water on your head after a long day of Thailand hot season heat, throwing water through the windows of buses and on any passerbys - it all sounds like awesome fun to me!

We had a Songkran party at my work and it was amazing. All the Pre K classes came outside and had a water fight with water balloons, a paddling pool, buckets of water and even ice thrown into the mix! After the party all the staff had to sit around in their soaking wet clothes until we had showered and changed all the children - we must have all looked like a sight for sore eyes.

When it came to joining in on the streets, I couldn't wait!! On the first day of Songkran my sister and I headed out (leaving the grumpy, unimpressed husband at home), all our money and phones sealed in plastic bags and we were ready for action. We headed right into the centre of town...and we got closer and closer...until we realised we must have had the wrong day because everyone was going about normal life. This was seriously disappointing considering I had been building up for the water fight of the century! Hmmmm!

Well, after a few days I came across the real festival. In a small fishing village where we took a ferry to Koh Samet for our beach holiday. The entire town were out. There must have been over 50 open trucks going up and down the small main road along the sea, each with 8-12 people, kids and babies crammed in the back around a gallon drum of water. Water permanently flying through the air, no one stopping to take a breath. It was beautiful with everyone dressed in colourful, flowery Songkran shirts and traditional chalk type stuff on their faces.

There were floats driving along too with 'Miss Songkran', monks, ladies dressed in traditional Thai costume, and music filling the whole street. You can imagine my frustration that this time I wasn't prepared, I couldn't join in because I had my bag of belongings for the holiday, my phone and money and passport all in my bag and they would have all got drenched through! :( I was glad to have witnessed it though.

It is a beautiful, community filled festival and in 2009 I will be ready, water gun in hand, no phone, no cash, just me ready for the water. Bring it on!!!

My Return to the Mercy Centre - Pattaya

In our last newsletter I wrote about my trip to Pattaya and spoke about the Mercy Centre. Well I returned last month for another visit. It is a project reaching out to the poor within the city; providing a shelter for children at risk, outreach and aid in the slums and police lock-ups, support for single mothers and much more.

On my first visit I was blessed enough to tag along with them on some of their outreach. Firstly to the slums where they deliver a bag of rice, oil and basic essentials every week.

Then I joined them to the Police Lock-ups which is an absolute shock to your system. We again took food and water to the people there. Most of them are foreigners, Cambodian, Laos or Burmese who are working here illegally. There are some westerners too who have overstayed their visas. The westerners, however, have good embassies who won't leave them in a lock up for long. Basically, in cells of approximately 2 meters by 3 meters there were maybe 10 women and 5 children. One baby was 2 weeks old! There is a squat toilet in the corner and they are given one small meal per day. Children and babies are not catered for so we pray the mothers are healthy enough to breast feed. There are no beds, no chairs, no blankets - nothing. Just a concrete floor and the clothes on their backs. My first trip to the Mercy Centre was certainly an eye opener.

The Centre has many projects to run and organise and on my return visit I certainly didn't want to become a nuisance or get in their way (even though they would never say I was a nuisance because they are far too lovely :)) So I arrived in Pattaya this second time around and decided I would simply go to the Children's home and spend some time with the kids. I had a wonderful couple of days playing, laughing, cuddling, even enjoying the wonderful task of riding children of head lice which is always lots of fun ;) I spent the whole time at the Centre and look forward to seeing the kids again.

Please check out the centre's website www.mercypattaya.com They are doing amazing things, always looking for people to help for a short or long time and can always do with your prayers.

I pray now that God will continue to bless all the staff there, continue to steer their vision and passion for the poor people of Pattaya and that God's labourers will be drawn to the Centre for work.

This coming weekend I hope to return once more to spend some time with the kids and continue building my relationship with Fred and Dianne - the founders of the Mercy Centre and pastors of Victory Family Church, Pattaya.

My Sister's Visit

As you know, my sister Lucie visited me for 2 weeks during the Songkran holidays. It was wonderful to see her. If you know the Matthews family at all you will know what we got up to for most of our days - lots of giggling and numerous games!

We had a great trip up to Kanchanaburi and spent a few days on the River Kwai. This is one of my favourite places in all the world. The peace of the river, Mon workers, oil lamps lighting the evenings, elephants to ride and a river to swim in. Unfortunately our friend Dan was ill throughout this trip but he soon bounced back and is off in Chiang Mai with Hayden as I type this article :)

My sister and I then headed to a beach on Koh Samet island. It is only a few hours from Bangkok and is so beautiful. We found a tiny little beach with a handful of people there. With the white sands and clear blue sea it was totally gorgeous. We spent our first day on the beach, swimming in the sea and enjoying the heat, nearly 40 degrees celcius. I, however, have lived in Thailand for 2 years but have never gone lying on a beach for any length of time. We both soon discovered that our fair skin was not up to the challenge of surviving the Thai sun and both ended up with very entertaining sunburn lines :) Apparently I looked like I had red stockings on!

Possibly the most laughing was done during our trips to the Karaoke booths. Thailand is full of them! Basically you pay some money and shut yourselves in one of the many booths which has a sofa, TV and 2 microphones. They are meant to be sound proof but I assure you they are not. We sang a whole list of hilarious songs - it is meant to be amusing surely?? The Thai people sit very seriously in these booths singing, not laughing! I couldn't comprehend how they did it without laughter, especially when you are singing the soppiest love songs ever like, Especially For You, or Whitney Huston and Mariah Carey classics!!! It was hilarious, I must have lost a few pounds from all the laughing on those days!

As you can imagine, the last few days of her time here were spent applying lots of Aloe Vera and lying in front of the fan but we had a wonderful time and I really needed some holiday time. If anyone else is keen to visit you are always welcome, just send us an email and we'll get you here in no time :)

Hayden on Songkran

After all the time that I have spent in Thailand, I have never managed to be here during Songkran - Thai New Year - Water Festival.

This has been no sad thing as I can think of many situations I would prefer much more than having a bucket of water dumped on my head.

But, as they say, festivals can not be avoided forever, and so this month I found myself with no other option other than to have to enjoy myself and take part .....

My first plan was to hide at home... But this is a ?5? day festival, and the cupboards were bare. Also, we had my friend Dan, and Em's sister Lucie visiting, and they were not keen on hiding out at home for the next week... The next best plan was for me to look seriously grumpy, unimpressed, and generally just a bad sport. This was not a difficult thing to achieve as I am many of these things anyway!

Along came the fateful evening when the four of us decided to venture to the centre of Bangkok for a lovely meal out. The taxi dropped us down a quiet alley and we sleuthely and skillfully edged along the streets towards our destination.

That was until I was suddenly drenched from head to toe :( Apparently a ute had dumped a massive (like REALLY massive) bucket of water over us as they drove by ... :( ... I didn't see it, and they certainly had not seen the "seriously grumpy, unimpressed, and generally just a bad sport" look on my face, or else I am sure they would have avoided me.

Approaching our destination, there was only one obstacle left; a bunch of about 12 middle aged little old Thai ladies, all armed with buckets and hanging around a couple of big (full looking) 50 gallon drums. Although unavoidable, this group looked quite safe, but to test, we sent Dan forward on his own. He got past and so I safely followed. And then, suddenly, they attacked and chased us. I was being pursued by this big dangerous looking 5ft skinny little old 50 year old woman; it was quite terrifying.

Finally, I could run no more, so I stopped and stood my ground. The to-and-fro battle that followed eventually ended with me skilfully taking the woman's own weapon and dumping it's contents over her.

The rest of the group of ladies were very impressed with my water fighting skills and I was finally able to pass the group while they clapped and cheered me.

We then enjoyed a delicious meal at the restaurant while we froze to death in the air-conditioning.