Sunday night I had my whole Monday planned out. The basic plan was to grocery shop and start potty training Ellie while Nat was gone. It looked pretty… feasible.
I should’ve known right away the day was going to zig zag when we slept right past the time to watch the Sunday evening service at LVBC. Undeterred, showers were promptly taken and then the thought hit me, “what are we going to eat for breakfast?”
Saturday wasn’t an overly productive day since I was sick and we spent all day Sunday in Chaing Rai at church. What we had left over from last week (one egg and ½ a cup of milk) really wasn’t going to provide enough breakfast for our family, so Nat graciously ran out to the store for a few things. Then the kids were eating breakfast slowly (of course), so when 8 AM rolled around, we left half-finished plates and ran out to the truck to drop Nat off for a full day of teaching.
Returning home brought about other unplanned happenings, including the neighbor lady dropping by for a visit with her 1-year-old granddaughter. As my neighbor and I were talking, Paul was riding a rocking horse “motorcycle” and “showing off” at the same time. Unfortunately, he rode a little too wildly and flipped the motorcycle in the air with it landing on him and Ellie, who happened to be walking behind it as he rode. Of course my neighbor was surprised, and Paul and Ellie raised the decibel level quite high as they shed tears over their misfortune. As I tried to comfort my kids, I thought about what I deemed a “perfect opportunity” to make inroads with my neighbor disappearing right before my eyes.
Later on in the day as naps were taking place, I thought about the morning and what seemed to be one fiasco after the next, from my perspective. I’m so glad God has a different perspective! In the midst of the chaos and noise that comes with having little people in the house, God reminded me that He has “thoughts of peace” towards me. (Jeremiah 29:11) The situations in my day weren’t “my plans” and yet God used imperfect events to show me to focus on what really matters. Sure, the day was a mess and I felt like I was at 2% productivity, but one precious part of the day was hearing my kids recite a Bible verse. That’s exciting! (And that was the highlight of our day at home.)
Living in Thailand is a daily adventure for Anne Williams and her family of six. In between all of the many language blunders, running after toddlers, and giving the neighbors plenty to smile at, she is grateful God’s grace is always available just when she needs it.
Read more about their ministry here and watch her testimony here.