Down in the Mumps

Did you know that even if you are vaccinated for the mumps in America that you could still get them while living in another country - say like Japan? Well, I didn't. And a lot of my fellow AETs/foreigners here didn't know that either.
It turns out that the Japanese strain of mumps is different than the American one, so if you aren't vaccinated for the Japanese one, you can get them. Guess what? None of us gajin are vaccinated for the Japanese strain! Well, two of the girls I went to Thailand with came down with the mumps about a week after we returned from our trip, and I believe it was spread to the missionary at our church and his son (they have puffy cheeks and fevers).
So please pray for Marianne, Holly, Chris, and little Heath. The mumps are painful, antibiotics won't get rid of them (it's a virus, so your body has to take care of it naturally), and they are quaranteened in their apartments for a week.
So we are all checking our cheeks daily and praying we don't get them too. Us gajin spend a lot of time together outside of school doing church activities and just hanging out, so a bunch of us could have contracted it and still be in the incubation period. It's pretty contagious too (from sneezing, coughing, any form of saliva exchange).
So please keep us in your prayers.
Don't know much about mumps? I didn't until people I knew started getting them (you don't worry about what you've been vaccinated for as a child). Check out this link to learn more.

Here has been the verse in the Bible that I have looked to for some time now (about two years it really spoke to me, and it's still speaking today):
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28, NIV.
I really like the way the Worldwide English Bible puts it:
We know that God works out everything for the good of those who love him. They are the people who are part of his plan.
I love God, and He loves me. I'm glad that I'm a part of His Plan, and I am blessed to know so many people that are a part of His Plan.

Coming back from paradise to some good news and some bad news

The trip to Thailand and Taiwan was absolutely awesome! We all had the time of our lives, and I will especially cherish the experiences of that vacation for the rest of my life.
I have talked to some family and friends the last two mornings since I came back, and have learned some good and bad stuff.
My grandfather - my mother's real father - passed away by a massive heart attack this last week. I didn't see my Grandpa Robertson very often throughout my life, but anytime we visited him or he came to visit us, all my family and I received from him was love and kindness. He loved us so much, and he loved the Lord also. I know where he is now, and I take comfort in that. Please pray for my mother and her sisters and his wife and their adopted children.
My dear friend Ann White is still struggling with an illness that doctors can't quite diagnose. She got to spend Christmas with her family (Praise God!) but suffered another major setback that sent her back to ICU. Please pray for her.
God is answering prayers for my dear friend Stephanie. Although she is fighting a cancer that is spreading through her body, He is providing her with supportive friends who are really showing her Christ's love (Praise God!) by doing what they can to provide her with her many needs. He has also provided much-needed money for her through a very kind, rich woman that is helping her pay for her rent and other costs that being in and out of the hospital creates (Praise God!).
My brother Jon, and his wife of 9 months, Brandy, are expecting their first child at the end of September (Praise God!). I am going to be an aunt! We are all VERY excited about this, and I made sure my brother knew how much I'm going to spoil that baby. The baby is due right around the time my other brother, Mike, is going to marry his long-time girlfriend April. We are hoping that the birth and the wedding won't be too close, especially since the birth is planned to occur in Oklahoma and the wedding in Nebraska.
God is so good. Bad things happen, but that's part of life.
To end this blog, here are a few things pertaining to our trip to Thailand and Taiwan that I am thankful to God about. Over the next few days, I will post the hundreds of pictures on my picture webpage, so look at it in about 3 days, when I have the comments and the order all set.
Thank you God!
Thank you God for no plane, scooter, truck, boat, scooter, tuk-tuk (motorized rickshaws), bus, van, ferry, train, taxi, and elephant accidents. Over the thousands of miles we traveled, only you fully know the dangers we were in while using the mostly sketchy and sometimes dangerous transportations of our choice. Thank you for answering our many silent prayers on the many scary roads, oceans, and skies that we traveled.
Thank you for being among us and keeping us from anger with and about each other. I was so afraid that we would hate each other by the end of this trip. But it has been the complete opposite and I praise you that you could bring eight totally different people together in harmony, especially during very stressful, exhausting times. Thank you God for letting me know and love deeper Marianne, Holly, Catera, Lacey, Chisato, Peter, and Denver.
Thank you for the Bangkok Christians. I pray that they will grow in number and in harmony.
Thank you for sending Gary Kuan to us in Taipei. If it weren't’t for him, we would have never made it to our hotel, tried some delicious Taiwan food, or made it back to the airport for our early morning flight. Lord, I pray that you provide for him fellowship and a life moresubmergedd in you.
Thank you God for sparing us from any major injury or sickness. Aside from minor sunburns, bruises from unknown sources, minor scratches from a sea urchin and barnacles, minor stings from only you know what while snorkeling, numerous bites from mosquitoes, and numerous bites from some unknown sand bug, you kept us safe and healthy. Thank you so much.
Thank you God for keeping us from getting the bird flu. Also thank you for keeping us from malaria, really bad stomach problems, and any other illness we could have easily contracted in the places we visited. And thanks for keeping Holly from being car sick most of the trip.
Thank you for the beautiful weather you provided us. The respite from the inescapable cold of Japan was a refreshing and rejuvenating experience.
Thank you for all of the amazing things we got to see and experience. It was such a blessing to be able to see other peoples and their societies and to experience their culture and way of life. And thank you, as always, for the gift of beautiful sunsets.
Thank you for white sand beaches and riding elephants and snorkeling. It was my first tropical island experience and I really loved it.
And thank you again for the seven wonderful people I got to travel with. We laughed the whole time, which made everything more enjoyable and unforgettable.
Thank you God!