the Yus' Thailand News: Happy New Year!!!

Been wanting to post more often, but it's hard to find an uninterrupted chunk of time to complete a post. I will try to post shorter posts so they can be more frequent...or rather, post more frequently so they can be shorter.

The month of December has been quite busy. We can't believe we've been here more than 3 months already! Our hearts are full of THANKFULNESS as we reflect on these past months of adjustment:

Even with many health concerns, particularly for the boys, we're thankful that they haven't been more serious these early months. We've made it through bronchitis treated with antibiotics for both boys; 4 stitches for Eli treated with antibiotics; 3 rounds of impetigo for Ian treated with 2 rounds of antibiotics, antibiotic cream, and now steroid cream; stomach virus for Eli treated with a shot to the tush to help him keep fluids down; general respiratory issues off & on the entire time we've been here. We're now on the mend.
Having the prayer and financial support of so many back home and even abroad in Japan, Canada, the UK, and Korea brings much encouragement and strength as we adjust to life here in Thailand. Your generous support enables us to focus this time on learning Thai, learn about ZOE, and adapt to our new life here. So thank you!!!
Although our involvement with a local church body has been limited, we're thankful that we've been able to worship and receive solid teaching at Chiang Mai Christian Fellowship Church and attend alongside some of our ZOE missionaries. We've volunteered to co-lead a 5th-6th grade Sunday small group in the coming year. We pray that this will be an opportunity to minister to our local body and get more connected with our church.
We're so thankful for the wonderful ZOE family. We continue to learn from, be encouraged and challenged by, and enjoy fellowship and accountability with each of them. We hope to be able to spend more time with everyone and serve more at the children's home in the coming year. David has met with the leadership to specify his job description and I've volunteered any help I can give with my limited availability from home. We meet weekly or biweekly with fellow missionaries for accountability.
God has provided another wonderful source of accountability, support, and encouragement through the small Korean American Christian community in our neighborhood. We have grown close to our duplex neighbors, Reverend Chang and his wife who minister to local Thai communities, and Pastor Danny and his family who run elijahfoundation.org. David meets with Danny for accountability twice a month. Additionally, there is also Reverend JJ and his Thai wife Junya who run jasperkids.org and have been a great resource and source of fellowship for us as well.
Apart from their health, the boys have been adjusting so well here in Thailand. They love school and are doing really well there. We really couldn't ask for more in regards to this area. Although Ian misses America and expresses this with daily comments about Disneyland, his cousins, our church, and old friends, he's doing great and maturing in many ways. We're especially thankful that God has given us the patience to work daily (or hourly) with Eli on his difficult behavior upon our arrival. God is gracious and helped him to settle down and given us tools to communicate with him during this stage of his development. He's not the craziest kid in public anymore. =P
My pregnancy continues to progress normally and all measurements appear to be healthy. What was one of our greatest concerns coming out here has turned out to be the least of our concerns. I'm now entering my 3rd trimester! Whoa!
God has blessed us with wonderful families (parents, siblings, nephews, and nieces), and we're so thankful for their full support in coming out here, as well as just loving us as we've been adjusting out here. We're able to communicate via Skype and email with them, and they help us out a great deal with our day-to-day affairs in the States. Thank you family!
We're immensely thankful for the wonderful resources God has provided through all of you...our home, food, appliances, car, furniture, the list goes on. We have more than enough and thank God every day for providing for our needs.
The Lord continues to uphold and strengthen our marriage as we experience this new season in our lives. We're utterly dependent on Him to help us love and support each other. We started reading through Tying the Knot Tighter together as a way to dialogue and check in with each other about the most important things. We're only on Ch. 3, but hey, it's a start. =)
Jesus! We're thankful for Jesus. He is our hope, our strength, our joy, our reason for being here, our reason for living. He continues to be our source for anything and everything each day. We're thankful for the Lord's grace in our lives, manifested in all the ways mentioned above and in abundantly more ways.

Now for some pictures...

We continue to deal with all kinds of critters on a daily basis. This is the 3rd dead centipede we've found in our yard. The ants love them. The insecticide around our home must be killing them. Phew:

ZOE fellowship activity...we had to draw what we're thankful for:

Teamwork activity:

Eli after school in his uniform:

Common Thai dish for a little over $1:

My attempt at cooking the same dish...it's cheaper to buy it:

Another visit to the Night Safari:

I spend a lot of time each day trying to manage our ant problem:

However, this is nothing compared to one of the other missionary family's encounters with giant ants in their home. Click on this link and scroll to the video at the bottom:

ZOE women's fellowship activity:

Playdate at the Nakamuras:

David & Eli Skyping with Gary & Nam:

Our baby girl:

At the Hug You sheep farm with Reverend JJ's organization:

Dry sledding after the sheep farm:

Getting ready to eat:

One of the missionary children, Garrett, getting baptized at church. Awesome!:

Ian's first round of impetigo:

Thanksgiving with ZOE missionaries...look at Ian sitting by himself (by choice) on the other side of the table:

Prayer before the meal:

Generous donors donated the turkeys b/c they are expensive in Thailand. The missionary families potlucked the side dishes:

We bought Ian a bike with training wheels & a special seat for Eli to ride on our bike. During the month of November, David carpooled to Thai classes in the mornings and had to use the car 2-3 times/week, so I had to bike Eli to and from school 2-3 times/week, while Ian would ride his bike home alongside us on those days. Now that David switched to a new Thai school with classes in the afternoon, I can use the car:

Father's Day at Eli's school:

At one of my favorite places to eat, Hideaway, where I can buy cheese products & American & Mexican food:

Random skin irritations...this one's on his ear:

Sweet sticky rice inside bamboo:

Really yummy snack:

How I do the dishes b/c most Thai kitchens don't have hot water. We tried to install a water heater, but it's too powerful for our kitchen. We got this quick boil to get hot water after Ian kept getting the impetigo & I couldn't wash his dishes in hot water:

Mrs. Chang next door often brings over extra food she makes. This is nonspicy jjamphong. Reverend Chang doesn't eat spicy food like David, so their food is to our taste:

Snack time after school:

With a week off from Thai school, David was able to go into ZOE for a few days. Here he is after his 2nd day on the job:

Our wonderful church family sent us things from the States that are hard or expensive to come by here in Thailand...thank you Homs for the sweats:

Thank you Pawleys for the Ziploc freezer bags & Jason Park for the bonito flakes:

Thank you Christina Lau for the J. Lo & children's towels:

We haven't received the other 3 boxes yet because the post office makes us come and pick them up, and every time we go, the post office is closed.

Volunteering at Ian's school for their Christmas activities:

At another favorite Thai restaurant across the street:

Christmas activities at one of the missionary's homes, the Nakamuras. Nancy planned a great day of cookie decorating, storytime & a movie about Christmas:

Christmas dinner with the ZOE missionaries:

Christmas day:

Night Safari with Grandpa & Grandma:

Eli loves to pose:

Happy birthday grandma:

We didn't celebrate on her actual birthday (Jan. 1st) because of traffic and the busy-ness of the holidays, but we got to go out a few days later, along with our new good friends Reverend Chang's and Pastor Danny's families: