the Yus' Thailand News: 10 Days to Go!

We are now counting down in "days" and can't believe how fast the time has flown by. We enjoyed a wonderful time with our church in San Diego at our 15-year annual retreat. We've been busy packing and having our last meals with friends. Sadly, we're now at the point where we have to turn down offers to meet up one last time with friends, as we are busy packing, Ester is either finishing up a work project or laid out sick on the couch throughout the day and night, and David is running around doing the errands. Unfortunately, the boys are watching way too much tv, and playing way too many computer and ipod games. We hope to get back to a normal life once we're settled in Thailand. A huge help has been a dear sister from church, Tiffany, who's been coming on her days off to take the boys out in the mornings so they can have some fun and we can make some progress.

David's parents are arriving today from Korea, and more relatives are arriving in the days to come. We look forward to spending time with family before we leave.

Here are some additional updates:

Commissioning Service: Our last Sunday at church will be our sendoff service this coming Sunday, Sept. 18, at 9:30am. David will preach his last sermon, finishing up his series through the book of Ephesians. The 1st hour will be followed by a short update on what we'll be doing in Thailand, then a report on our church's mission trip to Japan. We'll end with a catered lunch. We look forward to seeing friends who'll be visiting the church to say goodbye. However, we'll be sad to say goodbye to those we'll be seeing for the last time before we depart.
Departure Flight: We are departing Saturday, Sept. 24, at 11:20pm on Thai Airlines from the International Terminal. We will most likely arrive around 8:30pm to ensure enough time for check-in.
ZOE Funds: As previously updated, we've reached our financial goals for our initial 2-year commitment. We continue to receive funds from family and friends beyond our goals. (God is abundantly gracious!) ZOE will allow us to use any additional funds for emergency situations and future financial needs if we stay beyond the initial 2 years.
zoe Necklaces/Keychains: We've now given out about 100 zoe necklaces and keychains for donations of $10 or more. Wow!
Liz Wang Photography: Some wonderfully talented friends of ours from church are offering a limited time family/baby photo session, with proceeds going to ZOE. Click here for details. Make sure to click "Home" to see their amazing photos. Any photo done by them would be a beautiful keepsake.
Packing: God continues to be gracious to us as someone we know will be moving into our apartment, along with his roommates. This allows us to leave many of the items we would've had to get rid of (e.g., housewares, small furniture, etc.). We're thankful we have less to do in our final days. Everyone asks us how much of our stuff we'll be taking with us. We're packing up as much as we can into 8 check-in bags, which will consist of clothes, shoes, toys, belongings, and some household items that may be difficult to find or expensive in Thailand. We're boxing up David's books, our DVDs and CDs, and will ship all these by sea. We anticipate about 15 boxes. We are fortunate that the ZOE family will have some baby items that we can borrow, so that we don't have to bring these things out now.
Pregnancy: We are thankful that the pregnancy is progressing well, which means Ester is very sick. She's working hard to keep down what she eats, watching carefully what she eats so it's easy to digest (i.e., no more fatty foods), and breaking down her meals into small portions to prevent indigestion and nausea. Yes, it's all about food. We're praying daily that God would keep the baby healthy and entrusting his/her life into His hands. We'll have one last doctor's visit before we leave so we can have some time to settle in Thailand before having to make another doctor's visit.
Housing: We continue to research online for homes to rent. The ZOE family has been amazing, as they've been checking out homes for us on their own and emailing us their videotaped tours of the homes! How great are they! We're so thankful to enter into such a loving ZOE family.
Ian: Ian is feeling the weight of our imminent departure, as he's now been saying that he only wants to go for a short time and then return to our country. He asked his Auntie Swan why her family can't come with us. We've been reminding him that we'll be able to visit during the summers, and that friends and family can visit us. We've also been telling him that home is where the family is, and that we'll make a new home together in Thailand, and he won't want to leave there because he'll enjoy it so much. We've emailed all his paperwork to enroll him in the international Christian school we hope he can attend. He's currently missing the 1st quarter and will begin his 2nd quarter on Oct. 10. For a boy who struggles greatly with change and transitions, we've often used those times as opportunities to teach him that Christ and His Word is the only unchanging, constant in our lives, that He is the one to find His hope and peace in. This move will be the biggest opportunity thus far to teach him this life-truth. Please pray for his little heart, as we anticipate the transition will be an emotional one for him.
Visits: Another question that people ask is when we will visit the States. Ester may return to deliver the baby in America, but if all is well with the pregnancy, she may deliver in Thailand. Normally, we should be able to return during the summers for a few months. We get a total of 2 months off! Visits in 2012 will be uncertain, but normally, we should be able to visit during the summer months.

Here are some pics...last visit at Riley-bear's:

Disneyland with Auntie Connie, cousin Nathaniel, and Connie's niece:

First time at Legoland. We usually take Ian's cousin Kristen or Shelby on our trips, but because they were in school already, Zoe got to come for the first time: