Language Learning

(from November 2010)...

So I’m learning to translate this message from God. It looks like this:

Cactus thorn deep in my heel

being in stuck in bed with an energy-sapping fever

losing my voice

going to write something down and discovering the entire inside of my pen is mysteriously missing? what?

ok- so here’s what I’m getting-

Dear Hollie,

Stop. Sit down. Shut up. Listen to me.

Love,

God.

Joyfully Overwhelmed

It's long overdue. All I have to say is:

To our Awesome God for grabbing my hand and taking me on one adventure after the other. For tenderly breaking my heart and stretching it beyond what I could have imagined to show me more of Himself. For allowing me to take part in His heart, longing for His children to come home. For showing me the joy we get to have in Him.

To all of you who have been faithfully praying throughout this whole crazy year- you know who you are. Guess what? It works. Boy are there stories to tell :) But first: Thank you.

khob-kun Phracêā

It's been two weeks of functioning translator-less, and oh what fun we've had. My students have been great sports. Some of the Thai phrases I've learned crack me up: (to knead dough- literally, to give the dough a massage)

and I've sent my students into fits of giggles and hand clapping over unintended double entendres.

My favorite Thai phrase is the way they express Thanksgiving- literally, Thank You God day. I love it. I think America has lost something in our translation.
This is the second year in a row that there was an empty chair around the Thanksgiving tables in California, and my cousins got to eat my share of Grandma Lelia's awesome rolls, and Mom Mom's Mai Thai Jello salad.

I was happily chopping onions in our lovely new kitchen watching the lights and chaos of Loi Krathong at the Karaoke bars outside the big picture window. I watched fireworks shoot over my motorbike and over the tops of buildings, and a parade of white tissue lanterns launch into the sky, carrying the sins of their owners-to nowhere. Well, to no one.

They ended up back on the street the next morning, or stuck in trees- greyed, burnt ghosts.

The kitchen was filled with the smell of caramelized onions, and I was overwhelmed with thanks. As my friend Janice so eloquently said, " I am thankful that we can pin our hopes for redemption and forgiveness on something more eternal than flaming tissue paper." Me too. I am so grateful to be celebrating Thank You God day in the middle of the hopelessness of Loi Krathong. I am so thankful for His provision-of the kitchen I stood in, of being able to stand. I am thankful that His Light is greater than the darkness outside, thankful that His mercy and hope still extends- thankful that He chooses to use us to work through.

When the chickens (Thai turkey :) were out of the oven- I walked to my motorbike, wiped the ashes off the seat, smiling and greeting my neighbors- and wished them all a Happy Thank You God day- no translator necessary.

Bake-cation

Remember VBS as a kid? Well, this is BBS- same same, but with cupcakes :)

The Garden of Hope is closed for it's annual holiday break, and so I invited the kidletts to come enjoy our new kitchen this week. We learned how to make Pizza

sugar cookie shapes

That's how we rollIf Martha Stewart was Thai and 9 years old, this would be her :)

P'Hollie! P'Hollie! P'Hollie! Yes? ummmmm..... (giggle giggle)

*the kids still think I can speak Thai :) Thanks Judy!

We did a science experiment: How many sprinkles is it physically possible to fit on a cookie?

(stars have the most surface area)

I missed the Blue Angels this week

Friday we had Iron Chef: boys v. girls

The challenge? Pancakes. It was intense.

We learned about the weapons of warfare, manna in the desert, Jesus feeding the 5000+

and made Panda Cupcakes ;)

They properly christened the new building, baptizing it in sprinkles.

It was sad getting up this morning; knowing that the kitchen would be all squeaky clean and quiet. I miss my kiddos. But the pizza song kept me company :)

*Special thanks to all the helpers (Twyla, Cheri, Ahna, Tony- and to P'Angkhana for translating and P'Mary for cleaning smeared sprinkles all week :) And, to the tuk tuk driver who tried to pick me up: Sorry, I've got 12 kids- as they all came running and yelling out the door. ha ha ha!*

If the world would end tomorrow. . .

"I'd plant a tree."

So said Martin Luther.

So on a day when nothing was certain and I couldn't do a thing about it-

I went and bought a bunch of bright pink flowers.

and dug out the weeds and cacti from the third floor flower box at the new building with my Thai coworkers Angkhana and Nong.

We had to fight back years of deep, angry roots. The more I thought about the beautiful, tender little flowers that were going to live in this soil- the more I hated those roots of bitterness. When my 30 baht shovel bent- I attacked them with my bare hands. No way would they win- and live to entangle and choke our flowers. As I was hanging over the balcony overlooking the seedy Karaoke bars that surrounded me, I realized this is what we are doing. Yes, my hands were covered in dirt instead of flour, but it's the same battle. And it's the same hope that plants and waters and prays please grow little flowers- grow strong.
I can't think of a better way to start this new project.

Pick me up

Tiramisu is the Italian word for "pick me up." Because this awesome dessert is packed with caffeine and sugar. Yesterday I made one Chiang Mai style. A pastry chef without a kitchen is pretty sad- but I'm learning that the urge to create will not be quieted. It led to this baking adventure...

This is a Tiramisu birthday cake- on my motorbike. I bought a bag of cocoa powder, opened it with the motorbike key, closed it with a hair tie, and dusted cocoa over the seat of the bike. Then I made chocolate shavings with a spoon and a candy bar- which, of course, promptly melted in the heat. In the parking lot of Central Airport Plaza. Yep, lots of Thai people staring at the crazy Farang. :)

But- you know what? It tasted awesome.

Here's my cooking school student after sneaking a corner- and that's her husband's hand- yes, he ate some with his bare hands. And it was delicious. :)

Another Satisfied Customer

This is me feeding our banana coconut bread to a surprise visitor at street sales tonight.

He LOVED! It :)