They grow up so fast…

Is it just me, or are all of our updates centered around our children?! I guess they are a very central part of our lives right now. Isaiah has been coughing for over a month (as have mom and dad, and several other people around here), and recently has had trouble with random vomiting…well, it hasn’t actually given him much trouble, as such, more just inconvenience, really. He doesn’t act a tad sick, but it sorta stinks (as only biscuits and gravy or sour milk twice removed can) when he ralphs in the middle of a living room full of company (followed by him running and grabbing a handful of popcorn and shoving it in his mouth), or again when he’s in a mcd’s high chair half finished with a one-pickle hamburger. We finally took him to see a doc, who listened to him wheeze, gave him a breathing treatment, then took a chest xray, and diagnosed him with a mild version of atypical pneumonia, and prescribed some antibiotics, which seem to be clearing things up. He is growing into quite the little guy. His sister, on the other hand, is trying quickly to catch up to him. She tipped the scales on tuesday (while he was at the doc, we quietly slipped her onto the baby scales) at 11 pounds, while he weighs only 21 (after a weekend of ralphing). She seems oversized to us, as we waited 3 months for Isaiah to get this size! I can guarantee there has never been a more adorable little girl with such beautiful hair! :)

                                     She gave her first smile around a week ago, and has been working on improving it! :)

 

Isaiah introduced Emma to rook last week as well…

In other news…
It has been a great start to the year, just being back at the English Centre, without IGo responsibilities, and just giving all our time there. We have a few over 40 students enrolled at IEC right now. I have a new class of 6 high school girls, May, Phai, Lak, Aea, Noot, Fa, and Kan is a 14 year old boy I do a one-on-one class with. I have both classes twice a week, and I also organize/teach on Fridays for the whole group of students at our weekly party/English group activity.

Lak, Oat, Sure                                       Meew, Jaja, Kan

a Friday night activity,                            Mhai, Tangmay, Winta
competing to build the 8th Wonder of the World

I am really enjoying this, and its nice with a family to have a consistent, more low-key schedule for a while. We have been getting a lot of high school aged students, and the interaction and energy level is increasing at the Centre, so we are very thankful for that. The coffee shop is getting more action, and we have had some great, fun times relating to our students and some opportunities to speak truth into their lives. Please continue to pray for us in this, pray that we could be diligent to sow the Word, and that God would bring growth in their hearts. I am also working on preparing myself a little better to train in new and short term teachers at IEC, as well as re-preparing my classes to teach at IGo this coming year again. This combined with the regulars of everyday life, visa work, and travel arrangements, keeps us quite busy still!
We enjoyed a nice cool winter with some nights getting as low as 50 degrees, and days with only a high of 80-85. But since January left, the heat is returning, although the last night or 2, its dropped down near 60 again.
Well, the night isn’t as young as it once was, I should be studying my inner eyelids before long. Thank-you all so much for your continued prayers and support. We are so blessed! You can pray…

• for continued health improvement for Isaiah and Kayla (shes still fighting it some)
• for our students
• especially for Oat, Kan, and Winta, the only 3 teenage guys at IEC, the rest are girls. Pray that God would help us instill in them what masculinity and leadership mean, those have been very compromised in this culture.
• for our IEC team—and especially as we are back in the states for a month, and leave the others behind
• for our traveling plans and the challenges that will go with taking 2 children on a 30 hour trip :) (we have tickets to leave here feb 28, and head back march 29)!
• Thank the Lord for guiding and keeping us under His wings!

Bless God,
Arlin, Kayla, Isaiah and Emma