The Indochinese Spitting Cobra.. in my house.Below is not an actual picture of the Cobra that decided to take a trip through the front of our house earlier this month. I was a little busy freaking out to notice the camera had no card... But it's the same kind. The skinny: Did I try to kill it? Yes...(but failed to get even close) Did it try to kill me? Yes. (blocked by the very short shovel in my trembling hands) Did it get away? Yes. (Sorry, I know that's anticlimactic.) So - my dog (above right)...(the dog above left is useless) was going nuts by our front porch, and I realized it was barking at a rather large snake - about my length (185cm/6ft?). I went to get a shovel which I planned to use as a spear (I wasn't going to get close) but when I raised aforementioned shovel, Mr. Cobra got a little offended and made to strike at me (no spray). At this point God provided a miracle where I whacked the striking snake in the head with the shovel. Frustrated with meeting the shovel, snakey decided to head off for the undergrowth by the house where I pursued at such a distance it should not be called pursuit. Sara and kids were not home. End of story. Got some beef jerky for my dog. Can you help us with insurance $$?The above story reminds me that it is important to carry medical insurance - and we do! However, this year our premiums for the year are $1,300 more than last years...!!! While I'm outraged, I'm also at a loss as to how we can cover this large unbudgeted cost. Anybody want to help? write me at: [email protected] or begin support here: globalchildadvocates.org/the-harvels/ Turbo Time @ Sojourn
Home SchoolSo... sometimes I feel bad for my kids that they aren't getting the 'big school' experience. They've never gotten to fight over the swings at the playground, never had to sit in a smelly schoolbus, never even been in a locker room, never had cafeteria food... wait... hmm. Monday: Social Studies, Bible and Science Tuesday: Grammar and Reading comprehension Wednesday: Creative writing and Art Thursday: Guitar, Baking, Sports Everyday: Math, Reading and Writing. We've been making a movie for the past 3 months and finally finished writing and shooting it (not even begun to edit). One of the families brings everyone to their home for sports and guitar lessons, and cooking, and building. They made a little treehouse this week. For science last Monday we strung kids up from the ceiling to learn about pulleys. Sonya and Levi brought home viking brooches to hold their capes on this week from art. What?... Of course they have capes! Man it's cool. I'm really thankful for our little co-op. Teaching EnglishThe kids and I have started teaching english at a friends house. It's fun for everybody and good for us all. |
This is us not starving at all.
*Disclaimer: most of our meals are not this photogenic.
*Disclaimer: most of our meals are not this photogenic.
Burning season again..
While undeniably awesome looking... burning fields in-between planting seasons does not help the ground or future crops. This is something Thailand needs to put to a stop. But for now we just get to watch the blazes come and go. Our friends are genuinely struggling with the poor air quality, but a bad day here is still cleaner than a good day in China, so we're trained for this!
Prayer Requests
For us!
For Global Child Advocates:
- Sonya and Levi: they are pretty amazing. Pray that they stay healthy and grow in all the best ways.
- Jason: I need creativity and vision! I like doing photos and videos for GCA, and I'm wondering how these days fit into the longer plan God has for our family here in Thailand and afterward. We've been here for two years and its probably the middle of our stay in Thailand. Pray that we make the most out of the 2nd half of our stay here in Thailand.
- Sara: She's really getting to be a people manager now. Pray for grace between her and her employees and coworkers. Pray that she keeps Sojourn pointed at Jesus. Pray for encouragement for her when the day is full of obstacles and the drearier bits of work she has to do sometimes.
- Keep praying for the person who will follow Sara. This mystery person needs a lot of skills and a lot of heart! God knows them.
For Global Child Advocates:
- Encouragement: We've had several staff leave GCA for a variety of reasons (care for family, getting married, moving - good stuff mostly). And as a result it's sometimes hard to know who is supposed to do what.
- Motivation: Since we moved to Thailand, GCA has been undergoing major changes and feeling some heavy transitions. It's easy for our leadership to get bogged down just making sure everyone is ok. Pray that our vision and mission for this place is full of hope-filled forward motion.
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The Harvel Family
We're all settled in to our home in Thailand for the foreseeable future. Its a crazy place - so it suits us.