Opportunity out of Frustration

I last posted in May. I haven't had much I was ready to share since then. Sometimes it's hard to see the good things coming in the midst of hard times, but I'm gonna practice what I preach, and choose to focus on those positives. And they are wonderful.

The biggest and best thing to happen in all of 2014 is this little one right here. Ramida Deanna Whertvine. She's two and a half months old and amazes me everyday.

We are living at my mother -in-law's house right now, but the good in that is how willing she is to help us with taking care of Deanna. This has helped us have the time and energy for me to get my work stuff done and for Anne to have some time to come and help out with the coffee shop and on Friday nights.

The coffee shop is up and currently is covering its product costs. We are working our way up to be able to cover the cost of the rent, electricity, and employee. But we have been getting great feedback on our current products, so we need to focus on our marketing, getting some more edibles in there, and getting a few more pieces of equipment, namely another air conditioner, a cake display case, and a new counter so that more than one person can get work done back there at the same time.

Our Friday nights are still going. This past week we had a Halloween party, this week and the following weeks we will have a Loi Krathong/Yii Peng party, Game Night Tourney, and a modified Thanksgiving. Our goal this month is to grow the attendance from the university, and get more people from our church participating to really be able to start some sort of Bible study.

Mummy Competition @ Classic Coffee

Speaking of our church, they will be having cell group at Classic Coffee tomorrow night, and we are going to pray together and talk about how best we can work together to stat some bigger works out here. I'll give more details on that when we have finalized some things.

I'm seeing more and more, if we hadn't been evicted out of our comfort zone and forced to adapt, we never would have attempted the coffee shop this early, because it truly is too much for both of us right now. BUT... The opportunities that are practically hitting us in the mouth right now, the doors God is opening and the potential bridges that can be built, this was the perfect timing for all of it. Thank you for all of your prayers. Thank you for your words and messages of support, encouraging us to keep going. Thank you for your belief in the work we are doing. Everyone of you who reads these words, keeps up with us, prays for us, and send words of encouragement, you truly are our partners and help us to get up and get moving each day, and we would for sure not be here doing this with out you all by our sides.

Stay on the look out for pictures and videos from our Friday nights this month, and keep them in your prayers, We're gonna show you all all of the things that are happening, and next month I'll have more info about the big picture Anne and I are looking at.

Please pray for our health. Right now we are pushing ourselves hard getting all of this going and haven't been resting enough. I was down with small cold the last two days, but getting up and at it in the morning. Thank you all again.

Irons and Fires

For me, I have been subconsciously equating the new school year with the start of a new year. Over the last few weeks my contract as been renewed and I've re-upped my visa and work permits. So it feels like the year is getting started. And boy do I have a lot of Iron in the Fire this year. So let's look at those irons:

1. Ministry - This summer we haven't been able to connect much with our students, so really looking forward to this upcoming year. As of right now we are still looking for place to meet up. We may not have one until the year starts and we can get with our students figure out what works best for all of us.

2. Family - Anne is getting larger and as of right now we have 80 days until the due date. Big, big change happening right there. And we are looking to make our lives more stable for our baby girl and our sanity's sake. To that end:

3. Building a house - We have land as soon as the gov. gets the new deeds made and we nearly have house plans finished. We are taking the advice of family all around that if we are going to build, make sure it is a house that we can stay in long term and absolutely love and we are nearly there. Of course the next step means:

4. Taking our a Mortgage - If we are going to build, we don't really have the cash on hand to just outright do it, so that means going into a bit of debt. I'll go more into that at the bottom:

5. Classes - taking my classes from last year and kicking them up a notch. To do it will be a fun challenge. That's my main project at work the next two months.

6. Purdue - The university is partnering with Purdue to do a study about how to improve international trade from handicraft villages.... or something like that. So I'm going to go along and help as a translator but also to hopefully learn some. Anne and I have been looking into alternate streams of revenue and online sales has crossed our minds more than once.

7. The English Experience - As part of my contract, I need to do a project this year, so I am putting this together. It's something the students sorely need in terms of contact with native speakers, but it comes at a price. Have to see if my students and the university are willing to pay it.

8. Curriculum Research - I am co-researching with a fellow teacher the needs for a curriculum for the Tourist Police. If it goes well, then we could end up putting together something that would be published and used nation wide. That would be cool.

9. Other random things - The university always has this or that starting and needing 'volunteers', so we'll see what surprises they throw at me this year.

10. Moving (again) - We are going to take Anne's mom up on her offer and go live in her house (which she is not using at the moment). This way we can save money for the future as well as, when we get closer to Baby time, rent an apartment for a month or two near the hospital where our child will be born.

So like I said, quite a bit going on as we head into this new school year.

More on the house.

This house will be our base of operations for the foreseeable future. But we need your help. In the next few weeks we will be starting a fundraising drive for the down payment for this house. We need to get a few key details from owners of the constructions company we will most likely use, but when we have that, we will need to get going quick. Rough guesstimate is that we will need to raise around $6,000 to get thing rolling with the actual construction. This will be the biggest fund raiser we will have attempted yet, so right now wee need prayers from everyone as we move forward that God will provide exactly what we need when we need it.

Also be praying as we move out into the village about our ministry. This is a great opportunity to live near and witness to Anne's immediate family. It will also be a time where I am going to have to redefine the student ministry I have been pursuing since I graduated DTS. There is amazing opportunity if Anne and I have the wisdom to see it. So your prayers are deeply appreciated.

Love you all, and talk again after we finalize the house plans.

Love and lots of English

Secondary students at morning assembly.

The end of the semester at my university is like going 90 m.p.h to 0 with the click of a stapler. The entire month of February has been a mad dash to finish all the projects, complete all the classes, attend all the the events and grade all the papers. All of it leading down to yesterday at just after six when I printed off my last class grade report to be sent to the outsource committee, stapled and put it in the folder on my boss's desk.

Now to shift gears to get ready for summer, baby and a new term.

But first: Highlights:

- February first, went to a couple from our church's wedding. It was outdoors and beautiful.
- The next week got to speak to a local high school to convince them to come to our English camps. They laughed at my jokes. The jokes were in Thai. I'm happy with that.

Two teachers from the School,
Aj. Ying, and myself

- The 8th, Anne and I got to go to a random concert. We had fun. It was the international battle of the bands, so had music from all over the world, and even though it was sponsored by MTV, they didn't all sound the same.
- The 14th, our first Valentines Day as a married couple and this year a national holiday (thank you lunar calendars of Buddhist holidays) So what did we do? Since it was on a Friday, I baked cookies, and we borrowed a friends x-box and kinetic to set up a dance competition. How did go? Check out the video below:

 

Special thanks to P'Aek for making this video for us

Our campers and staff

- The 15th, holiday weekend, sooo what better day to wake up at 6 am to go put on an all day English camp. It went really well, had our largest group attending and despite a couple of hiccups (probably only glaring to the people who planned the thing), went off really well. I'll have pics up this weekend.

After the camp I had convinced the frisbee players to come out to try and get my students involved in Ultimate. No students showed up but we still had a lot of fun for pick up. Then went home to a house full of students wanting to play more Just dance... gonna have to get my own some day.

Annie, Yo & Dao

-The 18th, graduation celebration for the two graduates receiving degrees this year. (Though one was in absentia). They let me pick the restaurant and the school payed for it. It was a great night. As they rolled me out of the place, one of our other students who had graduated the year before pulled up on his bicycle. Was good to see him.

Waiting on Elephants

-The 19th - My English club field trip was rescheduled. So I picked the best day to take a school trip for which I had to go along... My birthday. We went elephant riding and bamboo rafting, and ate good food by the side of the river. Then Anne and I went out to eat and to watch Robocop. The only downside that day was when I bought the ticket they forgot to mention to me that the version I was going to be watching was Thai dubbed. Fortunately action movies don't rely heavily on verbal plot developments and my Thai has much improved over the past 5 years.

- The 22nd & 23rd were graduation. One full day (9 am - nearly 9 pm) for practice, and then all day for ceremony and stuff on Sunday. But Anne got her degree, and we had enough to hire a photographer for the day since I was busy working the event. It was a great day.

-Finally, got all my school work done, ended the year buying some pizza for our students, and now, today, we go for our next ultrasound.

Prayer Requests: 
- As many of you know, we are going to be evicted from our house. We don't yet know when, but in the next month or two at the earliest. Right now we are looking around for the best option, meaning do we rent again, and potentially face this same thing again in the future, or do we use our rent money and make it mortgage money? That's right. We may be looking at buying a house.

My goal is to try to find a house that we can still do our ministry out of, but be comfortable enough to grow as a family as well. Hopefully near the university. So please pray that God would be guiding our search for that.

- A vehicle. We can't keep going on the bike with the baby on the way. A pregnant lady and fat white boy will probably break that little thing in too. But at the same time, with having to move, I'm not sure where we are at financially. Anne has found a little job to do for the next couple of months, and that will help us save up for down payments, but one the kiddo arrives, she won't be working for at least a few months. So with taking on a new house payment (weather purchasing or renting), and looking to take on a car payment, She and I are going to need some help. So be praying for us as well as we start trying to expand our support base.

- In a couple of months, two friends of mine are coming to help with ministry. They are coming to do some photo profiles of local ministries. Please pray for me as I start solidifying plans, that we will get in touch with the right places. Where my friend's photography skills can be the biggest blessing, and that I will be able to get the planning done while looking for a house/car and getting ready for next semester.

Love you all! We might know the Gender of the baby today, so if we find out, we'll be letting you all know as well. Lot's of love!

Zac & Anne

 

Back in the Habit

January 2014! Hit the ground running and haven't stopped yet.

Students and Teachers Learning from a Monk

Highlights:

Some of my first students came by to visit

- Let the world know another Whertvine is on the way! Thanks everyone for the support and prayers!
- Started the second half of the last semester off right. Had a good group out to watch a movie and play games.
- Celebrated a friend's wedding
- Had our first ultrasound and realized I was looking at my kid
- Went to a TESOL seminar and got a lot of good ideas about how to up my game in the classroom
- Spent the weekend at a temple with the English department and got to know and understand the culture and beliefs that much better.

Prayer Requests:

Lunch with Some students

- We haven't had any students coming the last couple weeks. With finals fast approaching at the end of February they are feeling the pressure. Be praying that our house can be a refuge from that rather than bars
- Annie was asked to leave her job, twice within a week. Her bosses made it clear that they didn't want to have to pay for a birth and for her to take time off. So we decided she should go ahead and leave. So we don't really know what the next step for her will be.
- We need a vehicle. Annie is starting to show, and driving in the fumes and pollution can't be good for us or the baby, and in a few months we both won't be able to fit on the bike. So we are trying to figure out what the best thing to do is to save up for a down payment. We are going to send out fundraising requests for the vehicle soon.
- This month is even busier than last month. Please pray that I can get everything done at school I need to get done done and on time. Also that I have the energy and motivation to do so.

With my fellow teachers and one
of the speakers @ TESOL Thailand

Direction for our family as we try to figure out our finances in adding in our third.

Upcoming Events:
- Big Valentine's Day Party at our house.
- English camp @ NCU          2/15/2014
- English Club Field trip         2/19/2014
- Annie's Graduation Day       2/23/2014

Over two months

This semester has been crazy. Didn't realize it had been that long since I last posted. Gonna keep this one brief.

Praises:

1. Our Friday nights have been fun with a few students coming out each week to eat and play games and fellowship. I have a new page set up with Facebook called Huen Whertvine, feel free to check it out. Also, all the instagram pics we post are hashtagged #huenwhertvine so if you search that, you can see the pictures we have been taking.
Side note: Huen is northern Thai for house or home, so it means the Whertvine house.

2. This semester is almost over. It has been rough getting back into the swing of things. but I made it through, and have passed my probation period into being a full time professor. Next week I'll be giving my first two finals. Then it's over.

3. We are going to America for two weeks to see family. It will be my first time home in two and a half years, so it will be good to see everyone. It will also be Anne's first time in America... or really outside Thailand for that matter. Please be praying for our flight and travels.

4. Anne got a ten year visa, which is unheard of for a first time applicant. Especially one with no previous travel outside of Thailand recorded in their passport. So praise the Lord for that, and thanks to the official who was interviewing her.

5. We will be having two receptions for our wedding.
Sunday, October 20th
The Settle Inn, Linn Missouri
In the afternoon. Will post more specific times when I know them.

Saturday, October 26th
TBD, Ardmore area, Oklahoma
TBA when I know.

If you are free and able to come, please do. This trip is short, but I'd still like to be able to see as many people as possible while we are there. Never know when if we'll get another opportunity (but praying we will)

Those are the main things, just praises this month. I may also be speaking at a church in MO, and at FBC Ardmore the 20th and 27th. Still firming up the details on those two as well.

Thank you all, hopefully see many of you all in about 3-5 weeks.

A Month and a Half In

Scenery from God's Creation

How to compress the the last month or so into a readable post?

Praises - 
1. We have past the one month anniversary! Many more years to go!

2. I have been able to get all of the things I've needed to turned in on time at school.

3. Classes are going OK. And the second year students are a great bunch and a lot of fun.

4. Been able to meet the new children of two friends in the last month as well. Tiny little miracles.  

5. Was able to send Anne down to Bangkok to take the next step in getting a decent job in a good company. Still waiting on the results of that.

Cal and I

6. My friend Cal rented bikes for the two of us so that we could take one last bike trip together before he heads back to America for a while.

7. We went 500 miles in two days and off-roading on street bike and both came back safe and sound. And we got to see some of the most beautiful countryside because we didn't turn around. So worth it.

8. We have been inviting my students out to the house on Friday nights to unwind from the week, cook and eat together and play games. Only had to big nights so far, but they were a blast.

9. Said students are very excited about the idea of doing some service projects together, which will open the doors for some great opportunities.

10. Sent a quick message out to some friends here about opportunities for some teams to come join in at the university and help us continue to build relationships with the students and got an overwhelming response.

11. Three girls from a School of Worship and Music (with YWAM) are coming to English club on Wednesday to do music, and then coming to hang out with us on Friday as well!

Events -
Well, like I mentioned above, every Friday we are having student over for a game and fun night.

Will be working with teams to come in for English club and then to do events at the house on the Fridays following.

Anne is still looking for a job.

Had two good friends leave this past Sunday for America, most likely for at least 2 years.

Mid term tests will be in two weeks. I'm about as nervous as my students.

Other News - 
Things are going well. We are getting by, and super excited about the game night. Right now it's the highlight of our week each week. We are also wondering about what job should Anne do. She has a couple of options and so we are looking into which one will be the best fit for her and for where we are currently.

We both are adjusting to married life. Learning how to give and take. It's been fun. School is consuming most of my time. It has been much more of an adjustment than I thought it would be getting back into teaching. I have forgotten so much more than I realized. And relearning how much fitting into mold annoys me. But it's worth it to be able to take care of Anne and the majority of my responsibilities each month. All my bills are paid for, but still figuring out how to transition into paying all of my student loan bills myself.

Anyways. That's where things stand now.

Prayer Requests -  
1. Anne's job. A job that will help us meet the last of our financial needs, but also fits her in terms of her personality and that will allow her to chase down the dreams God has given her.

2. Game night. Please be praying that this fun night will lead to opportunities to share with our students why we have the hope we have.

3. Energy. Preparing everything, trying to stay on top of grading and lesson plans, and things needed for class/English club/school responsibilities/game night/being a goo husband/being involved with the church/etc. I've got a full plate and I need the energy to get through it each day and week.

4. Time management skills and focus. These two need to increase because I need to manage my time much better, but I also need to be able to focus on the task at hand in order to do what I have made time to do.

5. Anne and I to continue to grow as one, and to keep God and his plans and the center of our lives.

Thank you all. We love you and are praying that we can come home and see you soon!

Thankful

The plan was to post this once internet was installed at the house, but not sure when that will happen, so here we go anyways.

I want to take this post to simply say thank you.

Firstly to God. If it weren't for God and for Jesus coming back from the dead. I would never have been in this position to even know most of these people, including my new wife. So thank you Father, for your faithfulness and every blessing that you have poured out on us. Thank you.

The rest will be stream of consciousness in no particular order:

Thank you to my family. My mom and dad and brother for their support the past four and a half years. And for dropping everything to come over and celebrate here with us. It meant the world for Anne and me that you were here. Also to my extended family on both sides. For my mom's parents for their prayers, letters and encouragement and for their love. For all my dad's sisters and brothers-in-law, and all of my cousins. Again it meant so much to Anne and I for waking up so early to watch our wedding online, and even bake a cake to celebrate with us. We can't wait to get back to Missouri to see you all and introduce Anne to you in person. Thank you for helping make our day that much more special.

Thank you to Anne's family as well. For their support of the marriage, for encouraging us and helping us get the last few things in place for ceremony and reception to be great. Thank you to all of you who were able to come to the wedding and share in our celebration.

Thank you to our amazing family at Chung Doi CoC. You guys have supported us as we grew as a couple and were there for us throughout the entire planning process for the wedding up all the way through the reception. Thank you for everyone who pitched in.

Specifically, thank you to Dthan for being our wedding planner. For working with us for through the theme deciding process and executing such a beautiful decorating scheme. Thank you for organizing and preparing everyone and everything so that Anne and I could just enjoy the ceremony and the reception. Thank you P. Kate for taking care of food and getting all the stuff together for that part. Thank you to P. Noi, P. Pat, P. Mim, Yochiz and anyone else who helped with providing food and drinks. Thank you Ben for being our DJ at the reception, the songs were perfect.

Thank you to P. Anne and P. Sin for helping get everything going and keeping everything moving working so well together during the ceremony. Thank you Nok Noise for helping us out as well.

Thank you everyone at Baan Kanoon, firstly for bringing me to Thailand, and for all the support you have given me in my time here, and for being there for Anne and I through our difficult times and for helping out before and at the wedding.

Thank you Kratea, N. Liew, P. Golf, and everyone who helped at the registration table.

Thank you Kate and Fai for taking care of Anne's hair and make up and highlighting how beautiful she is.

Thank you Ozzie and P'Toey for MC'ing the wedding and the photography time, and P'Jan and Fai for being our MC's during the reception.

Thank you P. Bee, P. Thum and Mai for the music during the reception.

Thank you P. Sean and my dad for working together so that we could have a dual language wedding and include all the members of both of our families and all our friends who came.

Thank you Claire, Zach and Alex for volunteering your time and skills so that we could have a string trio, something both of us loved and never imagined we would be able to have.

Thank you Gigi for making 150 cupcakes and an amazing Cake along with the toppers and the stand to put it all on.

Thank you to to P. Note and EEE, and the Smallworm lighting group for such beautiful pre-wedding photos.

Thank you to P. Thum, John Briggs, P. Wing Cov, P. Say and Cal for the photos and video of the ceremony and reception.

Thank you Florian and Katerine for taking care of us for our Honeymoon so that we could have a couple nights to get away and just enjoy being together.

Thank you to Jared, Arm, Cal, Ekk, Chris, P. Jit, P. Maew, Mint, Dream and P. Sun for standing beside us in front of everyone as we came together as man and wife.

Thank you for all the guys who came out for the bachelor part for good food, excellent karaoke choices and dance floor memories.

Thank you ladies for taking the time during the midst of planning, organizing and preparing for the wedding in the midst of your busy lives to also put on a wedding shower for Anne.

If for some reason as Anne and I were writing this we forgot someone or something, we ask for your forgiveness and still say thank you.

 Thank you our wedding gifts that when so far beyond our expectations and helped us get a few needed items for the house as well as get us through the rest of the month.

Thank you all for praying for us as Anne and I enter into a who realm of new. New marriage, new position at NCU, new rent house and Anne just graduated and looking for a new job. Thank for all the facebook messages and email of support. Thank you for reading what is now going to be our blog.

In about two weeks after school has been open for a month, I will put up my next update update. Thank you again. We love you.