Stay Cool.

I came across this simple message recently and at first I was thinking "wow! This really applies to my life over the last few years".

After all, if I can live in the vast number of situations and scenarios and settings as I have since Susi was born and still be positive about life and its future trajectory, I must be cool. Not freeze dried but cool.

However, I have also discovered that "staying cool" needs to also apply to my daily life... Something that I am quite sure I haven't worked out. Need proof? Just ride with me here in Thailand when we are trying to find a friends house. Without fail I am near tears every time by the time we arrive there (if we arrive at all). Many roads don't have names and landmarks are always changing...and I can no longer rely upon my iPhone map to get me there!!

For example, here are the directions we most recently attempted:
North on Mae Jo road through Mae Jo university area. At km11 (white ground post on right side of road....11 will be facing road side) pass the first U-turn and then take the 2nd U-Turn. Then take the 1st left heading east toward the mountains. Travel 6km crossing a canal and a rainbow fence. At the 'y' ....top of an incline, keep left and continue straight to a sharp left turn and a gate entering a mango orchard. Travel straight into the orchard keeping right next to the mountain. Follow road to our house. Call whenever you need to!

These directions are pretty typical. Notice after the first sentence there are no street names. Well, we found the "rainbow fence" but after that we were completely lost... For an hour... With no cell reception so we couldn't even call them! Needless to say, my ability to "stay cool" was left on the rainbow fence an hour back.

Well, we got there after our friend drove out looking for us. A little embarrassing. A little humbling. Perhaps exactly what I need.

Stay cool DJ. Stay cool.

With love & blessings,
DJ and the Wandering Rileys

Location:Chiang Mai,Thailand

Humanifesto- a poem of truth

This striking poem speaks of a sincere desire to live our life with purpose, to love God and to love our neighbor.

READ IT! READ IT OUT LOUD! It rocks and it will challenge you!

Humanifesto
-Gerard Kelly on The Door CD/DVD

I want to be a grace guerilla
no longer a chameleon of karma
the time has come to stand out from the crowd.
I want to give forgiveness a fighting chance of freeing me
I want to live in love
and live it out loud.

I want to drink deep of the foolishness of wisdom
instead of swallowing the wisdom of fools
I want to find a source in the deeper mines of meaning
to search out the unsearchable
to invoke the invisible
to choose the truth the TV hypnotists aren't screening.

No camouflage
no entourage
no smoothly fitting-in
I want a faith that goes further than face value
and a beauty that goes deeper than my skin.

I want to be untouched by my possessions
instead of being possessed by what I touch
to test the taste of having nothing to call mine
to hold consumption's cravings back
to be content with luck or lack
to live on water as well as on wine.

I want to spend myself on those I think might need me
not spend all I think I need on myself
I want my heart to be willing to make house calls.
Let those whose rope is at an end find in me a faithful friend
Let me be known as one who rebuilds broken walls.

No camouflage
no entourage
no smoothly fitting-in
I want a faith that goes further than face value
and a beauty that goes deeper than my skin.

I want to be centered outside the circle
to be chiseled by a different seam
I want to be seduced by another story
and drawn into a deeper dream
I want to be anchored in an undiscovered ocean
to revolve around an unfamiliar sun
a boom box tuned to an alternate station
a bullet fired from a different gun.

No camouflage
no entourage
no smoothly fitting-in
I want a faith that goes further than face value
and a beauty that goes deeper than my skin.




With love & blessings,
DJ and the Wandering Rileys

Location:Chiang Mai,Thailand

Motorbikes, Mangoes & Moouts

Moout?! Ok I'll get that one out the way right now. Moout is Thai for Ant. They are everywhere. If you leave something out or leave a trail of crumbs they come out in droves. Or even if you did put it away but didn't DOUBLE bag it, they find a way in. They are an army. Big ones. Small ones. Flying ones. Biting ones. And they are worse when it rains... And we just happen to be entering the rainy season. Awesome.

So, there's an adjustment to be made there! But living in Costa Rica prepared me for ants- I just have to get used to them again.

I suppose that is my plan: I just have to get used to _____ again. Because we have lived overseas before, we have realized that in order to thrive in a given place, you must make adjustments. Big ones. Small ones. Flying ones. Biting ones. Haha But the point is that adjustments must be made... And right now they are being made all the time.

Driving for instance. Although Mike and I both have operated vehicles for over 20 years, driving here involves some serious adjustments. For instance, rules of the road here are more like guidelines. Just let that soak in for a minute. You cannot rely on the rules to get you around. You must flow with the traffic and merge... While navigating narrow thruways, dogs lying in the streets, 1000s of motorbikes, and one small teeny fact that they drive on the other side of the road.

One fun adjustment is the food! For the most part we are pretty adventurous eaters! Even Susana has been willing to try different things- she loves mangoes and sticky rice! Will likes Thailand's signature dish, Pad Thai. Mike likes anything spicy- curries especially! My fave thing to eat here is Rotee- a street vendor food that is out of this world! Check out the link below to see how it's made!

http://www.gotpassport.org/2010/02/27/rotee/

One final adjustment, and perhaps the most important of all, is that I cannot solely rely on myself. I must rely on God and our friends here and back home to help us! Our interim years in the States allowed me to rely on myself way too much. I find peace when I give my doubts and fears to God and allow Him to adjust the scenario... Or more likely adjust me.

Motorbikes, Mangoes & Moouts: 3 of many adjustments we are making in this new place. But we are making them, one at a time. Soon this will feel like home every time we step out the door.... Or on a Moout. ;)




With love & blessings,
DJ and the Wandering Rileys

Location:Chiang Mai, THAILAND

Excitement and/or Anxiety?

Excitement and Anxiety.

In my case they appear to be the same thing. Since I am the mother in this rag tag group known as the Wandering Rileys, the last few months have been one long session of list-making of what needs to be done, what needs to be bought, what appointments need to be made, and what friends I have yet to connect with. I have been packing things bound for several places: Grandmas shed, garage sale, Thailand, giveaway, and trash.

Finally, and most sad, are the goodbyes. If you are one of the ones we have said goodbye to, we already miss you terribly and are finding it hard to look forward sometimes!

However, this is not my first time "out of the gate". I know that I can get suntan lotion and cinnamon where I'm going. I feel confident my kids will thrive where I'm going. I have friends where I'm going. And most importantly, we will not be forgotten by our beloved friends here in the US. Whew!

As we draw near to boarding plane for Thailand, the pressure to have it together grows. However the plain truth is that we fly out in 5 days. If I haven't done it (you can fill in the blank as to what "it" is) by now, chances are it isn't gonna happen now!

So, I suppose nothing is left but to hang on and enjoy the ride!

With love & blessings,
DJ and the Wandering Rileys

pic: Will and Susi at the Thai consulate in LA

Location:Long Beach, CA

Chaos theory: can we avoid it? Do we want to?

Chaos. The fear of the unknown. Control.

Although I have been living in what most everyone (including myself) sees as an unstable situation for awhile now (uh, years), I still am unable to calm some of my fears of the unknown and lack of control.

So, have run across several quotes in the past few days that have guided my thoughts (questions) on this subject:

Uyghur proverb- Keyerde gunah bolsa, shu yerde apet kup bolidu.
Where there is sin, there will be (are) lots of catastrophes.

Song of the Open Road by Walt Whitman
...however sweet these laid-up stores, however convenient this dwelling we cannot remain here, however welcome the hospitality that surrounds us we are permitted to receive it but for a little while... We will sail pathless and wild seas, we will go where the winds blow...

John 16:33
I have told you this so you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble, but be courageous- I have overcome the world!

When I combine these thoughts, I find I am not alone and I have no reason to fear. Yes, there is evil/sinful men around the bend, there is also evil in my backyard. I am called to be courageous and sail the wild (and potentially pathless- which is more intimidating than wild) seas.

Yes there may be chaos. There may be catastrophes. But He has ALREADY overcome the world!

Jet-set Kids~ my secrets to preparing little ones for big changes!

Ok, my title is a little ambitious. I admit it. When it comes to kids you really never know how each day will unfold. So I suppose that is how I see this upcoming change! When unpredictable kids meet unpredictable scenarios there may be only one solution... just let it unfold!

Let me back up a bit. If you are unsure of my current situation, let me inform you. I am a mother of 2 kids (ages 3 and nearly 5) and my husband and I will be moving to Thailand from Florida in 2-3 months. There is a lot to do, much to consider, and a huge responsibility that my children will not only survive this experience but benefit from it!

When Mike and I began this journey of serving overseas, we were without children. Hey, we didn't even have each other! We met through World Team (our sending organization) when we were single! Our considerations for our family went pretty much like this: Do you think we can find shoes in a men's 14 and women's 10? This was the biggest personal concern! Now, although that concern still remains (in Asia, I shop in the men's section only and Mike is out of luck), it is far down the list.

I know that any anxiety I have about moving my family to Asia is tapered by the fact that I (and countless) other families have done this before! It is possible to make a home where the heart is! Even in the States where this is my "home" we have lived in furnished housing for four years! Although we have been very blessed by these homes, I would never choose the couch I am sitting on right now. It is "foreign" to me, not my "style"etc.

Somehow, through all of the moving, Mike and I have managed to make a home wherever we hang our hats. I think this has been made possible by several factors:

1) We talk with the children about how blessed we are to have any home! That is by no means a certainty for anyone! Foreclosure is a very real thing.
2) We invite friends and loved ones to visit! (NOTE: Begin planning a visit to Thailand now!)
3) We have family dinners several times a week. Face time baby!
4) We go to the local library once a week. Libraries are gold mines for education and fun.
5) We find a church where we can belong (for however long we are there) and get involved. Although it is painful to leave precious new friends, I have never and will never regret having formed intimate relationships wherever I am placed.
6) We integrate the children into our discussions- Although they are only 3 and 5, they hear what we talk about. When they ask questions, we try to answer the best we can. As they get older, they will most likely be involved in the decision-making process.
7) Just in case they forget, we remind them where we have been. Will may not remember actually living in China, but he knows he did and is proud of that fact!
8) We prepare and think ahead whenever we can. Although I don't feel the need to entertain my children every minute, I try to be prepared for challenging times. My kids know I've got their back.

I honestly cannot wait to share this experience/adventure with my family! Susana has never lived overseas but with her spunky personality? She is gonna love it! Will is a pro- he will be brave and compassionate to those around him. Mike and I are so happy to have this opportunity to serve in Asia once more and our children will only enhance those opportunities!

Where was I 10 years ago...

October 2001- 10 years ago this month I discovered Asia. Yes yes I know, Asia was "discovered" thousands upon thousands of years ago. But until 10 years ago Asia had no place in my life... I am from the burbs. My idea of foreign at 25 was fortune cookies and Outback Steakhouse (note: am not dumping on Outback. Love me some Blooming Onion). I had no interest in Asia or the Silk Road. I had always felt called to serving others but Asia? NO. I had no particular hostility toward China but rather it just wasn't on my radar.

Then I heard about the Uyghurs... I mean Uigrrs... I mean Wee-gurs. The Who-zee-whats-zees? Whatever. The people of Central Asia. These people were literally on the other side of the world and God was calling me there. Surely I couldn't relate to them in any way. Surely God did not know what He was thinking on this one.

Then I went there.

These women became real. They became my friends. Their burdens became my burdens. Their hopes and dreams became mine as well. Then I had to leave. Believe me, I have tried to work out why God placed a Uyghur-shaped hole in my heart only to take it away. I grieved and I grieve still.

What has occurred over these last 10 years could never be captured in one blog post. I have just been through way too much. I am thankful for these lessons but find they are hard to capture... even if I had 1000 blog posts. They have to do with fear, letting go of fear, patience, disappointment, joy, beauty, disillusionment, false hope, love, friendship, dreams and life. I suppose we have all had to live through these things... Mine just didn't follow a straight line.

Maybe my life line is in fact a circle because in July I was blessed to visit Asia once more. Although it has been years, I was able to visit with friends new and old and found that my love for this world and the people that live there is undiminished. I revisited the fact that when I left I worked so hard to let them go... and did such a terrible job. I cannot seem to let them go. So now, I realized that I'm not going to.

I find love for them has not waned... and although we wander a lot (hence www.wanderingrileys.com) my heart does not.