I thought I had everything down.  I was growing as an English teacher here in Thailand.  I was learning different teaching techniques to make English fun, an absolute MUST here in Thailand.  I was teaching everyone from primary school on up through adults.  I was teaching in all sorts of places from church to schools to government offices.  I was meeting and getting to know many different people.  I shared the gospel or at least some encouragement from the Word for 5 minutes for every class hour that I taught.  (At least that was my goal.  I met that goal about 75% of the time.)  Children from Tung Ngiew School were coming to Sunday School at church on Sundays. Many days I ast after class at Tung Ngiew School sharing Christ with students and teachers.  A missionary's dream!!!  And, it was my life. 

Then, wouldn't you know it, God threw me a wrench.  The Bible student intern that was here working with the girls at the girls house left after only 1 term.  The new staff member that we contacted to come help us called me the day before she was supposed to come to say she wasn't coming after all.  What was I to do?  What did God want me to do?  What on earth was God doing?  Didn't God know I had my nice little ministry that I really enjoyed all set up?? But God, what about the girls?  God what about the relationships and the teaching that I've been doing?  I'm only one person and I can't do it all! I knew there was only one thing to do - move back in with the girls and give up most of my teaching.  I confess that it was a struggle.  I love the girls, I really do.  But God was asking me to give up what to me was a very fruitful ministry of teaching English and sharing the gospel to going back and dealing with the hormones of 12 teenage girls.  It meant getting up at 5 AM. (Can I be totally honest here and tell you how much I DETEST mornings??)  Dieing to self - there's simply no time to do what I want to do (emphasis on the "I".)  Within 2 weeks, there were major problems with 2 of the girls that I had to deal with.  Praise God it was me instead of the Bible student intern who was here last term because she couldn't have dealt with these issues.  I'm still teaching 2 hours a day 5 days a week at Tung Ngiew School and also teaching the boys and girls at the boys who live with us here.  It's a full time job with many hats and doing the best I can to meet the needs of all 12 girls that God has given to me at this time. 
All I can say is this:  God's grace is indeed sufficient.  Paul prayed 3 times that God would remove his thorn in the flesh.  I've prayed more than 3 times for a staff member to work with the girls.  And for this term (which ends the beginning of March), it's me.  Jaelyn, one the girls we're sending to Bible college, called me and said "Susan, for right now, you're the best staff member to work with the girls.  If you weren't, God would have brought someone else by now."  God's grace is sufficient.  Even when we think it's not.  Even when I'm driving to school and all I'm thinking is how tired I am and how I just want to sleep, but I get to school and miracle of miracles, I have the energy to teach and can easily smile because of the joy that God has given me in what I do.  And, at night when I'm tired and ready to drop, and one of the girls has some pressing issue that to me is really nothing at all, God gives me the grace to deal with her like He deals with me in all my "pressing" issues.

My precious friends and family, as we go into this busy holiday season, I just want to leave you with one thought:  GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOUR EVERY NEED.