The Birth Story of Luke Gaboriault: Part 1

Today, my baby boy is 3 months old. It's about time I start to share his birth story. I wrote this out in detail for three reasons: 1. So I can always remember even the littlest details; 2. So my family can know what all was going on between the frantic phone calls that day; 3. So I can share our experience of having a baby in Thailand.
So here is just the beginning, Part 1. I hope you enjoy! I'll try to post a new part each week. 

The birth story of Luke Anderson Gaboriault

Born July 3, 2014

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would have a baby in Thailand.  Sure, maybe I’ve become used to the idea of living here (although some days it still doesn’t seem real) but to have a baby here, for real, only crossed my mind a few times.  When we discussed moving to Thailand, Jared and I discussed the possibility of starting and raising a family there.  At the time it seemed exciting, even though I secretly wished we’d be able to be home with family for such an event. 

          When I found out I was pregnant in November 2013, of course I was overwhelmed with excitement.  What a tremendous blessing, and I was so happy God chose me to be a mommy.  I knew from the start it was a boy, and really wasn’t surprised at our 16 and 20 week ultrasounds that confirmed that fact.  I also knew from very early that he would be born before his due date, although I was thinking only 2 weeks or so.  I mentioned this several times to Jared and my family, and most people replied with a laugh and reminded me most first babies are late.

          From the beginning of the pregnancy, when thinking of being alone in Thailand for the delivery, I would just cry.  Of course I’d have Jared with me, but I really dreaded the thought of not having my family with me.  Every time I would bring it up, Jared and I would discuss the pros and cons of staying here versus going home to have the baby, and we’d always go back to the conclusion that we should stay in Thailand.  I think this is the way God wanted it, and he gave me little bits of peace about the situation when I needed it.

          I had a great pregnancy overall.  I had no real morning sickness, just some nausea.  I did have to start really lessening my physical activity though, because as the hot season came on, it is so easy to dehydrate.  It was pretty smooth sailing until about week 32, when I had to stop teaching because the heat was too bad and the standing was making my feet swell too much.  Also making it up the 4 flights of stairs to the classroom was becoming a pretty big challenge.  This is about the time I became generally uncomfortable unless I was resting.

          At my 32 week appointment the doctor said everything looked great and answered several birth questions for me then.  He really wanted to wait to talk in detail about our questions though; he was going to wait until my 35 week appointment so everything would be fresh in our minds.

         

Pregnancy in Thailand

Here we are, down to the last 9 weeks of my pregnancy.   I always prayed God would give me children, but never dreamed I’d experience it in a foreign country.  In the beginning planning stages of our ministry, Jared and I discussed the possibilities of this exact thing happening, and agreed then it would probably be fine.  The best advice on this matter given to me was, “People have children and raise them in Thailand every day.  Why can’t you?”  So when people in America ask in shock, “You aren’t coming home to have the baby?”  I reply to them with this same advice.

Now don’t get me wrong, if God allowed, I’d be home, surrounded by family to bring this baby into the world in American fashion, but that just is not his plan.  So I have to settle with the peace he is giving me.  The hardest thing about this whole process is not having my family here with me, and I’m still praying for peace about that. 

I’m working on making this experience as close to ‘normal’ as I possibly can.  I’ve been very actively planning out the purchases of all the ‘necessary’ baby stuff along with my mom, just like I would if I was home, except instead of shopping together, we look at things online.  Trying to find all the things I think I need has been a challenge here in Thailand!  It turns out that American babies need different things compared to Thai babies.  There are a total of two stores in Udon Thani, Thailand, which is a bigger city, that carry wooden cribs.  Of all the Thai babies I’ve experienced, they sleep in a hammock tied in the corner of a room, or in the parent’s bed.  A crib is just not seen as a necessary item!  Things I can find, such as pacifiers, bottles, clothes, car seats, are more expensive and not anywhere close to the right quality.  So this is making decisions really difficult!  Some things will just need to be shipped in.

Our doctor here has been wonderful.  He speaks English and therefore is able to really help us with our questions.  So far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how healthy this pregnancy has been.  Overall, I have had a great experience.  I praise God for this.  My biggest challenge honestly has been the weather.  With 100+ degree temperatures every day, my energy level and endurance are way down.  There has been a water bottle attached to my hand for the last 31 weeks trying to keep myself hydrated (which in this weather is difficult under normal health conditions, but pregnant is so difficult). 

I am extremely excited that my mom is planning to travel to Thailand around the time the baby is born.  Planning this has been a crazy ordeal.  Just how do you plan an international trip so that it falls where she can get here just in time to see the baby born, and then have as much time with the baby after as possible?  We have yet to figure this out! 

I’d like to ask that you pray with us about a long list of things.  As all new parents, our heads are spinning with all the things we need to get done and all of the “what ifs”.  Please pray with us that:

-We stay healthy throughout the end stages of the pregnancy and have a safe delivery.  After all, this is all that really matters in the end.

-We would not fill our minds with the things we wish were happening, but enjoy the things that are happening.  It is too easy to dwell on the things we feel we’re missing out on not being home.

-All the little details will work out for my mom’s trip.  Pray for the finances, and her bravery!  This will be her first flight ever, and we pray she won’t be doing it alone.  Pray that we can work out all the details so she has a very uneventful flight experience.

-Pray for our doctor, that God’s will be done in our care at the hospital.

-Pray that we are able to figure out all this paperwork that comes along with having a baby internationally.  We will spend months after the birth ensuring he has all the right paperwork to be a traveling missionary baby.

-Pray that we look to God in all the decisions that come along with this new adventure in our lives!  And that He will be here to guide us as new parents.

Thank you! Much Love, Kayla

One Year in Thailand

Let me just begin by saying, it was my intention from the beginning of our time in Thailand to write much more often than I do.  I plan to try to do better from now on! 

It has now been one year since we moved to Thailand.  This year has absolutely flown by. We have both learned, and grown so much.  As I was trying to decide exactly what to write about for this post, and I read back through my post from March of last year, when we were getting ready move.  In it, I made a list of all the things I was looking forward to; so I am going to respond to each of my thoughts and how they turned out.  (Responses are in bold.)

1. We will finally begin the journey God has called us to.  We have been sharing our ministry with churches for a year and a half now; it’s about time we are able to do what God told us to do!  This has been so exciting!  To finally be able to do what you’ve been telling others about for so long.  I will have to say, some plans didn’t work out like we thought, and others went beyond our dreams, but that’s why I’m glad God is in control of what we are doing!

2. No more deputation!  Living out of our car is very difficult and tiring.  And our poor car needs a rest.  This was perhaps my most favorite thing about the initial move here.  It was so wonderful to be able to finally park the car and sleep in the same bed for more than a week. I think our deputation journey helped me to appreciate anything I could call my home, as long as it was the same place.  This is not to say we didn’t have a wonderful deputation experience.  We still appreciate and think often about the people who hosted us. 

3. I get to unpack all of my suitcases in a place I can call “MY house”!  And I get to decorate it however I want!  I have honestly really enjoyed this!  I love being able to live out of a closet and dresser rather than a suitcase.  One of my most favorite things about moving into our Thailand house is setting up and decorating the kitchen.  Not that I really enjoy cooking a whole lot, but this is my one place I can put all my girly stuff (strawberry themed, of course).  And I love it! 

4. I’ll make new friends.  We’ve definitely made new friends, most through the church we are working with, but also some foreigner friends.  It was so neat around Thanksgiving and Christmas time to see how much expats lean on each other for familiarity.  (Expats are people who live in a country temporarily or permanently which is foreign to their upbringing.)  We have a great group of expat friends, most from America, who we can count on to help us figure things out and to help us get a sense of home now and then.  We also have a great group of Thai friends who are always willing to help teach us and show us how to live here.  

5. Learn a new language.  This is still a work in progress, and will be for a long time.  At this time, I can hold a basic conversation, and I know all of my numbers and most of my letters.  Reading will be a huge accomplishment, as Thai has 44 consonants and 32 vowels, as well as 3 consonant classes with different rules.  It has been difficult for us to learn the language here, since many people know some English and want to practice speaking with you.  I am so proud of Jared; he has surpassed me in language learning and is doing really well.

6. See new places.  Of course we’ve done this.  We’ve been able to travel quite a bit around our area and really get to see the sites of Northeast Thailand.  This has helped a lot in learning the history and culture of these people. 

7. And I get to take my husband with me!!  Not sure I could do this without him. Going alone would be much harder.  I think of some of my military friends overseas, alone, and am thankful God is letting me work alongside my husband.  What a blessing to work with my husband every day!  If we need to go out during the day, we usually do it together, and we have gotten used to having each other for support in most every situation.  It has been a huge blessing. The one thing Jared usually does without me is make church visits, and I am usually counting down the minutes until he gets home!  Being able to work together has strengthened our relationship so much. 

8. We get to do lots of shopping when we arrive.  For house stuff. Fun!  This actually didn’t happen exactly like we thought, but for that we are thankful!  We had originally planned on moving into a house of our own when we first moved here; however, the Jones needed someone to watch over their house while they went back to America.  So, we were able to move into a furnished house and only needed to buy a few things when we got here.  This was a great blessing!  

9. We get to spend some time with our good friends, already living in Thailand.  While this is true, it hasn’t worked out exactly like I thought.  I had envisioned us frequently getting together with our missionary friends here.  It has been fantastic to have other missionaries we know living not too far from us on the field, but it just so happens that we live far enough apart and are so involved in our own ministries that our visits don’t happen as often as you’d think.  Also, missionaries leave for furlough or change towns where they are doing ministry, so we must rely more on our friendships close by. 

10. I can stop eating so much takeout food and start cooking again!  This has been great!  I have honestly done much more cooking here than I ever did in the states.  Unless we want Thai food, McDonalds, or KFC, we have to make it at home.  I have even had to begin making my own bread and other gluten free items since we can’t find as many of those items pre-made here.  This year, I even made the Thanksgiving turkey for the first time ever! (I was the only person with an oven!)  It’s been a lot of learning, but it has been fun.  I am so thankful I, sort of, paid attention growing up to learn how to cook some things.  And I’m thankful for all my home recipes and the internet that help me fill the table with food that tastes like home! 

11. Perhaps I’ll lose some weight.  Eating out all the time takes a toll on your body.  Within a few months of moving here, Jared and I both lost 15 pounds apiece!  (Of course now I’m gaining it back in baby!)  I think the heat has just as much to do with our losing weight as the change in diet.  It felt so great to start eating more natural foods and not having to eat take out all the time.  

12. Maybe I’ll learn to drive a scooter…  This has definitely not happened!  I actually have not even ridden a scooter the entire time we’ve been here, which I’m proud of.  The way they drive scooters/motorcycles here scares me to death.  I have no interest in taking part in it!

13. After I learn to drive on the wrong side of the road.  Somehow, this came really quickly.  We almost immediately were able to fall into the Thai driving patterns.  Every once in a while I will flip the windshield wipers instead of the blinker, since they are located on the opposite side of the steering wheel from an American car.  But besides that, we’ve gotten comfortable enough driving here that now I’m a little worried about how we’ll do if we take a trip back to America! 

14. I’ll become a frequent-Skype-user.  Skype has become one of our best friends.  I Skype with my family often.  I love getting to see their faces as we talk.  It’s so much better than talking on the phone.   My niece, who is two, probably thinks I live in the computer, but I have loved being able to watch her grow.  Skype has been such a blessing.

This has been fun, to look back and see my expectations for moving and see how they are similar or different from how things turned out.  We have been so blessed in our year here in Thailand.  God has made this like home just enough so we don’t go crazy!  We still miss our families every day, and can’t wait until we can go home for a visit.  

Usually people say things get easier with time, and perhaps this is true.  But I think God just gives you what you need each day to get through.  Not every day here has been a breeze, but He sure has taken care of us.  Please pray for us as we begin our 2^nd year here in Thailand.

What you don't hear about missionaries: A story of my husband

This is a story about my husband, and only one instance of a thing he's done in Thailand that he would never write in a mission report or tell anyone.  He will be so embarrassed to have this written about him, but I just have to share this because I don't share enough how proud I am of him or how much I love him.  I know many things a missionary does goes seemingly unnoticed, and many things are never written in a mission report.  Here is just one thing that Jared has done I'd like to share with you.

This story needs quite a bit of prefacing, but I'll try to make it short.  There is an elderly missionary who has been in northern Thailand many years who has recently fallen very ill.  We don't know the entire situation of his background, but we know him through some friends.  Just a few weeks ago, he was so sick that we were positive he would be with the Lord soon.  However, the Lord thought otherwise, and now he is in the government hospital in our town.

Now when I say government hospital, this is nothing like the hospitals in America.  This hospital is affordable to all people of Thailand, and if you are dying, perhaps you can get better healthcare here compared to on the street.  We often joke that you will probably leave with something worse than when you arrived.  This hospital has no air conditioning and no private rooms.  The space is shared with several others with varying diseases and the care is very small.  Your family is expected to come feed, bathe, dress, etc. you as a patient.  You do see nurses at times, but I'm not really sure what their jobs are.

This brings us to the current situation for the above mentioned missionary.  We had never met this man until a few weeks ago when we got a call from his pastor in the U.S.  We were asked to go check on him.  Again, we don't know his entire story, but we do know that no one in his family is able to come take care of him, and he is too ill to make the trip back to the U.S.  There has been a lot of corresponding back and forth between us and the pastor, and we thought most of this man's needs were taken care of.  All we were asked to do was go check on him maybe twice a week to make sure his condition is not worsening.

So this is what my husband has been doing for about a month now.  I went with him on the first visit.  As the person next to me was vomiting into a grocery bag, I realized even though I wore a mask and gloves, this was no place for a pregnant person to be.  We decided it was not safe for me or the baby to go in the hospital any longer and Jared would do these visits alone.

The visits have been interesting to say the least.  This missionary has never met us before, and with him being sick his mind is not quite right, so he is not sure who Jared is.  Jared gets a lot of stares when walking around this hospital as it is very rare to see a foreigner in such a place.  This is where the poorest of Thailand go.  He gets on the elevator and feels eyes watch him the entire time.  As he is talking to the missionary, patients and families watch him as entertainment.

We had been told that someone was hired through the hospital to take care of this man.  At least, to feed him and offer him something to drink now and then.  We found out today, this has not been happening.  This absolutely broke ours hearts, and I was ready to storm in the hospital and demand someone do it!  However, my husband with his gentle, servant spirit, decided to go buy some rice, and go back up to feed the missionary.  He chose to go take care of a man that doesn't know him and probably will not remember him.  He was never asked to do this, and I don't think anyone expects him to, but this is my husband's heart.  This is why God felt he'd be fit to be a missionary in Thailand.  I am so thankful God blessed me with such a Godly man, who would sacrifice his health, time, and money, to take care of a stranger.

As Jared was leaving the hospital today, the missionary told Jared, "I love you."  Even in his illness, this man recognized that Jared genuinely cares.

Thank you Jared, and all missionaries who do acts of kindness everyday throughout the world, never expecting to hear a "thank you".

First Post from Thailand!

We have now been living in Thailand for a full month.  This time has flown by.  I am still getting used to the idea that I live here now; we’ll see how long it takes for that to hit.  Of course I miss my family and familiar things each day, but I have a peace and know this is where I should be.  I have so many interesting and exciting things to share.

Our first two weeks, we spent adjusting to the new time zone, and helping some of the Jones’ visitors with some construction projects.  One thing about living in a foreign country that most people don’t realize is that something that should take maybe one day to do, can take days and days.  Many different factors help determine this.  Here’s an example.  Jared and Danny were working on replacing a door frame because there was termite damage.  It took Jared several hours to pull down the old wood and yank the nails out of the wall.  Had he had some different tools not found in Thailand, this may have been easier.  But, he had to pull them down by hand and then work on getting the nails out of the concrete.  See, when they build houses in Thailand, they set the door frames first, and then concrete in the blocks around it.  Therefore, Jared had to chisel out the concrete (by hand) to remove the nails.  When it came time to put up the new boards, they discovered they had warped while being out in the lovely tropical humidity.  So a trip to the store was made to buy new ones.  And a trip to the store here is not just a trip to the store.  Normally it is a trip to several stores in order to find exactly what you wanted, and possibly involves a conversation with a policeman at a road block.  When they finally got home, then they had to hand cut grooves in the wood so it would properly fit in the premade hole in the floor to help stabilize it. So, this job that maybe should’ve taken a few hours, turned into a huge 2 day ordeal.  Welcome to Thailand!

We have been staying with the Jones so far, and will be living in their house during the time they return to the States.  I cannot say enough kind words about Danny and Rachel; they have made this move so easy on us.  Rachel has spent a lot of time cooking and cleaning for us, and helping me get used to shopping and cooking here.  There is still a lot for me to learn about cooking from scratch, and what is safe to buy where. That will come with time.  Danny has been helping us learn Thai and showing Jared how different items work around the house. (The water pumps, air conditioners, and actual way to build houses, are all different than back home, so Jared needs to learn how to fix things the “Thai way”.)  God has certainly blessed us with them and we cannot thank them enough. 

We have also been working with their church here, and preparing to watch over it while they are gone.  The people have been very welcoming to us and helpful in trying to help us learn how things go.  We are excited to be able to help this church while we get accustomed to being here.

As I said we have been studying Thai a lot.  I have sticky notes stuck around our room labeling items with the Thai word.  I know this will be a very long process, but we are starting to see that we are catching on a tiny bit.  It is so exciting to be in the market and understand when someone tells you how much money you owe.  Or even just pick out one or two words from a sentence, and use context to figure out what the conversation is about.  The hardest thing about Thai is that you can have one word mean 5 different things, depending on what tone you use.  (Middle tone, high tone, rising tone, low tone, falling tone.)  I am so thankful my parents made me take music in school.  The knowledge of music makes hearing these tones so much easier! 

Please continue to pray for us as we continue to adjust to our new lives here.  Every day we see and learn something new.  I have sat in some of the quiet hours of night and thought that I could not have ever possibly imagined my life would bring me here.  As a little girl, I never dreamed of even going on vacation outside of the U.S., but God has made this possible.  I have always liked these verses, and their message, but lately they have become more and more special to me. 

Ephesians 3:19-21

¹⁹ And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

²⁰ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

²¹ Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.  He has certainly gone beyond what I ever asked or thought.  I love that thought.  It reminds me that He loves me enough to do more for me than I could ever think of!  I am so thankful for this opportunity, and am excited to share all my experiences with you.

Before I go, here are some interesting things that are becoming our norms:

- Stray dogs are everywhere.  I am a dog lover, but I am learning not to touch them as they carry many diseases and are sometimes mean.  Not touching them yet and the fact that I haven’t brought one home yet is true self-control!

- Lizards and ants in your house are totally normal, and should not cause you to panic.  This I have to work on!

-Driving on the wrong side of the road isn’t so bad, until you go to turn right, and realize last minute that you have to go across a full lane of traffic.  Turning left on red is legal.

- Just because people are smiling and pointing at you doesn’t mean they’re making fun of you.  Actually, they are probably very interested in your light skin and want to talk to you (and probably touch you). 

- Taking off your shoes in church can be fun!  Jared loves preaching in his socks, and it certainly keeps the church floors much cleaner.

- It’s getting normal to not see white people, other than ourselves, when we go out.   

- It is becoming normal to get your bill at a restaurant and not panic when the number is high and says something like 200.  I’d panic if it said $200, but 200 baht (Thai money) is only about $6.75.

- 100+ degree weather is normal this time of year.

3 weeks til takeoff...

This is the first of perhaps many sleepless nights.  Not to say this is the first time I’ve gotten upset about the big change that is about to happen, but I guess reality hit that 3 weeks from today I will be moving to a foreign country.  It hit me tonight, a vision of me walking toward a plane, leaving my family and all familiar things behind me.  Everything about this vision scares and upsets me.  I know there will be tears on my face, and I can’t bear to see the tears on my family’s face.  In fact this is my biggest struggle with this whole thing- leaving family behind.  Therefore, I am making myself make a list of all of the positives that are about to happen over the next few weeks.

1-      We will finally begin the journey God has called us to.  We have been sharing our ministry with churches for a year and a half now; it’s about time we are able to do what God told us to do!

2-      No more deputation!  Living out of our car is very difficult and tiring. And our poor car needs a rest!

3-      I get to unpack all of my suitcases in a place I can call “MY house”!  And I get to decorate it however I want!

4-      I’ll make new friends.

5-      Learn a new language.

6-      See new places.

7-      And I get to take my husband with me!!  Not sure I could do this without him. Going alone would be much harder.  I think of some of my military friends overseas, alone, and am thankful God is letting me work alongside my husband.

8-      We get to do lots of shopping when we arrive.  For house stuff. Fun!

9-      We get to spend some time with our good friends, already living in Thailand.

10-       I can stop eating so much takeout food and start cooking again!

11-       Perhaps I’ll lose some weight.  Eating out all the time takes a toll on your body.

12-       Maybe I’ll learn to drive a scooter…

13-      After I learn to drive on the wrong side of the road.

14-      I’ll become a frequent-Skype-user.

This is only a few, all I could come up with in the middle of the night.  Reading back over my list, it sort of sounds like a bucket list.  Which is pretty funny, since a bucket list should take you years and I’m about to dive head first into all of them at once.  I know I need to be thankful.  I am about to experience things a lot of people dream about.  I could not have set all this up myself; it’s what God has called me to.  But even a calling can be extremely scary.  Please say a prayer for us, as we prepare the next few weeks to pack up our lives as ‘almost’ missionaries, and begin the life as ‘on the field’ missionaries.  Pray for me to look forward to the positive, instead of mourning what I’m leaving.  Pray for our family's to understand we love them and we are not leaving them, but instead going to follow the Lord.  And pray for my husband, J and that I can hold myself together to be the supportive wife he needs at this time!

Just some thoughts

So much has happened in the past few weeks. We enjoyed our break at home with family for Christmas, but as soon as January began, we headed back on the road. We packed up the car (again...), made some appointments at churches, and off we went. We went to Pensacola to revisit some churches first, saw a few new ones, and are currently in southern Louisiana.
I am noticing something the more we travel, we live in a beautiful country. God creations are seen everywhere we go. Every city has its own neat history, its exciting places to visit, and we are loving getting to experience it all.
Along with that, we are meeting God's beautiful people. Just like the cities, every person has their own neat history and exciting stories. It's amazing how much life one person can live if they just take the time to live it. This is my new goal, make sure I'm enjoying every moment so that one day, I can share my story with someone else.
I am learning so much on this journey. And I thank God that he chose me to take it. Of course I miss home and I miss my family, but I could not experience such things if I didn't leave home, and my family is always there when I need them.
You know a lot of people have done this traveling thing, too. I know we aren't the only ones. However, I feel there are not many travel tips out there for people in our situation! So I thought I'd share a few...

- The culture of every place you go is completely different. Sometimes it's okay to ask questions or make statements outright; sometimes people will 'beat around the bush' to stay away from being too forward. For example, something I've experienced is wondering how I should dress to certain church events. Is this a formal event, or casual? Well, sometimes I just have to ask "What should I wear?" Some places I'll get a direct answer, from head to toe what is appropriate. Other places I'll get a 'whatever you'd like'. (I think this is usually a southern answer.) Well that leaves me back at square one with no idea. SO, point is, sometimes you have to ask for a more direct answer, and sometimes you'll get it no problem. Neither approach is necessarily right or wrong, but can be frustrating for a person like me who does not want to stick out!

- The weather changes every day no matter if we're staying in a city for weeks, or we leave and move on the next day. It's best to just pack every type of clothes you can fit in the car. Last week we traveled south from snow to about 60 degrees in one day. Very different weather situations, and different clothes needed. So it's just best to have all types on hand.

-When you have the possibility of being in a new place every week, it can be very hard to keep up with things like prescriptions. Therefore, I'd recommend you fill them at a place like Walmart, which you will find everywhere, and that keeps all your information in a database so any Walmart can access it all over the country. Come to find out, there are states that have no Walgreens or CVS's! (Or they are so far away from those little towns, that you can never make it there.) But almost everywhere has a Walmart. Good to know!

Alright, I guess that's good for now. Maybe this can help you if you are ever in a cross country travel situation! Have a blessed week! Until next time, much love, ~Kayla