« humblethorn

the personal blog of paul vernon

Thank you for taking the time to view humblethorn. The purpose of this blog is to have an outlet to share my thoughts, quotes, ramblings and the occasional item of interest as I serve as a missionary to the Akha in Northern Thailand. Mostly, this is an outlet (in English!) for me to feel like someone out there is listening. So, to whoever you are, thank you for being my listening someone.

Many people have asked about the name "humblethorn". I would love to explain it, but I honestly don't fully understand it myself. In very simple terms, it is an identity that I have come to realize in Christ. I do not claim to be humble, rather that I am often humbled by my own weakness.

Feel free to navigate through the links on the top of this site to read more about me or just to view the photo galleries, videos, podcasts and journals about our lives with the Akha. Now... on to the posts!

A Thorn in the Flesh

Friday, May 19, 2006

Maybe it's the spicy Akha food. Maybe it's the changing of diets between Akha food, Thai food and American food. Lori thinks that it is stress - and according to FamilyDoctor.org she might be on to something. Whatever the cause, I have been struggling with a serious pain in the mouth - Canker Sores.

Not just any Canker Sores. HUGE canker sores. Although not quite as large as the picture might imply, these suckers are really big. I have to load up on the Oragel before I eat any meals and the darn things keep me up all night. I probably get one every six weeks or so, and I've got a king sized one right now (although before you feel too sorry for me you should know, I still eat very spicy food).

In the end, it doesn't matter all that much. I love what I am doing and would not trade it for the world but I wanted to share one of the daily bothers of my life.

Tags:

Comments on "A Thorn in the Flesh"

Anonymous said ::

I suffered with canker sores from the age of 18. After visiting many doctors and trying many treatments, I finally discovered the cause on my own. When I eat something crunchy with salt on it, I tend to get very tiny injuries to my gums or tongue or even the roof of my mouth. My immune system overreacts to the injuries and creates the inflamed cankers.

Prevention is avoiding hard salty foods. Treatment is Orabase in Oragel (or generic) applied three times per day with cotton swabs.

I know there are many other causes of canker sores but you might want to consider this cause if you still get them. Good luck.

Rooster

8:50 AM

Unknown says ::

post a comment on 'A Thorn in the Flesh'

Most Recent

Sweet Home Maesalong Posted on August 15

We are back in Thailand, ready to continue in our tenth year of full time ministry after an incredible season of travel, connection and direction as we spent the last 5 months in 26 of the 50 United States of America.... ...read more

Crowned with Laurels …or Silver Posted on February 18

The name Lori means “Crowned with Laurels”, taken from a term used to give the winner of a contest a wreath on their head. It is not a wreath of leaves, but my Lori was recently “crowned” for a... ...read more

Turn Mourning into Dancing Posted on January 23

After three difficult trips to Maesalong, we were honored to join our dear friends, Pastor Aga and Asaw, in celebration of their long-anticipated wedding. Asaw is a girl from our village that we have seen grow up to b... ...read more

Green leaves also fall Posted on January 20

We’ve been to many funerals in 9 years serving as missionaries with the Akha people. Some of those early funerals were shocking experiences, like the time when I was awoken, placed on a motorcycle and driven to ... ...read more

Our newborn boy, Age-2 Posted on January 13

At 13:50 on December 31st, we welcomed the newest member of our family. Jak was born at a healthy 3.9 kg (8 lb 10 oz) and 58 cm (23″). Mom and baby were both champs and we have loved every minute with him. Less ... ...read more

The Waiting Game Posted on December 9

We know that most of you have been following this on facebook and other social media outlets, but for those of you who have not been getting those updates we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our third child ̵... ...read more

Merry Christmas 2012 From the Vernon Family! Posted on November 26

...read more

My Girls Eat Worms Posted on October 15

Life with our Akha friends has been full of adventures, from arriving at a funeral covered in mud to extracting teeth, from naming children to burying loved ones. Each of these adventures has been a part of the histor... ...read more

VernonVidcast #2: Busy Season Rundown Posted on March 27

It’s March, which means we’ve just finished the busiest ministry season here in Northern Thailand. Share with us in all our family, ministry and life adventures here in Northern Thailand through our newest... ...read more

Akha Pure Water project (video) Posted on March 6

We have just finished the busiest ministry season here in Thailand (October – March) and have a number of updates we want to share with you over the next few weeks, but first we wanted to share the video that th... ...read more

rss feed »