November 2021 Update
As always, I want to thank those of you who give to help us stay and serve in Thailand, and I wanted to drop in and give a brief update.
We have been able to get settled in Chiang Rai over the past few months. Mary Ella is growing like crazy, and has been going through a bit of an adjustment in learning Thai. However, I am happy to report that she is starting to get more comfortable with the language and is starting to speak a little bit on her own. She loves playing with the lady who helps clean the house here, as well as the nanny at her friend's house. They both have been very instrumental in helping her learn Thai so far.
We have both been teaching at the international school, the English school, and Liz has been tutoring a neighbor in piano once a week. Liz also helped with a choir piece for the upcoming Christmas event through the Christian club at Mah Fah Luang University, one of the 2 major universities here in Chiang Rai.
I went to the hospital last week and got a decent report back. It wasn't as great as I had hoped, but I am grateful to be thriving and healthy. There is still a bit of clotting in my leg, and I have to continue taking blood thinners, which costs $210 per month. I was optimistic that I wouldn't have to keep taking them, so this is an unexpected cost. Please pray as we continue to raise support.
On the topic of support, we were contacted by a small church in the twin cities (that's Minneapolis/St. Paul for those of you not privy to upper Midwestern geography), that might be interested in partnering with us. A friend from college and his wife are members there, and I found out that they had been praying for us for some time now. Since I have started this journey of fundraising, stories like that have happened over and over again, and it is an amazing thing to be a part of. Finding out that there are people who don't even know me personally, but who want to be involved in what God is doing in Thailand, gives me so much encouragement, it's hard to put into words.
Finally, I wanted to share our new family pictures with you. We haven't had family pictures made since Mary Ella was six months old, so it was time to do get some made again, especially since I don't have many pictures post-chemo. Click here to see the full album on Facebook. You don't need to have a Facebook account to see them.
This past month, we were also invited to share about our stories, and why we came to Thailand, on a podcast hosted by a public broadcasting network here in Thailand. It was a great opportunity to share about why in the world we are able to speak Thai, and how God both motivated us and helped us along the way. At this point, the interview has about 500 views.
As Christmas approaches, please pray for those here in Thailand who have not yet become disciples of Jesus who will have opportunity to hear the gospel presented through various Christmas activities. Christmas is always a fruitful time of year here in Thailand, and we want to see a "harvest of souls" despite the very clear work of the enemy through the covid restrictions.
Speaking of covid restrictions, that is another way you can pray for Thailand. Pray that God would lift the spirit of fear from those in positions of influence who want to keep churches and schools and travel closed or restricted. This is a bigger problem than in just Thailand (as you are well aware) but it can be especially stressful sometimes here. Two people have told me lately that their churches are still closed, with one couple telling me that their church had been closed for almost 2 years (since the beginning) and they weren't sure if it would even open again. Thankfully, more and more Thai people are telling me that they are not afraid of covid anymore, and that they don't want people in their country to suffer any longer under the facade of "public health." I have noticed more people not wearing masks, and even saw a police officer in public not wearing one the other day. This is good news, but pray it continues, rather than devolving back to the way it has been. For now, we will keep working to put out as much content online as we can with our schedules, and try to reach people in that way.
Thanks for Being Part of the Team!
In order to do what we do, we need partners. We would be nothing without those who partner with us to help bring the light of the gospel to dark areas of our world today. If you would like to partner with us, you can do so by clicking the button below and filling out the form on the next page.
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