“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32, KJV
Isn’t it comforting to know that not only does God want to bring us the kingdom, he’s delighted to? Our two-year anniversary of arriving in Thailand just passed. God has provided for us and continues to guide us, holding our impatience and pride in check as we “chomp at the bit”. The past year and a half has been absurdly difficult for many—yet we’ve been able to live and work here throughout the pandemic, thanks to God’s provision through your generous financial and prayerful support.
There have been many emotional ups and downs, but we are so thankful for all that God has done in our lives. We can’t imagine our lives without making the move to Thailand in late 2019. We can’t imagine our stories without sharing our time and lives with our neighbors and friends these past two years.
It’s still a bit too early to say for sure, but it seems that God has answered our prayers with complete affirmation for a job to provide long-term visas and a more sustainable and self-supporting future here! The visa isn’t finalized, and won’t be until after Jacob starts teaching—but he signed a contract with a Christian school to teach seventh- and eighth-grade English. There were a few emotional ups and downs during the job search, but he’s content with the new job responsibilities and the decision that has been made for family, visas, and work-life balance.
Ellie continues to lead the way in evangelism by befriending everyone she meets. As she grows older, her fearless personality continues to shine. Please pray that we as parents can balance her emotional, physical, and security needs with the culture in an appropriate and God-honoring way.
Dani continues to show God’s love through friendship, quality time, cooking and baking, and simply being a sensible person and voice of emotional intelligence in her relationships. She’s always answering texts and calls from old and new Thai friends while juggling an increasingly hectic schedule of meetings and appointments with friends, doctors, our team church, and the ladies’ group.
Jacob has enjoyed the last several months of break from teaching. He’s spent much of his days taking care of Ellie and taking her out to play with friends. The break also offered more time to practice his Thai language skills. He is able to understand commonly-spoken phrases, but building up his vocabulary is a necessity that takes dedicated time, practice, and patience.
We’re delighted to announce that we’re expecting a baby to join our family in May! We have hoped and prayed for this addition to our family, and continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy for Dani and a new bundle of joy to come soon. May God’s will be done!
We have felt and experienced an uphill battle in many aspects as we start to share the gospel with Thai friends and others, and we continue to ask for your prayers in this area. It’s God’s good pleasure to bring us the kingdom, but he never said it would be easy. Yes, faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains—but if mountains aren’t moving, what does that say about our faith (or our perspective)? Please pray for our faith and that we’ll take the opportunities with which we are presented.