July Update: We are moving!

The time has come! We will be moving to Thailand on September 17th!! We are in the process of packing, saying goodbyes, and house-hunting online. Foreigners cannot own land in Thailand (legally) at this time, so we'll be renting. Houses rent quickly, so we might be relying on video and pictures to choose a home and have it ready for us to move into.

Now that I threw the big news at you, let me give you a summary of our month:

Our kids are still weirdos :)

Max is finally getting teeth!

And he got a passport

....but all he could think about was getting those teeth to come in!

 Callie turned 4!  We had her friends over and celebrated with a ballerina theme.  I need to do an update on her decorations because most of them came from the Thrift Store or were made on a penny-pinching budget!  This was her first real party and she was sooooo excited! 

 

We traveled to TN and GA!

Chic-fil-A provided our free lunch on dress like a cow day! (Thanks Cody for the outfit!)

  During our time down South we visited our sending church and caught up with our family there. We spent almost every night with a different family for dinner. WE LOVED THAT! Unexpectedly running into old friends warmed our hearts too.

Max enjoyed playing catch at a get-together in GA.

Callie got loved on!

Jack caught up with his buddy.

I love this picture.  Callie's friends who have known her since she was in my tummy.

We attended the CSTHEA conference, a homeschooling conference near Chattanooga, TN. Several missionary families from all over the world stopped by our booth. The Lord continues to use families like these to confirm our calling. One of the moms (serving in Asia) broke down in tears and told us how wonderful it would be to have the help of a ministry like ours. Lonely and difficult were how she described homeschooling where she lived.

At our booth in East Ridge, TN.

Can you believe he took a nap despite all the noise?!

We "sweetened" our prayer card packets this month.

We stopped along the way home from Georgia and visited with three families. Each has a special place in our hearts as has played a significant role in our lives.  Let me share one story:

This precious woman introduced me to Ken during our first year of college.  She and I were pen-pals from camp that lost touch and reconnected at Cornerstone.  She said, "I have the perfect guy for you."  It took a while for Ken and I to realize she was right, but we've been dating for nearly 19 years now! (Married for 15).

Here is the birthday boy!  Max turned 1.  We had a small celebration with my family.

There you have it: July.  It came to an end quickly, and August is already flying by.

So what does it feel like to be moving to the other side of the world? Well, it is just starting to hit me! We have traveled so much this year (long trips every 8 weeks since March) to share our ministry and raise the support to move to Thailand.  So, this move doesn't completely feel like a move yet. 

 We are limited on what we can take: 8 check in suitcases weighing up to 50lbs. each, and one 25 lb. suitcase for Max.  We will each take a carry on suitcase and a backpack...and that is it! 

Please pray for us:

• Transitions: from Michigan, to Georgia, to Chiang Mai.
• Goodbyes: This will be especially hard on our kids.
• New neighbors: That we will have Thai neighbors that we can build relationships with.
• Language: The Thai language is REALLY difficult to learn.
• Housing: We would like a 1 story home with some grass in the yard (yards are small and often non-existant because it is a city and land is costly).
• Transportation: We will need a vehicle...and I will need to figure out how to drive there- EEK!
• Visas: They are being processed now, but let's pray it goes smoothly.
• Friendships: For all of us.  
• Church: That we quickly find a body of believers to grow and serve with.
• Homeschooling families: the people we'll be helping.  We want to serve them well and meet their needs so that they can continue in their ministries.

THANK YOU to all of our prayer partners and supporters!  The Lord has brought us so far in the past 2 1/2 years since we felt the call to move to Thailand.  You have watched us struggle and be stretched and grow....we anticipate our time in Chiang Mai to be even more challenging, but worth it!  This little poem from the "Don't Waste Your Life" study keeps running through my head:

Only one life t'will soon be past,

Only what's done for Christ will last."

                                 by: CT Studd