What a journey it has already been! A 15-hour plane ride, a two-hour layover, and another 6 hours on a plane as we move toward our calling in Thailand. Traveling with three children should have been stressful, but honestly, they took it all in stride with only the occasional complaint of being tired or the seat not being too comfortable. To be fair, Jess and I were also very tired, and no seat is comfortable for that long, so we just passed knowing glances of our own discomfort. Even as we landed in Bangkok and navigated the long lines of customs and nervous children who did not enjoy the prospect of being questioned, and the hour-long ride which spat us out in front of our hotel at 2am local time (we are currently 11 hours ahead if you are keeping track), the kids remained spirited the whole way. Our youngest even tried practicing a little Thai with the van driver, who found her knowledge incredibly cute. What could have easily been the most stressful day of our journey turned into us holding out our hands and allowing God to lead us forward. Time and time again, our mission has been confirmed by his guiding hand, the insurmountable obstacles we see before us proving nothing in the face of his awesome power.

We have spent the last few days in Bangkok and anxiously await our school picking us up to start the journey north and turn the house we have been given into our home. We decided to stay in Bangkok for a few days for several reasons. Firstly, jet lag is real, and no one escapes its inopportune calls to slumber throughout the day. We really wanted the family to be able to enjoy their first meetings with the school and those we would be working/learning beside. Second, we have just gone through a very difficult transition of saying “See you later” to some of the greatest friends we have ever known. We shed so many tears, hugged, and shared quick jokes to break the somberness of goodbyes. We all needed a little time to process and unwind before putting our best foot forward to meet future colleagues and classmates. Third, and along the same lines, we wanted to get the kids excited about the place they will call home and show them a bit of Thai culture and, most importantly, its people.

Over the last two days, we have toured the city on foot and a long boat. We have taken a tuk-tuk through the streets to see the glee on our kids’ faces and to simply experience the daily life of those around us. We have gone to local markets, tried all manner of street foods, walked along the small streets, and watched as total strangers walked up to my fair-haired, blue-eyed children just to say hello and whisper about their cuteness.

We have also talked to our kids about the differences they can see: the glistening temples that are so prominent throughout the city, spirit houses that sit outside houses and hotels, and forty-foot statues of Buhhda that shadow the canals on their most popular tours. You can see the burning questions behind their eyes, and we do our best to answer them. In the same way, we prepare ourselves to answer all the hard questions we may encounter with our students, and understand we must rely on God’s wisdom and guidance to help them find their path.

As we move toward our new home, we ask that you pray for the relationships we are about to create with new friends, colleagues, and classmates. Pray that our hearts rejoice in the call and that we have the strength to move forward and follow where He leads.