Happy Friday, all! I would like to start this post with a few words of praise and thank each and every one of you for your prayers. We can definitely feel them even though we are 13,500 kilometers (8400 miles for you guys) away! First:
The Car (Well, truck to be exact)
We have received permission to use a truck that was left by an OMF missionary who departed a few years ago. Through a very persistent contact, we heard back yesterday that we would be able to get the vehicle serviced and ensure it is in good shape. The car has been sitting for a few years, underneath the abandoned hospital. A vehicle wasn’t in our original budget, but it quickly became apparent we would need one; we just weren’t sure how. God has demonstrated time and time again that if you trust in him, he will provide, and once again, a major obstacle has been lifted.
As we get it checked out next week, please continue to pray there are no major issues, and if there are, to listen and understand God’s plan for our transportation.
AWANA South Asia
While in training in Bangkok, Jessica replied on Facebook about the AWANA program in South Asia. The next week, we were on a Zoom with a representative who was very excited to expand their reach into Thailand. We were given resources, curriculum, and a great contact for when we are ready to pursue this avenue. The program is very new to Thailand, and many of the resources are not yet translated. It was just a blessing for us to make contact so early and to know that the foundations of the way forward have been laid. There is uncertainty about who (the church or the school) will host the program, whether it will serve as another avenue for English instruction, and whether a larger plan is in the works.
Please pray that we follow God’s guidance and that his helping hand will be ever present in the development of this club.
Weir Life Update
The adventures continue! Since our last post, we have found a place that offers all-day swimming, good food, and no crowds, just 20 minutes from our house, received a new mattress for our room, so that we no longer sleep on Aslan’s Table (Ask Pastor Kyle), visited a temple where you could chuck bananas out of your window to feed wild monkeys, found an aquarium store for Aiden, and IT RAINED FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ARRIVING!!! So many exciting things happen as we get used to our new home. Cue the Montage!
A little Oasis to escape the 40c (104F) heat 
It finally came. We are so excited! 
Yep! That is a monkey about 4 feet from our car. 
And yes, that is Elizabeth hanging out of the car to give a small monkey a shot at a banana. 
Filling the tank! 
The first rain and a walk to 7-11! 
Anything can fit on a bike if you try hard enough.
Manorom’s Summer Camp Program
What a week! The tears, the laughter, and more tears as these new K1 (3-year-old) students arrive and are likely leaving their parents all day for the first time. The first day was, as expected, a little sobby, but as the week progressed, things started to feel more familiar and more routine. Jessica and I both have our parts to play in helping these young ones feel comfortable on campus so that Christ and learning can be their focus. This has also been a wonderful opportunity for Jessica to interact with the parents of current and new students, discuss needs and opportunities, and help the parents of the youngest kids get used to the new teachers here on campus.
Jessica is killing it in Phonics, watching them grasp the sounds and even create the letters with Play-Doh. She grabbed the “opportunity” to teach art by the horns and wrestled it into some amazing lessons that really are setting the foundation for loving creations. I have been tasked with morning physical education and a very long theater arts block on Fridays. Progress is slow, but it is still progress as I attempt to do the impossible and have K3 complete a true pushup by the end of the year.
A Special Prayer Request for me (CHRIS!!!)
There is currently a posting for a Chaplain vacancy at the school. It was mentioned a few times when Jess, Pastor Kyle, and I visited in February, and there seemed to be some interest in me (Chris again) taking the position. It has not really been mentioned again, which we found to be pretty common, but I have elected to start classes with the Christian Learning Institute to become a Licensed Chaplain. There are quite a few requirements and many specializations you can choose after getting licensed. I have reached out to Pastors Kyle and Ben for guidance and am humbly requesting prayers as I navigate this unexpected educational journey. I have already learned a lot and am looking forward to following my passion with biblical teachings.
A Celebatory Waterfall Shower
Today, we took a needed reprieve and explored a little place called the Wang Kan Lueng Waterfall, a nice 140 kilometers from Manorom. Technically, it was a woman’s retreat, but the women of Manorom Church seem to have adopted us and like to take us all around. They also love to feed us, which is always a blessing. On the van ride over, we got to know some of the locals, one of the primary speakers at the church, and his wife. By the end of the ride, his wife was happily showering our kids and us with food and teaching us a few needed Thai words. Always great when words are based on inflection, and the same word can mean both shirt and tiger. It has been a wonderful adventure, and we love how quickly we have integrated into the local community and look forward to future opportunities to engage with it.
We ask for your prayers as we dive deep into understanding the culture and language so that we can really connect with the locals in a meaningful way. Please pray that we continuously show God as we teach the final week of camp and pray that whatever path He is leading us on, we follow with open minds and open hearts.
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