Hello all! We are excited to say that we have made it through the first term here at MICS. I can safely say that on my end, I was flying by the seat of my pants a lot, but the teachers and students here have been so wonderful and helpful. As we close this term, I wanted to simply list a few things we are thankful for and some hard realities of our new life here. Don’t worry, it isn’t anything too terrible.

We are thankful for

Support. Though we are halfway across the world, we can feel your prayers. They are so appreciated, and each lends its strength to another day here. For the text, emails, and phone calls, we are eternally grateful, as they give us a little piece of home, something the family is missing dearly. We miss you all so dearly, and it is wonderful to hear your voices as my kids randomly walk out of their bedrooms on a four-way kids messenger call.

For those sending financial support, we have been able to help this school with funds for a new ping pong table (still in transit), refurbishing the basketball goals (still in the works), and have been able to bless the teachers here with much-needed supplies and small treats to show them they are cared for. Because of the limited budget here, the staff is used to hearing no. It was nice to be able to give them a few yeses. It is amazing how much a paper cutter means to a teacher who still has to cut their materials with a razor blade.

New Friends. The kids have really come into their own in finding good friends to be with around school and to play with outside of school. There is no replacing the love and friendship we had in Virginia. We are just happy to see them smiling, running, swinging, eating ice cream, and all around just being kids here at the school. There is something so magical about being somewhere that you can just let them play and knowing they will be ok. They might, and have, come back with bumps and bruises, but to see them just run out of the house and not come back until the sun is down has been a blessing.

The Start of our New Community. We can’t do this alone here. I wish I could have just picked up our Virginia community and moved each of you here. We could have all lived here on the compound, eaten community-style street food each night, and listened to our kids run amok under the old hospital (yep, that is real) until the street lights came on. I mean, if that sounds great, you are still welcome to come, and we would love to have you!

But I write this thankfulness as I think about the friendships that are starting to bloom amongst the staff here. There is so much laughter and joy when they get together. We had a going-away party last night for three of our teachers (at the end of their contracts), and the love they shared with one another was incredible. They have been fighting in the trenches for years. They all have battle scars. They are all family, and we are blessed to be part of it.

Hardships or Prayer Requests

Kid’s Physical Health. It is nothing life-threatening, but the kids each have had some sort of digestive or stomach issues on and off since we arrived. We are consulting for one of our kids to see if we can isolate the issue and help reduce stomach discomfort. Please pray that the consults reveal the truth and that we can help alleviate some of this burden for her. She has had to miss a few days of school, and with working parents, it means being in the house all day, which is not great for anyone.

Outside the honeymoon phase. It is safe to say the entire family is outside the honeymoon period, and our minds are shifting to the hard fight ahead. We are not living in a mud hut without electricity or running water. We are not crawling under gunfire to reach oppressed villages, but the spiritual warfare at play here at the school is palpable. It creeps into every decision, every engagement, and every single interaction. The staff is tired, and Satan is attempting to throw doubt and conflict into a burdened mission field. We pray for our strength as newcomers to help lighten that burden. We have come to realize that our mission is to the whole school and to support these teachers and missionaries so they maintain the strength to impact these kids in their classrooms each day. This place is good. This place can and has helped so many, and Satan knows it.

Miracles

Each morning in staff devotion, our staff get to talk about what is on their heart. Throughout this term, there have been many great topics, but one has really been on my heart. That is the concept of a miracle. We tend to think about Jesus healing the blind, or the lame, or even raising people from the dead, but I have been actively retraining my mind to see what miracles really are, “small things” that let you know God is watching over you. When I started looking at it through that lens, I realized how often this actually happens, and we just kinda go about our lives. No praise given or even a nod to God.

Here, it could be as simple as us arriving home as it was getting dark and immediately thinking about all the clothes on the line. No rain in the forecast, and Madelyn still thought to bring in the entire rack. BAM! Five minutes later, we were in a downpour. We all had our uniforms for the next day. Something so small. God cares.

Or, I applied for a scholarship to Liberty to get my master’s in school counseling. There was a section that said you might not be eligible if you already have a Master’s degree. I went ahead and applied for it even though I would likely be rejected. Part of the process was ensuring you did not have any additional educational benefits from the military, and it forced you to apply for them as part of the application. I did all the work, it was confirmed, and I was going to get the scholarship. But then I saw a checklist that makes you confirm your highest level of education. It was a clerical oversight on their part that I got to this point, and if I just signed the document, I could probably get a free master’s. I wrestled with it, but eventually wrote an email telling them about their mistake, and I lost or became ineligible for the scholarship. I could no longer afford it, so I let it go. Last week, I got an email from the VA saying they approved by post 9/11 GI-Bill, something that was explained to me over and over that I wasn’t eligible for and shouldn’t apply for. And yet, here in my inbox was this benefit and legitimate explanation based on my years of service. I start classes in August. God cares.

There are stories like this all around us. We may dismiss them as random or even luck, but if we truly believe in a God that controls everything, why would we think anything is random? I don’t always, but I do my best to make sure that when something just “Works out,” whether big or small, I raise my eyes and just say, “Thank you.”

Life Updates

Please enjoy the slideshow as always, which gives just a smidgen of what life is like here in Thailand!

Jessica is Full Steam Ahead in her Doctorate. A few weeks in, and Jess is crushing her classes and has just gotten nearly full marks on her first paper in the program. She really is a rockstar and somehow is beautifully balancing daily requirements with this impressive feat. Unlike her husband, who has Office Hours, Jessica is on full blast all day, meaning she has to find time to work on these assignments. Keep her in your prayers as she pushes forward!

A Trip to see Family and Friends. The Weirs are going to Hawaii! That is right! We booked this before we left, when my leaving the government, money arrived, so that we could have a definite time on the calendar to see Jessica’s parents and the Coveys! We are so excited to see them, that is all the kids can seem to talk about lately. Jessica has assured me we will not exceed our weight limit on the way back, but the list of items being brought to us seems extensive. Seriously, though, it will be great to see you all very soon, eat some “American Food,” and drive on the correct side of the road for a little while.

We have a bank account. Nearly four months in, and we have a functioning bank account for our Thai money! I include this because it was a bit of a spectacle at the bank: we were apparently the first Americans to open a bank account there, and they simply did not know how to do it. There were questions about green cards and educational backgrounds, but the one that really made us all laugh was the idea of a Social Security number. This poor teller looked through all the paperwork, tried every combination of numbers she could find to fill in those nine numbers, and generally looked flustered. I don’t speak enough Thai yet to understand the back-and-forth, and even our translator wasn’t sure what they were talking about. Eventually, she simply flipped the pad around, I saw the words, and just typed in the numbers. The shocked look, followed by the chorus of laughter, was infectious. All that work, and all they had to do was ask me for the information.

Routine. When you settle in any place, our lives start to develop routines. Not in a bad way, of course. As I have to remind the kids each weekend when they ask, “Where are we going?” We are not, in fact, on vacation in Thailand, and just like in Virginia, each weekend was not a getaway. They are doing great with it, though. They have plenty of virtual playdates, then run around the compound like they own it. Now, we do tend to go to our usual spots, like the Pink Cafe swimming lake, but I don’t have any really exciting or exotic locations we have been to since our last blog update.

I think that about sums up the last few weeks here in Thailand. As I said before, no crazy trips to see an English movie or waterfalls. We are just trying to settle in here and help in every way that we can think of. Please continue to pray for this school and for us. As always, if you feel the call to help here, just let us know. There are so many positions they need, either long-term or short-term. If you happen to know someone with a heart for missions, please let us know! Thank you all again for your prayers.