All In

Several years ago I heard one of the most impactful sermons, given by the one and only Matt Troyer. He taught from 1 Kings 19:19-21, about when Elijah anoints Elisha to be his successor as prophet. If you’re not familiar with the passage, Elijah throws his cloak on Elisha while Elisha is plowing a field. This signifies that Elisha is to be Elijah’s successor. Elisha’s first response is to ask for time to say his goodbyes to his family since this anointing was unexpected. Elijah gives him permission to do so, but cautions Elisha to consider his calling first. Elisha’s response is to kill all his oxen and burn the wood from the plow to build a fire, in order to roast the meat and share it with the other plowmen. Matt put it much more eloquently than I’m about to, but the point of this illustration is that when God calls us to something, we should go all in, leaving no ties to our former life lest we be tempted to do this future calling half-heartedly.

A few years later, Scott and I had the chance to put that sermon into action. We had felt for some time that we should serve for a year abroad, but doing what we didn’t know. We had been following the work of International Justice Mission for several years at that point, so we decided to look into opportunities to serve with them. The more we investigated, the more strongly we felt that this was what the Lord was calling us to. In December 2015 we officially accepted a year-long fellowship with IJM in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

To be honest, at that point we had no idea what we were doing. We had three young children who had never lived outside of Indiana before, much less in a culture where they would be in the ethnic, religious, and linguistic minority. We had decided to homeschool the children during this time, which neither Scott nor I had ever done before, either as a student or teacher. But we felt that it was the Lord’s calling, so we did our research and tried to prepare as best we could.

About a week after we had completed all our fundraising and sold our house, my dream job, which I had been waiting for for years, became available. This was a crucial moment for me. We felt clear about the Lord’s leading, we had done all this preparation, but were we truly on board? Should we defer our fellowship in order to take this job?? We had been saying for months that Thailand was our calling, but this job might not be available again for years. This was the Lord saying to us, “Are you really all in? No matter what?” With a bit of hesitation, we said yes.

A few months into our time in Thailand, the office asked us to consider extending our one-year commitment to two years. To be clear, when we left Indiana our plan was to spend one year in Thailand and then go right back to our old lives in Terre Haute. Same jobs, same church, same school for our kids. We never expected to stay more than 12 months in Chiang Mai. But, once again, with prayer and consideration we felt that this was what the Lord was asking us to do. And once again, our plan was to spend a second year in Thailand, but then return to the same jobs, church, and school in Indiana in 2018. A couple weeks after we returned to Indiana for a brief furlough, Scott’s organization, with whom he had worked for ten years, closed unexpectedly. If I can be candid, this rocked me (Scott doesn’t get phased by much, even when the world is turning upside down). What about our plans? Lord, we thought you wanted us to stay in Thailand. Now we won’t have Scott’s salary to help support us. How can we raise even more money in just a few weeks?! Without this job, it is highly unlikely that we can stay in Terre Haute. Where will we go?? What will we do?? Everything will be different. And again, I heard the Lord say, “Are you all in? No matter what?” With even more hesitation, we said yes.

As always happens, the Lord showed us how He was working it for good in His time. We saw how extending our time in Thailand was important, because if we had not done that we would have returned to Terre Haute as planned, but Scott would have been unemployed shortly after. This unexpected turn of events also opened the door for Scott to pursue his Ph.D., which he had been considering for several years, but the timing had never been right. With no house, cars, or jobs in Terre Haute anymore, why not do it now?? After more prayer and consideration, Scott decided to apply to the University of Oxford. This was his dream school, working with some of the best in the world. But we absolutely couldn’t afford for him to go there without some kind of funding. Again, the Lord provided more than we could have hoped or imagined. Why do I ever doubt Him?

My birthday was earlier this month, and as I scrolled down my Facebook page to read all the kind birthday wishes, I noticed a question posed by FB: In ten years, I expect to…..  I laughed out loud! At the age of 18, I had a very detailed ten-year plan and knew exactly what each year of my life going forward was going to look like. That plan fell apart about five years later, and the intervening years have looked nothing at all what I expected. Now, at the age of 34, I barely know what the next six months are going to look like. However, the last two years have taught me to trust God more and to give Him control. What will the next ten years hold for us? We have no idea. But Lord, we’re all in.

Summer 2018

Our family will be ending our time with IJM Chiang Mai on June 22. We will be in Indiana for the months of July and August, then in September we will move to England! Scott will be working towards his Ph.D. in musculoskeletal sciences for the next three years. Our family is excited about the new adventure that lies ahead, but also sad to be away from our friends and family in the U.S. for a bit longer.

While we are in Indiana we will be speaking at a few churches who supported us during our time with International Justice Mission. If you'd like to hear more about the work that IJM Chiang Mai does and how our family was involved for the last two years, you can catch us at the following places:

July 8: United Methodist Temple (Terre Haute)
July 29: World Gospel Church (Terre Haute)
August 12: Faith Southern Baptist Church (Clay City)

We would love to get to see as many of you in person as possible while we are Stateside. We won't have cell phones, but you can contact us via email or social media at any time. Hope we can run into each other soon!

What the US Can Learn from Thailand

We have loved the chance to experience Thai culture over these past two years. While it is often frustrating trying to navigate a culture so distinct from our own, there are many parts of Thai culture that are inspiring. Following are some qualities that I think we would do well to incorporate into US culture, too.

Mai bpen rai

One of the most common phrases in Thai is “mai bpen rai”, which literally means “it’s nothing.” Thai speakers often use it as “don’t worry about it”. We, of course, use this phrase in English, too, but not quite as freely as it is used in Thai. If you’re late to an event, stuck in traffic forever, forgot to do something, “mai bpen rai”. There’s not nearly as much energy spent worrying about things that are out of our control or are really minor inconveniences. It’s quite refreshing!

Food waste

Something I really appreciate about Thailand is how little food is wasted. Bones, fat, skin, all parts of animals are used instead of thrown out. Perhaps this is due to the overall smaller number of animals that are available for consumption, or related to the country’s history of poverty, but I think it’s a lesson we could learn. Why throw out a significant part of the animal if it could be used for something good? There also seems to be less food wasted at restaurants. Portions are much smaller here than in the US, so nearly everything is eaten at the restaurant instead of thrown out afterwards. Food also tends to be freshly made, so there aren’t as many things that sit under a warmer all day, just to be thrown away at closing time. Imagine how much food we could save by only making what we needed!

Respect for authority

Thai culture is strongly based on hierarchy and respect for authority. In a lot of ways, that has been hard to adjust to since, as Americans, we are used to an egalitarian workplace and society. However, I think there are some benefits to an atmosphere in which elders are automatically respected. Leaders and government officials are given respect despite making choices that not everyone agrees with. Parents are shown much more respect than in the US simply by virtue of being parents. A lot of time and energy is saved by not arguing about what’s best, but simply trusting the leader to make the right choice.

Unity

More than 100 years ago Thailand was several different kingdoms which eventually united as one country in the early 1900s. The histories of these kingdoms are still very much visible in present-day Thailand, with pieces of language, culture, and food at the forefront. This is not even to mention the many hill tribe communities which also have distinct cultures and languages. Despite this inherent diversity, Thai people are very much unified, especially when it comes to their king. After the death of King Bhumibol in October 2016, that unity became very apparent to us. Everyone wore black for several months, and some up to one year, after the king’s death to mark their sadness at his passing. It is hard to imagine an American wearing black for more than a few days, even if ordered to, at the passing of a governmental figure. However, most Thai people did this out of love for the king and for their country, not because of a rule put in place by the government. Perhaps this is tied to respect for authority and elders, but in my experience, Thai people are also much more likely to make the choice for the good of the group rather than their own agenda. This stands in stark contrast to the individualism that we cherish in US society. Both have their strong points, but many times it is nice to be part of a unified atmosphere.

Grace for language learners

Our family has been learning Thai for almost two years now, and we’ve come a long way. However, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the Thai language. Thankfully, most Thai people with whom we interact are extremely gracious with us. In fact, I would say they are actually impressed when we use Thai, even though our Thai is far from impressive. Thai is a tonal language, and even when I know the vocabulary is correct, I am certain my tones are usually not. Despite me sounding like a toddler, Thai speakers always work with me and encourage me. Can you imagine what a difference it would make for immigrants, visitors, refugees, etc., if native English speakers always encouraged them in their language learning, instead of giving them a confused face and shouting in response? It would be a welcome change, indeed.

The Beginning of the End

Sadly, our time in Southeast Asia is drawing to a close. We’ll finish our time with IJM Thailand in late June, which means that we only have a little more than three months left here in Chiang Mai. This is an incredibly bittersweet time for our family since we’ve made lots of good friends in our two years in Thailand. I try not to think about how little time we have left because I tear up every time.

Even without counting the days, we can tell that this season is coming to an end. Some of our good friends left last week, and we won’t be in Thailand when they come back from their furlough. We’ve certainly missed all the interns who have left IJM since we’ve been here, but this is the first family (with kids who are friends with our kids) who have left. We went to church together and were both part of the same homeschool group, so we saw each other often. We’re going to miss them a lot!

E and her first friend in Thailand

The homeschool co-op that our family is part of only has three weeks left. This has been our first homeschooling experience, and the co-op group has been integral to it. E especially appreciates being able to see her friends consistently every week and being able to learn about topics outside of her regular curriculum.

E and B joined a soccer camp for the months of January, February, and March. There are now just two sessions left, and although this particular camp runs a few times every year, we won’t be here when the next one goes. None of us knew much about soccer before we came to Thailand, but the kids have really enjoyed learning about the sport and playing with other kids.

B doing some footwork

We’re also starting to think about what things we’ll take back to the US with us, and what items need to be sold or given away here. We will “only” take ten suitcases back, which is what we brought with us, but it’s surprising how much stuff you can acquire in just two years! Even with taking several items back with us during our furlough last summer, there will be A LOT that won’t fit under our weight limit. We are thankful that my mom and youngest sister will be visiting at the end of March and have agreed to let us send some things back with them. Still, sorting through our belongings reminds us of how little time we have left.

The final way that we are planning for the end is related to my work. I’ve been counting how many classes each of my groups have left, trying to decide which topics are the most essential, and which ones will need to be passed over. Every teacher can relate to that nearing-the-end-of-the-school-year feeling. It’s both exciting and sad to realize that my time with the staff is nearly over. Over the last few weeks I’ve reminded different staff members that I’m leaving in June, usually whenever they refer to a future event that I won’t be present for. Every time they say, “Two years goes so fast!” I couldn’t agree more.

Even though we are sad about leaving Thailand, we can’t be happier to have had the chance to join this team for the last two years. We’ve made deeper connections than we ever thought possible, both with co-workers and expats, and are going to miss everyone tremendously. But, we knew from the very beginning that this assignment was going to be temporary, so we are trying to look upon our remaining months with appreciation instead of sadness.

E and I had a girls’ day last week, and she remarked how fast this second year was going and how soon we would be going back to the US. I asked if she regretted coming to Thailand (since, in all honesty, it has caused her a lot of heartache over the loss of friends both in the US and Chiang Mai), and she replied with an emphatic “no”. We both agreed that we are happier to have met and loved all these people than to have never have begun this adventure. Here’s to eating lots of Thai food and making incredible memories for the next three months!