Take Me to Church

We will be on furlough this summer for the end of June and all of July. We are really excited to see everyone and especially update our supporters with stories and figures of what a difference their prayers and finances have made. If you would like to hear us speak at one of these events, here is our current schedule:

June 25: Rockville Christian Church (Rockville, IN)

July 2: Faith Southern Baptist Church (Clay City, IN)

July 9: World Gospel Church (Terre Haute, IN)

July 16: United Methodist Temple (Terre Haute, IN)

We’ll be giving about a ten-minute update at each church as to what our IJM Chiang Mai office has done in the past year. If you can’t make it to any of those, be sure to talk to us at the Race for Freedom on July 1!

If none of those dates work for you, please be sure to contact us and set up a time to connect with you personally.

See you SOON, Indiana!

Race for Freedom

We are so excited to be back in Indiana in just a few weeks! We are looking forward to spending lots of time with family and friends, and visiting churches and other groups who have supported us this year. We also have quite the list of food items that we plan to eat!

Another reason for our visit is to raise funds for our second year in Thailand. Our sweet family has organized a 5K race and kids' run to help us do that!

Race for Freedom will happen on Saturday, July 1, at World Gospel Church in Terre Haute. The kids' fun run will start at 8:30am, and it is available for all children up to age 12. The 5K will begin at 9am and is open to all ages. Our friend DJ Rerum (Darren Wagner) will be spinning some tunes to get our feet moving! Some local businesses have made donations toward the race, including Chick-fil-a sandwiches!! If you sign up by June 24, you'll even get a t-shirt out of the deal. All the proceeds from this race will go directly to our family, to help with our expenses during our second year in Thailand.

We would love to see each of you in person, to tell you about our time in Thailand and all the important work that International Justice Mission is doing. You can register using this link. Please consider joining us as we celebrate our own independence, and raise money to help those across the globe who can only hope for their own.

Ten Reasons You Should Visit Thailand

Now that we’ve committed to staying for a second year, you have plenty of time to plan a trip to visit us! Even if you’re not able to visit in the coming year, you should definitely add a trip to Thailand to your bucket list. Here are some of the things we love about Thailand, and we think you’ll love them, too.

1. The Food

One thing I love about Thailand is the huge variation of food available. Sure, rice is a staple in a lot of dishes, but you can certainly avoid it if it’s not your thing. There are noodles, soups, and vegetable stir-frys that will keep you satisfied for days. Thai food is so flavorful, too. You can get dishes with plenty of spice or none at all, with really rich flavor or something more bland. The northern part of Thailand, where we live, is also home to some unique dishes that you aren’t likely to find in other parts of the country. My favorite local dish is khao soi, a rich soup with delicious egg noodles. I never pass up an opportunity to eat some good khao soi!

Khao soi gai

If for some reason you can’t find a Thai dish that suits you, there are also dozens of international restaurants to choose from. We regularly eat Indian, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese food. There are even U.S. favorites like McDonalds, Subway, and Starbucks. Even the pickiest of eaters can find something they like in Chiang Mai!

2. The People
Our office staff are some of the loveliest people you will ever meet. They are kind, compassionate, and dedicated to their work. We’re blessed to be able to get to know them during our time here. Our experience with people outside the office has also been great. Most Thai people we meet are very kind and gracious when we speak our broken Thai, and eager to help us if we have a question. Many Thai people love children, too, so our kids get lots of attention and treats, even from passersby. Thailand is known by many as the “Land of Smiles”, and we have found that to be very true!

X getting his picture taken by one of his many adoring fans

3. The Weather

If you’re a person who enjoys warm weather, it’s hard to think of a better place to be than Thailand. The coolest it has been here in Chiang Mai is the upper-70s (Fahrenheit) during the day, dipping only a little cooler in the evenings. It does get pretty hot during hot season, reaching around 100 on a typical day, but many locations have air conditioning available, and many neighborhoods have beautiful pools, which make swimming a very common and affordable pastime. Chiang Mai is near the mountains, so the heat is not nearly as sweltering as it might be in places like Bangkok. Rainy season lasts almost half the year, but even then it’s not usually a constant rain, just occasional rains during the day.

4. Elephants

There are many opportunities to see elephants in Northern Thailand, but our favorite is Elephant Nature Park. You can read more about our family’s experience here. Elephant Nature Park gives you the chance to get up close to elephants and learn more about how they should be cared for. Our kids loved being able to touch, feed, and bathe the elephants. Every time I see one, I am in awe of how amazing they are. They really are majestic creatures!

5. The Mountains
Before moving to Thailand I had visited various mountain ranges, but never lived near the mountains. To be honest, I was initially a little sad about how far we are from the beach, since I love the water, but living near the mountains has been better than expected. The mountains here are beautiful! They are similarly sized to the Appalachians and totally covered in trees.

It’s so fun to take a drive up the mountain and see all the beautiful views of the city and surrounding countryside. The weather is also milder in the mountains, making it a nice break from some of the heat of the city. Our family loves to go hiking in the mountains, and the views are hard to beat!

6. The Old City

When most people visit Chiang Mai, they stay in or near the Old City. We live about 20 minutes away and only go there about once a month, but it’s a great place to visit. If you stay in the Old City, you can walk everywhere you want to go. It’s home to tons of great restaurants, both Thai and non-Thai. There are plenty of tourist and historical attractions to see within the Old City, too. You can also see the old city wall that is still standing in many areas, with the moat surrounding. And it’s the best place to do souvenir shopping. Definitely a must-visit!

7. Outdoor Adventures
If you’re looking for some outdoor adventures, Thailand is the place to be! The most common ones are ziplining, bamboo rafting, and snorkeling. You can also ride ATVs through the jungle, hike a mountain, and climb a waterfall. These are just a few examples of all the fun adventures you can have outside of the city.

Ziplining with Flight of the Gibbon

8. Unique Celebrations

Once we knew we were moving to Thailand, we began to learn about Thai culture and were looking forward to lots of new experiences. The two things our kids were most excited about were Loy Krathong Festival (or Lantern Festival, as we call it) and Songkran (Thailand’s new year festival). If you’ve seen Tangled, the scene with the lanterns being released in the sky is a pretty close representation of that part of the Lantern Festival. You can read a little more about its history here.

Songkran is the Thai new year festival, celebrated in April. Originally, people would sprinkle water on each other in order to bless the other person for the new year. Over time sprinkles turned into sprays, and today it’s an all-out water fight! People line the streets manned with buckets and water guns and dowse anyone who passes by. Even people driving by on the street are not safe! The kids had been waiting for this ever since we moved to Thailand, and it did not disappoint!

X enjoying Songkran

9. Affordable Travel

Once you get to Thailand, travel is very affordable. Songthaews (large red taxis) are available to take you anywhere you want to go, and are quite reasonably priced. There are also taxis, tuk tuks, and Uber in the city. Additionally, flying within Thailand is really cheap and easy. You can get to a beautiful beach in just a few hours from our airport in Chiang Mai. Food and lodging are also affordable, and make it easy to enjoy many areas of Thailand without having to break the bank. Out of all the Southeast Asian countries we’ve visited, Thailand is the best place to get the most bang for your buck!

10. Seeing Us!

Okay, this is probably the least convincing reason to visit, but we would love to see you! We’d be happy to give you a tour around the city a bit and show you what our life is like in Thailand. We can give advice as to the best places to eat and to visit, and we even have an extra bed you could stay in, if that’s what it takes. 😉

Round Two

When we accepted a fellowship with IJM, our plan was to spend 12 months in Thailand, and then return to Indiana and pick up right where we left off. At the time we left, one year felt like a very long time to be away from everything that we knew, and we didn’t anticipate being away for any longer than that. However, once we arrived in Thailand and fell in love with both the people and culture, it became easier to think about staying for more than 12 months. The staff asked us to consider committing to another year, and after much prayer and consultation, we said yes. We are now planning to continue working with IJM Chiang Mai until June 2018!

Many people have asked why we decided to stay for a second year. First and foremost, we feel we are fulfilling a need that the office has. The staff have worked very hard and made big improvements in their English, but another year would mean even more improvements for everyone. In addition, the office anticipates hiring several new staff members in 2017, and all those staff members will need to study English, as well. Having the same instructor for a longer period of time would be beneficial in many ways.

Learning English in our classroom

Secondly, we have gotten some confirmation that this is where we need to be for this time. Our employers in the U.S. have been supportive of our work here, and for that we are exceedingly grateful. Some future plans that IJM has will make our staff’s English abilities even more necessary, and having us for a second year will be a great help in that regard. Since we already sold our house and one of our vehicles, it seemed like staying for a longer time was more logical than returning at a later point in the future.

Finally, Chiang Mai is a pretty easy place to live. We’re not saying that everything about living here is easy, because it certainly isn’t, but when we compare it to other possible locations around the world, there is a lot to be thankful for. We can eat at McDonalds, Subway, Burger King, KFC, or Starbucks if we are missing Western food. We also have access to most things we would want at local stores, so in many ways life looks the same for us here as in Indiana. There are many other expat families here who have shared experiences of raising kids abroad, and we are starting to feel like we have some community in Thailand.

If you have been missing our faces, don’t worry! We are still coming back to the U.S. in June for a brief furlough. We will be spending time with family and friends and visiting with supporters to update them on all that has been happening at IJM Chiang Mai. We’ll also be doing some fundraising for our second year. If you’re interested in more of those details, you can visit here. We plan to visit and speak at some churches, as well, and will let you know more of those details when we know them. If you think your church or other group would be interested in hearing about our work, let us know and we would be happy to talk!

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged us and prayed for us as we weighed this decision. We are grateful for all the prayer and support we have received these last nine months, and look forward to seeing all that God does through our staff in the coming year!

Products You Need to Travel with Young Kids

*Disclaimer: We are not receiving any money for recommending these products. These are all items we have personally used and love.*

1. PeaPod Travel Bed

If you’ve never heard of a PeaPod, you are not alone! I hadn’t heard of it, either, until a friend recommended it to me. It’s basically a small tent for a child to sleep in. Our sweet Sunday School class bought it for us before we moved to Thailand, and X sleeps in it for every nap and night. What I love about it:

a) It folds up very small so that it fits inside our suitcase when we’re traveling. It’s also very lightweight so it doesn’t add much to your suitcase total.

b) It has netting on the ends for “windows” and on the entrance, which is a great mosquito deterrent. If you live or travel in areas where mosquitos are prevalent, this is a life-saver! You can choose to cover the mesh with the nylon covering if it’s cold or wet, too.

c) The zipper can be left open or you can zip it closed. With our older kids we had a small cot that we took with us when we had sleepovers with family. However, the open sides made me nervous, especially if I wasn’t in the room while they were sleeping. We always zip the PeaPod closed so that he can’t roll out (but he has now figured out how to unzip it and escape!).

2. Tula Baby Carrier

I had heard people rave about Tulas for years, but never made the leap to purchase one until we decided to move to Thailand (our Sunday School class also tried to purchase one for us, but that’s a funny story for another time). We had a cheap baby carrier with our older two kids, and I hated it. It was hard for me to put on by myself, and I never felt like the baby was totally secure. Our kids were not big fans of it, either, so after awhile we just stopped using it. The price of a Tula scared me away for awhile, and I looked into lots of other options. However, since our “baby” was almost one year old and we were going to be using the carrier a lot in Southeast Asia, we finally decided to bite the bullet.

What I love about it:

1. It’s very comfortable. I can wear it for long periods of time without feeling like it’s pulling on my shoulders or neck. I can wear a 28-pound toddler while hiking a mountain and really not feel like it’s much extra weight. X enjoys riding in it, too, and rarely fusses while in it.
2. It’s very versatile. When X was smaller, I wore him on my front a lot because it made him feel more secure. Now that he’s bigger, he rides on my back. Switching from front to back carry is easy, and can be done quickly without having to refasten a bunch of clips. Scott can use it too, and adjust to his size with minimal changes.
3. It folds very easily. We usually fold it up and put it in our backpack when we’re out for the day, and since it’s very lightweight and small it’s no problem at all to carry it around when we’re not using it.
4. It washes easily. After we inevitably spill something on it, or we get caught in the rain, we can just throw it in the washing machine and it comes out looking great.

3. Luggage Scale

This is something I actually bought before I took a group of students to Costa Rica a few years ago, but it has also been really handy while traveling as a family. It’s a very small device that clips to your luggage, then you lift the device and the luggage off the ground to weigh it. Ours is very accurate and saves us a lot of hoping and crossing of fingers that our bags are not overweight. This is especially handy since we always travel with at least two suitcases and multiple carry-ons. No surprise fees at the airport is a win in my book!

4. Crocs

If you’re like me, you might be surprised by this item. I had always thought of crocs as unstylish and plain. These things may still be true, but they are a lifesaver during rainy season. We have purchased both name-brand Crocs and off-brand ones, and both work fine.

What I love about them:

1. They are easy to slip on and off. In Thailand, most people do not wear shoes inside the house, and some places of business request that you leave your shoes at the door (in fact, I spend most of my workday barefoot!). Thus, we take our shoes off and put them back on a lot. The crocs are great because the kids can just toss them off their feet, and we don’t have to deal with tying and untying shoelaces.
2. They dry out easily. During rainy season, it rains every day. It’s impossible to avoid water when you’re outside of the house, even when it’s not raining, so having shoes that dry easily is a necessity. Scott and I wear Chacos a lot, but they were too expensive to justify spending money on for kids who would only be able to wear them for a few months before they outgrew them. Five-dollar off-brand crocs work great, though!
3. They are easy to clean. Since the shoes are just a solid piece of hard rubber-like material, they are easy to clean off when one of the children steps in mud or other unwanted street mess. Just rinse them off and stick them outside. Easy peasy!

5. Totseat

This is one of my best-ever Pinterest finds! The Totseat was recommended by another mom who lives abroad, and it is amazing! It’s basically a highchair that can conform to any type of chair.

What I love about it:

1. It’s portable. The Totseat comes with its own carrying bag, and folds up to about the size of a small notebook. We throw it in our backpack and take it everywhere!
2. It fits *almost* any type of chair. Since it is just a large piece of fabric with attached clips, it can adjust to any height or width of chair. (The exception is chairs that are really wide, like an outdoor wicker chair.) Not every restaurant in Thailand has baby chairs, so it’s great to have one that we can just use with the provided chairs anywhere we go.
3. It cleans easily. You can imagine how much food gets wiped or dropped on this thing; however, we just put it in the washing machine and it comes out clean every time!

6. Ponchos

Since it rains about five months out of the year here, rain gear is an absolute necessity. During rainy season, we carry our rain jackets and ponchos everywhere. Rainy season is also pretty hot, though, so I wanted to find rain gear that wouldn’t overheat the kids. Enter Wildkin ponchos!

What I love about them:

1. They fold up really small and can form their own carrying pouch. I also have a rain jacket that is supposed to fold up into its own pouch, but for the life of me I can never get it to work. The kids’ ponchos, though, really do fold up neatly and easily, and it is a lifesaver! The pouch also has a little velcro loop on the end so you can clip it to your belt loop if necessary.
2. The sides are open, but don’t allow water in. The sides can be left completely open, or you can velcro them in one place. I was skeptical that it would actually keep water out since it is just one velcro spot, but it seems to keep water out nicely. It’s also nice because it allows their body heat to be released without letting the water in.
3. They come in lots of cute patterns! Okay, so this wasn’t really a high priority when I was looking at ponchos, but I was surprised by how many colors and patterns you can buy these in. We got a leopard print for E and a dinosaur print for B, and they LOVE them!

7. Reusable Swim Diaper

This is an item that I just happened to come across one day while I was surfing Zulilly. I had never even considered a reusable swim diaper before, but I am glad we have it!

What I love about it:

1. It can be used many times in the same trip (obviously, it’s reusable!). It’s been really nice, especially when traveling to various countries, to not have to pack a certain number of swim diapers or have to search for some in local stores.
2. It cleans really easily. I have hand-washed it in a sink and put it in a washing machine, and it comes out nice and clean every time.
3. It contains its contents nicely. I was rather concerned that it wouldn’t actually contain the most important deposits, but it does that very well! We haven’t had any leaks or accidents so far.

8. Norwex Towels

These towels would be useful whether or not you are traveling with children, but they've been especially nice to have since we travel as a group of five. If you're not familiar with Norwex, it is a company that creates products which reduce a person's dependence on chemical cleaning products. These body towels are awesome because they are thin (made out of microfiber-type material), dry very quickly, and small enough to easily fit five in a suitcase. We have taken them with us to hostels (where you have to bring your own towels), to go swimming, and use them every day at our own house. Since they have some anti-bacterial woven into the fabric, you can go a few days without washing them, which is also crucial when you're traveling.

9. Epic Subscription

While this technically isn’t an item, it’s easily one of our most-used purchases in Thailand. Epic is an app that we use on our iPad, which has e-books and educational videos. This has been really key for us because our kids love to read, but it takes up a lot of space (and weight) to carry books all over the place. You can use it while connected to wifi or download books to read while you’re offline. Definitely a big part of our homeschool curriculum!

The First Seven Months

We have been living in Thailand now for seven months and we recently had the 100th day of homeschool for E and B. For better or worse, I am not one to typically log my experiences and feelings, hence Katie usually handles these blog posts. Yet, this seems like a natural time to do some reflection over the past half-year in the entirely new role as teacher-dad and primary caregiver to our three kids.

Making Venn diagrams to compare houses in the US and Thailand

Among all the transitions of packing up our possessions, selling our house, and moving over 8,000 miles from West Central Indiana to Northern Thailand, the transition from "working Dad" to "stay-at-home Dad" has been the biggest transition for me personally. Before we came, I struggled a bit with my own perception that I wouldn't officially be "doing anything". We as a family are passionately committed to the work done by the IJM staff in seeking justice for the oppressed. God has uniquely gifted Katie to improve communications and break down language barriers for the Thai-speaking staff. My own self-centered and works-based struggle was focused on the question of what I would do. What great stories would I be able to share back home? How would I make a difference? – Did you notice how all of those questions aren't primarily focused on God, or the oppressed, or justice at all? -- I sure didn’t. At least, not at first. Thankfully, God has been gracious and patient with my short-sighted self-absorption. He has been faithful in showing me my desperate need for humility; to serve in the background and trust Him to bring fruit from the labor for His people and for His glory. And in what will be no surprise to many of the stay-at-home parents/at-home educators reading this, though I have no “official” role in serving with IJM in Thailand, I am certainly busier now than I was in my role as breadwinner and night-and-weekends dad back in the States. Busier, but enjoying the blessing of time with our children and (my hope in prayer) learning to serve more humbly and parent more patiently.

The kids and I have been genuinely enjoying the international homeschool experience. While homeschooling was never something Katie and I considered for the kids back home in Indiana, it absolutely makes the most sense for us during this season of our lives in Thailand. I can’t go any further in this post without pausing to thank Denise Schwartz who organized the foundation of E’s curriculum, took time to share with me her years of homeschooling wisdom before we left, and has offered much encouragement to me along the way. Thank you for your support and your example.

On a typical day, the kids and I take the cool mornings to play outside, hit the market, join the IJM prayer meetings, or explore the city. Some of our favorite morning “field trips” are visiting one of the handful of small local zoos and running around the canal at the local exercise park. After lunch I put X down for a nap and E & B get started on the day’s work. We start the day reading through a chapter of the Bible and working through memory verses. It has been such a blessing for me personally to have an intentional, everyday time set aside to read with the kids and watch them get excited about hiding scripture in their hearts. It has also been incredibly fun for me to watch E & B learn and grow. E is quickly developing math skills and absolutely devours each and every book, fact, or bit of information I can come up with to give her. B has been such a pleasant surprise as a 4-year-old, diligently sitting beside his sister at the kitchen table every day, without complaint, to practice writing his letters and numbers and taking steps toward reading.

B working on his letters

We have also enjoyed being a part of a weekly English-speaking homeschool co-op at a local church here in Chiang Mai. Every Monday morning about 70 kids, ages nursery up to high school, get together for three hours of parent-taught courses. Our kids have made several new friends in their co-op classes. I have enjoyed the opportunity to teach older kids while helping to teach an upper elementary/middle school computer programming class and a beginner guitar class, and being the lead instructor to a high school introduction to engineering course.

Bamboo balance beam at co-op

 In sum, our first 7 months in Thailand have been incredibly rewarding for me personally. I get to encourage an amazing wife who works hard each day to support the work of freedom and justice for the marginalized of Southeast Asia. I am spending an abundance of time with our three kids, watching them grow and learn about a world much bigger than themselves. And perhaps most of all, I have felt the graciousness of God in his provision of the support He knew I would need, and in teaching me that an office and a job title aren’t necessary to be used, refined, and blessed by Him.

Scott

Human Trafficking Awareness

As you may know, January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the US. There are over 45 million people trapped in slavery today, and modern-day slavery can take many forms. While many slaves are victims of forced labor, thousands more are victims of sex trafficking. These atrocities happen in the United States and in other countries all over the world.

For many people, it’s overwhelming to think of all that is happening around the world, and there seems to be little hope. However, there are various organizations who are working to end modern-day slavery, and seeing great success. If you are interested in learning more about what human trafficking and modern-day slavery involves, and how you can be a part of the solution, these organizations are a great place to start. These are only organizations that I’m familiar with, but all have a verified practice model and are actively working in either the US or abroad. I also included some ways you can get involved after you’ve educated yourself on the issues. I highly recommend following one or all of these organizations on social media to stay up-to-date on their work and learn of other ways to join the fight.

Organizations:

•A21 (Abolishing Injustice in the 21st Century)

Ways to Get Involved: Join an A-team

•End It Movement

•Exodus Cry

Ways to Get Involved:  Host a screening of their documentary, Nefarious

•Human Trafficking Institute

•International Justice Mission

Ways to Get Involved: Join the Freedom Commons to learn about local and national ways to advocate to end slavery and join or start an IJM campus chapter at your university

•Made in a Free World

Ways to Get Involved: Take the slavery footprint survey to find out how many of the products you use were likely produced by forced labor and petition companies to check their supply lines for forced labor

•Walk Free

Ways to Get Involved: Sign some of the many petitions that Walk Free hosts on their website

In addition to these outstanding organizations, here are some other resources you might find useful to inform and inspire your investigation into human trafficking and slavery.

Resources:

•The New Activist

     Blog produced by IJM which interviews real activists from all over the world. Great inspiration and place to find other justice-minded organizations.

•Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

     Book discussing many issues that especially involve women, including sex trafficking

•Why Not Today by Matthew Cork and Kenneth Kemp

     Book exploring one church's journey on how they became directly involved in the fight against sex trafficking in India

•Terrify No More by Gary A. Haugen and Gregg Hunter

     Book written by the founder of International Justice Mission, detailing their fight against sex trafficking in the Philippines

•The Locus Effect by Gary A. Haugen and Victor Boutros

     Book written by the founder of International Justice Mission, discussing many issues that plague the developing world, including human trafficking and slavery, and how these issues can be resolved

•A Path Appears by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

     Book that brings to light some ways that the issues discussed in Half the Sky are being dealt with by various groups and how you can be involved

I’ll leave you with this quote from one of the greatest anti-slavery activists of all time. If you’re not familiar with William Wilberforce, you can read more about him in my blog post here.