Hi friends,
Our long summer in the States has come and gone. It was a summer to remember for sure! It was great to connect with so many of you. We also spent lots of quality time with our family. God was also so good to grow our family these past months. But all good things must come to an end. Leeza and I were very excited to get back to Bangkok, but I have to tell you that saying good-bye to our parents was not easy. Tears were shed. Hugs were held longer than usual. It was bittersweet.
We have been back in Bangkok for just about 2 weeks now and things couldn’t be going any better. We were able to put down a deposit on an apartment back in June before we left, so we already had a place to live as soon as we landed in Bangkok. This was huge! We are so thankful for God’s provision of this amazing new apartment. We are living in a new neighborhood called Bang Na. There aren’t very many other Westerners living near us, so we are really getting immersed into Thai culture and life. Shopping at the local wet market is our new favorite family activity. The best part is we are just 7 minutes in a taxi from Leeza’s school!
Speaking of school, Tripp started school this week. I’m so excited for him because I know he is loving it, but man does it make me feel old and sad. My little man is growing up so fast! It’s going to be a really good year for him though. I hear he is already ruling the school with his big smile and outgoing personality. We were also very blessed to be able to re-hire Jenn who was Tripp’s nanny last year. She is going to be taking care of Lindlee while Leeza and I are working. Obviously, this is a very big deal. We are so glad we can leave home everyday knowing that our daughter is in excellent hands.
As I begin to jump back into ministry here in the city, it is nice to see how things are progressing. October is shaping up to be a very busy month. We have our first short-term team coming from California to do VBS and evangelism in the Cambodian work camp. This is the camp we have been visiting as a church for the last 6 months or more giving our care packages and playing with the children. This team will be made up of mostly Cambodian speakers, so they are going to be able to bridge the language gap that we can’t. I know there will be some great God stories to share after their time here. We will also be doing a team retreat in Hua Hin in October. This will be a time for team building, strategic planning, and setting vision and direction for the future.
As you continue to pray for our family, SCP, and for Bangkok here’s some key areas of need and concern:
We have some big decisions to make as a family over the next 6 weeks or so. Please pray for wisdom, discernment, and the faith to obey whatever the Lord says to us.
Pray for the Cambodian ministry team and their time in Bangkok. We are praying for breakthrough to happen in this community they will be working in. We are believing God for people to be saved and for lives to be transformed by the power of the Gospel.
Pray for our team retreat in Hua Hin. Specifically that it would be a fruitful and effective time for our team and our families.
Finally, thank you so much to the many of you who began partnering with us for the first time this summer and for those of you who increased your giving. We are still currently $150/month of our budget goal, but that does not discourage us at all. God is, has, and always will be faithful. With that in mind, please pray for God to provide this final portion of our budget in the coming weeks and months.
As always, we are so blessed that you are a part of our journey and for your investment in the Kingdom here in Bangkok and throughout Asia.
Until next time,
Carl, Leeza, Tripp and Lindlee