Songkran, Easter, & other happenings.

Hello, friends! We hope you all have had a wonderful April, including the celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus! This month seemed especially long for us, though not without many special moments and clear examples of the Lord's kindness and nearness. 

This month brought with it lots of recipe development for our start-up, spending time with church family and Thai friends, lessons with our language tutors, a few doctor's visits to check on the baby, the annual Songkran festival (Thai New Year), and praying through/wrestling through the potential move ahead of us (mentioned in the last post), among other things. As we think back over the past few weeks, it is easy to see the faithfulness of God in answering prayers and tenderly leading us, though sometimes it's harder to rest in those realities as we walk through the stresses, pressures, and unknowns we are faced with day to day. May we grow in resting in Him! 

We were able to paint Easter eggs and share the story of Easter with a couple of our neighborhood kids! 

One of our friends from church invited us over to cook and eat Thai food together. This is a typical Thai kitchen: usually outdoors in the back of the house, with little more than a single gas burner and a small countertop. He made us some authentic tom yum soup and fried fish! It's always an honor to be invited into someone's personal life and home.

A glimpse into Songkran festival! This holiday, which is Thai New Year and the most celebrated Thai holiday, falls at the peak of hot season. Because of this, they celebrate with a three day "water fight" all over the city. Kids and adults alike fill up buckets, water guns, and pull out hoses to spray anyone who passes by. This was our first year really experiencing it, since Covid put the festivities on hold for a few years!

Ryan and some friends of ours loading up in a truck to drive through town and join in the fun! Most of the ladies stayed dry and chatted. ;)

Floral/bright colored clothing are another staple of this holiday. Songkran is definitely unlike anything we've ever seen in the States, but a fun and quirky Thai tradition to experience!

We ran across these nuns walking near our home one day. Sometimes sights like these strike us afresh and remind us of the weight of deception and hopelessness that is Buddhism.

Also, a quick update on the business and where things are at with that! We officially got our business incorporated here in Thailand, allowing us to get visas and work permits which is a huge blessing. We named our restaurant "Sauced and Tossed.” We are continuing to proceed through Tri-Venture’s Path-to-Capital program and are currently going through the coaching section. This entails regular meetings with our coaches as we work through ministry vision, budget, menu development, etc. During this time we have been working on recipe development and taste testing our product with our Thai neighbors and friends. :) The last section is taking your business plan and making a pitch before a panel of Christian investors in hopes to secure capital. Lord willing this will be done this summer and we can officially start the business in the fall!  

PRAISES & PRAYER REQUESTS:

- praise for a healthy baby girl, and so far easy and uncomplicated pregnancy. Join us in praying for an uncomplicated delivery in the next few weeks. Hopefully we will have her birth announcement in the next post! Can't wait to meet her.

- please continue to pray for wisdom, guidance, and peace for us as we pray through a potential move. Ryan will be taking a trip next week to northeast Thailand (Udon Thani) where we might potentially move, and we are praying that God will use this trip to bring clarity and direction for us. We would love it if you would join in praying with us! 

- pray for God's hand over the business. Though we feel thankful for the progress we've made and are excited to see how the Lord uses it in the future, we still have a long road ahead of us and can easily feel like we've jumped in over our heads. 

"My soul longs to feel itself more of a pilgrim and stranger here below; that nothing may divert me from pressing through the lonely desert, till I arrive at my Father's house." Jonathan Edwards