Our final month in Lopburi.

Taking Nova to the Lopburi mountains for an evening walk. We will miss this place! 

It feels like so much more than a month has passed since we last posted! We have been in the throes of adjusting to life with a newborn, which comes with so much joy, but has also been a huge learning curve for us. Thankfully, we feel like we are beginning to settle into a new rhythm as a family. Nova seems to be growing and changing so quickly and it feels like our love for her is constantly growing too. 🤍 

Our little lady is definitely not lacking in attention -- from us or the many doting Thai friends and neighbors that readily love on her. The Thai culture is so warm. Having a baby has meant we have learned lots of new vocabulary this past month, as well as gained some new insights into the Thai culture! For example, we noticed that when we introduced Nova to some people, instead of saying that she was cute, they would call her "naa gliat" or "naa chang." These words translate as "ugly" and "despicable." We were a little taken off guard and confused at first, and then were told that culturally it is understood that if a child is cute or beautiful, they are more enticing to the spirits, so it is safer for the child to be called ugly. 

We were able to take a quick roadtrip to Udon Thani this month to do some house hunting for our move next month! Above is Ryan and Nova checking out the view from the hotel window. ;) 

It was so great to get to see Udon Thani in person and be able to picture what life there might look like for us a little better! The trip was not without its stressful moments, as traveling with a newborn is a new experience for us and house hunting in a city we are unfamiliar with was a little overwhelming. We came away with some options, but have not yet decided which home we will rent, or if we will need to keep looking. We would appreciate your prayers for God's clear guidance and wisdom in the house hunt.

A park in Udon Thani we walked at one morning. Hopeful about life and ministry in this new place!

One of our closest Thai friends, Num, took a job in Bangkok and moved this month! She has been such a huge part of our life in Lopburi, so it felt kind of surreal to say goodbye to her. From the beginning of our relationship with her, she has been so gracious with our language blunders and was always ready to hang out or talk. As she is a new believer, we also had lots of opportunities to learn from her first-hand what some of the challenges of being a Thai Christian can be. We thank the Lord for the season we shared with Num!

This month, we also had the opportunity to spend some time with the two other families who we will be moving to Udon Thani with for the church plant! We are encouraged and challenged by the lives of these friends and look forward to working with them.

PRAISES & PRAYER REQUESTS:

- pray for God's direction in finding a home to rent in Udon Thani.

- praise God for answered prayer in leading us to Udon Thani and orchestrating a team to work with!

- pray for grace for each other in this season of transitions and new pressures.

- pray that God would be preparing the hearts of individuals in Udon Thani who He will save. We are praying for the future employees that God may bring us and that He would already be preparing and softening hearts to receive the gospel, and would love for you to join us in praying for this specifically. 

- praise for a healthy and growing little baby girl who has quickly changed our world!

"Whatever we do, we must not treat the Great Commission like it's the Great Suggestion." (Charles Swindoll)