Goodbyes & Hellos.

The lime tree at our new house. 💫

We've moved to Udon Thani! It has been a month full of adjustments, goodbyes, new experiences, stressful decisions, and sweet moments. We are thankful to be here and are hopeful and excited about what life will be like for us in Udon, but also overwhelmed at times with the feeling of "starting over" in a place that seems pretty different from Lopburi, which we grew to know and love. 

These two boys became the most faithful attendees to our weekly "kids' day." They really loved spending time with "P'Baat" (Ryan) and the three of them were able to spend some extra time together before we left Lopburi. We are thankful for the people God brought into our lives during our time in Lopburi and the way these relationships shaped us and grew us over the last two years.

We had rented a moving truck to move our belongings to Udon, but when it showed up on moving day it was way smaller than we realized and wouldn't fit all of our things. Thankfully, one of our neighbors had a truck (pictured above) and offered to pile it up and drive the 7 hours to Udon with us! We were so thankful. This is just one example of God's provision and answering prayer through the moving process.

Our new neighborhood at sunset.

When we arrived in Udon, we stayed in a motel for a few days while we house hunted. It was a little stressful to make a decision on where to rent, as we weren't totally sure which location would be a good fit for us long term. Thankfully, within two days, after visiting several homes and lots of praying, we had found a home that seemed like a good fit for our family. 

Honestly, we still aren't totally sure if this is a strategic location for us as far as business/ministry goes, so we will see how God leads throughout this year and if we decide to extend our lease a year from now or not. But in the meantime, we feel thankful that God has led us here for a season and are enjoying getting to know this area and making this place a home!

Our home sweet home! It has been a blessing to us so far, and a peaceful setting to do life out of.

One of our favorite things about this location so far is that it is just down the road from this local fresh market. Markets are such a core part of the Thai lifestyle, and we love having a great one close by to be "regulars" at. Hopeful that this will be a source of relationship-building as well. 
 

One day, as we were walking through the market, two young boys led this elephant in! We had to grab a quick picture with little Nova. ;)

Nova is 2 months old now, and so much fun! She has become such a smiley little baby and has handled all the chaos of the move this past month so well. We love doing life with her. 💗

Often, when we are eating at a meal from a roadside vendor (these are common in Thailand), someone nearby offers to hold Nova while we eat. They usually ask something like, "can Grandma hold 'little sister' while you eat?" Thai culture is very relational and community-oriented, and even the pronouns they use refer to family relationships. Seeing people love on Nova has been a sweet experience and provided lots of opportunities to start conversations with others.

This was a picture snapped at house church yesterday. Nova is definitely not lacking attention!

PRAISES & PRAYER REQUESTS:

- praise God for His leading and guidance over our move the past few weeks specifically. 

- pray for us as we seek to find our "rhythm" here in Udon Thani and for God-ordained relationship opportunities to share the gospel.

- praise God for a great team to do church and ministry with here. Pray that we would be unified in Christ and that God would build His church here.

- pray for our business endeavor, as we are hoping to do a soft launch this fall. Pray for our future employees. Pray that our business would be an effective and faithful witness for the gospel and provide many opportunities for evangelism and discipleship here.

"This God -- His way is perfect. The Word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him." (Psalm 18:30)