“In my family, is my grandpa, my grandma, me and my brother,” fifteen-year-old Mona said. We were paired off with students at the English class we have been teaching in partnership with the leaders of the House of Prayer, talking with each other about our families. When I (Amy) asked about her parents, Mona shared that her parents were divorced. Her dad had remarried and a had a four-year-old son together with his new wife. Mona hadn’t seen her dad in years, even though she lived with his parents. When I asked about her mom, she said she didn’t know where she was or even if she was still alive. I asked what she and her family did together in their free time, and she said they didn’t really do anything together. After school, she usually would just go to the mall or spend time with her friends. Mona wiped a few tears from her eyes as she talked about her family. It made me sad that her family was so disconnected.

Unfortunately, children being raised by their grandparents is fairly common in Thailand. Many kids will live with their grandparents while mom and dad work in another province and send money home to take care of the kids, sometimes going home to visit 3-4 times a year, sometimes allowing years to pass before their children get to see them again. We’ve heard that many times when a parent remarries, the child of the first marriage will live with their grandparents or even at a children’s boarding home. While there are traditional families still intact, brokenness riddles Thai families in a way that feels overwhelming to us some days as we think about the next generation and see the impacts of this brokenness in the lives of the children in our neighborhood.

Our hearts are increasingly being moved by the Father’s heart for these children and for them to be Sons and Daughters of the Everlasting Father.

What’s New?

• Matt has been invited to join a team of Thais to help start a youth group for our church. We are getting excited to see what the Lord does! While Matt will likely be the primary one of us helping to lead the youth group, Amy may help as we work towards beginning a small group for the youth as well.
• Dton Naam has a new 3-month short-term intern who is starting off her stint with Dton Naam by staying in our guest room for about three weeks until the apartment she will be staying in opens up.
• We are in the beginning stages of planning our first home visit and are shooting to arrive back in the States in the early fall 2019!

Your prayers make a difference in your lives and work. Thank you for faithfully standing with us! We hope you know what a joy you are to us.

Much love,

Matt, Amy, Jed & Alizah