Rhythm… I think sometimes our year and a half year old has a better sense of it than we do. Four months into our transition in Thailand and we are still seeking to find a life rhythm that will allow us to study Thai, spend time with the Lord and in the Word, exercise, go in to Dton Naam, have family time and rest well so we can do all we need to in this season with excellence.
The last day of every month our language school takes a field trip. This month we went to the Ancient City, which is a replica of all the major landmarks in Thailand. Above is a replica of the laying Buddha.
Language school is continuing to go well. Matt is beginning the third module of speaking as he decided to repeat the first level to give himself a stronger foundation in the language to work from. Amy is beginning to learn to read and write in Thai, which has its own complex writing system made up of 44 consonants and 32 vowels. While language is challenging we know it is a necessary foundation stone for the future as we want to be effective in our interactions with the Thai and be able to communicate at more than just a surface level without having to have a translator with us all the time.
Some of the gentlemen at a tailor shop we pass by regularly on our route back from language school have been developing a friendship with Matt. The topic of discussion easily turns to faith. Marcos has shared he believes all faiths and Gods are ultimately the same and God is in all of us. He has also indicated he thought all scriptures are basically the same thing as well. Matt shared with him that Jesus and the Bible are not the same as others. We were able to get him a Bible in his own language, which Marcos accepted with joy. Another gentleman who works in another tailor shop, Seresh, we’ve discovered lives close to us and we’ve had the opportunity to meet up with him and enjoy a meal together.
Making our way through Bangkok on the motorbike. Jed loves his “hat” and always wants to wear it.
In other news, as you may know, we had purchased a motorbike shortly after arriving in Thailand which has been a huge blessing to us. However, we also saw that it had its limitations, especially since as we recently shared, our family is growing. How would we fit our growing family on the motorbike once Amy’s pregnancy reaches the third trimester? Once baby is born how could we safely navigate the city?
Our family’s new mode of transportation!
Shortly after purchasing the motorbike we also had an opportunity come up where a friend of a friend was selling his 2004 Toyota Atlis for $6,000 US. This is a very reasonable price for a second-hand car in Thailand that has been well maintained. We felt that the Lord opened up this opportunity for us and we had to act on it quickly so we went ahead and purchased the car. We now use the motorbike primarily when Matt needs to run an errand and use the car to transport the four of us. While it takes longer to get around in the car than the motorbike, we like that it’s safer and it also makes it easier for Jed to get an extra nap in if needed. While we were able to cover the car and some initial work that it needed done with cash, we have dipped into our start-up fund more than we had intended to and need to replenish our nest egg to cover the remainder of our language school and be able to furnish a place in the future when we find a more permanent home. We are also encountering other expenses we hadn’t budgeted for, especially with our baby on the way. If the Lord leads you to give an extra gift to help us meet the gap it would be a tremendous blessing.
Many Blessings,
Matt, Amy, Jed & Baby
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