Hi Friends!
In just two short weeks we will be back in the States for a visit. (Yes, I know, we had said in our last update that we might be heading that way this week, but it ended up working out better for us to go to Singapore for a quick visa run instead.) The past month and a half since we sent out our last update has been full on. Here’s some of the recent happenings: Continue reading
Friends,
Thank you so very much for your continued encouragement and prayers. It means so much to us to have wonderful people walking alongside us and supporting the ministry work God asks us to invest in. Continue reading
Well, not in this part of the world! April is the hottest month of the year here and is followed by an only slightly cooler May. This year May seemed to bring a few pleasantly cool days though and some refreshing for our souls as we have seen God at work. Here are some highlights for us in May:
Home Visit Update:
We wanted to let you know we have finalized our dates for our visit and are starting to schedule times to connect with our partners and friends in the Colorado and Wyoming area. We will be arriving in Colorado on September 1 and will be staying in Colorado Springs through September 9, then we will head up to Northern Colorado/Southern Wyoming. If you’re in either of these areas and would like to have us share at your church or small group, or just meet for a cup of coffee or a meal, drop us an email and let us know some good times for you. We look forward to seeing you!
Real Life in Bangkok
Just this week we had a REAL BANGKOK LIFE moment we thought we’d share. On Thursday Matt went to pick up the kids and I as he often does after I have spent a day at Dton Naam. The trip is only about 7 miles round trip and with good traffic, only takes 30 minutes on the motorbike. (While we do have a car and use it often on the weekends, traffic during the week is such that it’s not as practical as the motorbike.) On Thursday though, traffic was so crazy that it took 2 hours from when Matt left the house to pick up the kids and I until we got home. Unfortunately, we were also running low on gas. Because traffic was so unexpectedly awful and gas stations in the city are few and far between, we ran out.
But the Lord was looking out for us and He gave us a sweet reminder we live in Bangkok in the middle of our not so sweet reminder we live in Bangkok… A guy pulled over with us when we were trying to find the nearest gas station on GPS and asked if we were ok. (I must admit we were driving a little crazy with sputtering and stalling out and then trying to do all we could to just keep going towards the nearest gas station) When we explained we were out of gas he told us he thought there was a gas station on the next street (turns out there wasn’t). He turned with us and told us he would help us. He started to push us along with his foot while driving his own motorbike. He proceeded to push Matt and Jed (Alizah and I hopped off to make it easier) all the way to Petchaburi Road (4 kilometers) until they were able to find a gas station and then refused to let Matt pay him for his gas. There are certain things I hate about living in this big city, but I am so blessed by the kind-hearted people God sends along the paths of our misadventures.
As we’ve shared previously, March was Matt’s last month working at Dton Naam. In April he started working with the local church to partner in outreach to local communities. The first week of April, Matt had his first opportunity to do this when a team from the US came and partnered with our church to do evangelism. For three days we split up into twelve teams and went into two Bangkok communities. We went door to door in these communities, offered to pray for the sick and bless the family or business and then shared the gospel and invited those listening to trust in Christ.
We just celebrated being in Thailand for two years this week. We are so thankful for each of you who has been a part of our journey here so far!
When we read 2 John 1:12 we think of you:
“I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”
We have shared with you before that we feel our “word” for 2019 is “Repositioning for increased fruitfulness.” We so appreciate how you’ve been praying for us as we’ve been seeking the Lord as to what that looks like and are excited to share with you how He’s been leading.
Our passion in coming to Thailand has been to demonstrate God’s power and love in word and deed, fully proclaiming the gospel of Christ to the Thai, and seeing wholehearted lovers of Jesus arise from the ashes into the fullness of who God has created them to be (Romans 15:15-19).
We asked. You prayed. God answered. We have genuinely seen the beginnings of the parents of our neighbor children opening up to us more. When we are outside playing with the kiddos, one of the dads will sometimes come out and take pictures and watch.
We are looking forward to what God will do in 2019 with joy and anticipation! We have felt that 2019 will be a year of increased fruitfulness for us and we believe God is positioning us for what He will do in the days ahead.
Christmas Dancers Open Door
Two of our neighborhood girls danced during a special Christmas service at church and one of their mothers came to church to watch. While we’ve had children from the neighborhood coming with us to church for months now this was the first time any of their parents showed interest in coming. “Joy” received prayer for healing of her leg which was broken in a bad motorcycle accident almost a year ago but still causes her pain and has kept her from working. She shared with us the next week that her leg is significantly better after receiving prayer. Please pray that the Lord would continue this healing work and continue ministering to her heart. She initially said she would like to come to church every week but has only made it to church once more since the Christmas service. Continue reading
2018 Highlights
1. Alizah broke into our lives like a ray of sweet sunshine with her birth on January 7.
2. We are growing in our confidence in our ability to understand, read and speak Thai. Matt has recently been able to take a small visiting team out on outreach and served as a translator and as the main person sharing a simple Gospel and pray for people in Thai.
Family. My husband. Our sweet girl who was born just this year. How much our kids love each other. Jed being potty trained. The mentors in my life. Being able to meet up with and mentor an old friend.
– AMY
Momma. Mommy’s milk. Dada. Brother. Kitty. My 5 teeth. Standing (I’m getting better at it!). Eggs. Bananas. Pineapple. Chicken. Sunshine. Naps. Love. Kisses. Tickles.
– ALIZAH
Baldwin Family 