Finally got to wrap up a school year with pomp and circumstance! Jonathan’s 3rd year teaching was the 1st with an in-person close-out. Very special. During the last week of school the teachers gathered for a time of thanksgiving and prayer. One of the comments that stood out to Jonathan was a coworker praising how the end of year activities were reigniting some of the school spirit and sense of community that had faded over the previous two years. Something as simple and typically annoying as signing yearbooks was a really sweet way to celebrate and connect.
A special Thai tradition for the senior class is to take their last day of school to go around and thank all their teachers. This is called Wai Khru and students express how you have impacted them, give small gifts, and take pictures. As you can imagine, it was emotional and touching. Combined with other events like the senior chapel, awards night, graduation, and staff banquet made the school year feel like it ended with a joyful bang!
The second half of the school-year, Lyndsey pretty much substitute-taught full-time. She mostly got to focus on HS math and science, her favorites, but also led a lot of elementary PE, which was a new challenge and super cute. Her LifeGroup went SO well…she loves her girls and they love her! Can’t believe they’ll be in 11th-grade. Looking forward to the 3rd year with them. L’s mentee graduated and is off to Europe for dental school. They’ll really miss each other and their weekly chats/prayers.
One of Lyndsey’s highlights of the spring was hosting her Aunt, Uncle, and cousins for Spring Break! We had a blast showing them around some of our favorite places in Bangkok and then explored Chiang Mai together. Nutrition-wise on Instagram, the past few series including nutrient-dense foods, overall well-being, benefits of colors, anti-nutrients, have been hits. Shopping Smart is next and she hopes it will be particularly useful, given how expensive groceries have gotten recently.
Outside of the classroom, Jonathan has enjoyed spending time with friends and finding new ways to create. He went camping with a group of guys and they explored a cave. For fun, he has started building miniature model robots called Gunpla. Next year is shaping up to add a bunch of new opportunities like leading his art department curriculum team (SACT Chair) and being more involved with student ministries.
Since our Christmas trip was so rough (spent most of it in a hotel, super sick), we decided to try again. For this summer break we flew into Orlando, made our way up the east coast, and flew out of Washington D.C. There were a few flight delays and cancelations, and we dealt with the storage unit, but mostly it was packed with much-anticipated and much-needed family time (thankfully this time without infection). We soaked in all the green we could get too! Some of our highlights included watching a sea turtle lay eggs on the beach at night, hiking on the AT, running the Peachtree Road Race 10K on the 4th of July, celebrating a 60’s themed party for L’s Dad’s birthday, and feeling “at home” with family.
We are back in Thailand and moving into a bigger place! Very excited to host more gatherings with our friends…we think they’re pretty great…so thankful for such a tight-knit community. Please let us know how we can be praying for you. Please pray for L to serve women well with easy-to-implement content and kind encouragement. Please pray for J to have space to be creative in the midst of this big year he’s really excited about. Love you all. Thanks so much for your prayers, financial support, and encouragement.
