This last month has flown by and forced us to slow down a bit and establish routines. Lyndsey was forced to literally slow down when she sprained her foot. Thankfully it’s better now, but the memory felt symbolic for the month. It has been good to settle into rhythms of life, work, and marriage while getting comfortable in our new home – one being warming up the space with a fresh coat of paint last weekend. It took an entire Saturday, but the effort was well worth it and the apartment feels more “ours.” We also found that a bakery delivers fresh bread downstairs and we can pre-order our favorites, like cinnamon swirl and taro!
Exploring the City
On September 28th, we celebrated six months of being married! We are thankful for the amazing spouse God has blessed us with and encouraged by how we have been growing into those roles for each other. We treated ourselves to a “touristing” weekend in the city and enjoyed the excuse to explore a new area and find some delicious food. The highlight was a stay in a hotel with a rooftop pool and panoramic views of the skyline.
Trips into the city are always an adventure, but one stands out as most memorable. The other weekend, we ventured out despite a rainstorm (we are amidst the rainy season now) to an Ethiopian restaurant with a group of friends. The rain was so heavy that the streets flooded! We were on the sky train over traffic but while walking from the station to our destination, were met by streets of curling waves. We were gung-ho on our journey and at one point charged thigh-deep into the rippling water! We made it to dinner, which was all the more satisfying after an evening of wading, and have crazy memories of that fun adventure with friends!
An Adventure
Jonathan really enjoys teaching and finally feels like he can plan past tomorrow. Currently though, he is feeling some pressure as the first quarter comes to a close. Students are wrapping up their units and turning in projects that need to be graded …right away! His students are very grade-conscious, but Jonathan is impressed by their hard work and the quality of their artwork. One exciting development was the delivery of a new ceramics kiln! The old kiln was in disrepair and not safe to fire indoors (although it might get repurposed as a raku kiln). Hopefully “bone dry” clay pots will be turned into beautifully glazed ceramic artworks in the coming weeks!
Lyndsey has been getting to substitute teach a lot (all ages, Pre-K to high school seniors and various levels between) and sometimes we can catch lunch together at school (only separated by COVID-19 dividers)!
Work
Lyndsey has been researching nutrition, culture and curricula for her work in Mae Sot with Burmese refugees. It is going well and she plans to start outlining program/curriculum ideas this week until she can be there in person. Current plans to visit are on hold at the moment because of a developing COVID-19 outbreak that threatens to lock down the whole region. However, Lyndsey has been able to meet with Bangkok staff in person and even have coffee with the Mae Sot Area Director who was in town for a visit this Sunday! She has also been able to network with staff at an orphanage, the Mae Tao Clinic/hospital, boarding houses, and education committees. These stakeholders have been very receptive to working with Lyndsey on maternal nutrition for migrants and want to set up in-person meetings soon. We appreciate your support in helping us fund this wonderful work improving the health and nutrition of adolescents, mothers and even young children in Mae Sot. Please visit the donate tab to contribute.
You!
We want to say a big thank you for supporting us financially and through prayer. Any form of support is much appreciated and we wish we could thank you in person. We miss you and, as always, want to hear from you! Send us an email, comment on this post, or send us a message on social media and feel free to share about our work and adventures.
Sincerely,
