New Academic Quarter

The new quarter at ICS started up with fresh enthusiasm leading into the Truth, Temptation, and Transformation Week (or “Triple T”). Classes are shortened for five days so that students can attend teacher-led seminars on various topics. Monday was mandatory sex-ed, followed by situational life-lessons about addiction, relationships, and other hot topics that do not often get brought up during the average school day. Jonathan also got to share his story with the entire staff. It was encouraging to see other teachers approach challenging topics from a Christian worldview and share their own experiences with full transparency. That Friday, Lyndsey and Jonathan both led debriefing groups and were encouraged to hear how the high schoolers were processing the information.

Growing Roots

A goal for us this quarter is to begin laying down more roots and establishing ourselves within the community. The two most significant ways we have been able to do that are by getting plugged into a Life Group through church and taking Thai language lessons. It has been encouraging to see how God has provided friends to walk (and run) alongside us and have fun with, and mentors to encourage and challenge us.

Speaking of settling in, we have been unpacking our boxes that finally arrived from America (the journey only took SIX months)! Lyndsey was thrilled (mostly about having Ziplocks) to receive her wardrobe and Jonathan was glad to get a stack of art books for his classroom.

Loy Krathong

We have officially passed from the rainy season and entered “Winter.” Thais celebrate this change with an offering to the water spirit by floating (Loy) a prayer boat (Krathong) on a body of water. Most are simple arrangements of banana leaves and flowers with a little candle or stick of incense burning in the middle. It was quite beautiful to see all the little floating lights illuminating our local canal, even when a sudden torrential rainstorm forced us to make new plans!

Fall Break Excursion

While disappointed to not be able to begin Lyndsey’s in-person work in Mae Sot due to a COVID-19 outbreak locking down the Tak province, we enjoyed spending Jonathan’s Semester 1 Break in Chiang Mai! The trip felt like our first real vacation as a married couple and was incredibly nourishing for our souls. Chiang Mai is located in mountainous, northern Thailand. We both loved waking up to crisp air and seeing the beautiful sunrise illuminating Mount Doi Suthep out our hotel window. 

One of our favorite parts of the trip was immersing in nature on a multi-day forest and tribal culture trek…check out the blogpost on that adventure here! For the rest of our time in Chiang Mai, we enjoyed the coffee culture and tried the famous Khao Soi at a popular stall, got relaxing massages for unbelievable prices, saw beautiful temples, and visited the Cultural Center to learn about Lana people and how Thailand came to be.

We stayed in the Old City, a formerly walled square-mile section of town. It is still surrounded by a moat that we jogged around together a few times. The old city walls are mostly in ruins, but the most preserved section is at the eastern Phae Gate, which is the starting point of the Sunday walking street market. We were so sad to find out that the lack of tourism due to the pandemic has completely shut down mid-week markets and night bazaars (shown by Lyndsey looking lost in the emptiness below), but we had a blast at the weekend markets that were still open.

Lyndsey’s Degree Gets Put to Work

Lyndsey’s Imagine Thailand work, developing a health and nutrition curriculum for young women, is coming along nicely. She is working hard from home and has been in contact with stakeholders and facilitators she hopes to meet with in person. Lyndsey’s work is funded by YOU! She is so grateful for your support. By visiting the donate page on our blog site, you are improving the health of mothers and children in Thailand and beyond! Please join us in this wonderful and rewarding work!

A major international nutrition conference for Global Health professionals, the Micronutrient Forum 5th Global Conference, was set to be held in Bangkok in March, but COVID-19 pushed it to November. Lyndsey eagerly signed up this spring and the event is finally here! The focus is on micronutrient programs, safety, implementation, and sustainability. She loves learning the latest on maternal nutrition, and ways of developing and implementing efficient, effective, culturally acceptable global health programs.

Speaking of global health, Lyndsey was asked to be the guest dinner speaker for ICS’s middle school Global Health Challenge Night. She will talk about various contributors to health and how they differ from country to country. This event is a great way for Lyndsey to use her MPH by sharing public health knowledge with and inspiring 100 registered students already passionate about worldwide health. She will touch on many important issues and is especially excited for the opportunity to get to incorporate a bit of her favorite topic, maternal nutrition. Jonathan gets to help lead table discussions among a group of guys, and we will both lead activities stations to round out the night.