Sawadii Krup!  

Greetings from Chiang Mai, Thailand and all our family at Faithful Heart, including some of our newest members!  Meet Gun and Om-sien, the future members of our new home for boys---Home of Light.  I know it is often disheartening to read about the plight of children and it is heart-wrenching to see so many in need or without much love.  But just look at those little guys; can you possibly not love them?  There is a special beauty, and I would even say a glory in each one.  It reminds me of two songs I like, one by David Crowder who sings; 

 "You make everything glorious...I am yours, what does that make me?"

And another Gungor:

"You make beautiful things out of dust...you make beautiful things out of us"

Speaking of beautiful things, we spent last weekend in Chiang Saen, an old, small town bordering the Maekong river, just across from Laos.  We were there to celebrate our Thai friend Cherry's wedding.  It was fun to see a new place and celebrate with the bride and groom.  We also discovered a great bike path which follows an ancient brick wall that surrounds the city.  

Our beloved leaders, Dave and Shirley, left for the USA and they will be gone for the next 4 months.  We were already a little nervous about their absence, then in a surprising twist, our Thai book keeper also gave her notice to take another job closer to Bangkok. With starting a new home, preparing for Dave and Shirley's departure and finding a new Thai book keeper, we've had a full schedule.  We are tremendously grateful for Pen, our new book keeper, who is already a great addition to our staff.  Please pray for Dave and Shirley while they share about and seek to raise support for the children at Faithful Heart in the USA. And please pray for Audrey and I as we seek to keep things running smoothly here.  

Having worked as a fence builder, janitor, admissions adviser, tech support person, and gardener, I have to say that your co-workers have a tremendous impact on whether you enjoy your job or not.  We feel so blessed here at Faithful Heart to work among such excellent people.  I just had a meeting with Chuum and Bpan today to try and figure out details about their new home. They told me that was the first thing they noticed when they interviewed with us: the people at Faithful Heart have a genuine desire to serve God and others, and they treat each other like family.  Audrey and I felt the same way when we first came and I am glad people recognize that still.  We have stressful days like everyone else, but the difference is in the genuine care and respect everyone seems to have for everyone else.        

Life moves in leaps and bounds.  We have new beginnings, usually from some other beginning's end (I always thought that was a great lyric).  We go through times of transition where everything we are familiar with seems to be tossed in the air and falls back down in a wide scatter.  We tense with the thrill of new, exciting things.  We shiver at the prospect of the unknown and the endless 'what ifs' that plague us.  New responsibilities for us here bring on new fears and anxieties, as well as stirring up old familiar ones.