Greetings from Thailand!

To say it has been an unexpected and challenging past few months would be an understatement.  

After a motorcycle accident, two surgeries, and the longest physical recovery of my life, I am feeling better, but still quite limited in what I can do.  

But I am also feeling incredibly grateful.  

I can walk, my head was undamaged, and I have a new appreciation for all of God's gifts in this wild adventure we call life.  

I am still trying to process all the things I have been thinking about these past few months, and what God has been teaching me.  That will be another blog at another time.

But I wanted to take a few minutes to give an update on life and ministry here in Thailand.  

Somehow life has continued to move along quickly.  

We continue to work with vulnerable children and their families at Faithful Heart each month.

The two children's homes we operate are almost entirely full of teens now, and that has brought new adventures and challenges.  

We have two very difficult cases which were referred to us from other organizations, and we would appreciate your prayers for finding safe, good homes for two of these children.  

We were also invited to participate in an event to help provide recommendations to the Thai government for starting a foster care system here in Thailand.  It was a valuable opportunity to partner with others and put together some ideas for how we can better care for children.

These are big questions, that require a lot of wisdom and prayer. 
Would you please pray with us? 
Our desire is to see every child in a safe, loving home and family.  

One of our college students, Yawsi, graduated college and is planting a church near where we live!  This was exciting for all of us, and we are praying that God will use Him to help many people know Jesus.

I was asked to preach at the wedding of our friends at church last weekend and I was really hoping my health would allow me to do it.  I was honored to be asked and to celebrate with this lovely couple.  It was a wonderful day and I made it through.  

The kids continue to develop as readers, and I love reading to them and talking to them about what they are reading.  One of the upsides for me (Matt) personally has been unprecedented time to read.  Since my accident, I expect to break all my previous reading records.  

Ezra and Audrey have joined the drama team at Grace International School this term, and they are both really enjoying it.  Ezra has done a good job learning his lines and acting for his chapel at school.  

Sienna celebrated her 8th birthday in style and enjoyed ice skating with several of her friends.  

I turned 41 and it was a little rough after surgery trying to celebrate. 
But good friends made it a very special day with apple cake and an impromptu party.  

It has been a full, blessed, challenging season of life.  We are so grateful for the love of God and good friends.  

Thank you for your prayers and support.  
I will have more thoughts (and words) coming soon!  

May God fill us with gratitude at His incredible generosity towards us, and make us generous as He is generous.  

Love, 
Matt, Audrey, Ezra, and Sienna

Greetings from Thailand!  

We had an amazing summer with family and friends, and it was a welcome break from the normal flow of tasks and responsibilities.  As we returned to our home, our initial joy was dealt a serious blow, by the realization that our electricity was not functioning correctly.  Fans couldn't really turn, lights flickered, and the water pump would not turn on.  It was also a Thai holiday and very hot and humid.  Our exhausted bodies did not respond well.  All we wanted was a hot shower, and some rest in a cool room but it was not to be yet.  

So we did the best we could, and after an emergency pizza stop, we all felt a bit better and with the help of some kind friends, soon found a place we could spend the night and take showers.  

The electricity was fixed the next day, and Audrey was off to her first day back to work at Grace International School.  The kids came to work with me.  It is always an adjustment settling back into life in Thailand.  Physically, there is the relentless heat and humidity.  The sweat begins the moment you start moving.  The jet lag doesn't help.  

Mentally, there is the mixed bag of emotions of all the goodbyes and good memories made with family and friends in the US, and the happiness of returning to our own home and routines.  There is definitely both grief and joy, and many other varying feelings swimming around in our heads.  But there is not a lot of time to sit around thinking about that.  There are a mountain of things to do and catch up on.  My visa (and the kids) expires on August 5, so that takes priority.  There is lots to prepare for the new school year at Grace, lots to catch up on at Faithful Heart, and lots of gecko poop to clean up around the house.  

The car is running, check (but we need gas).
The motorbikes are all running, check.
The bicycles need repaired, take them to the repair shop. 

My watch needs repaired, check. 
We need to get groceries, check. 
The crock pot is broken and needs to be replaced, working on it. 
I need to make an appointment with the dentist, procrastinating. 
The kids need to meet their new teachers at school, long motorbike ride with 3 of us, check.  
Ezra's birthday, make dirt pudding, buy a gift, write him a card, check.

I laugh as I write this, because everyone of us has our list like this. 
It grows or shrinks, but never goes away.  

Depending how I am feeling, this list can be pleasant or unpleasant. 
I like getting things done and having things to do.  

But when I are worn out, it feels relentless.  

The pace of modern life, and the tools of technology mean we can do much more, more quickly, at all times, day and night, than we could do before (in some ways, we often do less at the same time, but that is another blog).  

One concern I have noticed with myself, is that I spend less time thinking and reflecting, and more time doing.  

This is not good.  

Activity without thought is rarely beneficial.  
Progress isn't just any movement, but movement in a good direction, toward a good goal.  
It is possible to be busy with activity and moving backward.

As we get older, we often get slower.  

We are forced to work smarter, not harder, because we simply can't work as hard as we used to.  
Turning 40 last year brought this home for me.  

In practice, this ought to mean we spend more time thinking before we act.  

I am so thankful for our summer break. 
It provides that valuable time to step back from our daily routines, the hamster wheel life often is, and with a calmer, less cluttered mind, do some serious thinking, reflecting, and praying.  

There is something so helpful about breaking the normal cycle of life, for a brief time, to really think about what we are doing, why we are doing it, and where it is leading us.  

We had a great summer, and I hope you did too. 
Lots of quality time with family and friends, lots of time in nature, lots of laughs and adventures.  

We spent time with Audrey's family in Colorado, then made our way up to Minnesota, and the boundary waters near Canada.  It was beautiful, restful, and humbling to experience the hospitality of so many people.  The pictures will do a better job expressing the experience than my words will do.  

Summer is a bit of a high point for us every year.  

We get to see all the family and many of the friends we miss dearly while living overseas. 
We have more time to spend with our kids, just playing or adventuring. 
The pace of life is slower, and the daily requirements fewer.  

That is wonderful, and we are grateful for those times, but it can also make it hard coming back to normal life here.  My friend Nate Ackerman expressed this same thing well when he talked about the griefs and the joys of the constant goodbyes and hellos of missionary life.  

It has been just over a week since we returned to our home in Thailand.  Jetlag is gone, school is started, and we have all jumped back into our various roles and responsibilities.  Ezra and Sienna both seem to have wonderful teachers this year.  I am excited for them both.  Ezra is entering 4th grade and Sienna 2nd.  We are all grateful for Grace International School, and the amazing village of people who help educate our kids.  Audrey is one of those people, and she is starting her 4th year at the school.  

Eventually, after all the initial adjustments, I always feel refreshed when we come back from the US, to jump back into life and ministry here.  It was sweet to worship with our Thai friends last Sunday at Kingdom of God Church, and pleasantly surprising to realize I can worship fairly comfortably in another language.  It was fun too, to see the solar system we donated, set up at the church.  

It was good to catch up with my staff at Faithful Heart too.  Though there were a few minor issues that need to be addressed, things were more quiet than usual.  Our boys are almost all teenagers now, and several are taller than me (I know, that's not saying much).  One of our boys, Chai, will graduate high school in March and start college in May 2027.  One stateless woman we have been helping with dialysis, is nearing approval for health coverage.  We gained a new generous donor this summer, which allows us to expand some of our programs.  One of our college students returned from a study abroad term in China.  Paula, who has been with us for many years graduated college this past term.  One of the exciting projects I am working on this year is helping support local churches to run VBS during the summer break here, March and April, as an outreach to children in their community.  We are trying to figure out how to do curriculum, training, and provide supplies for games, teaching, and snacks.  

All that to say; it was good to go see everyone in America, and it is good to be back in Thailand. 

We are incredibly grateful for the love and support and friendship of so many incredible people there and here.  

As I pulled onto the highway this morning headed to work, I twisted my right wrist quickly, my motorcycle revved and shot forward, the exhaust wailed.  It is a delightful feeling, that never fails to bring a smile to my face.  My left hand clenched quickly, and my left foot snapped upward while my left fingers released.  The wind rushed to my face, my shirt flapped in the wind.  The sun was shinning, the sky a rich blue with puffy, scattered clouds.  I flew up a large overpass and from that elevated vista, I could see green all around me, the evidence of monsoon season.  It was beautiful.  I took a deep breath and thanked the God who made such wonders and shared them so freely with us.  

If there is a theme for this season of life for me, it is to seek God in everything, and let Him lead my moments and my days.  To leave all to Him, to trust Him in all things, and for all things.  

"For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things.  To Him be the glory forever, Amen."  
-Romans 11:36

Bella Goose Staff Retreat 2026

Brother and Sister

Raina got her first job since graduating college, we are so proud of her!

Greetings from Thailand!  

This blog is available in audio too: https://soundcloud.com/user-25221037/blog-may-2026-a-fruitful

It has been a fun few months at Faithful Heart Foundation and Kingdom of God church.  

One of the things I have been praying for more this year, was to see fruit from our work.  

What I mean is I wanted to see people growing and healing, physically and spiritually.  
Again and again with out work with single parent families, we see the need not only for physical help, or money, or jobs, but a while new mindset.  

Literally a new heart and a new mind---a new way of thinking and choosing and living.  

I preached last week on 1 Peter 1.  Peter says God has given us a new birth, to a living hope, and an inheritance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

The more  I thought about it, the more I began to see how God was doing that among us here in Thailand.

This year we have seen one of our boys follow the Lord in baptism. 
A month later, his younger brother would pray to receive Christ.

This past month, a young woman from England prayed to receive Christ after our friend saw her at church and took time to ask her if she had experienced God and His saving power in her own life.  

She came up to thank me for preaching this Sunday, and is so excited about her new found faith.  

I have prayed for our boys at Faithful Heart for years, so it is a special joy to see God answer those prayers, and those young men find new life in Christ.  

And it is a joy to see people from all over the world encountering God here. 

Joshua doing social work

Foster families are amazing!

A new birth, to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade

What we have seen recently is the power of cooperation in the gospel.  

Faithful Heart has cared for these boys for years, providing a loving home, food, an education, and loving Christian parents. 

This summer the boys were accepted into an internship with Bella Goose Coffee shop, a business operating as a ministry here in Chiang Mai.  They taught the boys proper work etiquette, baking and barista skills, and mentored them.

Our church brought them into a young adult small group, where they continued to hear the gospel and study the Bible with other young Thai Christians.  

All those pieces were important. 

I try not to worry too much about measuring the success of our work in terms of how people respond.  I know some of us prepare the ground, some of us sow seeds, some of us water those seeds, and some of us harvest what grows from those efforts.  

But I also am delighted when we get to see God at work in the lives of the people around us.  

One of my favorite parts of this recent fruitfulness is that it cannot be traced to a single person, but to the combined efforts of many faithful followers of Jesus, loving their neighbors, sharing the good news, preaching, teaching, studying the Word together; eating, training, and encouraging younger people coming in.  

It is fun to be along for the ride. 

Thai New Year Celebration at Grace International School

Proud of this young man working his first full time job with Bella Goose

Learning together

Building a culture of service

I was having lunch with a mentor friend of mine this week.  
He has been doing overseas ministry for over 40 years.  

He talked about how when he was younger, it was important for him to feel like he himself was effective.  He laughed, and said now he still wanted to see God work, but he cared far less through whom He worked.  

I agreed.  I still would like to be there, to be along for the ride, but it matters less who God uses, so long as God does His work.  

I was talking with my Dad recently, and he mentioned how refreshing it was to meet someone genuinely seeking to know and understand what is true and real.  

Thailand is wonderful that way in my experience.  

People here are genuinely curious, interested, and open to hearing the good news about new life in Jesus.  

I remember going to the hospital for a minor, outpatient surgery last year. 
Two nurses, ladies in their 50's were prepping me for the procedure, and they were excited when they found out I could speak Thai. They asked me all about my family, and my work here in Chiang Mai.  

I told them that I worked for a foundation that helped single parent families, and vulnerable children.  

One of the ladies, interjected: "Are you a Christian?"

Yes, I am a follower of Jesus
(Pra Ye-suu in Thai, the prefix for an honored or revered teacher in Buddhism and Jesus' name).  

She said, "Christians are always helping people. 
That is the right way to live, but why do you do that?"

I started to explain to her how Jesus gives us new life, and a new heart to love others. 
Both ladies were rapt with attention. 
I almost forgot I was about to have surgery.  

Then the surgeon came in and asked if I was ready to start.  

The family of God being the family of God

It is good for us to use some discernment when we speak with others.  
But I want to encourage you to not be too shy.  

There are hungry people out there, looking for purpose, meaning, love, forgiveness, and a new start---
a new life.  

Our theme at church this year is Sharing the Good News with those around us. 
I gave an example a few weeks ago of the man who Jesus healed of his blindness.  

People questioned him about who Jesus was.  The man was hardly sure himself, and he admitted openly: "...I don't know, but one thing I do know.  I once was blind and now I see."

We do not have to be experts to be witnesses.  
We don't have to have all the answers to all the arguments.  

Our best witness is the simple testimony of what God has done for us.  

But we must remember, they will not just listen, but look. 
They will look to see if our life reflects our words.  

Maybe the best way to bear fruit, is to build character:  

To confess our mistakes, and turn from them;
to be humble, grateful, and flexible;
to forgive quickly and completely;
to be patient and gentle with those who are still learning;
to be truthful and honest, 
and to allow God's joy to be our strength.  

May we abide in Jesus and He in us, that we may bear much fruit and so prove to be His disciples. 

In hope, 

Matt, Audrey, Ezra, & Sienna

Two middle school graduates headed to high school

A fun loft bed project for friends

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