Windy fun with our college students!

Can you see Audrey & Sienna?

Ploy & Matt goofing around before the hike

Greetings from Thailand!

Recently, I was sitting at my desk after several days of flu and vomiting at home, glad to be back and grateful that so far I had somehow managed to avoid the bug that Ezra, Audrey, and Sienna had suffered.

In my new role, I feel more responsibility at work.
But as a husband and father, I also feel more responsibility at home.

There is something overwhelming about seeing how fragile things can be.

One bout of the flu and we are completely exhausted.
Even when I wasn't sick, I was caring for the sick and trying to balance things at work.

Many of you can relate...

But those experiences teach us some valuable life lessons.

For me that meant learning that I can contribute value without being essential. 

I get daily email thoughts from the Enneagram Institute.  The idea is to help you better understand yourself and why you do what you do.

I got this one last week before all the throwing up began (my personality type is a 3 The Achiever):

	EnneaThought® for the Day Type Three EnneaThought® for March 16th Average Threes throw themselves into their projects, their careers, and whatever else they are doing to enhance their self-esteem. They are truly Type A personalities, potentially workaholic. Watch for this tendency in yourself today. (Personality Types, 109)

Gorgeous trees in the mountains.

Pagodas.

Tearful farewells at the airport. (From early March)

Somebody got the nail right on the head.

The part that really gave me pause was about why I throw myself into things.

It is often for my own self-esteem.
It makes me feel better to accomplish things, and particularly things I consider good or valuable.

Anyone else can relate to this?

Part of the danger of searching for self-esteem through accomplishment, is that we can come to exaggerate our own importance and undervalue the importance of others. 

When I am forced to step back, I realize there are a whole host of people in the background doing all sorts of important and valuable things that I take for granted.

One of the other dangers of my personality type is that we like to be seen.

We want praise and affirmation.
We want to be held in high esteem.

Jesus warned people like me, saying kindness is best done in secret.

So in some ways, it is better to be in the background.

There we meet the quiet saints who keep the world going even when no one is watching.

Mothers are a great example of this.

A pastor preaches a sermon, and people compliment him and praise him.

A mother cleans up her child's vomit and rocks him to sleep again and no one cheers, no one says how wonderful she is.

It is more important than the sermon, at least to one child, but it is done in secret.

That got me thinking about all the "secret" little things so many people do who make our lives possible.

Let me give you a good example.

Meet the Guthrie family.

Coe & Avonlea

And super side-kicks!

Coe and Avonlea were at one time tenants of ours in Woodland Park.

We became friends because some other tenants were smoking in the unit next door (not the best start to a friendship).

Coe and Avonlea became our property managers after they moved out and when we moved overseas.

They are incredibly generous, faithful and hard working.

And they are also our largest supporters.

Several years ago, they refused to accept payment for managing our property.  They said they wanted that money to be a gift to help us in our work in Thailand.

It was a very significant gift.  Not just of of money, but also time.

They have two sweet children and a host of other responsibilities.
Now that I have two children, I cannot imagine taking on such a large task and doing it for free.

They don't post blogs or fancy pictures from foreign countries, but they have blessed my family tremendously and many of our children here in Thailand too.

When we asked for help to get new be sheets and pillows for a dorm in Mae Chaem, they gave a gift to purchase everything for about 30 children.

They are the salt of the earth, incredible people working quietly in secret to make the world a better place.

Some new friends. The two boys in the middle joined Home of Grace.

Claire is checking out the land, freshly mowed!

We have a lot of work to do...

Sienna had fun..most of the time.

It makes me grateful for all our Thai staff an house parents.

And for all the people who support us and the ministry we are apart of.

And for all the friends who put up with our poor communication and forgetfulness.

And our families who are constantly taken for granted, and love us anyway.

You are awesome, all of you.

A special thanks to all of you who responded to help us keep our families safe during this time of terrible pollution.  Just in case this "thank you" video:




The truth is that the best people are not always the most visible people.

To all the saints in the background, thank you for the work you do when no one else sees.

May you be satisfied in the labor of your hands which makes our world a little bit better.

Love,

Matt, Audrey, Ezra, & Sienna

I love seeing our older boys helping their new younger brothers

Phillip loves kids too

Planting bananas! (50 trees)

It felt really good to dig in the earth again!

We have a lot of fun here with the Home of Light boys.