Finally some time together!

Lovely break with this one Graduations!

Check it out:  You can now listen to our blog in audio if you don't want to read it

Click Here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-25221037/strangely-wonderful-pounds-blog-may-2021

Greetings from Thailand!  

This is my 3rd try at writing this blog, so we will see how it goes.  It is a season of life for me where I find myself having much to think about, but little to say (my wife is rolling her eye somewhere).  

Moving to Thailand has changed us in so many ways, some we are aware and others we cannot yet imagine.  

All growth is change, though not all change is growth.  

It is not always easy knowing which is which, and in my experience growth itself is not always in a straight line.  

One of the most important questions in any of our lives is which direction we are heading: are we growing better or worse?  

But take that with a grain of salt too, because sometimes growth is discouraging.  One of the reasons we resist growth, is that it is sometimes frightening to discover the truth about ourselves.  

Sometimes you need your milk

Ploy wanted Vietnamese food for her birthday and it was delicious!

We found a fun coffee shop

Pastors and politicians who simplify the world will always have an audience.  Because we are scared of the truth about ourselves.  

It is comforting to divide the world into good guys and bad guys.  It is reassuring to surround ourselves with people who are like us, think like us, believe like us, have the same likes and dislikes as us.  

We all need comfort and reassurance at times in our lives, but these things rarely produce growth.  

These past two years have strained us.  We weary of masks and closed restaurants, canceled travel plans, and the daily annoyance of disruption to our normal lives.  

Fishing!

Easter eggs (have to be duck eggs here)

Our newest biker

Tom is learning the joys of parenting college kids too now

We are growing, but sometimes that growth looks like realizing how much growing we still have to do.  

Yelling at my kids just for being kids. 
Grumbling at my wife because I made a mistake. 
Being irritable and impatient with my staff because I can't understand what they told me in Thai.  

Is that growth? 

It feels more like regression. 

I thought I had better control of my temper.  
I thought I was more patient.  

Maybe the next step to improving my temper or becoming more patient is to see where the work needs to be done.  

And it isn't all bad news.

We are strangely wonderful creatures, which is my way of saying we all have our good and bad parts to deal with.  

There are amazing things about you.
There are some crappy things about you too (or is it just me? :-)

Mom and son breakfast date

Beautiful Phuket

This one is never still long

Everyone likes eating

And more importantly, we are all strangely and wonderfully loved anyway.  

Growth might be finally receiving that love as a pure gift, not something you have to earn by your achievements or good behavior.  

Growth might be apologizing a little bit sooner after you lose it.

Growth might be humility that comes from humiliation (others seeing us as we really are and not just how we would like them to see us).  

Growth might be not wallowing in the discouragement for quite so long, but getting up and doing the dishes.

Growth might be that new toughness that says, "I made it through a pandemic, I will get through this next problem too."

Growth might be a greater appreciation of your spouse's tolerance of you.  

Growth might be the hug of your child after you just yelled at them unfairly.  

Newest wood project

We are giving out more food than ever before.  Thank you for making that possible!

Not Darth Vader, just a novice welder

Growth might be moving into a whole new way of thinking and living, where you can accept and love imperfect people gladly, freely and repeatedly even after they mess it up; because that is how God accepts and loves you.  

And that is strangely wonderful.  The process may not always be pleasant, but it leads to joy.  

To all our strangely wonderful friends and family around the world, we love you and thank God for you.  Thank you for loving us!  We are hoping we can come see you soon.  

Love, 

Matt, Audrey, Ezra, and Sienna

Mario Kart 2 Player

Roar!

Happy Mother's Day!

Baby Gear is the king of chill :-)