So glad to have interns from Wheaton College with us!

Staff meetings are better with games

Hot Springs!

Hello friends and family!  

We really miss you!  It seems like too long since we have seen you and hugged you, and laughed together.  

Hopefully, that will end soon!  We are tentatively planning on coming to the US for a visit this fall.  We will keep you posted.  

In the mean time, we are trying to enjoy this unusual season of life.  

The gyms and pools are open again, so our family is happy again.  Our work at Faithful Heart continues to grow, and we enjoy the challenges and opportunities to interact with more families.  

Covid cases continue to decline in Chiang Mai, and the Prime Minister has set a goal to open the country back up as normal by October.  

We love getting to make new friends

Just checking the time

This family is so sweet

One of the challenges of this pandemic has been planning for the future.  With everything seeming to be in limbo, it was virtually impossible to know if we would be able to follow any of our own plans.  

However, there was at the same time an increase in the number of people who needed help.  Many had lost jobs or sources of income.  

Thanks to the generosity of many of you, we continue to be able to provide temporary interventions to families to help them stay together and keep their children fed, and in school.  

It is a lot of fun honestly.  Our social workers are like a small town Santa Clause.  They deliver food, formula, and most important of all, hope.  

One of the things we are learning about caring for children is that you can actually have a greater impact by keeping children out of orphanages, than by bringing them in.  Now we have opportunities to share with and invest in whole families, and communities, not just in an isolated child.  

The water slide is a big hit

Ezra loves the sand

Ticket to Ride with our boys from Home of Light

It has really good to see people again, and be together.  I hope that is becoming possible for many of you as well.  

I am an introvert (Introverts are drained from being with people, even if they enjoy it; Extroverts gain energy from being with people) so I like having time to myself.  In fact, I get pretty grumpy if I don't get a break now and then.  But even I am ready to be together again.  

We have 5 interns from Wheaton College staying with us for the next 6 weeks.  They have been so much fun.  I am really impressed with all of them.  They are great guests, easy and fun to be with, helpful, intelligent, and really bring a fun energy to our daily routines.  

Small group

Playing in the mountains

Moogataa

When my gym was closed I had more time for wood working and other projects.  I may have gotten slightly carried away.  

We love having people over for dinner and we needed more room

With the gyms all closed, I had to make my own

There is really no good reason NOT to have a pontoon boat, so I thought I would try to make one

If you know anything about boat motors, I would love to talk to you.  Outboard motors are not easy to find here, and they are really pricey.  

There are a lot of good things happening right now, and we are gratefully trying to enjoy them.  

There are a lot of hard things we are praying about too. 

If you are a praying person, please pray with us for these situations:

1. Several friends have lost loved ones very suddenly and are grieving 
2. Our Thai Church has suffered a lot of tragedies recently and is trying hard to care for its members.
3. A friend lost his wife to cancer and is battling depression
4. There are some big possibilities coming in our near future and we are asking for wisdom to know what is best.

Friends who become family

Kayaking for the first time!

Farm fresh eggs at Faithful Heart

Buddies

Thank you for your friendship, love, and support.  We are eager to see you all again soon.  

Blessings in hope,

Matt, Audrey, Ezra, & Sienna Pound

When Dad has the kids alone in the mountains, he needs help!

Chiang Dao!

Chiang Dao Cave

Thankful for kind friends who donated this motorbike to John.  He was one excited dude!