Providing training for over 100 caregivers on the importance of attachment, bonding, and developing resilience in children

Pastor Udt reminding us to let our feelings follow rather than lead

Training with our house fathers!

Monk's Trail hike

Greetings from Thailand!  

We have been back in Chiang Mai for over 2 months, and it has been a full, fun season of life.  

Audrey's sister Alicia, and her husband Skyler with their two children moved to Chiang Mai for a year as a reset for their family and an opportunity for all of us to be together.  It is a pretty incredible blessing for us, to have family living across the lawn after years of living overseas.  It has been really nice for Ezra and Sienna too to have cousins their age to play with.  It gets a little crazy sometimes, but it is wild fun most times.

It is a new season of life for Audrey and Ezra too.  Audrey is working at Grace International school where Ezra attends first grade and really enjoying it.  Aside from complaining at how long school is, Ezra seems to be really enjoying it and growing there.  It is especially fun to see him learning to read more.  

Even when life is full of good things, it can sometimes feel overwhelming.  One of the questions I wrestle with often is how to slow down our family life.  

Trampolines are a love language

Audrey's wild commute

Sienna's cafe, hospital, hotel,

Audrey in the office

Don't get me wrong, I love sports, music, and hobbies of all kinds. 
I think those things make us well rounded, and are important parts of a good childhood.  

However, I also think rest, unstructured play, and even boredom can be important parts of good childhood too---and not just childhood, but adulthood too.  

Both Audrey and I have observed that our family is healthiest with some sort of balance between activity and rest, where we carve out intentional times of just being home together.  

This season of life brings new joys and new challenges.  

With Ezra going to school 5 days a week, and Audrey and Sienna two days, and me working at Faithful Heart five days, plus frequent weekend activities we all attend, it gets crazy quick.  

I am sure many of you parents are nodding Amen to that.  

Rather than try to write out all the updates, I thought I would give you some updated numbers:

Finding families in need

Sex and relationships is important but it can be fun too

Games before staff meeting help everyone relax

Love, Love, Love

Faithful Heart

16 children in our full time care

100+ children in 50 families we support each month

5 children reunited with their families

9 full time college students in our dorm

31 outside college scholarships awarded

12 college graduates 

11 Thai staff

2 Training events this year for other nonprofits in Chiang Mai

1 Grant Application to expand our programs

Sex and relationships with the guys too!

And some fun for good measure

One cute 1st Grader

Pound Family

9 years in Thailand in January

14 years of marriage

2 wild, crazy, wonderful kids---Ezra 7, and Sienna 5

Matt is getting very old---38

Audrey is still very young

8 1/2 years at Faithful Heart Foundation

4 years Matt has been director at FHF

2 months for Audrey and Ezra at Grace International School

Angelic Sienna welcoming you to play in the river

Ezra has been very excited to make a unicorn horn...sadly mom will not let him wear it to school

Ezra and his chocolate ball machine

Uncle Skyler enjoying the woodshop

We would welcome your prayers for several things:

1. Work/Life balance---serving our communities, our church, and being a family, keeping healthy individually, and working well at the work God has given us. 

2. Audrey's new job & Ezra's new school

3. Faithful Heart's grant application and growth---quality and quantity

4. Skyler and Alicia's time in Thailand

Thank you for your encouraging words, love, and support.  We pray you too may find a life you love, where you can use your gifts and talents to participate in the good work God is doing all over the world.  

In hope,

Matt, Audrey, Ezra, and Sienna

So much fun to find rock climbing in Chiang Mai

In a cave too!

Elephants are like small dinosaurs

Two happy little boys

Cousin Annette reading to the kids

Uncle Skyler helping revitalize the backboards