Horse Riding with our girls!

Happy days and Sad Goodbyes

Two sweet ladies

Greetings from Thailand!

Have you ever found yourself rummaging through the refrigerator right after dinner?

There is something odd about feeling satisfied, and hungry at the same time.

And its not just food.

Sometimes I look at my life and feel grateful for all the good, cool things around me.
I love where I live, I love who I live with, and I love what I do.
But there is still an itch somewhere in there, for more.

My favorite author says that God is easy to please and hard to satisfy.

Maybe we are too.

And maybe that is good.  Somehow we all have to either make peace with where and what we are, or be miserable.

But there is a difference between accepting your present circumstances, and counting them permanent.

You can be pleased with who and where you are in your life right now, without wanting to stay there.

Volunteers

Mountains

Andy and Phillip are good friends already

It is my belief that every one of us are made to contribute something good to the world as a whole.

And the way that happens, is when we discover who were each made to be, and then pursue that ideal version of ourselves that the world needs.

This has turned out to be a much slower process than I ever imagined.

Most all of my dreams are still there in my heart, but the timing has changed.

I am grateful for where we are right now.
I can say, "This is good!"  And it is.
But I can also say, "There is more I want."

And that is good too.

I am pleased, just not satisfied.

It troubles me sometimes that we often lose this ability to hold things in tension.
We are far often too easily satisfied, or impossible to please.

Grateful for Second Wind Ranch helping our kids for free

Ezra wasn't sure about the big horses...

McDonalds!

Right now, we are continue to go through change here in Thailand.

Our founders and former Directors, Dave and Shirley Callahan, moved back to the US in March.
Then my parents moved back in May.
Other close friends are also transitioning.

I am trying to find that tension again.

Can I be pleased with where we are now?
Can I also continue to seek for more?

Yes.  (At least, I hope I can)

There is a learning curve for anyone who accepts new leadership and I am no exception.

I trust the people I work with.
But there are innumerable little decisions every day that need to be made.
Some they will like, some they won't.

And it is a very different feeling when you are merely offering commentary, than when the decision and its consequences come back to you.

Planting bamboo!

Watering by hand

We need more pictures of Audrey, but she is the one who always takes them

So many of our kids are becoming teenagers at Faithful Heart.

My conversations with our social worker and house parents have many reoccurring themes.

"She just doesn't obey like she used to."

"He has so many girlfriends, it makes me nervous."

"She never used to roll her eyes at me."

"He is always on his phone."

It may sound strange, but usually it makes me glad to hear these kinds of things.
It means are kids are normal.
I would be more worried if they didn't do these kinds of things.

But it brings challenges too.

(Somewhere I can hear my parents laughing and nodding).

Peter and Joshua fed over 60 people with a smile!

Why not put the potato salad and beans on your pulled pork sandwich?

Khun was ready to eat

Boys at Home of Light left clean plates

It isn't just my dreams which depend upon my becoming better than I am now.
And that's why its so important to be pleased, but not satisfied.

The reward for growing is that you get new and greater challenges to help you grow more.

It can be a bit overwhelming.
We love to feel competent, and talk humbly.   
But we hate the humbling process of feeling and looking like an idiot.

This is half the battle of living overseas.
You feel like a child.
And most of us resent feeling that way.

One of my favorite hobbies here is to go lift weights at the gym.
But if you don't usually go to the gym, the first time will always leave you feeling a little bit like an idiot.

"What is that machine for? How do I use it?  Are people laughing at me?"

It is the same in life, except the equipment and exercises are constantly changing.

Ez has lots of big sisters to help him out

Lunch!

Movie time

I imagine this is because the thing God wants us to master is not necessarily a particular skill or ability, but a peaceful and kind disposition which can face any challenge. 

The ability to adopt to any person or circumstance without stress, fear, or unkindness towards others.

That is where we should be.
Where we are, (if you are anything like me), is somewhere very different.

So be pleased with who and where you are.
Give thanks for your circumstances, and all the good things in your life.

Just don't be too easily satisfied.

If you like who and where you are now, what might there be ahead of you?

It has been so fun having Amy here!

She gets some time to relax too---Thai style hot springs

Love this little explorer

500 stairs, but Ezra and Dad made it!

One of the most evil things Christians have done (and they have done many) is made God seem harsh and boring.

Whoever dreamed up our world, it certainly does not strike me as the kind of thing a dull, authoritarian would have made.

God likes you.

He thought you worth making and He is never wasteful.
And He has an idea of who you might be, and it is amazing (because He makes amazing things).

 If you aren't sure how to please God, or if you are not even sure you believe in God, let me tell you a place we can all start:

The next good thing in front of you.

Might be the dishes.

Might be telling your kids you love them.

Might be calling a lonely friend.

Might be forgiving someone who doesn't deserve it.

God is easy to please.  (Really)

Just hard to satisfy.

Because nothing but the perfect happiness, wholeness, and goodness of His world will satisfy Him.

"Dad!"

I love green

3 lovely ladies

Have you ever had someone who loved you so much they wouldn't let you quit on your dreams, even when you were ready to, because they believed in you?

Sometimes it is good to be hard to satisfy.

That's how love is.
It is pleased with you as you are, but it insists on you becoming who you were always made to be.
I want to love like that.

I want Ezra and Sienna, and all our kids at Faithful Heart to become their best selves and live their best lives.
And I want to find out who Matt Pound was made to be.
It's more fun to discover together.

We are so blessed by so many of you.  You make our lives better and you inspire us to be better.

Quick Update:

We will be traveling to Colorado June 20th and we would love to catch up.

Please pray for wisdom.  Wisdom to not get in the way, wisdom to speak or be quiet.  Wisdom to encourage our kids and give them freedom to be themselves.  Wisdom to inspire our staff, not nag them.

Please pray for teenagers and parents of teenagers.
Please pray for safe travels and good times with family and friends.
Please pray for the Thai people, that we might help their hearts to sing for joy.

We love you just the way you are.  And we love seeing who you are becoming!

-Matt, Audrey, Ezra, and Sienna (aka: "Little Squishy")

PS:  Take 6 minutes and listen to this man:

The ladies doughnut eating contest was a sight to behold

Glad to have Sher Pound as a special presenter on family day

We had 19 kids at the office for 3 days while we did staff retreat! A huge Thank You to all those who helped!

Greetings from Thailand!

You may have noticed that these posts follow our own experiences.  One of the biggest mistakes I have made in life (and in faith) was to presume to talk about what I hadn't yet learned from experience.

I am coming to believe the more valuable thing we can offer our neighbor is not so much correct information (i.e. you should think, believe this...)

but personal experience (this happened, then I did this and then....).

Positively, this means our failures can be as valuable, or even more valuable to share than our successes.  

Which means that even our failures, the things we just really screwed up, can have value to benefit others.

Which is pretty amazing if you stop and think about it.
(I am stopping right now, because I am feeling frustrated at all the stuff I have messed up lately).

Sharing Communion together

Learning together

Some pretty wonderful ladies!

Twice in the span of 5 minutes my son Ezra managed to spill smoothie on me.

Normally, this should be mildly amusing and a little sticky.

But today I almost lost it.

Seeing my son's face at this undeserved outburst of anger on my part, brought me back to my senses.

What is wrong with me?

It's just a little bit of passion fruit and mango smoothie.  It took 2 minutes to clean up and actually was kind of funny.

Where did the anger come from?

Hungry?

A new visitor at the land...hopefully not related to the burgers above

There is lots of playing going on these days!

The answer is from the pile of straws I have been carrying around that is breaking my back.

Do you remember the old saying about the straw that broke the camel's back?

The idea is that enough little things can eventually become a big thing, and break us down.  

What are you carrying around with you today?

I am remembering how I dropped the butter dish Audrey brought from the US and it shattered on the floor yesterday.

I am carrying the credit card payment I messed up and had to pay foreign transaction fees.

And the embarrassment I felt after spraying my own pants in the bathroom so it looked liked I wet myself.

And the talk I gave that I didn't feel very good about.

And the guy who cut me off yesterday.

And that situation at work that never seems to get resolved.

And .....

The list goes on and on.

Home of Faith took a trip south!

Kingdom of God Church had a special Easter service

The girls were frying bananas!

So when my son spills smoothie on me, I erupt in anger.

Not because of the smoothie, but because of all the other baggage I am carrying around.

Have you ever been on a hike with a pack that was too heavy?

That is essentially what we are doing when we carry all our failings and disappointments around with us.

I said before in another post that one little stone in your shoe can blind you to the glory all around you.

Carrying around all our disappointments and failings does the same thing, and even worse, it makes us grumpy.

So when we come to a summit (a beautiful place in our lives) all we can do is grumble about how hard the journey was.  

So instead of getting to have a good laugh, and lick smoothie off your face, you yell at your 2 year old son.

So what does the camel do to keep his back from breaking?

He dumps the straws.

A big thank you to everyone who helped purchase air purifiers and fans!

Josiah just graduated from Bible School and helped with our kids activities during staff retreat

We don't need to carry all that around.

Audrey didn't really care about the butter dish, why am I wasting time still thinking about it?

Jesus once said that worrying has no actual power to produce positive change in our lives, so we should just stop.

It is good advice, just not easy to practice.

For me, it takes conscious effort.

I think about the guy who cut me off, or the situation at work, and I take a deep breath:

This too shall pass.

This is not worth carrying around. 

And carrying it around isn't actually helping anyone!

So get those straws off your back.

See the view again, laugh with your kids.

This was another thing Jesus tried to teach people; if you are tired from carrying around all these mistakes, all these burdens, all these not-good-enoughs, Jesus said come to him and he will show you a new way to live.

He says,

My way is easy, and light. 

Because that is just it.

Life gets heavy when we carry all this garbage around with us.

Banana trees are growing!

Shaving cream and cheese balls...

Let each day begin afresh. (Maybe each hour)

It is amazing how good it feels to set that heavy pack down and see the sunset.

And to leave all the work stress at work and play with your kids.

And to realize that messing up is ok.  You are still loved, you are still valuable.

This is the secret to humble people's happiness:

When you don't take yourself too seriously, you don't take your mistakes too seriously either.

And when you don't take your mistakes too seriously, you can be gentle with the mistakes of others.

So don't just take the straws off your own back, stop putting straws on other people's backs.

And help others get rid of all the ones they are carrying around too.

A Quick Update:

Life here has been full.

We just finished our 3-day staff retreat at Faithful Heart and really had a great time with our house parents and staff.

We are preparing to come to Colorado for a few weeks in June.

We took in some rabbits and they are a big hit at the office.

We welcomed a new college student yesterday and we said goodbye to a college student the week before. 

Some of our girls went to a Youth For Christ camp

Pretty much how we all felt after 3 days in 100 degree temperatures

This sweet lady is a huge blessing to Faithful Heart.  We couldn't do it without Pen!

It is good.  (I need to say that).

Nothing bad is happening.  (I need to say that too).

So don't worry.  Don't carry stress around with you.  Rest.

Thank you for your prayers and support.  They reach further than you know.

May your burden be easy and light.  And may you enjoy all the good all around you.

Learning with you,

Matt, Audrey, Ezra, & Sienna

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.