4th of July in America

How we roll with our cousins.

Cousin Annie was so much fun, we love her.

Greetings again, from Thailand!

We have just returned from a month long stay with family and friends in the U.S. and it was so refreshing for all of us.

I have said before that I feel like I am growing happier every year.
I don't mean life doesn't at times frustrate me or that everything goes the way I want it to (far from it).

But usually what I mean is that I seem to be changing to where whatever comes my way feels more and more like a gift--whether it was what I expected and hoped for, or not.

Half the time the greater struggle is adjusting my expectations so I can enjoy the new and unexpected thing which has come to me.

But when I can, I find I am happier, more content.

During our time in the US, I got to spend a lot of time with some pretty wonderful people.
And I found myself liking them more than ever.

What happened, I thought, that all these people seem even more lovable than they were before?

Undoubtedly, I can see how many of them have grown, but the biggest change seemed to be in me.
What was lovable in my family and friends was there all along. 
But now I see it better.

Despite Ezra's face, we all love Uncle Bunky and Aunt Pam

Rohan and Ambrose have some mad soccer skills

Love this family.

In the past, my faults caused me to emphasis the faults of others and diminish their virtues.

But now I find the progress I have made in some of my own faults, has helped me better see their virtues, and mind less their faults.

Which caused me to notice something profound.

The better we become, the more we enjoy the people around us.

Just think about that for a minute.

Usually, when I can't enjoy someone, I blame it on some fault in them.
And to be sure, some people have some serious faults that make it hard to be near them.

But unless someone has no virtue at all (and I have yet to meet such a person) then there is always something about them we could enjoy if we were able.

Imagine being able to enjoy every person in your life right now.
Imagine delighting in each unique person God thought worth making.
Imagine the jokes and the laughter and the dinners and the games and the the songs and the sports and the conversations.

Think about what it would mean for you if you measured maturity by your ability to enjoy people who were different from you?

What if the most mature, most spiritual, most advanced (most whatever) person was really the one who just enjoyed everybody the most?

Taking Aunt Pam for a drive.

Ticket to Ride and Matt's first ever victory.

I used to think simply enjoying someone might cause them to belittle or ignore their faults.

But in my own life, it was rarely the people who emphasized my faults who helped me work through them.

It was the friends who could see my virtues and gifts and urge me to pursue and develop them.

You can't follow both your faults and your virtues at the same time.
Eventually your path will lead one way or the other.

Most people didn't need us to emphasize their faults.  There are plenty of people willing to do that.

What they needed was someone to remind them of who they could be
(who they were at their best moments).

And those moments often come not when we are trying to "fix" each other, but when we begin to truly enjoy each other.

God's best gifts are people.

It would be a shame to not be able to enjoy them.

Grandmas will do anything for their grandkids!

A lot of just hanging out.

Rohan has a sweet heart for little kids, especially Sienna.

My brother-in-law is building a reservoir---how cool is that?

Honey!

Funny faces

Sharing

Sort of buddies

Molly!  (and Mike in the background)

A Quick Update:

We have jumped back into life in Thailand and are excited (and a little sad) to be moving to a new house.  Our kids need a yard to play in.  But we have lived over 3 years in our current home and we love our neighbors.

Our fellow volunteers, the Parker family, also move into their new home at Faithful Heart next month.

We have partnered with Echo Asia to help us prepare the new land for farming.  We continue to wait on paperwork, but it is fun to see some progress.

Please pray for our finances at Faithful Heart.  We could really use some new sponsors for our children.  I will give more details soon, but for now, we need wisdom and patience.

We participated in an English camp at a Thai school this week.  It is always fun to spend time with kids and get to know new friends.

Thank you to YOU!  So many of you are family to us.  We enjoy you!

In hope,

Matt, Audrey, Ezra, and Sienna Pound

Lot of time in airplanes...

And back to Thailand again!

Teaching English

Let's play Where is Waldo...err, Matt... (:

   

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