Greetings from the beautiful, rainy mountains of Thailand!  

This is a full, and joyful season of life for Audrey and I, and we are eager to share with you the goodness of God and the good news that the yoke, (or burden) of life with Him is light.

Have you ever prayed for something big, 

and then been surprised to find that 

the gift is also a responsibility?

We have experienced that feeling as God provided in an incredible and surprising way for the land we have asked you to pray with us about.  And He did it through your generosity and kindness!  

In my opinion, that is even better than manna from the sky.  

A huge THANK YOU to all of you who have given, prayed, and encouraged us in this opportunity.  Over $60,000 has been pledged for the purchase of the land here in Chiang Mai.  

We are amazed, and a little overwhelmed.  We finding ourselves asking:

"Now What?" 

Jesus said that to everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.  

Sometimes, particularly with money, a large provision brings me a sense of relief.  There is a sense of security with having more, for some reason, no matter if we are rich or poor.  But as a follower of Jesus, I realize it is also a sobering responsibility.  I am going to have to give an account for these resources entrusted to our care, for the building of God's kingdom on earth.  I am going to have to sit down with Jesus and talk about how I used those resources for the work He called me to do.

And increasingly, I am finding it is far more difficult than I initially thought to do good with money.  

I think I have been laboring under a mistaken assumption,

 that money was the chief thing needed to help poor people.  

It is and it isn't.  

A more accurate word might be work.  

Obviously, with children, the elderly, and the disabled, 

it will always require resources to care for them.  

But there is a reason Jesus prayed that God would supply PEOPLE (not money) 

to go to a hurting world.

This may seem an unusual way to start a blog post describing God's incredible financial provision.  But that amazing financial blessing, also carries a heavy responsibility.  

A vision is one thing, the reality is quite another.  

(The river running by the dorm in Samoeng!)

We were stunned by the generous response of many of you to our vision for this land that has been offered to Faithful Heart.  It was truly a faith-strengthening moment, that less than 3 weeks before the deadline, over $40,000 was pledged for the purchase of the land!

This was our fleece so to speak (Judges 6:36-40).
We had told God:

"Well, here is this opportunity.  We aren't sure what is best, so we are asking you to provide the money, or not, depending on what you know is best for us."  

The sudden provision was both exciting, and a little frightening.  Now we have a lot of work to do.  Now we have a lot of decisions to pray through.  Now we have a new major project in addition to our daily responsibilities.  And most of all, now we have been given something large for which we will also have to give an account for, not just to people, but to God.

George MacDonald says the only fear God wants in us is a fear to do wrong.  

Not the future, not our enemies, not terrorists, not politics, not even evil itself or the powers of evil, but only fear lest we become workers of evil ourselves.  

This is what it means to fear God; 

not a trembling fear of Him or what He might do to us, 

(because perfect love drives out fear), 

but fear that we should wound Him, ourselves, and our neighbor 

by doing those things which destroy, instead of give life.

In our present circumstances, Audrey and I find ourselves telling each other:
Don't worry, God will have His way.  

Don't worry about tomorrow.  Don't worry about money.  

Don't worry about how all the details will work out.  

Just worry about doing what is right today, doing the duty God has given us today, and leave the rest to Him.  

That is why Jesus said life with Him was not difficult; the burden was not heavy.  

Not because we won't face difficult times, stressful situations, hardship, and overwhelming circumstances, but that 

He would be in the midst of them with us, offering to carry what we cannot.  

Someone has said that our most self-deluded moment is when we truly believe we are self-sufficient. 

When we feel most capable, most confident that we can do this, that we have this; we are farthest from reality.  

In truth, the size of the task is irrelevant.  

We are as incapable of the smallest task as well as the greatest.  

Perhaps it is a special tool of God for our growth and trust, to bring us face to face with tasks which are beyond our ability or competence, and then bring us through them.  

Just as it would have been ridiculous for Peter to get back in the boat thinking he possessed the power to walk on water of his own accord, so it is with any task. (Matthew 14:22-33)

What God asks of us is quite often beyond us---beyond our resources, our wisdom, our strength. 

 But not His.  

With Jesus we can do incredible things.  And here is the great part: it isn't even that hard.  

The yoke is easy.  The burden is light.

I want to experience life that way.  

I am tired of being stressed out, worried, anxious, and afraid.  We have to learn to trust Him.  We have to believe that He really does want what is best for us---always.  

We don't need to have our way, His way will be better.  

God welcomes you who are tired and burdened.  

May you find rest as His child, in His world, under His loving care!  

 Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your unwavering love and support.  

God is doing great things, and He is doing them through you!  

Thank you for being the answer to many prayers!

Lots of love from Thailand!
Matt, Audrey & EZ-J ;) 

As the time approaches when we must give our decision about the land that has been offered to Faithful Heart, some of you have encouraged me to lay out a vision for how Faithful Heart might use this land if we were to purchase it.

A refresher on the land:

• 6 acres of land
• 20 minutes from our current office
• Only offered to Faithful Heart
• 1/2 price the original cost
• Must make a decision by the end of August 2017

Audrey and I were both struck during a sermon at Mill City Church, one of the churches that has supported Faithful Heart, when the pastor spoke from Jeremiah 29. 

 You might be familiar with verse 11:

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, they are plans for good, and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

But the pastor pointed out that promise was for many years later. 

 In the previous verses God said this:

"Build homes, and plan to stay.  Plant gardens and eat the food you produce...Work for the peace and prosperity of the city and pray to the Lord for that city where you live..." (5-7)

The pastor reminded us that while our citizenship is in heaven, our vocation (our work) is on earth, where God has called and placed us.  

We are not merely waiting to go to heaven, 

we are working to bring heaven to the corner of the world where we are.  

What resonated with Audrey and I both was the emphasis on putting down roots, planting gardens and working and praying for the peace of Chiang Mai---the city where God has called and placed us.

Matt and Ezra surveying the land (and dreaming) ;)

Faithful Heart currently rents all our facilities, (save one dorm for boys).  Our directors, Dave and Shirley, have done a great job maximizing resources to have the greatest impact on the largest number of children possible.  And we want to continue to do that.

But like all of us who purchase our own home, or build a church in a community,
 there comes a time to put down roots.  

The blue is the outline of the land--the lower left being the road access point. The land is divided into 3 parcels, but sold together.

Here is part of the vision Audrey and I believe God has given us for this land:

We envision Faithful heart having our own office and area to gather for activities.  Perhaps a space we could share with a local Thai church for use on Sundays.  

We envision a college dorm with space for more students as our orphan children are reaching high school age, and thinking about college.  We see God blessing this college ministry already, and we are excited about the opportunity to disciple these young people.   

We envision a farm where our college students can earn some extra income and our children can learn the joys of partnering with God in the creating process.
Where fresh, healthy food can be grown for and by our families.
Sustainability, doing all we can to help ourselves, has always been a value of Faithful Heart.
 It may also be an opportunity to give work to those who need it in our community.

Currently the land is overgrown, but it has a lot of potential and a beautiful view.

And we envision a home for Audrey, Ezra, and I.
Where we can be connected to the ministry, working with agriculture (part of my heart passion),
and disciplining young Thai men and women.  

Will you pray about this vision with us?  

If you would like to give to this project, you can give using the link below.  Your gift is tax deductible. (Isaac Foundation is a US partner who collects donations on our behalf.) 

The total cost of the land is $65,000 USD.  

We currently have about $20,000 pledged for the land.

We would need at least another $40,000 before the end of the August 2017 to begin this vision.

Donate here:

http://isaacfoundation.org/donatefaithfulheartministry.html

Thank you partnering and praying with us!  

May His will be done, and May His Kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven!

Love, 

Matt, Audrey, Ezra

Greetings from Thailand!