Hello from Chiang RAI!
Dearest Family and Friends,
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. What a year it's been! We hope you can read this letter with a good cup of coffee or tea in hand!
Family Life/Next USA visit
update from Jenn:
We have now been in Chiang Rai for a few months and we are really enjoying our new town! Chiang Rai is a mountainous city and home to Northern Thai, many hill tribes (Akha, Lahu, to name a few) and to many expats. Our kids have been making friends and our girls are meeting with some other homeschool students for Thai classes and an Art class. We are now entering the HOT season (fondly known as “Mango season”) and we are also in what’s called “Smokey Season.” The air quality is at unhealthy levels so we are mainly indoors with air purifiers and special masks for when we go outside. This should stop sometime in May. Because of the Covid situation, we still have no idea when we’ll be able to return to the States for a visit. The process to get back into Thailand is very complicated, inconvenient, and expensive! We are trying to ride out this wave as the Lord gives us the grace to do so. We miss you and our families very much!
Ministry in CR
update from Jason
Training believers in addiction and recovery work
The first week in CR our family attended a Lahu church. Some of the men knew about my current counseling studies in addiction and recovery They are eager to talk about how to help drug users and their families among the Lahu people. Since the Lahu people have been overwhelmingly impacted by drug abuse, they have been praying for a recovery ministry to take place. Therefore, I (Jay) have been able to meet with three Lahu men and provide some basic training in addiction recovery. Our first session involved looking at some of the aspects of our inner man-cognitive, volitive, and affective-emphasizing that the goal is heart change, not just behavior modification. The second session we focused on counseling families who are impacted by addictions. For session three the guys have suggested that we create an action plan for ministry!
Good Soil Community Center (GSCC)
Good Soil Community Center (GSCC) is a new community center located in a Tai Yuan (Northern Thai) area. The Tai Yuan are the majority peoples in Northern Thailand and historically were the ones who set up the Lanna kingdom. Unlike many of the hilltribes, the Tai Yuan are unreached. Our family helps at the center two times a week. We help develop relationships and teach English during after school programs. I (Jay) have the role of getting to know the community, history, and needs.
Isaan Communities
To our surprise and joy, we have discovered a multitude of Isaan migrants living in CR; also, Isaan migrant communities that have settled in CR over sixty years ago and still function in Isaan language and culture. This discovery has opened opportunities to do some basic ethnographic records in these communities. This gives Jenn and I joy that we are still able to mobilize and work with Isaan peoples while living in CR.
The Lord be with you and keep you!
Jason & Jenn
Moriah, Isobel & Titus
