Well, even though we traveled from 11 PM arriving at 1:30 AM and didn’t sleep until on the second flight, one hour, at 6:30 AM, then hit Chiang Rai to see the kid’s new school and look for houses, the kids did w o n d e r f u l l y!    They really connected with the kids at Family Learning Center, which is still in its infancy.  They loved Thai children and when we looked at houses (a huge step down in lifestyle and size) they were totally ok with it.  I was proud of them.  They really do have a missionary spirit in their hearts.  By the end of the sleep deprived day they were trying to learn Thai phrases.  We didn’t get to bed till midnight. Today we really need to find our house.  Pray about that please. Julia said yesterday, “I wish we didn’t have to go home and could just get started here now.”  That’s the kind of thing that warms a father’s heart.  

OK, this week we travel as a family to Chiang Rai to look for a house and school for the kids.  When we return we will apply for our visa and if it is granted will move just after new years.  We are all excited about the possibility of starting life over there.  Work wise, not too much will change. I will still be in charge of the UCB radio network in the Philippines and will travel to Manila one week a month for goal setting and face-to-face meetings.  Already the network stretches over 1,000 miles so we do our staff meetings online anyway. Besides that, we produce  materials for Asia which we can do from anywhere and we travel doing training events in Asian nations.  What we are looking for is a good home base with less crime, less cost (we have two at a time in college for the next decade) less pollution and in a non-Christianized nation.  There are quite a few choices in the region, but the Bangkok airport offers some of the lowest fares and easiest connections in Asia so we feel it is the best place for us to make as our new home base. Having the University outreach there for the past three years is another reason to move there.  We are already connected  there and have a burden for Thai youth that will energize us and give our kids new places to plug in. Pray for us in this week that we find all the details we need and are kept safe.  Thanks!