We are finally starting to get the hang of things around Chiang Mai. We love going to market every night and morning to get our food. One of my favorites is sausage skin stuffed with rice noodles and garlic. I think I even like it better than sausage. Maya's favorite is sticky rice and fried fish. At the moment I don't really have any pictures of market but I will be sure to get some as it is an experience! Praise God as we have also found some fabulous bakeries in the area. Sometimes you just have to have some bread! Kasem's, where we have found the most wonderful tasting Hawaiian type rolls, was the first ever "farang" store in Chiang Mai. The owner has a 2 year old daughter. We are looking forward to building relationships with them. I'm sure we will be visiting their store often :).

Today Jared got to meet his TEFL instructor. Class starts in a week. It seems like the certification process will be challenging but fun. We got to talk to some of the students who just finished and they had great reviews. Praise God, He showed us a great place for Jared and Diane to get certified! Please continue to pray that God will provide outstanding job opportunities for them both.

Also, our first big outreach is coming up.... Maya's 2nd Birthday! We have decided to host her birthday party at an orphanage. However, Maya won't be the only one receiving gifts. At her party we will be giving gifts, clothes, and other items of need to the children at the orphanage. Chiang Rai Christian Fellowship... our friend Florence's home church runs an orphanage currently caring for about 37 kids. I'm not exactly sure of specific needs. The response I got was... "we need everything." So, on Sunday or Monday I will be meeting with the pastor and hopefully visiting the orphanage to find out more detail about needs. I'll keep you posted! We are so excited to be able to bless others. Her Birthday is on September 20, so we will be having the party probably sometime that weekend. I need to look at toy, clothing, food, and school supply prices so I can make a budget for her party. Once I visit the orphanage I should have a lot more detail and budget written out for those of you who want to help out. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

Hopefully in the in between time I will get to go out with Florence and do some street missions. I want to go out so bad but the language barrier requires me to go with a translator. I'm so excited for the many opportunities God has for us to effect change in peoples lives! Thank you for all of your prayer support and love. We couldn't be here without you. God Bless!

P.S.

We now have a phone. The best way to contact us in person is to skype. Our skype name is amber-jared. For those of you who prefer the phone and don't mind making international calls, our number is 011 + 66 + 0 + 821883136 * If this doesn't work try 011 +66 + 821883136 we are not sure if you need that second 0 or not.

Love Ya

Traveling across the world with a toddler....

Well I have to say our daughter is a natural born traveller. She loves airplanes and pretty much knows the drill when it comes to airports. She slept over half of our 12 hour flight to Taiwan. The rest of the time she just played, colored, ate "yummy" (if your hungry) airline food, as seen to the left! Once we were on the ground in Taiwan, Maya and I enjoyed a giant bowl of noodle soup, dad had a coke, and grammy had a cappuccino. After that, Maya did a couple of photo shoots with adoring onlookers. We washed up a bit and felt much better. The flight from Taiwan to Bangkok was relaxing. Maya slept the whole 3 hours. In Bangkok, mom and I stopped to got to the restroom. While Jared was watching our bags a large group of people surrounded him and Maya. They all wanted to pose and take photos with Maya! Below is a picture of part of the crowd as this was all going on. Once we got through the photo shoot we made it to immigration where we were unexpectedly ushered past all of
the long lines to the express/first class lane. We then walked up to the baggage claim where our bags were almost there immediately. The hard part came when trying to make a decision where to stay for the night. After about ten or more minutes of discussion we made a decision and headed towards customs. There were no lines at customs and we didn't even have to scan our bags. Thank you so much for your prayers. We were obviously blessed with God's favor and protection. I finally feel home. Tomorrow we make our journey (a one hour flight) to Chiang Mai, the city where Jared and Diane will be taking the 4-week TEFL Certification Course. We will write more later... right now we are excited to experience our first monsoon rain... It sounds like a we are right under a water fall. It looks like it too. Thank you again for your prayers!

Airplanes and Cars oh my!!!!!

I have spent the last couple of days with my family in Houston, TX. It's been a lot of fun just hanging out with my parents and watching them enjoy their time with Maya. She has been keeping everyone busy running around with her pig-tails (her new favorite look) bouncing around everywhere. Maya is starting to miss her daddy as he has been on men's retreat with White Rock. Tomorrow we will meet up with Jared in California. He will be picking us up from the airport around 9 so we can make the 6 hour journey north to visit his dad. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow. If you think of us please keep us in prayer during our travel.

My mind is still slipping back to thinking we are going home after this trip.... The big change ahead of us is starting to become more real everyday. I am so thankful for our church home and family in Noblesville and other parts of the world, but now I wonder, will Thailand feel like home? I wonder, where will I tell my daughter home is? She's already been asking...Going home? The truth is that God is our home, the place he has made for us in heaven is our home, His love and peace is our home. Our earthly homes are temporary and buildings are nothing without love, joy, and laughter to fill them. The love from friends and family is home. As you think of us please pray for our daughter as she is going through so much transition. Her world is constantly changing. Please pray that she holds fast to truth and that the seeds planted in her will grow deep roots in the foundation of truth. Ok.....

Thats' it for now... We leave Aug 12 around 1 a.m. I'll try to get our flight details up at some point before we go..... Oh yeah... WE GOT OUR VISAS TODAY! Praise God that everything went smoothly and timely. HE IS GOOD.

Again thank you, we love you all so much, and shh... don't tell anyone but I already miss you!

God Bless