Flying Solo

December was a month full of family reunions. After a year apart, it was nice to reunite with so much family and see some wonderful friends as well. For those of you that didn't know we were in town, its because we didn't stay as long as usual and we had sick kids (not COVID ;)) for at least half of the trip! We really enjoyed spending the holidays with loved ones and are so grateful that we finally received our long term visas (We applied for these while in the USA since we aren't allowed to while in Thailand) so we don't have to reapply every two months anymore! It was especially meaningful that I was able to attend my grandfather's memorial in Washington, and grieve in person with my family. We were also able to meet our new niece Lotti.

We had a slight scare before returning to Thailand where the government changed the regulations suddenly for quarantining and we thought we might have to book a one week quarantine at a hotel upon return. However, since we had already been accepted to the new "one night in a Bangkok hotel" quarantine program, they honored it and we were able to do it. With all the colds going around, we prayed for negative PCR tests and we were able to head back to Thailand as planned.

(Neighborhood kids reunited again in Chiang Mai)

Upon return, we hit the ground running. Things have been extremely busy ever since. One fun thing I was able to be a part of this month was a Good Life Club children's program that our organization facilitated in Chiang Rai. We had about 400 students and were able to put on a concert featuring an awesome couple called The Trampolines (check them out on Spotify!) They have awesome hip hop worship songs that are really life-giving to kids (and adults!).

A couple of weeks ago, Adam left for another long trip. We hope that in the future, we can stick together more as a family and not do as much time apart as we have in the last 1.5 years. Before Adam left, we were able to do a really nice hike with our co-workers (and friends) to see some Cherry blossoms blooming up in the mountains. It felt like the time snuck up on us and then Adam was out the door.

Prayers are appreciated for his trip as the location is a bit dangerous. He'll be helping displaced people, reporting on the situation, and helping with children's programs to encourage the communities who are experiencing great hardships. I've got another several weeks of solo parenting so I could use prayers for patients, energy, sleep, and balance in my schedule. I've been working a lot, but the girls and I have had some fun outings picking strawberries, exploring an insect museum, and adventuring to new play areas in town.