Hi Everyone! It has been about 6 months since we have been back in Thailand, and as we spend more time here, we start to notice a few things. The most obvious thing we notice is the people we had connections with while we were in the states, over time, have started to fade. This seems natural as we don’t get to interact with people the same way we were able to while we were in close proximity. As that happens, the donations every month seem to drop as well, which is also natural. Out of sight, out of mind.

Another thing is we meet new people on the internet or in real life over here, we get questions about what we do. These questions seem to be the same questions, over and over again. This is no problem for me because I am very passionate about what we do and love to talk about the work that God has given us. But I thought it would be a good idea to take some time to make a Q&A post about everything we are doing. Hopefully, this will answer some questions you may or may not have had and give you some answers you didn’t even know you wanted. I'll try to answer a lot of questions.

Kartun (standing) is the first of our kids to have a baby(Yayee)! Chitty is holding Yayee while Evangeleen looks on in amazement and jealousy. We had Kartun from 12 to 17 and then she got married! Now she is almost 20 with a baby! I also learned that for one month after giving birth Hmong mothers can eat ONLY eggs and chicken!

1. How has your work impacted the lives of the children you serve?

Our work has greatly impacted the children we serve in many ways.

First, we give them a safe, loving, and caring environment to live. Many of our kids have not had all three of those; some have had one or two, but none have had all three. We provide structure and security as well.

Second, Thai people overwhelmingly have an avoidant attachment style, which means they aren’t told that they are loved and they are not given love and affection by their parents. Hugs, kisses, and words of affirmation are as rare as unicorns in Thailand. We let all of our kids know that they are not only loved by us, but they are loved by God as well.

Third, we focus on their education and personal spiritual development through homeschooling. We ensure that each child receives a quality education tailored to their individual needs and learning styles. By fostering a love for learning and providing personalized attention, we aim to equip them with knowledge and skills, breaking the cycle of poverty and opening up opportunities for a brighter future.

Wind and his buddy Ethan riding a bike. As you can tell it’s about to get crazy!

2. Can you share any success stories or transformations you've witnessed among the children?

Success is unique to each individual's definition. For us, success means transforming the lives of children from challenging backgrounds and hard places—children who struggle to feel loved—into those who thrive in a nurturing family environment, secure in the knowledge that they are cherished and loved by God as well as us, in a parental role.

Our favorite success story is our daughter Preaw; you can watch here. This is not our only success story but is a story that changed the whole trajectory of not only her but her family as well. Her younger brother and sister, Wind and Sky, are now under our care, and because of our success with Preaw, her mother was baptized in prison as well.

Everyone out for an afternoon ride or walk, including our dog, Bobo! Evangeleen has started riding without training wheels since this pic!

3. How many children are currently under your care, and what is the capacity of your home?

Currently, we have 7 Thai kids and Evangeleen. We have helped over 30 kids in the 6 years that we have been doing this, in some form or fashion, in our home. We have had 13 kids at one time in our home, but we have realized that our limit is 10. We are trying to get everything in order—government regulations, homeschooling, proper care techniques, and transparency—so we have decided to decrease our child load for a season to get everything under control, so that we can be more effective in the future!

The maximum capacity of our home is around 20 people, but our mental capacity caps at 10 kids. We have decided to stay at 7 until we can get all the necessary things in order for homeschooling, our 501c3, and government orders.

Took the boys to our first soccer game Lamphun warriors vs Uthai Thani Elephants.

4. What kind of support do you provide for the children's physical, emotional, and educational needs?

We take care of everything! We strive to treat every kid in our care like they were our biological child. From healthcare, counseling, discipline, proper nutrition, homeschooling, vacations, camps, fun, development, love, family worship, and everything else a mother and father do for a child they love!

Furthermore, we work hard to create a sense of community and belonging among the children. We celebrate birthdays, holidays, and special milestones, ensuring that each child feels valued and cherished. Our goal is to build a supportive and loving environment where every child can flourish and feel a true sense of family, knowing they are an integral part of our lives and hearts.

Our friends in Hua Hin took the kids to see the elephants!

5. What are the biggest challenges you face in caring for abused children?

Our biggest challenge is Time! How do you love, teach, discipline, and feed 8 kids? 10? 13? Time is our nemesis! Finding the time to give to all the wants and needs of the kids. When one child has a problem, we have to neglect the needs of one or some of the others to address and solve the problem. By the grace of God, we believe we have been able to figure out how to balance all of the time constraints and needs of our children, sometimes neglecting our needs, but God has been good through it all.

To help manage this, we've implemented a structured daily schedule that includes dedicated one-on-one time with each child, group activities, and communal tasks that foster teamwork and responsibility.

Homeschool is in full swing! The kids are back at it, like math addicts!

6. How do you handle situations involving severe trauma or ongoing safety concerns for the children?

First, we take the children out of the situation so they won’t be facing any ongoing trauma and then we try to assess what will be needed to help the child. We have found that loving a child and helping the achieve felt safety in our home is what they need first and foremost. When they get older we can help with whatever is needed from counseling to medicines, whatever is needed for them to be a human that has a desire to live and to love. In Thai culture it is almost impossible to understand what the situation is without felt safety, Thai people in general don’t share their history or emotions, after they feel safe we are able to ask the right questions to understand what is going on in their lives.

Second, we have been trained in TBRI. We meet with our social worker who is on our board, regularly and discuss issues and victories. We have also been trained in TBRI. TBRI has been a life-saver and really given us a full tool belt of strategies and ideas on how to deal with just about every problem we cold think of, it has also helped us to understand ourselves and see where these points of anger and contention in our selves come from. We also have been attending marriage counseling and individual counseling to help us understand ourselves and our very own problems and gain tools to overcome them.

TBRI is something that I would like you guys to understand how it helps us and the benefits it gives us. Since I feel like I would do a very poor job at that I will let TBRI describe the purpose of TBRI:

Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is a therapeutic model that aims to address the complex needs of children who have experienced severe trauma or ongoing safety concerns. The purpose of TBRI in these situations is multifaceted:

Building Trusting Relationships: TBRI focuses on creating secure attachments between caregivers and children. By building trust, children learn to feel safe and valued, which is critical for their healing and development.

Providing Consistent Nurture: Through nurturing care, TBRI helps children feel loved and supported. This consistent nurture is essential for children who may have lacked stable, caring relationships in the past.

Addressing Behavioral and Emotional Needs: TBRI incorporates strategies to address behavioral and emotional challenges that often result from trauma. It provides caregivers with tools to understand and respond to these behaviors in a way that promotes healing rather than punishment.

Promoting Physical and Emotional Safety: Ensuring safety is a core component of TBRI. This includes creating a physically safe environment and helping children feel emotionally secure. Techniques are used to de-escalate crises and manage stress.

Empowering Children with Self-Regulation Skills: TBRI teaches self-regulation skills, helping children manage their emotions and behaviors. This empowerment is crucial for children to function effectively and build resilience.

Enhancing Caregiver Sensitivity and Responsiveness: TBRI trains caregivers to be more sensitive and responsive to the needs of traumatized children, improving their ability to meet these needs appropriately and effectively.

Overall, TBRI provides a holistic and compassionate approach to supporting children who have faced significant adversity, promoting healing and long-term positive outcomes.

7. What steps are you taking to ensure the children have a bright future beyond your immediate care?

We are guiding them to grow in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord, helping them become lifelong learners and self-motivators who seek God’s will (that’s the GOAL, right?). We are also learning techniques and strategies to help them cope with past trauma in a healthy way, while fostering secure attachment styles so they can experience the benefits of healthy relationships and attachment. Though we are not perfect and have many weaknesses, we serve a God who makes our weaknesses our strengths.

Additionally, we home-school according to the government standards of Thailand, ensuring that when they are finished, they will have a high school diploma and the option to attend university. This educational approach not only provides academic qualifications but also equips them with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in their future endeavors, empowering them to pursue their dreams and make meaningful contributions to society, as well, as making spiritual contributions to the Kingdom!

Zoomers! You’re probably still playing UNO, huh? We only mess with DOS! The worlds #2 card game! I thought this was a funny knock off until 5 seconds ago.

8. How has working with these children impacted your own spiritual and personal growth?

I would love to tell you that it has been all peaches and apple pies, but it hasn’t. I have seen the depravity of man, heard the worst stories imaginable, and dealt with the trauma those stories bring. Everyone has the answer to “Why do bad things happen to good people?” until those bad things are brought into your house and you have to deal with the results of those bad things. It has tested my faith in many ways. My wife and I have cried together to God, asking for answers, not expecting to receive them. We have maintained a happy face in front of our kids and encouraged them to keep going until they close the door, and then we cry together because of the unimaginable pain we know that they are feeling. Every time we think we have heard the worst story or met the worst person, our floor is shattered, and we are brought to an all-new low. It's hard to say that doesn’t impact you or make you desensitized to pain and everyday trauma, but it does. This cracks your whole view of God, life, love, and parenting, and theology that doesn’t address the love of God, it always leaves you wanting better answers. We have grown in ways we never conceived we could, we have left things we never thought we would, and we have learned things we never imagined we would ever need to learn. The main thing we have learned through all of our ups and downs is that God is always good! His grace and mercy are enough! Even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Brothers in a cave! They look like we were in there too long, but cave ants are pretty cool.

9. How can we support your mission?

Here are 3 things you can do:

1. Pray. We need prayer! Pray for us, pray for our kids, pray for our church and pray for our workers! We have noticed things change when people pray, prayer can do what we can’t, prayer can change hearts! We have been trying to teach and show our kids the same thing. We have a prayer list HERE and try to keep it up to date with the things we are going through and need prayer for.

2. Reach out! Reach out and say “Hi” a lot of times it feels like no one cares about our calling and that we are all alone out here. Even a small text conversation or an email can change our whole day! Just knowing that people care about what we are doing and the kids that we care for can change our whole outlook on the work that we are doing. You can text us at 509-957-6337 or find us on Facebook or instagram.

3. Give. That one is the most self explanatory because we need money to be able to continue to do what we are doing. The Lord gave us a job and we are working it with only one expectation, that God will provide everything out of the riches of His glory and you can be a tool for His glory. Donate Here!

This is an answered prayer from our prayer list. We are holding off on getting more kids for now and perfecting what we are doing with just 8 kids instead of adding more. Perfecting homeschool and home, making sure we don’t go insane!

I said I would try to answer a lot of questions and I did try. I hope this in someway helps you guys understand what our goals are and I think it gave a good glimpse of everything we do day to day. I hope that maybe some of our struggles help yo see how good God is, if He can save us and our kids, He can save you! Never in a million years would I have ever imagined this wold be my life!

The kids will be learning photography and hopefully this will bring some more pictures and videos made by the kids into the mix and every one can have a better glimpse at their growth and craziness!

I also wanted to includer this song that I have really been vibin with lately. John Mark Patana and Jonathan Odgen have some really great music and this song has really helped me stay focused on Jesus and His character. I’m still learning how to do this so I will include the link if the player doesn’t work, check it out anyway and give them some views for the awesome song they made anyway!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvt7sef8Cic

Questions and answers

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