Anniversary Celebration

We we're so busy, it almost slipped right past us. Ten years ago this month, we moved to Thailand.

Entry Stamp on Our Move to Thailand

It's been a crazy ten years, not at all how I imagined our life in Thailand would be.

And what better way to celebrate the anniversary of our move to Thailand than with...moving. So, on our anniversary week we were loading a truck to bring our belongings to our new home. This time we moved to the province of Kalasin, Thailand. From Phon Phisai on the Banks of the Mekong River to Kamalasai on the banks of the Phao River. Our new home is in a row house with two floors. It is the biggest place we have lived in since moving to Thailand, and a bit more "urban" than our last place. This is a small town, though, and rice paddies are close by, just not right next door like where we used to live.

We Live in the Left-most Unit

Housewarming Party

Phao River on the North Side of Kamalasai
The walkway is not contiguous and little used.

Lots of Rice Paddies, Even More So Than Phon Phisai
The landscape is very flat like the middle of California's Central Valley

We jumped right in to ministry, too. We are working with Goong, an intern from Central Thailand. She has been living in Ajan Nat's house since January.

Goong Helping Lead Action Songs

It's been a lot of fun getting to know some new people. We have been helping with children's Sunday School, teaching music and even teaching how to make tortillas!

English Games With Sunday School Kids

Guitar Instruction

Goong and Ngok Rolling Out Tortillas
Both ladies liked our Mexican(ish) Meal

It seems a bit crazy, picking the hottest time of the year to move. But the good news is that hot season is also the beginning of mango season and March is Mango Month at Swensen's. So what better way to celebrate 10 years in Thailand than with a mango sundae.

Mango and Sticky Rice at Swensen's

To top it all off, we ended our anniversary month by getting a 1-year visa extension for both of us! We weren't sure what to expect when we went to the immigration office as this was a different kind of visa than we have had before and it was an immigration office where no one knew us. And while we were requesting a one-year extension, we were not sure they would give us that long.

Visa Extension

We thank God for what was the smoothest and fastest visa renewal process since moving to Thailand! We started out by going to the bank to get some finance documents we needed to renew the visa. Then we went to the immigration office in Kalasin City. We handed in our documents fairly quickly after arriving and then sat around a bit until they called us to process the visa. After getting our passports stamped, they also let us do our 90-day reporting, even though we were a few days early—that will save us another trip. All of that, including our time at the bank, took only 2-1/2 hours!

This week is Passion Week, and we're looking forward to some more celebrations. It will be the first observances of Good Friday, the Lord's Supper and Easter for our new small community of believers. We're grateful for this new family that we have here to celebrate with.

What will the next ten years look like?

They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. (Psalm 145:7 - NIV)