Itsara

We’re taking off tonight to be with Cindy’s family in New York for Thanksgiving (so no posts for a week probably, sorry to disappoint ;-). I do like hanging out with her family; I get more comfortable everytime I do (and we get to see our niece - coincidentally an orphan adopted from Thailand!).

The reason I’m telling you this though is because time spent with Cindy’s family suddenly got a lot more interesting now that we’re moving to Thailand. They all know we’re going, but I think we’ll still get a lot of questions. Her parents are very loving and generally understanding but, well… they worry. Sometimes a lot. And I know it worries them to know their daughter is moving away from “safe” America to be a Christian missionary (something I’m not sure they’re entirely comfortable with anyway) in Chiang Mai.

They’re kind of happy and worried at the same time, and I have a hunch that some part of them thinks we’re crazy. We’ve been asked multiple times how we’re going to earn money (that’s not a concern unique to them, but they do ask it a lot), and we’ve been asked a couple of times about writing a “proposal” or something (that one confused me at first - I think there’s an assumption that we have to get a grant or go through some sort of official channel). I believe they think of it as a great and noble idea, but also really scary. And now that I say it that way, I actually agree with them - I guess I’ve just already gone through all the possible scenarios I think are worth worrying about.

If you want to pray, pray for the conversations we’ll have in New York. Cuz the thing I love about this is that it seems like our faith is becoming really real to them for the first time. Maybe Cindy can give you more background, but they don’t like us trying to “convert” them so we generally don’t try anymore. But now they’re asking us the questions, and it’s impossible to answer without talking about God. They’re also asking Cindy’s sisters, Marissa and Diane (both Christian), the same questions about us, and I love that because I know their responses will only solidify what we are trying to tell them.

That’s part of what convinced me we were doing the right thing. I generally think that when “normal” people think we’re crazy, then we’re probably doing something right (assuming God is the reason for our insanity). I just pray that they begin to see the sanity in it and begin to Trust.