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Stopping for the One

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* Jesus cared about the one. He often went out of His way to stop for the one--the possessed man in the Gadarene region, the Samaritan woman, the woman with the issue of blood, and many others. He also told a parable about a shepherd who lost one sheep and left the ninety-nine in order to find the one. It’s obvious Jesus cares about the one. In June 2005 I started a pre-school (Sonshine Learning ...

They Call Her Ms. CRICS.

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* CRICS--Chiang Rai International Christian School.  Our kids attend this school and Chris has been teaching there for three years.  Because of it's homeschool roots, the teachers at CRICS are called Mr. or Ms. "first name." So for one of Chris' students, instead of Ms. Chris she is Ms. CRICS! CRICS exists to reach Thai people through Christian education. The...

Eric's Day

Where were you on March 28, 1995? I know exactly where I was on that day. I was in the Philippines, in a remote area of Mindanao called Tagoloan, near the bigger city of Cagayan de Oro. I was in the Philippines on a missions internship, working as an associate pastor with a network of local churches. A man approached me telling me that he has been instructed to inform me that I needed to be at the airport in Cagayan de Oro at a certain time that afternoon, I was to meet an arriving passenger (I had no idea who, but I was told that the arriving passenger would know me), and there I would receive further instructions. It all sounded kind of mysterious, but I told the stranger that I would be at the airport at the assigned time. The pastors I was working with agreed to accompany me. I went about my business of the day. We were starting to work on doing Camp Sonshine with the churches there. I had counselor training in the morning, and then we were going to visit with some familie...

December 25 is Just Another Day

Since Thailand is just less than 2% Christian, December 25 is just another day. As missionaries our purpose is to introduce Thai people to the Reason for the season. When we moved to Thailand in April of 2014, a lot of things were different.   One of the biggest changes in our family was that I stopped homeschooling the children and they began to attend Chiang Rai International Christian School .   I also began to work at the school part time as the afternoon kindergarten teacher.   I have so enjoyed teaching reading and writing to some amazing international students. I have Korean, Thai, Australian, and American students – and my class only has 10 students this year.   What a diverse group! One of the events our school sponsors at Christmas time each year is an outreach to one of the local Thai schools.   This year we were able to play games, do crafts and share the gospel with nearly 500 Thai students at a local elementary school. It was a li...

From Christine, Celebrating the Sonshine Learning Center

Over a decade ago we began our missionary career in Iloilo, Philippines. When we arrived, we had no idea that we would be there for ten years; we had no idea that our family would grow, literally and spiritually; we honestly had no idea what we would even be doing! During our first few months there, I began to see a need to start a preschool for the street children we were working with on a weekly basis. Many of these children would start first grade already way behind all of their peers, because at the time, when entering first grade children were supposed to know how to read, do basic math skills, etc..   Graduation time, recognizing and rewarding all their hard work. So in our first year on the field, I started the Sonshine Learning Center (SLC). It began in a small classroom with thirteen kids, two teachers and one assistant.  By the second year, we had transitioned to a classroom in the Sonshine Center building.   The Sonshine Learning Center has ...

Oh What a Year!

2014 was going to be a bittersweet year for us, after 10 years in the Philippines, we knew we would be leaving our beloved Iloilo, moving to Thailand later in the year. The year began in the usual way with the Timothy Internship Program. This internship we trained and equipped six interns. Things in Iloilo took on a "one last" aspect, for example one last trip to Guimaras, we still miss the mangos. One last time riding on top of a jeepney. In April we reduced our worldly possessions to a few bags, a box, a dog carrier (yes our dog Sam made the move with us) and we moved to Chiang Rai, Thailand. Our beautiful and brand new home in Thailand. Got a car and started driving on the left side of the road, it's not as difficult as you may think. Got a scooter! Our favorite way to get around. Off to 7-11 in this picture. Started new schools, Gabi is going to an all Thai preschool. Eric, Faith, and Daniel attend Chiang Rai International School...