Nick Vujicic visited Lakeside Christian Church recently. (That’s the church we attend while in Ohio.) It was a blessing to see him and his family again and get caught up with where his ministry is now. You can find more information about his ministry at: www.lifewithoutlimbs.org
We have a HUGE praise (another one) involving the shipment of our belongings from our last host country to Thailand. We (naturally, I guess) had a host of problems trying to communicate with, get accurate information from, and meet the terms of the shipping company, the country we were leaving and the country we’re headed to. Unfortunately, after all the situations to solve and issues to traverse, we were still told that we would probably have problems with our paperwork when our belongings hit the Thai border. Awesome. By this time we were already back in the States and had been trying to solve (and re-solve) problems with the shipment (which we thought we had already taken care of while still in Asia) for about 2 weeks. Since there was nothing else to do but pray and wait for the Thai government, that’s what we did. By God’s grace, out of the blue we received an email from our storage company in Thailand with pictures of our full shipment safely in our storage unit, all accounted for and with no problems at the border. Praise God! The employee from the storage unit said some of the boxes looked damaged to her and we did notice from the pictures that some of the boxes are stored upside down and/or have puncture marks on the sides. I am trying to prepare my emotions for the fact that, undoubtedly, some of our belongings will probably be destroyed either from the shipping process or being stored upside down. I’m just praying for courage for when we find out what and God’s grace to rest in His sovereignty over keeping our belongings safe or not safe. I hope nothing precious is lost, but know that is a distinct possibility. I’ll keep you updated when we unpack everything, some of which won’t be for a year and a half from now when we’re through with language school.We have a HUGE (apparently that’s my word lately) prayer request for you guys to lift up. We have been advised to find someone to come with us to homeschool the boys for a year, so we can focus fully on language and cultural acquisition while we’re in school. Having already struggled with doing both simultaneously in our last country, I can fully appreciate the advice! We’re praying for someone who can come with us to Thailand as a missions trip of their own, to help us with homeschooling for the year while we’re in school.
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Homeschool Helper Need
We have 3 boys: Josiah (7th grade), Micah (4th grade), and Alex (2nd grade). Our homeschool style is relaxed as is conducive to my boys, mostly done on the couch or floor (or in a tent) as opposed to sitting at a table or desk. I’m not as concerned with how fast they learn as I am with their progressively learning in an amicable atmosphere that inspires an eagerness to learn more. I have all the curriculum picked out and most of it they’re used to already. You would be responsible to have the lessons figured out each day (5 days a week) using the supplies and curriculum I have available. Josiah is largely self-regulating, he usually just needs occasional questions answered. Some classes can be taught together (history, science, bible) and some of Josiah and Micah’s classes are taught from an on-line instructor. Once their school is done for the day, you would be in charge of the boys until we return home from school, however, they play very well together and that wouldn’t always require active involvement with them.
Our school year is from November 2019 to November 2020. The school will find furnished housing for you separate from our living space and they also recommend language classes for you once a week, so you can start to navigate Thailand apart from us for the year (market, restaurants, etc.). We are able to pay for your housing and language classes but you would need to raise support for your other expenses such as air fare, food, household supplies, medical needs, weekends away or any other expenses that come up. (We can give you approx. estimates.) There are other families and homeschool helpers at the school for the year which would round out your social circle apart from us.
We are looking for someone who is college age or older. If a couple is interested in coming, or even a family with children of their own to get a glimpse of what the mission field is like, we’re open to multiple options as long as you can also school and watch our kids. Our first priority is that you are a follower of Christ and enjoy children. After that, flexibility is immensely helpful for living overseas. (For example; it once took us, much to our involved boys’ dismay, 4 hours to find and purchase saline solution.) Being willing to try new things, from food to adventures (planned and otherwise), will be an integral part to an easier and interesting year. Being relaxed about catastrophes, from monkeys to ants, will be helpful for your sanity.
Medical care in Thailand is very good and on par with practices in the States and other Western countries. We will be two hours from Bangkok in Lopburi. That’s all the basics I can think of. Obviously there are a lot of details. If you’re interested in knowing more, please email us at lanceandruth@psmail.net, or call/text/WhatsApp Lance at (814) 873-7382.
Please keep this need in your prayers and feel free to pass on this information to anyone who can help spread the word or would be interested in this opportunity.
– Ruth, for the Baker family.