Hi friends,

We’re writing to let you know that we made it safely! Today, we’ve actually been here for a week. It’s hard to believe. The first few days were kind of a blur because we were so tired and there was so much to do (paperwork to take care of, health screenings, visits to the government offices to get a work permit, and checking out Kahlan’s new school), etc. Since then, we’ve caught up on our sleep and have been getting to know our new family.

There are 8 girls, and 1 boy, at the home (including Kahlan now). The two littlest girls are 3 (boy are they a handful!), and the oldest girl is 13. The children here are so well behaved and helpful. Kahlan is trying really hard to learn all the new rules, it been a little bit of a challenge at times. Her and I have both come to the realization that generally, kids in the U.S. have it pretty darn easy.

She and the other kids all started school yesterday. They all looked so cute in their uniforms! Check out the new picture gallery to see them all. There is another girl here at the house Kahlan’s age (Melody) and the two are in the same class at school. Melody speaks some English and will be helping Kahlan at school until she becomes more fluent in Thai. Unfortunately, the two got into a fist fight at school yesterday (the very first day!). Aggh. Kahlan’s first, and hopefully last one. Neither would confess what it was about…(kids!!) but it gave us a good opportunity to discuss being kind and what the word of God says about how we should treat others and deal with conflict.

The Pillon’s are planning on heading back to the States in mid-July so we have about 2 months to get up to speed before I take over for them and we are on our own here for a while. In anticipation, I am working on learning the layout of the town and the driving rules (or lack of might be a better description!) so that I can take the kids to school and get around on my own.

I hope this note found all of you well…we are thinking about, missing, and praying for you.

With love,

Monika and Kahlan

P.S. We are at about 75% of our funding needed for the year. Please consider praying about supporting us on a monthly basis. There is more information under the “Support” tab on the website.