While parents are to be a formative force in their children’s lives, it can work in reverse, too! Our three boys devoured mission stories. They were the ones that motivated us to attend the first Faith Camp in Idaho in 2007. There, we learned that missions were for everyone, not just doctors, teachers, and nurses.

In 2012, we went on a month-long mission trip, and our hearts were “planted” in Thailand. When we were finally free to go, we decided to step out in faith. We sold our house and launched in February 2019. We flew to Bangkok to study the language, trusting God to open a door for us to work in Thailand. God is faithful! In 2020, the Thailand Adventist Mission asked us to garden at a grade school on the western border. We have been here since 2021.

Mae Lah Klo Christian School has 150+ students, mostly from the Karen people group. Students range from 6 to 18 years old. Fifty students live in dorms on campus. There are ten staff on campus and six people who speak some English. School is taught in Thai instead of Karen. This allows graduates to attend local government schools or the SDA boarding academy in Chiang Mai.

Jim has cleared the land, is building the soil, and is learning about growing in the tropics by gathering information from many sources and experimenting with many crops and techniques. We look forward to providing more and more food for the kitchen along with spiritual food for the hearts of these precious people.