#BelchersinBangkok

My crazy 6th grade class

Hello All!

{Warm welcomes and hugs} we have been in Bangkok for nearly 4 weeks now and have some definite peaks and pits to share about our life here.

Peak, Carl and I are loving our new jobs. international schools are awesome! No state mandated testing, no discipline issues, no cell phone problems- are you jealous yet? But better than that is the awesome staff that Carl and I are getting to know. Also teaching all of the subjects in 6th grade has been a fun change.... More to come about my new school, Berkeley International School in the coming posts.

Peak, we found a nanny. For those of you who aren't familiar with the culture here, it is standard to have a nanny to take care of your home while we are at work- so don't judge 😉.  Though I wasn't keen on the idea at first, God yet again was faithful to bring a young Christian Filipino named Jen, who we all love! This will free up Carl, who has been staying home with Tripp the last couple of weeks, to start getting involved in the early stages of church planting.

Peak, You! Thank you so much for all of your support. Last post we shared with you our financial need and God used you all to care for us and meet our needs. We have had new people join our support team and it looks like our budget is in a really healthy place now. Thank you for all of your prayers!

Pit, a couple nights ago my cell phone dropped from my pocket and was left in a taxi. After utilizing "iPhone Finder" we have determined the phone is gone. A hard lesson to learn, but I can promise it won't happen again. We are on the lookout for a cheap used iPhone (not sure if those really exist, but we are going to try) so if you have any ideas we are open to suggestions.

Overall God has been using this transition to slow us down and reflect on our family's mission before we launch the church plant. Carl and I could not be more grateful for this season where we can simplify our lives and focus on the purpose that God created us for, to Glorify Him as we participate in His redemptive mission for every man, woman, and child.

Blessings,

Leeza, Carl and Tripp

Our “Thai”venture has Begun

When we committed to moving to Thailand and joining the SCPI team we knew the most difficult aspect of this move would be living so far away from our families. So we said our goodbyes and shed a few tears, knowing no matter how hard it seemed, we were doing what God desires for us. If it wasn’t for this confidence in our call I’m not sure we would have been able to board the plane last Monday morning.

Speaking of planes, our journey to Thailand was long and tiring, but God was very gracious. If you have children then I’m sure you can imagine how terrible 28 hours of plane travel could be with a 1 year old. That being said, it really wasn’t all that bad. Tripp made lots of friends on the plane, including all the flight attendants. They had a lot of fun carrying him up and down the aisles showing him off to everyone on the plane, while Leeza and I benefited from the special attention and very attentive service. (Yay for having a cute and outgoing kid!)

Our first week in Bangkok has been very busy, but we are really enjoying exploring the city and discovering all that the city has to offer. This week we have had 2 major priorities, getting Leeza integrated at her school and finding a place to live. We spent most days this week looking at apartments all around the city. Bangkok is pretty easy to navigate, but we did a lot of walking and it is very hot here. Needless to say, we are exhausted, but it all paid off. We moved into our apartment on Wednesday. It is going to be a great little home for us this next year and is located in a quiet and safe neighborhood that is very close to both Leeza’s school and the area where we will be launching the church plant. I know I say this time and time again, but God’s provision blows me away! He gives us more than we could imagine and we are so grateful for that.

One really cool thing about our apartment is our neighbors. A couple that work with Leeza live right down the hall from us. One of the things we are praising God for this week is all the connections and relationships we are developing with many of the other new teachers at Leeza’s school. We have met some great people from all walks of life and from many parts of the world and we look forward to the opportunities to bless and serve these wonderful people.

Over the next weeks we will continue to get settled in and adjust to life in Bangkok. School will officially start for Leeza and I will begin meeting with the rest of the SCPI team to begin preparing for the launch of the church plant. Thank you for your love, prayers and support. We have been so encouraged by the many texts, emails, and Facebook comments! We serve an awesome God and we are blessed that He has given us this wonderful opportunity.

Here’s how you can continue to pray for us…

1.     We have 2 leads on nannies for Tripp. Both of them would allow for us to share with another family, which would be ideal! Figuring out childcare is our priority for this next week.

2.     The sale of our home is scheduled to be finalized on September 1^st. This is our 3^rd contract though, so we know that nothing is final until those closing papers are signed. Pray that all goes well.

3.     Finally, moving to Thailand has ended up being a bit more expensive than we had originally expected. Therefore, we currently have a need to raise an additional $3500 (around $300 a month) for our first year’s budget. We are doing everything we can to cut our costs, but we would appreciate your prayers in this. Also, please share our blog posts with your friends and family. We want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to invest in what God is doing here in South Asia.

Blessings,

Carl, Leeza, and Tripp