Life, Learning, and Faith in Chiang Mai New

Thank you for partnering with us in what God is doing in Chiang Mai. Your prayers, encouragement, and support are a tremendous blessing to our family and the students God has placed in our lives.

If you know someone who might enjoy hearing how God is working through this ministry, feel free to forward this update to them.

That was the question my eighth graders wrestled with recently while studying The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. During one of our fishbowl discussions, students examined the moment when Tom and Huck decided not to reveal that they saw Injun Joe kill Doctor Robinson.

Students came prepared with thoughtful arguments supported by evidence from the text—and even from the Bible. Some referenced the Ten Commandments and passages in Proverbs about honesty. Others brought up the story of Rahab hiding the spies in Jericho as an example of a difficult moral situation.

What made this discussion especially meaningful was that it didn’t end when class was over. Students continued debating the topic days later in other settings. Moments like this remind me how much middle school students are thinking deeply about truth, integrity, and how to live according to God’s Word.

“Students continued debating whether Tom and Huck did the right thing long after class ended.”

– Jessica

Conflict management can be challenging for anyone, but especially for middle school students who are navigating friendships, emotions, and identity. This quarter in Advisory class we focused on learning how to handle conflict in a healthy, biblical way.

Before we began discussing the topic, we first turned to Scripture to see what God’s Word teaches about resolving disagreements. Each week we returned to those truths and applied them to different scenarios, which allowed students to practice responding in ways that reflect biblical wisdom.

It was encouraging to watch students use these principles to think through both hypothetical situations and real-life challenges.

We are now focusing on self-concept.  Students will explore what self-concept is and how it can affect decisions we make.  Just as we did with conflict resolution, we will look to God’s word first at the beginning of every lesson.  So far, students have recognized that they are fearfully and wonderfully made and are God’s handiwork.

“Each time we consider self-concept, I want students to see themselves the way God sees them.”

– Jessica

Before beginning the novel, students completed research projects on life in the United States in the 1840s. Their projects covered a wide range of topics, including slavery, the Gold Rush, medical practices, and the Mexican-American War.

Students presented their research in creative ways—games, podcasts, infographics, documentaries, and more. They were highly engaged as they explored history, shared their discoveries with classmates, and practiced academic integrity in how they used sources and technology.

As we read the novel together, students analyzed topics such as justice, freedom, maturity, guilt, and hope. Through activities such as poetry recitation, writing their own adventure dialogue, and connecting ideas using hexagonal thinking, students were able to engage deeply with the text.

At the beginning of the quarter, seventh graders explored what their actions reveal about what they value. Through several readings and discussions, students considered how the choices people make reflect their beliefs and priorities.

One reading focused on women pioneers in aviation and the challenges they faced. This led to thoughtful conversations about equality, value, and biblical perspectives on men and women. Students concluded that while God created men and women with different roles, both have equal value as people made in His image.

Currently students are exploring the topic of competition—both its positive and negative effects. As part of this unit, students wrote short stories centered on sports and competition. Many of the themes they developed were insightful, including ideas like “your worth is greater than your talent” and “teamwork is better than individual success.”

Our kids have been busy with school and sports and are doing well overall.

Paige turned 17 in February and continues to stay busy with soccer. She ran in one track meet earlier this season but decided to focus primarily on soccer moving forward.  The international competition for her soccer team is coming up in April, and she is looking for ways she can fundraise for this big event.  If you have any ideas, please share them with us!

Asher recently traveled to Bangkok for a soccer tournament and loved competing alongside his teammates. Both Paige and Asher also had a lot of fun participating in spirit week at school, where they were able to dress up in fun outfits all week.  Yay, no school uniform!

Reese has had a more challenging quarter academically. We are currently exploring the possibility of ADHD testing to better understand how we can support her learning. She has worked very hard recently to complete and turn in her assignments, and we are proud of the perseverance she has shown.

“We are proud of Reese for the hard work she has put in despite the challenges.”

– Jessica & Elijah

Elijah has faced several challenges this past quarter, including significant technical issues with his real estate website as well as slow market conditions in Chiang Mai. These difficulties made generating enough buyer leads more challenging.

However, we are thankful that Elijah was able to connect with a local Christian senior developer who has helped resolve most of the technical problems. This has been a huge blessing and has allowed Elijah to focus on other important aspects of the business.

He also hired a new team member earlier this year to assist with photo editing and listing workflows, and he continues exploring ways that new technology tools can improve efficiency.

Through meetings with other realtors and property developers in the Chiang Mai Real Estate Brokers Association, Elijah has opportunities to build relationships and share his faith with people he meets through work.

In January, the board from North Burma Christian Mission visited Chiang Mai to see the ministry taking place here and hear updates from their missionaries.

Jessica had the opportunity to share about her teaching ministry and her heart for reaching students for Christ. The board members also visited the school and observed part of her class.

It was a wonderful encouragement to spend time together and share what God has been doing.

Thank you for taking the time to read our update and for partnering with us through prayer, encouragement, and support. We are grateful for the ways God uses your partnership in this ministry.

In Christ,
Elijah & Jessica

If you know someone who might be encouraged by hearing about this ministry, we would be grateful if you shared this update with them.