Going Solo

As many of you know, Matt will be leaving tomorrow for a 10-day trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand. He and a friend have been invited to visit an orphanage there (pictured above) that houses about 50 girls who would otherwise be forced into a life of prostitution. Matt will be visiting with the girls at the orphanage, will be involved in a conference to encourage national pastors, will spend time with both the founder and the current director of the orphanage (Pastor Lu), and will meet with some individuals who are currently fighting the atrocity of human traficking (which has become close to Matt’s heart over the last year).

We know we can’t save the world, but we do believe that each of us has a piece of the puzzle to fight injustice and poverty in our world. This week, Matt’s puzzle piece is to hug on orphan girls on the other side of the planet while my piece is to hug on our own kids right here in Colorado.

Thankfully, my parents are coming out for a few days to help, and the kids have a pile of wrapped gifts to open every day that Matt’s away (picked out, paid for, and wrapped in Transformers or Hannah Montana wrapping paper by Dad himself).

I will probably be posting often this week, though mostly without pictures, as Matt will be taking the camera with him. I would so appreciate your thoughts and prayers for him as he travels–for health and clarity and a renewed heart for God’s world. And you can pray for me–that I would embrace my puzzle piece with intention–and for the kids–for their hearts as they miss Dad and for an extra measure of sweet obedience!

If you would like, here is a link to the orphanage:
Brianna’s House of Joy Orphanage

And here is a short clip of some of the girls we found on YouTube: