A Meaningful Season and a Growing Need
Dear friends and family,
We wanted to send a little update and say thank you again for the love, prayer, and support you have shown our family. We are so grateful for each of you and for the way you continue to stand with us as we serve here in Thailand.
As a family, we are doing really well. Ministry has slowed down a little in this season, and honestly, that has been such a gift. It has given us some really sweet and needed time together, and it has been a blessing to enjoy more moments as a family. In the middle of all the responsibilities and rhythms of ministry life, we have been very thankful for this slower stretch and the chance to simply be together more.
In OTM, we recently had a family from Canada come join us, and it was such an incredible time. We loved getting to show them Thailand, help them see what missions looks like here, and invite them into a deeper view of what God is doing around the world. One of the sweetest parts was seeing how much it impacted their kids. It was really special to watch their children be inspired by missions and by the work of God among the nations. We are also getting ready to host another OTM team from YWAM Idaho in just one week, and we are really excited for their time here. This team is part of a YWAM secondary school that is focused on missions and evangelism, so their four weeks with us will include a lot of intentional evangelism in our city. We are excited to see what God will do through their time here and what He will stir in their hearts along the way. I am thankful that I get to be here for the beginning of their outreach, even though our family will be leaving about a week into their time with us. After we leave, other members of our team will continue hosting and leading them through the rest of their outreach.
In this slower season, a lot of my time outside of hosting teams has gone into building up OTM behind the scenes. I have been writing an OTM ministry manual to help make the process of hosting teams smoother, clearer, and easier to follow. I have also been creating documents that explain the different ministry opportunities we offer and trying to make our systems feel more understandable and replicable for others, especially in seasons when Nicole and I may not be present. A big desire in this has been to help build something that is sustainable and can serve future leaders well. Along with that, I have also been getting ready for a bigger season of support raising by working on merch and other creative ideas that we hope will help us move closer to our goal.
On a personal level, the Lord has been growing me a lot this year, and I am really thankful for that. I have been loving spending time learning through audiobooks and being sharpened by some incredible discipleship-focused books. I have also been reading Pilgrim’s Progress and Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders, and both have served me deeply in this season. They have challenged me, encouraged me, and been a meaningful part of the growth I feel the Lord has been doing in my life. I also started Church History in Plain Language, Volume 5, and I am about halfway through it now. It has honestly been so much fun to read and to keep learning more about the history of Christianity. Along with that, the Lord has been stirring fresh wonder in me through reflecting on Philippians 2 and the humility of Christ. I have been thinking a lot about the worthiness of Jesus and just how incredible it is that the Son of God would humble Himself so fully, even to the point of the cross. It has left me in deeper awe and wonder of our Savior and has freshly reminded me that He is worthy of everything.
In just two weeks, we will be heading back to the USA, and we are honestly so excited. We cannot wait to be with family, enjoy that time together, and step into this next chapter surrounded by people we love dearly. We are also so excited to welcome our second little girl into the world during this season, and it feels especially meaningful to know we will share that time with family. At the same time, this trip is definitely bittersweet. As much as we are looking forward to going home, it is hard to leave Thailand for such a long period because the Lord has so deeply rooted our hearts here. He has made Thailand feel like home to us, and He has continued to confirm our calling to be here and to serve in OTM. We know we will deeply miss the people and place God has entrusted to us while we are away.
One thing we are especially excited about is that this trip gives us the chance to spend time in all three places we have called home. Each stop will hold something different for our family, and we are grateful for all that the Lord has in it.
Coeur d’Alene — We will be there for 4 days, spending time with friends and supporters and visiting our first home church, Compel. One especially meaningful part of that time will be getting to dedicate Elouise there.
Twin Falls — We will be there for 1 month, connecting with supporters, spending sweet time with the Holloway family, meeting new babies in the family, and continuing to build and strengthen our support network in Idaho.
Fredericksburg — We will spend the rest of our time there, getting to know believers in the area through new church connections, spending time with family, and preparing to welcome baby number two. During that season, I also plan to pick up work as the Lord opens doors, both to help provide and to continue building support in whatever ways He makes possible.
If you are nearby and would want to grab coffee or meet up while we are there, please reach out. We would love to see you.
As we look ahead, we would also love to invite you to pray with us and consider partnering with us financially if the Lord leads you. We need to raise more monthly support to help cover our ongoing expenses here in Thailand, as well as prepare for the added costs that will come with the baby. One huge blessing this year was that, for the first time, we were able to purchase our plane tickets without needing to do extra fundraising. We are so thankful for that provision. At the same time, over the last few months, our monthly support has gone down by about $300.
A large part of this need is tied to an important visa transition for our family. We have now used all of our available education visa time in Thailand, which means that if we want to continue staying here long term, we need to move to a different visa. Right now, the only real option for us is the DTV visa. This is a long-term visa that allows people to live in Thailand while showing income from outside the country. Even though we do not need to prove traditional employment, there are still significant financial requirements that come with it. We need to show a certain amount of money held in our bank account, along with a minimum monthly income level. At the moment, we are still about $400 short of that monthly support requirement, and we also need to raise additional funds that must remain in our account for the application. By the time we factor in the banked funds requirement, application costs, and the other related expenses, we expect the total need to be close to $20,000. If you have ever considered giving, now would be a deeply meaningful time. Whether through a one-time gift or by becoming a monthly partner, your support would make a real difference for our family and our ability to return to Thailand and continue serving here.
It is a big need, but we know the Lord is faithful, and we are trusting Him as we move forward.
This Link will take you to the support page where you can give!
Prayer requests:
Pray for strength, unity, and obedience for our family
Pray for our coming baby and for a healthy pregnancy and delivery
Pray for Elouise as she transitions into life as a big sister
Pray for continued blessing and favor over OTM and all that God wants to do through it
Pray for provision for our visa process and the financial need that comes with it
Pray for our YWAM community as many people travel in this season
Pray that the base would remain strong, faithful, and rooted in the Lord through it all
Thank you again for the ways you love, encourage, and support our family. We are so grateful for each of you. If you feel led, we would love for you to share this update with friends, family, or people in your community who may want to pray for us or learn more about partnering with what God is doing here in Thailand. That kind of connection really helps us grow our support base and widen the circle of people standing with us. We also would truly love to hear from you, so please feel free to reach out anytime to catch up, share what is going on in your life, or let us know how we can be praying for you or your loved ones. We care deeply about that and would love to stay connected.
With love, Connor, Nicole, Elouise, and Baby
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