Heavy Hearts

Friends, these last several weeks have been a real challenge. As many of you have watched the devastation caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton in the USA, we have also been dealing with record-breaking, catastrophic flooding throughout Thailand, specifically here in Chiang Mai. We are praising God that our home and neighborhood, as well as the school property, never experienced any of the flooding, but just a few miles from our home, it has been significant. We live on the city's outskirts, and most of the people in this area live at or below the poverty line. They are already in tough financial places, and now many of them have lost homes and belongings, destroyed by the force of water and mud. We know many people personally who have been directly impacted by the flooding, and it’s been quite sobering. At one point, one of Nick’s Thai staff and her mom stayed with us for a few days because they had to evacuate their home, where floodwaters rose dramatically over the course of a few hours. School was canceled because roadways were unsafe or impassible; our bi-annual Thailand Cru International Staff conference was canceled—the roadways in front of and around the hotel had turned into rivers several feet deep, and hotel staff were unable to get to/from work or were dealing with flooded homes of their own. The devastation has been widespread across our city, and cleanup efforts are ongoing.

Our family had the privilege of helping the GIS kitchen staff prepare nearly 300 food boxes for families near our campus whose houses had been flooded. We have been praying for the situation here as well as what we have seen of the devastation in the USA. Even though we are at a distance, our hearts are with those who have also suffered great losses there.

The Greatest Loss

In the midst of all of this, the greatest loss that we have experienced during our years here in Thailand came with devastating news on October 7th. Our dear friends and teammates’ 17-year-old son, Jonathan Crain, tragically lost his life in a single-vehicle motorcycle accident. To say we were shocked and heartbroken would be an understatement. This news has absolutely devastated our community—JonJon was a Senior at GIS and a light among his peers and the whole school. He was tender and kind, loved Jesus, and demonstrated genuine care for others, specifically my own children. Since our families are on the same team, we shared Thanksgivings, Christmases, and many other events together throughout the years. He was much like a nephew to us, a cousin to our children. Our hearts have been shattered by this, and we, as a community, will continue to walk through grief for quite some time. The Lord has been near each of us in our sadness, and there is such hope knowing that we will see JonJon again one day—the Celebration of Life Ceremony was such a testament to Christ’s goodness and faithfulness and to JonJon’s love for Him. We covet your prayers as we move forward in this season of paradox, holding both hope and sorrow in our hearts.

Additional Highlights