Yes, we are back in quarantine… AGAIN! We had to make a trip to Bangkok to get our visas extended. Because Thailand is experiencing a significant Covid wave right now, some provinces require quarantines when you travel to and from different provinces. Bangkok has the most cases so a trip to Bangkok means a 14 day quarantine for us when we get back. This is our fifth quarantine of the year, so I guess we are getting good at it. At least this time we are in our house and we can continue our language learning online via Skype. 

The kids did great while we sat in the US embassy and the immigration office for days. It was incredibly boring for us so I can only imagine how bored they felt. 

Before we left to extend our visas, Melissa and I had our first language checks. Our goal is to complete Level 1 in our first year here. Level one has 9 modules in it. Passing our first language check means we get to move on to module 2. We are both excited to see our Thai language progressing. Only 8 modules to go!

We found a used car for sale by another missionary that is returning home. We are excited to have our own car because transportation is difficult in Lopburi. Lopburi is too small of a city for taxis so we have to walk, ride bikes, or take the songthaew. We ride bikes to school but most roads are too busy for the kids to ride bikes on.  A songthaew is a pickup with benches and a canopy in the bed. It runs on routes like a bus but the times are not set and they only go to a few places, so much of the city is inaccessible to us with out getting rides from friends. We are excited to have the freedom to explore our area more when we have our own vehicle. 

Melissa celebrated her birthday last month. It was a bit different than previous birthdays because we were in quarantine. However, it was still special. She received some packages from the States and we picked up a few things here. The kids helped me to make breakfast in bed and our new friends dropped off some treats and flowers to make her feel special. 

We would like to have another email group where we send out prayer requests. This would be used strictly for prayer and would not have pictures or stories and would not come at regular times just whenever a prayer request comes up. I will continue to send monthly updates as I have been doing. If you would like to be added to our new prayer email group please let us know by responding to this email or by emailing me at dustinl@converge.org.

We value all of you that have partnered with us in prayer and financially. We would love to be in prayer for you and welcome your prayer requests.