Dear Friends,

The Halleads have landed. . . . For those of you who have not yet heard, we arrived in country on February 12. After spending a couple of weeks in a guest house, registering the children in school, beginning language study, buying a car, finding a home, et. al., then settling in, buying a computer and some furniture, hiring someone to help with the household chores, et. al. we're finally ready to get moving on things.

The weather here is gorgeous, sunny and quite warm (90-100 degrees most days). We're just entering the hot season when the temperatures will soar to 100+ on a regular basis. Definitely not for the faint of heart. And no, the house is not air-conditioned (but the bedrooms are!).

We have found a wonderful worshiping community. Services start at 3:45 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. They run about one and a half hours each and are preceded by about 15 minutes of singing (praise and worship music). We attend the contemporary service, which gathers about 500 or so persons. The church itself houses two congregations, the international one of which we are a part (because we don't speak Thai well enough yet) and the Thai congregation. Between the two congregations, there are four services during the day, plus two Bible hours (Bible study/Sunday school). They have extensive prison and hospital ministries run by members of the church.

The children have adapted well. They have "picnicked" at the foot of a waterfall in the mountains of northern Thailand. They have ridden elephants, also in the mountains. They are attending an international school, which utilizes an American curriculum and calendar. They have just begun their two-and-a-half week "hot weather" break, which includes the four-day national holiday called "Songkhran." Songkhran is basically a water festival—or the world's largest water fight, depending on your perspective. People drive around in pickup trucks filled with water barrels squirting anyone and anything in sight (literally). Everyone seems to enjoy it. And it lasts for four days. No one dares go out on the street unless they are prepared to be soaked.

Zach and Natalie are also both involved in Bible studies. Zach has also become active in the Church's youth group (grades 7–12, with 60–70 participating at any given time). All the children are taking Thai language studies in school.

We have hired a house helper ("domestic assistant," as Carol likes to call her, while "maid" works for me). She is a delightful Christian woman who is still grieving the loss of a six-year-old daughter to a rare blood disease last year. Our employing her gave her the chance to quit working at a local department store where she was required to work seven days a week. She is now able to spend weekends with her family. Noy (her name) has been an abundant blessing and speaks a little more English than we do Thai and so the conversation is hilarious. Fortunately, the Thais are very congenial, peaceful, joyful, and patient. Thailand is referred to as the land of smiles, and the Thais are living up to their namesake. Noy has offered to cook for us as well as her other household duties, so five nights a week we eat Thai. Most of us love it. Jacob is still developing his preferences. . . . (Last night's suggestion that the fish heads could be eaten and in fact were delicious (which they were) fell on deaf ears. Zach did try one of the eyes but found it too hard and was hesitant to chomp down. Hot peppers are another issue. They aren't just hot, they leave your lips and tongue stinging for hours. Zach appreciates this. Natalie is careful with this. Jacob doesn't touch them. And Caleb is learning. . . the hard way.

The most pressing issue for us now is language study. Thai is a tonal language and therefore the way the voice inflects the word determines its meaning. (We joke that there are five "cows" in the Thai language and none of them gives milk.) We seek your prayers in this matter.

If you're up for it, we'd love to hear from you. Our phone is 011-66-53-252-807 (remember: from April to October we're twelve hours ahead of the Central Time Zone).

We're. . . Yours in Christ's Vineyard,

Glen , Carol, Zach, Natalie, Jacob, and Caleb Hallead