Alex here.
Boy, it's hot here in Chiang Mai. I'm sitting in front of my laptop in our office with the windows wide open, and the occasional breeze feels nice on my slightly sweaty skin.
So the weather is warm, which is welcome, but the air is thick: smog-thick, and not natural moisture-thick. This season in Chiang Mai is known as smog-season, smoke season, or burn-season. It's not quite at the Beijing pollution level, but I'm still not very fond of it.
Jess is an amazing wife and mom. She's a natural. The way she cares for and loves Elliot seem to exude effortlessly out of her being, and she does it excellently. I'm blessed watching her in her new role as a mother.
Concerning our work here, I'd like to share with you three things:
1. What happened to Stone in Shoe.
2. What we're up to now.
3. Future plans.
What happened to Stone in Shoe
Long story short, we are shelving the Stone in Shoe project.
First of all, thank you all for the support and wishing us well throughout the project. I am encouraged by how many people were engaged and desiring Stone in Shoe to succeed. While we were not able to meet the goals we set for Stone in Shoe, the lessons I learned from the project have changed me and matured me in ways I could not have imagined.
The idea of Stone in Shoe was to sell art to raise funding for anti-trafficking work and awareness for human trafficking around the world.
I still love the idea and what we were working towards. Who knows, maybe we'll pick it up again in the future.
There were many problems in the way I tried to get Stone in Shoe off the ground, but the two most egregious offenses were my lack of strategy and execution. It is a bummer that things did not pan out as I had hoped, but I am grateful for the experience.
What we're up to now
Now, Jess is at home, taking care of our dear son Elliot and taking care of our house.
I'm at the office, working with Buddy (founder of Stop Slavery) and Peter (online marketer and high school friend).
We are making websites with the goal of generating passive income for Stop Slavery. The goal is to put in a lot of effort in the front end so that even after Peter or I leave, the website continues to generate income with moderate upkeep. Peter actually has amazing success with this, so he's our resident online marketing guru.
Future plans
Honestly, we do not have any concrete future plans. Jess and I are enjoying our life in Chiang Mai. The city is a wonderful place to live in, and we have incredible community. We have grown to love God more in the last year and a half than we did for the first couple years of our marriage. We have grown as individuals and as a couple. Chiang Mai has been a great time for us thus far.
We are open to whatever the Lord may have for us, though. I can just as easily see us be in Chiang Mai this time next year as well as in the States.
I've been so caught up in "what's next" throughout my life that I often let the present pass by. To avoid this, I've been focusing on being faithful and intentional on what I have today and not worry about what tomorrow may bring. Our visas are good at least until January 2016, so we will probably be here until then.
After that, I don't know what will be next.
If you think about it, please pray for wisdom and discernment for Jess and I. Please also pray for favor on our online Stop Slavery projects.
Boy, it's hot here in Chiang Mai. I'm sitting in front of my laptop in our office with the windows wide open, and the occasional breeze feels nice on my slightly sweaty skin.
So the weather is warm, which is welcome, but the air is thick: smog-thick, and not natural moisture-thick. This season in Chiang Mai is known as smog-season, smoke season, or burn-season. It's not quite at the Beijing pollution level, but I'm still not very fond of it.
Jess is an amazing wife and mom. She's a natural. The way she cares for and loves Elliot seem to exude effortlessly out of her being, and she does it excellently. I'm blessed watching her in her new role as a mother.
Concerning our work here, I'd like to share with you three things:
1. What happened to Stone in Shoe.
2. What we're up to now.
3. Future plans.
What happened to Stone in Shoe
Long story short, we are shelving the Stone in Shoe project.
First of all, thank you all for the support and wishing us well throughout the project. I am encouraged by how many people were engaged and desiring Stone in Shoe to succeed. While we were not able to meet the goals we set for Stone in Shoe, the lessons I learned from the project have changed me and matured me in ways I could not have imagined.
The idea of Stone in Shoe was to sell art to raise funding for anti-trafficking work and awareness for human trafficking around the world.
I still love the idea and what we were working towards. Who knows, maybe we'll pick it up again in the future.
There were many problems in the way I tried to get Stone in Shoe off the ground, but the two most egregious offenses were my lack of strategy and execution. It is a bummer that things did not pan out as I had hoped, but I am grateful for the experience.
What we're up to now
Now, Jess is at home, taking care of our dear son Elliot and taking care of our house.
I'm at the office, working with Buddy (founder of Stop Slavery) and Peter (online marketer and high school friend).
We are making websites with the goal of generating passive income for Stop Slavery. The goal is to put in a lot of effort in the front end so that even after Peter or I leave, the website continues to generate income with moderate upkeep. Peter actually has amazing success with this, so he's our resident online marketing guru.
Future plans
Honestly, we do not have any concrete future plans. Jess and I are enjoying our life in Chiang Mai. The city is a wonderful place to live in, and we have incredible community. We have grown to love God more in the last year and a half than we did for the first couple years of our marriage. We have grown as individuals and as a couple. Chiang Mai has been a great time for us thus far.
We are open to whatever the Lord may have for us, though. I can just as easily see us be in Chiang Mai this time next year as well as in the States.
I've been so caught up in "what's next" throughout my life that I often let the present pass by. To avoid this, I've been focusing on being faithful and intentional on what I have today and not worry about what tomorrow may bring. Our visas are good at least until January 2016, so we will probably be here until then.
After that, I don't know what will be next.
If you think about it, please pray for wisdom and discernment for Jess and I. Please also pray for favor on our online Stop Slavery projects.