Look at us– we are officially these young ladies’ parents! After twelve years of being their “custodial grandparents,” we are happily their parents. On July 12, 2012, we received our court documents, giving us full parental rights, and yesterday, July 10, 2024, we received our adoption documents. From now on, I think we will have a three-day Family celebration each year (July 10-12) rather than just a one-day Gotcha Day.
We are finishing a fantastic summer of visits, car trips, college tours, laughter, and too much food. Thank you for hugging us back when we approached you in church lobbies and restaurant entries. Thank you for cooking for us or taking us out for dinner. Thank you for asking great questions and telling us about your year(s). If we didn’t see each other this summer, please help us make sure to get together in June or July 2025.
We will fly back to Chiang Mai on July 22. The first school day at Grace is August 7, but teachers must return by July 30.
We look forward to seeing our two pups again and starting a new school year. Zoey will be a senior, Jayden will be a sophomore, and Stephani will teach two of the same classes (yah, for a year of repetition!) she taught last year. Ken’s life and rhythm aren’t dictated by the school year, so he will be continuing to build relationships with our neighbors, be the family chauffeur, and begin to find out how God is going to use him to serve Burmese refugees in northern Thailand as well as other missionaries who work with our organization.
From Stephani: Last school year, I had three classes of 6th grade English Language Arts and one class of seventh. I also had one class of 6th grade Advisory/Religious Studies. Bible class can be tricky at a school like GIS since many of the students are MKs (Missionary Kids), but sometimes you get other kids from non-Christian families and new students who know nothing about the Bible and our faith. One of the students in my Religious Studies class was a Chinese boy new to Grace International School. During orientation, he asked what he would do during Chapel since he wasn’t a Christian. When his parents came to Parent/Teacher Conferences three months later, I used Chinese to tell them how he was doing in my class. I asked them why they transferred him to GIS and what they thought of their son studying the Bible at a Christian school. They told me he was interested in Christianity (which I already knew) and could believe whatever he wanted. In March, my student indicated that he was close to following Jesus, and then he told me on the last day of school that his faith was in Christ. Yes, I taught 4 ELA classes daily, but this wonderful kid who was also in my Bible class was why I was at GIS Middle School this year. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for this young man.
Prayer points:
College choice—We’ve visited five universities and will visit Bethel University and Wheaton College next week. Please pray for wisdom and guidance about which school to send Zoey to in August 2025.
Financial support – We are still raising funds and are very encouraged about our progress, but we are still underfunded and need financial support for the coming year.
Many Blessings,
Stephani & Ken Clouser