Family Video Update (COVID-19) March 22, 2020
1-minute video update from us. Praying you are all well and healthy during this challenging time. God is in control so we do not need to worry. If you don't see the video embedded below, click here
December 2019 Prayer Letter
Dear Friends & Family,
Greetings from dark and rainy Edinburgh! We have limited sunlight these days (sunrise 8:30am and sunset 3:30) and none of the snow for which are children are desperately hoping, but during this Advent and Christmas season, we praise God for the Light of Life who has come into the world. And good stuff is happening here, so without further ado… our news!
Ph.D Thesis Progress Update
Now that I (Karl) am in my third year of Ph.D studies, people are asking, “When will you finish?” I can’t say for certain, but hopefully I can submit my thesis by spring or summer 2020 and we’ll be back in Thailand by the end of 2020. But, of course, this all depends on how quickly I am able to write my thesis. I have 6 chapters planned (not including introduction and conclusion) and I have written drafts of 3 chapters so far. Those 3 are my background chapters, and now I am writing my first “substance” chapter (#4) which deals with what I have found in my primary source archival research. It is great to be finally writing the real “meat” of my studies. If you’re curious to know some of what I’m learning, check out my Facebook photo album called “Interesting Tidbits from my Research”, a collection of fascinating nuggets I’ve found along the way.
In November, I was in the U.S. for 2.5 weeks, visiting (again) the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, and then the archives at Wheaton College near Chicago. It was a productive trip and is (hopefully) my last research trip. That’s good because I am tired of doing research trips away from my family. I just want to stay in Edinburgh and get this thesis written! Please pray for discipline of time and lucidity of mind as I push on in writing!
June 2019 Prayer Letter
Dear Friends & Family,
Greetings once again from bonnie Scotland! It is cold and wet here but we are getting on with things and marvel at the fact that our time in Edinburgh may come to a close in a year or so.
Research Progress - I am Writing!
In our last prayer letter, I told you that I was trying to finish up reading and scanning the documents that I collected over the summer. Thanks be to God that is largely done now and I have started writing. I wrote chapter one and am in the process of revising it per my supervisor’s recommendations. Trying to figure out how to make a massive amount of data all fit together into a logical and interesting narrative is hard work! 
But my constant prayer is that not only would my research come together into a coherent whole, but also that what I write will be useful. I keep asking myself, “How does this relate disciple making? How will this be relevant for the church?” At the end of the day, very few people read doctoral theses but I have a list of ideas for shorter spinoff articles that would make a contribution to the mission of the church in Thailand and elsewhere. It is my hope and prayer that my studies here would have real benefit for both my teaching at Bangkok Bible Seminary as well as writing and teaching for the broader Christian community. Please pray that I would have clarity of thought and excellent time management so that I can write up a quality thesis and our family can head back to Thailand by mid-year 2020. We are enjoying our time in Edinburgh but we are all looking forward to returning to ministry in Bangkok.
January 2019 Prayer Letter
Dear Friends & Family,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We hope you’ve had an enjoyable holiday season and you are feeling hopeful as we head into a New Year.
Thailand Conference & Still More Research
From January 4-13, I (Karl) am in Thailand to present a paper at a conference. My paper topic is “Missionary Communication When Locals are Listening.” If all goes well, this paper will show up as a chapter in a published book next year. If you’d like a “sneak peek”, let me know.
After that brief trip, I’ll be back in Scotland to continue pushing through the remaining stacks of documents that I collected this past summer. I really thought that it wouldn’t take this long to read through and scan these docs, but such is life. Please pray that I’ll know what to skim and what to read in-depth so I’ll be ready to start some substantial writing in the not distant future. My supervisor has counseled me to start writing this year instead of waiting for my third year. Thus, I hope to get writing this spring sometime. I probably need to do a 2 week research trip to Wheaton College sometime this year as well. Please pray that I will have the discipline, diligence, and discernment to make all that happen. I’ve been at this 1.5 years so far and am hoping to finish this dissertation within 3 years total (mid-year 2020). But I’ll only have a chance of reaching that goal if I stay on task.