Where Honour Is Due And Ken's Second Trip to Thailand

A rare and sensational wonder will be happening this October.

Ken, my husband and life partner, superhero of support and generosity, silly ‘GrandBob’ to our four here- at-home, and honourary ‘Paw Ken’ to our family in Thailand, THAT Ken, is traveling with me to Hot Springs! 

I know, right?!!!

It’s rare because Ken is the ‘man the fort’ dude in this ministry partnership we’ve got going right now.  That partnership where I get to do all the traveling and he gets to stay put and eat normal food.  I say it that way because I’d like to clear up what sometimes comes back to us as two misunderstandings.

One is that Ken is sadly left behind while I get to have all the adventures.  Ken does not feel this way.  He’s glad to stay home and eat normal food and wake up in his own bed and go to work doing work he’s really good at and really enjoys.  He’s glad to stay back and do the grunt work of the numbers and help me figure out travel arrangements and stay on the phone for almost an hour at a time with the people booking our ‘free’ flight on frequent flyer points.  He’s glad to be in Canada while I’m in Thailand, contending with scorpions and the heat, while emailing back and forth about on-th- ground kinds of things, so we can make good decisions together with our Thai ministry partners.  And did I mention the part about eating normal food?  Yes, he’s genuinely glad about that.   So, let’s just be clear on this point.

And the second misunderstanding is that, since this is only his second visit to Hot Springs, it indicates somehow that Ken is not as invested or interested in what’s happening in Thailand as I am.  This is also not the case.  Not at all, as only partly demonstrated by what I’ve just described in the paragraph above.  

And to further make this point, if you want to, if you get the chance, just ask Ken to tell you about his personal study on the subject of what makes God happy.  I dare you.  You’ll see very quickly -  in his telling of the story of being ambushed by a very strong ‘aha’ moment directly connected to the faces of our children at Hot Springs - just how tightly this thing we do together is wrapped around his heart.  This thing we do.  These kids we now have in our extended circle of grandchildren.

I am so very excited to be travelling together with this incredible man next month!  But even more exciting, amazing, and sensational is that I have had the honour of doing life with him for over 41 years! It’s cliché, but absolutely true that I could not be doing what I do without his support and generosity.  And how perfect is it that we are so differently gifted and impassioned and yet it fits so well together to serve in God’s kingdom like this?  That it’s not ‘his ministry’ or ‘her ministry’ but truly ‘our ministry’, hand in glove, together. 

So, honour where honour is due.  “Paw Ken” is a man of high esteem in my books, and he’s made the world of difference to a whole lot of kids who would not have had a chance otherwise.  Which, we’re pretty convinced, makes God very happy indeed.

September will be a month of anticipation and packing and getting Ken caught up on his travel vaccinations!  (Sorry Honey.)

Can’t wait to be posting the pictures from THIS trip!!!