A Gift from Above

With thankfulness in our hearts for His goodness and this great gift from above, we joyfully introduce our son, Jonathan Milton Jr., born on June 15, 2011 at 11:59pm, weighing 8 lbs 12 oz and measuring 21 1/2 inches, born in Sarasota, Florida. We hope you enjoy some of his recent photos:

Jadynn loves being "Big Sister." She even wears a "Big Sister" ribbon!

Lying around with little brother.

First kiss from big sister.

"My little brother brought me a gift basket because I'm so special!"

"Handsome like daddy"

Robynn's family visiting right after Jonathan, Jr.'s birthday.

"Mmmm...this thumb tastes good..."

Dreaming about real Chinese food...

Jonathan's parents beaming about their first grandson.

"I can't believe I have a little boy"

"My own baby doll to sleep with!"

At the beach with mommy...

...and daddy.

Thanks for thinking about us and our adjustment to a family of 4! We can't wait for you to meet Jonathan, Jr., he's so friendly!

All our love,
Jonathan, Robynn, Jadynn, and Jonathan, Jr.

Real People, Real Stories...

It is a great pleasure to introduce you to some of our friends and share their personal stories as our relationships with local people deepen. We are thankful that our Father has allowed us to build friendships with people from many different backgrounds and walks of life.

Our friend Maggie. She was introduced to our family shortly after we first arrived in Asia.

Maggie has served our family in the areas of cooking, cleaning, babysitting, practicing language, and nursing Robynn to good health when she has been sick. She loves our family by serving, and she does it so well. Though she does not yet know the Father, we are confident that He is working in her life. She has offered much needed advice on how to handle the illnesses common to this area, and when we didn't know how to buy food or cook it, she has humbly taught us. During our first few months, when communication was the hardest, she patiently played charades with us and corrected our pronunciation. Recently when Jadynn started preschool, she practiced with her at home in the local language so she could know what her teachers and friends were saying. We believe she was brought into our lives at just the right time, and we love her very much.



Jadynn at preschool. Can you spot her in this crowd? She is the only foreigner in her class, and the only one who speaks English. Although it was not easy at first, she now has learned a lot of the local language and loves to go to school. When we go to pick her up she is the only child who cries because she has to go home, instead of crying because she doesn't want to go to school.


Some of her new friends. Jadynn is very outgoing and likes to give hugs. This is somewhat shocking to her Asian friends who are taught at a young age to shake hands when greeting others. Even though she doesn't get many hugs in return, it has not slowed down her desire to pick up, kiss, and hug her friends when the mood strikes her!


Cherry and her mother. Our friend Cherry met us one day while we were out shopping for food. She came up to us and introduced herself in perfect English (this is not common in our area). We quickly realized that she was very intelligent and outgoing and also new to the area, just like us!

Two ladies from a local minority group. During a recent trip to a village near our city we were able to meet and spend some time with some ethnic minority people. In an area like this, many of the people may not even speak the language that we are here to learn, but rather another dialect. While Robynn was interacting with some ladies, she noticed a grass basket she wanted to buy. These two women came and offered their advice as to what was a good price, how to bargain, and which basket was the sturdiest. The ladies clearly enjoyed the opportunity to help a foreigner know how to do things in the "their village." Afterward, in "Jadynn-like fashion," she hugged one of the ladies to say thank you and the lady was clearly caught off guard, but hugged her back just as tightly. Even though this interaction was brief, it helped our family realize that we can befriend people who are very different than us. The best way to do that is to put yourself humbly in the position of a learner and let the people teach you how to live in Asia.


Minority group women enjoying Jadynn's hugs.

Minority women maybe seeing a foreigner for the first time.

Jonathan asks to borrow this Asian guitar.

Our friend Tom and his wife, Maria. Tom has traveled all over Asia, Europe and America. He met his wife in college and they started out as very good friends. They married less than three years ago, Tom says, "because it was time to settle down."

Comparing bellies, we are due the same week!

Thanks for thinking of us, our friends, and the people of Asia!

All our love,
Jonathan, Robynn, Jadynn and Baby!

Good news from a distant land...

Greetings from Asia! We are privileged to be here because of the good news that compels us to live with, learn about, and love those on this side of the world. Also, as the holidays in our home country are now upon us, we find ourselves so thankful for the many friends and family who are lifting us up and who are a part of our team. Jadynn has some more good news to share with you from this distant land, "I am going to be a BIG sister!"

Our desire for our family to grow has not always followed "our plan." This good news comes after more than a year of waiting and hoping again for a baby. However, we are excited and thankful for this gift from our Father, and His perfect timing. Robynn is now in her 2nd trimester, almost over morning (or all day) sickness, and looking forward to our newest family member joining us the first week of June, here in Asia. Thank you for your thoughts for a healthy and happy pregnancy!


Here are some more glimpses of the land that we now call home.


A Buddhist temple in our city, which we toured with our language teacher who worships there.

This is where the offerings of incense are burned.

In the south where we live, the mountains are green all the time- the views are amazing!

A small village near us with very beautiful murals and architecture.


A park in our city, Jonathan and his friends climbed the 999 steps to reach the tower in the distance.


A large meal that we were invited to in another province.

Honestly, getting accustomed to the food has been a journey for us. When we first arrived, we were eager to try many new foods, and now that we have been here nearly 6 months- and after a few sicknesses (including Robynn's morning sickness which made it almost impossible for her to eat anything for a couple of months), we are not quite as adventurous as we once were, and we find ourselves often longing for familiar food.

We know that there are many seasons that people go through when leaving their home culture and becoming accustomed to a new one. It's great that there are plenty of healthy foods, fruits and vegetables that are available here. We are hopeful that we will continue to discover new foods that we like and cultivate thankfulness for the food that we are offered.


Fried wasps! These were included in a recent meal we had with some friends. The one rule that we have found to be true is, if the food looks familiar and it looks like something you want to eat, most of the time it's not what you expected. However, if the food looks strange, like nothing you have ever seen before, most of the time it's really good! These wasps were a big hit at the meal, and they tasted great!

Of course, rice and noodles are a family favorite at every meal (even breakfast), and there is no shortage of those here.

Jadynn's best friends. Both of these girls live in our apartment complex.

Our college friends who are all in training to be English teachers.


At a late night performance, Jadynn wore her warm pajamas and sat with her favorite college girls.


Our house has become a favorite gathering place to play games, practice language, and share.

A new friend we met at the park.

Our little butterfly dancing in the living room.

When Jadynn sat down next to this Asian grandpa we weren't sure what they would have in common. However, they had quite an interaction, and from the looks of it, perhaps discussed their different choices in foot wear.

We thank our Father that through His strength and might we have the opportunity to share with many people whom we have very little in common with outwardly. Our cultures and language separate us, but as we continue to make efforts toward forming a bridge, we know that we all have one very important need in common, and that is what we have come here to share. Thank you for your thoughts.

All our love,
Jonathan, Robynn, Jadynn and Baby!

Everything Changes...

It has been said that the only constant in life is that everything changes. As profound as it sounds, it has never been as true for our family as our current experience here in Asia.



In this life we go through many changes, and we are very thankful that we know the one who is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is the knowledge of him that has led us here and gives us the passion to make his name great among the nations.

The good news is that because of him, we are now feeling settled. We do not know how we transitioned from survival mode to beginning to thrive, but it has happened! Some days we look back at what has only been 3 months and we can't remember why things seemed so hard at first. Today we think less and less about the differences, and with his help, instead, we embrace them and enjoy them! Here is a taste of some of our experiences so far:


Our friend on her wedding day. The friends that we have made are truly the best part of our life here and we are so thankful for all of them.


The wedding banquet.


The bride helps to feed hundreds of guests. What a special day!


Jadynn also has more friends than she can count, in either language.


Recently we were invited to visit a small village a few hours away from where we live. Our hosts were very gracious and let Jadynn ride the water buffalo they use to plow the fields.


The roads are not good, and a short trip can sometimes take hours, but the welcome we received made the trip well worth it.


Local ladies who make items for sale during the many festivals that are celebrated in our country. People buy these items and burn them as an offering to their ancestors.


At our meat and vegetable market, many children work all day with their parents and find creative ways to play. Jadynn likes to play with them.


We had a hard time eating the food we bought on the street, it was too spicy. This kind woman offered some rice to help with the burning sensation.



Introducing my closest friend, she lives in our neighborhood and has been interested in our family since our first days here. She is a great encourager and has a son just a few years older than Jadynn, he was her first friend, too!

Our Asian friends have encouraged us and have been very patient during our first phase of language learning. We are so happy to finally be able to understand and begin to speak to them in their own language. Of course we still have a LONG way to go, but every small step towards learning their language seems like a giant leap in going deeper with relationships.



Our province hosted a sporting event, and these performers were part of the "half time" show.


We knew someone who was part of the show, he is Jonathan's closest friend.


After the show, we were approached by many who wanted to hold, kiss or take a picture with Jadynn. We had no idea that we were parents of a celebrity!


The "half time" show at the sporting event in our city.


Our family is now able to get around town and go to class on our electric scooter. These scooters are the most common form of transportation here because they are inexpensive and you can charge them up at home and ride for several days.


Jadynn's little pink scooter, her chosen form of transportation.


She loves to ring the bell while buzzing through town.


This is the view from the local university. Jonathan officially became a student again this September and he loves his classes. Though this was not the original plan, it has worked out for us to attend classes at the same time even during this busy season of our lives.

Thank you for thinking of us, we are very aware that our contentedness in our life here is largely because of our dependence on our Father, and so many of you who are daily lifting us up! We hope to hear from you and how he is working in your lives!

All our love,
Jonathan, Robynn & Jadynn