Open Hands, Full Hearts

Growing up, all of my family lived in Canada. Some summers were spent travelling through parts of Alberta and southern BC to visit family members. I remember long car rides, especially the 8 hour drive to and from the Edmonton area. For long trips I would always make sure I had plenty of activities to do: reading, crafting, listening to stories, and lots of great snacks. The first couple hours were so fun, switching to and from activities, watching the scenery go past, and eating snacks. But the last couple hours of that travel felt like torture, especially on the way back; all the books were finished, it wold often be dark outside with no view of the scenery, all the snacks are gone, and everyone is just trying to get home to our own beds and some space from one another. Our recent trip back to Canada was the longest trip I have ever taken to come home. From the moment we left the hotel in Chiang Mai to stepping on the tarmac at the Prince George Airport, which both moments somehow happened on March 27th, we travelled for 29.5 hours (shoutout to Ava for keeping track). As much as it was sooooooo nice to sleep in my own bed and take some time on my own the last 24 hours, it is bittersweet. As a kid the most I would have to travel to visit family was 8 hours; now to visit family it will take 30 hours of travel. 

That is how the last couple days with the Lampang church and saying goodbye felt, like family. It is hard to put into words how we all feel about our brothers and sisters in Lampang, all the memories we have together, and how we are now counting down the days till we are together again. The goodbyes were filled with equal amounts of laughter and tears and steeped in prayer for one another. Getting onto the plane in Chiang Mai did not feel like the end of the trip as much as the start of this partnership. I am so excited for all of you to hear more about our family in Lampang in the coming weeks, through stories, pictures, and prayers. I hope you all the Lampang church is avidly praying for Westwood, even by name, every week. The investment in this relationship is not one-sided for either of our churches, we are going to walk forward as partners in God's kingdom on earth and as family for eternity. 

Though we are still early into this partnership this trip has given so many ideas and opportunities for us moving forward. In the coming weeks we all hope to share more with all of you; what we learned, who we met, and what we saw God do. If you see a team member anytime in the next couple weeks, please ask them two things: What did you learn from the Lampang Church and how can we pray for the church members? Thank you for following along in the journey. Though the trip may be over, the partnership is really just getting started, so continue to follow along in prayer as we discern as a church how to continue to move forward.

More stories and pictures to come, getting some rest for now - Thailand Team 2026.