Introducing Baby Quinley!

At nine o’ one a.m. this past Tuesday, August Warren Quinley was brought into the world. The little prizefighter weighed in at 8.6 lbs, with his mother’s nose, his father’s eyes, and red-tinted hair.

Jacki Meets August

We opted for a c-section, because August still hadn’t descended and he was almost a week late. Our doctor told us that she was concerned his head was too big to make it through. She said that if Jacki went into labor and he still didn’t descend, she would have to do a c-section anyway and things might be a little more complicated. We had been hoping for a natural delivery, but felt that going with the c-section was the wise decision. We were right. When his head appeared, the entire delivery room let out a sigh of amazement at how big his head was compared to Jacki’s little body. I was blown away by the process and still marvel at how brave and tough and sacrificial my wife is. We have a video of August’s first few moments in the world right here if you’d like to watch it.

A few people have asked us about the name. “Why August Warren?” The short answer is that we liked the sound of it. August literally means “Majestic”, and while we have no doubt he’ll live up to that humble claim, the real meaning we found in the name is because August is a season of change. It is the time of year when summer comes to an end and the season begins to turn. Old things end. New things begin. Transition happens in people’s lives. We believe that our son will handle those moments of change very well and that he’ll lead people through those times, as difficult as they may be. He will be resilient and wise, prudent to know that “there is a time for everything under the sun”, and courageous to make those decisions when they are his to make. The reason we chose the name “Warren” is because it is the first name of both my great grandfather and my grandfather and it is the middle name of my dad. I wanted to honor the men who have taught me to live as a man and follower of Christ. I also wanted August to know the connection that he has to his history and his family’s heritage.

August taking a nap on my mom’s shoulder

After August was born we received an enormous outpouring of love and support from people all over the world. We want to thank you all so much for taking this big step with us in our lives and for cheering us into parenthood. We will keep you updated on August’s little adventures as well as our lives and continued work in Thailand.

Andrew holding August

Poppa Chuck and the little guy

Julia holding her nephew

Brooke teaching August some important facial expressions

A few of the girls from the university came to visit

Mommy and the little man

August Warren Quinley

Media Light Kicks Off Next Week

When Jesus walked the earth, he did not expect the lost and hungry to find him. He went to them. He found them in the market, at places of teaching, in their own homes. As those he has entrusted with his work on the earth, Christians must learn to meet people where they are. That means learning to use media.

Conversations are happening all around us, even though we may not realize it. People are asking questions:

“What should I do with my money?”
“What is love, really?”
“Who is God?”
“Should I wait till I’m married to have sex or just go for it?”
“What’s my life about anyway?”

Where are these questions? Where are their answers? They are found in the song you just listened to, the movie you watched last week, the blog article that your coworker forwarded to you, the Facebook feed that your friend posted three minutes ago. It’s a constant stream of dialogue.

Sadly, Christians often have one of two responses to this new opportunity to reach people. We either choose to keep silent and not participate in the conversation, or we produce boring, accusatory messages that fall flat the moment they leave our lips.

Last year we saw entire regimes overthrown because of Facebook and Twitter. Songs ignited passion and gave a voice to those who could not speak. Movies started revolutions. If we want to affect culture, to connect with people’s hearts and minds, we have to join the conversation, and we must learn to do so with excellence.

That is what Media Light is about. It is a 10 week training institute in Northern Thailand that welcomes students from all over the world. At Media Light, students receive expert training in the use of media to reach their nations. The transformation does not stop there, though. Students also engage in a thorough discipleship and leadership development course that empowers them to lead healthy lives and a healthy church in this generation.

The days are counting down to the arrival of the March 2013 batch of Media Light students. Please be in prayer for each one of them as they pass through the immigration process to enter Thailand and for their personal preparation. This is a sacred season. It is a pivotal moment in their lives. If you know someone who would like to learn more about Media Light for their own study, just forward them this post and send them to this link. Jacki and I work alongside this team and would be happy to pass on any request that you may have to someone who will then walk you through the application process for the next school, starting in September.

2011 Emerge/MediaLight Promo Video from MediaLight on Vimeo.

Valentine’s Day Party @ the Nest

Thais love anything to do with love. This Valentine’s Day we took full advantage of that fact and hosted our own Valentine’s Day party at the Nest. Jacki baked up a storm with a friend of hers, we put up as many hearts as we had wall-space, and then the fun began. Over thirty students showed up that night, giving us the opportunity to make some new friends, have some fun with young people we’ve been investing in, and share a little more love with them. At the end of the night, I sat down and talked about the unconditional love of Jesus. The crowd oohed and aaahed as I told them about how God guided my love story with Jacki and what Jesus’ love is like for them. Jesus said, “They will know you by your love…” Pray with us that they will find his love and the life that it gives.

It’s A…

We had a big surprise for mom and dad this Christmas. We wanted to share it with you too.

P.S. The gift was a little toy truck.

2011 Recap!

2011 was a tough year for many of us, but it was also a year of incredible new beginnings and growth. In this video recap, we want to share with you some of the highlights of our year this year and thank all of our partners for making these highlights possible. Your investment in us changing people’s stories. This is just the beginning of so many wonderful new chapters in the lives of young Asians. Thank you.

Lucy’s Story

A story of how media saved a young girl from getting into a life of prostitution.

 

Buddhism

A clearer look at Buddhism in Thailand and Myanmar.