Richard Rees and Leigh Betts have reached a difficult stage of studying the culture and language of the Pwo Karen people of Thailand.

It’s vital that the men be able to not simply speak the language of the Pwo Karens, but also understand the way they think, even down the deeper things that they may not think about much, but affect the way they act.

“To that end, Leigh has had many an interview hour this past month and we are praising the Lord for busy men who are willing to take time away from tasks that need to be done to talk,” wrote Leigh’s wife, Lea. “We are thankful for friends who are thinking hard about topics that they usually take for granted, or maybe never really thought about before. We are glad that mutual trust and respect allow for this kind of deep conversation.

“But frankly, it has been hard to get to the bottom of issues,” she added. “Mostly the attitude is ‘Who really cares about all that? We have what we need for today and the prospects of what we will need for tomorrow.’”