End of September 2023 Update
Sometimes, ya just gotta “take a knee.” Literally.
With the door closed on discipleship training in Swaziland, continued visa issues here, bone-on-bone grinding pain, and much prayer for guidance, Peter has decided it's time to return stateside to get his knee fixed once and for all. Despite excellent osteoarthritis medicines (illegal in the States but ubiquitous here) and expert Eastern Chai therapy (painful but effective), he’s walking too far, standing too long, and having to ice too much to continue. The spirit is willing, but…the knee is weak.
And so, we find ourselves madly reorganizing, booking travel, scheduling appointments, contacting Dallas doctors (bless our kids for INSISTING we bring American phones), and setting up MRIs, X-rays, and medical clearance appointments in the hopes of getting surgery done ASAP so we can get back on track. The good LORD willing, he should have knee surgery of one kind or another in early November. Peter has badgered the scheduling nurses relentlessly for robotic partial knee replacement (recommended by Google) but they remain unmoved, commenting cheerfully, “We’ll see what the doctor says!”
So, this means we’re in the throes of Peter’s “Good-Bye Tour,” making sure we touch base with, pray for, and encourage all those with whom we’ve labored over these past eight glorious/challenging months, and assuring they have the tools to continue and excel.
Our training schedule hasn’t slowed because we’re heading home at the end of October. In partnership with Prince Noumaan of Kingdom Missions International, we’ve just completed a two-week intensive, residential Discipleship Training and Equipping course for 17 leaders and pastors from M_____. Whenever servants of God come from that beleaguered country, we are awed by their courage and determination. This time, because they were living here 24/7 and had time to share their stories in depth, we were shaken to the core. There was a young woman rescued and redeemed from forced prostitution, a couple whose village was burned down around them, a converted Buddhist scholar, ex-alcoholics and drug addicts, and people from unimaginably abusive and/or neglected backgrounds, all now followers of the LORD and hungry for instruction. It was a privilege to equip them, pour into them, fill in foundational gaps, and help them find freedom from their pasts so as to step boldly into their ministries.
The monsoons, apparently, are not over and combined with the civil war make life for indigenous people miserable. The village of one of our house church leaders recently flooded; we were able to send them rice and supplies immediately. The price of 45 kilos of rice is now roughly $30.00… almost exactly twice the price it was pre-COVID and the war. For Asian countries where rice is life, this jump is crippling. We’ve been blessed to have extra funds sent from the States for emergencies such as these. (I will have pictures in next month's newsletter.)
Emergencies aside, on a regular basis the food scarcity in the war zone is overwhelming; everywhere you look there are desperate people from M______clamoring for food/work/handouts. We are careful with God’s money; we personally know and trust the people hand-delivering the relief and make sure they can provide Gospel follow-up and care. These struggling people need more than their bellies full for a day; they need the hope of the Bread of Life. At the same time, we always look for ways to help pastors and leaders become self-sufficient and feed not only their families but often their villages. Five years ago, when we first came to Thailand with “The Pig Project,” that was one of our main evangelistic tools; we believe agricultural self-sufficiency is more important than ever, given the war and ever-growing shortages.
Before returning to the States, we will head to Cambodia, praying for open doors there for discipleship training in the future. We won’t be in any one location very long, and the internet…reportedly…will be spotty, so if we take a day or two to get back to you, that’s why.
An old hymn has been playing in our hearts recently; “Count your blessings, Name them one by one, Count your blessings, See what God has done.” As this season on Thailand’s borders draws to a bitter-sweet close, we truly have too many blessings to number: dear friends and missionaries whom we’ve helped or who’ve helped us; wonderful opportunities to teach, to lead, and to learn; protection and guidance and comfort from our LORD; and encouragement, love, and prayers from home.
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
For those who want to read more of what’s going on across the border:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-accused-of-targeting-religious-buildings.html