End of March 2024 Update
We finally made it back to Thailand! You know the expression, “Rode hard and put away wet?" Well...yes.
Maybe it was the five (5) grueling days of travel getting here (Dominican Republic, Miami, New York, Istanbul, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Mae Sai), or maybe we inhaled a respiratory virus on one of the many planes and buses we took, or maybe it can be blamed on the choking cloud of PM 2.5 pollution (for a couple of days the worst in the world) in MaeSai…but SOMETHING did us in…and Peter and I were coughing horribly for most of our first Discipleship Training! A combination of fervent prayer, Western medicine (one of our many suitcases contains my medical arsenal), and Eastern therapy (the practitioner here scraped…painfully… the “poisons” out through Peter’s skin…it’s called gua sha) kept us going. We’d climb the stairs daily to the classroom, teach our four-hour session, then creep back to our room to cough, nebulize, and lie on the bed for the rest of the day, the air purifier going full blast. That would restore just enough energy to repeat the next day!
But how could we NOT continue? What’s a couple of respiratory tract infections in the face of the obstacles our Discipleship Training students from M_________ had to overcome to get here? As you may know, the illegal military government in that war-torn country bordering Thailand has imposed conscription on all men and women between the ages of 17 and 35 in a desperate measure to shore up their depleted ranks. The personal stories (and pictures) of the atrocities committed in that country upon the friends and families of our students made an indelible impression on all of us here. You can imagine the fear. For young men and women to leave their locations incurs extreme risk of capture and being forced to fight against their own people. Several invited pastors had their travel tickets canceled by the government…BUT SOME CAME ANYWAY…by unknown ways and means, sometimes taking days. Others attempted the trip on foot but had to return to their villages.
So you can appreciate the urgency of training people who’d risk so much to learn more about the LORD, His commands, and making Disciples, how important it was for us to work with individuals, undaunted by the war, who were bravely preparing “for such a time as this,” and what a privilege it was to play a part in equipping these servants who are so willing to go into the Harvest. I don’t believe we’ll do it again here though; the risk for participants is just too great.
Once this initial training was over (and our health restored,) we were able to meet and plan with each of eight missionary couples here in MaeSai, all involved with different ministries; learning centers, children’s homes, church planting, house churches, evangelism, and discipleship training. Oh, the stories they had to tell…broken feet, sprained ankles, canceled visas, bureaucratic interference, persecution by neighbors, wells gone dry, loss of support…the works! Visa complications continue to plague them all…but nothing stops the LORD’s work flourishing. In fact, the obstacles seem only to increase the fruit of each of these ministries!
Within a week of us leaving the Dominican Republic, the crisis in Haiti escalated, causing thousands more frightened and starving Haitians to pour over the border into inhospitable DR. The situation, which was dire when we were there with patrols picking up thousands of Haitians and deporting them, is even more volatile. Our faithful pastor there, Pastor Jaime, has doubled his efforts to distribute Manna Packs (and the Gospel) in partnership with Handfuls of Hope to more Haitian hideouts. He reports salvations and baptisms weekly as dozens turn to the only One who can offer Hope and a Future.
We’re delighted to report that Peter’s knee is holding up well, his Fitbit reports walking 3 miles some days, steps sorely needed to improve our general condition so we can tackle the next challenges. There is a white harvest out there, just waiting. The next time we report will be from Cambodia, God willing. Pray that the LORD shows us the way.
Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, your notes, and your love. They are all deeply appreciated.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105