Newsletter - January 2009
Dear Family & Friends,
In December 2008 the two Thai workers at the Oasis (both named Noi) were training a Thai/Karen lady to work at the Oasis. Ploy, a Thai Christian friend of ours was here for a meeting and she led them both to Lord. We thank God for Ploy and that she was not ashamed of the Gospel and boldly proclaimed the truth by building on the foundation that Diana had laid by her daily prayer time, Thai Christian worship songs playing in the Coffee Shop and by her example.
The Midwest Team 2009 left earlier this week after 10 days of ministry and even some relaxation. In the two Karen Hill Tribe villages the team preached, did drama, sang worship songs (some in 2 or 3 different languages), handed out blankets (very cold in the mountains this time of year), held medical clinics and dental hygiene clinics, taught songs, Bible lessons and crafts to the children, played games and sports with them and prayed for the sick and the lost. Ler Daw village had 26 people raise their hands for salvation and the smaller village, Khray Maw Key, had 46 salvations. In the second village people said after the team visited last year, they started realizing that there were Christians all over the world and that they had previously thought there were only a few Karen in the mountains who were Christians. Last year in the first village, the people came because the headman in the village told them to come. This year he wasn’t here when we came but the people came anyway because they wanted to. We had supplies for having a medical clinic but were not sure how to go about it but God made the way. Because the headman was not there the first night, we did not give out blankets and waited until the morning when he would be there. After handing out blankets, the team began to treat some wounds and cuts and before you knew it, we had a full-fledged clinic going on! One baby probably would have died from an infection from a severe and deep wound on his head but our nurse and volunteers cleaned it and treated it. God’s plans are always better than our plans. While the women on the team held a women’s ministry day at the Foursquare Mae Sot church, the men helped string a barbed wire fence along the rear boundary of the church. It brought back memories for many of the men.
The men were not working on the new Home of Hope building because we had used all the money to build what we now have. The team left a donation for the building and we can finish the cement on the ground level and then will have to stop again until more funds come in.
Please continue to help us by looking up web sites that might help build orphanages or homes for at-risk children and also by spreading the news by ‘word of mouth’ to friends, neighbors, co-workers and family. Most importantly please pray every day and ask God to supply; He is our Provider.
Love & Prayers & Blessings,
Neill & Diana
Your partners in ministry in Mae Sot, Thailand
