Dear Family & Friends,

We thought we’d send a brief letter before leaving Thailand. We will leave Bangkok Aug 10. We will arrive in LA Aug 10 and spend a week there, going over several things with FMI (Foursquare Missions International). The interesting thing is that we leave Taipei, Taiwan at 11:55pm on the 10th and arrive in LA at 9:10pm the same day. We then proceed to Minneapolis on Aug 18, picking up our transportation (thank you so much Ken & Darlene!) and a cell phone. We will email our cell phone number when we get it. Next we’ll spend time with family until Sept 13, where the first stop on our “Thailand Tour” will be Independence, Iowa. Our itinerary is set and we are looking forward to seeing as many of our ‘partners in ministry’ as we can. Our ‘tour’ will end at the Heartland District Conference in Clinton, IA from Oct 26-28 and then we’ll spend the last few days with family before leaving for Thailand November 4.

NEILL’S NOTES

Bangkok is cracking down on beggars in the streets because most of them come as groups from other countries and go to different areas of Bangkok to beg. Last week the police arrested a three year old child for begging on the street. They kept him in jail for a week! His mother has a permit to work in Thailand and was working at the time her child was arrested and then had to stay with him in jail and could not go to work because she had to take care of the child. The police said they kept the child that long because they wanted to be sure she was the real mother. It’s good that the police crack down on these ‘gangs’ of beggars, but arresting a three year old and then taking a week to find out if she was his real mother!? Please pray that the police get the real bad guys and that this mother did not lose her job and finds someone responsible to care for her child while she works. In Mae Sot we hear about women who take care of someone’s child while the parents are working and the women take the children and beg. I saw one woman for three years on the street and her child never got older, it was always a baby! I guess when people are poor and desperate they will do almost anything. Please pray for the poor, that they would find hope in Christ.

DIANA’S DELIGHTS

Two girls, Bahn and Nanaa, were baptized last Sunday! We teach the children about baptism, no matter what their ages, but we want them to be sure they understand why they are getting baptized, not just to do it. Please pray for Bahn and Nanaa that they would continue to know God better and they would do great things for God.

Please pray for Jean. She is in the hospital with Dengue Fever. Lots of pain, full body rash, fever and chills, headache and body aches and lasts about ten days.

Thank you again for your prayers, letters, emails, encouragement and financial support. Without you, our partners in ministry, we could not be here and most of the Home of Hope children would not have their hope in Christ. Please pray for our travel over the next few months and all it entails.

Blessings & Prayers,

Neill & Diana

Your partners in Thailand