Dear Friends,

Teachers and missionaries are forbidden from picking favorites.  And truly, I do love and treasure each of our girls at the New Life Center.  But sometimes human tendencies overcome spiritual ones.  Cheng is one of those girls who is particularly precious to me.  Probably because she is spirited and opinionated.  And because over the last 7 years she has spent with us, she has cultivated an irresistible deep-soul joy.

 

Last year, Cheng started dating a boy who eventually dumped her.  Outwardly I kept my cool, but inwardly, I just wanted to strangle him!  During the same year, Cheng also made a first time commitment to Jesus Christ, and received baptism.  I was comforted by knowing that this new lover will treasure her as I do and never toss her aside. 

 

In February, the handicraft program at the NLC held a program-wide quilting competition.  Staff and senior level sewing students were invited to submit entries of small art quilts about 3 feet square in size.  Each participant designed a quilt, chose fabrics, and completed their own quilt without outside assistance.  The purpose of this challenge was to encourage free creativity in design and color usage, to stimulate energy and initiative for sewing and to generate new design ideas which could be incorporated into future product designs.  To my delight, all of these objectives were achieved!  Thirteen people placed entries in the competition and all of them showed wonderful creativity and self expression.  

 

Since Cheng is currently in a vocational training program for professional sewing, she submitted an entry called “Natural Rice Bowls On My Mind”.  Rice is the staple food in Thailand, and plays a critical role in the Asian worldview.  So the entry reflects values which are foundational to Cheng’s identity.  The quilts were voted on by all the staff and residents, and Cheng’s quilt did not place in the top three which received special awards.  I confess that a sinful thought crossed my mind just very briefly…I should have rigged the voting.

I am aware that you and many of your friends may be experiencing a sense of uncertainty due to the current economic crisis which is affecting people around the world.  That’s why I am especially grateful for your prayers and sacrificial giving which bless me with the resources to continue serving in Thailand. 

 

As you may have heard, International Ministries, like many other ministries and nonprofit agencies, is working hard to respond to the current economic crisis.   There have been layoffs amongst our home office staff, and the budget is being drastically restructured.  In light of these concerns, IM is calling on all of our missionaries and staff to invite you, our friends, to do whatever you can to uplift our IM missionaries so that we can continue to do the work to which God has called us.   We are six months into the financial year at International Ministries (which starts in October).   At this time, financial giving towards my support is 29% less than it was at this time last year.  Many other missionaries are finding that their support is even further behind. 

 

May I suggest that if you are one of those people who supports me primarily through prayer and encouragement, would you prayerfully consider becoming a regular financial supporter as well?   And if you are currently giving towards my support, would you consider either adding a moderate increase, or adding another IM missionary to your giving portfolio?   You can check out the ministries of my many capable colleagues by going to http://www.internationalministries.org . 

 

The good news is that International Ministries has received an offer from some special friends which will provide a great boost to our support this year. (see article on Luther Rice Foundation in the right column).

 

Here it is:  any gifts which come in for a missionary’s support from a giver who has not previously given to that missionary will be matched, dollar for dollar.  Stipulations are that the matching grant will only apply for donations in a minimum amount of $200, and the gift must be received by June 30, 2009.  The ceiling for this matching grant is $400,000, so there is plenty of room for you to get in on it!  What an exciting opportunity for new givers to really make their dollars count!  You may give online by going to  http://www.internationalministries.org

 

I recognize that you are probably receiving similar appeals from your church, your region, and community organizations which you regularly support.  Please continue to support them, too.  I would be disappointed if my gain had caused someone else’s ministry to suffer.  I am aware that increasing your giving at this difficult time requires immeasurable sacrifice on your part.  But I believe that God honors the sacrifices we make in faith, and I look forward with great anticipation to hearing the stories of blessing that result from your courageous acts of generosity. 

 

Thanks so much for your love, caring and support.  

 

Yours in Christ,

-Kit 

 

 

I recently created a personal art blog.  It is designed as a venue for me to share my artwork with friends.  There will be periodic postings of my reflections on the synthesis of the arts, spirituality, positive social transformation, community resilience, and economic empowerment of marginalized people. Those who are interested in the visual arts cancheck it out at

  http://imagodeithailand.blogspot.com 

 

 

In the summer of 1806, in a grove of trees near Willams College in Upstate New York, in a group of young ministerial students met to discuss missionary service.

 

Their earnest prayer meeting was interrupted by a sudden summer thunderstorm!  They took shelter under the nearest haystack until the storm passed.

 

That “Haystack Prayer Group” and several other young men, including Luther Rice and Adoniram Judson, organized to send its first missionaries to the non-Christian world.

 

 

In 1812, Rice sailed to India with Adoniram Judson. However, in 1814, Rice returned to America to raise support for Judson's work and to unite Baptists in America to support missionaries.

He spent the rest of his life gathering support for missionaries, often traveling across America by horseback.

 

Rice wrote in a journal, “My feelings often vary, and vary much,

but not my hope.”

 

Since the beginning of overseas missions, people like Luther Rice, (and like you and I), have been a critical part of supporting those called to direct service in foreign lands.  His hope, and ours, is to make it possible for all the world to know the love of God as shown in Jesus Christ.

 

How wonderful to join in this old work in a new way!

 

-- from Susan Rice, Missionary Partnership Network Coordinator for Kit Ripley

 

 

Kit Ripley
American Baptist Int'l Ministries
New Life Center

Chiang Mai, Thailand

 

kitripley@pobox.com

www.newlifecenterfoundation.org