Integrated Ministries for Ethnic Minorities Foundation (IMEMF)

Prayer and Praise for October, 2010

Let me tell you that it is good to be back in Thailand!  While it took 5 planes and 50 hours to get to the USA, coming back was a bit more efficient (only 3 planes and 30 hours!).  I am now in Chiang Mai, and I was able to spend my first weekend with the House of Love kids before needing to get back on a plane to Bangkok to complete my yearly visa process.  My time in America was good--being able to be with my siblings and extended family and close friends has helped in the grieving process as I mourn my mother.  There were two funerals--one in Ohio and one in Florida.  Hearing stories about my mother were both eye-opening and precious (like I had never realized my mom was instrumental in helping to start Community Bible Study in her neighborhood.)  Although it was hard to get on the plane to return here, I know that it was the right time.  Please pray for me as I settle into life in Chiang Mai as well as for the on-going process of grieving the loss of my mom.  Your ministry of prayer in my life and the lives of the people here in northern Thailand is invaluable.  Thank you for praying.

Praise and Prayer Points:

·         The first semester for Thai schools is over--please pray for all of the kids at the House of Love (HOL) as they enjoy this 3 week October break.  Please also pray for staff as they work out what our 31 young people will do with their holiday.  Some will visit their relatives for part of the time, and everyone will attend the October camp, but it is a lot of different people going lots of different directions--pray it is a good break!

·         The annual camp that our HPTP staff does for HIV-infected and affected kids will be Oct 18-21 and we will have all of our House of Love kids and hopefully most of the AIDS orphans we support attending.  The theme this year is “Good Friend”--looking at our relationship with Jesus and with others.  Join us in praying for good teaching, safety, good relationships, and fun too!

·         And the CDPD staff will be busy with two events for October.  First, they will do seminars for government officials on caring for persons who are disabled in the community.  Then, the CDPD staff will also be holding seminars on Oct.20-22 for parents of children who are disabled.  Please pray for Khun Saylo and her staff as they prepare and then conduct these meetings that it truly will be a time where not only is information shared, but people will change the way they think and act with persons who are disabled.

·         Please pray for the House of Blessing teachers and their extra workload as the classes increase in size.  We seem to be gaining new students each week (the plan is to cap each class at 20--this is possible because we are now in our big classrooms.)

·         Praise God!  Our daycare/boys dorm building is completed--just awaiting a ceremony with the Japanese embassy personnel to officially “open” the doors in November (we are awaiting a new official who will be moving here then).  We are excited to have the large classrooms for our daycare, as well as the spacious rooms on the second floor for our HOL boys (all 8 have been sleeping in what will become the library for the girls dorm.)  Please pray for Khun Amnuayporn as she plans a house opening that will be God-honoring.

·         The Health Project teams are finishing up special survey work and completing plans for the October camp.  The entire staff have enjoyed these camps with the teens in the past, and we anticipate this year’s will be wonderful.

·         Stan Murray from the International Ministries head office will be visiting Chiang Mai and the different missionaries serving here in the north of Thailand (including me!).  Pray for good meetings and sharing times.

·         It is the Thai rainy season--just 6 years ago Chiang Mai experienced the flooding that forced the evacuation of the House of Love in the middle of the night.  We are so grateful for the beautiful and safe compound we now have--please give thanks to God for this wonderful provision.  When it rains hard here and the river threatens to spill over the banks, we are each very grateful for our new home and for each person and church who made this dream possible.  The rains do bring lots of disease though--and Thailand has been having a lot of flu cases and dengue fever as well.  Please pray for the health of all of our children.