Prayer and Praise for March, 2011
These last months have been full of challenges with raising teens as the House of Love staff and I work out new ways of relating and parenting the young men and women entrusted to us. I know I have been asking for prayer from you many times for wisdom, and I appreciate each person and church who has been faithful to pray for us here in Chiang Mai. I think because of the many hours I have been literally on my knees before the Lord, it is with particular joy that I share that 3 of our teens have made the decision to be baptized. I wanted to share a translation of what each shared with the congregation before being baptized. It is a little lengthy, but I do hope you are encouraged by how these young women are maturing in the Lord.
Pai “I am happy to be baptized today. I am thankful to God that He has let me know that He loves each one of us, and has allowed me to know Him deeply and personally. This has led me to desire to be baptized. In the past I had mistakenly thought baptism alone led to eternal life. But now I understand that it is only by faith and receiving Jesus into my heart that I will receive salvation.”
Nit “I am thankful to God for changing my life. Before, I did not know God. I did not know who He was, nor did I know how much God loved me. But now I know and understand how great God is and how much God loves me and how much He has sacrificed for me. I am thankful for the love of God. Today I am being baptized so that I can become a part of God’s family. I believe and trust that God will never leave me alone.”
Nam Waan “I am thankful that I live in the House of Love and I am thankful to God for caring for me throughout my whole life. I am thankful that God has changed my life and has forgiven my sins. I have received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Today is a good opportunity for me to receive baptism and to become a part of God’s family. I am thankful for the love of God. I will follow and serve God from this day on.”
Praise and Prayer Points:
· The House of Love students are now enjoying the start of the summer break (it is our hot season now). Rejoice with us that we have a total of 6 graduates—Ai, Bee, Ratana and Sunaree will be moving on to a new phase of their education with entering their vocational training. Please pray for these girls as they make decisions of what to pursue when school reopens in May. Some of the courses of study they are considering include computers, accounting, and cooking. Thongchai (pictured below) and Pai will be starting at university, and I also ask for prayer especially for Pai. It was her desire to study social work, but the program is not accepting new students this year, so she needs guidance for the future.
· I would also ask for special prayer as our kids at the HOL will be visiting different relatives and having special activities. This makes for challenges with adhering to medication regimes, and some of the family situations they enter are very difficult. It also makes for an increased workload for the HOL staff as they manage the process.
· The students at the Center for the Development of People with Disabilities (CDPD) are finishing up their term later this month. Then on March 21-25, we will all head for the beach (yes, I am going too!) Pray for safety and good times. Thailand is not the most accessible country for persons with disabilities, and traveling and being at the beach will bring special challenges.
· A big praise item is the wonderful visit we had with a team from Coos Bay, Oregon. They blessed our House of Blessing and CDPD kids by bringing hand bells and we all enjoyed the new way of making music.
· The Health Project teams will be hosting the funders from the Australian Baptists this month. We have also made the decision to close this part of the IMEMF for a number of reasons. After nearly 20 years of serving the tribal communities, this is a difficult decision, but I feel it is also the right one. Would you pray for the 4 men who are affected by the closure? Thank you!
· Would you pray for rest and spiritual refreshment for me? I was finding myself at the House of Love and IMEMF 7 days a week—wanting to spend time with the HOL children especially on weekends, and needing to do office work during the week. This month, I am going to try a new schedule, with setting Wednesday mornings as a half-day off. This will enable me to have some time alone with God, give me time to catch up around the house and simply have some down time in the morning.