Dear Partners in Ministry,

We skipped this epistle last month because we were on vacation, and even though we had good intentions, it didn’t get done.  This goes to prove we had a good time.  We mainly stayed with Jan’s parents and did family stuff.  Dad’s 80th was well celebrated, and he was pleased to have all his kids home at once.  We also managed to find a few occasions to go bird watching and get our life list past 1000.

Before we left it was full on.  Our main task was getting Frances the physio—a volunteer—settled and oriented to life in Ban Luang.  She proved to have a great sense of direction and was quickly able to find patients’ homes on her own.  Just after she arrived we had a two-day visit from a physical therapy team from our province, and we joined them in a whirlwind assessment tour of area people with disabilities.  We left knowing Frances had enough to keep her busy.

Diane came for a few weeks to help tutor Dema and Carolyn’s children.  She and Frances shared a house, and when Dianne realized that we were going to leave Frances, she extended her stay to cover the gap.    It was a fantastic gift of care.

While the cat’s away…

The work continued:

Frances teamed with our colleagues Carolyn and Anna and visited folk here.  Some of them  have improved under her ministrations; others are reluctant to change lifestyle and habits, so change has been minimal or non-existent.

Diane did a great job teaching Grace and keeping Frances company.

Name had his final dental visit.  He had most of his teeth removed in Chiang Mai before we left, and just needed the stitches removed—a simple procedure done in our local hospital.  Now we are working on padding his wheel chair so he can sit comfortably.  He is much happier now, and we appreciate your prayers for him.  We shared with his parents that God’s people were praying, and they thanked God for his quick recovery. 

The house churches continued, and the little group of children who come each week for a kids’ program—run at the same time—has grown in number, and the kids seem really interested. 

The mice really did play! We found rats in one of our kitchen cupboards upon our return, and when Spot, the cat, was shown the invaders she looked uninterested. Eventually she chased down a baby and took it to the bathroom, where she released it.  Wanted: one Cat!

Back and into it.  

We return to a full program and are grateful for the rest we had during our vacation.  Larry has a big load in schools. Jan has reduced her teaching so she can work with Frances. We are both involved in encouraging the house churches with leadership development and teaching, and are providing leadership for the children’s church.  At the end of this month we get to prepare our budgets for the coming year.  As we do this we are reminded of the great team we have working with us and supporting us with financial gifts and prayers.  As God supplies our needs we pray that your needs are met too.

Yours in Christ’s Love,

Jan and Larry

Prayer points
• Praise God for Name’s completed dental treatment—and that he didn’t require a general anesthetic.
• Praise God for Frances and Diane who have given of their time and resources to be with us here.
• Pray for Frances as she helps folk here in a very different work environment.  Pray, too, that as we visit with Frances we will have opportunities to share Jesus’ concern and care with the patients and their families. 
• Praise God that the hospital has hired a physiotherapist.  Golf is on a short-term contract, and we pray that his worth will be seen and the hospital will be able to continue the program.
• Pray for the house churches, that they will grow in their understanding of Jesus and their ability to teach one another.  Praise God for the kids who come to children’s church, and pray that they will meet with Jesus in an unforgettable way.
• Praise God for a good, restful vacation and the time with family.  Pray for us as we juggle our schedules and time.

Things happening soon:
August 3-7 Visit from head office staff
August 16-19 Team meeting in Chiang Mai   
August  21, 23 Meetings in Bangkok