Dear Friends,

The last time I wrote, it was the hot season here in Thailand.  Well, less than two months later, our family traveled to the United States to visit many of you.  And believe it or not, it was hotter in Midwestern America than here!

It was kind of an interesting change to arrive back home to Chiang Rai two days ago to the wet soggy monsoons of Thailand, complete with dozens of baby frogs in our kitchen, mold, and damp clothes, when only days before we were sweltering in the dry heat of Indiana and Illinois.

This trip to the US was very good.  Knowing that it would be our last time as a family of five, since our oldest, Alisa, is starting college in California this Fall, we decided to tie in a trip to an MMF* partner agency located in London with a visit to Germany and some neighboring countries.  Being missionaries, we mostly stayed with friends.  One of our highlights was to stay several days at the farm of our friends Silke and A Baw who live near Frankfurt, Germany.  Guess what.  It wasn't hot at all.  In fact, it was much cooler than we are used to.  A Baw is an Akha from Chiang Rai and represents just one more highly capable ethnic minority person from the Mekong sub-region.  He successfully completed a doctorate only four years after arriving in that country.  I couldn't do it in 20.  He now works for the German government's foreign aid agency, GTZ.  Here is a man from the mountains of Southeast Asia who loves Jesus and is able to bring a witness back to the country where the Protestant movement has its roots and where the church has been in steady decline for some time.  God works in incredible ways.

I have been told that my newsletters are good, but too long.  (Just like when I talk!)  So let me wrap up just by saying “thank you so much” to all our friends and supporters for hosting us and for continuing to make our service overseas possible. 

Blessings,

Scott and Tan Coats

Chiang Rai, Thailand