Mother's Day

Above Right: Mone and Mai Below: Nee, Nai, Newt, Mone

Mother's Day in August, you say? Yes, here in Thailand, Mother's Day is August 12th because the Queen's birthday is August 12th. Every year at Mother's Day the girls get very sad because they want to go home and see their mothers, but because Mother's Day usually falls on a school day and school is only closed one day, we usually don't let the girls go home. So, this year we decided to do something special. We took the girls out to a special restaurant about an hour away from that specializes in sea food. We didn't tell the girls ahead of time where we were going because we wanted to surprise them. And what a surprise it was! They kept asking where we were going and I kept telling them we were going to drop them off across the Mekong River in Laos and let them swim back. :-) We had a great time eating and fellowshipping. After dinner, Kia asked everyone to share about their mother. As each girl shared in turn, many of them were crying. Mone and Newt, sisters and both new this year refused to share. Mone was crying so hard she couldn't speak. When at last Mone calmed down, she started sharing about her parents' divorce when she was 1st grade. (Divorce rarely happens in Hmong society because the women have no where to go when they get divorced, most of them have no education and most are afraid of losing their children to their husband.) Mone's mother is now remarried and living in the same village and refuses to speak or acknowledge Mone or her sisters. What was so special about this is that it was the first time that Mone has ever opened up about her feelings. We prayed for her and I believe this is the beginning of healing in her life. Newt absolutely refused to share at all. She doesn't remember the divorce, but feels unloved and there are all sorts of inappropriate attention getting behaviors in her life. Please continue to pray for both girls, that they would know and understand the height, length, depth and width of God's love for them.

Nee teaching children at Muankan Village

Left: Kung holding a baby in Muankan Village

Kia sharing with Pawn, a believer in Muankan Village

Left: Nai teaching Bible on Sunday morning

Right: Mai, Tong, Peace, Pin, Sai, Newt, Mone and Qia who accepted the Lord.

This last Sunday the 23rd was a blessed day. We had been praying for many of the new students that are living at the hostel with us this year. 3 new girls and 5 new boys. When they come from the village, there is quite an adjustment to the strict routine of getting up early, having group devotions, doing chores, having mandatory homework time in the evening, etc. Not to mention the fact that they study English (which I teach) every day on top of all that. So, we pray for their adjustment, but most of all, we pray that God will get ahold of their hearts. This was our heart's cry. If you look on the outside, as man looks, it was virutally impossible that these hard hearts could become soft.

This last Sunday, as Nai, our Bible student intern was sharing from the Word, her topic was sharing the gospel. As she neared the close of her teaching, she started to cry and said that unless we were pricked by God's love in our hearts, we would never share the gospel, but if we really understood God's love for us, then we would be compelled to share and it would come naturally and we wouldn't have to be afraid of rejection. When she sat down, Pastor Somboon gave an invitation for those who had never accepted the Lord to accept Jesus as their Savior. All 3 of the new girls, Mone, Newt and Peace as well 3 of the new boys, Sai, Tong and Mai gave their lives to the Lord. Also, two other children who were there, Pin and Qia also prayed. Please pray for all 8 of these students, that they would stay strong in their faith.

That afternoon, we took the girls, as well 2 of the boys, Chai and Sai to Muankan Village to do a children's club. There are now about 50+ children who come to the club, so we divide up into 3 groups, with all of my girls, plus the 2 boys teaching. Nai coordinates and Kia, our regular staff member who takes care of the girls at the girls house teaches a small group of adult believers. And what do I do? I'm the photographer, advice giver and prayer warrior. There is a spiritual hunger in these children, so please pray that they would meet Jesus as their Savior.

Pla gathering seeds.

Left: Chai and Nee trying to figure out what kind of tree

Right: Hone, Kua, Nee, Chai and Pla

Is this fun or what???

This past weekend we had a great time of exploring God's creation and teaching children.

Saturday we took the students, both boys and girls (14) to Phu Sang Waterfall, about an hour and a half from here. The water flows from a hot spring about a kilometer away from the waterfall. The warm water then falls into a pool of cool, clear water. It's absolutely gorgeous and the only natural place that I have ever been to where warm and cool water mix together. The greatest thing is to stand under the water and let the falling water massage tight back and neck muscles. Kia and I stood under the waterfall for long periods of time, and Mae, one of the girls said it looked like someone had made us go stand in a corner as punishment because we just stood there not doing or saying anything. We also walked a 2 kilometer nature walk around the waterfall examining different flora and fauna. With our great Hmong staff there is no need to read signs - they already know what plant is what and which plants are good headache and stomachache remedies. They were teaching the students as well as me. It was a HUGE blessing just to get away from the everyday grind of studying and teaching to get out and explore God's creation.

Sunday afternoon we went to Muankan Village, a Hmong village about 30 minutes from here. We go twice a month to do a Bible club with the children in the village. This time Nai (Bible student intern) taught and the girls helped lead games. Each of the girls will get a chance to teach, lead games, teach songs, etc. There is no church in this village, but there are about 4 or 5 believers. Please notice the string tied around the wrists and ankles of the children in the photos below. The strings are there to ward off evil spirits. They are worn day and night and never come off. Kia (staff member working with the girls) teaches the 4 or 5 adults who come, while Nai and the girls teach the children. Please pray for the believers in this village, that they would stand firm in their faith and grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. Pray especially for Pawn, who is raising two small sons on her own. It was Pawn who had started the children's work last year and we come alongside to help.