I must admit as I sit down to write, I am at a loss for “exciting stories” to share, but I guess that’s okay.  Life in the mission field isn’t always filled with answers to prayer, dramatic miracles, and providential circumstances, so rather than attempting to manufacture something that isn’t really there, I will simply give you a run-down of what has been going in our world over the past couple of weeks.

We are still very busy at language school; Cindi and I are both now attending a school that takes a more natural approach to language learning, meaning that we focus more on listening and understanding than on speaking.  I can tell that my comprehension is getting better, and that I am frequently hearing Thai phrases in my mind; each day the language starts to “click” a little bit more, and we are both sensing that we are making progress.  It looks like very shortly we will begin a basic writing course, which will add more depth to our learning experience.

We are continuing to stay busy in ministry, and are finding that the Lord is always opening up new ways for us to be involved.  For example two weeks ago I was asked to preach at a Filipino Church plant just outside of Bangkok, it was my first opportunity to preach since arriving in Thailand, I was able to share part of my testimony, and overall felt like the church received the message well.  The same week I preached, Cindi was able to visit a different church plant, a Pakistani church, with the women’s ministry group from the local SDA Thai church.  Last week at school, I was able to share a piece of literature, “The Great Hope,” an extract from the book “The Great Controversy,” with one of my classmates.  She was going to be leaving to go back to New Zealand to see her father who has cancer, and was very thankful for the book; she said she would read it on the plane!  Please keep her and her family in your prayers during this difficult time.  We are also continuing to have Bible studies with our friend June, and I am still meeting with the Korean SDA youth group for Bible studies on Sabbath afternoons.

Another way that the Lord has given us opportunity to serve is through our home.  The house that we are staying in is located on the campus of the Thailand Adventist Mission, and has three bedrooms, which makes it very easy for us to host guests.  In the last four months, we have had almost ten different families stay with us on their way through Bangkok; in just the last two weeks, we have had already had three.  It has been fun having company, and we count it a privilege to be in the situation that we are in to be able to bless our guests. 

On another note, almost four weeks ago we are able to go to the AFM Asia retreat which was held in Korat, Thailand.  About 20 AFM families were in attendance along with six AFM staff and a few other guests.  We enjoyed ten days of fellowship and meetings with our fellow colleagues, and were greatly encouraged and inspired by their stories.  We feel blessed to be part of such a wonderful family of missionaries!  Once again, we appreciate each and every one of you, please do let us know how we can pray for you, may the Lord bless you all! 

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