John’s Blog | November 2011

Greetings from Nakhon Phanom and the Christian Mission. It is hard for us to believe over here that the month of November is almost gone and there is only one more month left in the old year.

Our prayer groups continue Monday-Friday at 7:00 am; although we have gone from 8 to four members. Bhun, a recent convert has decided to move back home. She has been unable to adapt to the discipline here at the Christian Mission so we ask for prayers for her. She has started missing English Classes also. Bee is with us every morning and Nun attends when she doesn’t have to get to school. We continue to see great results from our prayer meetings; but expect even more. Please pray that we will continue diligently and faithfully to met with God every morning.

We are attempting to get a singing group that can sing harmony. Dorothy, another missionary around here, is working with the girls and teaching them to read music. Because so much around here is based on oral language, kids cannot read music. The same problem exists in the schools when it comes to reading. Praise God, our group of 8 have read a combination of over 150 books this year. Some kind of record. Our slower group – of 5 students now, has read over 50 books in the last 4 months. Praise God and pray that it will keep going.

One of our interns, Surachai, and his wife decided they were going to return home and have left 4 months early on their contract. There were several problems, and this decision made by him was accepted by me gratefully. Our second intern, Wasunee, who we thought was going to leave, has returned and since Surachai has left is doing somewhat better. Please pray for both of them and that God will see fit to send us more interns next year.

John (me) was able to get a few days rest the week of November 7. Both Maeo and I had 5 days of physical therapy for our knees. Both of us had problems with the same knee, so we relaxed at the hospital for 2-3 hours every morning all week. Thanks and praise God for that.

Wednesday, November 9 we had the opportunity to visit 4-5 school we had never been to before. It was an enjoyable time and we will be looking for ways to help these schools. We now have over 60 schools that we are trying to help through the Christian Mission and the Thai, Lao, Cambodian Brotherhood. The Christian Mission currently is providing some kind of support for 7 students, in addition to the 9 students residing here. We ask for your prayers that God will continue to bless these activities. The Thai Lao Cambodia Brotherhood provides tuition support for 4 university students and another 15 high school students.  Pray that God will continue this program. TLCB recently increased their support by 6 students.

November 12 was our combined Youth group meeting. This month at Nong Khon Kaen Church – located about an hour and 15 minutes from the Christian Mission. We had 15 youth join about 80 others in a day of singing, praise, and fellowship.

November 19 was another English Camp. Our team of 9 spent all day at Tha Jam Bah Elementary School working with about 80 grade 4-6 students from 3 different schools. The goal is for these students to go back to their own schools and teach grades Kinder – 3. Pray for this activity. We now have a group of university students – English Majors who want to become teachers. I tutor them 2 days a week and in return, they will be doing one English Camp per month. Their first is November 26, so please pray for them. If it works, we will do two English camps a month instead of one.

Our monthly group prayer meeting will be at Laobada. This church is really out in the rice fields. There is no electricity and no water. The members are all over 60 and there are only about 6 or 7 of them. They have no youth. The pastor lives in  Pylom, which is about 40 km from the church. He has an invalid mother-in-law, a daughter of about 20 who is a quadriplegic and a wife who has severe medical problems also. Please add this family to your prayer lists.

December 2-4, 2011 we will be hosting the New Tribes annual meeting. We expect about 200 people will be with us for the three days. We don’t know yet how many people will be commuting and how many will be remaining here overnight. We have plans for them to sleep in the local nursery. Pray for that meeting that all goes well and we learn a lot. Thank God for providing a cow, chickens, ducks and fish who will be guests of honor on the dining tables during this period.

In addition to everything else going on in December, we have also scheduled two English Camps and we need to have the Christian Mission annual meeting. Please pray for this as we plan for next year.

Praise God also that on December 29 we will have 12 visitors for about three weeks. They will be coming from the US and New Zealand to help out here. Most of them will be involved in teaching English and a couple or so will be doing much needed repairs and sprucing up of the Christian Mission. Pray for safe travel for these folks.

A lot on your plate that we are asking for isn’t there. As I spend my time here, I am more and more convinced that if we are doing God’s will, nothing is impossible for him.  I have seen blessing after blessing over the past few years and I am firmly convinced that without the continued prayers of all of you, none of this would have been possible. As we come to the close of 2011, I am looking forward to 2012 as the best year ever for the Christian Mission.

Thank you and God Bless. Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed Christian season as we remember the real reason for Christmas. John, Maeo and The Christian Mission folks

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