Thailand | Prayer requests September 2013

Greetings from Thailand.

Sometimes it is hard to know where to begin. Our week started with our combined group prayer meeting in Kuseman this month on Monday.

Mr Boonta could not go with us this week because his wife was in the hospital and we have asked for those of you to pray for her and the family.  Porn’s mother died recently after a long, long illness, they have a quadriplegic daughter, and Mr Boonta has two of his church member who are sick. One looks like terminal cancer  – Mr. Peng – and his wife recently almost electrocuted herself and in the process burned one arm with boiling water.  Please pray for Mr. Boonta and his family. We have been visiting the hospital every day.

From prayer group Maeo and I traveled to Sakon Nakon for medical checks and medicine on Tuesday. Praise God the doctor said everything was doing okay for both of us.

Most of the rest of the week was spent visiting the hospital getting ready for English Camp and preparing for Sunday.

It is amazing on how fast things can change. As the sentence above was finished being typed, I received a phone call that Mr. Peng died this morning. From what I can find out, his wife made a quick trip to the market and when she came back he was dead. So, the rest of Sep 16 was spent assisting in getting ready for the funeral which will take place on September 18.

As we met with Mr. Boonta before going to Laobada we also received the news that his wife, Porn, will probably be completely bed ridden for at least the next 6 months and that she will not be able to stay at the hospital but be moved home. In Thailand there is no home healthcare so Mr Boonta will have to accept the responsibility of caregiver for both wife and daughter, homemaker for both, cook for both – he does not cook – and everything else. The good part is that it will all be at home and he will not have to run back and forth to the hospital. In our Thai hospital here all routine care is provided by relatives.  This also means, however, that Mr. Boonta will have no income for at least 6 months. It also means that at this point it looks as though the church at Laobada will close. Christian Mission is arranging for transportation for the three remaining members and any others that wish to come to Sunday services at the Christian Mission.

Prayer points for this email:

• Pray for Mr. Peng’s family, especially his wife who is the only Christian in her family and constantly in tension with her children who are not happy with her choice and wish her to return to Buddhism.
• Pray for Boonta, his daughter, and his wife for strength and peace through these trying times. Pray that God will provide the funding needed for the family during this period. Originally Mr Boonta was going to assist in preaching at the Christian Mission to help relieve my workload; at this point we don’t know if that will be possible or not. Pray that a caregiver can be found to help Mr. Boonta at home part time to give him some relief. Pray, praise and thank God that he has helped Bow to remain strong during all of this and not become an extra burden on Boonta.

Satan is alive and well in this part of Thailand and is not happy at all with what is going on. We see evidence of his being desperate in activities on a daily basis around us. Only through the power of God and your prayers do we keep going and are able to keep going. Thank you for your continued support and prayers in particular.

God Bless, John and Maeo