Monday Morning, October 29th

It was a weekend of good-byes and hellos.  After a traveling /border crossing day on Saturday, we have united with the Northshore Baptist group and are resettled in Pattaya, Thailand.

We left Siem Reap, Cambodia, at 7:30 am Saturday, saying good-bye to Anna and Joan.  They left later in the day for a flight to Korea and on home to Seattle.  (We miss you Joan and Anna.)  It was sad also leaving people and ministry in Cambodia where we had been so blessed by missionaries, faithful workers, home churches, guides and even drivers.  How we love the Camobdian people!

The next good-byes were with Sayha, his wife Chav and baby Lois who met us at the border and turned us over to a guide to get us through the border crossing maze.  We provided entertainment for local people waiting in the hot sun with our peculiar foreign ways: Rich's folding stool and harmonica, our hats and heights, and a musical instrument (Tro) wrapped up like a baby in Robyn's arms.  :)  Thankfully, God sent an official to open a new line and call us as his first 'customers.'  The New York taxi style driver then got us to our hotel in record breaking time.

How great to meet up with Marcia (a co-grandma of 3 of our grandsons) and her 4 co-workers we've been praying for during their trip preparation and ministry here!  During some meals and outings together we've gotten a glimpse of ways God has answered our prayers.  They've had amazing opportunities to touch lives of women caught up in sex trafficking here. 

Yesterday morning, the five of our team who remain here prayer walked at the beach for the women and men still enslaved by Satan in this very dark city.

Then early afternoon, we met a couple women who've been saved and come out of that industry.  We were privileged to buy crocheted items from one of them who is trying to support herself now in this new way. Please pray for Pooh.

Yesterday's mid-afternoon worship, sermon and fellowship with some of those women, and some called to minister to them, was fantastic.  They met in a conference room of a hotel near ours.  The Samuels family was the guest pastor, interpreter and worship team.  We were captivated by Bill's testimony, stories and perspective on John 8:1-11.  Those verses plus verse 12 were ones God had already led me to use in devotions I will lead next time.

(I will come back and finish later as we are going to go pray with Marcia's team that is now about to leave for ministry up north.)

Pastor Bill's perspective helped me focus on God's mercy to ALL of us sinners and was also an amazingly relevant message for the  Thai congregation.  None of us can boast in our own goodnes but in the fact that we can reach relationship with God only with His help.  It's by His grace we're saved and by grace we continue to live the life He calls us to.  We ALL need to speak and act the same way Jesus did to that woman in John 8.  (James 2:12-13)

After the service, we had the privilege of meeting and praying with many, including several women who are newly experiencing freedom in Christ and others who are just now hearing about it.  Pray for Wee raising 2 daughters here alone, for Tom needing a job, for Nu Deang learning to walk daily with Jesus, for Pooh following God's call to get a visa and money to share her story in America, for Pam who needs to know his creator, and for the Samuels children to have joy in leading worship.

There is little true joy here in Thailand.  Having just returned from Cambodia, we are more aware of the heavy spiritual darkness here.  In Cambodia, life is more difficult economically, but we saw the Light overcoming the darkness more vividly there.  Our main focus here is prayer.  We will leave again right now to go pray for God's light to break through this darkness.  Please join us in praying for that.