Christmas Greetings
Dear friends,
I should not really be sitting here at all, but should be jogging, biking or something to try to hold back the lard of Christmas snacking. We have our friends the Wongs with us here in Chiang Mai and, with the Olivers, keep finding excuses to have yet another cake, piece of Christmas chocolate, cheese, fudge etc.
Here are some snaps from the last few days, including a Christmas party at Ban San Fan Children’s home, and Christmas Lunch at The Duke’s.
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We are thoroughly enjoying a rest from school and are spending time with friends. The school is going from strength to strength, although there are some legal problems that have surfaced with regards to the moobahn, the housing area that the school is in. While relationships are generally excellent, it seems that a small number of the residents no longer welcome the school here and have found a legal loophole which may wrestle the school premises back into moobahn ownership. This may mean that the school relocates and new property is being looked for. Please pray for the relationship of the school with the residents as we look for ways to demonstrate the love of God to them.
We received an email this week from a family whose children we have taught and it is also addressed to you so here it is:
“Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, This Christmas we would like to send a special note of gratitude for the teachers and staff at Grace International School and those who support them.
“Our family moved from the USA to [closed country] to pioneer gospel work among an unreached people group in the summer of ’96 with three young children. As the work and our children grew, we sensed Chiang Mai was the best fit for both, and in summer of ’99 our kiddos joined those that formed up the new Grace International School of Chiang Mai. Since that time we are continually thankful to God for the committed teachers that have shown God’s love through GIS and into the community. The stability that the school community helped to provide allowed a base from which we travelled to back and forth to [closed country] to where now we are praising God for the many He has brought into His Kingdom through knowledge and love of His Son. Presently, this people group has reproducing small churches and the start of Bible translation in their language.
“Sometimes it may be hard to see how supporting a teacher of an international school can lead to Kingdom expansion, but this is just one of many examples where it has. The growth in God has occurred locally in Chiang Mai as well as to those in remote [closed country]. This June our oldest will graduate from GIS, well equipped both academically and spiritually and excited to pursue her dream of studying literature with the desire of one day teaching among international students. Thank you for your faithfulness to contribute as one among many in the body of Christ to the Praise and Glory of our Lord.”
There are so many great things that God is doing here that I want to encourage with some of them. Our church here recently coordinated an week-long outreach in Khon Kean, East Thailand, with local churches. When the week had finished there were over 800 people who had made new commitments to Christ. In addition there were a significant number of medically verified healings; the lame walked, the blind saw and the deaf heard for the first time. Local churches are discipling the new Christians and their families are coming along to find out what it is all about. God is on the move!
Closer to home we have had some wonderful testimonies from our own church here in Chiang Mai. Many of these have happened with residents from a village about 20km from here. One man, Joe, first tested positive for HIV 5 years ago and has 3 monthly tests to monitor the progression of the disease. After praying for him he was rather sceptical but then amazed when his subsequent test showed no HIV at all! Still doubting he went fearfully to his next 3 month test and found that he was still virus free. Praise God! A lady, YuanKun, had been suffering from cancer for several years and after prayer was certified cancer free by the hospital. To add to this she found, on her regular check-up two weeks later, that she was also free of HIV. Is anything too difficult for God? A third young man called Tondee has also been medically certified as HIV free after hospital tests. Several weeks ago, at out evening meeting, a man deaf and dumb from birth was prayed for and his hearing completely healed. We wait to see what God will do for him in the weeks and months ahead.
Back to school matters: Andrew will be visiting a large refugee camp from 1-3rd February with about 50 8th grade students. They will spend time with Karen children in a home attached to the Mae La camp at Mae Sot, the largest refugee camp in the world; about 5 hours drive south west of here. There are some 47,000 Burmese refugees there. We plan to play games, run sport and craft activities and worship with the children. Many have parents who have been killed or arrested by the Burmese regime.
We will miss the Wongs as they travel back to England. They have been a great encouragement to us here but I know that they have God’s hand on them as they move onto new things in the Arun area.
Have a great Christmas! We miss you and wish we were there….
With love, Andrew and Esther, Jacob, Luke, Mollie and Isaac.