\Aunt N. was wheeled in to see me a month ago.  She had severe Rheumatoid arthritis which had steadily worsened over the years despite treatment at several different hospitals.  She was in misery with severe pain in virtually all her joints.  She couldn’t  walk, couldn’t stand, couldn’t dress herself.  She was miserable.  Yesterday, she nearly ran in to the clinic for her follow up appointment and to tell us what God had done for her.

    The night after she saw us at the clinic, while lying in her bed late at night, a bearded man with a cross appeared to her.  She said, “I was confused that a Christian would come to see me because I was Buddhist.  I thought he might be an important Christian person, but I didn’t recognize him so I asked, ‘Who are you?’  The man answered simply, ‘Dad.’  The man said to her, ‘Get up, take your medicine from the Christians, and you will be healed.’  Then he led me by the hand out of bed and walked me over to the table where your medicine was.  I took the medicine and the next morning I was so excited to tell my family what had happened.  I told them that they could do what they wanted, but I was going to follow the Christian God.”

     We made Aunt N. retell her story for us over and over again as all our staff wanted to hear her tell her wonderful news.  Then we made her retell her testimony for DP who was visiting us that day.  She was so excited by both her encounter with God and with how good she felt.  She said, “Look at me!  I can walk.  I can ride my motorcycle!  I can dress myself!   And Sunday I will come to worship God with you!”

     Please pray for Aunt N.  She lives in Klong Keuan, a district that has never had a church.  We have tried for years to start a work there – doing mobile clinics, holding English camps, and even going door to door to share the Gospel, but we have never had anyone come to Christ there – until now.  May the Lord use Aunt N.’s faith to begin His church in Klong Keuan! 

.... and Sunday she did come to church and worshiped the One True God!

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand." –Zechariah 4:10

     Baan Po, a place that has never had a church and where almost no one knows God. With an effort to change that we have been going out on Thursdays for the past few months  to knock on the doors and hearts of the people in Baan Po. We soon discovered, not surprisingly, that hardened hearts and blinded souls made up the people who populated this city. Week after week, door after door, no one has even shown a glimmer of interest. The same awkward laughs, crooked smiles, and annoyed greetings possessed everyone we met and talked with. Until today. Winding our way through the back roads and rice fields we stopped at a small cluster of houses. A man stood at his drink stand ready for us to order. We asked for some milk teas and told him why we were here. We came to tell him who the Creator of the universe was and how He could cleanse him of his sin. His expression was different from the dozens of blank faces we are usually met with. He told us how he tried to wash his sins away at the temple and he went every week to make merit but knew it was not enough. After a long conversation with Ratana he agreed to have us come back and teach him more every week. Ratana’s brother who was being shared with by our wonderful x-ray tech came over and joined our conversation. He agreed he wanted to know more and that he and his brother would meet with us to learn more.

            Oh how wonderful, how marvelous, how great the Lord is. It would be silly of us to not be elated in this small beginning. The Bible tells us the Lord rejoices in these small things. If our massively powerful God can take delight in these small beginnings, shouldn’t we too?

     Ratana and his brother live just down the road from the high school that is hosting a week of English camps led by our son Gary and 2 churches from Arizona.  Please pray for these two men and the students that we will be teaching from July 20-24^th.  Pray that the Lord will bless these small beginnings.