April 2006,
Dear Partners in Ministry,
Greetings from Ban Luang! Summer is here. School is finished.
Hannah and Fran left us with a rush, after being joined by two friends, we all worked together and did a day English program in 3 local schools. They were successful and both teachers and students raved about it.
To say thank you for all their hard work we took them all back to Chiang Mai via a camp out and a light-duty rafting trip. Much fun was had by all.
Disaster in Ban Luang. A local festival turned into a disaster as over 200 people have been hospitalized from eating bamboo shoots. Gratefully we were too busy to attend the festival and personally have escaped from a form of botulism that is used in germ warfare. Over a week later people affected have only gone into hospital – no-one has come out. Although there have been no deaths, there are certainly going to be a large number of families who will be affected in the long term as it is expected that a number of people are going to be permanently disabled as a result. We will be looking at ways that we can minister to families when they eventually are released from hospital.
We continue to be involved with the new believers at Ban Sra, Muana and Villy are having daily on going contact and our involvement is preparing lessons for the formal weekly meeting. The challenge is to be concise and have one main teaching point per week. The temptation is to tell them everything in one session.
With the end of the teaching season comes an opportunity to get out with neighbors in their fields.
Thank you, for your continued involvement with us here. May you all know the blessing of His presence with you.
Yours in His kingdom,
Larry and Jan
Prayer points
Wisdom in finding a way to minister to people affected by botulism poisoning.
For Fran, Hannah, Emma and Hannah B as they travel back to the UK April 4 and resettle to live there.
For Jan Trail as she is ministering Currently in Chiang Mai and as she moves here later in April. We hope to finish the summer break with a couple of English camps.
Pray for us as we make the trips to Chiang Mai for the TBMF revamping for both safety in travel and wisdom.
Pray for the new believers in Ban Sra as family and neighbors are looking closely at what following Jesus is “doing to them and their involvement in the community”. Pray that following Jesus will be seen as positive in the community and that many more would be drawn to Him.
Give thanks with us as we travel back to Payameng Rai on Easter Sunday for a number of Baptisms.