The first week of April, we held our yearly Bible English Camp. I developed this program several years ago, and it runs similar to a VBS, with an English focus. This year, we did 4 days and had 50 students ranging from 1st – 7th grades. These students came from our two church plants, our language school, and the community. Each day, the students rotated through stations for English Vocabulary, English Conversation, and Arts & Crafts. Bro. Tan, a young man who has grown up in our ministry and who has now been on our staff for a number of years, taught the Bible time. He did a brilliant job teaching through the life of Joseph and relating it to Jesus and salvation. His main points were (1) Don’t be jealous. (2) Keep doing right. (3) Keep trusting God in the difficult times. (4) Give forgiveness. We had 30 older teens and adults from our staff and church family who helped run the camp. What a blessing it was to serve the Lord together. On the last day of camp, the parents were invited to attend an awards ceremony, where the students demonstrated some of the things they had learned and received their rewards for the different competitions we ran throughout the week. At the end, a clear presentation of the Gospel was given. One young girl, Sarah, had been invited to church many times, but her father wouldn’t allow her to go. He agreed she could come to camp, and Sarah heard the Gospel for the first time. A set of three siblings from the community who attended camp have started taking English classes at our language school. We trust the Lord will continue to use this evangelistic tool to reach more children and families.
Every year for the past several years, Evelyse and I have taken a “family” vacation with two widows from our church and their two granddaughters each, who are in my Heavenly Treasures Orphan Project. I wanted to go somewhere quiet, that was private with a pool and that was near a beach where the kids could play, the grandmas could relax, and I could finish writing my book. The Lord helped me find a wonderful oasis that fit the bill perfectly. Each day was just so lovely, and we had the beach all to ourselves. My favorite time, though, was our morning time together after breakfast where we read the Bible, sang praises, and thanked the Lord together for His faithfulness to us for another year. What a joy it was to encourage ourselves in the Lord and the fact that He is husband and father to the widows and fatherless. It has been a joy to see Jip, Jang, Ben, and Bua grow up over the years. On our vacation, we were able to see two people saved: a teenage girl named Guitar (green shirt) and our housekeeper.
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of meeting a brand-new missionary to Thailand. Katrina and her husband and their three children arrived here just a couple of months ago. They are working in a church in the town just north of us. We had a lovely afternoon letting our children have a play date and just getting to know each other. The last Sunday of April, we had visitors from a church in Chiang Mai. Alan and Joan Eubank are both in their 90s and have served as missionaries for the past 63 years! Having just completed 16 years here in Thailand myself, both of these families were a great encouragement to me. Praise the Lord for faithful servants! Thailand needs more people who will give their lives to share the Gospel with the Thai people.
Serving the Master joyfully,
Shari House
