Greetings from Mae Hong Son, Thailand,
Dave, Boun and I have had a week full of blessings. The students and leaders at the school have been very gracious and receptive to our ministry. Boun has counseled with and instructed the final year students (about 15) who will graduate in May and then return to their native villages in Burma as missionaries. Dave and I witnessed to the “younger” students (18 yrs +) teaching the importance of attitudes and how attitudes impact life decisions and consequences. They were especially receptive to what the Bible has to say about God’s advice and expectations for Christians. We also taught a course in basis first aid which reinforced the actions they already practiced, provided instructions for additional procedures and explained why certain actions are recommended. We left information on the importance of basic hygiene to prevent illness and our responsibility for the care of our bodies as God’s temples.
We had only a total of about 30 students this year whereas on previous trips we worked with approximately 90+ students. We therefore were able to have more one on one contact with the students, elicit more discussion with them in class and answer questions they had about our selves, our families and our lives as Christians in the US.
We delayed our departure from Mae Hong Son one day so that we could visit the “tourist attractions” in the provence. On previous trips we had returned to the hotel hot and too exhausted to do anything other than turn on the air conditioning, shower and sleep before supper and bed. With fewer students and cooler weather we had enough energy to “sightsee.”
Tomorrow we return to Chaing Mai, a six hour minivan trip along the curviest road in the world (!). Dave and I also plan to stay several days longer in Asia to explore, Boun will visit family and friends in the area and then we will return to San Antonio.
Meanwhile we are grateful for the internet to help us keep up with the election news. We encourage you to pray for our country, and world, during these unsettled and perilous days. Whatever our individual political preferences we need God’s guidance, protection and strength.
With deep gratitude for sisters in Christ,
Carrie
This is a picture of the students Dave and I taught. This day they wore traditional dress of their ethnic group. The woman sitting with Dave and I is a director of the school and our interpreter.