Love You Dad
My dad passed away peacefully on August 16th. He was ready to be home. He was dedicated to our Lord during his 93 years of life. He was the example in my life that made it very easy for me to understand the love of our Heavenly Father.
Dad and Marilyn, his wife, were our first visitors to Thailand in 2012. After being there for seven months without any visitors, it was so good to see them. Dad had also supported the ministry since its beginning by first sponsoring Samuel, Titus and Newa’s son, until he finished university. He then continued to support the ministry until his passing. He truly loved our family in Thailand.
There are plans in the works for a facility to be built in his memory. More details will be coming at a later date. Dad, I love you with all my heart and will some day see you again.
Donella
Changing Lives
Moses and Yuri have been keeping the boys living with them busy since their arrival in May. Every Monday through Thursday after the boys finish their homework, they spend time reading the Bible. They also write down the verses to help practice their Thai. They recently finished the book of John. On Fridays, Juti, who lived with Moses and Yuri several years ago, comes to the home to help the boys with their math.
The boys usually attend Antioch for church, but on a few occasions they will go with Moses and Yuri to Huai Pong for worship. One of the boys living with Moses and Yuri, whose name is Anan, is from Huai Pong so the children from the village like to see him when they visit. The last time Moses and Yuri took the boys to church at Huai Pong, Anan and the other boys sang a special, and he also recited a memory verse. The boys in the village were very impressed with all that he is learning, and now some of them want to come live with Moses and Yuri. Many lives are being touched.
LaMu Nai Church History
What do you know about how your church began? As for the church at LaMu Nai, I asked this question of Zacchaeus since he has been wanting to build a fence around the property for several years. In a recent video chat including Zacchaeus and Judah, they tried to recall the timeframe of the beginnings of the church.
It seems that about 20 years ago some men were arguing over the land in the area and one of them was killed. The villagers believed evil spirits were responsible and that the land was now cursed. Four years later Zacchaeus went to the headman and asked if he could have the land to build a church. The headman agreed, and Zacchaeus was given 10 rai (4 acres) of land. As the land was cleared, wooden posts were made into a fence to mark the property. A year later, with the support of Christians from Korea, Judah helped build the church. Since that time some of the land has been taken to build a new school. As the wooden post deteriorated, others have encroached on the property leaving only about 3 rai of land left. Under the Son Ministries has agreed to purchase enough concrete post and barbed wire to build a new fence.
Upcoming Fundraising Events
We are gearing up for a very busy November ending with our Christmas Homes Tour on Sunday, December 3rd. Proceeds from all of these events are used to support our Under the Son Ministries Educational Fund.
Our Pop-up Shop in our home will be open on Thursdays from October 12th through November 16th from 1 to 7 pm each of those days. The Christmas Craft and Vendor Fair at the Community Center in Maryville will be held on Saturday, November 11th. We will be at Christmas in November at North Andrew on Saturday, November 18th. Our last fair of the season will be the Worth County Holiday Bazaar in Grant City on Saturday, December 2nd. The 7th Annual Christmas Homes Tour will take place on Sunday, December 3rd. Tickets will be available the first of November. We hope you can join us at each of these events.
Na Khrai Church Nears Completion
During the process of building the church in Na Khrai, we have received many pictures of their progress. As interesting as each step is, the most intriguing was the design of the ceiling. I’m sure many of you have seen tray ceilings before. I was impressed with this one because it demonstrates how much thought Simeon and the congregation put into what they wanted in the construction of the church. There are still a few things to do before they can consider the building complete. They want to extend the concrete out about one meter all around the outside of the building. Under the Son Ministries will also purchase between 50 to 75 plastic chairs. This church will be dedicated when we return to Thailand in January.
Gethsemane Home Update
The children at Gethsemane are doing well. Because their school year started in late May, they will have a two week break in October. They will have testing during the week of October 9th and start their break on October 13th. Titus and Moses have made plans to hold a youth camp for the children from October 13-15 at Antioch Church. This will include the children from Gethsemane Home, the boys living with Moses and Yuri, and children from other villages. Many of these children may have never heard the Gospel. There will be Bible training, worship, and games during the three-day camp. We ask that you be in prayer for this camp and for the young lives it will impact.
