A God Moment
We’ve always been told that a God Moment is a personal experience that is a sign that God is at work in your life. There have been so many times during this ministry that God has given us moments that show us that He is totally in control of what is happening. One of those moments happened for us while traveling to Texas last week for an anniversary trip.
We planned a week in Waco just relaxing and seeing local sites. A few days before we left it dawned on us that Bruce and Jeanette Black with The Flow Foundation lived somewhere in Texas. The Flow Foundation is the organization that now funds all of our evangelists in Thailand. We know Texas is big, but we thought we would find out if the Blacks lived close to Waco so we could meet them face-to-face for the first time. They live about 70 miles from Waco, and an evening was planned during our time there.
We met them at a local restaurant and spent 2 1/2 hours getting to know one another. The conversation just never slowed down, and we found we had a lot in common. They have a child who lives in Seattle, and we do too. Jeanette was an educator for years just like Donella. Jeanette’s home church growing up was Arlington Church of Christ which was the church we attended any time we were visiting our younger daughter and her husband in Virginia. The connections were amazing and something only God could orchestrate.
Thank you Bruce and Jeanette for spending time with us, and thank you to Dave Shaner for making the initial connection possible. God is SO good!
Securing LaMu Nai Church Property
While the Gethsemane children were on school break, Titus took the opportunity to take fencing supplies to LaMu Nai village to help them build a fence around the church property. It seems that some villagers were ignoring the existing wooden posts and using the church’s land for themselves. From the pictures Titus sent us of them clearing the land, we could see that some of the old wooden posts were still visible. A barbed wire fence using concrete posts makes up most of the new fence. Chain link fencing was used in the area close to the church where the children would be playing soccer and volleyball.
Back to School
The school year in Thailand runs from the middle of May to the middle of March. Many times during their break, some of the children at Gethsemane Home will return to their home villages to visit grandparents or other family members. All of the children returned to Gethsemane Home by the first of May to begin the new year. This will be Wanchai’s senior year of high school. He’s been with us from the beginning.
We have two new children at the home, and sponsors have already been secured. Paeng is a 12 year old girl from Omkoi and is in the 7th grade. Her mom died when she was 8 years old, and her father is very ill. She had been staying with her older sister who has two children of her own. Turn is a 4 year old boy from Mae Hong Son and in Kindergarten. His father died, and Turn has been living with his uncle. We’re excited to have both of them at Gethsemane Home!
Mission House Update
We are excited to share that construction on the mission house began on May 22nd. This is earlier than we expected them to start. Work began by laying out the foundation to make sure the floor will be level and digging holes for the support posts. After concrete was poured to make the foundation, they filled it with 30 small truck loads of dirt. By the middle of June, they were ready to pour the floor. At the writing of this newsletter, iron has been welded into place for the roof and they have started laying the block walls. Even though we have had to hire people to help with the building, it has been great to see the staff step in when they’re available. We’re excited to see the finished project when we return in January!
Upcoming Fundraising Events
We want to thank everyone who purchased geraniums the first of May. All 416 were sold within a few days after delivery! This was the tenth year for this fundraiser, and our customer base continues to grow. What a blessing! Soon we will be taking pre-orders for our mums fundraiser. We will have orange fusion, yellow, red, and purple colors available again this year. They will be delivered after Labor Day.
We plan to hold several Pop-up Shops in our home the remainder of this year. We’ll have a booth at the Christmas in July event at St. Gregory’s School on Saturday, July 20th. We are also in the process of planning a Christmas in July event at our home with dates to be announced soon. The Christmas Craft Fair at the Maryville Community Center will also be on our calendar. You can follow our Wonderfully Made Facebook page to be informed of these events and
future pop-up dates.
Plans have also begun for the 8th Annual Christmas Homes Tour to be held on Sunday, December 8th. This is always a fun day for everyone who attends! There is also a Christmas Homes Tour Facebook page you can follow as we begin to share information about this year’s tour.
Proceeds from all of these fundraisers are applied to our educational fund. This money is used to pay tuition for children at Gethsemane Home that choose to attend university or a technical school, high school tuition, and so much more. We hope to see you at one of these events and appreciate your continued support
