We
apologize for not having updated this blog for some time because we have been
traveling around the USA for the past three months visiting friends and
churches. God has always been wonderful to us! We met almost every one of our
old friends and also made new friends. Praise the Lord! Yes in Christ, we are
one in God’s family. We always treasure our relationships deep in our hearts:
we cherish each meal that we have, each story that we share, each joy and
laughter that bursts out when we meet and each tear when we depart. All have
been stored in our minds. Every place we had been and every person we had met,
everyone made our day worth to give thanks and glory to God. We couldn’t count
His blessing each time that we meet each one of you. It’s beyond our
imagination and understanding. We hope that not only we received, but you also
received God’s blessings through our visit. We pray that we were God’s channel
to every one of you during our visit.
We
also thank God for opening doors for our family to serve some of you, particularly
a Thai Christian church in Sacramento, where we spent most of our March,
teaching and discussing the Scripture. Sometimes, we turned on a messenging app
on a phone so that some of the Thai people from other towns, cities, or even
states would be able to hear and study with us. We keep continuing to pray to
our living God that His Word that we sow among them will grow abundantly among
themselves and be extended to many people around them.
In
addition, it was a time of blessing for our son, John, to be able to fly out to
Sacramento and spend his spring break with us. He brought honor to his parents
and joy to his younger brother, Isaac. His academic and ministerial enthusiasm
goes beyond his age. His mission mind has not shattered and his preaching gift
has improved tremendously. As parents, we felt bad that we flew over 8,000
miles but we couldn’t make a visit to see his college and dorm (his second
home). It is a shame that we couldn’t make it but, if the Lord is willing, one
day we will be able to visit his school.
As
you may have known, March-May was summer for us. It’s a summer break for Isaac
and in fact one of the best summers for him. He told us that his dream came
true when he was playing with snow at Lake Tahoe, hiking at Yosemite in
California and swimming in the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii. However, having new
friends and eating new kinds of food were the highlights of his summer.
During
the USA visit, Nick, Becky and their Grandma held down the fort in Thailand.
They took care of all the chores. Praise the Lord, they also managed to get the
rice fields harvested with the help of the neighbors before the rainy season
arrived. While Stephen, Mary and Isaac were in the States, several leaders from
China even came to Thailand, and Nick and Becky hosted them at our house. It
had been 3 months but praise God, there were no problems at our house. We still
were able to do ministry even with the families separated. God is everywhere
and He has blessed the family members that went to the States and those that
remained at home.
Now
we are back on the mission field. The family is doing well. Everyone is glad to
see each other again. After hosting a group of Christian leaders from China,
it’s time for Stephen to make another quick mission trip to Kachin State,
Myanmar to provide the basic needs for an orphanage and to help distribute food
for refugees in Danai (near the border between Myanmar and India). The
orphanage is located at the heart of the battlefields in Kachin state. We have
20 orphans, most of them are lost/separated from their parents because of the
continuing war. The school year has started and most of these kids do not even have
their school uniforms. They are starving for food. Please pray safety for
Stephen and so that God’s light and love will shine on the people in this dark times.
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| visiting church at village with Christian leaders from China |
Finally,
our gratitude goes to those who opened their houses for us to stay: the Larick
in Sacramento, the Pace in Honolulu, the Thornsbrough in West Lebanon, the
Siltman in Atlanta, the Bright in Wooster, the Neuberts in Johnson City, the
Robison in Morgantown and the Thunyakij in Los Angeles. Thanks also the
Hammonds for driving 12 hours (back and forth) to see and support us, the
Thornsbrough for driving 10 hours (back and forth) for us from Illinois to
Ohio, the Neuberts for driving us from Tennessee to Kentucky, the Robison from
Morgantown to Nashville and the Larick who served as our family driver the
whole time we stayed in Sacramento and driving for us to visit Lake Tahoe,
Yosemite and a Thai church in Los Angeles. Thanks to all the church family and
friends who warmly hosted us and allowing us to share our ministry in Southeast
Asia and China. May our living God bless you!
Also,
John has been wanting to highlight some of his adventures this summer at his
internship at Adventure Christian Church. He says, “It was a phenomenal experience.
I have been able to experience new opportunities and gain new friendships in
McMinnville, Oregon!” John is currently serving as the intern under the lead
minister, Erik Neilson. He is also working in all aspects of the church
including the youth, the children, and small group. If you would like to read
more on his adventures please visit the link provided:
https://johnnywongy.blogspot.com/
