During 8th Century B.C., the tribe of Judah saw, with their
own eyes, the Assyrian army destroying Israel’s capital, Samaria, and carrying
away her citizens into exile. They had heard the defeat of Egypt and the
destruction of Ashdod and the ruthless attack on numerous cities in Judah by
the Assyrian army. Under much stress and facing such terrifying enemies, God’s
prophet Isaiah called his readers to keep waiting and trusting in the Holy One
of Israel. At last, they met their adversaries; the people of Jerusalem were
caged in the city as the massive Assyrian army surrounded them and were ready
to attack. With the threat of exile and death, the people of Jerusalem accused
God for forsaking them. After healing, King Hezekiah himself even sought help by making an
alliance with Babylon and started to worship Babylonian gods. Under these
conditions, Isaiah calls the people of Israel not to fear and turn back to the
Creator and Living God because He is the only One who can comfort them and
redeem them. Living in similar circumstances, rather than an army, we face a
mysterious virus that is pretty scary; we need to look up to God, our only hope
who is able to comfort and help us get through this pandemic crisis.
In Thailand, over 20 million people have lost their job,
that’s roughly 1/3 of the total population. In Myanmar and Laos, the situations
are similar. Many have lost their income and the ability to feed their families;
unfortunately, in many cases, government aid just doesn’t reach every part of
society. This is a great concern! People are starving! Several groups of people
in Laos, Myanmar, and even in Thailand have asked AFC if we have any means to
help them through these tough times.
So far, from our small emergency funds, we were able to
provide some rice bags and oil for the orphans in Myanmar at the beginning of
April. At this moment, some areas of Myanmar no longer have rice bags for sale.
In Thailand, Nick partnered with a local Thai church to provide some food for
orphans living at one of the Buddhist temples in Chiang Mai. Several of his
friends have also joined in and are helping the local community.
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| The caretaker of an orphanage in Myanmar received our rice and oil for the children |
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| The orphans at a Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai receiving packs of food |
There are still several areas which crucially need help but
we just don’t have extra funds to further aid the various communities in our
mission fields. One of the areas that really need help is our neighborhood. As
you may know, many of our neighbors are Shan refugees living in Thailand. Many
of them no longer have jobs during this time, the government will not help them
because they are not fully Thai citizens, and they can’t go anywhere because certain
places are still under travel restrictions. We very saddened because we see
many areas and people we love suffering greatly. Pray that the Lord will
provide more resources to show Christ love to various communities through
feeding the very poor and hungry during this pandemic.
Currently, we are still under lockdown and a countrywide
curfew but it seems like the situation is gradually getting better and better.
Thailand’s cases have dropped to the single digits, so the government is
starting to slowly pull back the restrictions. Many restaurants are allowed to
open but they are required to set up barriers and seating arrangements where
people can dine in but are not allowed to sit next to each other. It’s for the
safety, but it seems a bit funny to think about – gathering with people for a
meal but sitting at different tables several feet apart. We really miss being
with our communities and on the field.
In the midst of this pandemic, God is still moving,
particularly in Laos. There are about 20 people waiting to be baptized. At the
moment, many villages have a travel restriction so people cannot travel between
villages. Our evangelists on the ground are not allowed to leave their homes in
order to visit these said villagers. Please keep them in your prayers as they
figuring out the best solution to reach this amazing harvest. Stephen is corresponding
with the team there frequently and we will keep you updated on this situation.
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| Had lunch with these leaders from Laos and also a relative (woman on the right) from China before the lockdown. Thinking and praying for them. |
Finally, April did not bring fools jokes but rather a tremendous gift from the Lord. As the pollution got to the point of unbearable, God provided a blessing that gave us so much delight. It finally rained! And Oh Boy! Was the rain so cool and refreshing! Overnight, the fires on the mountainsides died down and the smoke cleared. It was a wonderful joy to see Chiang Mai’s main mountain again. It was such a dramatic scene change like from in the movies, camera pans from Mordor to the Shire; from chaos to serenity; from depression to joy. We know that our God is able and is with us even when we face dire situations.
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| No smoke covering our mountain |
Family
Stephen is very eager to go into Myanmar and Laos. In the
meanwhile, he has been in the office working on classes to teach when the
lockdown is lifted. He is currently studying how the New Testament authors use
Old Testament. After finding that Paul quoted Isaiah 56 times, he has turned
his research to the book of Isaiah. So far, he has finished Romans and Hosea
and is two thirds of the way into Isaiah and then will move on to Matthew. Whenever
he has found anything new that he has learned, he is very enthused to share
with the family at our dinner table, evening devotion or even at the family
services. We enjoy listening to him particularly when he paints a picture with
words for the family to understand God’s Word. On top of this, he is also
teaching basic biblical Greek via messaging applications for his students in
Myanmar.
Mary continues to work in the garden and the family is
blessed with her organic vegetables. We are able to be more self-sustaining
especially when there is a shortage at the marketplace; we are even able to
share some with our neighbors. She is planning to work with the less fortunate
in the community and provide them with the organic vegetables that they are
planting together. Becky has been helping Mary with chores around the house.
Isaac is currently working on the ins and outs of his school’s program in order
to prepare for online courses in the coming months. Nick is doing so much
better. His coughs have subsided for the most part. He is very grateful for all
the people who have been praying and encouraging him during his sickness.
As we feel surrounded by all this chaos, we look to God
during this time. We look to Him for hope, for deliverance, for comfort, for love
… for His presence. Thank you so much
for your prayers and your partnership in the furthering of His Kingdom in
Southeast Asia and China.
