Fwd: Wednesday pic 1 Peacekeepers

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Tuesday-increase in Violence=Decrease in Work

First I want to thank everyone for all of your prayers, please keep praying for the situation here in Bangui. The last couple days there has been an increase in hostile activity in certain parts of the city. Thankfully it is not near us but the domino effect is we cannot drive to either of Water for Good's properties. This is challenging because we are not able do any of our work and so we just hang out here at the guesthouse. But what is not convenient for us is life threatening for those who live near the hostile areas. Almost all of the Water for Good staff were unable to go to work because of the violence. Some of the increase hostilities seems to be in conjunction with the one year anniversary of the Seleka take over. It seems many are taking advantage of the vacuum left by lack of a strong government. Keep us in your prayers, we have one week left.

Tim

Monday, March 24

 I thought I would start today's update by talking about what we did yesterday afternoon.  Jim and I took the opportunity to visit some neighborhoods where Water for Good staff live.  We wanted to hear their stories and meet the spouses and children.  It was fun to get into the neighborhoods and see people still in their houses.  In one neighborhood though MISCA peace keepers were stationed in the area which quickly reminded us that things are not normal.  It really means a lot to these families to have us come to their homes.  Gerard introduced us to his wife and welcomed us into his home.  He shared how honored they were to have us stop at their house.  He showed us pictures he had on the wall of Jim and Faye Hocking and Tom and Sue Peters,  he also retrieved a picture I had given him of my family.  He shared that when the violence started and they thought they would have to abandon their home, he told his wife to make sure and grab the pictures because he did not want to loose them.  Another reminder that we are investing in people when we do the work.  We also met with Nicaise and his family in a different neighborhood and it was typical in that the road was very narrow and our truck barely fit in between the houses.  As we did at the other visits, Jim talked with them and asked about their experiences with the war.  Before we left we spent time praying for them.  Please continue to lift up these families and the other Water for Good staff because each day is a challenge.
     In yesterday's post, I mentioned how there are starting to be signs of life getting back to a little bit of normalcy and that is true.  But last night gave a quick reminder that the fighting is not over.  There was a clash between some MISCA forces and the Anti- balaka forces on the main road.  This clash lasted most of the night resulting in the road being blocked today.  This cut off access for us to get to the Water for Good properties as well as for the Water for Good staff to come to our part of town.  So, some of the same neighborhoods we were in yesterday were now inaccessible due to the unrest.  Things on this end of town continued as normal except for the obvious increase of military vehicles moving around.  So this prevented us from doing any of our work today so we had to adjust and just be patient, hoping that things are better tomorrow.  Please continue to pray for the situation.
     In spite of our change of plans Jim and I had a productive afternoon meeting with several people.  One meeting was with a relief organization that wants to partner with Water for Good.  The meeting was very positive and it looks like it will be a good partnership to help with water, sanitation and Ag work.  Our other meetings were opportunities for Jim to talk to different people to gather information and different perspectives on the situation here.  So even though it was not what we had hoped for as far as work production, God used our time.

Tim

Saturday's Work and Sunday's Worship

Sorry for taking a day off but I thought I would combine Sat and Sunday post.
     Saturday was another work day.  I got a later than normal start due to some fighting the night before in the area on the way to the office, so the guys wanted me to wait for awhile to make sure things were settled down.  Work involved finishing the water system hook up to the plumbing system, final repairs to the tractor, and wiring the solar panels that were now mounted.  Finding the pipe fittings I needed was a challenge and a little expensive, but Gerard was able to get me what I needed.  Once the system was hooked up, I discovered a leak in the next building.  I am starting to get this African engineering skill, ha-ha. Knowing we did not have the proper supplies to repair the leak, and knowing how long it would take to get what we needed, and how costly it would be, I found some plastic pipe, Teflon tape, cut off fittings from another pipe, and hose clamps. Problem solved, leak fixed.  I am concerned this will increase Jeana's expectations for me at home with my list of repairs ha-ha!  All of the guys were excited to see the water flowing again, and that made it fun for me.  We finished the other projects so now hopefully on Monday we will be able to drive the tractor and backhoe out to PK 22 to begin work there.
     As I begin to reflect on my time here, it seems that except for the fighting that seems to occur every night, life is  beginning to get back to normal.  Street vendors are opening their roadside shops, and the markets seem busy with people.  The school has now been open for 5 days, the taxis are running.  At least on the outside, things are improving, but once you begin to talk to people, the real heart aches, hardships, and anger come out quickly.
     Another sign of improvement we saw today, Sunday, was church services.  Farel took us to church today in the neighborhood up the hill passed the high school.  The church was pretty full, and it seemed pretty normal compared to other services I have attended in the past.  There were probably 400-500 people at the Grace Brethren Church.  At the end of the service, the Pastor invited us to have tea with him.  He began by asking if we saw the bullet holes in the roof of the church.  We said yes, then he shared how God had spared the church building, but many members of the church had been harmed and some houses were burned.  He said there was a 12 week period that they did not hold services because it was too dangerous.  He said, the chairs you are sitting on were the only furniture we could save from the house of one of the Deacons as it was burning.  Wow, very humbling!  He also shared how many of his congregation could not live in there homes yet and were staying at a Catholic mission compound just down the street.  As many as 20,000 -30,000 people have sought refuge there.  More are going back to their homes during the day, but then they come back to the camp for the night.  With this in mind, what a joy to see and hear this church singing and praising God.  So, there are signs of life, but these stories reminds us that things are not back to normal yet, and it is unclear how long it will take.  On top of that, the rainy season is fast approaching, and inadequate shelter is not something you want to have when it rains.
  Please continue to pray for us, but please pray for the people of the CAR. We are here for two weeks, but for them, this is reality every day.
Also, please consider supporting organizations like Water for Good.  Water for Good is here investing in the people of the CAR through training them how to drill water wells, develop Ag projects, run radio stations, and help with sanitation.  The people who work for Water for Good represent the hope for this country.  They have learned skills to provide for their families and see how what they can do, can impact  their country.  Check out www.waterforgood.org and see how you can help.  The conflict has been very hard and very expensive for Water for Good, but they are committed to be here working when not too many other organizations can.  I am glad to volunteer my time to help them and partner with them.  Thanks to all who donated money to provide much needed supplies for this trip.  Please consider donating to help Water for Good so they can continue to work in these hard conditions to offer the hope of Jesus.

Tim

Challenges everyday in the CAR: Many voices speak up

The challenges in the Central African Republic are daunting.  Yet Tim Harley intends to help the people of the CAR. Together with Jim Hocking, Water for Good Founder & CEO, they will seek to encourage the Central African workers so that they can prepare to resume drilling water wells to provide fresh, clean water. 

Pray for Tim Harley and Jim Hocking.  Take a moment to post in the comments the words, "I am praying," to encourage Tim and Jim. Thanks. 

I also provide a list of other voices who share what is going on in the CAR:

• Barb Wooler, Director of Emergency Relief Efforts for CAR, who leads the charge to provide food for the CAR crisis.
• Etharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, who writes about the challenge of fighting malnutrition.
• Michelle Shephard, Toronto Star national security reporter, who wrote about the release of child soldiers during the CAR crisis. 
• Dejerassem Mbaioerm, UNHCR worker in Cameroon, who wrote about how most new refugees arriving in Cameroon had spent weeks living in the bush without water or food.

World Water Day 2014: Our partnership with Water for Good

Today is World Water Day!

Grace Church is grateful for our partnership with Water for Good. Together we get to provide fresh, clean water for families in villages in the Central African Republic. You can view what Water for Good does with the financial support we provide through your gifts. You can read more here.

Friday Update from Tim Harley in Central African Republic

Hello everyone, I probably should not complain about the extremely hot day today cause I saw pictures from Wooster area with snow again. I am glad it is spring!

Not too much excitement today, just kept working on projects. I think we are making progress. Things usually take longer here and supplies are very expensive, welcome to the CAR! Perseverance, patience, and creativity are important characteristics for working here.

Thank you for your prayers, our driver, Gerard, gives Jim the news from the previous night every morning as we drive from the Mission to the office. There is still some fighting going on but it seems isolated to certain neighborhoods thankfully which are far from us.

So since I don't have much to say tonight, I sent a couple videos (Jeana posted one yesterday) so you can ride in the front seat of the truck with me and see a little of the street activities as we drive.

Video of driving in the streets of Bangui

Video of the streets of CAR Tim sent today.  I was actually pleasantly surprised as how many people were out on the streets.  Not as many as usually, but daily life is starting to pick back up in some places.

Work Day 2 in the C.A.R.

The first thing I want to do is say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my awesome wife, Jeana.  It is hard for me to be away from Jeana on her birthday, but I look forward to dinner with her when I get home.  And no, I am not dumb enough to tell you how old she is. You will have to ask her. Haha.  I love her more each year!

Ok, on the first day of spring it was hot again; how is that for a weather report!  We went back to the office complex to continue our projects.  Phase two of the water project was to  get the automatic water filter working.
After sitting for many months with no flow going through it, the filter was plugged to the point no water would go through.  After some work, the water began to flow through again, and as you can see in the picture I sent, the water was bold reddish brown color (would you like to drink this?)  After some flushing, the water started coming out clear.
While I worked on the water filter, the other guys worked on changing filters on the tractor and removing the fuel tank to clean it.  Thanks to Rudy Maibach of Maibach Tractor of Sterling, Ohio for helping send new filters over.  By the end of the day, the tractor was back together.  We hope to get it started tomorrow.
Late morning we decided to head out to the Water for Good farm called PK 22.  No one has been out to the facility since Oct. and so we wanted to check things out.  PK 22 is outside of Bangui so we had to go through a couple checkpoints along the way.  The theme of today's post is, " the power of the flag."  As you can see in the picture, there is a flag mounted on the front bumper of the trucks we ride in which identifies the truck as part of an NGO which gives more legitimacy and makes us look important,  at least Jim haha!  This flag allows us to go places safely that taxis and motor bikes avoid.  At the first checkpoint the French military asked us where we were going and why and then since we had a flag, waved us on.  We then drove through a section of town reserved only for the remaining Muslims.  Again our flag gives us safe passage and respect.  We then go through another checkpoint manned by the Anti-Balakas and they saw the flag and waved us through.  They also, knew our driver Fabian and the Water for Good truck.  We arrived at PK 22  everything looked pretty good.  Again, thanks to God, very little was damaged even though it is on the main road, it could have been so much worse.  It was nice to see the big white canvas barn still standing.  A couple years ago a team from Wooster came and built this barn.  Craig, Josh, Dave, Bruce, Larry, Rick all gave up there time to come over here and use their talents for God.  Hey guys, it still looks good!  The only  damage is from the Seleka who cut a hole in the canvas.  Today they were patching it back up using fabric and needle and thread.  The shop area had a couple things stolen but all the tools were left alone. Unfortunately, the gardens did not fair so well, they were burned and destroyed, what a shame.  But just like God is so good at, we saw buds starting to shoot out of a couple of the burned trees.  God can make all things new.  We can help Water for Good's staff bring life back to the gardens and fields.
On the way back to town we stopped and visited with Fabian's family.  Fabian oversees the PK 22 facility and lives in the nearby town.  It was great to see his wife and two children again, Fabian talked about when he had our team over to his house after we built the barn, he appreciated what we did to help,  but he said he enjoyed getting to know us and asking us questions.  Fabian and I have worked together many times.  Even though we don't speak the same language, I have had the opportunity to train Fabian on how to operate several of the machines.   He is a joy to work with and it has been fun  building that relationship.
After our visit at Fabian's home, we stopped at a very small village to check on their water well and foot pump,  Jim took the opportunity to ask how the people were doing.  They were starting to build a new house making the bricks by hand and  using mud as the grout.  Small signs that life is moving on for some.  Then we stopped in the Muslim section on the way back into town, Jim recognized a man so we stopped and talked a little bit with him.  Everyone seemed friendly and happy to talk but you can see on their faces that things have been tough for their community..  Most traffic takes a detour around this section of town because of the unrest and tension between the Muslims and Non Muslims but because of our flag we had the opportunity to go through and stop.
Just as in any conflict, behind the labels, there are just people who need help and especially Jesus.

Thanks for your continued prayers
Tim

Works day 1

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Work day 1

First Work Day in the C.A.R.

Greetings from Bangui!
Today was our first day to venture out and start working on some of our projects.  I will give you a little run down of what we did and then share some of the thoughts of the day.

We spent our day at Water for Good's office compound.  Challenges awaited us.  The first was to install an electric well pump that will will run off of solar power because there is very little electricity from the town system, so there is no water when the power is off.  I brought the 5' long pump in my suitcase,  had to dismantle it at home, so now I have to remember how to put it back together.  The other part of this is to install two more solar panels to help produce enough electricity.  Fortunately, they are already here.  Good news, it worked!  We have water.  

Next we started working on the equipment that is being stored here.  A backhoe, forklift, and farm tractor,  all are in need of some work to get them started.  One thing you quickly learn is you have to be creative, because, usually if you need something, they don't have it and so you have to improvise.  So today we had some successes and more "to be continued" projects.

The Water for Good office is set in a neighborhood and I asked the question, "why was this place spared from the looting by the Seleka rebels?"  It seems they came to the gate twice but for some reason they did not enter.  Praise God.  Unfortunately, for most homes in the neighborhood, this is not true for them.  Many houses are empty because people fled for their lives, and some even lost their lives at the hands of the rebels.  

As we drive back and forth to where we are staying and the office, Jim takes the opportunity to talk to his guys and listen to their thoughts regarding the war.  The stories represent the pain associated with the conflict as well as strong feelings on the future of the country.  Please pray for our brothers and sisters, they have suffered much and only God can bring them hope for the future.  Please pray for Jim as he continues these conversations during our time here.  For those who can speak English I also take the time to ask about their families and how they are doing.

Thanks for your prayers for us. On a lighter note, you probably don't feel bad for me that I am sweating while I am typing.  I saw a thermometer that red 95 degrees,  IN THE SHADE!  I am guessing it was at least 10 -15 more in the sun.  Fun in the sun for the Son.

Tim

Keep praying for Tim & Jim even though we may not get info everyday

The situation in Bangui is dire. Please keep Tim & Jim in your prayers as they seek to encourage the Central African workers with @WaterforGood and other friends in Bangui.

Another viewpoint of the dire challenges comes from Melissa Chemam, a consultant for the World Food Programme. Melissa is in Bangui. She reports about the tragedy of mounting malnutrition cases.  Yet, she notes faint signs of normalcy. Melissa notes how the market is seeing more fish for sale but still few buyers. You can follow Melissa on Twitter https://twitter.com/melissachemam.

Photo from Melissa Chemam

Moreover, the logistical challenges that Tim & Jim face are impossible to imagine. As Peter Boukaert from Human Rights Watch testifies in an interview with OpenCanada.org, just getting a tweet out through social media is an ordeal. Peter answered the follow question in his interview, 

What are the main challenges that you face on the ground?

Using social media to report on the crisis in CAR is quite different from using it to talk about your personal life. It takes a tremendous amount of equipment and effort to assemble the information that we put out on Twitter. We often traveled more than 12 hours a day over very rough roads in a country without infrastructure, and then had to set up camp, start up a generator, hook up a satellite dish, upload the pictures we took that day, and started sending out the information. That’s the main challenge, just getting out to these very remote areas and getting accurate information, dealing with all kind of problems along the way, from broken-down cars to hostile men with guns. It takes a lot of effort to pull that information together. But it makes a difference. I recently met with a top UN humanitarian official in Bangui, I noticed that the majority of the information she had marked on her country map had come from our tweets, being used to plan the humanitarian response for the country. It’s at moments like that that you realize you can make a difference in 140 characters.

So please keep praying for Tim & Jim even though we may not get information everyday. Pray for their safety, success in encouraging the workers, rest and focus as they assess what they can do in Bangui.

We Arrived In Bangui, "We made it!"

Refugees at Bangui airport (Txs trust.org/)

Well, we made it! After 17 hours in a plane and four airports, it is nice to be in Bangui. For me, from Burbank to Bangui, the temp raised from 25 to 95 degrees. Stepping off the plane we were welcomed with a blast of heat. Then onto the tar mat and a short walk to the terminal,

I am not in Ohio anymore. The sights, sounds, and yes smells greet us as we enter the small terminal. After making our way through the disorganized maze of people we waited for our big suitcases full of parts, filters and a few clothes to come around the small luggage belt, all but one arrived. This means we will not have a chance to see that suitcase until next week since there is only one flight a week from Paris to Bangui. This is part of the fun and we will make due with what we have.

Bangui airport & refugee camp (Txs Water for Good for photo)

On the drive from the airport we quickly start to see changes. The huge refuge camp, with around 100000 people in it, is on the right hand side, then we pass through the French military checkpoint , then we start to see buildings that have been destroyed during the fighting. It is estimated over 1200 buildings have destroyed in Bangui alone. It seems to me to be far less people walking along the streets compared to past trips.

We arrive at the Mission station where we are staying, and we are greeted by those who have taken up temporary refuge here. Then we are greeted by our dear friend, Andre, with his contagious laugh, We see that he has prepared dinner for us, nice! While Jim and I eat Andre relayed stories to Jim about the violence that has happened over the recent months. Even though I could not understand what he was saying, because he was speaking in Sango, I could hear the emotion in his voice. I think this will be something we will do a lot while we are here, just listen.

Thanks for your prayers!

Tim

Airport Praise

Well, Tim made it through check-in without having to pay over-weight fees. When the attendant asked why I wasn't going, I told her I wasn't allowed because it was too dangerous in the CAR. Then Tim explained how he was going to help at a refugee camp and that is why he had so much food and supplies in his bags. She marked them "heavy" but just winked at us and said, "No charge. That's great what he is doing there."
Glad there are still big-hearted people in the world. This was an answer to pray because all 3 of his bags were over the limit. Tim decided this morning to just go ahead and throw in the rest of the beef jerky he plans to give to people there. He thought he could always take it out if the airline was going to charge him, but they didn't. So now, some unsuspecting people will be blessed with a source of protein and food in a few days!

Sent from my iPhone

Tim's flight info

Pastor Bob praying for Tim

Monday, March 17
1:34 depart CLE
2:48 arrive in Detroit and meet up with Jim.
6:40pm depart DTW
Tuesday, March 18
7:55am Paris time arrive in Paris
9:25am depart Paris
4:00 pm arrive in Bangui (10am our time)




Sent from my iPhone

Wayne County Man goes to Central Africa to offer help and encouragement

Tim & Jeana Harley

Tim Harley departs for the Central African Republic (CAR) with Jim Hocking, Executive Director of Water for Good on Monday, March 17.  Together they will travel to help Central Africans recover from national upheaval and a humanitarian crises. They will be in country March 17-April 2. 

Please pray for their safe travels.  They intend to encourage the Central Africans and to offer support for their efforts in drilling fresh, clean water wells in the CAR. You can read more prayer requests on Pastor Daron Butler's blogpost. 

Please visit this blog for updates from Tim and his journey to the CAR. 

Help families in the Phillipines affected by flooding

Photo courtesy of Dan Beaver, Love International

In a recent email regarding the flooding in the Phillipines. Dan & Tori Beaver seek to minister to many families affected by the rising rain waters. Please consider helping out.  Dan & Tori sent this in an email.

The Crisis:  "Hundreds of thousands have gone through so much devastation. As a result, the missionary community has come together to bring relief to as many people possible; giving food, supplies, water, and blankets. 

Believe it or not, it is cold in Manila right now!  So many of those who live in shacks and light material housing have lost their homes, either swept away or drowned in mud and torrential currents.
 

Those in flooded areas who have better homes are being rescued and taken to shelters. The rain continues to fall without let up.  There does not seem to be enough food and help. Please pray for the people who are without help.  

In addition, contaminated water will soon become a threat.  Leptospirosis, was rampant three years ago during the Ondoy flood. Even after the flood subsided, people continued to die from this awful disease.

Dan received a plea from a pastor in Ugong, Pasig, where the waters are high. Their church members are running out of food and drinking water. We will do what we can for them.

Please continue to pray with us, that through it all, God will be glorified
through his people to help those who are in need."

How you can help:  If you would like to help with the flood victims, we can help disperse gifts through First Love International to the people in need.

You can send gifts to:
First Love International - Greater Manila Relief
PO BOX 15836
Loves Park, IL 61132, USA
(815) 229-3065

Visiting my sponsored child

Praise God the team has returned from SE Asia. Please read the last post from Jamie while they were in Thailand.

Greetings from Thailand!  This is Jamie, and I will be trying out my writing skills on behalf of the team. This is a rather long update but full of awesome details!

After a successful flight from Siem Reap, we all crashed Tuesday evening.  On Wednesday afternoon, we traveled from Chiang Mai to our Grace Place home in Weing Pa Pao.  

Words cannot describe our children there.  Upon our arrival, they were a little shy, but it didn’t take them long to warm up and play.  I think we somewhat destroyed the Longans fruit tree with the children picking up fruit to eat.  We were sticky but had a great time.  We took jump ropes along for the children to play with, and that was a big hit as well.  While the children were eating their supper, we ate supper with Tutu’s parents and the widows there.  They literally “killed the fattened pig” for us.  In Thai culture, that is how you show honor to special guests that come to visit.  We felt very honored to eat with them.  Another team who is with us here is visiting from Asia’s Hope Canada.  John and his wife Cathy and teenage children Amy and Jesse brought popcorn to cook for the children.  We cooked it in a big metal pot over an open fire, and waited for the popping to begin.  We signaled for the children to come watch.  They stretched out bamboo mats for the children to sit on, and they all enjoyed fresh American popcorn.  It tasted good and brought some beautiful smiles to the children’s faces.  Priceless.  The widows showed us their silk worms and explained their process for selling raw silk.  They raise the silk worms until they spin their silk cocoons.  They then boil the cocoons and wrap the silk around to make a raw skein.  They then take the raw silk to town to have it processed and made into scarves.  The raw silk is very rough to the touch, but once it is washed, it is the silky softness we are accustomed to.  After playing with the children a little longer, we traveled the 1 ½ hours back to Chiang Mai.

 On Thursday, I had the opportunity to visit a boy (AKA Mick) that my family has sponsored for approximately 8 years through Compassion International.  I was able to arrange a day trip to spend some time with him and his mother.  Jeana and Zac hung out and rested as Jeana was feeling under the weather from what we think was a virus.  She is now feeling better and on the mend.  J Praise the Lord!  The Compassion staff picked me up, and we traveled to a nearby elephant camp where you watch an elephant show, ride on an ox cart, ride an elephant through the mountain camp, and take a 35 minute ride on a bamboo raft on the river through the mountains.  It was an experience of a lifetime.  Once again, I cannot put into words what it was like to meet our sponsored child for the first time…tears came to my eyes when I saw in person what I could only see through pictures before.  He is even more sweet and loveable than I could have ever imagined.  They are definitely a family who strongly loves the Lord and wants to serve Him no matter what the cost.  It Thai culture (strongly Buddhist) that is huge.  Mick played keyboard at church and is actively involved in Bible quizzing.  He has scored high in his Bible quizzing and is currently quizzing in the book of Joshua.  Mick’s mom operates her own clothing shop, and she made Bruce a very nice burgundy shirt (after having asked us what size).  It is a beautiful shirt.  She wanted me to open it up and make sure it would fit him (because she saw pictures of how muscular Bruce is), and I assured her it was perfect. J  She was thrilled.  I will remember today for the rest of my life.  Get ready girlies, the next time I want to bring you all to meet him and experience Thailand and Cambodia!

On Friday morning, we went to Starbucks (Thai style) and went shopping.  (Now, what more could a girl ask for?)  The idea of shopping was just a little too much for Zac, so he enjoyed Pizza with Tutu’s son, Daniel, while the girls went out!  In the afternoon, we picked Zac up and met up with Faa to picked up the GROW children at school.  After school and the children changed their clothes, out came the sidewalk chalk and water balloons!  What a hit!  Hot weather, water, and children…a perfect combination for FUN!  They had a blast!  While Zac stayed back to play and eat with the children, Jeana, Faa, and I went out on the town.  We went to dinner and tried some “wheatgrass” detox and nutritional drink that is supposed to cleanse your body of bad bacteria.  Well, let’s just say…it would definitely kill something…it was definitely AWFUL stuff.  It tasted like we were drinking a liquefied version of hay.   We laughed so hard and vowed we were never drink wheatgrass again.  Ugghh!  From supper, Faa took us to the night market, which was phenomenal.  I have never seen so many shops and people in all my shopping experiences in the states.  We definitely shopped until we dropped…we didn’t leave the market until around 10 p.m. 

On Saturday, we traveled back to Wieng Pa Pao to spend the day with the children.  On this visit with the children (which would also be our last day with them), we broke out the water activities once again.  Zac had brought all the fixings for Slip and Slide Dodge Ball.  Let’s just say, the children and their clothes would definitely not have to be washed…just rinsed and dried.  There were suds and children slipping and sliding and laughing and smiles galore!  Wow…thank you Lord for rescuing these precious, precious children.  They all have stories of suffering and pain, but they are safe here…just like the old song says, “Safe in the Arms of Jesus.”  They love the Lord so deeply, and they know what they are saved from in every sense.  Thank you for loving these children.  There is a sign on the new boy’s home that was donated by a family from our church. The last sentence of the sign reads…”God’s kids live here.”  Amen!

This morning, we woke up and enjoyed another delicious breakfast that Tutu prepared for us.  This morning we enjoyed omelets.  We then went to church at Asia’s Hope and worshiped with the children there.  During the children’s Sunday School time, we taught them to sing, “This Little Light of Mine.”  They did a great job singing it in English, especially the part that goes, “hide it under a bushel, NO!  I’m gonna let is shine, let it shine, let it shine.”  J  One thing I have experienced while on this trip is the amazing wholeness and oneness in worshiping God, even in another culture and in a different language.  We serve the same God.  Just like the lady told us in Cambodia, we are “same, same but different.”  After signing Zac played “Simon Says” with them. There were three kids he just couldn’t trick so they were declared the winners.  The Zac told them that just as those three never stopped following Simon Says, they all should never stop following Jesus. This evening, we are planning to meet with a group of college girls and minister to them from our hearts.  Please pray that God would empower us to speak from our hearts the words he wants them to hear. 
We want to thank you for all of your prayers and love for these children, the staff, and the widows in Thailand and Cambodia.  Because of Jesus and your love and obedience to Him, these children have a bright hope for the future.