Earthquake - Needs Met - Praise Reports - Prayer Requests

Sawatdee ka!

I can't believe it's been so long!!! We have been without an internet card for a little bit now and also lacking the time to use the internet! It seems as though we've been so busy recently - Praise God! Ok...to answer most of the e-mails I've received:

We did not feel the earthquake although people who were down town did feel tremors. We were called by Pastor Stan in Sherman first....who let us know that an 8.2 earthquake had occurred in Jakarta and there is a strong possibility that there would be another tsunami. While on the phone with Pastor Stan we received a call from a Thai friend (our Thai teacher) Phon (sounds like phone with a rising tone to it - if you don't say the rising tone then your not saying her name! crazy huh?). She called to tell us that (this is about 12am I think) there were over 100 people dead at the hospital near her.

My heart started beating fast as I got off the phone (thank you for praying with/for us on the phone Pastor Stan) and made a bag of necessities. It's amazing how your mind thinks...I thought about everything that we have here (which isn't much) and I found that everything I needed and cherished could walk all by themselves and wouldn’t fit in a bag. :) So, I just grabbed our toothbrushes, passports, important papers and we were off. John was taking us over to Brian and MaryBeth's house so we could be near the news (they have cable) and he was on his way to the hospital.

I didn't know what was going to happen...I didn't know if we would feel tremors...or if there would be mass hysteria....or what. Brian went with John to the hospital while MaryBeth, Mercy (their newborn), Asia (their 2 year old), Josiah and I watched the news and prayed. Our prayers were really focused on the Pruitts who are in Baan Nam Khem and less than a mile from the ocean. No one was able to get a call through to them.

John and Brian returned with a report that shocked us all...there was no one in the hospital...I mean...there were no dead people or hurt people from an earthquake. We had been given false information because of a miscommunication. No one here in Hat Yai was hurt...people only felt the tremors from the earthquake...downtown. We continued to pray and watch as the news came in that there would most likely be no tsunami. Praise God! Although, we continue to pray for the people of Sumatra because from what I understand there have been more than 2,000 people lost...and the country is having a really hard time recovering so far.

We were able to get through to the Pruitts and they were fine - they had gone to the refugee camp (far enough away from the ocean) with all 4 kids. They are all fine. There was something that one of the anchor women said that kind of struck me funny....as I'm sure it did many others...that the last earthquake occured 1 day after Christmas and this earthquake was 1 day after Easter.

It's just like what the Bible says in Revelations about the end times!! There is much work to be done…OK…let me tell you about what has been going on…

God's blessings are so incredible! I feel so unworthy at times!!! John and I have been blessed with a motorbike! It is second-hand and in really good condition and we are very happy with it. John and I have been praying for a car because I’m starting work on April 1st and I am still completely unsuccessful at riding the motorbike. Josiah is supposed to be attending with me everyday so even if I had been successful with the motorbike – I am not comfortable or ok with driving him on the bike with me everyday because of all the close calls we have had (every time because of other drivers…people say Dallas drivers are bad….but I say Dallas drivers are angels compared to Thai drivers). John and I have had too many close calls on the road...on the scooter....because of other people. It's extremely scary to have your 2 year old sitting on the front seat on a scooter when a truck pulls out in front of you and you have to stop as fast and as hard as you can.
There is no enforced speed limit and most of the road signs are simply suggestions…

So, less than 4 days after getting the motorbike John ran across a man putting a car outside for sale. It is a Volvo - probably about a late 80 or early 90 model. It has only had one owner, which is unheard of in Thailand and it's in great condition. The guy wants $2,100 for the car. Cars hold value very very well in Thailand. It is a wonderful deal! For the same amount we would probably been able to buy a really really old, broken down "geo metro" like car...but I found out from my first car that they crumple like a tin can in a wreck. And in Thailand...it is really really really good to be in an old car that is made like a "tank" such as this Volvo. John told the guy to hold it for 3 days and we started praying...

And about 3 days later $2,200 was in our bank account!!! I couldn't believe it! We only had about $500 and that was to pay bills and rent...and we definitely don't have enough supporters for that money to just come in but someone decided that we needed that car and donated just enough money to buy the car. So that morning I checked our bank account and there was exactly $2,200…exactly what we needed for the car. I was so incredibly blessed and happy…I was praising God but then…my heart saddened a little bit. I had been saving up for living furniture ($200) and I thought I would be able to get it soon. I had really had my heart set on it...our living room has nothing in it at all. When the money appeared there was enough to buy the car and to eat for a while.

I just told God "Ok God...you know our needs...and you have perfect timing...if we need anything in our living room...you will provide it for us....in your timing." I felt really REALLY bad for even thinking about living room furniture when God had just provided for a car…I mean really really really bad!!!!!

So anyway.....about 3 hours later one of the missionaries here called and said "God just put it on my heart to buy you living room furniture!". I couldn't believe it! WOW! Another incredible thing God has been doing is that John was asked to come and pray for a woman who is in her 40's who is pregnant and the father just left her. She is in the hospital because of heavy bleeding and cramping...and they weren't for sure if the baby was ok or not because they hadn't felt the baby move in quite a while. So John laid hands on her and prayed and after he prayed the baby started kicking and moving around like crazy. The woman started crying and a little while afterward she gave her life to the Lord!!!

Mamm...and her husband (pictures on the blog) in Baan Nam Khem have also gotten saved!!!!! Praise GOD!!!!! God is doing incredible things! He is so worthy to be praised!!!

I also want to address an issue that some have brought to my attention regarding the zodiac signs that are on this website (I think in the profiles…not exactly sure where)…they are a part of the blog and as of yet I don’t know how to get them off. If anyone else knows…let me know…Also, please know that the list of people under “Contributors” are people who have signed up to be notified when the blog is changed…there is no correlation with the people who “contribute” to our ministry. I’m sorry for the confusion to some. I hope I have cleared that up.

I wanted to say thank you so much to those of you who have been faithful in your support to us – without your giving we can not do what we do. I also appreciate your support through e-mails also! I can’t tell you how great it feels to go to my inbox and receive news from home and how your lives are going! Please keep us in your prayers this month specifically because I will begin teaching April 1st (which is also my father-in-law’s birthday! – Happy Birthday CURRY!) and John is going to start going to a village down the road from our home. He has many ideas and plans and he will need much prayer backing him.

We also need your prayer in regards to our son. Josiah is doing great but at the same time we need wisdom in guiding our son and dealing with raising him in this country. There is no book (that I know of) that addresses the issues we are dealing with – such as Josiah starting to close out the Thai people in public because of how they clamor toward him and touch him all the time. It’s so bad that today while we were eating a lady came up to Josiah (he was fussing and crying at the time) and John shook his head at her as to say not to mess with him at this moment. She didn’t listen…he screamed more….she touched more….he cried and screamed more….and as she started to come toward him again John had to push her hand away (he had been telling her “mai…mai dai” Which means…no…can not…).

The Thai people just don’t understand that EVERYONE touches and prods our son. Please don’t get me wrong – he’s is still the same happy and playful kid as before – he is just having a hard time dealing with them touching him and we are having a hard time knowing how and when to intervene. He does wonderful one on one in our home….or in someone elses home…just not in public. Their culture is so different as well as their thought process. For instance, I was working on a drama for Easter for a local church here. I was going to teach some of the people in the church the drama and then they were going to do it for Easter Sunday.

I was working with MaryBeth on the rest of the drama and I said “Ok..and here we’ll have this person hug Jesus”. And she was like… “No…you can’t do that.”
Brian was going to play Jesus and the rest of the people in the play were going to be mostly women. She went on to tell me that it would be to controversial to have Jesus hug anyone because he is a man and the other players are women. I called the pastor’s wife (of that church) and confirmed this with her and she said…maybe we could get all men (and then we came to the quick realization that most of the church is 97% women and there were no men available).

An all women drama was quiet out of the question because Jesus as a woman would be controversial too even in our culture in some churches. I just couldn’t believe it. How were we supposed to show the love of Jesus if the women could not touch Jesus…I racked my brain trying to think of some way to change this drama…to reflect the love of God and the power of Jesus’ touch….I had to cancel the drama because I would have had to come up with a completely new drama and the practice was that night. Not enough time.

They said that it could not be done because the Thai people would be so awestruck and distracted by the fact that “Oh my goodness, Brian is hugging Pii Thak” that they would be unable to get anything from the drama. I was amazed. I was like can’t we just talk to them about this….can’t we just explain to them that this is the way Jesus really is…he’s not untouchable and unloving….he’s not some distant God to be wai’d to (what the Thai’s do to Buddah).

In the end every knee will bow but also we are to understand that we are to have a loving relationship with our God and that Jesus loves us…and he would and will embrace us. In the end I realized that I just had my first lesson in cultural diversity. It was hard to swallow because one of my loves is drama…and cutting out any physical touch between Jesus and those he interacts with seems like lying…

I realized that God will give me usable dramas that will not distract from the message and they will share the true love of God. So…back to prayer requests…

Steph starting work
John going into the village/open doors/hearts
Guidance with Josiah

And number 4 is prayer for finances. We have been blessed this month by one individual (to whom we are deeply grateful) and through that one family we were able to get a motorbike and a car exactly when we needed it. Our thoughts on finances and donations is that we do not ever want to come across as another ministry that is begging for money. We believe that God will provide what we need and he really has but we do believe that prayer for finances is important. We ask that you pray that God would put it on the hearts that he wills to give whatever he wants them to give…according to the needs of the ministry here.

Finances
My nephew BRADEN BUNGER

My beautiful nephew Braden Bunger needs prayer. I just went to their blog and I can not help but to weep. I can’t say how proud I am of my brother and Annie for being so strong. Braden is a doll and you can tell from all he’s been through already that he’s inherited the strength of his parents. PLEASE – pray for my nephew Braden…We are too far away to go and lay hands on him but we’ve been praying so hard as have many other people. The doctors have diagnosed him with chronic lung disease but I do not accept that…I do not believe that that is God’s will for Braden.

Please stand in agreement with us that Braden will be completely restored! Here is their blog once again – my nephew is 1 month old now and 2 pounds 5 ounces…

www.bradenbunger.blogspot.com

I know this post has been long…I’m proud of you if you’ve made your way all the way through it in one sitting. I’m working on our 2nd newsletter and will be sending it out shortly. If you are one of our financial contributors please send me an e-mail with your mailing address (we’re sending you a gift from Thailand). The reason I’m putting this on here…is because we have 2 that are completely anonymous and – anonymous – whoever you are…please let us send you this simple gift from our hearts – we need your address to do this…so please send it.

John’s father, mother and 2 sisters and my other nephew are coming to visit in 3 weeks – we are SOO excited. We will be sending the envelopes back with them to be sent off so that it won’t cost an arm and a leg to send…and it won’t take 3-4 weeks to get there. So, anyway, I’m going to wrap this up and I just want to say thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers!!!!

I miss you Mom and Bubba – you too Terry! Lisa!...I miss you so much! You know what…I shouldn’t have started…there a ton of people I could just sit here and list…..I miss you all bunches! I’ll write again soon.

Steph

Ok…one more thing….for some reason when I post now…it doesn’t come up on the first page you go to when you type in www.theblakesthailand.blogspot.com. Sometimes you have to click on the most recent month at the bottom right hand corner to get the most recent posts. Sorry for the inconvenience…don’t know how to fix it yet. Toodles!