Today was amazing! We were notified yesterday that our long time student, Pawkuhmooeydee,  was planning to be baptized this Sabbath. She left our home a few weeks ago to study Thai and begin to be a missionary in Mae Sot. She is living with the Mae Sot pastor and helping with the church while studying. So, of course we decided to come and spend the weekend here so that we could be at her baptism tomorrow.

Tonight, we heard a real sermon, from a real evangelist. That is VERY rare here in Thailand, at least in English, if not in every language. He preached for 3 1/2 hours, and he had the attention of everyone. He spoke about the mark of the beast and the fact that we have to give 100% to God. The people, mostly Buddhists, were sitting on the edge of their seats, and at least 10 people came forward wanting to be baptized. Pawkuhmooeydee gave the children’s story, and I could not help but feel as proud as if she were my own daughter. She did a fantastic job! This program is the result of a short, intensive training program in America. I don’t know the name of the place, but it is in Oregon, and a Mr. Torres, I believe, started it. We had visited that school several years ago, and were impressed. But, to see the results of that training school here in the mission field was incredible! The group that came here is from Germany, and their ministry is called Euro for Jesus. (I think)

The last few weeks, as you probably know, we have done a lot of soul searching and praying about what God would have us to do. We now feel that God has opened doors and shown us what his will is. Tonight just cemented our decision. At times we felt like we were complete failures, but bringing Pawkuhmooeydee to Jesus, and knowing that she wants to reach her own people for Jesus has helped us to see that God is leading. So, we are planning to go back to the vision that God gave us 8 months ago.

What I felt burdened about at that time was that we needed to train young people to go as missionaries to their own people. I wanted to do what God had shown Ellen White, which was to start a school that would have short, intensive courses to prepare people to serve God and their fellow man. Sarah also had that vision, and we spent a lot of time talking about it. We just could not decide if we should do it in Cambodia or Thailand! Well, while we were talking along these lines, God gave Lena Adams the same vision. She did not know at the time what we were dreaming about, and we did not know that she felt the same burden. But, God has brought us together at this time, and it seems very clear to us that while Sarah is busy starting her missionary training school in Cambodia, we are to start the same thing here in Thailand.

We have also been offered the oversight of two schools in Burma. We plan to make our home base at the IMM training center, across the road from Sunshine Orchard Children’s Home and Learning Center. From that post, we will do everything we can to teach and train as many young people for God as possible. By joining forces with the Adams, we will be able to start teaching these children right away, instead of waiting to have the money to buy our own place and all the building and headaches involved in that. It may be that sometime in the future God will open the way for us to branch out and start more training schools, but first we need trained young people to help us.

School is to start on the 17th of September, so we hope to be able to get moved really soon so that we can help get things ready. Our only lack at this point is a house to call home. But, I am sure that God can also supply that need. Please pray that God will continue to give us his vitalizing power so that we have the courage and energy to do His will.