Shutdown in Nepal and Laos continues

Please remember the people in these countries in your prayers.   The country of Laos has been in shutdown mode for more than a month.  Our girls are safe at home studying their books, doing their crafts, such as macrame, sewing and embroidery, gardening and keeping up with their chores at home.   Nepal has recently shutdown for the 2nd time this year.  Girls are all in the safe houses, studying, learning to cook, playing games and reading their Bibles.   Our workers keep us well-informed by staying in touch by cellphone with the ministers overseeing the girls.  Workers cannot travel to the various safe house due to restrictions on travel.   Only essential ambulances and food delivery trucks are allowed on the roads.   Our relief work to feed the people will be on hold until workers can travel to distribute sacks of rice again.    

 India on Wednesday reported more coronavirus deaths in a single day than any other country at any time during the pandemic, while infections continued to spread through vast rural areas with weak health systems.   The Health Ministry reported a record 4,529 deaths in the past 24 hours, driving India's confirmed fatalities to 283,248. It also reported 267,334 new infections, as daily cases remained below 300,000 for the third consecutive day. The numbers are almost certainly undercounts.  The previous record for most daily deaths from the coronavirus was set on Jan. 12 in the United States, when 4,475 people died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

May brings spring weather and hope!

April passed quickly and smoothly.   We completed our vaccinations in April.   Although we were apprehensive about it, we also felt very vulnerable to the risk of COVID-19 even with the few trips we make to the grocery store.    Neither Ron nor I had any reaction to the shots.   Our arms were slightly sore for one day but no other reaction.   We feel blessed.  Now that we feel a little safer, we have had lunch at Capt.'s D's a few times.   We still wear our masks when out in public (following Biden's example...ha ha) because others do not know if we have been vaccinated.   Many stores and restaurants still request that people wear masks and keep their distance from others so we abide by the rules.  

We have worshipped on-line with the Brown Street church of Christ in Waxahachie, TX.    We parked our RV there on many occasions and they generously support our SAS work.  We feel at home with this congregation.   But, it is not the same as worshipping in person and we miss the fellowship.    

Ron will fly to Dallas next Saturday (May 15th) and stay with one of their elders.   He is scheduled to give a sermon and brief report on the work at Groesbeck, TX on Sunday morning and then at Brown Street on Sunday night.    He will return home on Monday, May 17th.   Since he is flying for a brief weekend, I will stay home this time.

We have not attended church services but intend to start back soon.   The Canton church is very small and the drive to the building is very dangerous.    It is straight up a hill with a curve in the road as you turn up so I would never make that drive myself.    The church in Woodstock has a current problem.    They disfellowshipped a member who has openly announced that she is gay.   She is attempting to bring a crowd with her and the media to stir up trouble.    We don't want to be involved in this situation and hope it ends soon.    The Piedmont Road congregation in Marietta, where Leigh Ann (our daughter) went when she lived here, is about 30 minutes from us.   There are no other sound congregations closer.   North Georgia has always been a difficult area for the church to grow.   

The schools are closed again in Nepal.   India is having a very horrible time with COVID and it is spreading into Nepal again.    Many people are out of work and desperate for food so SAS is again providing rice to Christians.   This week 52 families were given large sacks of rice.    We do not know when the pandemic will improve in these Asian countries.

Our safe houses in Laos are also in lock-down mode due to COVID-19 until the end of May.   Our girls are safe but cannot go to school.

Casa Esperanza of Angels' orphanage in the Philippines is rather isolated so their island is doing well.  The children are still in school on the campus and life is good there.

We continue to be so blessed with everything we need.  I talked with my neighbor last week and we both agreed that sometimes it takes a pandemic and hard times for people to realize how very blessed we are.   If life was terrific all the time, we would not give God credit for the good times because we would not realize all the many blessings we receive from HIM.    We often take things for granted and do not realize that we have more than we need all the time.   Thanks be to God for each of you and for our many blessings.