Safe!

Our friends and good sponsors for our girls are safe in Guam.   No other news to report at this time but this is the best anyway.  To know they are safe and there were no deaths as a result of Bavi passing over them is wonderful..   God is good!

Blessed1

We are so blessed to live a peaceful life but many others do not have such a wonderful privilege.  We pray for the families of the earthquake victims in Venezuela.  

People in the Pacific are enduring typhoon Bavi.  We have friends in Guam.   On Saturday, they were preparing for the storm but sometimes we are helpless when disasters occur.  We are anxious to hear from them.    

What a blessing it is to be an American and have the privileges of a free country.   Continue to be aware of those who want to take this away from us and vote to put the strong-hearted and brave men and women in congress, squeezing out those who want to change our country to one of communist rule where government has all of the control.

Our mission work continues to go well with all safe houses doing a great job caring for approximately 330 girl.   Some have recently graduated from high school and left the safe houses to seek employment and help their poor families.   At the same time, we are accepting more poor girls from mountain regions where they have no water, little food and lack of schools for a good education.    We are amazed at how the people even live in these remote areas where they cannot grow much good and have no jobs or the availability of food.    

Each week when we go to the grocery store, we are blessed to have a choice of good stores and so many products.   Do you count your blessings when you shop?  

Carole Booker is doing a wonderful job and I am phasing out of the secretarial work even sooner than planned.    She can handle the work and do better than I've done.  She does not need my supervision.  We are very thankful for Carole!

I still have some work to do for SAS but it has been reduced down considerably and soon I will have time to catch up other things I kept putting off.   I will be able to do more things with Ron in the days/months ahead.   We have a full schedule with too many doctor and dental appointments now but maybe we will have some slow time to enjoy soon.  I have worked since I was 16, taking a little time out when our children were born.   I have probably been employed for 70 of my 88 years!   

Ron was 89 last Monday.    He had a great weekend with ice cream cake, several very good lunches, many calls and well-wishes for a happy birthday on Facebook.   He still swims every morning and it helps with his stability.    

Ronald and Gigi were in the Springfield, MO area this weekend and today they are driving toward Texas where they will be reporting to congregations for several weeks.   

Leigh Ann and Tatum spent Friday together with some friends on a very private beech they have recently located.  

Leigh Ann came over on Saturday and we enjoyed the afternoon working on a puzzle and watching some of the 4th of July parades and activities.    We shared our food and enjoyed homemade chicken salad, shrimp pasta salad, salmon salad, stuffed eggs, green salad, watermelon and mango with an apple cobbler and whipped cream for dessert.   We both said we missed the grilling out but what we had was delicious and healthy.    

Our weather is hot with possible thunderstorms in the afternoons but we are not complaining.   We will be watching forecasts for hurricanes in the months ahead.

I hope all of my reader friends and family have a safe and wonderful July.   May God bless you all.

A New Month and Good News

Last week, the children at Casa Esperanza of Angels in the Philippines had a fantastic VBS with the Christian group from Greenville, TX.   

There were about 54 children present (if my memory is correct) so this includes a large group of children from the community.  I know they had a wonderful time with classes, activities and fun things to do.  These children love attention and they got lots of hugs and interaction with the visitors. In addition, I'm sure they loved the good food served.

One member from the Greenville team commented that it was a good trip due to the enthusiasm of the children and the good meals they enjoyed.

It is a very tiring and long trip for this group of teachers and workers.   This is the 2nd time they have gone there.  What a sacrifice it is to do all of this work for these precious children.    We thank them from the bottom of our hearts!   I know the children were blessed to have them and I hope they receive blessings for their Christian service to teach children about Christ.   

The children are ready to return to school next week for the next term.   Even with a great summer, they are excited about going back to school.   

Ronald and Gigi are packing to leave the Philippines to return to the U.S. next week.   They will spend the next 4+ months traveling to give reports to congregations about our two mission works in Asia.   They are tired from the busy summer activities with the children, getting them ready for school again, and having government inspections of the facility..  Prayers for them to have a safe trip home and safe travels this summer would be greatly appreciated. 

This week, Carole Booker from Houston, TX began training to take over the SAS secretarial work.  Carole retired from Westbury Christian School after teaching English there for 19 years.   She visited us a year ago and inquired if she would be able to assist me with this work.  Carole took two weeks of her summer vacation each year to go to one of our safe houses to teach the girls English and Bible.  She has met most of our workers and been in the homes where the girls live.  This is Carole with one group of girls on an outing following her studies with them.  

Carole has raised funds to purchase a new outfit of clothing for the girls in Nepal each year.  This was not a small campaign as it benefitted approximately 230 girls each year with a delightful gift of new clothing.   

I was 88 in May and had a fantastic day with good food and gifts.  Although I enjoy the secretarial work, I know we are in great need to have an efficient secretary in place to carry on this work in the years ahead.  Carole is the perfect person for this work with her strong Christian principles and her love for our work.   We are busy going over procedures, instructions and explanations about things by email.   I think we have covered most everything this week and she is ready to "get her hands dirty" and actually start the work.   We don't really get our hands dirty, however, as we can work from our own comfortable chair during whatever hours we find available.    

I will continue to teach Carole what I have done since 2015 as we make progress in handling the work.  Soon, we will have a database designed by Ronald's IT man in the Philippines and both of us will be learning to input the data into this new system. It is my plan to turn the work over to Carole by the end of this year.   It is not that the work is hard, but there's a lot to keep up with and we have reports for girls to send to sponsors from Nepal, Laos, Thailand and the Philippines.  It is a little different in scope from country to country.  

Ron and I had a good "wellness" check up this week.   Ron had an eye infection but medication has almost cleared it up.   We try to take care of ourselves, exercise, get enough sleep and eat healthy food. We will be celebrating Father's Day and Ron's 89th birthday at the end of this month.   

Thank you all for following our activities and keeping us encouraged.   We love and appreciate our family, friends and supporters very much!  God bless you all. 

Summer is here!

Our weather in Florida is hot.  Spring jumped quickly into very hot days but nights and early mornings are nice and sometimes we have a thunderstorm.   We have a drought from few hurricanes around last year and few expected again this year.    

Our work continues in Asia with additional girls added to almost every safe house for a record high at this time.   They just had a big gospel meeting in Nepal and our girls from several safe houses attended and participated in a Bible Bowl quiz.   

I am looking forward to having help with the secretarial work in a couple of weeks.   Carole Booker has been a supporter for many years, going all the way back to our days in China.  Since we began the Save Asian Souls' ministry, she's traveled each summer to safe houses in Nepal, Laos and Thailand to spend two weeks at a particular safe house to teach Bible and English to the girls.  She will be retiring from her teaching profession at Westbury Christian School in Houston, TX in about two weeks.   She plans to begin working with me, first taking over the reports and work associated with Nepal where we care for approximately 240 girls.  Each year, she raises almost $5,000 to provide a new outfit of clothing for each of the girls in Nepal so she has a very special interest and love for these girls.

One of our girls in Nepal had an appendectomy over the weekend.  Considering that over 600 girls have come through either our sewing school or public school classes since we began this work in 2015, we have had a very small percentage requiring a hospital visit.  We have not had any accidents or deaths but one girl does have a very serious and inoperable heart condition.  We care for one young girl who is deaf but she is doing quite well.

Ronald and Gigi will be returning in June to begin travels to congregations to report about our progress and theirs at their Philippine orphanage (Casa Esperanza of Angels on Facebook).   They will come visit up the first week in October before returning to the Philippines again.  A group of Christians from Greenville, TX are traveling next week to CEA to conduct a VBS as they did last year.  The children are excited about this special event. It is a great sacrifice and expense for this group to do this for the children.  Pray for them to have a safe and good trip.  

A personal update:   In regard to my sprained and fractured foot, it's been a difficult situation.  After wearing a boot for 9 weeks and the X-ray showing the bone had healed, I started walking carefully in a supportive shoe but pain continued when I walked.   In fact, I had some pain in both feet adjusting to normal conditions.  I was able to find shoes last week at DSW that give me total comfort when walking.  After almost 3 months, it is so good to be able to walk without pain.    

Ron continues his daily exercise programs (going to L. A. Fitness on his Silver Sneaker benefits with Medicare) and swimming in our condo pool.   He liked to go swimming early in the mornings.  Most residents in our complex have returned north and the pool is free of swimmers most of the day.

The exercise helps him continue to be mobile so he can completely take care of himself.  Ron's cardiologist gave him a follow up visit last week in regard to a mitral valve done by the Mayo Clinic about 15 years ago. The Dr. said he'd see him again in a year.  At our age, that is good news when a doctor says that.   

I will be 88 next Sunday. I never expected to live this long and I surely did not expect to still be working 6 hours a day.  To keep the work caught up, I need to work 8 hours a day but I quit early to spend time with Ron.  The work is always there when I get up the next morning.     

We are blessed and we thank God for the opportunity to do this work and to have the health to continue doing what we are doing. We are thankful for the many people who support our work and encourage us in so many different ways.

Thank you for your prayers for all of us and the girls and children we care for.   May God bless you all!

New girl in Chiang Mai, Thailand

This little girl was just taken into our care on April 3, 2026.   Here is what our house father reported:

She was abandoned by her mother when she was very young. Her mother remarried and moved away with her new husband, so the girl had been living with her grandparents ever since.

      Where she lived.  

Her mother does not own any land, but she had promised that once she earned some wages, she would share some money with her daughter. However, recently the mother has not been working much, leaving the girl with nothing to eat. She had to go to the neighbors’ house to ask for food. The neighbors could not bear to see her situation any longer, so they contacted us to ask for help. When we went to pick her up, we saw with our own eyes how truly poor and deprived she was.  

Nasor, the neighbor, felt sorry for her and called us to come and see if we could help her.  Patcharaphon told us that she really wants to live here. She said she wants to have enough food to eat and hopes for a better future. On our way back home, we noticed how cheerful she was. She adapted to everyone very well. Even though she is a Lahu hill-tribe girl, she speaks Thai very clearly.

When Faith Overcomes Fear: A Story from Rehu

 

Rehu is a place surrounded by dense forest near the Chitwan jungle in the southern part of Chitwan, Nepal. It is a land of natural beauty, but also a place filled with danger. We had the opportunity to serve there and share the Gospel, and by God’s grace, many people believed and were baptized. It was a joyful and meaningful time, even in the midst of hardship.

Life in Rehu was never easy. Wild animals such as tigers, elephants, and bears often came near the village, creating constant fear. The jungle was under the protection of the army, and many times they warned the villagers to leave for their own safety because of both wild animals and smugglers. The people were surrounded by danger from every side, yet they had nowhere else to go. Being poor, they could not simply leave and start a new life elsewhere.

About six months ago, the government finally provided them with a new place to live, called Chisa Pani. The villagers were relocated, and it brought hope into their lives. At last, they had a place they could call their own, a place that was safer for their families.

However, even in this new beginning, challenges remained. The army warned them that they should not build any church building in this new location. For the believers, this was painful, but it did not stop their faith. Every Sunday, they gather together to worship God. They set up a simple blue tent outside as their place of worship, and as soon as the service ends, they quickly take it down, fearing the authorities.

Even with fear in their hearts, their faith remains strong. They do not complain. Instead, they feel blessed that they are still able to come together, sing, pray, and worship the Lord. Their love for God is greater than their fear.

Their story is a powerful reminder that true faith does not depend on buildings or comfort. It lives in the hearts of people who trust God in every situation. Let us remember them and keep them in our prayers—that God will protect them, strengthen them, and one day provide them the freedom to worship Him without fear.

 Sagar Khati

A New Life Journey

 

Kareshma Chepang (#583)

She once lived with her family in a very remote mountain area of Nepal. Life there was extremely difficult. One of their biggest struggles was getting drinking water. From their home, the family had to walk nearly three hours just to collect water.

Before, there was a small water source about an hour away from their home. However, after the devastating 2015 Nepal Earthquake, a landslide covered that small fountain, and the family lost their nearest source of water. Their daily life became even more painful and exhausting.

Because of these hardships, the family eventually moved to Bhalumara in search of a better life. Kareshma’s father worked as a daily wage laborer. Some days he found work and could bring food home, but many days he returned empty-handed. The family often struggled just to eat.

During a church preaching program, our ministry team met this family and saw the difficult situation they were living in. Their hearts were moved with compassion. The SAS Team decided to help Kareshma by bringing her into the Safe House where she could receive shelter, food, education, and loving care.

Kareshma’s family was deeply grateful. They felt relieved and thankful that the SAS team and her sponsor were willing to carry some of their heavy burdens by helping their daughter have a better future.

While living in the Safe House, Kareshma faithfully attended Bible studies. As she learned more about God’s Word, her heart began to change. She started thinking deeply about faith, forgiveness, and a new life in Christ.

After nine months of studying the Bible, Kareshma made a life-changing decision.  On March 8, 2026, she was baptized for the remission of her sins. On that beautiful day, she publicly declared her faith and became our beloved sister in Christ.

Kareshma is very thankful to her sponsor for walking with her through this beautiful journey. With a grateful heart, she says she will continually pray for her sponsor who helped make this transformation possible.

Today, Kareshma’s life is a testimony of hope, faith, and new beginnings. From a life of hardship in the mountains to a new life in Christ, her story reminds us that God’s love can change any life.

By: Sagar Khati, Director of Save Asian Souls' safe houses in Nepal