No news is good news as October comes to a close

 It is difficult to find anything interesting to post when we stay home all the time and our days are rather routine.   After 10 years of travel in the RV, relocating every two or three weeks, I am enjoying staying in one place in a house but it may get really boring before the winter is over.    

Ron continues to work on the RV repairs and touch up painting on pretty days after he answers his emails.  We need to get the RVs sold and he is diligent in working toward that end.   The American Dream that was donated to us a year ago has been in a shop for repairs that Rou could not do.   It is now ready for us to pick up but Ron has not found a dealer to sell the RVs so we will bring it back to our driveway on Friday.   He should complete the work on the Tiffin RV we own in another week and then we will clean them up and find someone to sell them for us.

The work has been really hard for Ron because he has one bad shoulder and continuous back pain from having a problem in 2004 that resulted in a disk being destroyed by e-coli in his upper back.   He will be relieved to be free of the RV maintenance when we can get these RV's sold.

On nice days, I am working a few hours in the yard to get some physical exercise.    I rake leaves in the driveway and walkway and pick up sticks all over the front and back yard.   The trees are wonderful in the summer, providing shade and keeping the house very cool,

but in the fall we have the dead limbs falling along with "raining" leaves.   The neighbors next door are helping me with the front yard leaves since they have a mower that picks up the leaves very quickly.   We will leave the backyard "natural" but we are burning the dead limbs that fall.   

We are anxious for the election to be over but we don't expect things to settle down and be peaceful.  There are rumors that Georgia is the #1 state to have riots and trouble if President Trump wins the election.    These groups that are no different from terrorists, state that they will target the rural and suburb areas since these are where people live who vote Republican and start a civil war.    The city of Atlanta has had riots during the summer months due to racial violence with shootings and the police.    We will avoid the city until we know things are calm.    We have no need to go into Atlanta except to go through the city to get to my dentist for a couple more appointments.

Our work is going well except the border between Laos and Thailand is still closed.    We can't add more girls to the house in Mukdahan, Thailand until our worker in Laos can go there to search for vulnerable girls in need of a home and education.     Three of our girls in Nepal have been reported to have the virus.   The son of the local minister came in to teach a Bible class and reported ill a few days later and then three of the girls got sick.  We are waiting for a report about them and any other girls who may have contracted the virus.     Schools are still closed in Nepal.   The girls can go to their schools three days a week to pick up assignments and do their work from the safe house.    Most of our safe houses have a garden nearby so the girls get out of the house to work in the garden but stay close by home.   

We are happy to send reports about our work to anyone and we welcome your emails.    Ron's email is ronbrown20@gmail.com and mine is patbrown10@gmail.com.    Thanks to everyone for being interested in our work and providing us with so much encouragement to continue the work.   God has blessed us with wonderful sponsors and continued good health.     God bless you all.

Our trip to Thailand has been cancelled

With mixed emotions, I must report that the trip to Thailand has been cancelled.    Ron has spent hours working on the reservations and trying to get a VISA to get into Thailand.   American Airlines changed the reservations several times but he finally thought he had the trip worked out to Hong Kong.   The problem was to get into Thailand from there.   Some airlines were flying from Hong Kong to Thailand but VISAs are required.   We got our pictures made for the VISA applications.  Ron tried many times to submit the applications to the Thai Embassy on-line but each time the computer said the website was not operating.    He read all the things we would face, such as a 14-day quarantine in one of their designated hotels.    All of the hotels were expensive and it would be at our expense.   I do not know for certain, but I imagine the meals will be preset and there would not be "room service selecting from a menu."   There might not be internet service connection either.   Being stuck in a motel room in Bangkok for 14 days under these circumstances would be difficult for both of us and delay the work.    

We have a small window of time due to our age to make another difficult trip to Asia.   Ron will be diligent to make a Plan B and determine our next steps in regard to the building of the next safe house.  No doubt, God will open doors for us and things will work out according to His will. 

The upsurge of the virus numbers in the U.S. will keep us close to home throughout the winter months.  My autoimmune disease (Sjogren's Syndrome) and our ages (82 and 83) put us at high risk for recovery from the COVID-19 virus.   Our health is important, not just to each of us, but for the SAS work to continue without difficulty.    We will continue to work from home to maintain the work and oversee the workers to increase the number of girls we care for in each country.    The virus seems to be must less in Asia at this time so our workers can maintain the care of the girls without difficulty.

We ask for your prayers for us and for our work in Asia.     We pray for our workers and for the girls in our care.    We also pray for our supporters and sponsors because YOU are the backbone of our mission work.    We are the people who go and get the work going and maintain it, but YOU are the reason we can do the work.    Without the support from loving, generous Christians, no mission work can be successful.    

THANK YOU for being on our team for the Lord's work.    Be safe during the months ahead.  Maintain your focus on service to our Lord and the work of carrying His message to the lost.  Continue to support our work as you are able.  

God bless you with love from Ron and Pat Brown!

Fall has come to Georgia

We are having some very chilly nights in northern Georgia.    The days warm up to the low 70's but nights are in the 50's and 60's.   The burn ban is not on so Ron is breaking up fallen limbs and burning them in the burn barrel Leigh Ann purchased for this purpose.    We hope to get the yard cleaned up and in good condition before our trip to Thailand.  Our leaves are not turning yet.  When we get the yard in better shape, I will post some pictures.   

The confirmation for our departure is now November 5, leaving Atlanta early for Los Angeles.   The flight through Dallas on November 1 was cancelled for lack of passengers going to Hong Kong.   International travel is not back to capacity and many airlines have cut back flights.    American could not make a connection from Hong Kong to Thailand but Ron has found several other airlines that do fly there from Hong Kong on a regular basis.   He will continue to work on reservations and hope something will work out before the first week of November.    We will end up in Lampang, Thailand but may have to go to Bangkok first.  I will post more about our plans as the trip gets closer.

We made a fast trip to Tennessee and Kentucky last week.    While it was good to get out and travel a little, we rushed a long trip in a short time and put many miles on the car in a short time.    We got home late the second night with only one night in a hotel in Franklin, KY.     We kept our distance and tried to only visit those we knew were safe, hoping to continue to escape the virus.   

Enjoy the change of seasons and the fall weather wherever you are.   God bless everyone!