Update on our work...cold weather coming for Christmas Day!

Today will be our last day to have a warm afternoon.   It is supposed to reach 60 degrees so I will finish my leaf raking in the front yard and Ron will complete some painting on the RV.   He needs warm weather to paint and this may be our last warm day until spring.    Snow may fall in the North Georgia mountains but not here in Woodstock.   It will just be very cold through the weekend.

Leigh Ann and Tatum sent us a honey baked ham and we are surely enjoying it.   I made Ron a favorite apple cake.   It fell apart when turning it out but it is still very delicious with a little whipped cream or ice cream.   I will prepare some vegetables and salad to complete our meal treats this week.    

I posted my picture on FaceBook showing my hair naturally gray now.   With over 100 approvals, I will leave it alone and not go back to hair color.   I don't feel any older but surely looking it!     

Our granddaughter moved into a new condo on Tuesday and had her 28th birthday yesterday.  She and Leigh Ann love Florida.   They have had a couple of cool weeks but its still warmer than any day we have seen since September.    They are very blessed with steady jobs and new homes they love so we are happy for them.

Things are going well in the Philippine work.   

Three of the older children have become Christians now.  We are very proud of the example these young people will set for the other children.    A younger girl asked Gigi:  "Ma'am, are you a Christian?"   When Gigi said yes, she said, "I want to be just like you when I grow up."    We set an example for young people, whether good or bad. 

A few nights ago, a tropical storm passed right over the city of Tanjay.    Ronald woke up at 3 a.m. and realized that there was flooding going on so he woke Gigi and she began getting anything off the floor of the laundry house where they are living.  Ronald said he ran out barefooted to the houses to be sure the children were O.K.   Then he proceeded to move the two vehicles to the highest point of the property.  They ended up with 6-8" of water inside where they live but lost very little.  Gigi worked tirelessly getting everything moved to tables and countertops.   What they lost can easily be replaced.   None of the other buildings were flooded since they are at higher elevation.   It was a long 12-hour clean up but they feel very blessed because it could have been much worse.

They had a big holiday party which included a lot of food and games on the 22nd. They selected three gifts for each child of equal value so every child will feel they have been treated fairly.   In the Philippines, it is traditional to open one gift at midnight so the children will get to do this and then go back to bed.   When they awake, they will have two more gifts to open. They will all have a big meal together that day.  One night, they will take the children in the van around the city and look at the Christmas lights/decorations.  They have never had a holiday like this, so I know it will be a very special holiday for these children.   Ronald and Gigi will be sure this is all done in a secular way without any religious significance about Christmas being Christ's birthday.    The children will continue to learn the truth of HIS Word.

Last week, a young Filipino couple celebrated their 5th anniversary by coming to the orphanage and presenting the children with t-shirts, balloons, toys and lunch.   There is more and more awareness and help coming from the Filipino community as they build good-will among the residents of this city.  

In the second house they built for SAS, they just added a 3rd girl who is 14.  She wanders around the neighbor- hood without supervision so she is at high risk for something bad happening to her.   We will eventually have 22-24 teenage girls in that house who are at high risk for trafficking.    I have sponsors for the three girls already.   Ronald and Gigi have located good house parents for these girls but they will continue to oversee this SAS work on their campus.  

Ronald and Gigi are very devoted to this work and are doing a wonderful job.   Check out their activities on Facebook at Casa Esperanza of Angels.     

Workers in  Nepal have completed their visits to each safe house, distributing blankets, warm mattress pads and winter clothing (jackets) to all of the girls. The major portion of this expense was donated through Carole Booker's effort to secure a gift donation from Westbury Church of Christ in Houston, TX.  The girls were very happy to receive warm bedding and new winter clothing.    

Workers in Laos have distributed rice and supplies to plant gardens to the Christian villages along the Mekong River.   

We have been supplying rice and some other supplies to Christian families in Nepal and Laos for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic which prevented people from working and earning enough to provide for their own food.    

With 2020 coming quickly to an end, we are waiting to get the vaccination so we have less chance of getting COVID-19.   When it is available for seniors, I will go first in case I have side effects.   With 6,600 new cases in Georgia just yesterday, we feel the need to stay inside away from crowds and not take a risk.

We wish all of our family, friends and supporters of our mission work, a very Merry Christmas holiday and a blessed New Year!

With much love and appreciation from Ron and Pat Brown.

As the old year comes to a close...we count our blessings.

Christmas holidays are fast approaching.    In spite of 2020 being a difficult year, where did the time go?  Maybe it is speeding away because of our old age but each week surely seems to rush by.   We have been in good health other than Ron's usual allergies that bother him.    We are not going out except for groceries.   We went to the store at 5:30 a.m. this morning and only saw a few customers and some Kroger workers stocking shelves or filling on-line orders.  

We had four beautiful warm afternoons last week so we got a lot more outside work done.   I had the front yard raked and then a couple of days later, it was covered with leaves again.    It is much too cold this week to get outside so I will watch for another warm day ahead to clean it up again.   Most trees are bare so the falling leaves will soon come to an end.   Each time I raked I thought about how falling leaves are like dirty dishes.   Before you can clean up one batch, another is ready to be done.   We surely love these trees in the summer when it keeps the house so cool.   

Today, Tatum, our granddaughter in Florida, is closing on her first home, a condo.   She has been in Florida for the past year just renting a small house.   Her job seems secure and she loves living in the Tampa/Clearwater area so she wants to invest in a home now.   We are very proud of her for saving her money and being such a responsible person.    Leigh Ann is using the rest of her 2020 vacation days to help Tatum move so they will not be coming here for the holidays.

With concerns about the COVID-19 virus and how our nation will go forward under President Biden, we just pray for the best as we move into a new year.    With God on our side, with our souls safe in His care, whatever happens in the future, will be O.K.    We will continue to try to take care of ourselves and keep praying for and thanking Him for our blessings.   They are numerous and we are a very blessed people.

A few months ago, Angelo was baptized.   He is the oldest boy at Casa Esperanza of Angels in Tanjay, Negros Oriental, Philippines   

Two young souls were added to His kingdom this past Sunday.    Arlene Grace and Arvin were baptized into Christ after a one-on-one study with one of the house fathers.  We are very proud of these young people who are learning the Bible and making the decision to become Christians. 

With these new Christians and the house parents, the number of Christians is now 10.  

Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and happy Christmas holiday.   Best wishes for a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Troublesome times are here...

December arrived in North Georgia with a blast of cold weather from Canada.   We have had most nights below freezing this week.    Ron wishes he was in Thailand.    He has dry eyes now (my dry eyes started in the summer of 1990) and as temperature affects the humidity, it causes more pain in dry eyes.  Ron does not want heat because the humidity lowers the warmer it is inside the house.   He is working in a cold room but then suffering with cold feet and cold hands with no heat but a humidifier putting out moisture. When it is warm enough to be comfortable, his eyes are scratchy and blurry.   I have fought this battle so I know the feeling but I prefer warmth and dry eyes.    Over the years, my eyes have become less painful so nerve damage must have occurred to give me some relief.

We enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving dinner and left overs for a couple of days.   It is sad not to get to spent holidays with family members but we have not had that pleasure very often since we went into the mission work.    Usually, wherever we are on Thanksgiving, I have invited someone to share the meal with us.   But, not this year.   With the virus raging in Georgia, we stayed home alone and still felt very thankful.

Many of the schools have reopened in Nepal and girls are returning to school.    Some are limited to a few days a week and some have access to internet and are taking high school classes on-line.   We got reports this week from Nepal of the great poverty among Christians in some villages.   Our girls all come from such backgrounds but living in the safe houses, they have food and clothing and no worry about their opportunity to finish their education.   I had reports on two girls that went back to their homes and this is very disturbing to us.   One wanted to help her mother so I know some of the girls are concerned about their families back home but the other one just did not want to study any more.  Maybe being shut down and unable to go to school for a long time, caused this girl to just give up her chances for an education.    An important lesson we need to teach our children is NEVER GIVE UP!

Ron has been busy raising funds to feed the poor Christians and loads of 30 kg bags of rice have been distributed to many families.    If you want to help with this relief work or see the pictures of these poor people and how they live, write to Ron at ronbrown20@gmail.com.  After seeing these pictures, I refuse to complain about anything.   I do not know how they even survive the living conditions in the Himalayan mountains with no proper shelter, clothing, blankets or food.   

We are learning of more people we know who have survived or passed away with the COVID-19 virus.  Apparently, it will be bad in the U.S for many months to come.   We were eagerly hoping the vaccination would help end the pandemic but I read yesterday that it's effectiveness is about 3 months.  Before everyone can be vaccinated, and the pandemic eradicated, it may still be around to affect those who got the vaccination more than three months earlier.   Am I incorrect in this thinking?     It also takes up to a month to be effective once you get the first shot.    In any event, we are staying close to home and taking every precaution when we go buy groceries or run necessary errands.

Please continue to pray for our workers, our girls and our son's work in the Philippines.    We have been blessed to be able to continue our work at the same level.    Ron talked with an elder in one congregation and he said all the mission works they support are on hold.  Missionaries cannot do their work in the foreign countries due to the virus, and those who came home cannot get VISAs to go back to the mission field.

Troublesome times are definitely here, but God is in control and things will eventually change.    I am reading The Narrated Bible in Chronological Order with commentaries by F. LaGard Smith.   When reading about the wanderings in the wilderness for 40 years, I cannot help but realize that God allows things to happen to the people He loves.   I am grateful that I did not live during those days.   We are so blessed to be living under Christ's New Testament era.  Life is surely easier for us now than in those days.   

God bless you all!