Possible building located

Ron has been looking at available buildings.   He has settled on one that he believes will be very suitable for a safe house for girls in Chiang Mei.  It has 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths and some very large rooms.  There is plenty of yard space for a garden.   The house is in very good condition so it will not need much work to get it ready to move in.   I don't know how long it will be before the closing.   I reminded him to check on zoning restrictions since it is in a residential area to be sure it can be turned into a girls' home with many people living in this one location. 

I will not post pictures until I know this is a "done deal."    

Once the house belongs to SAS, he has to locate a source to provide the furnishings.   With some businesses closed due to COVID and many understaffed (just as in the U.S.), it may take time to get all of the furniture purchased and moved in.

Ron thinks there are two churches of Christ in the area but he will need to meet some of the Christians to determine their soundness in the faith in order to pursue the hiring of house parents.   Once he hires a couple, he will need to spend time with them, training them in the work they will be required to do.  

Patinya, the minister from Bangkok will arrive there next week.   I hope he will be able to help Ron in all these areas of the work.

Ron said there are 10-15 rooms occupied now in his hotel.    He can eat some of his meals in the hotel restaurant.   He has been very busy with many appointments and lots of walking.   Please continue to pray for his health to remain stable and his success in completing this work.   It would be wonderful if he could get it done and come home earlier than expected but there is still much to do.

Thank you again for your interest in our work and for your prayers.

A Starting Point

Whenever we begin any project, there is a starting point and a missionary has to learn a lot about the area and the possibilities available before any momentum can be achieved. 

Ron and I have been chatting early every morning before he begins his day and every evening before he get some rest.   I ask questions to try to understand how he is doing and what he is doing.   This first week in Chiang Mei has been a learning experience.

As I posted in the last segment, he likes his hotel.   He thinks there are only three guests there and maybe one staff member as the hotel has low occupancy due to COVID.  He found a mall to get a sim card for his cell phone we used in Thailand two years ago.  A 7-11 market is several blocks from the hotel.   He has a fridge in his room but this particular 7-11 does not have the supply of foods that we enjoyed while in Bangkok with a 7-11 nearby.   He is getting tired of junk food he can buy there but street food is not safe for a foreigner.   The small restaurants that are open are not safe either.   Our systems are not protected from bacteria from impure water or unsanitary cooking utensils so we get stomach viruses very easily in Asia.   

The market is mention in an article as the location where a number of new COVID cases have been identified.   Although Ron has gotten his vaccinations and booster, he still wants to be careful as a breakthrough case would at least slow down his work, even if he is not seriously ill.    Everywhere he goes, his temperature is taken so that is a little precaution.    How people got into a market and spread the disease with this precaution, is questionable.

Ron estimates that at least 60% of the businesses are closed.   Many people do not have jobs and are seeking help with food.    Streets are empty and the city is far from its normal pace of activity.

He has only seen properties on the internet but hopes to meet with a realtor this coming week to literally see some of the available houses.   He will determine which could be renovated to serve our needs as a safe house for girls.    Please pray that his search will find something that can easily be completed and adequate at a reasonable price.

Ron will meet with a lawyer this week to find out what is required for us to be legal and what is involved to form a foundation (NGO).   Patinya, the minister in Bangkok that we have known for years, will go to Chiang Mei to meet with Ron is two weeks.   Patinya has a Bible School in Bangkok and a foundation through which it operates.   I believe we went through his foundation to set up the safe house in Mukdahan, Thailand two years ago.   We may have to do that again if the legal process is too long and expensive to achieve quickly.    Many countries make it very difficult for foreigners to operate a business or a mission work while others welcome in such organizations quite easily.

As I stated in my opening sentence....a work has a beginning and then it takes time to implement the steps required to move forward.    I hope we will be able to report more and more progress each week.

Ron is sending out newsletter emails.  Watch for those if you are on his mailing list.  Or write to him at ronbrown10@gmail.com if you do not receive them but want to be added to his list.

Please continue to pray for Ron and for the search underway to establish this new work in Chiang Mei.

Prayers needed for a worker in Nepal

 

Ranjit is one of our two men overseeing the safe houses in Nepal.   

For some time, he has been in the hospital with COVID.   He was in ICU unconscious and was suffering with pneumonia, but then we heard later that he was getting better.   This was received this morning from Sagar who is the director of the preaching school in Narayangarh, Nepal.

Ranjit’s health becomes more of a problem, he got water in his stomach due to necrotizing pancreatitis problem. Soon he will be taken to India for treatment.  Please continually pray for him. 

Ron getting settled in and beginning his search!

 

Ron has a very nice room in a hotel with a very good breakfast included.  

The monthly cost in TB is 18,000 or US $567 per month divided by 30 equals US $18.92 per day.   The hotel probably has over 100 rooms and only three are occupied.  Many hotels and businesses are out of business and trying to sell their buildings. Some streets look like a ghost city.  

When Ron was at their service center there was a constant flow of people coming for food. They give food to anyone in need. 

Ron has found at least 20 houses which would work for the safe house.  He will look at more next week.  Only one had a large lot for growing fruits and vegetables. All had three bedrooms and baths.  One had four bedrooms and three baths.   

He thinks we can have up to 30 girls  at the houses.  The pictures of the houses look very good.  A lot better than what we saw in Mukdahan, Thailand. 

The border  continues to be closed to other countries, but he can travel to any location in Thailand and he plans to go to Mukdahan later.  He probably will not go by bus  but they do check every person for temperatures.  When he goes to the 7/11 a few blocks from the hotel, they check his temperature at the door.  Everyone flying must be vaccinated and be checked for fever. There were no checks on my American flights but he had proof of negative COVID tests.  Thailand requires vaccinations to fly.

The 7/11 stores in Thailand are excellent.   They have a section for food, fast food and fruit.   We enjoyed these markets in other cities of Thailand.  

Ron even found a Dairy Queen in Chiang Mei!    He has a built-in GPS for Dairy Queens.

Prayers needed for the church in New Zealand

From a missionary's newsletter: 

New Zealand is in a place of political and social turmoil. You will likely not be seeing it in the media because NZ has been the poster child of Covid-19 response. After a year and a half of keeping the country isolated from the outside world, the virus is becoming uncontrollable (inevitably) and the only preparation being made by the government is the enforcing of vaccine mandates. Our Prime Minister recently admitted that NZ would now be a "two class system" in which unvaccinated people have less rights than the vaccinated. Today, all unvaccinated teachers in New Zealand were fired from their jobs. This is all wreaking havoc in the congregations, where there are Christians on either side of the debate. PLEASE pray for our unity. The Wellington congregation will be meeting on Sunday to decide whether or not to enforce the government's vaccine mandate on worship assemblies. If they decide not to, they could face a fine of $10,000 each time they assemble without checking every visitor's "vaccine passport" (and turning away all unvaccinated).  

There are hopeful things going on in the work here, but the shadow of gloom seems to be over everything at the moment. Please pray for us.

Ron is at a hotel in Chiang Mei, Thailand

Yesterday, Ron made the flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mei.   He had some trouble getting the COVID test to travel on but I don't know the details of what he went through.  I think he had at least four COVID tests from the time he left Atlanta and arrived in Chiang Mei.    He said his hotel is good.   I don't know if he will have a room there the entire time or find a room in an apartment building as we had in Mukdahan, Thailand two years ago.    

Ron's back was hurting a lot from carrying the bag (one regular size bag plus a smaller satchel).   He was very tired so I have not pressed him for many details yet.

He said everyone is wearing masks.   Thailand has not faired well with the pandemic.   Most of the restaurants in the airport are closed and he said walking through was like being in a deserted airport.  They just opened up for foreigners on November 1st due to their great economic loss.    It seems we were better prepared in the U.S. in spite of closures and mandates.

The number of COVID cases in Georgia is less each week.   The majority of people are not wear masks.  Some stores still have a sign up that they are required (banks and grocery stores) but I still do not see many people observing the restrictions.    I wear one in these places out of courtesy since they state that they want us to wear them.   To me, it is the same as having a sign that says "no shirt, no shoes, no service."   They have a right to request it if its their place of business.   Their employees are all wearing masks.

We are having a beautiful fall week here in Georgia.   I have raked leaves this afternoon in 70 degree weather.   But, rain will come on Thursday and we will have a chilly weekend.

God bless you wherever you live and follow our work.   Thank you to all who care about us and keep us in your prayers.   

Arrived in Bangkok, Thailand

Ron wrote at 2 p.m. that he was at the hotel in Bangkok and very tired.  He said he would write tomorrow.  I know exactly how he feels, arriving in the middle of the night after a 22 hour flight.   It has been exactly 22 hours since he left Los Angeles.   Unless he slept on the plane, he's not had sleep in at least 30 hours.  A short message from him was sent in the middle of the night (about 10 hours ago) at 34,000' before he arrived in Narita, Japan.   He just said Japan Air was a wonderful airline.   They gave him pj's for the flight and he enjoyed a fabulous 6-course meal.   I'm sure he got fish because he loves seafood and no meal is fabulous to him unless it is seafood.   After snacking in Los Angeles for almost a week, he deserved the good food.    I am sure he mostly ate fruit and snacks while in Los Angeles because he said everything was terribly expensive there.

Just to know he's arrived safely gives me a chance to relax and get into a routine this week at home in Georgia.    He will travel on to Chiang Mei in a day or two but that is a short flight.   He will find a place to live for four months and begin looking at property to see if he can successfully establish a safe house for girls there.  

He promised me that he will eat healthy even though I'm not there to be sure he eats enough fruits and vegetables.    He and I know we both have to get enough rest and eat healthy to keep ourselves well enough to continue this work a few more years.

It was 33 here in North Georgia this morning and we had frost for the first time this fall season.   I went to church at the Woodstock church of Christ where I will attend every Sunday morning while Ron is gone.  Leigh Ann used to be a member there so many people I met asked about her.   I hope to establish a few friends there.

As I hear from Ron and know more about his work, I will post again.   

May God bless you all with a good week.

Take Off

Ron's flight is due to take off right now as I write this.    He finally got the last COVID test, checked in successfully for the flight and he was going to the gate when I last talked with him.   He is very happy to get all of this red tape behind him and finally be on his way to Bangkok.    He will arrive in the middle of the night.   He has to spend one night in a hotel to get another COVID test.  He plans to travel on to Chiang Mei on Monday or Tuesday.   I hope he will stay one more night to be fully rested but I know he is anxious to get there and start the work.   

The time will be exactly 12 hours different with our time change tonight.    When I get up in the mornings, he will be finished for the day and when I go to bed at night, he will be starting his day.    We will chat a few minutes just to know each is doing O.K.

As soon as he begins to make progress on the work, I will post his findings and let everyone know.  He hopes to find a building he can renovate but that may take weeks just looking at available properties and making a decision. 

If you need to contact me, write me at patbrown10@gmail.com or call 678-877-6300.  

Please continue to pray for both of us.

Thank you.   May God bless you!

  

Approval received!

Ron received the Thai Embassy approval this morning so he went to get the COVID test that is needed within 72 hours of arrival in Bangkok.   The result would not be available until 3 p.m. so he could not make today's flight.    He is scheduled to leave Los Angeles tomorrow (Saturday), Nov. 6 at 12:45 p.m.   

If he makes the connection in Narita, Japan, he will arrive in Bangkok about noon on Sunday (Atlanta time). He must stay in a hotel one night and have another COVID test before traveling on the Chiang Mei.  

Please pray for Ron's safe travels and his health.    Thank you.

More Red Tape!

Ron is still in Los Angeles due to more paperwork that must be submitted to the Thai Embassy for approval before he can leave the U.S. on the flight to Bangkok.   

He worked diligently to prepare a packet of information that they listed on the website that was required.  He needs a long term VISA.  Americans have never had to have a VISA to go for 30 days but it is more difficult to leave the country and go back in now due to border closures and restrictions of other countries because of COVID.  When we were there in 2019-2020, we made side trips to our safe houses in Laos and Nepal so we went in and out of the country every 30 days.   The borders of these countries are still closed so he needs to get a 5-month VISA to avoid this problem.

I will post again when Ron is able to fly and actually arrives in Thailand.   

Please pray that these setbacks will end soon and the rest of his trip will go smoothly.