A very busy November!

The time is rushing by with holidays fast approaching.    Since our move to FL, instead of having a quieter lifestyle, it seems that everything moved into high gear.    Just settling in and taking care of the many things that have to be done, takes time. 

My computer work got behind due to the packing and moving.  Getting new driver's licenses, registering the car, seeing new doctors (eye and ear) and finding stores for things we need, has also kept us busy.  

We've had guests and, unfortunately, I didn't get pictures to post.   I think Leigh Ann posted some on Facebook when Ronald and Gigi visited us for a couple of days.   After they left, Ellen Mao, our Chinese friend from San Jose, California came for a few days.   Leigh Ann was sick with Covid so Ellen got a room in Dunedin and came to our condo for breakfast each morning.    We did some things with her and ate several meals out and enjoyed our time with her.    

Carolyn Chance and Linda Franklin, friends from Greenville, TX drove all the way here (two-day drive) and stayed on Clearwater Beach for three days and nights.   We got to do some things with them and had some good meals at different restaurants.    We toured shops and a craft fair in Dunedin and went to the botanical gardens one day.   We had planned to take them to Tarpon Springs, where they harvest sponges from the ocean and have many unique shops and Greek restaurants.   We didn't go because they were hosting a seafood festival and expecting 30,000 visitors to attend their activities that weekend.    

Our friends from TX took this photo of us at the restaurant on Sunday before they left to return to Texas.    

Our weather has turned cooler, but it is still very nice.   As a cold front arrives, we will have about two days and nights rather chilly before the warmup comes.    It is too cool for swimming in a heated pool or going to the beach (at least for Floridians).    I feel sure tourists from North Dakota and New York are in shorts and enjoying the warm climate.   It is time for most snowbirds to return to Florida.    

Our work with SAS continues on in the same manner.  Since our work is done from computers, we just have a steady flow of things to do every day.  When I take a few days off for guests or holidays, the amount of work builds up.  I have to work a bit harder and put in some extra hours to get caught up again.  I will make an effort to have it all caught up by the end of December.   

We have had several baptisms and one of our girls got married to one of the preaching students from the Himalayan school of preaching, a school directed by one of our workers in Nepal.    

Save Asian Souls has about 300 girls in 23 different locations (safe houses) in Nepal, Laos, 
Thailand and the Philippines.    

We frequently have girls accepting Christ as their savior and being baptized.   This is the reason our motto is "saving lives and souls" as these are our goals for the poor girls who need our support.    

A church in Florence, AL gave money to buy Bibles and now every girl has been given her own personal Bible.    

A church in Houston, TX gave money to buy some winter clothing and underclothes for each girl in Nepal (about 220 girls).   The girls were very happy to receive gifts.   There are no practices to give Christmas or birthday gifts as we want to treat all girls equally.  The girls are very happy to get unexpected gifts.      

The girls in the Philippines enjoy a birthday party with all others at the CEA orphanage who have a birthday that month.   They will also enjoy a Christmas party with gifts and fun activities.   Here are our girls at CEA with their new bookbags as they started a new year at school.

These girls in their long skirts and white blouses (school uniform) are the residents of our safe house in Chiang Mai, Thailand.     

My first two weeks of January are consumed with getting tax letters to donors so they will have the information about their taxable donations to file their income tax reports.    When I finish that yearly task, many reports about the girls have accumulated again for their sponsors.    

Ron had another appointment at the Mayo Clinic the first week of November.   We met with two of their neurologists in regard to his tests in October.   They assured us that he is doing well for 86 and they are pleased with our busy work and lifestyle to try to remain active as senior citizens.  Next week, we are both supposed to watch a Mayo Clinic zoom teaching session in regard to aging well and taking care of ourselves for good brain health.    We are eating healthy foods and trying to get enough rest and reduce stress.  I think we are already doing what the online session will recommend.  

We are very thankful for our many blessings, and especially our ability to continue the work.   We are learning our way around to do things and take care of ourselves, so we are not yet a burden to Leigh Ann.   

We want to again thank our family, friends and supporters for your concern for us and the girls.  We appreciate your prayers and financial support.  

We wish everyone a safe and very happy holiday season during the Christmas holidays and a very Happy New Year.   

Life in Florida

We continue to settle into our new lifestyle in Dunedin, Florida.    We have been to a new eye doctor. With new glasses, I can see much better than before.   Ron has a new doctor to check his hearing aids and adjust them.   We have been attending the Central Church of Christ but may visit another congregation on Sunday.    We now know the back way to drive to Sam's Club where we have our prescriptions and where we can purchase the most reasonably priced gas.   Walmart has neighborhood markets in two directions very close to the condo.   Save-A-Lot is right across the street, within walking distance.   We have Publix and Winn-Dixie nearby.  We opened an account at the bank about a mile from us for our local banking needs.   I have to get rolls of quarters for the laundry since we don't have connections for washer and dryer in the condo.   The laundry room is four doors down so it's not a big problem.

As we work from home, locating to Florida has not been a problem except I have gotten behind in my work.  So many things have required my time away from the computer.   Although we don't really have enough working space, we are managing to get our work done in our little niches of office areas.   The sunroom, which I have turned into an office, is small and Ron found it more convenient to work in the master bedroom.  

Ron's office chair is at the end of my mother's 100-year-old cedar chest so it serves as a place for working papers.  

There is a 2nd closet in the room, and he has his office things right behind his chair.  

 

I weeded the bed at the back of the condo and added some succulent plants so it looks much better.  Leigh Ann gave me a few more aloe plants and a dear friend in TX sent me some money to buy some succulent plants.  It really touched my heart.   

We are allowed to add a 10' patio at our back door using some type of tile blocks but it is not a priority as we have little time to sit outside.    You can see part of the next-door neighbor's patio in the picture below.  

Leigh Ann has been coming over on Sunday nights to go to church with us and have a light dinner afterwards.   She is so good to help with whatever we need done and provide us with information about places to go around here.

Ronald and Gigi have arrived in Woodstock to begin getting their house (where we lived for three years) ready to sell.   We have not kept up with the repairs that need to be done.   They have some appointments to give reports to congregations about their work in the Philippines.   Next week, they will make a quick 3-day trip down to Florida so we can all have some family time together.   Leigh Ann is encouraging them to buy a condo down here after their house sells, but I don't know what plans they have for a future residence in the U.S.

Ellen Mao, our co-owner in this condo will visit from San Jose, CA for a few days the first week of November (4-8).  She will stay with Leigh Ann but she will visit us and see the condo for the first time.  Only Leigh Ann saw it before we purchased it.   We only saw a video before the closing.

Ron has appointments at the Mayo Clinic on Nov. 8th so we will travel back to Jacksonville on the 7th.  He has a consultation visit with the doctor in regard to his previous testing and will see an ENT about his continual allergy problems.

Two very close women friends from Greenville, TX will arrive on November 16th.   We have reserved a hotel for them on Clearwater Beach.   They will stay through worship services on Sunday (11/19) and then drive back home.   A group from the Creekside Church of Christ in Greenville, TX support 24 of our girls.  They are an important part of our work but, more importantly, they are wonderful friends who we have known for many years.    We are so excited that they are coming, and we can show them around our unique cities of Dunedin and Clearwater and spend some quality time with them.  

We have cooler weather this week.   Night lows have been from 58-64 degrees but the day warms up to the 70's or low 80's.   The condo has no direct sunlight since we face North and with a condo on each side of us, the inside temperature does not change drastically.    It has been a very pleasant weather change from the 90's a month ago.   We have not had a chance to go out to walk around but the weather is perfect.  I need to find a "walking buddy" and go walking every morning.    

Our next door neighbors are moving next week and returning to New York to be near their children and grandchildren.   A lady, they estimate to be in her 70's, from Venice, FL has bought their condo.   I hope I can make friends with her and if she is able, we can get out and walk each morning.   Maybe if I reach out to her, we can be friends.

This week, we had a couple from church over for dinner. 

 

They seemed to enjoy my cooking and after dinner, we played three games of dominoes.    It was a delightful evening with Mark and Irene. 

Wishing all of our sponsors, supporters, friends and family a happy fall season.   The time will soon change, and holidays are quickly approaching.    We are thankful for everything and everyone!   

My friend from Greenville, Texas wrote this morning asking if we need anything.   We are blessed, indeed, when we can't think of anything we need.  

My heart goes out to people in the middle East who are suffering with the lack of necessities because of the senseless wars going on.  I cannot complain when I have everything, and they lack the simple things of life and face fear every day.   

God bless you all.  

Settled in new home in Florida

The movers arrived about 9:30 a.m. on Monday, September 11th.   They loaded the truck in about 3 hours.   As they finished loading furniture and boxes from each room, I swept and mopped the floors.  I left it as clean as possible in the time I had, but we were rushing to drive through Atlanta before the afternoon traffic piled up.   We drove the entire 9 hours to Clearwater and arrived at Leigh Ann's condo at 10:30 p.m.  We were truly tired from a long day's work and drive.   We slept well and arrived at the condo the next morning after breakfast at Leigh Ann's.     

The movers did not get here until late afternoon to begin unloading.  

They were moving too fast for me to keep boxes together for each room but it was getting late and getting it all unloaded and inside was the main thing.   They were very cooperative to set up beds and put furniture where I suggested.  We went to bed and started unpacking the next morning.  I gave Ron the task of unpacking all of his things and I started on the kitchen first. Slowly, box after box was unpacked and things put away and in three days, it was done!

Leigh Ann and I have rearranged things in the living room and dining room but with the small rooms, there is limited space to change things.   We had only seen a video of this condo and the previous owner had lighter furniture which fit in better and gave more floor space to get around things.    We are pleased that I found a place for everything, and we can surely use all of it.   

 

We are about 10-20 minutes' from Leigh Ann but further from Tatum who lives in Tampa.    Stores are within 4 or 5 miles and two congregations are that close also.   It will be a convenient place for us old folks to live out our last years.        

We are tired from the packing, moving and unpacking but slowly feeling normal again.   Our computer work got behind and we are busy catching up again.    The quarterly reports about the girls are pouring in and I will get them to their sponsors next week.

Moving is never easy but this one was especially hard.    There seemed to be a lot more to move, get rid of and yet I left many things in the house for Ronald and Gigi to dispose of someday when they sell the house in Woodstock.   Leaving good neighbors was really hard.   One has texted me that she's still pretending that we are just on a trip to Asia and will be back.    I am thankful for the strength and ability to make this move as I am not sure it would have been possible in another year.   We almost waited too long to make our final move.    I am thankful for the blessings of a nice place to live and our health to get through the move.

The condo is easy to clean and keep straight.   It will be a simpler lifestyle, but I miss having a yard and a place to go outside and walk around.    I took my first walk this morning to a shopping center within a half mile.   There are sidewalks the entire way and a crosswalk for pedestrians.    I walked through the Bealls' outlet store, Dollar Tree and Save-A-Lot grocery store.   They are well-stocked and good stores.  There is a pharmacy, a hair salon and three restaurants in this strip center.   It is very convenient to have these stores so near to us.

We went to church with Leigh Ann on Sunday.   She goes to Pinellas Park church of Christ in Clearwater.    She came and picked us up and it took about l/2 hour to drive there.   There are two closer churches to us and we will visit them in the next few weeks.   

Sunday was Leigh Ann's birthday. 

We treated her to Asian food at P. F. Chang's Restaurant and really had a wonderful meal.   She got a birthday dessert, large enough for all three of us to have a chocolate overdose.  

Leigh Ann had the condo clean and stocked with supplies and food.   It was a wonderful help to us but we know she worked very hard to have it so perfect.   We are so grateful for her love and willingness to help us in every way.

Our trip to the Mayo Clinic for the remainder of the health tests for Ron will be October 5-6.    We will have to go to Jacksonville on the 4th as he has an early appointment on the 5th.   

The Mayo Clinic is a four-hour drive from here.   

I will post again when we have more news to report.   Thanks to everyone for the well wishes for our new home in Florida.   If any of you are ever in this area, please come by or call.    God bless you all. 

    

What doesn't kill you just makes you stronger!

Have you heard that expression?    I am NOT sure it is true.   I have been packing for about 3 weeks and it has about killed me.   I don't feel stronger, either.    We have 99% of the packing done and expect to wind it up in a couple more days.    It has been the hardest move we have made, perhaps because we've accumulated more "things" to go through and we are much older.    There are things in the house that belongs to Ronald and Gigi so I had to be sure those items are secure so movers will not load their things.  I have gone through things Leigh Ann and Tatum left and decided what I need to take for them to keep. 

The Woodstock church of Christ will have a coat giveaway in the fall so they took my coats, sweaters, winter vests, scarfs and gloves.   They also took boxes of religious books that Ron can no longer keep and use.

Good Will got several loads of clothing and household items we cannot use.   I shared kitchen stuff with Ronald and Gigi and will leave some furniture and other items for them to use or throw away.   They will come back the middle of October for about 5 weeks to report to churches near here (North Alabama, Southern Tennessee).  On this trip back to the U.S., they will live in this house (which belongs to them).   They will have to rake leaves and get the yard is better shape for the winter months.   Ronald will determine what work needs to be done on the house before they put it on the market next year.   

This has been a family house for all of us at one time or another.   

Leigh Ann and Tatum lived here for several years.  We came to live here in June, 2020 due to Covid-19.    We could no longer visit churches to give reports and we gave up living in the RV.  

We have recently made two weekend trips (North Alabama and Tennessee) to see supporters and friends.   Our long-distance travels will be much harder as we will be living 9 hours south of Atlanta.

Jackie Feng, our Chinese SAS worker, has his green card now and he can travel internationally to visit our safe houses in the future.   The timing has been perfect as we spent 6 months in Thailand last winter getting the last safe house ready for girls.

Ron continues to turn more of the work over to Jackie and he is doing a great job.   We have two other men interested in working part-time (at this time) to assist with the fundraising and management aspects of the work.   Ron is not retiring by any means, but he is reducing the SAS load he has shouldered since 2015.  My work with SAS will also continue.   

The lifestyle of a condo will be simpler for us than living in a house.   We will not have any outside work or maintenance that we are responsible for.    The condo has new equipment/appliances and we do not anticipate having any additional expenses or work.  We are simply reducing the amount of work and stress for our last productive years.    We are getting to be old guys now and are feeling the "senior citizen" status.    

In January, 2023, we were in a train station in Vientiane, Laos in this picture, leaving to go to Luang Prabang, Loas (our safe house has 13 girls there.   

Our condo it about a 10-minute drive from Leigh Ann.   She lives in Clearwater.  Tatum, our granddaughter, lives in Tampa.  She is probably 30-40 minutes from us.    

We will enjoy getting to see them more after many years apart.   We do regret that we won't see Ronald and Gigi as they will be coming here to get the house ready for sale and to report to their sponsors for at least the next year.

We have not celebrated Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays in years.    We lived in St. Croix and St. Barts in the Caribbean for 7 years at the beginning of our mission work (1984-1991) and the winter holidays are not the same festive occasions from a warm climate.    We will enjoy some good meals and family times during these holidays this year.    Last year, Ron and I went to Central Plaza (mall) in Udon Thani, Thailand and had holiday meals at a restaurant by ourselves.   

A dear friend, Ellen Mao, is l/2 owner of the condo we purchased.   She helped us out financially by being a co-owner of the condo.   

Ellen hopes to relocate herself to FL in a few years.

If all goes well, the movers will be here in North GA on September 11th and unload in Dunedin, FL on September 13th.   It will take a few weeks to put everything away and get organized.

Ron has some additional tests at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL on October 5-6.    The trip will be a four-hour drive from Dunedin.

We continue to thank our family, friends, sponsors and supporters for keeping in touch and helping us with the work in Asia.   We ask for your prayers to continue for our workers, the girls, Ronald and Gigi's work in the Philippines and for us in our new home environment.

If any of you want to be our guests in Dunedin, FL, just let us know when you are coming.   We will leave the porch light on for you and welcome you with open arms.  

Remember you can contact us by email at ronbrown20@gmail.com and me at patbrown10@gmail.com.

God bless you!

Another change in our lives

We keep in touch with our new safe house mother in Udon Thani, Thailand.  She and Yim, her only girl so far, are growing many good vegetables in their garden.   The most unique of which, is oyster mushrooms.   

Since none of you have seen them growing, you will enjoy the pictures.   

I have not seen oyster mushrooms in the U.S. but I loved them when we tried them in Udon.   They are fried in a small amount of oil until they become crunchy around the edges.   They can be used in stir fried dishes and in soup.   

As the last phase of our lives has arrived, we are moving again.  Thankfully, not to a nursing home!

About 23 years ago, Ellen Mao, came into our lives as a young graduate nurse from Harding University.  We met her at Hillsboro church of Christ.   She was very interested in our work in China as her family is Chinese.   They immigrated to the U.S. when Ellen was a child, and they still live in California.   Ellen began working with us in the office, went on medical missions to China and more recently went to all of our Save Asian Souls' safe houses and taught home health and good hygiene practices to the girls and house mothers.  She and Leigh Ann (our daughter) went together to visit children at one of the orphanages that we established in China more than 10 years ago.   Ellen visits Leigh Ann in Clearwater, FL.

From 2010 to 2019, we lived in an RV and traveled extensively across the south to give reports on our work to raise funds.   When we went to Asia in 2019, we did not know that would be the end of our travels in a motor home.  Covid hit the world and when we returned to the U.S. in June, 2020, we moved into Ronald and Gigi's house in Woodstock, GA (north of Atlanta).   Leigh Ann and Tatum (our granddaughter) lived here for more than five years but had relocated to Tampa and Clearwater, FL at the end of 2019.   

Ron decided a year ago that we would move to FL before the next winter.   Ron had a man in FL to take the RV on a lease/purchase plan two years ago but while we were in Thailand last year, he quit making payments and Ron repossessed the RV.    Rather than live in an apartment, we decided we would live in the RV full-time and had selected an RV park in San Mateo, FL.   

When Ellen heard this, she began pushing for us to relocate close to Leigh Ann in Clearwater.   She began searching for condos and agreed to be co-owner with us if we would consider it.    After two weeks of reviewing available condos, we have reached an agreement to purchase a condo with Ellen, located at 1020 De Leon Drive, Unit #103 in Dunedin, FL.   It is a 10-minute drive north of Leigh Ann.  The closing is set for August 31, and we hope to be ready to drive there after Ron's next appointments at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville on October 6th.

After we get moved and settled, I will post pictures!

I have begun the packing and disposing of things we cannot use any longer.   It is a difficult job but with breaks to do some of my computer work, I am sure I can get it done by the end of September.  Unpacking in a new place is the easy part.   I think we have moved 20 times in 68 years.  I could be a professional packer if not so old!

Ronald and Gigi will return home and begin doing things to the house to get it ready to sell.   They cannot return to the U.S. permanently and he does not want to rent it again.   He went to China in 2009 and the two renters prior to Leigh Ann living here did not take good care of the house.   Since he cannot oversee it from the Philippines, he will sell it and try to buy something smaller for their home in the U.S.   Leigh Ann and Ellen want them to buy a condo down there close to us, of course.   

My workload has been very heavy since we returned from Thailand.   I will have to take breaks from the packing at my age so I will do my computer work on my breaks.  I will do my best to keep things fairly current until we can get settled in Florida.  

We have wonderful neighbors here in Woodstock.   I have become close friends with them and with the two young girls at one of my neighbors.    These young teenagers want to come down to visit us next summer and that will be special for them and for us.   I am going to miss them but hope we can make some friends in the 55+ condo building and at church.   There is a small but sound congregation at Port Harbor, five miles north of Dunedin.  

We regret that we cannot travel to congregations as we have done for the past 20 years.   The long-distant driving will become harder for us.   We will miss many friendships and visits being further away and we regret this.   We will keep in touch with our modern technology and continue our work as usual.  

We believe this change is the best for us at our age.   With our daughter and granddaughter nearby, they will surely help us, but we will try to be independent as long as we can.   We are about a 4-hour drive from the Mayo Clinic.  They have all of Ron's medical records, but we can use local doctors for minor illnesses.  I hope Leigh Ann can take a day off and go with us to the Mayo Clinic when Ron needs another visit there.   After the October 6th appointments, he may be dismissed until next year's checkups.  

We will continue our work with SAS as long as we possibly can.   Maybe God will continue to bless us, and we will have a few more years to be active in the work.   

We appreciate your prayers for us.    

Baptisms and other things during July

As the month of July comes to a close, we do not know how the time went so fast.    We took another trip to the Mayo Clinic for Ron to have more testing done.  There was no change in his brain scan on the MRI from last year.    His blood work report was very good except for cholesterol.   He is starting a new prescription for that problem.    Ron eats very healthy so diet alone will not keep his cholesterol low enough.   Several diseases such as diabetes, thyroid, autoimmune and Parkinson's were ruled out.   The neurologist plans to have a few more tests scheduled.  We will have to go back when we find out the date for other appointments.   He has one knee that causes pain, and his leg muscles are weak.   This week, he started physical therapy to try to strengthen his leg muscles.   Keep Ron in your prayers as we continue the therapy and watching after his health.   For all of you who know Ron, you know he intends to continue doing this work as long as he is able.  We hope that will be a few more years with a good diet, exercise and adequate medical care.   

There have been several girls baptized in Nepal this month.   

The local ministers teach the girls regularly in each of their village safe houses.   We are pleased that so many girls with a Hindu background are being taught the gospel and accepting Christ as their savior.     Continue to pray for the other girls who are in the process of learning.    We have over 200 girls in Nepal safe houses now.  Some graduate each year, a few get married and leave but there are more coming all the time that need our help.

We lost one safe house in Laos as Hong resigned the work in Vientiane, Laos.  

He took in 19 girls in a small house, but it proved to be too much for him and his family.    Hong's health is not good right now and he felt he needed a break from the work that is never-ending with such a big family of girls.   Some of the girls are in college or vocational schools and have found dorm rooms where they can continue their studies.   A few girls relocated to Phet's house in Vientiane.   Four girls decided to return home to their homes in Northern Laos as they think their parents are now in a better position to afford to pay for their schooling. 

Hong says he would like to do this work again in the future when he feels he is more able to handle the responsibilities.  He is a very good man.  He and his wife have done a wonderful job teaching girls as they were our first house parents in Laos many years ago.   

Carole Booker, a teacher at Westbury Christian in Houston, went to Laos in July to teach the girls at Phet's house.  

Some of the girls from Hong's house and from the safe house in Luang Prabang came down to attend her classes.    From all reports, they had a wonderful time.  Carole always treats the entire group on a fun trip.  This year, they traveled to another city and visited caves, an amusement park and continued some more classes there.    It was the first time for many girls to travel, stay in a motel, eat at restaurants, and have such fun experiences.   I know they are grateful for the great memories they made this summer with Carole. 

Each summer, Carole has visited one of our locations.  I do not know how many years she has made this long trip, but she began during the time we had orphanages in China.   We are so grateful for her loving service to teach and encourage our precious girls.   I hope she can go again next summer to Udon Thani, Thailand or to the Philippines.

Thanks to all of our friends, family and supporters for encouraging us in this good work.   May God continue to bless each of you.   

Incredibly busy summer schedule

Each week, I think I will post a new blog, but my workload has been very heavy.    If you have checked and not found anything new, I'm sorry.   Feel free to email me at patbrown10@gmail.com or Ron at ronbrown20@gmail.com.

We made a trip to Florida to see Leigh Ann the last week of May.   After we left Clearwater, FL, we went to Jacksonville to the Mayo Clinic and Ron had some of his health evaluations completed.   We have not been able to see one of his doctors in a couple of years.   The last time we were there, the hurricane that hit Ft. Myers was already beginning to affect the weather in Jacksonville.    We were not able to see Dr. Lin that day and due to the weather, we could not stay.   We drove back to Woodstock, GA to be ahead of the storm.   Ron will have a MRI tomorrow evening and a blood test Wednesday morning with an appointment to see the doctor in the afternoon.    We will spend two nights in Jacksonville.

Friday morning, we will drive to Central Florida Christian Camp at Eustis, FL where our RV is parked.  It is a 2-1/2 hour drive southwest of Jacksonville into Central Florida near Mt. Dora.  Two years ago, a man in West Palm Beach took the RV on a lease/purchase plan but he discontinued his payments.  The RV was repossessed while we were in Thailand.    The director of the Christian camp went to West Palm Beach and drove the RV to the camp.    

We will clean it up inside and stay there through the weekend.   We need to explore dealers in the area to see if we can put it up for sale with anyone.    I have packed odds and ends of household items from the kitchen, linens for the bed and bath so the basics will be there for our trip.   These things can go with the RV when it is sold.  If we cannot sell it right away, we might go back and spend some time there this winter.  Ron does not feel he can do the maintenance work or drive it now at 86 years of age.    

Ron wants to permanently move to Florida, but we have not made any arrangements yet.   Our friend from California met us in Clearwater in May.  She was hoping to buy a condo and get us to rent it as she does not plan to move there for a few more years.   She did not work out a deal to buy one so that option seems to have ended.

We have a trip planned for the last weekend in August to Florence, AL.   We have two congregations we need to meet with on Sunday, August 27.   Ron hopes we can drive on to Memphis, TN to meet with Jackie, our co-worker.   A deacon in TX is interested in working with SAS when he retires.  We would like for him to meet us there to discuss the work.

The work is continuing just as before, except we closed one safe house in Vientiane, Laos.   Hong, a very excellent worker along with his wife, decided to stop keeping girls for a while.   They have some problems in their family with an adopted teenage daughter and with some other situations, it seemed best for them to take a break from the work.  Hong says he hopes they can do this again in the future.  It was the end of the school year, so some girls went back home to stay.   About four girls will move over to another safe house in Vientiane.  The older girls in college will live in the dorms or find available rooms near their schools.  Some of them are working part-time and also have relatives that can help them financially now.  These changes have kept me busy sending final reports for the girls we will not continue to support.

We are thankful for each of our supporters, whether you sponsor a girl, many girls, or just help with the overall expense of the work.   We are a team with a large number of supporters now and we appreciate each of you.   

As Ron and I are beginning to really feel our age, we will not be able to travel and report to each congregation as often as we have done in the past.   Ron will continue to send news of our work by email, and he will be available to talk by phone (678-877-6300) if anyone has a question.  Ron's hearing is not good at this time, but we hope after more treatment, hearing will return in the ear that is the worst. We will continue to be as active as we can for as long as we are able.  Our office work is full-time so travel makes it much harder for us to keep up with everything.  

God has surely blessed us and our work.  We could not do it without the will of God to move the work forward.   May HE bless each of our workers, our supporters and the precious girls who receive our help.

Until next time!

Life back in the U.S.

 Our long flights were on time and we made the connections without a problem.   After 24 hours in the air, we landed in Atlanta and our wonderful neighbors met up at the airport.    The two close neighbors had cut the grass, cleaned the house and prepared food.   We had several meals ready for us, plenty to make sandwiches and breakfast food.    We had a vase of freshly cut flowers on the table and petunias in pots on the front porch.    What a special homecoming it was because of these wonderful people who share our street.    

The next day, I began to feel sick, but jet lag is always an issue to cope with after a long international trip.  

We endured 100 - 104 degree days for two months in Thailand.    Landing in Atlanta, we faced cooler weather and dampness because it rained often.   I think my sinuses just shut down and said, "NO WAY" I can't handle this change.    Ron got a Covid test and it said "positive" but I heard the next day on the news that CVS's tests were bad and should be returned to the store.   Ron got a new test from Kroger Pharmacy and it said I was "negative."     I will never know for sure.  It felt like a very bad sinus infection.    I've had a few this severe in the past.    

After two weeks, mostly in bed and sleeping a lot, I was able to be up a little and do simple things.  But, I've been feeling very, very tired.   My strength is still not back to normal.   However, I laughed and said "I don't really know what 'normal' is now" as I will be 85 years old tomorrow.    Maybe this tiredness is the new normal for 85, but I hope not.

Ronald and Gigi arrived a few days after we got home (they run the orphanage in the Philippines).  With the food we had on hand, Ron prepared meals and breakfast and I stayed away from everyone as much as possible.    No one took my infection so perhaps it was not Covid.    I was so glad no one got sick.   Ron was able to care for me and do whatever needed to be done.    

Ronald and Gigi left after two days and began their trip to report to their sponsors/supporters.  

They will be back to see us for a short time before they return home on June 12th.    

This weekend, we will travel to Florida to see our daughter, Leigh Ann and granddaughter, Tatum. 

It has been over a year since we have seen them.   On the way, Ron will give reports to some of our supporters so the trip will be part mission work as we visit with our family.

The new safe house in Udon Thani is open but only has one girl so far.    A second girl came and stayed a few days but decided to go home.  She had never been away from home and said she missed her mother.   Both girls are teenagers but have only had a couple of years of schooling.    

Yim in her new bed at the safe house.  

It may have been a terrifying experience for the girls to think of going back to school but Yim, the girl remaining, says she is determined to stay.   

We hope TG will find more girls soon so we can utilize the nice home and help girls get an education and have a better life.

Thank you for your prayers and concerns for us while we were in Asia.    Life is certainly different but busy as we continue our work from the U.S.

Countdown to leaving Thailand

 In eight more days, we will leave Udon Thani to fly to Bangkok.   We will have one night and the next day in a hotel to rest before our long trip back to Atlanta.   From Bangkok, we fly on Qatar airlines for 7 hours and after a few hours in the Qatar DOH airport, we catch the flight to Atlanta for 15+ hours, depending on the tailwind.    If they don't bump us from the seats Ron selected, we should get extra leg room for the first flight in coach.    The 2nd flight is business class, but I don't trust them not to bump us from that if they can sell all of the seats.   When flying on air miles, they sometimes give priority to paying customers.   A young man sitting beside me from India on the way to Thailand, told me the seats with extra leg room are given to families with children even if others have paid for those seats.   

We face problems at the house when we return as a water line froze while we were away.   Ron thought he drained all of the pipes but there was some water in a line in an upstairs bedroom that burst.   We have to get some plumbing repairs done that may be expensive.    

Ronald and Gigi will arrive four days after we get home.   They will leave again in two days to start traveling to give reports to their supporters for the next 4 weeks.    We will see them again, hopefully, for a couple of days at the end of their travels just before they return to the Philippines.    Since they were coming home right after we got home, we did not make a trip to the Philippines.   We miss seeing the children and their beautiful campus.   We look forward to seeing them again after three years.

Leaving Udon Thani will be bitter-sweet.   TG has won our hearts as she has taken such good care of us.   She picked us up at the airport when we first arrived.  She has been like a constant companion ever since.   I will write her a thank you message for being so very patient, loving and kind to us old folks.  

She tackled the remodeling of the house, finding workers, supervising the work, buying supplies, and working herself right along with workers.   She even got on the scaffolding to finish painting one side of the house on the 2nd floor, so they could finish and return the rented scaffolding one day early.    She is at this very moment, using a drill to hang a mirror so girls can see themselves before they walk out the door to go to school.  She's moved the fridge and tables in the kitchen to have a complete laundry room area where she has installed hooks on the wall for the girls to hang their towels.    

Although we have grown close to her and almost feel like she's our daughter, we need to go home as our work is complete here.   TG knows what to do and she will be a good house mother.   If she gets good girls, she will have no problems.    If the girls truly want an education and a better life and cooperate with the rules, it will be a very rewarding job for TG.   Like with parents, she will experience heartache if she has trouble with a girl.   We will pray that things will go smoothly for the safe house group in this location.    

We are confident that we are leaving things with the best possible house mother.    Not only is she skilled in doing nearly everything, but she is also compassionate and very tender-hearted, caring for people at church and always ready to give anyone a helping hand.    

It is a very nice house after remodeling.   We have lived in the house mother's bedroom since January 1st.    Much work has been completed since that time.  We have lived in the midst of it while it has been a work in progress.    Many of you have lived in a house while remodeling a section of it, so you know the feeling.   

Yesterday morning, Ron discovered we had no water.   This is common in Asian countries.   When we visited the safe houses in Laos, they had a large container of water in each restroom with a big dipper. In case of water shutdown, they had a supply of water to flush toilets.    In the afternoon, TG started checking about the water and discovered that neighbors had water.   She investigated the property and found a coconut from the tree had fallen on the plastic water line and crushed it.   The water line is along the block wall.  Today, TG said she thinks the line should be put under ground.   It definitely should, but it is often done this way in Asia to save money.   There has been no rain recently, so the ground soaked up the water and there was no obvious puddling for us to notice it.  She shut the water off and went and bought more piping and connections and repaired the damage herself.  She also got containers and filled them up for each bathroom to have surplus for water outages.   The more expensive homes have large, galvanized water tanks in their yards to store water, but they are also unsightly and probably very expensive.

Ron saw a snake as he watered the garden a few days ago.   It quickly hid behind the shed.   The next day, TG killed a snake, but it was a different kind and smaller.    She said she might be afraid of a big snake, but the small ones do not bother her.   Today, she was watering the garden and killed a big centipede as large as your hand.   After all of these critters have started appearing, looking for water, I think it is time to go home! 

The heat is another reason to leave.   For more than two months, it has been over 100 every afternoon. The nightly low is about 80 but it is 90 when we go to sleep and by noon each day it is about 99 degrees.   I am so thankful Ron added a small air conditioner in the housemother's room and a larger unit upstairs for the girls.    I don't know how anyone can sleep with the room at 90 degrees.   The fans just push the hot air around.   The air conditioners are making it comfortable to about 80 degrees.   The kitchen is at least 100 degrees when I prepare lunch each day.   We have a table in the living room where we bring our plates to eat lunch.   Ron and I snack on leftovers for dinner, so I only cook one meal a day.   Ron prepares breakfast.   The bathrooms are also shut off and feel like a sauna when we take showers.

Ron bought a new computer for me so we can leave my old, and very cheap laptop here for the girls to learn to type and use a computer.   I struggle with new electronics. I like my ruts where I am not challenged to learn new and more modern ways to do things.   I could not find the blog, but Ron got it pinned for me.  Just another challenge for me to figure out on a new laptop.       

We have stressed that in this order, the girls must be taught 1) the Bible, 2) English, 3) computer skills and 4) complete a public high school education.     If we could succeed in all four ways with each girl, they will have a stable, good future and, hopefully, if they are receptive, a home in heaven.   These are our goals as we say we are saving lives and souls.

We road with TG to about five villages within about a 30-mile distance of the safe house today.   Each village has a village leader (a voted resident that accepts the position to get to know the residents and be available to help them with their needs).  This person is paid a small salary by the government.  TG met with each village leader and explained what we are doing to help very poor girls who are not able to go to school.   She left a packet of information about our safe houses in all other Asia cities.  We hope they will call TG when they review their families and find girls who might want SAS's support.

Thank you for following the progress of our work for the past six months.    I will post an update as soon as I can after we return home.   God bless you all!

 

Visits to safehouses last week

A week ago, we went to Vientiane, Laos and spent several days and nights with Phet and the girls who live with her and go to school.   The first day we arrived, we had Phet stop to buy the girls an ice cream cake.   With 100+ degrees, we know they enjoyed it.

Our room was on the 3rd floor but we left our heavy bag with clothing on the lst floor and one of the girls took my small make-up bag to our room.  It was very hot for the entire week, but we did have a small air conditioner in our room.   We slept well.     

This is Phet, our wonderful housemother (beautiful and sweet) in this locaton:    

Phet got us tickets before we arrived so we could take a train to Luang Prabang one day.     

In Luang Prabang, all the way down small alleyways, old houses have been turned into guest house hotels.    The houses are beautiful with original wood doors and floors.  In our room, an old picture of a family hung on the wall.   I think it was the family who owned and lived in this house as much as 100 years ago.    It is awesome to think of what life would have been like there at that time.    Our room had a balcony the entire width of the house overlooking the alley.    They grow many beautiful plants and there are flowering trees and potted plants everywhere along the sidewalks.

We were close to my favorite restaurant JoMa's which is much like Panera Bread, having a dessert cabinet displaying wonderful desserts.   They have wonderful salads, sandwiches, wraps, breakfast, all kinds of delicious drinks, including smoothies.    The green tea smoothie is absolutely delicious.   We had breakfast there two mornings and lunch there two days.   

After school, we took a tuk tuk to Chansouk's house and visited with them and the girls.    

Chansouk, his wife and baby girl are such a delightful family.   

After a short visit, we went back to our guest room and later met them and one of their students at another restaurant in the night market area.    We had delicious food and a wonderful visit together.    

The student that came with them speaks almost perfect English.    She is now working at a restaurant as as waitress and taking an English class, preparing herself to either go to Bangkok to a Bible school or to Singapore to attend Four Seas Bible School.  She is very smart and happy.     

The next day, Ron stayed in the room all morning to catch up his email, but Phet and I ventured out to sightsee in the city.    We went to the King's palace.  Many centuries ago, Luang Prabang was the capital city of Laos but it changed to Vientiane in more recent years.   Buddhism is strong is this city and many beautiful temples are open for tourists.  I tried to read up about the history of this city, but it is very complicated as it has been under several different country's rule and changed kings and leaders for centuries.    We were not allowed to take pictures of the palace and we had to rent the typical Lao skirt to wrap around us for proper dress to go through the palace.   Pure gold was in display all through the building in display cases of swords, vessels, clothing and many types of articles used during these periods of time by the royal families.

We walked through one Buddhist temple and along the shopping displays on the sidewalks.   The day was very hot.   A pure coconut shake was well worth waiting for as a girl made them just for us.

Later that evening, we went back to Chansouk's house and spent about two more hours with the girls.

It was so good to meet all of them and learn a little about their lives.   Most of the girls are from the Mekong River villages.   Boats go up and down the river all day and it is the only transportation to their homes.

Here are the type of villages they come from....

No electricity, running water or toilets, etc.

The girls are not unhappy to live in houses that you would consider unsuitable because it is far better than what they had at home.   In the safe house they have friends, they can go to school and have no worries about having enough to eat.  It is a good life and they are very pleased and appreciative of their sponsors' support.     

We took the train back to Vientiane and as soon as we arrived and headed to Phet's home, we were treated to a late lunch at a very good restaurant close to Phet's house.   Seems as if we are always eating but restaurants are just a good place to get everyone quiet long enough to look at the camera.

I've posted pictures of Kham before.   She is the girl who was born blind and had surgery about four years ago.    She is being trained by Phet's sister to shampoo, cut and blow dry women's hair and cut men's hair.   She gave me the best shampoo I've ever had, massaging my head and neck.   I showed her a picture of a short bob haircut and she trimmed my hair before styling it with the dryer.  

I did not know how to pay her and didn't want to make a show of it in front of the other girls.   I asked Phet to give her a proper amount of money for me.  Phet told me later she gave her 60,000 kips, but she would normally get about 20,000 kips.    60,000 kips is about $3.50 U.S. and 20,000 is about $1.16.   I don't know how anyone can live on the wages their receive.    I hope she will be able to set up her own shop in Luang Prabang and be successful in the future. 

We visited two other safehouses in Vientiane on our last day in Laos, but girls were at school.   We met with the house parents and discussed the work they do.   We did see the girls in January when we visited with our friends who came from Houston, Texas.

Ron waiting at immigration, getting ready to return to Udon Thani...

This week, we have worked to get the yard and the house in Udon Thani ready to show to potential girls and their relatives.    A vanload came today and the three girls said they were excited to come live here.  Two are 14 and in the lst grade.   The third girl is 16 and in the 6th grade.   Unfortunately, the girls have not been able to go to school because of severe poverty.    

TG took pictures today so I will post them later after she sends them to me.    

These girls will come May 1st and have two weeks to buy school uniforms, book bags and school supplies before the new term begins May 15th.    They will register as new students in the school about 3 or 4 blocks from the safe house.   It is a very short 10-minute walk to school each day.   The girls know each other so it will not be as big an adjustment as it would if they were strangers to each other.  It is a good start to have a few girls as they can share with other potential girls how nice it is to live here.  We hope we can find enough poor girls to fill the house eventually.   

We have a little over two weeks to spend with TG answering her questions and preparing to return to the U.S.

Thank you so much for following our journeys in Asia.