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Dear family and friends,

In September when we wrote last, we shared about the worst flooding our region had experienced for 80 years. It’s been a difficult and slow road to recovery for many folks, and we’ve been grateful to have opportunities to help in various ways. Most people are trying their best to recover, start over, move on. Many areas that were severally affected still are dealing with huge piles of mud, with nowhere to move it to, many properties still left muddied, dirty, wrecked, with some owners unsure how to begin to restore. It will take more time than anticipated.

On a brighter note, we have been thrilled to welcome Jonathan home! He completed his one year military service at the end of last month. Now he is taking time to have a rest in between different work opportunities around Chiang Rai that he is being offered. By early next year he hopes to be making big decisions regarding his next steps, going back into missions and completion of his degree with University of the Nations. In the meantime we are enjoying having him home.

Welcoming Paul home, after a week of teaching on a DTS. Always glad to have dad return home. He goes again in a few weeks to another location towards Bangkok, south of us, for one more week of DTS teaching, Jono will go with him and participate this time.

 

Hard to believe Christmas is so close! As we look toward celebrating Jesus’ birth, and remembering all the things we have to be grateful for, could we be the first to wish you a beautiful and blessed Christmas for 2024? We pray and trust you will be able to have opportunities to celebrate life with those you love. We are looking forward to joining Nui, who is still serving with YWAM in Battambang. This year we will celebrate Christmas with Nui, Jonathan and Arnie in Cambodia.

Thanks for caring for us and for your partnership in our work.
Peace and joy,
Paul & Penny

Wedding, floods, visits – community, friends and family, and our global family gathering.
We appreciate you journeying with us in the story God is writing for us. We are privileged beyond measure!

 

More than joy and such a privilege to be able to attend Zac’s wedding, with his beautiful Sierra, in Lake Geneva, WI, on August 31. A quick trip with quality family times. Grateful we caught up with Foon, as well as Jaci, Evans and our three beautiful granddaughters.

It continues to bring joy as we visit several families in our community, some we have tracked with for many years and others are newer friendships. All have great needs and we are grateful to be able to offer hope and friendship when they are hurting.

 

We are currently experiencing severe flooding in our area. Many people who we know and love have had to evacuate their homes. This is a traumatic situation for many and we ask you to pray for health and strength for us all. We are housing multiple people and families on our property whose homes are under water. Any gifts toward flood relief would be greatly appreciated, as the clean up in the days ahead will be huge.
Paul’s youngest brother, David came for a visit in August, we had a busy and enjoyable time sharing our days with him, showing him our work, as well as starting kids in school.
Wonderful to welcome our friends from Singapore back for a visit in August.

 

Life is extra busy while one our other staff Colleen is away in Sth Africa, since May and we have been managing the care of her twins too, who are officially under our foundation. Unsure yet when Colleen will be able to return, she is applying for new passports and visa, and attending to some necessary medical needs. Arnie and twin girls, Mercy & Faith are best buddies, great company together. All three started a new school year in August. Photo’s above are the girls on their first day back at school after their summer break, as well as them swimming together before school began.

Then Sept 3-8 in Manila, to join with 4,500 other YWAMers from 110 nations at our YWAM international family gathering, the first global gathering since our founder, Loren Cunningham graduated to his heavenly home on Oct 6, 2023. We were reminded of the spiritual DNA we received from our founders, and committed ourselves afresh to our stated purpose, core beliefs, and foundational values. Together we experienced God and received a treasured legacy from those who have gone before us and we commit to pass it on faithfully to future generations.

We are adding a kitchenette and screened-in-porch to one of our buildings on our property, we need $5,000 to do this. If you’d like to help us finish this project, we would be most grateful, as we do need help. If you already know how to give through Australian Mercy, or in USA, via YWAM MT, please shoot me an email to let us know you have given, with date and amount. And if you’d like to give but don’t have giving details, please email me. Thanks for considering this.

Thanks for your love, prayers and support.

Paul & Penny

Dear Friends,
Do you know anyone who is a teacher who would like to share their skills in missions? We need teachers for the new school year (starting August) at the school Arnie goes to: Chiang Rai International Christian School. If you’d like more info, check out their website: https://crics.asia/, or write to us.

Biggest teacher needs are a 5th grade teacher and Language Arts teachers. Other needs: Elementary aides, Science teacher, ELL coordinator, ASP teacher.

Since Yanee completed DTS  (Discipleship Training School), earlier this year, at her request we have been preparing to launch her toward independence to join the YWAM team in Ratchaburi, south of Bangkok. Penny went with her last week, Friday May 17th, and stayed over that weekend to help her settle. She is now living with our YWAM friends: Bum, Alee & their two young boys. We are delighted for Yanee as she is takes this step in her life. Their main goals in Ratchaburi are to reach out into the schools and community serving in practical ways, as they share Jesus love, plus they receive short-term teams from many places around the world, to work alongside with them. Yanee still needs a small amount ($60) of support to reach her monthly goal, so if you want to partner with Yanee and help with any part of that goal for Yanee, please email me.

Arnie is finishing up grade four this week, during his 2 month summer break, he will travel with us in June, to Dukada’s wedding in Germany. He was granted a Schengen visa this week, which of course is very exciting for him.

Nui is flourishing serving with YWAM in Battambang, Cambodia. If you’d like her newsletter, also let me know and I’ll pass your e-address on, so that she can write to you.

Jono is over halfway through his one year military service. We so enjoy the few days, every couple of months, when he is allowed to return home for a rest. We are so proud of his great attitude in serving his country in this way. He is a rockstar.

Seems it is the year for family weddings. Our son Zac, will marry Sierra on August 31, we are very happy for them both. They live in beautiful, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA.

Garin, is with us every day. This year he started faithfully coming to work alongside our staff Narong, keeping our property neat and tidy, fixing things, gardening and helping others in the community with projects as the need arises. We often reminisce about the sickly little baby boy, we took in more than 20 years ago, who was not expected to live, now a healthy young man, who helps us consistently with a happy heart, to keep our large property mowed, trimmed and tidy. Garin turns 23 on June 21st.

This year Bom and Foon graduate university. Both these young men are finishing up four years of university. Bom in Chiang Rai, and Foon in Michigan, USA. We are proud and continue to pray for them, as they make important decisions for their future. Neither are sure yet, what the future holds. Foon is still hard at the studies and Bom has secured a great job in Bangkok already.

 

Pray for Colleen and Shirley as they have returned to South Africa to sort out passport difficulties. The twins, Mercy & Faith are in our care during their absence.

We trust that you are overwhelmed with the good things in life, as well as choosing to enjoy the mundane.
Bless you,
Paul and Penny