Sunday, June 9
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
Today is only one day, but seems like two. Any one thing that happened this day could be a story all by itself, but I chose to tell it as it happened – all in one day!
It began early with a tooth extraction before breakfast. This always wakes me up because it takes strength and concentration. It is still my worst favorite thing to do, but it is so necessary. I know it is all God making it successful – not me.
Our new building is not quite ready to move into yet because we are still doing touch-up painting, cleaning varnish and paint spills off the floor and putting together PVC pipe for the water lines and installing the big plastic water holding tank out back. This requires a cement pad. The rain is showing us exactly where our problem spots are on the high bank behind us and the descending bank in front. In fact it seems we must put another cement drainage ditch in front of our house to keep the soil from washing out. We have purchased the bags of cement and hopefully after watching the builders do so much cement, we can do it ourselves?!
On this particular day BletJaw and I started to work, but there were constant interruptions as we ran down to care for the patients as they trickled in. A man from NeLeeGwee came asking for us to see a sick lady, ShePaw, in his village. We had saved her life 3 years ago and now she is very sick again with breathing problems and is getting worse each day. Strangely enough a truck goes to MeDooGlow every morning due to a building project on the school at NeLeeGwee and she could go with them to the clinic there, but she refused to go with them! Could we go and help her?
We decided we could not take the truck, as it is a difficult descent into NeLeeGwee and the heavy looking clouds that covered the entire sky looked saturated with rain that would dump its load any minute. It seemed the motorcycle would be the fastest, safest way in, and we could still bring a sack of medicine to treat all the other patients there.
Going back in time: We had visited ChaDree in LaGlah village Sabbath afternoon, (yesterday), and found out that he was ready to go the Chiang Mai hospital if I would go with him. I was happy because he really needed surgery on his left lung, as his cancer has metastasized there. Up until this point he had been unwilling to go. He said someone he knows had 3 surgeries and died on the third, so this will be his third surgery and he did not want to go through with it. We had talked with him at length about the dangers of doing nothing, and asked him to come to our house when he was ready and I would go to Chiang Mai with him. Now just as we were leaving on the motorbike to NeLeeGwee, he came in, so we must make it back in time for me to drive to MeDooGlow with him before dark. (I was praying that God would hold the rain back until all this took place).
It was a fast motorcycle ride taking approximately one hour to get to NeLeeGwee. BletJaw is becoming a more confident driver and I always enjoy bouncing along behind! We prayed constantly for dry roads. Though it sprinkled a little here and there and got quite cold, the motorcycle stayed right side up. ShePaw now seems to be impossible to deal with. She is very sick with stomach and lung problems, dizziness and for almost a week she seems worse every day and cannot eat or drink much of anything. Her color is bad and needs hospital care. I do not have time to start an IV and watch over her today. She had traveled in the school truck 2 days ago, but got almost to MeDooGlow and decided she could go no further so she made them turn around and go all the way back, which was 3 times further than if she had continued on the MDG! Now they asked us if we could take her. Nothing is making sense, but we agreed to come back with the truck and take her ourselves if she would only go! -even though we would be quite late with ChaDree. Before we left they all decided not to go at all! BletJaw and I prayed with them begged them to take her in on the school truck first thing in the morning. Then we treated all the other patients who came to us. Poor ChaDree and ShePaw, how we pray for them.
The Lord still held the rain back for us to make it home. I took a quick bath and had a tiny bite to eat and then left with ChaDree and his caretaker. BletJaw would go the other way to MaeLa Camp on the motorbike to do some business. I would leave the truck in MDG and we would take the bus all the way into Chiang Mai. (This is not an enjoyable trip) I did not know when I would return.
Only 15 minutes into the trip, a heavy rainstorm broke upon us. How I wished BletJaw was behind the steering wheel! Careful as I was in four wheel drive low, the truck swung here and there and did more or less what it wanted to do. I prayed constantly and told my companions that God would get us through, do not be afraid. On one descent we met a truck that was trying to come up, but got hopelessly stuck crosswise in the road. It took me quite a while before I attempted to pass in the narrow tilted strip of road beside it. I know the angels of the Lord that excel in strength, did a lot of work just then to get us through. The rain continued until just outside of MDG, where there is a concrete road. This one and a half hour trip had just turned into 2 hours or more. Now it was getting dark. How glad I was to park that truck and leave it there!
Now I am in a Karen home with a dear little grandmother and her 3 grandchildren. that Breck, Emily and I had stayed once before. We have to sleep the night here and leave by bus at 5:00a.m. Bang is a 19 year old boy that lives in this house with his grandmother. Breck and I both love him. He is learning English at a fast pace and wanted an English Bible. He is a Christian and wants to learn more about God. Breck had left a lovely little Bible for me to give him because he did not have a chance to see Bang before he left. Now I am sitting on the floor with Bang and we are talking about God. He said to me, “You go to church on Saturday and I go on Sunday.” I told him that I do exactly what the Bible tells me to do, and it tells me to worship on Saturday the seventh day. Later he is reading out of the little English Bible. He begins in Genesis chapter one. He reads a verse in English and then reads it out of his Thai Bible so that he understands it. Now he arrives at Genesis chapter 2:2,3! When he finally understood it in the Thai Bible, he said, “You’re right, that does say the seventh day!”
Bang with his new English Bible from Breck
Oh isn’t God wonderful to take care of me all day long and then give me this heartwarming experience with Bang!
By now it is 9 oclock, and Bang suddenly asks us if we are hungry. I am actually starved, but I didn’t say anything. I don’t know what the 2 other men said, but anyway, Bang is suddenly going out to buy eggs and fix us a meal. He asked if I would go with him, so away we go on his motorbike and find some eggs before the store closed down for the night. Bang cooked a lovely meal. He told me to sleep in his room, which would have been nice all by myself, but just then the grandmother came in who seems to really love me. She wanted me to sleep in her room in the next bamboo hut, so she ushered me out. I found myself with several others under the same mosquito net, lined up in a row – blanket provided!
Next thing I know the little lady is pounding me in the back telling me to get up the bus will soon be here. I looked at my watch: 4:08 a.m.
What a wonderful life with these people, what opportunities everyday to really help them and to experience God so close up and awesome. He takes us through every situation with tender care. I feel just so covered up in His love that I want to sing and praise Him with all my being! This is truly REAL LIFE and it is MORE ABUNDANT every day!
“To the end that my glory, (soul), may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever!” Psalm 30:12