Gayle in Thailand

The words called out from the back of the truck burned into my brain and cut into my heart:

“I don’t think he is breathing.”

BletJhaw stopped the truck and I jumped out and swung myself up into the bed of the truck where he lay.  My hand flew to the carotid artery – nothing. I flipped open the eyelids – fixed and dilated. I checked for breathing – none. I thumped the chest – no response.  This can’t be happening!

This is how it began.  It is Sabbath morning.  We had been woken by the sound of a loud motorbike, straining up our hill at 5 a.m. followed by persistent knocking.

“Somebody in WST had been unconscious since 3 a.m.– can you come?”  …Was the message.

It didn’t take us long to grab the essentials and get to the house where we found the man in a deep level of unconsciousness.  His blood pressure was good, but respirations seemed to be shutting down.  We discovered he had overdosed on Tramadol liquid the night before.  The government gives it out in attempt to stop the opium habit.  Five cc’s should be taken twice a day.  This man had taken at least 200 cc’s all at once the night before.  This explains the respirations, as Tramadol works on the brain’s concept of pain, not on the pain itself.

Strong hands carried him out to our truck in a blanket, but he died three quarters of the way to Meta hospital.

Now it is Sabbath evening and we go to the house in WST, and meet with the family and many neighbors and friends.  I will do an encouraging worship for them, even though I have not had time to sit down and personally process the shocking events of the day. The men are hammering nails into a crude wooden box coffin when we arrive.  The box is completed, and the body placed in it, as the people crowded into the tiny house, or settled themselves on the ground outside.

I look at the crude wooden box that surrounded the motionless, silent and precious occupant.  He had made his choice.  His destiny is decided.  No more chances.  It breaks my heart! I look at the familiar room, and the faces of family and friends that I love so much.   You see we have met here week after week, doing Bible studies ever since this man tried to commit suicide by shooting into his right ear, 7 years ago!  God miraculously saved his life.  He stayed off opium several months, but started again.  He came to us for detox shortly after that and successfully came off it at which time he and his wife were baptized.  But the devil kept pushing and he was weak and returned to the opium.  We continued loving him and doing the worships.  He came to our church quite often – the last sermon he listened to was a powerful one entitled:  “JUDAS.” But still he kept spiraling downward, speaking often about suicide.  He recently stole his wife’s tithe money to buy his opium.

. . . And now here he lies – dead!   His name?      DuPe

Kidney Failure is a dreadful problem, especially here in the jungle.  BeLoo has struggled to keep alive for several months now.  She must irrigate her abdomen, (Peritoneal Dialysis) four times daily, in a small and dirty bamboo hut.  It takes almost every waking hour of the day to keep her system washed out enough to keep her alive.  Her life has turned into total helplessness and a desperate struggle to keep going.  She has had no hope for the future.  Once she had a sudden turn for the worse and went unconscious for over two hours.  Her skin itches all over all the time. It is covered with thick tough skin and red raised itch bumps.  She lives with her sister.  Both of them have lost their husbands through opium, anger and unfaithfulness.  The sister’s son is an angry person also who threatens them both and even told BeLoo he would rather see her dead.  Another lady from a different village suffered with this same condition, she could stand it no longer and committed suicide by hanging herself in the cooking area of her house just 3 months ago.  We asked BeLoo if she had been tempted to end her life.  She told us that she has thought of it, but is too scared to do it.

In all of her struggles with sickness and suffering, we introduced God to her, telling her that there is hope, there is a future of beauty, health and happiness with Jesus.  We asked if we could study the Bible with them.  For many weeks now we have been telling her the good news of Jesus and His love.

The hospital suggested that she find someone who would donate a kidney, so she could lead a normal life, but nobody was willing to do that.  Yesterday we visited BeLoo and her sister.  We explained to the sister that when you donate your kidney, that means that both of them can lead a normal life.  Now the sister seems willing to donate her kidney, and our prayers are that she has the right blood type to help her sister because there are no other willing family members or friends.

BeLoo on the right, her sister on the left.

Please pray for these two precious people, that they can understand the Bible studies, fall in love with Jesus, and that BeLoo can get a kidney transplant that will give her life back to her.

The words that came out of this artist’s mouth one never-to-be forgotten day came to me as a complete, unexpected, and unparalleled shock. They were riveted in my mind in that instant in such as way that they could never be forgotten. I am not driven to tears very easily, but in that moment as I gazed up at the large, unassuming, country man before me, sudden, insuppressible tears sprung from my eyes, and I found no voice to speak.

It all began during the month of September. I had made a surprise visit to my Mother in Garden Plaza that month for her 94^th Birthday present. How special and valuable the time was. We did everything together, including walking the halls downstairs where various local artists were selling and exhibiting their work. We admired and commented about each lovely picture. When my son came to visit, he was particularly drawn to two very well done, detailed pictures of old-time Montana scenes, with old barns and antique vehicles. Later my Mother and I decided we would buy these pictures for his birthday. They were $95 each. I called the number that was listed on the pictures and agreed with the man to meet him the next day and give him some money as a deposit and then at the end of the art show on September 28, I would pay the remainder and claim the pictures.

The next day I met him and gave a one hundred dollar bill as a deposit. I spoke to him briefly about his remarkable talent as an artist. When he asked me where I lived and what I did he was surprised to hear that I was and missionary to the Karen people in the jungles of Thailand.   His questions led me to explain some of the dangers and the joys of my work. I love to recall the miracles of the Lord and the strength that He gives.

Mother and I came to the lobby September 28, looking for our artist. Many artists were entering and retrieving their paintings. Some were obviously upset that they hadn’t sold their pictures, still others were excited that they sold 2 or 3. One man came up to me with 2 of his pictures, extolling their beauty and asking me to please buy them. He was very persistent and continued with his sales pitch even after I explained that I had already bought 2 pictures for my son and couldn’t possibly afford another. It seemed like the entire atmosphere in the lobby that day was heavy with greed and money seeking. Finally I recognized the man whose pictures we were buying. We followed him to the room where his pictures were displayed. There he stood – and there hung his pictures . . . and then came the most stunning words out of his lips . . .

“I really admire the work you are doing to help those people in the jungle. Do you mind if I just give you those 2 pictures to help you out a little bit? It would really mean a lot to me!” . . . .With that he handed me back my crisp one hundred dollar bill.

Oh Lord there are still people in this old world whose hearts are soft and touched by the impressions of the Holy Spirit, who give ungrudgingly – even eagerly, and have a heart for missions and a longing to do their part to help the poor, the lost, and the suffering in other lands.

I went to America during the month of September as a surprise visit to my Mother.  It was her 94th birthday and I had nothing to give her that would mean anything to her – so I gave her myself!  It was the best gift for both of us because we enjoyed each others company so much.  I thank my dear Mother for her spirituality, her deep care and compassion for people, for her courage, strength and self sacrificing love to say good-bye to me, thinking that she may not ever see me again on this earth.

Her friends asked her if she was afraid for the danger I am in and expressed how sad and lonely she must feel to see me go.  Her answer to them was how very privileged and happy she is to see me working for God as a missionary, for this is what she trained me for.  No Mother could ever be more blessed than to have both her children walking with Jesus and working for Him. She knows God is with me and no matter what happens she is willing to let me go because she knows I am doing God’s will and we will see each other in heaven.

What a precious and sweet Mother.  I see her in the doorway waving goodbye saying, God goes with you, we will stay true to Him.

Thank you dear Mother I can perform my God-given work so much better with your blessing!

It was midnight straight up when we heard a woman knocking and yelling at our front door.  The rain was coming down and she had just carried her 10 year old son all the way up the 2 steep hills to our clinic.  One look at NauTee told me he was in terrible trouble.  With a temperature of 105.6 degrees he was at the point of seizures and convulsions.  His chills were so severe he could not talk or get a breath.  His face, hands, and feet, were blue and white, his body stiff.  Quickly I tore the heavy blanket and jacket off and BletJhaw and I began to wash with cool water.  Finally we were able to get him to swallow paracetamol, but the chills continued.  BletJhaw stayed up all night with him.  The antibiotic for scrub typhus kicked in during the next day.  Praise the Lord for th!is precious, happy and thankful boy.  So thankful to God!  So happy we can save lives and teach eternal life!

These pictures denote just part of our trip to MeDeLeGwee village today on the motorbike to treat the sick.  I only fell off onto my back in the mud one time!  Soft landing – – – no pain!  Just messy appearance all day!

Don’t forget, we’ve got to come back the same way!

Fighting our way for over an hour one way.

Tired of the mud.  Only approximately 4 or 5 more weeks of this!

We have just hired Thara Jerry!  He is the first one ever to want to work permanently with us in BYT.

Please meet Thara Jerry.  Do you remember him?  He is the one who joined us when we spent a week in MeDeLeGwee village last March.  He is an excellent cook and really adds a lot to our singing, prayers and worships etc.

Jerry is BletJhaw’s brother-in-law.  We are overjoyed to have him here with us, especially me because I have officially resigned and retired from the kitchen!  Now even though we must work with the patients, we will not miss our meals or be so very late with them.  Jerry will have a meal ready!  He is like a magician. He can make something tasty out of almost nothing!!

Please welcome him to our team!

Rainy season takes its toll on all of us out here in the jungle. Presently I have a kidney infection, a bad cold, and the “Jungle rot” in my scalp. We have met a hooded cobra face to face, I have tripped right over 2 dreadful snakes and met a wild elephant face to face!

Of all these things I think the later is the most lethal! It happened this way:

ChaPoo, age 65 from WaSuTah is very painfully sick. We must take him to Meta hospital, but his son must first get him out on a motorbike, then we will get our truck and take him the rest of the way.

My first look at DiTee told me she was dying. She lay there on a pile of dirty blankets in the bamboo hut, just skin and bones, eyes sunk in, clammy, cool, pale skin, and even exuding the smell of death. She had a high fever, and intense pain all over her body especially in the abdomen. When she moved even one arm up in the air it took great pain and effort to put it where she wanted it. She is 28 years old and has 2 small children.

Her diagnosis: SLE (Systemic Lupus Eryth)

This disease does not have to be fatal if treated with steroids, but can be quite severe or life threatening because it knocks the immune system out, therefore secondary infections come easily.

Oh, poor suffering humanity, how I long before Jesus can come and end this long reign of sickness, suffering, sorrow and sin.

We will have a very hard time taking her to the hospital because it is rainy season and she is way to fragile to struggle up that mountain on the back of a motorbike. They hire a truck to take them the long way to the big pagoda. It is late coming because they had a very hard time. BletJhaw and I take the motorbike to the main highway and return with our truck on the concrete part to meet them.

After a long drive and much pain on her part we get the silent sufferer to MaeSot hospital. Fortunately I meet a kind doctor in the Emergency who looks past her filthy dirty, smelly clothes and carefully examines, diagnoses and treats her. She is admitted to the hospital for over 3 weeks.

When she is dismissed, she is still very weak and sick. We never took pictures of her before her treatment. It somehow seemed so unkind to photograph such wretchedness.

We offered to take them to their relatives’ house, which they indicated was not too far away! WRONG! It took over an hour on the worst roads imaginable. If it had rained during that time we never would have made it. But God wanted that sick girl to get there!

Husband has a difficult time

With deep gratitude I sense more of the love of God for my people, when I see Him miraculously hold the storms back, stop the rain, push us up the treacherous places, hold us back from falling off the cliffs, so the sick can be taken care of. Surely He came to this world “That they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly!” John 10:10