Not that we haven't been thankful, but 2006 was not a banner year for praise reports. It was the most difficult year of our lives, full of hardship and loss. But the morning is breaking.

First, the new pregnancy! We are so happy, so excited and so grateful to be expecting a baby again.

And now, our house has sold! Though we never fell to worry, it was always on the edges of our minds at the prospect of having to pay a mortgage that missionaries just can't afford. We have lost our equity, but our inheritance is in the Lord and in the work that we do. We are convinced He is our source and our provision.

This year has begun with such hope, and hope is essence of faith. So, in the end, we are full of praise for the hope that the Lord has restored in us.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We are happy to say we're heading up to the village again tomorrow. This has been a good season and we have grown so much through life and grief. In the end our response is praise that we have the strength to move on, and we pray that as we go through even more difficult experiences in life our response will be as Horatio Spafford wrote:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Sometimes we use our blogs to vent some frustrations about life in Thailand, but not today! Today we want to share how thankful we are to be here. The big praise report is that we have our Visas and Work Permits squared away until March 2007. Praise God! We went up to Maesai (just the two of us) hoping everything would work out despite not speaking Thai and were incredibly blessed to get an English-speaking worker at the office. They were very helpful and despite a few problems on our end they approved our visa.

So now it's (pretty much) official, little Bean is going to be born here in Thailand. We're thrilled to have this chance to raise a child among the Akha and in Thailand. God has been so faithful to us and though we bounce between fear and excitement in having a child, we are certain that God's faithfulness to provide will not fail.

We wanted to let you all know that MiShui's arm has healed well! Her
last appointment was very good and she is now in a smaller cast and is
attending school (thank God it was her left arm). She is a really
happy Akha girl again, playing and jumping around without fear.
Thanks for all your prayers and support! MiShui walks around with her
head held high and a great future before her.

Remember sweet little A Mi? (Akha Have Allergies Too, May 8 2006) Well, the liquid anti-histamine finally did the trick and she is all smiles again.

One of our constant observations as we try to give back to our village with our Akha Clinic is that the learning curve for medical care is pretty steep. The first time we see a symptom or ailment, even if we can immediately recognize what it is, we are usually not prepared to treat it. As time goes on and we observe more and more somethings, we are prepared to see them again.

I guess it's probably a lot like raising a child. This first pregnancy, although we immediately recognized what it was, is quite the steep learning curve as well!

Thanks for your prayers and concerns over little A Mi, we will let her know that so many people in America were asking about her.

If you don't know who Suzi is, don't feel bad; there's really no reason that you should. You see, Suzi is what we affectionately call our little rough & tumble Suzuki Caribbean Jeep. Although, this is quite likely the "toughest" car either of us have ever had, the last week has been pretty hard on her.

About a week ago, the back left brake was broken and leaking oil (I hope all you mechanically minded people out there will pardon my inarticulate language. Since I'm not a mechanic and since our mechanic speaks only Thai, we never really heard the official diagnosis.) A friend of ours told us about an excellent mechanic here in Chiang Rai, so we took the poor girl in for a check up. The mechanic was able to repair and replace everything in a day's time, all for under $35. We were impressed and swore that he'd be our mechanic for life. Little did we know how soon we'd see him again.

On Sunday, we took a day trip to Mae Salong for Church in the village. On the way up, the jeep started stalling on some of the steeper inclines and there was a very unsettling "clunking" sound as we shifted gears. So on Monday it was back to the mechanic. By Tuesday afternoon, he had (1) replaced a part in the fuel line which was broken and allowing water & dirt to mix in with the gasoline (no wonder she was stalling!) and (2) replaced a pin in the four-wheel drive mechanism that had sheered. This time the total bill was about $40.

We just wanted to praise God for his hand in allowing everything to go so smoothly & painlessly. So often in Thailand, we tend to fall flat on our faces when we encounter a new problem. Quite honestly we're getting quite used to having our face in the mud, but it is kind of nice to remain upright for a change. All in all, we're so blessed to have our car in great working order (& purring like a kitten) for under $75!

I debated whether to call this "It is risen" or "Is it risen?" but after some good days in the village (where I am far too busy to think about the worries of the city) I have heard from the "Computer Hospital" (see our prayer request) and my computer is working again... I think . Since I cannot speak Thai most of the conversation was polite "ka's" and "krap's" so I'm not positive... but in faith I am putting this post under "Praise Reports".
Thank you for the support and prayers... it could have been worse!
Thanks also to God who has (once again) reminded me to check my priorities... so often what I think is important is just not important.

We are so thankful for our wonderful village - Dama Gojo Akha. These past few days have been some of the best we have ever had. We are especially thankful for our language growth, our adjustment to Akha life and the friendships we have built.
God has been incredibly faithful in fulfilling His vision and calling on our lives and we are thrilled to be "in the middle" of all He is doing. We do not deserve the treasure that is working with the Akha and are truly grateful to have this opportunity.