This post from Suzanne:

I can’t believe we’ve just passed the half-way mark of yet another year!  It has gone so very quickly.  It  has been a hard year in many ways for us.  Wayne’s health has not been good most of the year, though at this time of writing, he seems to have picked up quite well and doing much better.   The weather has been extremely hot [it made the news here that Nakhon Sawan reached the hottest temperatures in all of Thailand ].  It has been very difficult and unpleasant with no air conditioning, but we have prioritized that for our next project.  The houses have required quite a lot of maintenance to get them in working order, and we are slowly making progress.  There are so many things we took for granted in Australia – like the phone and internet.  Here, some days they work … others they don’t!  We can go up to 3 weeks with no phone line and internet.  Then when we do have them, they can (and do) often drop out.  It can certainly be frustrating!

Recently Wayne and Amnuay went up country to Amnuay’s village.  His mother’s best friend (khun doi) is very sick.  She has a leaking valve in her heart, one of her kidneys has completely shut down, while the other one is only half working.  The doctors told her there is nothing they can do for her, she just has to go home and wait to die.  Amnuay witnessed to her earlier in the year and left some literature and a Christian vcd with her.  When they visited her, she asked many questions.  After much talking, she made a profession of faith, then asked if she could be baptized.  So they took her to a nearby river where Wayne baptized her.  She was so happy, and the joy and peace of the Lord was just oozing from her.  We need to really pray for her, though, as the people in the village are very opposed to Christianity, and are likely to cut her off completely.  She would dearly love to attend church – but there is no church at all in that area.  Please pray that she will grow as she reads her Bible, and that she would use opportunities as they arise to be a good witness and testimony.  [ will try and post picture soon ]

Deeo has also been of quite concern to us.  Unfortunately Wayne had to ask him and Tak (his wife) to leave our home . Wayne still cares for him very much and they talk on the phone regularly. Wayne wants him to come back but they both understand there has to be some changes with Deeo before that can work.  We don’t believe God is finished with him yet.  Wayne has a real burden for him and is trying to work through some things with him.  His current environment, among other things, is very dangerous.  He really needs to be back in this environment, where Wayne can be helping and teaching him on a daily basis.  Please pray that God will protect Deeo and his wife, that he will have a strong desire to be free from past enslaving habits and that God would renew his heart and his resolve. and that He would bring them back to us in His time. 

Below is a picture of Deeo taken after his compulsary army draw - he drew black, which meant he didn't have to sign up.  Thank you to all those of you who prayed he wouldn't have to go.

We have a young man from Amnuay’s village living with and helping us at the moment.  His name is ‘Aatit (ar-tit).  He is a very quiet young man. He is only 21 years old and has just recovered from a stroke earlier this year.  The doctors say it is extremely rare for someone so young to have that happen to them, and have given him no guarantee of life – there is no treatment and he could have another stroke at anytime, and die.  He knows this.  Amnuay is quietly witnessing to him, and he attends our meetings.  Below is a picture of ‘Aatit.  Please pray that he would come to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Saviour.

Amnuay and Tai (Di) are doing very well.  Amnuay is a great help to Wayne and continues to mature spiritually.  Tai is in her 5th month of pregnancy – we think, and we are all very excited.  Please pray with us that Tai will have a good delivery and they will be blessed with a strong, healthy baby.

Sarah has been here nearly 5 months now, and seems to have transitioned fine.  She is working in the school Curtis went to earlier in the year here at Nakhon Sawan – she teaches a class of 21 four-year-olds, and a class of 20 five-year-olds.  She is thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day and has a new appreciation for teachers J.

Justin passed his seventh and final test last week, and will commence Naval Officer Training at Jarvis Bay (one hour south of Sydney) next month.  He has been praying about becoming a Navy Officer for just over a year now, and it seems God has opened that door for him.  Please pray for God’s protection over him during the next six months of training.  It will be a very tough time for him – both physically and mentally.  Please pray also that he will be wise in his choice of friends, and that he will stay faithful in his walk with God.

Curtis continues to be a blessing.  He has a very good spirit, and just “fits in” with wherever we’re at.  We have not enrolled him back at the school yet, as Wayne and I both feel we need to pick up language school again.  Here in Nakhon Sawan, not many people speak English, and we have found it very hard to immerse in the community here, as our use of the language is just not adequate.  We believe to be effective in any way, we really need to master the language, and feel it will be worth taking the next 6 months and totally devote ourselves to the language alone.  So we are currently looking at where to do this – whether we go back to Bangkok (3 hours south of here), or do it in Chiang Mai (5 hours north) where many missionaries have gotten a good mastery of the language from the school there.  Wayne will finalise his decision by the end of this week, so please pray that God would give Him clear guidance and direction.   He has such a passion for preaching, teaching, and training, and I know he would be such a blessing if he could do all that fluently in Thai.

Despite the struggles, we still both strongly believe that God has a work to be done here in Nakhon Sawan.  Please pray that God would help us to adequately prepare so that we can be ready servants to do His will, in His time!

Thank you again for your continued support, encouragement, prayers, letters and emails.    “For we are labourers together with God: …” – I Cor 3:9a