LEAVING FOR VIETNAM

Just a quick update...I am leaving for Ho Ci Minh City, Vietnam on Tuesday. I have been asked to speak at a women's Christmas gathering sponsored by a 'legal" church. What do I mean by this? Vietnam is considered one of the most oppressive environments for Christians in the world today. This church has been given legal status because it is for foreigners. However, they operate with many restrictions such as being denied a pastor. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to share the real meaning of Christmas with many women since the women of the church are allowed to invite guests! It is hard to imagine how many Christians around the world live under terrible persecution for their fatih. In Vietnam Christians are beaten, jailed, denied employment and some have even lost their lives. Many churches have been burned to the ground and pastors imprisoned.

So...I NEED YOUR PRAYERS! I have been given a visa to enter the country. Anie Dieselberg will be going with me but has to return to Bangkok before te event. Pray for our safe entry and departure, of course protection and health while in Vietnam, and most of all discernment about what God wants me to share. This is such a unique experience and for some of these women it may be their only chance to hear and respond to the Gospel story.

I have inserted two photos...Ning,my roommate Sophia (in the purple) and I at NightLight...Annie Dieselberg, Sophia, myself and Beng at our Thanksgiving dinner. We had deep-fried turkey and all the trimmings...almost felt like home!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It is hard to imagine that this is the week of Thanksgiving! Would you believe that they actually have turkeys, stuffing mix, and cranberries displayed in the grocery stores for the "farang". (farang means foreigner) I have been invited to Natalie's home for a real Thanksgiving dinner. Natalie is on the staff of NightLight. She and her husband Steve have lived and worked in Thailand for over five years. Steve is an executive with an oil company. Their daughter has become a friend of Haley Vellinga. They are classmates at Baylor University in Texas. Small World!!

The negative spiritual climate is rising here in Bangkok as several important Hindu and Buddhist festivals take place in the next several weeks. Two of the women from NightLight are staying with us temporarily because they are being harassed by spirits in their sleep. We have a full house! Goi's baby has dropped so she will deliver soon. Then we will have a newborn baby join our community at the volunteer house. I am looking forward to helping Goi experience the joys of motherhood. I just don't know the Thai ways...but I will soon learn.

Continue to pray for us as every day is a new challenge. There are twelve women waiting for prayer ministry and not enough hours in the day. At times I am so exhausted and then God gives me a spiritual boost. I am THANKFUL that his Holy Spirit empowers us to do the things we know we cannot do without Him.

I am so THANKFUL for the opportunity to serve God and see miracles everyday. I am so THANKFUL for family and friends who are praying for me and supporting me. I am so THANKFUL that I have been healed and delivered so God can use me to bring healing and deliverance.

I PRAISE HIM AND THANK HIM FOR HIS GOODNESS TO US ALL!

One Great Evening

We had the most wonderful event this week that really blessed everyone. A team of twelve women from Saddleback Church (Pastor Rick Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life) visited Night Light. After spending a night with us doing outreach in the bars, they wanted to do something special for the women. They arranged a party at a restaurant the Thais love, paid the fee normally women get for a night of "work" and invited them to join us for an evening of fun. It was really FUN!

What a sight to see a parade of women from the bars coming into the restaurant and watch their eyes light up when they received flowers, hugs and other lovely gifts. One of the women, who is actually a "girly boy", had a birthday that day so we celebrated that as well. I've never sang happy birthday quite like this - part Thai and part English. There were smiles everywhere and several women actually wept when it was time to go.

The life of a bar girl is very hard. They are required to work six days a week and have fourteen customers (sexual encounters)in order to meet their monthly quota. In addition, they must get customers to purchase drinks and there is a quota for this as well. They are heavily fined if they don't meet these quotas, are one minute late, miss due to illness...the list goes on and on. It was such a gift to give them one night free. Best of all they loved being in the company of women who really cared about them as persons, valued by God and precious in his sight.

GREAT NEWS - one of the Thai women who lives with me in the volunteer house prayed to receive Christ. Salvations, healings, deliverances are happening every day!

Your prayer support is such a blessing - SUSAN...Friday, November 16

REPORT ON FIRST OUTREACH

It was so amazing to back on the streets and in the bars. Nothing has really changed except perhaps there are more trafficked women from Eastern Europe. I was able to pray with three women, all trafficked, Two women were from Uzbekistan and one from Tanzania. The woman from Tanzania shared her heart breaking story of coming to Bangkok with the promise from her "boss" that she could make lots of money to feed her children. Last year her husband died and she is desperate. It was such a privilege to listen to her story, hold her and pray for her. My heart is so burdened for the women like her who are so trapped.

Another of the women we spent time with was ill and trembling. She came immediately to us when she recognized Annie. We are hoping that we can help her get back home. Pray for her freedom and that she can escape from her situation without consequences.

Tomorrow I am taking part in a city-wide prayer walking event and worhsip service. This should be quite an experience!

IT IS GREAT TO BE BACK IN BKK

I arriived about four hours ago at the volunteer house where I will be staying. I met my roomate Sophie, a young Thai woman who works at Night Light Design. She had my bed ready, my part of the closet cleared to hang my clothes, and a fresh towel set out for a hot shower...none of which I've done yet because I am trying to be quiet so everyone can sleep! From what Annie (the director of Night Light) shared on the way from the airport, most of the women at the house are in their 20's and 30's so I am sure I will be like a mother figure to many of them. Actually, that may be a large part of my ministry this time. There are so many hurting women here who need a mother's love and care.

The time difference...my computer is still on SD time and it says Wednesday, 4:15 pm. In Bangkok is is Thursday, 5:15 am. So, it is 13 hours ahead of Central Standard Time. It will take me awhile to get that in my head.

Today will be a day of reconnecting and meeting new people at Night Light. I am really trying to learn everyone's name which is difficult since Thai names are hard to remember. There are three women named Nat. three Oy's, three Ems, and other names like Tuk, Gate, Moy, Oy, Rat and Rin. These are all nicknames. See why I am confused!

My first street outreach is Friday night. It will be interesting to see if there have been any significant changes. Driving from the airport through the area where Night Light is located and I am staying, we saw several groups of eastern European women. Obviously the trafficking hasn't stopped.

Blessings from Bangkok (BKK)