Connecting in Cambodia

The NightLight Team and the NightLight USA Team are going to Cambodia on Sunday to connect with several ministries doing similar work in Cambodia. Our hope is to establish a ministry relationship and discover what is happening in the area of sexual exploitation in Cambodia. We regularly see children on the streets of Bangkok who have been trafficked from Cambodia. They are often sold into beggar gangs who use and abuse them, putting them out on the streets to beg for money or sell flowers and cheap trinkets to tourists. These are the children who are at great risk of rape from pedophiles. I know this is hard to imagine, but these things happen in the US as well, especially in the pornography "business." This is why it is so important for those of us in the US to begin to speak up about the evils of pornography in the US that drives some of the abuse of women and children as far away as Asia.

SIOUX FALLS - we have one of the largest distributors of pornography operating in our own city - LodgeNet. Learn the facts...they may try to cover up the profits they make in hotels off of the sales of xx-rated programming. But the truth is the TRUTH!

We need to be a voice for the voiceless...the powerless. Take a stand! Put feet to your passion! Get educated about the issues of human exploitation. I believe we will be held accountable someday for our passivity and inaction. A good book to read about all of this is "Not for Sale" by David Batstone. Get it online through Amazon. I just met David here in Bangkok as he was visiting Night Light which he features in his book. What a fire he has to bring down all the systems that are exploiting people globally! AMEN

**Thank you for praying about my cough. It is FINALLY GONE!! Susan

Enjoying Our Time Together

We had a great time as Darrell put it...celebrating Thanksgiving, his birthday, our anniversary, Christmas and New Years Eve all at one time! The food was great, especially the seafood and thai cuisine. I have learned to like spicy food!

Unfortunately as many of you already know, Darrell had to return early to be with his family. His younger sister, Deb Stevens, was diagnosed with acute leukemia and flown immediately from Yankton to Avera. She is responding to the treatment which we are so thankful for. There were several very scary episodes over the last week. Your prayers have been so appreciated.

In addition to Deb, Darrell's mother Gen has been suffering with lung cancer. It appears that it may have spread into her spinal column. The pain has been unbearable at times. As a family, we are so appreciative of all the ways family, friends and health professionals have devoted themselves to her care. Darrell's brother, Dwight, flew home earlier this week to be with his parents. Darrell should arrive soon after a VERY long and difficult trip home. He had only one way to get home on short notice and his itinerary is a "nightmare."

Charity arrives in about 12 hours with a team of women from LA and Sioux Falls. I am looking forward to ministering with them at NightLight and traveling to Cambodia to visit similar ministries working in the area of sexual exploitation of women and children. Some of you may know one of the team members..Lyndsey Christensen, Darrell and Joy Christensen's daughter.

I know I have not entered a new post in awhile. It has been a very trying time here in Bangkok. I am happy to report Annie is back at work and we even did outreach last Friday evening. KEEP PRAYING FOR US - WE NEED IT! Susan

HOLIDAY PICTURES

MISSING MY PRECIOUS FAMILY AND DEAR FRIENDS - LOVE YOU ALL!!

IT'S A GIRL!

Goi had her baby yesterday. A beautiful little girl she named Benjawan, Ben for short. As you can see by her picture she has chubby cheeks and lots of dark black hair. I can't wait to hold her!

Goi had to have a c-section so we've gone to plan "b" at the house. Since she cannot climb stairs, we moved the dining room set into the living room and set up a nursery and bedroom for Goi and Ben on the main floor. We are fortunate that there is a bathroom on this floor. So, it looks like soon I will be caring for both Goi and the baby. This is definitely turning out to be an unusual Christmas.

I have been wishing for some of your snow and cold. It is very hot and humid in Bangkok right now!

All is well...Darrell comes soon! Being away from home is really difficult but life here keeps me "hopping." Susan

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS?

Hello everyone! We put up our Christmas tree over the weekend and Annie Dieselberg gave us a pointsettia tree that we placed OUTSIDE our front door. Now you couldn't do that in South Dakota!

I did not go to the Refugee Camp. Those of you who get the prayer letters know that we had several women missing over the weekend and Goi still has not had her baby. It wasn't the right time to leave the city. I did help pack the truck with over 3,000 individual bags of clothing for all the children. Each child got a sack with one complete outfit and a piece of clothing for an adult. I was told if the item doesn't fit, lots of bartering goes on. This is part of the fun for them. There were also snack foods they don't normally have as well as small toys. It is hard to imagine spending your whole life in a refugee camp. There are many refugee camps along the borders of Thailand filled with desperate people who have fled persecution and war in Burma, Laos, China and Vietnam. SO SAD!

This past week the people of Thailand celebrated the king's 80th birthday. The king is greatly loved in this country for his benevolence and genuine care for his people. There were huge fireworks displays every night for a week as well as displays of his picture surrounded by objects of devotion everywhere in the city. On Mondays of each week, Thai citizens wear yellow to honor the king and on queen's day they wear pink. There are even some very devoted citizens who watch a special tv channel to see what color the king is wearing that day so they can match their outfit to honor him. Can you imagine people wanting to match their outfit color to what George Bush is wearing that day? Another cultural difference that I am glad we don't have in the US>

Enjoy the season! Susan

THE BABY IS COMING SOON!

WE WILL BE CELEBRATING OUR OWN CHRISTMAS MIRACLE AT NIGHTLIGHT. What a blessing that this little one will become part of the NightLight family very soon.

I will be going with eight of the NightLight women to a Hmong refugee camp this Sunday and Monday. We will be delivering donated clothing, toys and food to brighten their Christmas celebration. There are over 3,000 people "living" in this camp. I have never been to a refugee camp so this will be another new experience in Asia. Our goal is to spread joy and love, not to get too emotional and shocked by their conditions. SO...please pray for me! You know how easily I cry. BUT...I also love to smile!

VIETNAM HIGHLIGHTS...wild cyclo ride on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam was quite an adventure in so many ways. I never thought I would ever visit Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) when I watched all the news reports of the Vietnam War decades ago.

It is definitely a country of contrasts...poverty, decay, tin shacks and just around the corner - beautiful highrise apartments and skyscrapers. Annie Dieselberg and I decided to take a cyclo tour of the city one morning. A cyclo is a small seat that is pushed/pedaled by a driver on a bicycle. Believe me, we got a least a years worth of lung pollution from all the motorcyles by the time we were finished!

The women's Christmas party that I spoke at was absolutely beautiful. It was located in one of the better hotels in the city. The women went all out decorating the room with all the special touches of Christmas. I was so amazed to look out over the gathering realizing that many of the guests had never been to an event like this and most imporatnatly never heard the true Christmas Story. Even the waiters hugged the walls of the room not wanting to miss a single word that was spoken or sung. As one of them said later, "We've never had something like this in our hotel. I have never heard about Jesus or his story."

I will probably never be allowed back into Vietnam! I decided that I would not only share the Christmas Story that day but as I was closing my message decided to offer a prayer of acceptance...an opportunity to really know the reason for Christmas, Jesus Christ. I did not know that there was someone from the government recording every word I said. I was glad I didn't know this when I was speaking because I might have held back a bit. I am sure that I am no longer welcome in Vietnam. But, I do not regret a single word I shared. This may have been the only chance some of these people will ever have to hear the TRUTH.

Pray with me that those who were touched by God that day will be protected, nutured and somehow find Christian community in this very oppressed nation. Those of us living in the Unted States are so very fortuntate that we have all of our freedoms - especially the freedom to CELEBRATE THE REASON FOR THE SEASON! SUSAN