“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up into Him who is the head, into Christ.” – Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)

May has turned out to be a good month for us as we had many things going on and they all are turning out quite well. For starters, Tiff finished her finals and gave a huge sigh of relief when it was all done. This was definitely a tough semester with difficult courses and projects. The break didn’t last long, however, as she has just started summer classes.

I also spent a lot of time with paperwork as I applied for a new visa at the immigration center. While there were some hiccups, if I’m approved, I’ll be able to avoid the need to leave the country every 90 days. Praying I get approved!

We also had the total blessing of getting a newer used ministry truck with all the paperwork finalized. This was and is a huge blessing as we’ve had many issues with our older Mazda. Not only is it prettier but it’s stronger and uses a lot less fuel too. Tiff had made the comment that she feels much safer in this one as well.  

Newer ministry truck

And one of the biggest highlights was to see our friends make the next step in their walk with Christ.   Our friend Phoong, pictured below with Tiff, first started meeting with us last September. At the time he was interested in Christianity but was still practicing magic and worshiping idols and spirits. About a month later, he made the commitment to follow Christ and gave up all his idols and magic.

Last fall –  Phoong calling on the Name of Jesus

Shortly after that time, he got married to a Pa-Oh girl named Mu according to their culture and traditions. They then decided to dedicate their marriage to Christ at a marriage ceremony this last January. Eventually we found out she didn’t really understand the gospel but she wanted to know more. And so after multiple discussions with Tiff and her new family, Mu repented and trusted in Jesus. Tiff mentioned that her face just lit up when she first understood what Jesus had done for her. And this past weekend we shared in their joy as both Phoong and Mu were baptized.  

Mu and Phoong’s baptisms at our local church

We also had the joy of seeing Jai, a child of some of the first Pa-Oh believers, further his commitment to follow Christ too.

Jai’s baptism

 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  – Philippians 1:6 (NASB)

Grace House Update

This past week the school in the long neck village started up again. We are glad it’s this time of year again as we are big proponents of education and encourage our kids at Grace House to do their very best. We also opened our doors to several more children, most of whom are from broken families inside Burma. It is our hope and prayer to help these children to feel safe, to learn, and to know God’s love and feel a part of our family. We greatly appreciate your prayers in this!

In addition to their schooling, we got to enjoy time with all the kids while doing crafts, watching movies, singing songs, and just hanging out. A special highlight was listening to our oldest girls tell their life stories to the new kids and explain how God has changed their lives in so many ways.

Movie Night

Craft time

And with the seasonal rains, the home garden has begun to grow as well as our latest batch of 400 catfish.

New growth in our garden and in our fish tanks

*If you would like to partner with this ministry, please visit our Get Involved web page. And check us out on facebook for additional photos and information.