Prayers and Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving: Yes, it is the season of giving thanks, and we have so much to be thankful for.

God is continuing to bless us with some wonderful experiences here, many of which help to work away the rough edges of our character. I am reminded by 1 Corinthians 13 that without love, all of what we do here is just a noisy “clank.”

We have been blessed with an unusually responsive support group, and we are thankful how you have made it possible to help with several different needs this month, including the purchase of brown rice and other nutritious foods in bulk.

Please pray with us for a couple of special needs coming up in December:

• Village Outreach: Our local church pastor has invited me to give a series of Bible-based messages in a village about an hour from here that is largely Buddhist. I accepted the invitation a few weeks ago with some fear and trepidation, and it has taken some time to sort out some of the details. I am still earnestly praying and developing the messages. The series will be held December 5 to 11, so it’s just around the corner! There will be some modest costs involved, primarily for transportation. This short series will help us know the interest for future studies at this village.
• Building Season: Now that we are in the dry season here, ’tis the season to harvest bamboo and erect staff homes and other buildings. This is the time that we hope to have our family’s “permanent” home built. (Then the house that we are currently living in will be available for a school office, library, etc.) Although we plan for our walls to be made of bamboo, we are hoping to build the floor and frame out of wood, which is much more durable and less prone to termites, etc. We don’t have the exact cost for building materials, but we are told that cutting trees in Thailand is illegal–at least without going to great effort and/or expense–so wood is not cheap. There will also be the expense of roofing materials, concrete, etc. All in all, the materials may cost between US$2,000 and $5,000, and we are praying that the Lord will provide what is needed so that this expense will not be a further burden upon Sunshine Orchard.

We are looking forward to these and other challenges, trusting God that He will be faithful as always.

— Harvey & family

P.S. Please click here if you would like to know how to support our family’s work.