Immediate Prayer Needed

Dear Fellow Concerned Christians,
A massive landslide had occurred 20 kilometers or so south of Gongshan city in the northern Salween valley. There were over 200 persons buried by the landslide not to mention the homes in the path of the landslide. Gongshan city is where we (North Burma Christian Mission) have a Bible School and is the county seat of Gongshan district where over 20,000 believers live.

The landslide occurred in an area where they do mining into the steep mountainside. The landslide was so huge that it damned the mighty Salween river for over an hour causing much destruction when the dammed river finally burst!
Praise God the authorities were able to warn villages downstream and most villagers were able to seek higher ground.

Still, numerous homes and villages were destroyed along the path of that flash flood.

The immediate need is for us to go in and help the families that lost loved ones and lost their homes and all of their belongings in the landslide itself as well as to help those who lost their homes and belongings when the dammed river burst.

We will need temporary housing, foods, medicines and clothing for the victims of this tragedy. We will also need to think of any possible help for the long-term rehabilitation for these people, especially the believers. I will also make a quick trip up there if the funds can be secured as well.

We are talking about possibly 300-400 families having been affected by this tragedy. I know we can't solve all of the world's problems but pray that we can respond to this immediate need.

God bless you and your families,
Bobby Morse

Charges Dropped!

Dear Friends and Faithful Supporters and Prayer Partners,

Greetings!

After nearly 10 months or so, it is good to finally be able to announce to you that the court has dropped the alleged false charges of child molestation of under-aged girls at the Mae Teng Hostel! After reviewing the evidence, the court has determined that the teachers intentionally brought false charges against me and my dorm parent by coercing, intimidating and forcing the girls who were under-age at the time to make false testimonies and claims that they had been inappropriately touched. That court has determined that there is no evidence to that charge. In fact, when the allegations were finally made by the teachers (2 years after the initial charge by the teachers to the police) and not by the kids or their parents, and the media had their day with this news, it was the four girls themselves and their parents who became irate and very upset and came to the defense of myself and the hostel parent.

The girls, who had transferred back to their home village schools, from the school where the teachers had made the initial false charges were now two years older and were out from the daily intimidation and when they saw the allegations in the news papers and TV, came forward and gave new-fresh testimony incriminating the teachers who had made these false allegations and charges.

I want to thank all of you who had confidence in my integrity and me and stood by me in prayer and support. I feel a real sense of relief and vindication. Indeed, I feel like a great burdensome cloud has lifted off my shoulders. I thank God for His goodness, mercy and grace. I know this has come about due to your many constant prayers. So, thank you!!! The spiritual battle is still not over yet, so please continue to pray for me, my wife and our children and this ministry to the Tribal Children and the new Video ministry called GospelVision Ministries. Concerning these false allegations, we know that this was a frontal attack by the enemy, Satan. So, lets not let down our guards but continue to persevere and be fervent in our prayers for God’s continual protection and guidance and continue to run the race towards that finish line.

I will admit there were moments I thought what’s the use of praying? I found myself sometimes even saying; God knows everything, yet he tarries! So, what’s the use? Well, I’m glad you all continued to pray when I was wavering. So again, thank you from the depths of my heart for your confidence and prayers. There were many months I felt alone and since I had this media gag, imposed by the lawyer, and couldn’t speak about these charges, it made things worst. I thank Tassanee my wife and Melody and Bert our children who stood by me in thick and thin.

Many of you have no doubt read and heard of these charges and were curious and perhaps were even upset or doubtful due to the media blackout. I’m very sorry for that. I will try to start up the newsletters and regular reports again. I thank Joshua and Krystle for doing a good job of passing on tidbits to many of you through his letters and emails.

I am now ready to put this whole incident behind me and go forward with the work, which is before us. Throughout this ordeal, I never missed a day of work and have continued to work with the Hostel kids here in Chiangmai while I felt the need to close down the Maeteng Hostel due to the attitude of the Teachers in those schools there. I felt the teachers were very hostile to our children and me and didn’t want to put the kids in an environment of constant intimidation and ridicule. So, I closed the Maeteng Hostel.

Throughout this ordeal, I also continued to work with my staff, working on video dubbing projects and completed dubbing the book of ACTS and are presently half finished dubbing the book of MATTHEW as well. During this time, we also recorded and finished a series of sermons on Thanks giving in the Lisu language. We also recorded and a number of DVDs of a Lisu Choir in China and a number of other sermons including a sermon by myself.

There is so much work ahead of us that I feel we can’t loose a day so are already making future plans including a seminar in China on Discipleship. We are also planning a trip into China to deliver equipment and set up a recording studio as well as do more Video and Audio recording/editing training in China. We then plan to dub the book of John in China by May and June of 2010.

This weekend we are having our annual Hostel Christmas celebrations. We will have a sermon and performances by the kids on Saturday evening followed by services Sunday morning. Would appreciate your prayers as we are hoping to have a baptismal service following the Sunday service.

Christmas and New Year are just around the corner, so I want to take this opportunity to wish every one of you a wonderful and Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!! I just wish the very best for you and your family and loved ones and that you will be blessed with good health, happiness, success and an improved economy. That the God that sent Angels to appear to the shepherds to declare the Good News that a Savior was born would appear to you in a very personal and tangible way and bring Joy and Happiness into your home and your lives.

Again, I just wanted to let you know from me that the charges against me have been dropped. We are now just waiting for the formal notification of the court’s verdict. So thanks again for your continued support and prayers. God bless you all.

Thailand Mission Trip 2009

Josh is leading his second mission trip to the hostel Chiangmai, Thailand.  The group is 13 including our 10 month old son.  We have people from Gainesville, which include Josh, Krystle, Landon Williams, Jessica Williams and Taylor Bainter.  Sally Sommerfelt from Tallahassee.  The rest of the group, Carter and Kaili Johnson, Coral McNabb, Mr and Mrs Marshall, and Jamiie Jo and Jeremiah Williams.We all arrived safely yesterday.  It was about 2.5 days of traveling so we were all very glad to arrive.  

We have settling in and adjusting to the time change (12-13 hours different for everyone).  This year we will be filming to make new videos to update the current supporters and hopefully gain some new supports.  The hostel is in desperate need of funds.  One of the main reasons the Mae Tange Hostel has been closed down due to lack of funds.  We will also be conducting a VBS for the children.  

Josh and Bobby are also planning for next years mission trips.  We are in pray to have 2 trips one at the end of May and one at the beginning of August, as well has leave a few team members during the two trip to teach the children English and computer skills (we already have 4 people interested in this!!).  Please be in pray with us.  If anyone is interested in joining us please let us know so we can start planning.  

We will try to update several times while in Thailand and have a recap and personal statements from all the team members once we return.

Please keep us in your prayers for our health, success and relationships for the mission trip.

Violated

Today we came home from church to find our house was burglarized.
Thankfully we weren't home and we are all safe. They used gloves so
no fingerprints were found. They did find a glove in the back yard
where they broke the privacy fence and we believe it belongs to them.
We lost most of the items in our house worth money: electronics,
jewelry, and cash (totaling all together about $6000). This includes
money for our mission trip we are leading (~$500 for expenses once we
get over there) and our Mac computer we use for mission work. Please
pray for us and the people who broke into our house.

We are very thankful to be surrounded by wonderful friends and family
who came over and helped us with clean up and provided food and called
and checked up on us. We love you all and feel so very blessed to
know you. You have helped us deal with the upset in our lives.

Please help us if you can with our Thailand mission fundraisers...

Thailand Ice Cream Social (GNV) - Monday, July 6th from 5pm - 9pm
Join the Thailand Mission Team at Sweet Dreams Ice Cream in the
shopping plaza at the corner of SW 34th Street and University Avenue.
pIck up some yummy ice cream for your tummy in the "Missions Cup" and
20% of your total will go to the Harvest Christian Church Thailand
Mission Team! Make sure to bring your friends for a sweet treat, and
lend the mission team your support.



Dance Fever (GNV) - Thursday, July 9th, 8:30pm - the last person stops
dancing!
Christian Campus House - 16 NW 18th St / Gainesville, FL 32603-1835
Enjoy a night of dancing with the Gainesville Thailand Mission Team.
Dance the night away at Campus House and you could win lots of prizes,
even an iPod! We will be giving away door prizes and the Dance
Champion will win a brand new iPod. For all ages!! $5 to enjoy a
night of dancing, and you can help the mission team!

Freak storm damage to Children's dormitories

From Bobby

I just returned from a trip into China with my wife and upon our arrival, com to find out there was a freak accident that came into Chiangmai and it seems has blown off and cracked the tiles on the boys and girls dorms as well as the dinning hall-kitchen here at the Tribal Children's Hostel in Chiangmai.  

After assessing the damage to the three buildings, it seems that due to the age of these roofs, (they are very brittle asbestos like tiles used from 30 years ago) there is no way of just replacing half of the tiles.  As soon as anyone gets up there on the roof, it is going to cause more damage.  So, we are at a loss as to what and how to repair this.  

I called a builder friend who came over and inspected the roof today and he said we will have to replace the whole roof.  It doesn't seem to be any structural damage but the roof is sagging and all the tiles will have to be replaced!  Yikes! He said we have to do something with the big holes immediately or could anticipate the whole ceiling collapsing as well.  So, I'm at a loss.  I wasn't expecting something like this now.  We are about 3-4 weeks till school starts and all the kids will be returning to the Hostel.  

This is  an urgent SOS request for assistance in repairing these roofs.  The following is the estimated costs:

Boys Dorm: Tiles = 1,650 x 55.- Baht =   90,750.-

Girls Dorm: Tiles = 1,960 x 55.- Baht = 107,800.-

Dining Hall: Tiles =     990 x 55.- Baht =   54,450.-

Staff Quarters: Tiles =    840 x 55.- Baht  =   46,200.-

Screws/nuts: Pieces = 5,440 x   5.- Baht =   27,200.-

Labor Costs: Tiles = 5,440 x 15.- Baht =   81,600.-

   Total Baht  = 408,000.- @ exchange rate of 34.-baht/US$

Total USD$ = $12,000.-

The contractor said we will need to replace some lumber beams but we do have old lumber from when we had to tear down the Church building so I'm pretty sure we can use that to cover that need.

So, the total urgent need is going to be US$12,000.-  The US dollar and the construction material prices have not been stable, however I will go down to the construction warehouse and lock the price in immediately once I hear from you. This has taken us by total surprise and we are at a loss as to what to do.   We seem to be talking about other people's needs all the time and we never or at least seldom expect things like this to happen to ourselves.  Well, it has struck us and now we are totally going to have to be dependent on you.  So, I do hope and pray that we will be able to get some good news soon from you.  It's just that we have so short a time to get all this repaired before the rains come (and they are coming soon) and most pressing is that the kids will be returning soon as well!  

So, would appreciate all your help.

Oh, by the way, I just got an email from our guys in Rangoon who I sent in to purchase and distribute the rice seeds and rice for food and they just returned this past Saturday.  It was successful and they were able to make the distribution to 500 families.  They also took a lot of pictures and videos so when my rep comes this Friday, he will be bringing all the reports and pictures and videos.  Thank you so much.

We want to ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers.

I was going to write another email but I might as well just include it in this email concerning the ongoing and continuing needs for the Nargis Cyclone victims of the Delta of Southern Burma.

The time has now come to begin plowing the Paddy fields again and we are needing assistance from IDES and others on this matter as well.  We are hoping to begin plowing in May and this year hope to plow approximately 8,000 acres of paddy fields if the funding could be secured.  The needs are as follows:

1. Diesel for plowing 8,000 acres @ 1 gallon per acre x $3.- per gallon  = US$24,000.-

2. Transportation costs for 160 barrels of Diesel @ $25.-/barrel = US$  4,000.-

3. Purchase 2 additional Tillers @$1,250.-  = US$  2,500.-

4. Lumber/Thatch/Cement for building workers quarters x 5 @ 1,250.- = US$  6,250.-

Total = US$36,750.-

As for the cost of the Diesel and transportation we don't need it all at one time.  This could be divided and sent twice as we will be needing this amount during May and June.  As for the workers quarters, our people were in little shacks this last year and they really suffered.  At times they felt the people they were helping had it better than themselves, the volunteers and it was very hard on them.  So, we feel it is important to try to build some quarters for our volunteer staff to stay in while assisting the victims of Nargis.  We also really need these two additional tillers to complete the goal of plowing 8,000 acres of paddy fields this year.

Last year we came across some very needy and orphaned kids that were victims of Nargis and so brought them into Rangoon at the time that the military were rounding up orphaned kids to take them to the military bases of Nepyitaw, the new Capitol of Burma where the military was going to educate them and care for them.  We also heard of tales that the military were simply going to take these orphans and children victims of Nargis and care for them and yes even educate them but then in a couple of years as the kids grew a little older, the military were going to force these kids to serve in the military as kid soldiers.  So, we had tried to save these kids and so brought them out of the danger zone and provided them with shelter/food/clothing/healthcare/education-books and supervision and oversight and most importantly love and care. Well, the new school year is upon us and our people in Rangoon are asking can we care for them another year?  If so, we need help.  

At present, we have them in a temporary shelter in Rangoon.  The shelter is a thatched roof, bamboo wall half dirt half cement floor shack.  We provide three meals per day and provide supervision and care for these kids.  It costs approximately US$1,000.- per month or US$12,000.- per year to care for these kids.  I If we cannot secure funds, we will have to return them to their communities and that would be a shame.

I know I have put forth a number of projects here to you and I just hope God will give you the wisdom and ability to help out in these various projects.  I know you must be receiving many requests like these daily.  So, as usual, I am herewith leaving it to you and the Lord and His people to decide what you can and what you can't help out on.  Sometimes I feel guilty asking like this but feel compelled to do so on behalf of these needs.  

Again, thank you so very much for all your help and assistance and will be praying for you all for wisdom and discernment.  May God richly bless you all in all your endeavors and efforts to help the needy.  Thank you so much.

False Charges Against Bobby Morse in Thailand

Here is a message from Bobby to help shed light on the situation. It is most important that we are in constant prayer over this issue. Remember, this is not America, many do not like our presence there and see Christian conversion as "unpatriotic" and a disgrace to the Thai heritage. It would be honorable to ruin those who bring Christ's message to the children of Thailand.
Here is Bobby's message:

Dear Supporters,
On March 12th, 2009 charges were filed against me and a dorm parent that we had molested under aged girls in our care. I have categorically denied these allegations and intend to refute them in the court of law.

I have every reason to believe that this is a frontal spiritual attack by Satan, the enemy. I want to ask that you and your members be in prayer with me concerning this attack.

We knew about these accusations for two years or so and I even went to the police to inquire about it. They asked if it was true and I replied no. Well, we never heard of it any more until the other day when the police showed up on our front door.

I want to ask that you and your prayer partners seasoned in spiritual warfare stand in the gap and pray through with us on this matter. This is a serious matter and would like to ask that you come alongside spiritually in prayer for wisdom, calm, a contrite heart, favor, mercy, truthfulness, forgiveness, peace and to be able to overcome this attack and be victorious being able to give thanks and glory and honor to Almighty God. I believe that soon, we will begin to see the truth of this matter.

This whole situation came about as a result of some personal conflict between a dorm parent and some teachers in the local school who have verbally stated that they would like to see the Hostel program wrecked and fail so that they could then confiscate the land and dorms and run the program themselves! They have always been opposed to Christianity being taught at the dorms to these tribal kids.

I can't say much now due to the ongoing investigation and court case. But I want to ask that you enroll your prayer warriors and pray for me and my family and the dorm parent whose name is Chailong and this ministry.

I received an email on April 21 from Bobby and cut the excerpt about the court case. This the most up-to-date information available.

As for the charges, I will finally be going in for the arraignment and hopefully soon after that the court will dismiss the case [I edited out some information until I learn if I can post it publicly due to the fact that it is an ongoing trial] everything they said was taught to them and forced upon them by their teachers!

Update from Bobby

Dear Friends and Supporters, 

A belated Happy New Years to you all.  I can get away with this late greeting since I was in Burma over Christmas and New Years. 

The attached report is a report of my trip into Burma I took over the New Year.  I hope you will take the time to read this letter though it is rather long. Skim through it and let me hear from you.  Don't feel like you have to read it in one sitting!  Important thing is to glean it and pray for us. 

We are doing well here at the TCH (Hostel). Summer holidays are coming up in early march.  It has been very cold here in Chiangmai recently.  Friends from China have escaped the freezing cold but have been greeted with cold weather.  Some think this is warm!  

Some busy months are coming up with 3 trips each into Burma and 2 into China.  My knees are continuing to bother me quite a bit especially with this cold weather. Tassanee is busy with ELIC our English language teaching friends from China. Melody continues to teach at Chiangmai International School why Robert (Bert) is continuing to work and pay off his student loans.  

We have started distribution of the Acts movie which is a dramatization based on the NIV which we have dubbed into the northern Lisu dialect which is most commonly used and understood by most Lisu.  We hope to complete editing and start distribution of Matthew in April.  Keep us in your prayers. Next will be Acts and Matthew in Burmese and Rawang.  Co-worker and video editor Ngwa Yesae will be moving to Chiangmai from Thailand in January and will work out of this office for at least one year.  His wife and children will come at a later date.  Need your prayers for this new ministry with great potentials as it is fully launched in Thailand, Burma and China and northeast India.  

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  For the Children's ministry here in Thailand, and the many other ministries in the neighboring countries.  For healing and unity among the Church of Christ Churches in Burma.  Feel free to share this email with anyone willing to pray for us!  God bless you all, 

Sincerely,

Bobby and Tassanee Morse

Delta Thanksgiving Celebration Report

 Praise God!!!  I just got back from three weeks of one of the most successful travels in Burma and have been hurled into a ton of “work” that have back logged during my absence.  So, do bear with me.

 On December 21, David, Ron and myself representing the North Burma Christian Mission traveled into Rangoon for the 75 year Jubilee Celebration of the establishment of the Church of Christ in Burma.  It was such a wonderful gathering of the leadership of the Church from throughout the entire country.  In total, there were over 2,000 persons attending the 4-day celebration, which ended with a joint meal with the Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs in which he gave recognition of the Church of Christ.

 During the celebration, we heard much singing, and teaching preaching from various leaders.  Various ones spoke of the History of the Church, recognizing the pivotal role of the North Burma Christian Mission and its leaders J. Russell and Gertrude Morse and their sons Eugene, Robert and Lavern and Drema Morse and their families.  Other missionaries such as Dorothy Sterling, the Reuses and Byers as well as the early cross border Lisu Pastors from China were also recognized for their efforts during the early years of the establishment of the Church.  Ron Morse and Bob Kiest from New Missions Services were also asked to preach.

 For David, Ron and myself, we took extra time to meet with and listen to the many regional reports and requests for help and assistance.  It was indeed a time of refreshing and renewing of ties and re-connection with the church leaders.

 Soon after the convention ended, David returned to Thailand and Ron and I resumed our trip into the north to Myitkyina where we spent 5 days visiting both the Lisu and Rawang the Churches, fellowshipping and listening to their aspirations. 

 There is an effort to try to bring back unity to the Churches that have split during the past 10 years. Much Prayer is needed for healing and forgiveness so as to bring real and permanent unity back to the Church.

 Upon our return to Rangoon, Ron returned to Thailand while I continued on down to the Delta region for yet another week.  I was able to organize a group of 50 plus students and faculty from both EBI and YCCS Bible Schools in Rangoon and together we traveled down to Labutta by Bus and trucks together with the music band and equipment from YCCS.  What followed was absolutely fantastic.  We celebrated Thanksgiving celebrations including a musical stage show with short messages interspersed over a 3-4 hour nightly program in 3 of the village tracts we had been working with Nargis Cyclone victims.  Each evening, we had over 2,000 plus in attendance.  We were warmly welcomed and in every community, they asked for our group to stay longer and begged us to return yet again. 

 I want to give special thanks to Bob Byron and his Church Mid Valley Christian Center in Alaska for their fervent and faithful prayer and financial support, which made this special Thanksgiving possible and successful. 

 Most of all though, I give praises and thanks to God, for allowing this special Thanksgiving event to take place and giving us the favor from all concerned, Including local government officials and the local military commanders.

 What was wonderful to see was that 95% of those attending were Buddhists and Muslim unbelievers of Burmese, Karen or Bengali decent.  There was no anti Christian sentiment whatsoever during these events.  We had many government officials attend including the local military commanders and soldiers, and even a number of Buddhist monks!  Not only were they entertained by the music and choreographing, but were able to hear for the first time open air preaching of the gospel message of healing, forgiveness and reconciliation to God the Creator of man and universe.  Each evening, we had 4 messages approximately 10 minutes each interspersed between the singings. 

 With our theme being “Praising and Worshiping God for the Harvest”, we were able to point out that God the creator is the God who provides the harvest, thus we celebrate this harvest by praising and worshiping God, our provider.  I do believe for many this was the first time ever that they heard of God and His son Jesus and the message of salvation.  So, Bob and all you faithful prayer partners and sacrificial givers, thank you yet once again for your continued faithfulness!!!  May God continue to bless you in a mighty way!  The total cost of the Delta Thanksgiving was approximately US$5,400 which covered transportation by bus and boat and food costs for 50 plus persons.  We also did feed one meal to approximately 1,000 persons in the town of Myi Pauk where Robert my son had spent time photographing the carnage and death weeks after the cyclone had hit.  In fact he was the first foreigner to travel to the delta after the cyclone and while there though, he had been asked to give some words of encouragement.  The local Karen pastor there had nothing but praise for Robert who had spoken from a passage out of Job and had compared the aftermath of cyclone Nargis and the suffering and pain it brought to that of what Job had experienced, but that there was hope of full restoration as in Job.  The pastor said, this message was one he will never forget as it was very appropriate for the moment during which time he himself was questioning God, and was having a difficult time seeing the God of compassion and love.  But somehow, Bert through his short but to the point message had caused him to refocus on God and His love.  He said, next trip “you must bring Robert with you”! 

 I want to bring you up to speed on the current situation in the Delta region with the victims of Nargis the devastating Cyclone that has forever brought change to this region of the country.  

First of all, I do want to confirm what everyone said, that the death toll was even more than I had dared to believe.  Everyone said the final figure is over 2,000,000 dead!  I was saying between 600,000 to 1,000,000, but the locals down there are saying over 2 million!  I was shocked to say the least.  I met a nurse this time that told us she had lost 49 of her family members in the cyclone.  She told of her village/town of 4,400 families with close to 30,000 people, less than 100 persons survived the cyclone and they said, in the Labutta county alone, over 1 million people died.  Most of them were migrant workers living in the field huts where there was few trees and certainly no tall buildings or hills to seek shelter on. 

 It was onto this scene that we had come across and had appealed to you, our faithful supporters and you had responded with your generous gifts and prayers.  We responded by purchasing rotor tillers to plow as many fields as we could.  We purchased seed and planted and sowed over 4,000 rai or 2,000 acres in 4 village tracks.  We had some problem with crabs and snails and sprayed insecticides and had to put in some fertilizer.  The bottom line is we achieved what we set out to do.  The fields we plowed and planted have produced on average 30-35 percent of what they would have produced prior to Nargis!  There have been some fields planted towards the end of the season that did not survive due to the lack of rain water to nurish the seedlings to maturity.  But for the most part, the people have completed their harvest.  Though little as it might be!  We have succeeded in giving the hopeless helpless victims of Nargis hope once again.  As a result of our collective efforts, they will be able to survive with pride and satisfaction for a couple of months due to the current rice harvest which many of you helped achieve.  So folks, thank you so very much!

 So, have we completed the task?  Absolutely not.  We still have much to do.  We will have to try to get them through to next year’s harvest.  This means they will have to be fed.  Next we will have to get an early start and plow more fields and acreage and plant more paddy than last year.  We are now in the process of repairing all 24 tillers so we can get an early start on plowing and planting 150 acres per tiller, for a total of 3,600 plus acres during this coming season.  We could plow and plant more acres if we had more tillers.

 Immediate future plans

On the heels of this wonderful and successful musical-preaching tour of the south, we got a vision to go north, to Myitkyina and Putao during February and March to visit the Lisu and Rawang Churches and bring music and a message of healing and oneness to the divided Churches.  Our message would be “Unity in Christ”.   

We will continue to need your prayer and financial partnership if we are to carry this out.  We recognize that division is not of God and that Satan has been able to put a wedge of discord in the body of Christ.  So, this is yet just one more avenue to try to bring healing, forgiveness and unity among God’s children, His Church. 

So please, please, begin to pray with us concerning this trip as we begin to prepare for it.  That there will be unity between the group of the students and faculty leading the group, and that the music and songs chosen will be the right and appropriate songs with appropriate lyrics and messages.  That our hearts will be pure, loving, kind and forgiving as well.  That the messages will be of God, with true humility, love, understanding and forgiveness.  Finally, that God and God alone will be given praise and worship for what He will do and accomplish.

 We estimate the total cost of travel, food and accommodations to cost approximately US$16,000.- for the entire trip.  Of this, local Churches will provide the bulk of the food costs while in Myitkyina and Putao, and will provide accommodations which we estimate will be approximately US$8,000.- or half the total costs.  What we will have to do is come up with the travel, accommodation and foods costs while traveling.  This comes to approximately US$8,000.-.  This then is what we will need you to pray through with us.  

I want to urge everyone reading this letter to seriously pray for this most vital and urgent trip.  This matter has long been on our hearts and is long overdue to bring to closure.  Unity must be restored and we do believe that only God can bring about true and total reconciliation within the Church.  I do believe with all my heart that this is God’s will for the Church.  So, please continue to pray for us as we plan this trip in February 20^th onwards until the end of March. 

In April, I will be traveling into the Salween valley for a week during which we will be launching a Vernacular Video Ministry where we will be delivering computers and video cameras for the ministry.  The goal of the ministry is to establish a center to produce home grown Christian Videos of preaching-teaching heads, recording Christian music and producing Christian Karaoke for the Christian youth, enabling and providing them with singalong accompaniment which has become the craze of the world.  Finally, it is the goal of each center to produce home grown local Christian movies with a gospel message or theme of forgiveness, humility, love, kindness and mercy.

 Over the years, we hope to develop centers in Rangoon, Myitkyina and Putao Burma as well as in Arunachal Pradesh, of northeast India.

 Well, as usual, I have become long winded again and so must tell my fingers and mind to stop here and now. 

I do want to mention one thing here though that has been heavy on my heart for the past few years. 

I would like to ask your fervent prayers for wisdom and a means to help me find a way to bring my son Robert back home to work with us here as the director and technician as we launch this new video ministry in Thailand, Burma, China and India.  He was the one who did the initial video editing training to us as we launched this new ministry in January of 2008.   

One of Robert’s majors in Biola University was RTF (Radio, Television, and Film).  He was trained on the Apple platform using Final Cut Pro as the medium of video editing.  He is very versatile and capable in this field and has the Thai language and Asian culture down pat.  So, I do believe he could be an invaluable asset to this new ministry.  His role would be to be the technical person who would be in charge of all training and editing and trouble shooting.  He is currently working in Los Angeles trying to pay off his College debt.  

It’s just a thought, but would love for everyone reading this to be in prayer with me concerning this matter. 

While on this topic, we launched the Visual Bible book of Acts movie in Rangoon at the 75 year Jubilee celebration.  We will be taking them into China and will be releasing them in Thailand soon as well.  We recently completed dubbing the book of Matthew movie as well and will begin editing it in February..  Next we hope to dub both Acts and Matthew in the Rawang and Burmese languages as well. So, please keep us in your prayers!

 

Prayer request for immediate and future needs

 

1.  God’s continued guidance on all the work on the field.

 

2.  Funds to make final payment on Delta Thanksgiving                   = $  2,900.-

 

3.  Funds to cover “Unity in Christ” trip up north                           = $  8,000.-

 

4.  Funds to purchase 20 more tillers @ US$1,200.-                  = $24,000.-

 

5.  Funds to purchase 100 Crabbing boat units @ US$50.-          = $  5,000.-

 

6.  Funds to purchase 20 Fishing boat units @ US$500.-                  = $10,000.-

 

7.  Funds to purchase 200 barrels of diesel @ US$ 150.-                    = $30,000.-

 

8.  Funds to pay 10 Field Workers x 12 months @US$ 1,000.-          = $12,000.-                                                                                         Total         = $91,900.-