Missionary Letter

Greetings from the Jones family in Thailand!

We were blessed with some great fellowship this month. Bro. Bill and Sister Rita Johnson paid us a visit and brought with them more material to translate into Thai. We are excited to be able to have Sunday school, VBS and Bible study lessons to use in the Thai language. ICP (International Christian Publishers), the ministry of the Johnsons also provided a new iMac computer for the translation and graphics work. Bro. Johnson preached in both the Udon and Khon Kaen churches, blessing us with the Word of God.

This month we also traveled to Chiang Mai to renew our visas and visit the US consulate, obtaining Laura's passport and American birth certificate. We appreciate all those who prayed for us, as everything went smoothly this year, with only one minor hiccup: our paperwork wasn't completed before our visas expired, but we were able to extend them one day late. While in Chiang Mai, we were blessed to be able to fellowship with the Rosendals and the Teers, attending a home Bible study and Sunday worship at their church in Chiang Mai. It is refreshing to meet and talk with other missionaries who have the same joys and pains on the same mission field, even though we work on opposite ends of the country.

This month we installed air conditioning in two of the classrooms in Udon which have been a tremendous blessing and a refuge from the scorching heat and humidity of Isaan. As the monsoons diminish, we are entering a dry period that will last until next May. I also set up a new church office in Udon that we are working in alongside the Heart to Heart Foundation office. Bro. Rodney Burdette and I will be working there most days throughout the week. I am also setting up a library of Thai Bible study literature and text books for the Bible institute that the students will be able to access. We have had few visitors this past month, but growth here is slow. Pray for the Thai people: both for the lost to be saved and for the converted to grow.

The Jones Girls: Tara, our smart little 5 year old, has begun second grade, and there's no holding her back. Tiffany will be turning 3 next month and has become our little artist. Laura, at 3 months, is still awaiting her birth certificate from the US, and seems to be the life of the party, cooing and smiling during every waking moment. The Lord has truly blessed our lives with three wonderful children!