Pleiku, Vietnam...Reaching across Conflicts

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As I read the Bible portion of the devotional today, I immediately think of my time in Pleiku, Vietnam, at the Leprosy Center.  In John 13:14, Jesus has just washed the feet of His disciples before the last supper and He says, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet".  I think of the Leprosy Center because it was there that I watched day after day one leprosy patient who was a trained worker, wash and clean out ulcers of the feet of patients in the center.  And as I watched them, there was no disgust nor aversion in the work but they would talk and laugh together as they preformed this task.  As I have stated before, this foot wash room was foul smelling many times but this didn't seem to bother the workers.  The sweet attitudes of these workers would raise the spirit of the patients that were too ill to remain at home and needed to come to the center for treatment. 

One day around lunch time I was alone with the staff and patients at the Leprosy Center.  Remember, this center was outside of town.....quite a distance.  The South Vietnamese army had built anti tank trenches around the city of Pleiku to keep the North Vietnamese army from riding across the open fields to the town.  They could use the roads but nevertheless, there was a huge project to dig this trench to protect the city and our leprosy center was outside of the trench.  Now this did not make us feel any less secure...and only for a short time this one day did I feel any anxiety at being there with no vehicle and no way to get back to town.  But this particular day, the Vietnamese pharmacist came to me very afraid and said I must hide.  He said that there were North Vietnamese soldiers outside the center and he did not want anything to happen to me.  I went to a room and sat on the floor.  After some time when no one came into any of the rooms looking for me, I snuck to the window and looked out and saw 3 young men, clothing in tatters, and they were so thin.....like they were starving.  I saw the workers giving them rice and fish and water and then the soldiers left after about half an hour.  Everyone came in to where I was and explained that these soldiers were lost from their unit and had not eaten in several days.  That is why they had come to the center......they were so hungry and  needed someone to reach out to them....even though they were the enemy at this time.  

Oswald Chambers writes, "Ministering in everyday opportunities that surround us does not mean that we select our own surroundings— it means being God’s very special choice to be available for use in any of the seemingly random surroundings which He has engineered for us. The very character we exhibit in our present surroundings is an indication of what we will be like in other surroundings......Jesus said, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you”."  The workers were kind and loving to these men who came for food.  They did not differentiate between sides in a conflict...they only saw people in need and extended kindness to them as Jesus did......their only fear was what would happen if I was found to be there......and this, thank God, was no real issue at all.   

Preparation in the Quiet Times

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Oswald Chambers starts this reading with the following.  "We presume that we would be ready for battle if confronted with a great crisis, but it is not the crisis that builds something within us— it simply reveals what we are made of already.....If you are not doing the task that is closest to you now, which God has engineered into your life, when the crisis comes, instead of being fit for battle, you will be revealed as being unfit. Crises always reveal a person’s true character."  As soon as I read this I was convicted on several levels.  

First, Portuguese language study to be able to be prepared to work in the community.....I have a house girl that comes to iron and clean twice weekly.  This was started when I had my leg in a cast due to a knee injury and she is continuing.  She is 24 years old has 3 children ages 8 to 2 and her husband is unemployed.  She is continuing to go to school trying to complete the 4th grade.  She needs the income and I enjoy the company at home.  We were attempting to communicate....with pantomime and Google Translate....but I must sound out the words because she doesn't read well and the Portuguese is Brazilian not from Portugal so has some differences.  As we were attempting to talk together, she asked what my work was and I told her I am a nurse.  Also that I had visited Cabinda, Angola to try to work in palliative care there and again tried to get this started here in Soyo, Angola, and she with the innocence of a child said, "but you must study Portuguese first".  Now I am studying because I knew what she was saying....but it was a real reminder of how my laziness in the area of language study is obvious even to this young girl.  

The second thing that I thought of was the writing of this blog.  I have not written for the past week.  Why?  I can tell you that it is because none of the daily devotionals of Oswald Chambers fit with the stories I have from my life.....and on the surface, this is true.....but I believe that I am writing these stories to have something for my children and grandchildren as well as to take the time to reflect on not just where God has taken me through my life and lessons I have learned on the way.....but how those lessons can help me where I am today.  It takes time to think, pray, and wait for the right story to come to my mind.....and instead I have been watching TV and spending time thinking about and discussing the difficulties of life here.....and this is an easy way to fill my time.....but is not of value to me or to the purpose of leaving this for my kids......  

Oswald Chambers continues, "It is in the unseen life, which only God saw, that you have become perfectly fit. And when the strain of the crisis comes, you can be relied upon by God."  Now this is a real thought.....that I can be relied on by God......and this is a real motivator for me to focus again on the work of reflecting on the stories of my unusual journey and putting them down for the future.  God has taken me through many crisis and in those times it is much easier to stay close to Him and trust in Him.....it is in the mundane, boring, quiet times of life that cause me to drift away and not continue to stay close.....and I know that there are other situations that I will encounter that I want to be ready for......and not find that I have been less than I should be at that time.  "If your worship is right in your private relationship with God, then when He sets you free, you will be ready."

The Story of the Nail.....Answered Prayer

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I have already written some of the history of Hubert Mitchell.  Years ago I heard him tell the story of "The Nail".  Daniel, his son, also sent it to me and I want to share it in this posting.  It is a remarkable story of faith and God's faithfulness. 

The year was 1934 and for some years there had been a move of God's Spirit on the West Coast under the ministry of Amie Semple McPherson at Angelus Temple located in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles and the same was happening in the Mid West under the ministry of Paul Rader.

"I don't want to go there Lord, I am part of a great move of God here in Kansas. The Kubus are over in the middle of the jungle in a nowhere country and I am here and God is Blessing the ministry of Paul Rader and he has given  Helen and me an important part in the music ministry. The people enjoy Helen's lovely voice and the they also enjoy my accordion, piano playing and song leading and they say Helen and I make good music together. Anyway there are others who said they would go and that is good enough for me.  Yes Lord, I heard what R.A.Jaffrey said about the Kubu Tribes and that they need to hear the Gospel, but people here in America need to hear too and that is why I am here doing Your work Lord, you do understand don't you? And one more thing, I have a wife and a two year old son and what would people think of me taking them out to the wild jungle and maybe having some terrible disease come over them and they die....what would people think of me? Also, I hear there are wild animals out there too Lord, what do you think of that?"

Such was the battle that raged in the heart and spirit of  Hubert Mitchell. There was no letup and he could not free himself from those nagging words of R.A. Jaffrey of the Christian & Missionary Alliance Mission spoken some months previous at a missions conference...."Hubert, how can you tell the Gospel story over and over again to people who have heard it hundreds of times and yet there are thousands who have never heard it once.  Hubert, the Lord is calling you and He will not let you go." 

After a series of meetings and then traveling onto another meeting, they were passing through Arkansas Kansas when he spotted a small church off to the side of the road. Pulling in front he knew he had to get free once and for all. Hubert with Helen following opened the door and knocked on the door marked "office" and walking in asked to speak to the Pastor. After introducing themselves he asked the Pastor if he would pray for the two of them. After a brief explanation of his inner  struggle, the Pastor laid hands on them both and  prayed.  After the Pastor's  prayer, Hubert happened to glance up on the wall above the Pastor's desk and spied a plaque with a poem written on it. He got up to see it more clearly and saw that it was written by Annie Johnson Flint.  Intrigued with the words He asked the Pastor if he could take it down to look at it and then asked if there was a piano in the sanctuary. With the Pastor's permission, he sat down at the piano and started to play.

The words and notes seemed to blend into melody and harmony as Hubert's fingers spanned the piano keys and before he knew it, the Lord had given him the music to the words of a poem written by Annie Johnson Flint with the title.."He Giveth More Grace"  Turning on the piano stool to face his wife seated behind him, he queried..."Helen do you feel the same as I do? Are you willing to go to the Kubu Tribes in Indonesia?  The Lord has called us and we need to be obedient to His Call."  And so the battle had turned and in a relatively short span of time the three of them, Hubert, Helen and little David Mitchell set out by ocean steamer under the Christian & Missionary Alliance Mission and arrived in Sumatra Indonesia.

After settling his small family down to a regulated schedule, language study and getting used to this new culture was one of Hubert's first priorities. A rudimentary grasp of the Malay language came as he listened, enjoined  words and phrases with the local populace and soon he was speaking to small groups of Christians in their homes and churches.  On one occasion he went to one of the Dutch government officials and in some strange way received written permission to witness to the Malay Muslims. Unbeknownst to him this was against the law, but his witness was so effective the local Iman protested and the permission paper was revoked.  Because of this opposition, the door officially  opened for the ministry to the Kubus Tribes, an official Animist group. Along with Tobing his "Man Friday" and other Brothers, forayers into the thick jungles began. 

On one of those forayers just after sunrise, Hubert dropped over to the toko, (small shop) and took some canned sardines and dried fish from the shelf and some cans of Mandarin oranges for desert. After paying the owner and passing on some words of encouragement to him the group set out for the trail which would take them deeper into the jungle than they had gone before. This day was particularly hot and the humidity was oppressive and it seemed that not much headway was being made.  The saw grass seemed particularly tough as the group hacked their way through with their parangs (long knives)....when suddenly they come onto a clearing. The triple canopy tree growth gave no warning, but here it was!  The people who were around suddenly took off when they saw this white man, but Tobing persuaded the Chief who had a parang that he, Hubert had come from a long distance with a wonderful message called "Good News" for him and his people.

Taking a cue from Tobing, Hubert began to tell the story from the Gospels how Jesus Christ came into the world as a miracle baby, grew up like any man  and because of the miracles He did and the things He said, the religious rulers were jealous of him. They condemned him to die and nailed this man Jesus to a cross (salib). Hubert asked one of the Brothers to cut down a sapling and then with the same parang, cut it in two. Cutting down some rattan, thin jungle ratan vine, he tied the two pieces together forming a cross. As more people gathered around him and all this time telling the crucifixion story, he laid down on the cross and with his hands making  motions,  told the people surrounding him looking on with great interest that the soldiers nailed Jesus' hands and feet to the cross. As he went on with the story.... .

Suddenly from the middle of the crowd rang a question from the Chief..."what is a nail'? Taken aback Hubert lay there trying to explain what a nail (paku) was. As he talked, the people started to pull away from where he was lying. "Don't go, there must be a nail  somewhere around here" Hubert intoned.  Again the question came from the crowd but this time more pointed and insistent..."what is a nail?!" The more he tried, the more the crowd dispersed with muttering until finally no one was there except for some curious boys, Tobing and the Brothers and Hubert searched his pockets and nap sack and asked the others to do the same, but no nail.

Dejected and frustrated Hubert asked the men to prepare some rice for lunch and with a prayer and a plea for a miracle they sat down to eat rice and dried fish with some canned sardines.  As he slowly ate with a spoon, these thoughts flooded into his mind..."Oh Lord You brought me all this way from the US for this? What will Tobing and the Brothers think of me now? Lord what about all these people who are left hanging in the air?" After the meal and grabbing for his nap sack and at the same time reached in took out one of the cans of oranges for desert and pouring them onto his plate was ready to toss the can to a group of the small boys who were eying this strange white man eating....when he heard a rattle and opening the can further he looked inside and there on the bottom of the can was a nail!

Grasping the nail in his right hand and jumping to his feet at the same time Hubert ran yelling  out as loud as he could..."this is a nail!....this is a nail!  this is a nail! This is what they put into the hands of Jesus! He ran to the Chief's hut and up the notched log he literally bounded. meeting the Chief coming down. He grabbed the Chief's hand and pushed the point into his palm..."this is what a nail feels like and this is what they did to Jesus!"  He then grabbed the back of the Chief's hand and taking the nail scratched the dark skin. "Don't make my hand sick!" cried  the Chief. Calling everyone back to the center of the clearing the Chief asked Hubert to tell the crucifixion story again. As he retold the story how the agony and tragedy of the Father was such to see His only Son die and become SIN himself, for everyones sin. When suddenly the people started to weep with deep sobs and tears flowing down their cheeks creating little rivulets of moist skin. Tobing, Hubert and the Brothers came around and hugged the people in small groups and told them God loved them so much and how their sins could be forgiven and their hearts cleansed from their SINS. With the Chief leading,  Tobing led the people in a prayer of confession of SIN and repentance. They knew they were sinners, convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ.  Hubert then went on with the story of the Lord Jesus' Resurrection from death and that He appeared to over 500 people to prove His Power and Heavenly Glory. The Assention was told and then the Command to go out to others with this message and make disciples of all nations...."and this is why I am here to tell you this story" Hubert went on.

Suddenly the Chief turned and up the notched log to his hut he ran and coming back with two large baskets in his hands he said to Hubert..."when you see Jesus give these to Him. They are my most precious possessions and I was going to sell them to Chinese traders for knives and things we could use, but I want to give these to Jesus." The baskets were filled with bear and tiger claws, animals  which he had killed in close encounters with a homemade spear. Hubert explained that Jesus was not here on earth, but in Heaven and now he, his Family and tribe would be there with Jesus one day.  "But I want to give something to Him!" said the Chief. "But you did" replied Hubert, "you just gave Him your heart and life and that is what Jesus Christ wants and not only that, He wants you to tell others what you have just heard.".......

Oswald Chambers writes,  "Ask, and you will receive . . .” (John 16:24). We complain before God, and sometimes we are apologetic or indifferent to Him, but we actually ask Him for very few things. Yet a child exhibits a magnificent boldness to ask! Our Lord said, “. . . unless you . . . become as little children . . .” (Matthew 18:3). Ask and God will do. Give Jesus Christ the opportunity and the room to work. The problem is that no one will ever do this until he is at his wits’ end. When a person is at his wits’ end, it no longer seems to be a cowardly thing to pray; in fact, it is the only way he can get in touch with the truth and the reality of God Himself. Be yourself before God and present Him with your problems— the very things that have brought you to your wits’ end."  This story from Hubert Mitchell's life is such a blessing....and excellent reminder to ask God for the things we need.....and expecting He will answer as we need!

Life Choices

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I am writing this blog for my children and grand children.....and I want to be honest and open about the journey God has taken me on to surrender to Him in all things.  Not all the stories I have to relate will show me in the best light.....if fact, it is the ugly things that show the transformation that has occurred over the years and continues each day.....and should be an encouragement to you as walk through your own lives.....falling down over and over isn't the issue.....it's the getting back up, learning, growing and submitting to God from each fall that develops you..

While I was in high school I had a boyfriend, Leigh Twa.  He was a kind young man and loved me dearly.  He was in the Navy and part of my infatuation with him was that he would go overseas for 6 months at a time and I could send him care packages and write long letters.  It fit so well into my romantic personality at that time.

Upon returning from one of his voyages he and several of his friends bought motorcycles.  They then went to Hell's Angels and got permission to start their own club.....'The Caretakers'.  By this time I was in college studying nursing and I loved it on the weekends when he and his friends would come and stay at my parents home and we would ride up and down the coast of California.  Leigh had a beautiful Harely Davidson bike that had been chopped and was very cool looking.  

Interestingly and not surprisingly being in this 'club' began to change the people we hung out with and where we spent our time.  Truthfully, the desire to ride with these guys was changing me because I needed to hide from my parents how I was living and where I would stay at times.  This was very difficult for me because I loved my parents very much but the thrill of the ride was enchanting at the time.  

One weekend we had travelled to San Deigo to hang out and ride.  Leigh was very protective of me and kept watch that I would be safe.  We slept in the garage of one of the members and after breakfast, road to a bar around noon.  When we went into the bar, some of the guys began knocking over tables and intimidating the patrons.  It was like something you would see in a movie.  I went outside and Leigh came with me.  Shortly afterward several of the other members came out and we went to one of their farms in the area.  Everyone began to gravitate to the barn to 'get loaded'.  I sat by the bikes to wait and began reflecting on how I was living......  I liked the time of riding down the roads and having people look at us and seem to notice us.....but this weekend I was sleeping in a garage on the floor and we had just left a bar at noon where the intent had been to intimidate and frighten the people there....and I thought.....What am I doing?  Where is this going to lead?  Why am I seeking such a dangerous lifestyle?  I felt this incredible sense of shame at what was happening in the bar and in the direction of my life.

I remember that my mother used to tell me that in each situation I question whether I should be there, I should ask myself......as a Christian.....is Jesus glad to be with me here?  Am I making Him proud of my choices?  Definitely, the answer that day was......No!!!!

When it was noticed that I was not in the barn with the others, Leigh came to find me.  He was rather disgusted at my not joining in......Since I had ridden to San Deigo with him, I asked him to take me to the bus and I could go home......he wouldn't allow that and took me back to Los Angeles himself.  I never wanted to come to San Deigo and ride with these men again.....in fact, this event caused me such disgust at the direction of my life, it changed the relationship with Leigh and began the decline that eventually ended our relationship.....  

Oswald Chambers writes, "....I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He (God) begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand.....Repentance does not cause a sense of sin— it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness."

This focus on my behavior was one of the things that caused me to begin looking to where I could serve the Lord....and be away from these influences and the disgusting life I was living at that time.....and although my journey to Vietnam was not wholly to serve Him, it was a factor in my decision....and definitely was going to be a place where God changed me in many ways to be open to His leading.....

Dear children and grand children when you find yourselves in a situation you are needing to hide from your parents.....and you think that you may be able to fool them....this will be true sometimes....but God sees all....and He is the one it is most important to honor with your life.....Remember, everywhere you go and in all you do, you take Jesus with you......so is He proud of what you are choosing?

Hubert Mitchell, Man of Prayer

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As soon as I read this devotional from Oswald Chambers I immediately thought of one person.  Since reflecting on it longer I think of more but I want to just write a little about the amazing man who impacted my life because of his prayer life.  I'm speaking of Hubert Mitchell.

Hubert has a wonderful history of serving the Lord with all his heart. Through his son, Daniel, I have part of Hubert's history to share with you.

Hubert was born in 1907.  He married Helen Pomeroy in the 1930's.  They met in Bible school.  They worked together for Paul Rader, an evangelist in the Midwest.  Hubert was the music director, played the accordion and piano and led the music.  He and Helen sang duets together and Helen, solos.  

In 1934, Hubert and Helen made the decision to go to Indonesia as missionaries to the Kubu Tribe of south Sumatra.  It as also at this time of decision that Hubert saw words on a pastor's wall plaque and wrote the hymn, "He Giveth More Grace".

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase,
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men,
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half-done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/nt/723#ixzz1W1wVwCgu

  In 1940 Helen died three days after giving birth to Jean.  This left Hubert with 4 children in a very remote area of Indonesia.  Daniel says that the words to this hymn gave great comfort to Hubert during those days.

In 1942, Hubert heard from his brother in law, David Morken, that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.  This was followed with the news that the Japanese Imperial Army was marching down the Malayan Archipelago.  R.A. Jaffery, the head of the Missionary Alliance Mission left the decision whether to leave to be made by each missionary serving there.  Hubert with the children and a group of other missionaries decided to evacuate....reluctantly.

From 1942-1944 Hubert ministered as Chaplain with the Victory Service Club connected with the Union Rescue Mission.  He started Saturday Night Jubilee at Church of the Open Door.....a future Youth for Christ group.  He remarried to Rachel in 1944.

1946 he left Saturday Night Jubilee with David Morken and others and moved to Karwi, India where Rachel had lived for 20 years.  Here he started India Youth For Christ and worked with that until 1951. He worked at the head office of Youth For Christ in Wheaton, Illinois from 1952-1954 and then left to start Inter-Church Ministries in Chicago with Bible Studies and early morning prayer groups in business offices in Chicago's Loop and other places.

Finally in 1965, Hubert moved to Los Angeles again to help his mother who was running a sending mission organization, Go Ye Fellowship.  This you will remember is the mission organization that sent me first to Vietnam in 1971.  Hubert continued his life of reaching out to people for the Lord and started an organization that was renamed, Christians in Government, in Los Angeles and worked with this group from 1971-1992.   Hubert died in 1995 and went home to be with the Lord.

As I write an abbreviated history of Hubert's life I marvel that God had our lives intersect.  I am sure Hubert prayed about my going to Vietnam and prayed for me while I was there.  When Bryan and I were married in 1976, Hubert was the pastor that we asked to officiate for that event.  I remember when he told the homily he really got into the story of my leaving Vietnam, "with one baby under each arm"....artistic license....but delightful....  We had the privilege of hearing him sing his song, "He Giveth More Grace" at the Bible study in my parent's home on more than one occasion....and I was unaware of how this hymn had lifted him in the dark days of his life following the Lord.

When Bryan and I were first going out to work with World Vision in Indonesia, we met with Hubert at his home and he prayed for us and sent us with his blessing.  It was there that I learned about his prayer closet...where he and Rachel would go at different times during the day and pray for those God laid on their hearts.  It was such an encouragement to know that as we left together for life in a new place, they were not going to forget us and pray for us to remain where God wanted.... doing what He had planned for us.....  

Oswald Chambers writes, "Having a secret stillness before God means deliberately shutting the door on our emotions and remembering Him. God is in secret, and He sees us from “the secret place”— He does not see us as other people do, or as we see ourselves. When we truly live in “the secret place,” it becomes impossible for us to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else."   This is how Hubert Mitchell walked with the Lord and because of this, he has left a lasting legacy in many places around the world.....that bring glory to God even today. What joy there is in the lives of many because he trusted God and went wherever he was sent.

Living Devotion to God

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This entry by Oswald Chambers is very difficult to read.  It makes me stop and think......when are the times I have heard something very hard from God and ignored it......or diminished it.....and made it less than the starkness of His demand for total surrender to Him.....with the giving up of everything else that I would place before Him in my life.  Then there is the reminder that Jesus never cajoled anyone to come to follow Him....He never made the narrowness of the path to righteousness easy to follow.....in fact, He continually warned that things would be rough.....and only a few will really walk His way......and today this reading is such a reminder of what He meant.

I have had friends that have questioned, "How can God be a loving God and ask Abraham to sacrifice his son?"  This is a question that is genuinely being asked because from my standpoint as a parent, it is something that is absolutely abhorrent to even think about.  Sacrificing my child for anyone.  

When our children were born we took each one to our pastor and had them dedicated to the Lord.  What this meant to us was that we were recognizing that God had blessed us with the beautiful baby to care for and raise.......and we wanted to recognize outwardly that we were giving the baby back to God......  We would do our best with our children to teach and mentor them but we realized they were a temporary gift.......on loan from God... and their lives were His......

When we took Jeremy, our first born, in and the pastor asked if we realized the fact that our children were on loan only but belonged to God to do with as He saw fit......we answered, yes.....and then he asked us to tell God that we were giving our child back to Him at this moment....trusting Him with the life of our baby.  I have to say that I paused....it was not easy.....we loved Jeremy so much and the idea that maybe God might actually take him from us......  We were stating right then that it was our sacrifice of love and trust in God who had given us this baby to give him back.....it was so hard.....but the truth is that we have no control over many things that come into our children's lives and God does.....so why am I thinking I can somehow hold any of our children and protect them better then their heavenly Father?  We repeated this dedication with each of our three children and it was never something we did lightly because we loved each of them so much....

Oswald Chambers in writing about the rich young ruler says, "."Jesus did not show the least concern that this rich young ruler should do what He told him, nor did Jesus make any attempt to keep this man with Him. He simply said to him, “Sell all that you have . . . and come, follow Me.” Our Lord never pleaded with him; He never tried to lure him— He simply spoke the strictest words that human ears have ever heard, and then left him alone....And Jesus did not go after him, but let him go. Our Lord knows perfectly well that once His word is truly heard, it will bear fruit sooner or later."  The rich young ruler needed to give up everything and follow Jesus....his valued possession was riches.....ours is the love for our children.  Finally he ends this reading with these words that are so encouraging and so gentle, "I wonder what we will say when we finally make up our minds to be devoted to Him on that particular point? One thing is certain— He will never throw our past failures back in our faces."

Resting in God

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Our family moved to Thailand as residents in 1992.  We expected to be there for about 5 years and then would move to another place with World Vision.  After Jeremy's accident in 1993 we knew that we did not want to move until the children had graduated from the International School in Bangkok.  Jeremy had such wonderful support at the school, Justin was two years behind Jeremy and had been there since 5th grade and Amanda was further behind but had been at the school since 2nd grade.  It was a great surprise when we were told that since Bryan had completed his job of setting up Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) and Myanmar (Burma) with field directors that were now autonomous....we were going to be moved to Africa.  Jeremy still needed the supports that were so readily available at the school in Bangkok and we believed that we needed to stay there.  Therefore, Bryan resigned from World Vision after nearly 19 1/2 years.   

This was a difficult separation for me.  Throughout the time we had been in the USA with Jeremy in rehabilitation I had received a phone call daily from Sheryl Watkins to encourage us.  To me World Vision was like a family and the loss of that was very difficult.  But moving from Bangkok before the children finished school was unacceptable.  

Bryan worked for some time with an import company selling furniture.....then the economy crashed and this company withdrew from Thailand.  Finally Bryan was hired by Unocal.....an oil company as their director of Organization Development.  It was a wonderful job for him and he loved working there with all the staff.  

Now through each of those changes although I had felt great anxiety, I also felt such confidence that God would work things out for us to care of our children and provide for them....most of the time.  

A new director had come to Unocal and within a short time the department of Organization Development was to be closed.  Bryan was called in and told that his services would no longer be needed.  By this time Jeremy had finished school and Justin was nearing the end of his college education.  Amanda was just starting college and finding the adjustment to the USA a difficult one.  She had lived in Thailand for 10 years and returning to her passport country and going to school with all strangers was an adjustment.....it had been for each of the children but it was quite difficult for her....   Oswald Chambers writes, "When we are afraid, the least we can do is pray to God. But our Lord has a right to expect that those who name His name have an underlying confidence in Him.  God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the ones who are reliable."

We stayed in Thailand for several months seeing if there was a new job for Bryan.  It seemed to make sense since he speaks several South East Asian languages.  But God had other plans.....so on July 4, 2004, we returned to the USA....with no job.....  A very scary place to be.  Usually the children move back home with their parents but in our case, we moved in with the kids and Bryan began the long process of job hunting and I returned to the workforce.  

While we were living in Bangkok.....we were very active in our church.....Chaengwattana Community Church.  Because the community was so small, everyone knew the changes we were facing.  Several of the women came to me to encourage me.....and I keep in my Bible a note from one of the Japanese ladies to whom I was teaching English.....encouraging me to keep my eyes focused on God during this time.  Bryan and I were on the worship team at Church and so each week we would stand up in front and sing songs about trusting God during difficult times, songs about God molding us into the people that He wants us to be....and this was difficult occasionally for me but mostly was encouraging to remember how faithful God had been throughout the years.  Singing praise has always raised my spirits.  

As the months went on and the job for Bryan seemed allusive, we would both feel this great building of increased tension.  Oswald Chambers continues, "Yet our trust is only in God up to a certain point, then we turn back to the elementary panic-stricken prayers of those people who do not even know God. We come to our wits’ end, showing that we don’t have even the slightest amount of confidence in Him or in His sovereign control of the world. To us He seems to be asleep, and we can see nothing but giant, breaking waves on the sea ahead of us." It is during these times of extended waiting that we can see how much we have grown in our faith and trust in God.  "But it is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to place our trust in Him, the crisis will reveal that we can go to the point of breaking, yet without breaking our confidence in Him."

Bryan was offered a job with Chevron.  It was very different from the one he had been hired for with Unocal but a good job using his education and skills.  This meant we needed to move from Los Angeles and being close to the children to northern California.  I was surprised at how easy this transition was.....not because Bryan had a job but because we knew that God was going before us and preparing the way.  Oswald Chambers writes, "It (becoming more like Him) will be expressed in our lives as a peaceful resting in God, which means a total oneness with Him."