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| Beautiful Thailand Sunset!
"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
We have arrived safely back in Thailand with all our luggage--4 pieces each--yes, that's 8 altogether! It's amazing really that we checked it in at Columbus,Ohio and didn't see it again until we arrived in Chiang Mai. We thankfully always forget just how grueling the trip is (10,000 miles), but we are grateful to God for a smooth, safe journey and all our luggage with us. We never take such a long journey for granted without giving praise and thanks to our God.
 
I listened recently to a DVD series (Our adult Sunday School Class here did it) by John Ortberg on Soul Keeping. In it Ortberg says, "You will always feel better on a posture of gratitude because the soul thrives on gratitude." The Hebrew word for gratitude is translated,"recognizing the good." What does that mean exactly? I like how Ortberg explains it: "Right now in this moment, I choose to live in gratitude. This sustains the soul and lifts us up into the presence of God." The Scripture says it this way in Colossians 3:16-17:
"...And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
"Now we know, humanly speaking, we will live longer, healthier, and happier lives if we live with an attitude of gratitude," Ortberg says. However, there are huge benefits to our soul in this attitude of gratitude, and we are the keepers of our souls. And what do we have to be thankful for--oh so much! As followers of Christ, the gifts of our salvation are enough to make us thankful all our days. If we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ we are
A child of God
Jesus' death has covered our sins and forgiven the guilt of our sin
We have no fear of death because we have eternal life through Christ.
God has given us His Holy Spirit to guide and comfort and remind us of the truths of the Gospel
Jay, Heidi and girls and Dave and I in MN
Grandma brought dolls for the girls
My older sister, Pam
Wedding of our nephew
But Dave and I are also extremely thankful for Dave's restored health during our visit to the states. We had great medical care here, but his body had sufficient time to refresh and renew. We give thanks and praise to our God and to many of you who partnered with us in prayer. We are grateful for good visits with family and friends. Just after we arrived, we attended our nephew's wedding in California and again were thankful to be able to do that and see most of my (Sher's) family.
Most of all, we are grateful to be able to return to Chiang Mai and minister among the many we love and care about here as we believe God has called us to do. We received such a warm welcome from our congregation on our first Sunday--just hours after our 30 hour journey here. Many of our neighbors also seemed to miss us, and we felt welcomed by so many of them though our communication is often a little limited.
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Our Women's Bible Study--Dave posed with us
High School kids and their dorm parents.
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| Special Music Group
Gratitude takes nothing for granted but instead acknowledges each favor, each gift as coming from, the hand of a loving, heavenly Father. James 1:15 says, "Every good and perfect gift comes from above--coming down from the Father of Heavenly lights who does not change like the shifting shadows." Therefore, we take neither health, nor life, nor daily breath for granted but give praise and thanks to the Giver of all gifts! May we as followers of Christ and the Good News of the Gospel have a gratitude attitude. We appreciate your continued prayers as we continue to minister in beautiful Chiang Mai. Please pray:
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