Our time in Thailand was a very unusual month to say the least. Our time of ministry was divided between our Debrief (usually at the end of a month of ministry, but for schedual reasons was in the middle this time around). Our team was assigned to a town called, Sangkalburi to help a small church. The village is beautiful! It is near the border of Burma & is a small town with a tourist appeal.
Above, is our first day out on the job doing house visits.
These houses are just near the river & beyond is the boat houses that many people live on.
It was such a blessing to be able to visit the church members & new believers. It was an honor to be able to spend time with them & pray for them.
Below, is her new house. It was built in just a matter of a couple of days!
The path (below) to Ekines. We would usually have to take the truck up the hill, park it, & walk the rest of the way.
When we first met Ekine, we found her sitting in a chair which she would sit in all day long (even to go bathroom). It was so sad to see. But, thanks be to God because over the course of the time we were there, we were able to see God do some big things in her life. We inquired about a Walker to help her & found one! It turns out, her neighbor had one he was not using anymore! With some physical therapy & love, she slowly gained something amazing called HOPE. We also took her wheelchair to get fixed so we could use that as well!
On our last day with Ekine, she & her middle daughter came to church with us! It was a lot of work to pick her up & bring her, but it was worth it! They joined us for lunch & spent the rest of the day with us. It may sound silly, but we were also able to wash her hands & feet & give them both manicures & pedicures =) The little girl had her nails painted for the first time ever! She was around 8 years old.
The sad part: Our last few days she was there, we received bad news. Ekine had fallen out of her house & had to go to the hospital. She was there for a week & we were unable to see her. We have not heard anything, but we were told by our contacts there, they would continue to bring her to church as often as they could & visit the family. She is still in our hearts & we pray she is doing better.
