Praise Update - MiShui's Arm

We wanted to let you all know that MiShui's arm has healed well! Her
last appointment was very good and she is now in a smaller cast and is
attending school (thank God it was her left arm). She is a really
happy Akha girl again, playing and jumping around without fear.
Thanks for all your prayers and support! MiShui walks around with her
head held high and a great future before her.

A Mi is Smiling Again

Remember sweet little A Mi? (Akha Have Allergies Too, May 8 2006) Well, the liquid anti-histamine finally did the trick and she is all smiles again.

One of our constant observations as we try to give back to our village with our Akha Clinic is that the learning curve for medical care is pretty steep. The first time we see a symptom or ailment, even if we can immediately recognize what it is, we are usually not prepared to treat it. As time goes on and we observe more and more somethings, we are prepared to see them again.

I guess it's probably a lot like raising a child. This first pregnancy, although we immediately recognized what it was, is quite the steep learning curve as well!

Thanks for your prayers and concerns over little A Mi, we will let her know that so many people in America were asking about her.

Visa - it's everywhere we aren't

We found out this afternoon that a fraudulent charge on our Visa card was made from Florida - for $24,000! Fortunately (?) that is way above our credit limit and immediately cause flags to go up all over the place. Also, fortunately, we contacted our Visa company two days ago to make a phone purchase and let them know that we were in Chiang Mai. Those notes on our account froze the account and kept the fraudulent attempt from doing much damage.

Everything seems to be under control and I must say that the customer service was very pleasant to deal with, but please keep this in prayer. We have had some very interesting financial experiences this year with ATM issues, statement issues and now this reissued Visa card. It's frustrating to deal with this silly "side-business" and we appreciate your prayers that all of our financial business would not be a distraction from our ministry to the Akha.

Please continue to hold our finances in your prayers. Pray that there would be no further complications with this fraudulent charge and that this whole situation would resolve itself quickly.

Suzi is healed...

If you don't know who Suzi is, don't feel bad; there's really no reason that you should. You see, Suzi is what we affectionately call our little rough & tumble Suzuki Caribbean Jeep. Although, this is quite likely the "toughest" car either of us have ever had, the last week has been pretty hard on her.

About a week ago, the back left brake was broken and leaking oil (I hope all you mechanically minded people out there will pardon my inarticulate language. Since I'm not a mechanic and since our mechanic speaks only Thai, we never really heard the official diagnosis.) A friend of ours told us about an excellent mechanic here in Chiang Rai, so we took the poor girl in for a check up. The mechanic was able to repair and replace everything in a day's time, all for under $35. We were impressed and swore that he'd be our mechanic for life. Little did we know how soon we'd see him again.

On Sunday, we took a day trip to Mae Salong for Church in the village. On the way up, the jeep started stalling on some of the steeper inclines and there was a very unsettling "clunking" sound as we shifted gears. So on Monday it was back to the mechanic. By Tuesday afternoon, he had (1) replaced a part in the fuel line which was broken and allowing water & dirt to mix in with the gasoline (no wonder she was stalling!) and (2) replaced a pin in the four-wheel drive mechanism that had sheered. This time the total bill was about $40.

We just wanted to praise God for his hand in allowing everything to go so smoothly & painlessly. So often in Thailand, we tend to fall flat on our faces when we encounter a new problem. Quite honestly we're getting quite used to having our face in the mud, but it is kind of nice to remain upright for a change. All in all, we're so blessed to have our car in great working order (& purring like a kitten) for under $75!

Prayer Update : Mi Shui

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. Mi Shui's family was very grateful for the support and had a "bi dza" (Akha literally "give food") in thanks. It was a wonderful time. Little Mi Shui is much happier now that she is back in the village with her sisters and dad - her mom is much happier too. The Akha are really out of their element in the city, they are nervous and feel the lack of community around them. Seeing them in the city helped us to understand some of our cultural struggles while in the village.

We do have another trip down to the hospital in May, please keep her in your prayers that all would be healing well and no surgery be required. Lori sewed a sling for her cast that looks just a little more Akha than the white bandages (white anything in a village does not stay white long) she had before.

Thanks again for all the prayers, we'll keep you updated!