October 2022

Hi everyone, hope you are doing well. This month was a catchup month for me, as I have several things ive got behind on and needed to wrap them up neatly.

Family

Our family is doing well. Calvin can say a few words now, tickle being one of them, and sing. But his newest skill that supprised us was actually sounding out his alphebet… not saying the letters, he doesnt do that, he actually just makes their phonetic sounds, he cant say his k or g yet but i bet when he gets one he'll get the other. He has been learning very fast this month and has been supprising us with various new skills. Im sure he will speak soon.

Business

Fangs bakery is doing ok, teachers coming back from break helps. Shes been making more special orders of sourdough and croissants, which is what she likes to make. She has started making peanutbutter cookies and chewy granola bars as well, which me and calvin like ;)

My class is going good, i have some new highschool students who are very shy but i think they have a bit of a foundation aleady, so it will be fun helping them get over their fear of speaking. I still remember that moment in the kitchen when i finally decided i was going to speak thai from here on out, i enjoy getting to see students break that barier. Really i comes down to accepting that you will be wrong most of the time, but that is a nessesary obsticle to growing. This is truely a great analogy of biblical humility, not a lack of confidence, but a healthy dose of reality, that we don't know as much as we think we do, and the only way to learn to ride is to start peddling and fall a few times.

Tracts

I finished the tract on business, for some reason i thought i already finished it, but there were some parts i had not translated yet, so i formated that, and translated and uploaded the last 6 tracts i have done, those are business, 40 parables, government, fighting, anger, and the great commission. Then I spent a few days printing and cutting over a hundred tracts to replace the tracts others have taken. It is great to see the tracts people have taken, it helps me know how i should place them on the shelves. Please pray that this ministry would be effective and bear fruit. I was going to make parable cards, but while i finished the pictures, i haven't got around to the text for the back.

Building

A friend donated his old climbing wall wood, and i finally got it finished and climbable, it is a good advanced bouldering wall, and he even gave me a mattress to put underneith. Im liking it, and i hope that our rock climbing outings and my climbing walls turn into a nice side ministry of their own. There is growing interest in climbing but its still a bit scary for the locals. I also finished one of 5 slab tables i am going to make, this one we will keep, it is a short coffee table sized table, it will be calvins table for the time being. I have the parts for the router sled now, and am ready to flatten the others, just have to put it together and do it. Then i can finish tables and sell them. I also made a shelf with a smaller slad like peice that was odd shaped but ended up being the perfect shape for a shelf. I took an hour yesterday to work on a wood carved bowl as well that will be for fang.

Conclution

My ministry is the several opportunities each day that i get to share the truth with others in various ways. Sometimes they grab a tract while drinking coffee and ask questions, other times a parent will ask how we will celebrate haloween, and other times students will come with a whole host of questions. We even get opportunities to talk to folks in the market when we are buying vegitables, or when we are handing out verse cards in the evening, or at the park when we go to run. If I ever end up back home i hope i can take what ive learned here and apply it there. Everyday life should be filled with worship. I hope my children understand this very well as they grow. Thankyou for praying for us and supporting us.