Pray for Thailand

FUMA Parent's Weekend

This past weekend was Parent's Weekend at Fork Union Military Academy. Pappa Joe and Grandmamma filled in for us and attended for Nathan. Times like these make it so hard being on the other side of the world, we so wanted to be there but are so thankful that my parent's could be there.

They were both so impressed with the parade and the cadets. They have all worked hard but Nathan has been working especially hard. He is the only cadet from his platoon to earn Zero Demerits and will gain an extra weekend leave as reward! We are so proud of him!

He has been so busy this first term. He was a sub and manager for the FUMA Rifle team, he wakes up for choir practice that begins at 0615. He is participating in several bands including the marching band that performed for the parents. The choir sang for the Parents Dinner and are available to perform in churches within a 3 hour driving distance. He completed his Rescue Diving course and is now trained as a First Responder in First Aid. He is doing this while maintaining his B+ grade point average.

Mom and Dad met with all his instructors and they were all very kind and encouraging with their remarks regarding our Pvt. Northcutt. Mom was crying when she was telling me about seeing Nathan and how proud and impressed she was with the school and with Nathan. We are so proud of him too, he has worked hard. He told me he has a love/hate relationship with FUMA, he hates all the restrictions at times, no privacy, the never-ending marching....but loves knowing how this will benefit his future. We miss him but continue to trust the Lord is doing great and mighty things there in Nathan. Way to go Nathan!

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Thailand's Flooding Crisis

Panic has begun to set in for lots of Thailand folks. As Bangkok continues to become more and more underwater, Pattaya is becoming more and more crowded as refugees are seeking dry ground. Our friends the Clarkson's have been evacuated to the Sheraton here and we are keeping their two, dog, evacuees! We continue to have rain but have remained dry in our home and we are thankful for that. Yesterday one of Dustin's classmates was telling of their house flooding, he said roaches were covering the walls and many mice were swimming in the water flooding their house.

Things are expected to get worse as more of the Northern floodwaters converge on Bangkok this weekend. Our community is busting with people and now most store shelves are bare of bottled water, bread, eggs, sugar, and especially rice. Yesterday I stopped to get gas in the car and ran in to get a bottle of water, the shelves were empty! I told the boys if we just ate everything in our pantry we could last a few weeks, of course they would have to learn to like cranberry sauce and other interesting canned goods that have been hiding in the back of the pantry since we moved here!

Schools in Bangkok have been closed until November 7th and because of that 60 Bangkok Regent's boarding students have been transferred to our campus here and double bunking with our boarding students. I don't know how the kitchen staff will find enough food for that many additional mouths?

Yesterday our bakery was unable to deliver our normal vegetable quiches because leeks and spinach were impossible to find in this area as most of our fresh vegis are shipped from Northern Thailand and many of those roads are impassable because they are underwater. Hopefully our customers will be patient as I expect that more and more ingredients will be harder to find here.

I'm only concerned about clean water supplies and can disease be contained? Friends in Bangkok that haven't had their homes flood yet have had difficulty with sewage coming up their toilets and shower drains. Just pray for this flooding situation and that people would turn to Jesus during this time. I am again reminded how useless the Thai water goddess is.

On a happier note, I'm posting a short film a local bank put out about the spirit of the Thai people. I just love it! There are many floating villages in Southeastern Asia and I am always amazed at the ingenuity of the people that live there. We have seen floating basketball courts and soccer pitches. I've often wondered about the challenges of raising children in these small villages and the number of drownings experienced? Once I saw a small baby walker on a residents small porch overlooking the water!

The Floods in Thailand

Thanks to you that have checked on us here in Thailand. It has continued to rain and the flooding has been catastrophic to this country, the worst in 50 years! So far we have been spared the horrific flooding and Chonburi has now become a point of refuge for many who have been flooded out of their homes. Today our church tripled in size, we had over 50 guests who have temporarily moved into the Thailand Baptist Center in Pattaya, we have offered our home to our brothers and sisters in Christ, along with our church offering our building for flood victims. Our city if overflowing with people looking for dry ground, the store shelves are becoming depleted and a rice shortage is a scary thing for this nation that eats rice three times a day. Many, many rice farms have been destroyed. I'm downloading some pictures that I've seen friends post on Facebook. Please pray for this nation that in it's time of need they will turn to the One, True, Living, God! and that we can be used as His hands and feet here.

Flooding in Thailand

It just won't stop raining here and Thailand is suffering because of it! Please pray for the many that are without homes, especially in Northern Thailand. A local missionary posted this video. Friends are preparing in Bangkok for more flooding as rivers are expected to overflow their banks on the 16th or 17th. It pours every day. Our yard is swampland but we have not had the serious flooding that others have.

On a personal note this has been disastrous for Mark's project. The entire refinery has been shut-down for a couple of weeks now and they are so behind schedule with all the man hours lost because of the rain, who knows when they might be able to complete the work and get the refinery back up and running? Pray for that as well if you will and especially safety. One of the most dangerous times at a refinery is the start-up. Thank you to each of you that will pray with us about these two things!!!