“Dear Father, please send us the right people to join us in service for you here in Thailand. We really need a person skillful in taking care of the property here.” Little did we know that during this time, God was putting in the heart of a man in Germany to come serve in Avoda. Three weeks later we got a message. “I am not a preacher or teacher, but what I am happy doing is maintenance. My desire is to come here for a longer term with my family.”
“Dear God, You see our desire for Avoda to expand, and we know that this is Your will that many children receive hope and a future in You. We don’t have enough structures, but we trust that You will provide, even if we don’t know how and when…” A few weeks later, a team from America got a calling to come here and build a kitchen and dining room for the children here!
We are grateful for God’s care for us. We had a need here and God spoke to people half a world away, and brought them here. Thank you very much for your prayers and support, God is really doing his work here!
These past two weeks were very busy for us and our builders. When school started, we took our students to work alongside the workers. Together we were learning and practicing to build, serve, cook, do laundry, sort rice, and take care of the garden. “Who would like to help me?” This was a question to our girls. “Me!” said one of the girls. “If I am helping, when I come to Heaven God will give me a reward!” This girl ran to assist whenever she saw someone needed help.
Being in the center of Gods will is not always easy. There are times when there is no desire to keep on loving, giving and building up the children. The temptation comes to give up. Hagar the mother of Ishmael gave up and left her child behind to die, when she had no water of her own to give him. Such an action is bound to repeat, when one relies on self and does not cry out to God for the real water. But God is teaching to never give up. He says, “Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” And then He opens the eyes and shows the water, the spiritual food that He gives to give to the children. His will includes great plans for the children here. These are future teachers, preachers, missionaries, builders, etc. So we lift them by their hand and continue to draw living water from the giver of life, even when it’s hard.
If God’s will is so great, so extensive and exciting, where else would we want to be other than “stuck” right in the middle of it?
Anita and Kristina