The Immeasurable Love of God

The last week of February was the end of our first academic year of teaching Bible-based English at the Siloam Bible Institute (SBI). It was amazing to attend SBI's 55th Graduation Ceremony for the final year students; going to the student graduations are always one of the highlights of our year to celebrate the achievements of each student, they have all worked hard and overcome many obstacles. It was also great to see some of last year's graduates that Paul taught. A key moment was hearing one student share a mini-sermon in English without any notes, something we would struggle to do in our native tongue and Thai.

We have been reflecting on our teaching year. We have enjoyed teaching and getting to know the students more than we imagined, it has been a blessing. However, we cannot deny that it has been a challenging year for us. Particularly preparing the lessons to teach daily without a curriculum. Teaching at this level was new to us and initially, it was hard to find a rhythm, but God has been gracious and gave us the strength we needed. One week Paul lost his voice but still managed to teach. We know we made teaching mistakes along the way; but with God's help, we are learning from them and know it will be a continuous process.

At the end of the term, we had a review of our teaching role with the Thailand Karen Baptist Convention (TKBC) general secretary and head of SBI. It has been agreed that we will continue in this role in the next academic year, which we are thankful for. In May Sarah will be running a bakery workshop, training leaders from the women's ministry to gauge if there is an interest for a training programme in the future for women in remote locations.

In March Sarah participated in the Free Burma Rangers (FBR) 5K 'Run For Relief'. FBR are a Christian organisation serving in Burma to bring awareness, help, hope and love to people in the conflict zones of Burma. There is much help needed for displaced families in the refugee camps in Thailand, such as Mae La - one of the largest in Thailand. TKBC's foundation – the Karen Development Service Foundation (KDSF) assists with relief work, particularly within the Karen State. KDSF were one of the sponsors of this event. The church we attend also does a lot of aid outreach work in Burma. Sarah along with many others both Christian and non-Christian came together to bring awareness of the situation that affects not just the Karen but also other ethnic groups such as the Chin, Karenni and Shan.

TKBC will be holding their Annual Assembly at the beginning of April, which will see representatives and congregation members come together, from all TKBC churches across Thailand. It is expected that around 400 to 500 people will attend. We require prayers for the community that we will stay in. It will be a remote location called Omkoi and not everybody within the community will be Christians, we pray we will be a Godly influence while we are there. The SBI students travelled to the area shortly after the graduation ceremony. The students have been helping to set up the facilities and the requirements for the assembly, and some students have also done outreach within the area as well.

We will be on home assignment from the end of May to the middle of July. To fulfil our church visits, we require a car. In the past we have hired cars from Ichthus Motors, however, their hire costs have increased significantly. We have also looked at other hire companies, but costs are also much higher than expected. If anyone has a car and feels led to lend it to us during our home assignment period, please contact us, thank you in advance.

We have several things we hope will be completed before our return to the UK, such as our 1-year work permit and visa renewal – please pray these will go smoothly.

Thank God:

* For the SBI Graduates as they start the next part of their journey. Please pray - as some students will continue their studies; others will start ministry work.

Pray:

* For the upcoming TKBC Annual Assembly; that hearts will be receptive to the Gospel and what God has for them and the wider community in the Omkoi area.

*For our upcoming home assignment, that our time in the UK will be a blessing with our family and the Churches we will visit.

*For Paul's father whose health has been worsening and now requires home care.

May you be encouraged as you remember that the love of God is steadfast and immeasurable. His love has no boundaries, and His love has no faults. No words can truly express His love. No song can contain it, and no heart can comprehend it. All we can do is receive it, rejoice in it, and reach out to others with it.

…But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:6-8

God Bless

Love

Paul & Sarah