Peace, Comfort and Joy

By early October, unrelenting torrential rain and continued rising water levels in rivers, caused the East and Southeast areas of Chiang Mai to have a second round of flooding!

The second flood was the worst the city has experienced in 50 years. It reached unprecedented levels, affecting many locations in Chiang Mai that had never experienced flooding before; causing destruction to family homes and businesses. This included the Thailand Karen Baptist Convention (TKBC), the Thailand Baptist Missionary Fellowship (TBMF) offices and three TBMF missionary families. Although the flooding has ceased, it will take time for properties to be fully restored.

In the West and Southwest of Chiang Mai, the Siloam Bible Institute (SBI) and our home were unaffected by the flooding. Teaching the students was made difficult by these external factors, with classes temporarily halted as we and the students spent weeks participating in clean-up programs. Everyone who could assist in any way did so, including staff—whether by cleaning, offering food supplies, or providing temporary accommodation.

While still in the clean-up phase, we attended our first Karen wedding, TBMF's 50th Anniversary conference in October and the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT) conference in November. With students missing substantial study time, we had to balance conference commitments with teaching responsibilities.

In many of our prayer letters, we had been asking for prayers for Paul's father, who had been unwell for some time. Sadly, on the 21 November, we received a phone call from Paul's brother, that Dad had passed away at home. While Dad's health had been deteriorating, his death came as a shock to the family.

He will be deeply missed, but we take comfort in knowing he loved God, loved people, and was a faithful servant. Like the Apostle Paul – Dad can say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” - 2 Timothy 4:6-8 NIV.

We will be coming to the UK, to be with family and for Dad's Home Going/Celebration of Life service.

We are going through a season of loss, as we mourn the passing of dear friends — two women we worked with at NightLight (one of whom was a foreign volunteer, the other a Thai woman NightLight was helping) and a TBMF missionary who just retired in October.

We welcomed several visitors to Chiang Mai over the last 2 months. Our BMS line manager and his wife visited BMS missionaries around Thailand and attended the TBMF 50th Anniversary conference. They also stayed with us for a few days after the conference. Additionally, two members from East Mains Baptist Church, Scotland visited us, they spent time at Siloam. We had wonderful quality time together, it was great getting to know each other personally.

In November, we had the joy of hosting some of our SBI students in our home for a mini-baking session. It was wonderful to see them learning this new skill; they thoroughly enjoyed it. We hope to host more baking sessions in the new year.

Our precious friend Yim, formerly from NightLight, Bangkok, also visited us in November. It was encouraging to hear about her ongoing work, helping exploited women and receiving further training to better support them. Her faith continues to grow, and she is passionate about sharing it with the women and other Buddhists she encounters. God is using and providing for her in amazing ways. Please keep her and this ministry in your prayers.

Thank God for:

- The visitors we've been able to spend time with and were encouraged by.

- The comfort of knowing we have a heavenly Father who cares for us.

- The TBMF's conference 50th Anniversary celebration - for fellowship time with past present and future missionaries.

Please pray for:

- The SBI students participating in Christmas outreach within various Karen communities.

- Families and businesses across Thailand affected by the floods as they rebuild and restore.

- Safe travels for us to the UK and for our family as we grieve the loss of Paul's father.

- The families grieving the loss of their loved ones.

Throughout this year, you may have experienced many emotions and events—flooding, grief, joy, regret, good and bad memories. May we encourage you with this; the birth of Christ brought great hope to the world.

In this Advent and Christmas Season, away from the busyness, may you find rest in Christ's peace that surpasses all understanding, His wonderous comfort, and joy that only He can give.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Peace be with you all.

Paul & Sarah