Prelude to a Miracle: Three Weeks in Thailand and Christmas in Kathmandu

After many village challenges, Bill decided we would take a vacation with our SIL friends, Gary and Barb Shepherd and Klaus-Peter and Doris Kugler and all the kids. We found a place in Huahin, Thailand, that was specially created to help missionaries get away and rest. We spent the first night at the CMA headquarters in Bangkok. Everything was flooded. People were using boats to navigate the city. The next day we took a bus four hours south to our destination. We spent a lovely time, a "little bit of Heaven and a gift from the Lord. It was good to meet and talk with other missionaries too.

"The beach was lovely--so perfect for the kids. we had lovely meals and ice cream every day. I gained seven pounds! One day Bill and Jonathan went on a fishing expedition. Jonathan enjoyed this a lot. "

He looks a LOT like Joshua in this picture. Or maybe it's the other way around.

During the last week there a hurricane hit that changed the whole beach. Afterwards there were dead octopi all over it. It was cold ... and sad. And, we had gotten enough rest because we got bored and left three days early. Nepal was more home than ever and we could hardly wait to return.

We saved shopping til the end. What an experience. You can see the monkey and elephant. Bill was pretty brave to let him do that. Our experience in Nepal led us to be very wary of monkeys. But, of course, we were very familiar with elephants. Jon and Jenny both now collect elephant figures and house decorations.

We returned to Kathmandu for Christmas, 1975. Our 55 gallon drum from the US, long overdue, had finally arrived. It turned out to be, as my journal says:

It was a learning Christmas and too materialistic. The kids got so many toys, Jon a train set and Jenny a doll house, plus many, many little things. We thanked the Lord for our friends and the gifts before opening but we hope in the future to have the emphasis more on Him and giving gifts to others as joy.

Before we left for the village. I thought I was pregnant and saw my GYN who tested me and found I was carrying our third child! We were very excited as we had wanted a large family. Little did we know we were very soon heading into the most difficult experience of our years in Nepal and one that almost took my life. This part of God's good plan left us full of tears and full of gratefulness at the same time, as you will read in the next blog!


Some verses express our hearts. A high-school friend of Bill's who is following these blogs (thank you, Wes Goble!) recently shared, "What a life of adventure (suffering) you two led.... Some verses come to mind: 2 Timothy 2:3 'You therefore must endure hardships as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.' 2 Timothy 2:11,12 'Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.'"