July Update

Dear Friends,

I can't believe it is already August.  Time goes so fast.  Things have been going really well here and so many good things have been happening with the children.  Last night we had our usual Friday night youth night where we have 5 or so children's homes all come together for worship and teaching.  I looked around during the worship and it was so incredible to see the kids - not just my kids but other kids too - worshipping God with all their hearts and passion. I wonder sometimes how all this happened and I am amazed at how God's word can change a life and how if Jesus in all His love and beauty can just be seen, people will be capitvated. I have been recruiting some of my kids to teach the little ones at church and I told them, it is the most awesome thing in the world to teach someone to love Jesus.  If you do that you have given them all they will ever need.  I truly believe that.

We have been seeing real breakthrough also with our kids in their English.  We have been teaching them for years but finally it was like it all clicked and now some of them speak fairly well.  We changed to teaching them two times a week instead of just one and they seem to really get it and they love it.  Which is more than I can say for myself with the Thai language.  I have started studying Thai again and it is excruciating.  I have very broken Thai and trying to fix it now is no joke.  But I am doing better and improving my vocabulary so I understand a lot more now even if I don't speak it perfectly.

It has been exciting for the kids because we are getting the beds we ordered.  I had no idea they would be so thrilled.  They never had beds before and it is a big deal for them.  I am attaching pictures of them on their new beds.  We also started our new Video Bible school.  It is a wonderful video program translated into Thai with teachers like Joyce Meyers, TL Osbourne, Marilyn Hickey and John Bevere teaching various subjects.  We just finished our mid terms.  The teaching has been excellent an I have been learning a lot myself.  We have 5 students plus me.  Some other people are interested in starting when we start the next term in September.  

A new children's home opened next door to us and through some bad circumstances lost their sponsor so we have been trying to help them as much as we can.  They have been believing God just for food .  They are committed to doing a good job with these kids and always come when we have a worship service or teaching at our children's home.  I am always so glad to have new kids to teach and am happy to be able to help them financially until they can find a new sponsor.  They have one little girl who touches my heart so much.  In the mountains it gets cold in the winter so people boil hot water for baths.  The problem is that it is very common to have accidents with the water.  I remember myself when I lived in the village  - I boiled hot water for a bath and then forgot to mix it with cold water and dumped scalding hot water on myself - anyway this is what happened to this little girl when she was a baby.  She is horribly horribly burned and scarred.  So much that her little ear did not form right.  Her face is perfect but the rest of her is a big scar and she just had another surgery.  I was sitting with her and they were telling me about her most recent surgery and as those of you who know me can attest, my face gives away almost every emotion I feel.  But I felt the Holy Spirit check me and tell me Do not look horrified.  So I just smiled at the little girl and took her little face in my hands and told her "You are beautiful'.  She was just sitting there in an old, ragged, inexpertly mended jacket but when she smiled, it was one of the most heartstoppi ng, breathtaking smiles I have ever seen.  We are getting her a new jacket on Monday.  The world is such a miserable horrible place without God.  It really is and sometimes the devil's work is more than I can stand.  But then in all the suffering and loss God's love shines through - in that little girls smile, in a thousand ways everyday showing me that God is still God,  His love is still way more than enough and it will be okay, better than okay in fact.

Please keep praying for us here.  I had the awesome opportunity a few weeks ago to speak to more than 400 people and we are believing God for more and more opportunities to minister Jesus' powerful love to people and give them hope.  God is doing great things and I see my kids really growing and reaching out to others.  Thank you to all those who give so faithfully.  We are so glad we have enough and some left over to be a blessing to those around us who are in need.  You are our blessing. I am attaching pictures of our new beds and new kids. I hope you enjoy them!  God Bless you!

Candace


PS: You can send a tax deductible donation to Rhema Missions PO Box 50126 Tulsa, OK  74150  Memo Rev Candace Smith  100% goes to the work in Thailand