A Jumble of Thoughts

Wait... I feel like much of life is spent waiting. I must say it is not one of my favorite things. Waiting for answers never is pleasant. I am reminded of the lyrics to a song by Sara Evans. She sings, "But how do you wait for heaven? And who has that much time?" We (some of the English teachers) sat in our "cave" (the really cold room we sit in all day and create curriculum) and were discussing how we feel like we are getting older but not really doing much with our lives. Recently I've been reading about a girl a couple years younger than me who is "Mom" to twelve girls in Africa. When faced with stories like that I just feel so inadequate. On Sunday, one of the best days since moving to Thailand, I was talking with a new missionary friend. She recently arrived and we were sharing struggles and encouraging one another. One thing she said really stuck with me. We were talking about what is "effective" and what is "success." If the school does not work out, did we fail? Was our time here a waste? Who wants to think that they travelled across the world in obedience to God's call and then...failed. She shared about Martin Luther, everyone remembers him and what he did. But, what about the martyrs who no one remembers but who went before Luther and helped pave the way. Did they fail? Did they die in vain? I'm realizing now that no man's success is created in isolation, but is codependent on other workers in God's kingdom. So, we joked that we might need to be "burned at the stake" for the sake of those who will come after us. Is success always tangible? In America we grow up thinking we are valuable because of what we do, what we produce. When you come to a place and work so hard and have nothing to show for it, it is like a slap in the face to American ideals. Maybe, just maybe, God counts success as being faithful. As in obeying His voice, going where He calls, diligently doing what He puts before us, enduring heartache, and praising His name in the face of "failure". Maybe that is really the success we should strive to achieve.

So then, as we wait to discover the future of this project, I put my trust in the Lord. Because, "The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8

• He is with me (even in Hang Dong, Thailand)
• He will not fail (whether the school "fails" or not)
• He will not forsake me (even if I feel others do not understand, He always will)
• I do not have to fear (He will accomplish His plan, even if to me it seems like failure)
• I do not have to be dismayed (If I remain faithful, I will count that as success even if the world says I failed)

Urgent Prayer Request

We are facing another huge obstacle in our ministry. Not impossible, but huge in our human eyes. The obstacle is finances and it’s threatening the immediate future of the school project.

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’" Mark 10:27

We’re in a tricky situation. We have to have a building rented, a full staff and money on reserve to even apply for a school license. However, without a license, we can’t have students and don’t receive the tuition fees. At the beginning of the school year (May-August), we were receiving some tuition reimbursement and weren’t renting a building at that time and the Thai staff was being paid by our partnering ministry. Now, the partnering ministry is no longer supporting the Thai staff, we are paying for the building rent and we aren’t receiving any tuition reimbursements. Our expenses have greatly increased at a very pivotal time in our ministry.

We have been unable to pay the bills that have come due this week. We are stuck. If we are unable to pay the bills and unable to continue toward obtaining our license, our project will have to shut down. This breaks my heart because there are so many children and their families in this community that the school could reach for the Lord’s purpose.

I come to you as a person not fond of asking for donations. However, I don’t want to sit back and know that I didn’t do everything in my power to get the word out about the reality of the situation. Please join us in praying for the future of Hope International Schools. Please pray for God’s guidance and clear direction. If you are interested in giving the ministry of H.I.S. please visit http://www.hopeinternationalschools.org/.

Thank you for partnering with us!

Trusting Him,
The School of Promise Team on behalf of the nation of Thailand