Dear Friends,

Hello. I hope all is well with you and that you had a festive Thanksgiving holiday. I enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes and all the "fixins" with Karen Smith. It was a fun evening.

On November 20, I went to a very special event here in Chiang Mai. It all started over a year and a half ago when the New Life Center decided to partner with Radio Thailand and UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on a new project. The task was for our Lahu tribal staff and residents to write a series of radio soap opera episodes in the Lahu language. They wrote about issues such as the prevention of HIV/AIDS, human trafficking and drug abuse. Our staff and residents also got to participate in the production of the episodes with other Lahu friends. During the production of the soap opera, the group decided that they should have a few contemporary songs to accompany the soap opera episodes and appeal to the youth. So they contacted some famous Burmese Christian musicians and invited them to write a theme song and a few other accompanying scores. The musicians responded so positively that the idea grew. Before we knew it, the group had produced 14 songs, and wanted to do an album! So a grant was secured from UNESCO and UNDP (the United Nations Development Program). Our Lahu New Life Center staff and some of their friends traveled to Burma to work with the Lahu musicians there on the production of the album. The album is entitled "Remembering Yesterday". All of the songs on the album were incorporated into the Lahu radio soap opera episodes, which are now being aired three times a week by Radio Thailand. The broadcast extends as far as Burma, Laos and Southern China. The music has received such a great response from listeners that the radio station now regularly airs songs from the album.

But wait! It gets better. Next, UNESCO and Radio Thailand decided to put on a Hill Tribe Pop Concert. They would promote the new album, bring people from different tribes together, and further highlight the issues of HIV/AIDS, trafficking and drug abuse. This would be the first ever concert of this kind. After much sweat, blood and tears, the event took place on November 20. Our New Life Center staff helped to plan the event and bring it to fruition. They even obtained special government permission to drive into Burma, pick up the Burmese musicians and drive them to Chiang Mai and back. The concert included famous musicians from the seven major hilltribe minorities - Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Mien, and Shan. They came from all over the Greater Mekong Sub Region. Our New Life Center girls did special dances to accompany the Lahu songs and put on a play about some girls from a small village who were recruited to work in a brothel. All of the performers did a fantastic job. And the whole crowd roared and cheered when the Lahu group got up to sing songs from the new CD, with our girls dancing behind them. The concert drew an estimated 4,000 people, and the entire 5-hour event was broadcast live on channel 11 TV and Radio Thailand. What an exciting evening. Our residents and staff were so proud to participate in this event, which recognized tribal peoples and the struggles they go through.

One of the songs from the CD is entitled "In the Hands of the Money Hungry Man". The lyrics say:

"Can't see humans as human, merely collecting money

Can't see value in people, only thinking to get rich

Tempting children and young girls to sell their bodies and lives

Take them to terrible places

Destroyed by the hand of the money hungry man

Like a hungry lion looking for a lamb

Ravenously tempting the young people

The innocent lambs have lost so much

Do you notice their crying voice?

Are you happy because of the poor people's tears

I never dreamt that these money hungry people existed

So surprised."

It's such a joy to see the good things God is doing here in Thailand.

In other news, all is well at the New Life Center. Please continue to pray for our residents, their education and vocational training. Please pray that other girls who are in exploitative labor situations would be found, and that God would lead them to us. Also, we are currently looking to hire a new tribal staff member, so we could use your prayers that God would bring us the right person for the job.

Also, next week, the entire New Life Center will take a special trip down to the ocean for a Bible camp. I will head down on Wednesday with Karen, to clean up the camp and prepare it for the girls. The staff and residents will take a LONG bus trip down on Thursday, Dec 9, staying until Monday, Dec 13. We will have fun games, activities, and Bible studies. Two girls have already stepped forward to say that they would like to be baptized at camp this year. Please pray for safe travels for everyone and that God will meet each girl in a special way during her time at camp.

I imagine that some of you are anxious to hear about the results of this year's World Mission Offering. Words of deep gratitude are in order for the generous giving of many churches, which met and exceeded the goal of a 36% increase in the WMO this year! Thank you so much to everyone who contributed sacrificially to continue spreading the Good News throughout the earth. So far, the offering exceeded last year's offering by $430,000. You sure have shown your dedication to missions, and we are grateful for that. The hard news is that this still will not cover the $1.5 million deficit, which we are facing. So please continue to pray for God's miraculous intervention so that our missionaries can continue doing the outstanding job they are doing.

And finally, -some technical issues. There seems to be some confusion about the best way to send in support for particular missionaries. So here's a quick overview for those who are interested. For those who aren't, you can skip this paragraph!

a) Specifics: If you would like your entire gift to go directly to a particular missionary or ministry in the field, and be deposited into their bank account for them to use as discretionary funds in their work, please label your gift: "Specifics for Kit Ripley", or "Specifics for the New Life Center" (...or wherever you want it to go).

b) World Mission Offering: Others may want their entire gift to towards the support of a missionary (This includes salary, work funds, retirement, travel, health insurance, etc). This is support, which goes to keep missionaries in the field. This kind of gift should be labeled: "World Mission Offering directed towards the support of Kit Ripley" (...or your other favorite missionary). And World Mission Offerings can be sent in at any time of the year. So there is no need to wait until the Aug/Sept/Oct window for WMO. You can send your WMO gifts through the church and regional offices, or directly to IM, and still get WMO credit for your church (if you are concerned about such things). Just write a note to include with your check, saying that you wish for XXX church to receive WMO credit for this gift.

c) United Mission Offering: If you send in your gift for an IM missionary through United Mission, that missionary will only receive about 6% of your gift! Technically, the full gift will go to that missionary, but that full amount will then be subtracted from International Ministries' 6% portion of the total offering. So in the end, it will work out that IM still receives that same 6%. Certainly, I do want to encourage you to give to the United Mission Offering in order to support your regional staff, and national mission work within the U.S. But if you really want your gift to get to an IM missionary, United Mission is not the most effective way to do that.

I know this is incredibly confusing. So if you do not understand what I have written, feel free to email me. Your hard- earned dollars are valuable, and I want to make sure that when you give a gift to IM, your intentions are always fully honored.

Many blessings to you as we move through this Advent season. And if you could lift up a Christmas prayer for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. It's so hard to be away from my family during the holidays. And special memories of my late mother still make the Christmas season bittersweet.

Your Sister in Christ,

-Kit