Dear Friends,

Hello. I hope all is well with you. As Thanksgiving approaches, I think often of my family, and the good holiday memories of years past. It's hard to be so far away at times like this. And yet I also know in my heart that I wouldn't trade this ministry for the world. I have so much to be thankful for. And being here provides a special perspective on God's rich blessings to His people.

A few months ago, I was invited to join a Lahu evangelism team, which goes up into the mountains to encourage rural churches. Little did I know what adventures God had in store there! We have gone on two trips so far. This is how it works. We pile between 8 and 15 people into a pickup truck, and drive up into the mountains on a Friday or Saturday. Then we go to visit villages, talk to folks there, and pack as many worship services as we can into just a few short days, returning on Sunday night. Last weekend, being the end of October, I believed that rainy season was over, and I was confident that our village visits would go smoothly. So I happily jumped in the truck on Saturday with my overnight bag, sleeping bag and pillow in hand. And off we went. But as soon as we arrived at the head of the dirt road we were to climb, the heavens opened up. And it rained. And it rained. In fact, it rained for 2 straight days. But the villages we were to visit were only about 10 kilometers from the main road, so we figured we could get there. About halfway up the dirt road, the driver decided it was time to put the chains on the truck. So we all got out and started to put the chains on, only to discover that chains were about 1 inch too small for the new tires on the truck. So we rigged a connection with some rope and continued on our journey as the sun was beginning to set over the mountains. Having lived in Maine for a time, I felt that I was quite experienced at handling slippery roads. HA! We slid all over the road for the next 3 kilometers, frequently ending up perpendicular to the way we wanted to go. Finally, the driver confessed that we would not be able to go any further and parked the truck. As we got out of the truck, I shined my flashlight to help the people in the bed of the truck climb down. They were covered in clumps of mud which the tires had spit up at them! Next, we all picked up our belongings and tromped through the mud for 2 kilometers to the village where we were to stay. My shoes were like bowling balls with all the mud stuck to them!

We finally arrived at the cement block home of a local family, and found that they had a fire going, and were boiling us some nice soup, with wax gourd, ground pork, morning glory vines and tofu. They shook our hands in friendship, smiled from ear to ear, and piled steaming rice into our bowls. What a welcome sight! That night, our sleeping bags were packed in like sardines. And I was ready for some deep sleep. But the fleas in the grass mats were not as tired as I was, and decided that I would make a lovely evening meal for them. Next, I discovered that there was a hole in the roof, and I was in for some Chinese water torture as the droplets periodically splashed on my forehead. With nowhere else to go, I flipped around so that the rain was splashing on my feet instead of my head, and tried to catch a few winks. How could I be ungrateful when this family had welcomed us into their home, and sacrificially given the 10 of us the best they had?!

The following morning, we plodded up the hill to the church to do 6:30 am worship. I preached in Thai, but only about 50% of the people there understand Thai. So it was also translated into the Lahu language. Others from the team shared prayers, and led us in some hymn singing. After worship, we had breakfast, and packed up our stuff. We slid down the hill to find that a sweet old Lahu man had brought his truck around to take us to the next village. Woo Hoo! But... the 4-wheel drive only made it about half a kilometer before sinking in mud up to the chassis. So we all piled out and sludged on the next village with our stuff. We were quite a sight when we arrived for worship. My whole body was caked with mud where I had slipped and fallen. But we got to the church to find about 40 smiling faces waiting patiently for us, all hungry for a word from the Lord. How could we turn them down? So we rinsed off at the spigot outside as best we could, and sloshed up to the front. This time, after the sermon, I served communion as this village was without a pastor, and had not taken communion together in years. On to the next village, where others on the team gave the message, so I had a chance to sit back and observe. I noticed that in this church, the women who came cradled a small bag of rice in their hands, tiptoed in and carefully placed it in the center of the room. I asked my neighbor, "So what's with the rice" She explained that this was their tithe. They had no money to offer. So when families made their meals each day, they would set aside a handful of rice. At the end of the week, they would bring that as their offering. Six little bags of rice from the hearts of these believers. How beautiful are the hands of those who bring little bags of rice.

After the fourth worship service, we trekked back to the truck. Miraculously, we made it down the mountain with all the occupants still inside, albeit clinging on for dear life with each fishtail swerve! Another two and half hours back to Chiang Mai, and I was ready for a hot shower. The trip made me think of missionaries who came before me: Paul and Winnie Dodge; Dick and Marlene Mann; Bob and Pat Coats; Paul and Elaine Lewis; Ann and Adoniram Judson (in neighboring Burma) and others. They had no hot shower to come home to. In fact, even now, perhaps just 10% of the world has hot water in their homes. Yes, I have plenty to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. And the honor of serving Jesus in Thailand is at the top of my list.

In other news, since my last email, there have been 2 more major floods in Chiang Mai, each as high as the last. The cement floor in our New Life Center Emergency Home has buckled up in chunks. Again, huge losses for many. Also, I had a car accident two weeks ago, when a motorcycle ignored a stop sign and came barreling into my car on the passenger's side. No major injuries, but the motorcycle passengers took one look at what they had done to my car, and fled the scene. Fortunately, Thailand Baptist Missionary Fellowship has a good insurance policy on the car. So it's in the shop for two weeks getting fixed.

Also, IM missionary, Dan Buttry and his wife, Sharon, were here doing 4 Conflict Transformation Trainings. I helped to organize the trainings, and was glad to be able to attend them. Sharon did a fantastic job, ministering to hundreds of women while she was here. And I continued to learn from Dan who is a brilliant trainer. He is mentoring me so that I can learn how to do similar trainings in Thailand. In fact, this time, Dan and I co-facilitated one of the trainings for Akha tribal leaders in Chiang Rai. We got lots of positive feedback, and participants from all four trainings said that what they learned will be invaluable to their ministry. It's so exciting to be able to develop and empower Christian leaders to be more effective in their service.

In the next month, I will be doing a 2 hour workshop at the 2005 Lahu Baptist Women's Leadership Conference. Also, the New Life Center residents have returned from their school break, ready for a new term. So I will continue teaching art therapy, personal financial planning, and Bible. The handicraft program continues to need plenty of attention. And we will have a special seminar to teach NLC residents about Human Rights and Thai Laws which are pertinent to them.

Thank you again for your financial support, friendship, and spiritual care. I could never do what I do each day without you standing with me. As we come towards the end of the World Mission Offering window, I encourage you to give generously to support the ministry of IM missionaries around the world. It was miraculous the way you came through last year to sacrificially give way over and above the offering of the previous year. And in order to financially sustain the work we do, we need you to do that miracle again. In fact, I want to invite you to show your support by increasing last year's offering by at least 10%. Won't you stand with me in this ministry so that the hands and feet of the Lord can be made real to those around the world who are so precious to Him?!

Blessings to you.

With Love,

-Kit