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Wednesday, June 21, 2017

When The Counseling Comes Home....



Greetings once again from Thailand where life for our family has been busy and blessed. Over the past few months and especially these past three weeks we have been experiencing the frustrations and hurt caused by the sinful deeds of others and the selfish desires of our own hearts. We have also found encouragement during these difficult times through the hope found in the gospel and the faithfulness of God as He is using even these uncertain times for His glory and for the growth of His children. I am not able to share with you all the details of what has been taking place during this trying time, but please be assured that our family is all well and we are continuing on in our service here in Chiang Rai through the ministries of biblical counseling and discipleship training in partnership with the local church and Hearts Redeemed Ministries.
      My aim is not to cause you worry by what you read in this blog post but to rather help encourage you with the hope which is found in the sufficiency of Scripture and the security of the gospel. As a biblical counselor, these are two areas where I often focus when I am counseling someone during their trials or temptations. There is true hope found in passages like 2 Timothy 3:16-17 which assures us that, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." and Philippians 2:13 where we are encouraged in our walk in the gospel because as it says, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." All of Scripture is inspired by God and is 100% sufficient in leading believers as they walk in righteousness through the saving and sanctifying power of the grace of God.
      In this post, I am going to share with you how over the past few weeks, we have seen counseling come home and as a family we have been facing our current hardships and heartaches through the power of God's Spirit working in us and the wisdom of His Word educating and encouraging our family as we seek to glorify God's name and grow in Christ-likeness. Here are four biblical truths which our family has found hope in and we trust that they will also aide you as you pray for and partner with us in our continued service here in Thailand.
   
Hurts: I am beginning with "Hurts" because this is what we are experiencing. We can call it pain, pressure, frustration, uncertainty, or even burdens. What matters is the reality that our family is "hurting". I do not know if it is something that is overlooked or misunderstood, but the reality that missionaries, pastors, and all faithful followers of Christ do experience "hurts". It could be the pain of witnessing someone they have spent years teaching and training in the truths of the Bible walk away from the church or make life choices which are contrary to Christ. Maybe the hurt comes from the verbal or even physical attacks focused on you as you try to preach and practice the ways of God. The hurt could also be the pain experienced as you are able to help others in their trials and temptations, yet are not able to help your own children as they choose not to listen to God or to their parents who are trying to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4) Hurts do happen in the life of a follower of Christ and over the past month our family has been experiencing some hurts.
       Praise be to God, none of the "hurts" we have been experiencing are life threatening, yet they still are painful and have again reminded us that it is through God's grace and His strength alone we are able to serve Him. I cannot go into detail on the "hurts" we have been experiencing but I will share with you that there are consequences to the sinful choices of others both in their life and in the lives of those around them. Sometimes those consequences can involve the loss of health, money, freedom, and even friendship and fellowship. In our situation, the sinful action of someone else has caused our family to experience the loss of some funds we had saved up to help build a house for Mam's parents in the village. We have also seen the "hurt" of watching people make harmful choices despite of the wisdom and warnings from God's Word which we have been patiently sharing with them. It is during these hard times and the hurtful actions of others that we can turn to passages like Romans 12:12 for hope. There we read, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." We must continue to pray and trust in God during these difficult times, because He alone is faithful and able to work ALL THINGS for His glory and the good of those who love Him. So please join with us as we pray for God's wisdom and patience in handling these "hurts" in a gracious way.

Hope: The second biblical truth our family is growing in during the past month is hope. It is hard to admit that in yourself you have no power to change the attitude or actions of others, or even that you cannot change your own sinful heart. That is where the "hope" of the gospel assures us that through God's grace alone we are saved from our sins and also sanctified for His righteousness. We also have hope that though others may fail or abandon us, God will never leave nor forsake us. Even during the frustration of losing finances which you have been diligent in saving, there is still hope that God will still provide for all your needs and He will protect and provide for those who are His. It is often during times of "hurt" that "hope" seems so distant, but for those who place their trust in God and not in others, they will find true "hope" which is not only lasting but also is life changing.

Help: Part of the "hope" found in God, is that there is also "help" which He will offer to those who call out to Him. Sometimes that "help" will come in the form of peace or wisdom gained through the truths of the Bible and the comforts of prayer. Other ways God "helps" is through the counsel and care of the body of Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14 we see an example of ways, God's church can "help" other believers. There we read, "And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." Our family is grateful that during the hard times we just went through, there were fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who offered counsel and encouragement for us. It is nice to know that God designed the church to be a body which He will use to help minister to His children. Thank you for those who have been praying for us and encouraging our family over the past few weeks. We are also grateful for the "help" God provides through His body to care for the physical needs of His body as well. Mam has been saving money for the past 4 years so that she could help build a small house in the village for her parents. Her parents have never had their own house and as they are getting older, Mam is desiring to build them their own house with an extra room for our family so that we can spend more time in the village to help provide care for them as they are becoming more and more dependent upon outside help for their day to day needs. We thought we had saved enough to complete the building, but due to the actions of someone we hired to help with the house, almost a quarter of the funds Mam saved were lost to corruption. This was hard for Mam, but by God's grace we have been able to almost complete the whole house. We are at the finale stages but are lacking the necessary funds to complete it. So we are praying and looking for ways to raise the remaining $2000 needed to complete the house so that her parents can move in before the rainy season, which starts later this month. God has been gracious and all the money we have already used to build the house has been through the faithful giving of others and the faithful saving of Mam. So we ask you to please prayerfully consider giving a special financial gift which we can use to help Mam complete the house for her parents. If you are interested in contributing to help with the remaining expenses to complete the house for Mam's parents, please email me at dan.rutledge@gmail.com or heartsredeemed@gmail.com. Any gift would be greatly appreciated and faithfully used to complete the house which Mam's parents can live in during these latter years of their life. Both of them are at the age where they are not able to work in the fields any longer and are needing more constant care both medically and financially. Providing them a home will help bless them with a place to live securely and will provide an extra room available for our family so that we can come and visit with them more frequently as we seek to help care for them by doing  work around their property to help insure they have enough food to eat everyday. Also it will be nice for Mam to be able to rest there during the times she takes her parents to the hospital or is caring for them when they are sick.


Honor: The fourth truth our family has been learning is that despite of the hurts we may suffer, there is hope for believers through the help of God and His body. This hope and help lead us to honestly and humbly turn our focus to God and in doing so we will honor His name and His works. May we always remember that our goal for all that we think, say, or do is to glorify God and in doing this it will lead to our good and the growth of God's church. May we continue to seek to praise God even during our problems, because in all things God's name will be honored and His people will find hope and help for their hurts. "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."  Ephesians 3:20-21

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I trust that it was encouraging for you and also helped to inform you on what has been happening in our family over the past few weeks and also helped you see ways for which you can offer help for our family through your prayers and support.
May God continue to work in and through all of us for His glory and the growth of His church here in Thailand and throughout the world.
Your fellow servants of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:11-15

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

A Picture is worth a 1000 words.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Greetings once again from Thailand where life for the Rutledge family has been busy, burdensome, but also blessed. I would like to share with you some updates from our family and ministry here, but I will do that in our Newsletter which I will be sending out next week. If you do not or have not received our newsletter recently, but would like to, then please email me at heartsredeemed@gmail.com with your email address and I will be sure to add you to our ministry contact list.
For this blog post though I wanted to take some time to say "Thank you" to everyone who helped make our recent trip to the States possible. Your prayers and provisions were such a blessing to our family and we are grateful for all of you who took the time to meet with us and to also welcome us into your homes and churches. Our kids as well as Mam and I enjoyed those 2 months in the States and even though it was hard to leave all our family and friends, we still are grateful that we are able to live and minister full time here in Chiang Rai, Thailand. We look forward to the time when we can return to visit with you all again (possibly in March 2017) and we also hope that you will one day be able to come visit us here in Thailand.
        Thank you again for all that you did to bless our family during the highs and lows of our time in the States, our family is truly humbled by all the love given to us from so many people. Thank you and now for the rest of this blog I am going to post some pictures from the places we visited and the people we met with during our short stay in the States. They say that a picture is worth a 1000 words, how many words are then covered by 57 pictures? There are a lot of pictures here but they do not outnumber the fond memories our family has of our trip and times spend with our family, friends and faithful supporters. Thank you for taking the time to minister to us and we hope to return the gift one day in the near future. We trust that you will enjoy these pictures  and that they will help you see how much our family not only enjoyed and was blessed by our time in the States but how we were also ministered to so faithfully by the love of the body of Christ.
Thank you and please enjoy.
Your fellow servants in Christ
Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, Hope and Kyle Rutledge
Titus 2:11-15
This is what happens the first day back in Thailand after 2 months of fun in America

Hope enjoying sledding in the snow. Snow was the #1 thing the kids wanted to see during their time in the States.

 
Kyle and Gracie playing in the snow and an original snow cone. I hope it wasn't lemon flavored.

Joy and her cousin Asher having fun in the sun and snow. Is there anything better than sledding in fresh snow with close cousins? 

The hardest part of our time in the States was the passing of my mom, Thankfully we were all there to help my dad during this difficult time and to also be able to spend some precious days with my mom during her last week here on the earth. 

Little Kyle with his Papa Kyle following my
 mom's funeral service.

The Holbrook and Rutledge Kids. We were so blessed to be able to stay with this
amazing family during the first 3 weeks we were in the States.
Our kids were extra blessed to be able to play with friends their same age. 

Kyle was super excited to have boys to play with. Guns, legos, and cars what more could a guy ask for.

Our girls enjoyed spending time with their friend Abi. and I am sure she enjoyed having other girls around too.

Mam was able to cook Thai food to share with lots of people. Here we are at Magic Valley Bible Church enjoying the fruits of her and those who helped her labors. 

Mam also enjoyed the snow, she likes the white but does not like the cold, maybe that is why we live in Thailand.

Here is the Van which the Canfield family so graciously allowed our family to use during our travels in the States. If it would have fit into our luggage, I am sure our kids would have loved to bring it back with us. 

The modern cowboy, Hat, scarf, six-shooters and his trusty scooter. 

While Kyle was busy playing cowboy, the girls decided to open a nail salon.
The Ballard and Rutledge kids together, that proves to be an entertaining Sunday afternoon. 

During our trip we were blessed to be able to visit and enjoy Awana clubs at 4 different churches in 4 different cities. What a blessing Awana is to the children in the church and our kids miss those fun times learning about God's Word and playing with other kids.  

The joy of tree climbing with friends.

The Canfield and Rutledge Kids, instant friends and buddies. 

Gracie was excited to hold Daniel and Karen's daughter. 

I was grateful to be able to share abut our work and plans for Hearts Redeemed Ministries with many small groups and church bodies. What a blessing to be able to share how God is working in the hearts and homes of Southeast Asia through the redeeming truths of the Bible. 

Traveling to visit with lots of new faces and place makes for ready to sleep anywhere travelers. 

Another Awana group our kids were able to visit with. This one was in Carey, Id.

One last hug with Papa before we leave for California. We miss you Papa and hope to have you come visit us soon.

Our children enjoyed visiting the Master's College and seeing where their dad spent the last three years studying.

Kyle is ready for class to start, he is already making plans for his application to attend the Master's College (University).

Mam enjoying the fellowship with the ladies from the Thai Bible Study Group at Grace Community Church. 

Here are some of the men from the Thai Bible Study group. What a blessing to have faithful men and women who love God's Word and His people,

Our first stop in America, a small cafe in the Seattle airport. We were also grateful to visit with my Uncle and Aunt Ward who took the time to come welcome our family to America.

Gracie and Joy enjoying some yummy Wendy's food with their Aunt Dawna.

Cousins enjoying a late movie night together. 

St. Patty's day at the Holbrook house. Green clothes and green food.

The kids spending some time helping their Grandma before she was admitted to the hospital. This was the last time they were able to touch my mom  without having to wear gloves. We miss my mom a lot but we are grateful we did get to spend time with her before her passing.

Friends from Thailand reunited in Idaho.

Sometimes you just need to rest and enjoy the softness of the grass and the sweetness of cousins. 

Connecting with 2 of the international students from Nepal who our family met during our time of living in the States 3 years ago. Now these two young men are graduated and working in Boise. What a blessing to visit with them again. 

TV time with more friends from UBC.

We are going to miss the Reinhold family this much.

What is better then rock climbing at Ross Park?

The Ketterling and the Rutledge kids lining up for the photo. What a sweet family and a sweet time of fellowship with them.

More friends from the Wood River Valley.

Joy with Jon and Kathryn Powell and their adorable daughter.

Last night with the cousins before our return to Thailand

Women of Word, what a blessing for Mam to connect with women of faith who are examples of women who love their husbands, love their children, and care for their home for God's glory and the good of their family. I am grateful for these women who have been such a blessing to my wife. 

The vote is in, the ride that was the favorite during our trip to Disneyland is Splash mountain. California Screamer and Buzz Lightyear came in a close second and third.  

We did not get to have turkey for Thanksgiving this year, so we decided to celebrate it while we were at Disneyland. 

1 Turkey drumstick will feed a family of 6
Joy enjoying the Turkey leg

Hope also enjoyed this years Thanksgiving.
Gracie could hardly wait until it was dinner time again
so that she could buy another Turkey leg. 
 
Mam was excited to meet with Mickey and Minnie. 
     
Look! Mickey and Minnie asked if they could take a picture with our whole family. 

Mam with her new friend Alice. What a blessing to stay with the sweet family during our time in California.

We arrived back home in Thailand on the 12th of May and the kids started school on the 16th. I cannot tell if they are truly happy about school or are they still thinking about all of their fun adventures from the States. 

Celebrating Gracie (11) and Hope's (8) birthdays in with ice cream after their first day at school.