We shall be made whole

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

School break is upon us, all of the Bible students and most of the children have returned to their villages to spend some time with their relatives. The break is only about one month long, but it provides everyone a chance to get away and rest. Currently, Maam and I are holding down the fort with the help of another staff couple and my brother Joe. Five boys remain, and though they are very active, it is still very, very quiet here. We are enjoying the peace and quiet, and are looking forward to next week when we will get some time to get away and rest. This week we are trying to catch up on all the things that we have needed to do for a long time now. The past few months have proved to be some of the busiest of my time here at Akha Outreach Foundation.

Working here I am constantly assured of not becoming bored with the same old routine, for each day provides a new challenge. Facing these constant challenges can sometimes become discouraging, but I constantly focus on the promises found in Lamentations 3:21-24

“This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"

Since my last posting to this Blog, I have gone to this passage many times. I would find myself closing my eyes to sleep at night, with just the faintest bit of hope left, but waking to a new morning with a renewed hope and a desire to press on. I am eternally thankful for your prayers and letters of encouragement and I want you to know that God is using your lives as a blessing for so many others. Thank you for being a vessel, ready and willing to serve our King.

Why were the past few months so difficult? Because it seemed like daily I was forced to face the truth that our bodies are fading away, and we will experience suffering while in this world. It all started shortly after my last posting to the Blog, when I had to face every parents fear, trying to comport a hurt child. It was a Sunday afternoon, and everyone was spending the afternoon relaxing and enjoying a day of rest. I was just getting ready for a nap, when I realized that I hadn’t seen Garuna for a while. I asked Maam if she knew where Garuna was, Maam told me that she was playing with the children and so there no need to worry. I felt relieved and headed off for my rest. Before I reached the room, I heard Garuna’s scream of pain. I ran outside to see what was wrong, and one of the children was already bringing her back to the house. Garuna was screaming, and as I approached I saw the blood covering her eye. My first thought was a lost eye and blindness, but buy Gods grace it turned out to be just a scratch. Garuna was playing on the play toy, and fell off landing on her face. She got a small cut next to her right eye, and now has a small (very small) scar next to her eye. When I was about 8 years old, I too fell and cut the side of my right eye. I required stitches, and have a nice scar, but Garuna’s was so small that no stitches were needed. Still the sight of blood and the screams makes one expect the worst. Praise God for His protection. This encounter was only the beginning of what was going to become a long three months of medical emergencies and trips to the hospital.

Only two days after Garuna’s accident, Bratana woke up from her afternoon nap in great pain. We examined her and could find nothing wrong with her, we just assumed she was teething and that was why she was crying. But after awhile we realized something was wrong. We began by checking her from head to toe but found nothing wrong. Maam kept noticing that Bratana was favoring one of her arms. She wouldn’t lift it our move it, and that was not typical for her. Bratanas favorite thing to do is to bench press pillows. Yes, you read it correctly. She loves to lay on her back, and bench press pillows. But today she wasn’t doing it. We looked closely at her arm and hand, she would cry a little when we touched her elbow, but there was no swelling. So after a night of restless sleep, we decided to take her in to have a doctor look at it. After examining her, the doctor decided that she had a dislocated elbow. How it happened we aren’t sure, but after an x ray, it was confirmed that it was dislocated. The doctor again checked her out and slowly popped the elbow back in. What was amazing was that Bratana didn’t even whimper during this whole process. The doctor and all the nurses were amazed, and immediately after the elbow was in place, she reached for the nurses to hold her with a big toothless grin on her face. We were happy to see that the bill for the whole day amounted to $30 and were even happier to see Bratana bench pressing pillows again.

But our trips to the hospital didn’t stop there. Later the same week, Maam woke up and the right side of her face was a little numb. At first we thought that she might have just slept on it wrong, but the next day it was even worse. By the third day, you could clearly see that the whole right side of her face was drooping, and she was having a hard time hearing out of the right ear. We decided to go have it checked out when she yawned and her jaw locked and she couldn’t get it closed. After the doctor looked at her, he said she was suffering from Bell's Palsy, a disorder that usually goes away in time. In Maams case it was about one and half months before she was back to 100 percent. Even though it was funny watching her smile with a crooked face, I am glad her perfect smile is back.

While we were waiting for Maam to completely heal, our next medical emergency began. One of the hardest things about being sick or others around you being sick, is the helplessness you feel in trying to help them. You see their suffering and so desperately long to ease it, but many times aren’t able. I truly hate this feeling not being able to help and the month of August was filled with it. It all started on a typical Monday morning. All the children were busy getting ready for another week of school, and the staff was busy helping them get ready. Every school morning we have a mass exodus as the kids leave for school. Currently we had 82 children attending 8 different schools. So we have kids going in many different directions by many different means of transportation. There is one truck that takes a load of children into the schools in the city. There is another truck that takes a load to a nearby jr high/high school. There is about 12 that ride their bikes to a different jr high/high school. And then there is third truck that does two trips to a near by elementary school. We have been doing this for a while now, and it usually works like clock work. But something happened this Monday morning that changed all of our lives for ever. Manoon was a 13yrs studying at Don Chai secondary school which is about a nine minute bike ride from our place. For six years now we have had all the children from this school ride bikes, because it is close buy and the kids really enjoy it. We have never had any accidents or troubles before this particular Monday. Manoon and some of the others left on their bikes as usual, and just outside of our property Manoon was struck by a car. The mirror of the car caught Manoon and his bike. Manoon crashed onto the windshield of the car and tumbled of onto the road. No body from our home saw the accident, but the first truck load arrived at the scene right after it happened. As quick as we could the staff rushed out to the road to help. By the time I arrived two of our staff and the driver of the car were already in the ambulance with Manoon and on their way to the hospital. For the rest of the day we were in constant prayer and uncertainty of how serious this was going to be. And for the next two and half weeks, God used Manoon’s life and this accident to teach everyone more about our wonderful Heavenly Father. Manoon passed away at 11:05PM on Thursday the 23^rd of August after 18 long hard days of fighting, most of the nurses said that if he wasn’t such a fighter he would have died in the first 24hrs following the accident. Not Manoon, he fought and he fought, and his courage and desire encouraged us and gave us hope. We are thankful that Manoon was a son of God, he had received Christ and truly loved to worship. We rejoice that his life here was a blessing to all of us and even his death was used to bless others with the message of God’s Love. The driver of the car is a soldier and is a Buddhist. But many times during this ordeal we were able to share with him the love of Christ and build a relationship with him and his family. He lives in Chiang Mai, about three hours from here, but when he has to come to Chiang Rai, he stops buy to visit our home. The loss of Manoon was a terrible burden, and no parent wants to have to lay to rest one of their own children. The were many long and lonely nights of uncertainty leading up to his death, but strange as it seems, the one thing we feared most was what brought the most peace. There is an Akha proverb that says: “Not only yellow leaves fall to the ground, but sometimes green leaves as well.” And another proverb that states: “It is not the length of life that matters but the quality of life.” The sorrow of his death, brought about joy of a new life. The tears of his loss, brought about hope of seeing him again in heaven. We all miss Manoon, but are thankful that he is with Jesus right now, and one day we too will be with him again. Thank you for your prayers during this time of pain we passed through, and if you would like to know more about Manoon and his life or see a slide show one of our staff made for him, you could go to the following link.

www.imaracom.com/cyberworks/manoon.html

During the uncertainty of Manoons accident, we as a staff team took turns driving his mother to and from the hospital three times a day. We also took turns bedside with Manoon. I have been to the hospital here many times, but during the month of August the hospital felt like my home. Following Manoons death, I was saddened at his loss but glad not to have to go back to the hospital again. At least that is what I thought. For the next month and half I have been going to the hospital or visiting a doctor at least once a week. First Garuna got a really bad cold, followed by Bratana and Maam. Finally I got the same cold and after a week of feeling on the verge of death, I began to recover, only for Garuna to become sick again. Praise God the second time wasn’t as bad, and we are all health now.

My final trip to the doctor came this past week when I had to go to the dentist to get a small filling in one of my teeth. It turned out to be a hour long ordeal and costing a lot more then I expected. But praise God the tooth is better and I feel a lot better. When something major happens here, life doesn’t stop and you don’t get time off. You still have children that need to get to and from school, homework that needs to helped with, classes you need to teach, food that needs to be bought and cooked, and everything else that makes up a normal day here. The break has arrived though, and we are thankful for God seeing us through the past few months, and also trusting that the next two weeks will truly be a time of rest and relaxation for everyone here. I am looking forward to spending some time alone with my family. We are traveling to Bangkok and going to spend some quiet days resting in our air-conditioned rooms. We really wanted to travel to New Zealand to visit Maams sponsors, but lack of finances and time prevented that. We are praying for a chance to visit them soon. For now Bangkok will have to do.

Thanks again for your prayers and I ask that you will continue to lift up everyone here at the home and Manoons Mother and brothers. Also the soldier and his family, God is at work in their lives and we are eager to see what come about. Pray that Maam, Garuna, Bratana and I will have a nice week of rest in Bangkok, and will be refreshed for the start of the new term the last week in October.

On a final note I want to thank all of you who have sent goodies our way that we listed on our wish list. The weather has been hot and the lemon aide has tasted so good. The 100 grade bars are a true déclassé and I have to ration them so that they don’t get eaten to fast. Garuna loves Apple Jacks now, and now her and daddy share a box when one comes. Thank you so much for your care, it may seem small, but it is a huge blessing. Thank you.

Until next time, please know that we love you and are continually praying for you. May God continue to bless and protect you and your loved ones, and may your lives continually be a light to those in darkness.

Love in Him

Dan, Maam, Garuna, and Bratana Rutledge

Praise Report:

1. Praise God we have made it through another term. The children and Bible students are growing physically, mentally, and spiritually. For this we are so thankful.

2. Praise God I passed my Thai drivers test. I have had a Thai drivers license now for three years, but at Christmas we are going to begin using a big truck to take the kids to school. Here they call it a six wheeler, it is like a deuce and a half truck. So it is a big truck. In order to drive it you need a special license and I had to take both a written test and a driving test. The first time I failed both. The written test is in Thai and I still read like a first grader, so it was very hard. The second time they had someone read it for me and so I passed easily. Also the driving test was easy, I just messed up on one part and had to go back and do it again. Praise God it is finished and now I have another tool to help serve the ministry here.

3. Praise God our family is healthy right now and Garuna and Bratana are growing bigger and bigger each day. Garuna is right now singing a Christian song and reading a book on ABC’s. Bratana is nine months and is starting to stand on her own. She has two teeth now and loves to clap her hands. Maam is doing great, and everyone loves her cooking in the kitchen.

4. Praise God for the needed finances to pay for all of our expenses. There were some times, it looked like we might be short, but in the end there always was enough. Thank you for your gifts, we can’t do this with out you.

5. Praise God for Dr. Luce and his two dental assistants that spent a week here providing dental care and treatment for everyone here at Akha Outreach Foundation, and also many people in nearby villages. This is the fourth time Dr. Luce has come, and his heart to serve is truly inspirational. All the kids love him, and even though I have a fear of dentist, he is one man I love to spend time with and watch him work. Thank you, Dr. Luce and all those who have ever come with him to aide all of us here. There is a short interview with Dr. Luce at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1869843191842582785&hl=en feel free to check it out.

5. Praise God for the completion of the rice planting. Usually we plant our rice mid August, but this year the rains came late, and we weren’t able to plant our rice until mid September. It was hard work, but everyone pitched in and now we can look forward to the harvest in November.

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray that this time will be full of quality rest and time for our family. We are all tired and we are looking for some time to unwind.

2. Pray for Gods hand of protection over all the children, Bible students, and all the staff during this school break and the upcoming school term. Pray for physical health and also spiritual growth and maturity.

3. Pray for the Akha Christian Youth camp that is being held on the 10^th to the 13^th of October. Each year they hold this camp for the Akha teenagers and have been averaging close to 700 teens each year. Most of the teens are not Christians and come from non Christian villages, so it is a great time to share the message and love of Christ with them.

4. Pray for all the staff here at Akha Outreach Foundation. We are having a staff retreat/planning meeting from the 24^th to the 27^th of October. This will be a time to evaluate the past term, and make plans for the upcoming term. We have three teams of staff working together to help this ministry function smoothly. The Children’s Team which is in charge of the 81 orphans that are living here, the Bible School team, which manages the Bible students and Bible school, and the Church Plant team which aids the villages churches we have planted and provides materials and training for the pastors and church leaders. All three of these teams are full time job, but all of our staff help out in the other teams when needed. Please pray that this retreat be a time of unity building and encouragement as we look to the term to come.

5. Pray for the children team and all the orphans here. I have now been directing this team for a year, and it has proven to be a bigger task then I ever imagined. I feel like a full time father to 81 children, but also to Garuna and Bratana. It is tiring and I would not be able to do it without the aide of my other staff members. I still need your prayers for guidance and direction, as I seek to build a team of people who will be able to build into the lives of each child. In years past we have had child leave because of different reasons, and each time a child leaves it hurts. So our goal as a team this year is not to have one single child leave. We base this goal on Matthew 18:14 “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” We desire to press on towards this goal and trust that God will continue to use our lives to show His love to the lives of each of these children. Our desire is not only that no one will leave, but like it says in Matthew. Not one should perish. We desire that all of them are able to come to a saving knowledge of Christ and grow in their relationship with Him.

6. Finally please pray for our financial support as a family. The end of the year brings with it many expenses. At the end of November we have to renew our insurance for the year. This is around $2500 for the year. Also in April we as a family will be flying back to the US to visit with most of you Lord willing. So that is roughly $4000 for our plane tickets. You have been so faithful in your giving, and each month we have all we need. Thank you for your giving. But if you feel like you would like to give specially towards paying for our insurance or our plane tickets back to the States. Please email me and let me know. It would be a huge blessing to us.

Thank you again for your prayers and your support. We could not be here serving if you weren’t there serving first. Thank you.

Your fellow servants in Him

Dan, Maam, Garuna, and Bratana Rutledge

The Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For

To the faithful servants of God who are partnering with the Rutledge family as we serve here in Thailand at Akha Outreach Foundation; grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good and His mercies are new every morning. It is such a blessing to be known by Him and used by Him for His glory. I truly am blessed to be able to partner with you to serve the Akha through our work here at Akha Outreach Foundation. Thank you for your willingness to give, your willingness to pray, and above all your willingness to be used by God.

God is at work in so many ways, and His blessings are countless. I am not able to share with you all that God has been doing here, so I have decided create a top ten list. So please sit back and enjoy:

Garuna enjoying a northern Thai delicacy, deep fried termites. Yummy!!!!

Top Ten Things I am Thankful For:

10. This past December I celebrated my 34 birthday. Yes I know I am getting old, I am reminded of this everyday after playing Soccer with the children. I can’t run as fast as I used to, and I’m slower getting out of bed each morning. But we are not focusing on how old I am, after all this is a list of things I am thankful for. Shortly after the New Year it downed on me that I have been out of college now for just over ten years. I finished school in December 1996 and since that time I have been busy looking for a job. At least that is what I tell people. In reality I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a missionary for the Lord for the past ten years. I have been able to serve Him at Idaho State University with Campus Crusade for Christ. I have traveled to many places around the world with the JESUS Film, and for the past four years I have been blessed to serve Him with my work here at Akha Outreach Foundation. It is amazing that the number one thing I never wanted to do was become a missionary, and now that is all I’ve been doing for the past ten years, and it is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing; serving the Lord wherever He sends me. God has been so faithful over the past ten years, and I am so grateful for the chance to be used by Him.

9. This past Monday, our Bible school here at Akha Outreach Foundation started for its sixth year. Akha Bible Institute welcomed nine new Bible students this year. We are thankful for their willingness to come and study the Word of God and are eager to see how God in going to work in and through their lives while they are here. Please remember them in your prayers as they begin their pursuit of knowledge through the Word of God.

8. On May 16^th, we started our new school year for all of the orphans. I now know how hard it is to get everything ready for children as they begin the new school year. You have to buy uniforms, books, pay school fees, lunch fees, get hair cuts, and all needed school supplies passed out. For all you parents out there, I feel your pain. It is a lot of hard work and now I understand why parents love the first week after school starts, because it gives them time to rest and catch up on some much needed sleep. But if you think it is hard for 1 or 2 children, you should see the craziness of 82 children getting ready for school. It was a challenge, but through God’s grace we were able to get all the children registered and started for the new school year. We are thankful for the eight different schools and the opportunity they offer for our children to further their education. With our children divided up in eight different schools, it is a challenge getting them to and from the schools, but we are still thankful for the opportunity our orphans get to go to school.

7. Continuing on with the subject of the children at Akha Outreach Foundation. This past month we welcomed seven new orphans to House of Joy. We are thankful for these lives that God has brought to live here and has entrusted them to us, to raise for His glory. Of the seven, there were two girls and five boys. This brings the total of children now living here at House of Joy to 82. I can honestly say there is not a day that I am bored. There is always something that needs to be done. Also with the start of the new school year, I have been asked to take direction of the children’s ministry here at Akha Outreach Foundation. This means that I am responsible for providing direction and guidance for the 82 children of House of Joy and all the staff that work with them. This is an awesome responsibility, and the thought of leading and aiding close to 100 people scares me. But the directors have placed their faith in me, and with the help the wonderful staff team, my beautiful wife, and our wonderful Lord and Savior, I am certain that we will secede in shepherding the hearts of all the lives God has entrusted to us, for His glory.

6. Onto number six of our top ten list. Starting in June, Thailand begins the rainy season which last around six months. There are many reasons why we are thankful for the rain. The main is it provides relief from the heat that has been burning us up for the past few months. There is hot, and then there is Thailand hot. The rain helps cool the air and makes it livable again. The rains also bring water which is needed in the planting and growing of rice our main source of food. So we are thankful for the six months of rain that are coming.

5. Number five on the list is a new spot I’ve added to my Blog. If you look in the right column you will see a small list of items under the heading “Wish List”. This is a list of items that are not available here in Thailand and are things that we miss from time to time. We aren’t saying that you need to go out and buy everything on the list and send it to us. But our desire was to help answer the question we often get asked; “what are some things miss while you are away from the States.” I love living here and I love serving here, but I do miss some goodies from the States as well. These are little things, but when you haven’t had them for a long while, they are a real blessing. I just received a care package from parents. Actually it contained presents for Garuna and Bratana, but they didn’t forget me and included some of my Dad’s homemade raspberry jam. It makes the morning toast taste so much better, trust me. It is nice to get a little something from the home front from time to time to remind you that you aren’t forgotten. We added the five items on the wish list on the Blog to aide those who want to know what we would like from the States. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 117 Chiang Rai Thailand 57000. Just in case you needed it.

4. Fourth on our list is truly a gift from God and one that I am so grateful for. In April I started my fourth year working here at Akha Outreach Foundation. When I first came here in 2003, I wasn’t sure how I would be able to help, and for how long I would be here. But God has been so faithful and has blessed me with the chance to serve here in many ways over the past four years. I am also trusting Him to keep me here and use me for His glory as long as He sees fit. For now I am so grateful for God bringing me here and providing all I have needed to keep me and my family here for His service.

3. We have now reached our top three. Number three is the three beautiful women God has blessed me with.
Maam is a wonderful wife, an amazing Mom, and a first class cook, as all of us here at the foundation can verify. She rises at 5 AM each morning to go to the kitchen and prepare breakfast for everyone on the facility. After breakfast is prepared she returns home to get Garuna and Bratana up and feed. She is then busy cleaning the house and watching the girls until lunch time when she goes to the kitchen again. Her afternoon is always full and dinner prep comes around at 3:30 PM. After dinner is ready, she comes home and prepares dinner for our family. She is the first up each morning and the last to bed, but she always has a smile on her face and a spring in her step. I try to help her out the best I can, but she is an amazing woman and the three roles she assumes, she does extraordinary. The second wonderful woman in my life is my first born daughter Garuna. She is an amazing little girl and everyday I am amazed at her vocabulary. She is only two but she can converse freely in three languages. She is the inspiration for this top ten list; each night before bed we practice counting to ten in English, Thai, and Akha. This brings us to our third wonderful woman in my life, the youngest but for sure not the smallest. Bratana Joy is now 5 months old and is wearing the same size clothes as her older sister. When she was born, she was skinny and tall. Weighing only 3.2 Kg. By her two month check up she was 6 Kg and at her four month check up she was up to 9 Kg. Now she is 10 Kg only two Kg lighter then Garuna. She is a happy baby and lives up to her middle name Joy. Always smiling and loves her big sister. I am truly blessed with these three lovely ladies in my life and that is why they make number three on our top ten list of things to be thankful for.

2. Number two on our list is the celebration of Garuna’s second birthday which took place on the 16^th of May. It is amazing how fast they grow up and Garuna seems to change everyday. It is awesome to watch her converse freely in English, Thai and Akha. And it was a huge blessing once she was potty trained. Actually she was using the bathroom on her own two months before her second birthday, and it only took her about a week to master it. It is a huge relief for Mom and Dads time and pocket book. Now we only have to buy diapers for one child. We had a small celebration with some of the other staff and their children and Garuna enjoyed the cake Daddy made for her. She is a real blessing and we are so thankful for her. Her favorite present was the picture Bible we bought for her. She and Mommy read it every night before she goes to sleep. She is a great gift from God and we are thankful for her and her sister.

1. Now it is time for number one. Thank you for being patient and reading up to this point. Our number one on the top ten things to be thankful for is you. It is true that you are a big part of the Rutledge Family and our ministry here. Your prayers and faithful support are what makes it possible for us to live and work here. Our service to the Akha can only be possible through your service to us. And for this we are truly thankful. Thank you for your prayers, your financial gifts, and your words of encouragement. Your faithfulness has amazed me and has propelled you to the top of our top ten list. Thank you so much and we pray that God will continue to bless you abundantly and you continue to allow Him to work in and through you.

Will this is the end of the Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For. I pray that you have enjoyed reading through it, and I pray that is has encouraged you and reminded you of God’s faithfulness. God is truly good, and it is such a blessing to be used by Him in order to show His glory. I know that His blessings are new each morning, and I look forward to sharing with you more of His wondrous works in our next Blog. Until then, could you please remember me, my family, the staff, and all the children, Bible students, and churches God has entrusted to our care. As I assume this role of leadership, I know that only through His hand of guidance will I be able to secede and so I pray that daily I will seek Him first and continually give Him all the glory. Thank you for your prayers and support and please feel free to email me. I would love to hear how God is working in your life and if there is anyway I could help you.

God bless and keep you.

Serving together for His Glory

Dan, Maam, Garuna, and Bratana Rutledge.

The Rutledge Review

Happy New Year from Chiang Rai Thailand. Yes I know that might sound strange, specially since it is already the middle of April. I decided to start this by wishing you a happy new year because of two reasons.
1. In Thailand we just celebrated the Thai New Year, (Songkran)
2. Also I have not been very faithful in keeping you all up to date on what is going on here, in fact I haven't shared with you since December. For this I am sorry, and there has been so many things that have happened here over the past four months that now it is impossible for me to catch you up on everything. Sadly I will have to just mention some highlights and promise to be more faithful in my future correspondence with you.

Since I last wrote to you, Akha Outreach Foundation has been blessed to host a number of different teams. During Christmas time we welcomed a team of builders and helpers from a church in Twin Falls, Idaho. Following a wonderful two weeks spent with them, we welcomed my parents and their friend Judy for a while. This was an especially blessed time for us as a family, as my Mom and Dad got to visit our new daughter Bratana Joy for the first time. My sister and her family came up from Bangkok and even though our house was full, it was still so special. We are sad my sister Catherine and her daughter couldn't have joined us, but we trust that they will get a chance to come for a visit too. While my parents were here, my Mom was able to work on loving the new granddaughter(like all good grandmothers) and my Dad was able to bless us with some much needed home repairs and additions. Including kitchen cabinets for my very patient wife, who had waited a whole year to have her cabinets put in so she could have a completed kitchen. It was such a blessing to have my parents here, and I do pray for a chance for them to come back again.

Shortly after my parents left, we welcomed the board of directors for Akha Outreach Foundation and also hosted our second graduation for the Akha Bible Institute. Three days before the graduation, we hosted a revival meeting with many Akha's attending, all caped off with the graduation ceremony in front of over 1000 people. It was a very busy day, and all the staff worked extremely hard, but we can honestly say, "fun was had by all". We are excited to wait and see how God is going to work in and through the lives of these 12 new graduates. Three of them will be working among the Akha in two very closed countries to the gospel. It is exciting to see the Akha reaching out to their fellow Akha across the boarders. Please remember all the graduates and Bible students in your prayers. Our aim is to train them through the power of Christ and then to send them with that power to train others.

Following graduation and school break for the Bible school, we started to focus on the school break that was approaching for all our children. In Thailand the summer break starts in the middle of March and goes to the middle of May. During this time most if not all of our children return to their villages to spend time with their relatives. This is very important and a main focus of ours, to keep the children attached to their culture and their families as much as possible. During school breaks it is a great time for the children to help their families out in the fields and around the house. It is also a great time for them to share with others what they have learned during their time here. We pray that they will be agents for His glory while they are in the villages.
During this school break, is also a time that our staff gets some time off. Last year we were able to travel to the States and visit with many of you. We truly wish that this year we could have traveled back again for a visit, but the cost was too much, and we are just looking for some time to rest before school starts up again in May. We haven't had much time to rest up until now. After the schools were closed, we were busy registering kids for the next school term, and also making preparations for the children's return. We have been reviewing and revamping many aspects of the children's team and our making sure that we are doing all we can to sheperd the hearts that have been entrusted to us. It is an awesome task and none of us are capable to do it, apart from the help of God.
Please be in prayer for us as we look to the start of the new year. We will have 81 children come May, and we desire to see each and everyone of them grow in their knowledge, love, and relationship with God. And as He fills them, they will pass it onto to others.
I am sorry that I haven't written to you before. I missed wishing you Happy New Year, Happy Saint Patric's Day, April Fools Day, and also Happy Easter. But I haven't missed all of the holidays, I can wish you Happy Tax Day. Ok bad joke. Sorry.
Seriously, I am sorry that I haven't written more often, and even though I have been very busy, I still want you to know that I do take time to think about you and thank God for all of your prayers and support which makes it possible for Maam and I to raise our family here and serve the ministry. We ask you to please continue to pray for us as the next year offers new challenges, I will be leading the children's team, and with that title comes a lot of responsibility. I have a hard enough time trying to raise my two daughters, I know it is impossible to raise 81 children by myself, and so I ask you to partner with me through prayer and advice, as I seek God's continual guidance and strength to help me shepherd these lives that He has entrusted to us for His glory. I will be more busy next year then I have ever been, but I promise to take more time to update you on how God is at work here at Akha Outreach Foundation, and in our lives.
I am going to bring this to a close now. Tomorrow, my family and I are running away for a week vacation and to catch up on some much needed rest and relaxation. Since I last wrote to you we have been going full speed, but now we have some time to rest and just be a family. So please pray that we have a restful time and that we will be able to return rejuvenated for the new school year.
I also ask you to pray for my Mom and my Dad. I just received an email from my older sister saying my Mom is in the hospital with possible liver failure, and my Dad is sick also. We still don't know the extent of the problems, and my sister may be flying out to check on them. We know that they are in God's hands, and the best thing we can do is pray, but it is hard when you are so far away from you loved ones when they are in need. Please join me in praying for healing and also for strength for them and us as we are apart.
In closing, if you have a free minute, we would love to hear from you. I know I haven't been very faithful in writing to you, and I know that you are also very busy. But it is truly amazing how wonderful it feels to get emails from you. Fill free to write anything or ask anything. It is nice to know that we are missed and not forgotten.
Thanks and God bless you and keep you for His glory.

Dan, Maam, Garuna, and Bratana.