Easter Blessings

“Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.” Psalm 40:5

Happy Easter and happy Songkran from Thailand, I rejoice to report, that over the past five months, God has been doing some amazing things here at Akha Outreach Foundation. And as a family we have also been richly blessed since our last Blog update. So much has taken place over that the past five months, that it is impossible for me to share them all with you, but I will do my best to update you on what God has been doing here, and what we are trusting Him for as we look towards the next few weeks.

Let’s start with a praise report for the past months. In December we welcomed a small team from Singapore who joined us for Christmas. It was a great time celebrating the birth of our Savior with our friends. The children love Christmas and even though we usually start the day early at 5:00 AM, many of them stayed up late into the night celebrating this special day. After Christmas, it seemed like the weeks flew by and before we knew it we were heading into March and preparing for our yearly Bible school graduation. This year we had eight Bible school graduates. Shortly after the bible school graduation, all the schools our orphans attend closed for summer break and all of our children were able to return home to their villages to spend the next six weeks with their relatives. Summer time here is always an interesting time, all the staff are glad for a chance to rest but at the same time, the home here is really lonely without all the children and bible students here. Even though the children are not here, there still is a lot of work to be done, and over the past few weeks we have been busy preparing everything for the new term which starts on the 18^th of May. We also have been preparing for the youth camp which we will be hosting starting the 13^th to the 16^th of April. We are expecting around 200 teenagers to join us for this camp. Please pray that these days spent at the camp we will see those who have a personal relationship with God will grow, and those who do not know Christ as their savior will open their hearts to Him.

Today is the first day of the Thai New Year known as Songkran. It is a four day holiday where the whole country takes part in a nation wide water fight. April is the hottest month and it actually feels great to get splashed with some water, unless they have put ice into it.

Every year we hold this camp during the Songkran festival because this is the time of year that most teenagers go out with their friends and are most likely to experiment with alcohol, drugs, and sex. It is also the holiday that sees the most deaths due to motor accidents. Songkran is a fun holiday, but it is also very dangerous.

Today is not only the first day of Songkran, it is also Easter Sunday. Every Easter morning all the local churches get together at the cemetery for a sunrise service. I know that sounds strange, but after joining them, you come to see it is a wonderful experience.

Easter is a special holiday, and even though it is celebrated a little differently here in Thailand, it still is a great day to reflect on the promises we find in the resurrected life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thailand is a very religious country and most Thai’s are devoutly committed to worshipping their statues, but it is agonizing knowing that all of their prayers and devotion is for not. I pray that the truth of the Gospel message and the hope that comes through life of Christ will penetrate deep into the heart of Thailand and the Thai people. We as Christians have the promise that Christ is risen, and that our prayers are heard through His blood, and this is the hope I cling to, that our prayers for the lives of the people God has called us to serve are being heard, and He is working in their lives. I do not know when, but I truly believe that one day, the true message of hope found in Christ will shine brightly in and through the lives of the Thai nation. I ask you to please join me in praying for Thailand. Not only on Easter, during Songkran festival, or during this national crisis Thailand’s in right now. But please join me in praying for Thailand everyday. Thailand is 98 % Buddhist and that means that if Christ was to return today, then almost 100% of the Thai people would not be joining us in heaven. This is a sad truth, so please join me in praying for the Thai people.

On a newsflash, right now the capital of Thailand is in a state of emergence, as anti-government protestors are calling for the removal of the current prime minister. We are in no physical danger where we live, but as a country as a whole this is a major problem, and every four months we have a different group riot, causing the country to shut down. In December one group took over the international airport and closed it for two weeks, now it is another group. Thailand is a democracy, but it is a very fragile one, please pray that the current protests will end quickly and peacefully.

As I mentioned earlier, May 18^th is the start of the new school term, and all of our children will be returning from their villages on the 14^th of May. This year we are said to see that two of our staff are moving on, but also welcoming two new staff. We will have 93 orphans living here along with close to 40 bible students next year. As I look towards the next year I am excited but also scarred. Of the 93 orphans, 53 will be teenagers. In years past, the majority of our children were younger, but now they are grown up and we have over half of the children in their teenager years. This is exciting because with teenagers you don’t have spend as much time helping them with the little things, but it is scary because there are a lot of new areas that new to be reached. Please remember us this year as we begin down the exciting road of the teenage years. This is also our family’s finale year here at Akha Outreach Foundation. I have been serving here now six years, and I feel lead of the Lord to move on. We are sad to leave but are looking forward to taking this finale year to invest fully into the lives of the staff and the children here. I cherish each life God has entrusted to my care here, and I ask Him to continue to guide me and empower me to love each child as I love my own. It is hard sometimes, but I know God has called us here, and through His strength we can share His love with all of these children. Please pray also that as I work with the orphans, that I am able to Biblically share my love with my family. Mam is such a great wife and a wonderful Mother. Gracie and Joy are growing so quickly and this year they both will be attending school. Hope is such a blessing, and we are looking forward to celebrating her 1^st birthday with my parents when they come to visit us in May.

The summer break has been a great time of rest. I have been able to spend lots of time with my family, and feel 80% refreshed and ready for the new term. As a family we had lots of plans to go travel and spend time as a family, but that all changed because of the chicken pox virus that started to break with us. All three of the girls have now had the chicken pox, poor little Hope getting the worst. She is just now clearing up from them. It has been a long four weeks, but we are thankful this is behind us. After the camp, we will be traveling to Mam’s village to help build a new outhouse and kitchen for her parents. The girls love going to visit Grandpa and Grandma in the village. After we are through in the village we will most likely travel to Chiang Mai to meet my parents and my niece who are flying in during the first part of May. We are looking forward to spending a few days with them before the new term starts and all the children come back. Please continue to pray for complete healing for all of the girls and also for a restful remainder of our vacation. Please also be in prayer as we look towards the future and what God has in store for us following our time here at Akha Outreach Foundation. We still aren’t 100% sure where and what we will be doing next year, but we trust God will lead, and we are willing to follow.

Thank you for waiting patiently for this update to our Blog, I am so thankful for all of your prayers and financial support, and I long to share with you more frequently what God is doing through your help. I guess that could be my new year’s resolution, to update this Blog at least once a month. I promise to try. Thank you again for everything you have done to bless our family; your prayers, your letters of encouragement, your care packages full of goodies, and your faithfulness in giving. We are truly blessed by you and we constantly pray for you and your families. Joy won’t let us put her to bed without praying for our supporters. Thank you and God bless, wishing you a happy Easter and a happy Songkran from Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, and Hope Rutledge.