The Edge

New and Improved

2011-11-05T02:03:00.007+07:00

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:18-22

Greetings once again from the Rutledge Family, we trust that you are enjoying the changing seasons as much as we are. Mam and the kids are really enjoying watching and playing in the leaves. Slowly our bodies are adjusting to the cooler weather, and everyone is eagerly waiting for the first snow fall. In Thailand one of the things I missed was the changing of the seasons. Here in the States we have spring, summer, fall, and winter to look forward to each year. Thailand we had two choices; hot or wet, so as a family we are enjoying the different seasons. For now it is exciting, but ask us again when we are in the middle of winter how excited we are, for now though we are enjoying the experience of seasonal change and are thankful we are here in America to be a part of it.

Continuing with the theme of change, I feel it is time to change the look of our updates on our Blog. I have heard from many of you that you do enjoy reading our posts, and they are very informative and I am grateful for that. I also know that there are some who don’t have the time to read all of the Blog but want to stay informed about our family and ministry, and so would be interested in a shortened version of the Rutledge Review. In an attempt to help keep the Blog informative in content but shorter in length I have revamped the style of our Blog updates. Also I will include a shorter version in PDF form which can be downloaded from each post which you can print off and share with your friends if you chose to. Our aim is to continue to keep you updated on how God is working in and through four key areas of our lives: Family, Ministry, Schooling, and Finances. We will also post current prayer requests and praise reports so that you can join with us as we offer our requests to God and praise him for the way he answers them according to his perfect will. They say that pictures are worth a 1000 words, and so we would like to continue to post pictures or our family and ministry for you to see. The final change we are looking to make to our Blog is in regards to the name. For close to 13 years I have used the title ‘The Rutledge Review’ for our newsletters and blog posts. I feel it is time for a new name and would like to invite you to join us in coming up with that new name for our newsletters and blog. From now until December 1^st please send me new name ideas along with your name and contact info. The winning name idea will be awarded two bags of the finest coffee from the hills of Northern Thailand. So put on your creative thinking caps and help the Rutledge family come up with a new name for our blog posts. We are looking forward to reading your ‘new name’ ideas and are thankful that you have taken the time to read this latest update, I trust it to be both informative and encouraging as we share with you what God has been doing in and through the Rutledge family during the past months. I ask you to please take the time to read all the way to the end of this blog post because there is some important information we would like to share with you and offer you an opportunity to be used by God to help meet some important needs that have arisen. Enjoy the updated Rutledge Review and thank you again for your willingness to partner with the Rutledge family as we serve with International Crossroads and University Bible Church.

FAMILY FIRST:

One of the main reasons we decided to take these two years off from full time ministry in Thailand was to focus on ministry towards our family. When we were serving in Thailand, I never realized how much ministry time kept me away from my family even though my family lived at the foundation we were ministering with. Due to lack of poor decisions on my part and high time demands by the 92 children at the orphanage I rarely had time to even tuck my children into bed each night. After lots of prayer and family discussions, Mam and I decided it was time to leave the orphanage and begin to spend time raising our family. We still desired to remain in full-time ministry but we needed time to reevaluate our priorities and develop a plan so that our family as a whole could serve in ministry not just me alone. Thankfully, we have had the past year and a half to pursue these desires, and have been blessed to see how God can use our family to minister to others without having to sacrifice our time together. We still do have to give up some of our time and open our homes to others, but it is well worth it and I have enjoyed getting to know my children and my wife better. I really enjoy praying at night with my daughters before they go to sleep, and seeing their hearts for others as they pray for their friends and relatives. I also love watching Mam as she helps out in the nursery at the church and also cooking food for international students who have visited our home. I am grateful to be able to serve in full time ministry, and blessed to be able to serve with my family. Thank you everyone who has helped our family during our time in Thailand and also during our move back here to the States. We are eternally thankful and want you to know that you are in our prayers. We are all doing well and ask you to please continue to pray for us as we seek to continually serve God as a family.

Mam says hi and is grateful for all the cooking supplies people have given us here in America. She loves to cook and has fallen in love with cheeseburgers and chili. She is home all day with three little ones, so if you are in the neighborhood, please feel free to swing by and say hi. If you come around lunch time, you might catch her cooking some yummy Thai food and you are welcome to enjoy it with her.

Gracie is doing better at school, and her English is really taking off. The first school she was in asked her to leave because she was not talking in class and with her teacher. With heavy hearts we moved her to a public school closer to our home, and are greatly pleased with her teacher and the way they are working with her. She still is not talking a lot, and sometimes doesn’t read aloud in class, but her teacher is very patient with her and we are seeing an improvement. She loves to read and reads at least one book a day. The public library is our new favorite hangout. She also enjoys coloring pictures and riding her bike. Sadly the bike riding is going to have to end soon with winter coming, but Gracie is eager to see snow and asks me every day when is it going to come. Please continue to pray for Gracie to be obedient at school and not so shy when she talks with other people. Her language skills are amazing, and the only problem is that she is shy and won’t talk.

Joy is Joy. She has always been our adventurous one and also the one I am sure is going to have stiches first. She was the first to ride the bike by herself, and even tried to ride with no hands. Next time she tries to do it, I suggested not trying it while she is turning. In Thailand she was already going to school full day, but here in America she is not old enough for Kindergarten yet so she has to stay home. She loves to play outside and has become good friends with the neighbor kids. We are praying she will be a good influence on them. Continue to pray that Joy will learn to obey Mommy, and make wise choices between right and wrong decisions.

Hope is our little helper. She loves to help Mommy sweep, mop, and even change Kyle’s diaper. Her favorite word is ‘beautiful’ and is always asking Daddy if the clothes she is wearing is beautiful. She loves clothes and changes her outfits at least four times a day. She played Soccer during the fall and really enjoyed it, her team went undefeated and she is looking forward to playing again in the spring. She always is asking Mommy to hold Kyle, but Kyle is getting bigger and bigger and almost weights as much as Hope does. So I don’t know how much longer she will be able to hold her baby brother. Please pray that Hope will grow in her understanding of sharing, she loves to help Mommy, but she doesn’t like to share anything with others. We have been teaching her that not everything is hers, but for a three year old sharing with other people can be hard.

Kyle is doing well, and has just mastered the art of walking. He still doesn’t talk much, I guess with three older sisters that is understandable. He does have two words he uses all the time, Dad and Ball. I thought I was special since he could say “Dad” but then I realized he calls Mam “Dad” too. But he does know the word “Ball” and anytime he sees one he calls out “Ball Ball” He loves to play Soccer with Daddy and has a great throwing arm. He is well loved by his sisters, and everyone else he meets. He is all boy, and we are always having to keep an eye on him because he loves to climb things. The other day he found a way to get up on the kitchen table and then proceeded to toss everything up on top onto the floor. Good thing Hope likes to sweep the kitchen floor. Please pray that Kyle will remain health as the weather changes and will be able to make it through the next month as we begin to wean him from Mommy’s milk.

As for me, I am doing well, still trying to balance my time between family, ministry, schooling and rest. I am thankful for this chance to minister here at my church and have really enjoyed meeting with international students. This week I started my first class with the Masters College and it has proven to be very informative but also challenging. It has been so long since I was in school, and now I have to deal with homework and paper assignments. I am encouraged though and am excited to begin applying what I have been learning with my family and teaching it to others. I have also really enjoyed spending time with my family, and introducing them to the things I experienced as a child. There have been some hard times, dealing with Gracie schooling has been one of the hardest, but God has seen us through and we are grateful for the strength he gives us to face each new day. Please pray that I will continue to allow God to guide me as a husband, father, student, and also in my ministry to the international students. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength, and I need that strength daily. Please also pray that I will be able to make wise Biblical decisions for our family which is best for everyone and not just me. It is so easy to be selfish sometimes, and that is exactly what I want to avoid. So please pray I will be a Godly example of self-sacrifice for my family and those I minister to.

MINISTRY:

When our family was planning on returning to the States, one of the things we wanted to do during our time here was to be able to serve in ministry full time. Thankful my church was willing to allow me to apprentice with them. As an apprentice I would be able to serve the church in different ways, but also minister to others through the church. One of the areas I could minister was through reaching out to international students who were attending ISU. As a family and with the help of the church body International Crossroads was created to help reach out and minister to international students and their families during their time here at ISU. The great part about this ministry is that through it, the church can continue to minister to international students even after our family has returned to Thailand. We are still in the early stages of this ministry, but are excited to see how God is going to work through it to reach to students from all over the world. Please continue to pray for International Crossroads and our work among international students. We are trying to plan some holiday events to help the students who can’t travel home for the holidays have a way to celebrate the holiday season with some families in our church. Pray also that the students will continue to remain open to meeting with us and that they will begin to desire to know more about our God and His Son Jesus Christ.

SCHOOLING:

This is the newest addition to our Blog and I am eager to update you on what exactly I am doing in my schooling. After completing college in 1996, I was sure that I was done with schooling. The idea of going back and working on my master’s degree never interested me, but during the past 10 years of living and ministering in Thailand I saw that a degree would serve to help further our ministry outreach in two ways. First is would provide me with more knowledge on the Biblical teachings on families and how best to use the Bible to strengthen and equip families to be qualified witnesses to the world around them. Second a degree in Biblical Counseling would help to bring credibility to our teaching and would even open the doors to possibly being able to work with local universities and schools as we seek to teach teens and young adults Biblical truths about marriage and families. Our focus will not only be pre marriage counseling with college students, but providing sound Biblical counseling to anyone who is searching for help. Our main goal is to try to train up local pastors and church leaders in the truths found in the Bible to help equip them to be capable shepherds able to guide and protect their flocks. Family first is our focus, as that is God’s focus as well. Which came first; the church, the government, or the family in God’s order of creation? Take a quick look at Genesis 2:18-24 and you will find the answer. God’s focus from the beginning was with the family, and that must be the focus today. Satan is doing all he can to destroy the family, and thus far has been doing a very good job. Satan knows that if he can disrupt and destroy the family, then the church and society will be destroyed as well. I believe deep down we all know this, but the problem is that we do not know how to prevent the destruction of the family. God created the family, and he also created the means to not only keep the family from being destroyed, but help it thrive even in the most challenging circumstances. I don’t know all the answers to how to help families completely and that is why Mam and I decided it is a good time to go back to school. Following the completion of my schooling, we aim to return to Thailand and begin to use what I have learned to help the families and the church in Thailand. We know we must be very careful to keep the teaching culturally acceptable yet Biblically accurate. This is a great challenge and honestly most cultures are not Biblical in their practices, and people often times don’t want to change. The truth though is that if we are to get our families back on track, then we need to listen to him who created the family and what he says and do it. It is so simple yet so difficult if you consider our sin nature and our desire to do what we want to do and not what we were told to do. I don’t know how receptive the Thai people will be to the teachings the Bible has on the family, I see how unreceptive Americans are to it and we claim to be a Christian nation. How much that grieves my heart, and I do so long to see families take the Word of God as the only truth and use God’s ways to direct their families. I can admit this, I am in the first week of my studies, and already I have seen God begin to change things in my life and as I change, I am seeing that spread to my family. Please continue to pray for me and my family as we attempt to complete this lofty goal of getting a Master’s degree in Biblical Counseling and using what we learned to minister to families in Thailand. I am thinking it should take me about 3 years and $12,000 to complete this degree Lord willing and we are trusting that God will continue to provide the time and the finances needed to help me finish. God has provided money to pay for my first class, but we are still in need of finances to cover the rest. Would you please prayerfully consider giving to help cover our schooling expenses? I desire is to finish my degree debt free so that we can return to Thailand as soon as possible and begin using what we have learned. In order to do this, we need your help. I look forward to sharing with you more about my studies in future newsletters. I am thankful for this chance to learn and excited to pass on what I learn to others.

FINANCES:

I realize that this Blog is getting a little long, and I hope that in future posts I will be able to keep it shorter. It is always hard because there is so much I would like to share with you and I have struggled to justify leaving some stuff out. I do thank you for taking the time to read this, maybe it would help if you split it up over a couple of days, just a thought. We are near the end and the finale section of this Blog deals with a topic we often times don’t like to discuss but is crucial to our daily lives. We often have a love/hate relationship with finances. We all love having money and spending money, but we hate talking about money and worrying about money. The truth of the matter is that finances do play an important part in our lives, if you don’t believe me, than try to drive away with a tank full of gas without paying for it. I bet the gas station and the police office will agree that finances are important. Like all families, we too need finances to eat, live and survive. Most families depend on their jobs or companies to provide for their finances, we on the other hand are 100% dependent on others to provide. Even though I do work full time in ministry, my pay check comes from our faithful supports who often times sacrificially give so that our family can remain focused and fully involved in ministry. We are so thankful for the honor of being able to serve in full time ministry and at the end of each month God has always provided for all of our needs through the gifts of others. It is truly amazing to see. I believe sometimes the reason why people don’t give, is not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know about the need. Americans are by far the most generous nation in the world, this is evident by the fact that anytime there is a natural disaster, it is America that often times gives first and gives most. So today and also in future post, I want to share with you updates on our financial status and give you an opportunity to give to help provide for our day to day needs. I pray that every month will not be as gloomy as this month’s report, and we are trusting that God will work through many others like you to help provide for our current needs. Here is the financial update for November. Every month supporters send their financial gifts to my church and it is put into an account for our family to use. On the 1^st and 15^th of each month I ask the church accountant to deposit money from the UBC Worldwide Ministries account into our personal bank account. The amount that we receive depends on the amount of money available. For instance, if on the 1^st I check and see that there is $1500 in our account, I will ask that $1000 be deposited in my bank account to pay for rent, utilities, food, etc. Then on the 15^th if the balance of the ministry account is less than $1000, we will ask for $900. So for that month we will have a salary of $1900. That is enough money to provide for our family in Thailand, but in the States it is really tight. So we had a goal of raising our support to $2500 a month to help cover the basic needs of life in the States. We have been here seven months now and only during the month of September did we see that goal reached and $2615 was donated which is great. But in May we only say $870 donated so that meant May was a tight month. I did an average for the past seven months and we are currently averaging donations in the area of $1741.43 monthly. That is about $800 shorter of our goal, and thus we have had to cut back on a lot of things there is no room for unexpected expenses like car repair. I am sharing this with you to let you know that first God has continued to provide for all of our needs over the past seven months. I don’t know how, but he has done it. Secondly to let you see what state our finances are currently at and how you can help us for the upcoming months. We are in need of new supporters to join our team. We currently have about 10 supporters who faithfully give every month, we are thankful for them and we are searching for more people who would be willing to join with them to help cover our needs. You would think that with technology, getting in contact with people would be easier, but I have actually found it more difficult. I email people, facebook, and even try to call them on their cell phones, but it is hard to contact people if they don’t reply back to you. Remember when we could open up a phone book and find their phone number and mailing address. Have you tried to do that lately, it is not very productive. So what am I saying is this; I need your help. I want to talk to people, I want to share our passion about the ministry here and also in Thailand we are working with, but I need your help to make that possible. Please email me, call me, or even facebook me. If you are interested in helping or giving, then please contact me. Also if you have friends or a church that might be willing to at least meet with me and talk about what we are doing, then please let me know. We need you and are asking you to please help us. As of November 3^rd our support account balance is $71.69 and we do know that there will be some more money coming in before the 15^th but how much we aren’t really sure, so we need to raise more money. It is hard living month to month not knowing how much money is availed to use. Don’t get me wrong, the hardship is worth every bit of growth we gain as we live day by day by the faith we have in God our provider. The need is there, God is able to meet that need, and will you be a willing vessel God can use to meet our family needs. Please prayerfully consider giving and also pray that God will rise up more people who want to join our support team to help give for our family’s needs. Thank you and God bless.

It is time to bring this blog to a close. Remember to continue to pray for us as we minister here at University Bible Church among the international students. Pray also for my schooling and the finances to pay for it. Our family and finances also need your prayers, and if you have anything we can pray for, please let us know. Feel free to contact us by phone (208)242-6300, by email dan.rutledge@universitybible.org or dan.rutledge@gmail.com, by facebook search for Dan Rutledge, or you can mail us at 216 N 14^th Ave Pocatello, ID. 83201.

We look forward to hearing back from you and pray that God will continue to work mightily both in and through your family as you seek his ways. God bless and have a great day.

Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, and Kyle Rutledge.

2011-09-15T00:34:00.010+07:00

International Crossroads:

International Crossroads is here. The international student outreach our church is starting has an official name, logo, and even a facebook page. During my apprenticeship here at University Bible Church the main area of my focus of ministry will involve working with international students studying at ISU. I will also be working with others in our church to develop a ministry team that will continue to work with internationals after our family returns to Thailand in two years’ time. I have been blessed to see how many people in our church have a heart for the nations and we currently have about 20 people who are helping me as we begin reaching out to international students through friendship and fellowship. We have hosted three events, giving international students a chance to get to know us and also a chance for us to get to know them. We were amazed to see that at our first event we had over 40 students, many of whom had just arrived in the States, attend and receive some free furnishings that were donated by members of our church. At our second event an ice cream social, we were able to make 12 new contacts and also fellowship again with some of the students we met at our first event. Our third event involves tutoring and helping students with their studies and English understanding. We are hoping this will be a weekly event and that many students will come for the free tutoring and English help but stay for the fellowship. It has been exciting to meet students from all over the world. I feel blessed to be able to relate with a lot of them, because during my time with the Jesus Film I was able to visit their country. They are always amazed to meet someone here in America who not only knows where their country is, but also visited their home town. It has been really fun meeting all these new students, and we are trusting God to use our family during these next two years to really reach out and minister to them with the love of Christ. I ask you to please continue to pray for our family and also our church body as we work with the international community here at ISU. Cross-cultural communications are always difficult, and our constant focus is to show them the love of Christ without offending them, in hopes that we can share the gospel of Christ with them receiving it. Every student is unique, and as a team we are working together to try to create opportunities to deepen our friendship with these students and help them to see that we truly care about them as individuals and want them to feel a part of our families. This can be extremely challenging, and we need your constant prayers for wisdom and creativity as we seek to minister to these students. I am thankful for this opportunity to work with international students, and we are praying that God will continue to lead us to those who He has brought here to reveal who He is through the lives of His body ministering in His name. Thank you for your prayers and I am looking forward to updating you of God’s workings over the next weeks.

Yutapahn:

“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Ephesians 6:16

On August 20^th, our family celebrated our son Yutapahn’s 1^st birthday. When he was born, we were 99 percent sure he was going to be a girl and so we had a lovely girl name picked out for him. We were excited to see he was a boy but we had to rush to find a name for this new little guy. His English name was easy, I always knew that if I had a boy I would name him after the man I admired the most and that would be my Father. But finding a Thai name proved to be a little harder. We knew we wanted it to be a name that was masculine but also Biblical. I had no ideas, but my wife suggested we name him Yutapahn, which was a word I didn’t know in the Thai language. She showed me Ephesians 6:11 where it was used and what it meant, “Armor of God”. Instantly I knew it was the name for our son and that is how Yutaphan Kyle got his name. I share this story with you, because God has been teaching me a lot about Yutaphan, not just our son, but mainly about the armor of God.

Starting in verse 13 Paul writes, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

These five verses found in Chapter 6 of Ephesians are well known to most of us. From our earliest days in Sunday school, even during our teen and adult years at conferences and camping retreats, we often hear talks on the armor of God. But knowing something well doesn’t mean we will do it well. And this is often the case with this passage of scripture. We can all probably name all the pieces of armor listed here, but can we honestly say we live our daily lives with them on. Think about it, do you daily wear the belt of truth or put on the breastplate of righteousness? How about having the readiness of the gospel for our shoes or carrying the shield of faith? Do we wear the helmet of salvation and carry the sword of the Spirit or are we worried about messing up our hair and looking silly carrying the Bible around with us? The truth is that Paul urged his readers to daily take up the whole armor of God so that they will stand firm and be able to withstand when the days are evil. The days are evil, and sadly we see many believers not standing firm but rather bowing to influences of this wicked world we live in. I am not writing this to condemn others but instead to share how I too have been struggling and how God has graciously been using these verses to remind me to daily live my life with the whole armor on and not just parts of it. The one piece that I seem to forget to take with me daily is the shield of faith. I’m not saying I don’t have faith, but I need to daily hold up the shield of faith in order to extinguish ALL the flaming darts of the evil one. Not some, not most, but ALL of the darts. We are at war with a determined and cleaver advisory, which is always attacking us with the newest weapons on the market. Thankfully God promises us that through faith we will be able to withstand anything Satan throws at us. Doubt, Criticism, Uncertainty, Fear, Worry, Anger, Reproach, no matter what it is, God will protect us and that is why we need to daily take up the shield of faith.

As I mentioned before, that God has been teaching me a lot over the past few months, and most of it is dealing with faith. I have always believed that I had great faith, and sometimes people even complement me on my faith, but the truth of the matter is that I too struggle with a lake of faith. In fact it is not something new, but has always been an issue in my life. I was not going to do something unless I first make sure everything will work out. There is a place for planning and seeking council, but we sometimes justify not acting in faith by saying we are acting responsibly. Take for example our families move back to America. Yes, I knew it was time to come back, yes I knew God would provide a way, but I still tried to put it off as long as possible because in all honesty I was scared. Being a missionary living in Thailand was hard, and we had to have faith that God would provide for all of our needs in this distant land. In all honesty though it was easier to live as a missionary trusting God to provide 100 percent of our financial needs in Thailand then it was going to be living in the US and still trusting God to meet that same 100 percent mark. In Thailand our family could live off of $1200 a month and if we had months where that much didn’t come in, we could still get by without worrying too much. But I knew moving back to America, it was going to be nearly impossible to live off of $1200 a month and if we ever had less money come in then we needed, then it was going to be very stressing. So for months before the move back across the seas, I was stressing and trying to figure ways to help us find enough money to support us while we were in the States. We have been here in the States now for five months, and every attempt I have made to try to increase our support level has failed. So here is where the shield of faith comes in, Satan is attacking me, he is throwing darts of feelings of doubt, rejection, uncertainty, anger, despair, and even feelings of giving up and moving back to Thailand. Daily these darts are flying at me, and if I am not daily taking up the shield of faith, then I am in danger of my life, my family, my ministry all being destroyed by these fiery darts. But if I stand firm with the whole armor of God including the shield of faith, then I will be able to continue serving the Lord full time during this time in the States. I ask you to please continue to pray for me and our family during this time in America. Finances are a huge concern, and if we allow these worries to penetrate our thoughts then our faith will be shaken and our ministry affected. May we continually take up the shield of faith and trust that He who has called is He who will also provide for us. Every night we pray as a family asking God to lead us to more people who will be willing to financially give to help provide for our daily needs and to partner with us in our service here at University Bible Church and our ministry to the international students of ISU . We daily thank Him for the supporters who are currently giving and how God has used them to provide food, shelter, clothing, vehicle, and other necessities for daily living. Please, please prayerfully consider joining our support team? Also if you know of friends or a church who might be interested financially supporting us, would you please contact me and help me make contact with them. By faith, our family has moved back to the States for the next two years, and by faith we are trusting that God will provide for all of our needs during that time. So by faith we are asking you and others to partner with us during this time through financially supporting our family as we serve with University Bible Church through the ministry of International Crossroads. All financial gifs are tax deductible and checks can be made out to UBC Worldwide Ministries and sent to: University Bible Church 4700 Philibin Road Chubbuck, ID. 83202

Please also email me at dan.rutledge@universitybible.org and let me know if you would like to:

Join our support team.

Join our prayer team.

Find out more about International Crossroads.

Like to remain on our update list and receive emails and blog updates on our ministry.

Would like to be taken off our update list.

Thank you for taking the time to read this latest update, and thank you for all of your prayers during the past five months we have been here in the States. Mam and the children are doing well and we all are slowly adjusting to life here in America. Please join with us as we daily put on the full armor of God so that we can boldly stand firm as witnesses in this world we live in trusting that others will clearly see the glory of our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Hope He offers for everyone who calls on His name. Let us daily stand firm for our Lord through His strength.

Your fellow servants through Christ

Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, and Kyle Rutledge

Time to Rejoice

2011-07-06T03:19:00.012+07:00

Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Hello again from the beautiful state of Idaho, our home over the past two months. Wow how fast time flies, when I think back to April 21^st as our family boarded the plane which was going to take us stateside, how we were filled with excitement and anxiety at what life in America for the next two years was going to look like. Where were we going to live, where would the girls go to school, how fast would they be able to pick up the English language, how was Mam going to do living in a new culture, how would we be able to furnish our house and feed our family, and how would we be able to survive financially in this new economic system we were moving into? We left Thailand with more questions than answers but we knew that God was leading us during this time, and that He would be faithful to provide all of our needs as we continued to follow Him. We have been stateside now for two exciting months. The first month we spent traveling around the State visiting friends and family and sleeping on many floors as we waited for our housing situation in Pocatello to be worked out. Praise God He provided a van for our family to use, which was a huge blessing especially during those four hour trips between Boise and Pocatello. He also provided a wonderful 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house for us to rent in Pocatello close enough to my work so I can bike and save on gas. We also were blessed with couches, dinner tables, chairs, beds, clothes (lots for the kids), bikes, pots and pans, food, and even some extra spending cash to help us settle in. There were days when we looked at our bank account and wondered how we would have enough money for the next week’s food, and then God would provide what we needed, and sometimes a little extra. We are still trying to increase our monthly support level from $1,200 to $2,500 monthly in order to cover our day to day expenses, but God has been so faithful, and we have been so blessed to watch the body of Christ work together to help provide for our family. Thank you so much for all of your prayers, your gifts, and your love for our family during this time of transition. Mam and I feel so welcomed and the kids love getting to experience life in America. I am amazed at how fast they are picking up this new language, and am thankful that by the time school opens in the fall, Gracie will be able to communicate with and understand her teacher and class mates.

Thank you all again for all your help, and please rejoice with me as we reflect on the goodness of our God and how He truly does provide for all of our needs. I think of Paul and his words of encouragement; “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” It is hard sometimes not to be anxious, and to be honest leaving Thailand to move to America caused me some anxiety. I knew the cost of everything was more expensive than Thailand, and I knew that Mam and the kids would have some difficulties adjusting to American culture and language (Me too). I also was very anxious about what our ministry would look like here in the States and what exactly I would be doing with my church. God knows our thoughts, and all of our needs. Let us trust Him, and He will guide, He will provide, and He will give us peace which will abide. I have been blessed to be in full time ministry for 14 years now, and time and time again I have witnessed the faithfulness of God and how He has worked through the body of Christ to provide for ALL my needs. Still though I do find myself being anxious, that is why it is important to stay in God’s Word and let your thoughts be refreshed by the promises of God, also to continually be thankful for what you have received and to share how God has worked in your life with others. This will help you remember the faithfulness of God and also to encourage others who might be feeling anxious. We serve a living, a powerful, a loving and a GOOD God, who knows our needs, wants to provide for our needs, and will provide for those needs. Remember though, that He often works through the body of Christ, and that is a special gift for us, not that we serve a God who can provide, but a God who uses us to help bless others. Thank you again for all who have done to help us, and remember that God is using you and will continue to use you to bless the lives of many people.

Let us together “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice!” and “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”

Our family has committed the next two years to the Lord, and we are trusting that He will work in and through our family to help show others how great He is and how worthy He is to receive our praise. Please join our family as we continue this American adventure over the next two years, rejoicing in the goodness of God, placing our requests and our concerns at His feet, and trusting Him to faithfully provide for us and through us to help meet the needs of other’s.

Your faithful prayers and support are such a blessing to our family and we know that without your support, there is no way apart from a miracle of God we could serve in full time ministry in Thailand and also in America. Thank you again for all you have given and I ask that you will please continue to lift our family up daily in your prayers, and please continue to give to help meet our financial needs. We are currently receiving about $1200 in monthly support. In order to provide for a family of six in America we believe that this is not enough, and so we are aiming at increasing our support to $2500 a month. If you would be interested partnering with us to meet these financial needs, please email me at dan.rutledge@gmail.com .

Thank you again for taking the time to read this update, and I am looking forward to sharing more with you as we complete this transition stage of our journey to America. I am praying that by next month, we will be completely settled into our home, so that we can have you over for some yummy Thai food.

Please do continue to pray for our family during this transition time and also as we are seeking new support partners to join with us. For those in the Sun Valley area, I will be visiting a church in Carey, Idaho on the 10^th of July. Please come and hear what God has been doing over the past few years, and what is ahead for the Rutledge family.

In conclusion I will give you an updated ministry overview for our time spent here in America.

Dan: For the next two years I plan on being busy serving the Lord and also working on improving my knowledge of God’s Word to help further my service. I will be working as an apprentice at University Bible Church, focusing on ministry to international students who have come to the States to study. I will also be working on my Master’s degree in Biblical Counseling from the Master’s College in California through a distance program they offer. This means that I can do most of my studies here in Pocatello, and then during June, travel to their campus for classes held there. This is a program that can be completed in two years, but I just missed this year’s June classes, so I might have to take closer to two and half years to complete the program. We will have to wait and see. (Also I have just sent in my application, and am waiting to be accepted, so please pray that God will grant me favor and I will be accepted and can start my class work right away). I will also be taking time to minister to Mam and the kids aiming to help encourage and shepherd them in the ways of the Lord. Once we return to Thailand we are praying about working with families and we are praying that things we learn and use here, we can translate and transfer over to be effectively used in the Thai family.

Mam: Mam will be working on improving her understanding and use of the English language. This will be important in helping us back in Thailand to communicate with mission teams and other missionaries living in Thailand. She will also be able to spend time with mothers and wives in our church, who we know will be able to encourage her as she is raising our four children. Please pray especially for her, to develop some close friendships and also adapt well to life in America. English is a challenge for her, she wants to learn and we welcome any woman who wants to come by and spend some time talking with her. Mam can teach you some Thai cooking in return.

Gracie: Gracie will be going into 1^st grade and our goal for her is to really strengthen her English before returning to Thailand. Having a strong Thai language base already; her being able to speak English will help her in her schooling back in Thailand. We are waiting to see if she gets into a charter school here. She is number three on the waitlist and we are praying God will provide a way for Gracie to be able to get in.

Joy: Joy will be going into preschool, and like Gracie we really want her to develop her English, while we are here. She is really excited about learning English, and even before we moved she was asking me how to say different words in English. Please pray for wisdom for us wither to place Joy in a preschool or not, and if she does go, which one and the finances to cover it.

Hope: She just wants to play, and we are encouraging her that over the next two years before she goes to school, that she will help Mommy in the house and also take care of her younger brother Kyle. She needs to work on her English as well, and if you have young 3yr olds who want to play, please feel free to swing by and let them play with Hope. She loves playing with others and it will help with her English.

Kyle: Well he just learned to crawl, so next is teaching him to walk and talk. His English will likely be better than the girls because it will be his first language. The concern for him is once we return to Thailand getting him to speak Thai. He is a great baby, and we trusting for a healthy two years while we are stateside.

As a family we want to be used by God to serve everyone we meet. As we get settled we will be looking for ways to help minister and serve to the church body, our neighbors, and others God brings our way. Our number one goal is first to instruct our children in the Word, to shepherd them to a personal relationship with Christ, to equip and encourage them to allow Christ to work through their lives to minister to others and proclaim the greatness of God. We aim to see our family minister together both here in America and also in Thailand once we return there.

Please continue to life up our family in your prayers and if there is anything our family can do to minister to you, please feel free to ask.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please know that we will continue to pray and thank God for all you have done to bless our family. Have a great day and remember to Rejoice always, again I will say it Rejoice.

Your fellow servants of the King

Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, and little Kyle Rutledge.

Back in the U.S.A.

2011-05-14T03:31:00.005+07:00

Philippians 4:19-20

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen

The Rutledge’s have landed! On April 21^st, after four stops and over 25 hours of travel, we finally arrived at Boise international airport at 11 PM. Needless to say we were all extremely tired, but greatly relieved to have finally arrived at our destination. Traveling internationally always is a challenge, but doing it with four little children is crazy. Praise God, the kids did great and were a huge help to Daddy and Mommy who were wiped out even before they stepped on the plane. I wasn’t sure how we were going to make this transcontinental journey alone, but by God’s grace and the help of our wonderful little travelers, we did alright. The only problem really was the fact that I lost my voice the day before the flight, so I couldn’t even talk to anyone during the whole trip. We sure did get some funny looks going through customs; an Asian woman, three excited little girls, one sleepy baby, and a white guy who can’t talk. Somehow we were able to make it to all our flights, through customs, and home to Idaho with all of our bags. God is Good!!! Thank you all for your prayers, and also thanks to my Dad and Mom and their friends Gary and Judy who meet us at the airport and helped us get to a warm bed for a good night’s sleep.

Since our arrival we have been blessed to continue to see God’s goodness and how He so wonderfully works through the body of Christ to help His children. We are still waiting for a house to call home in Pocatello, but we have had a place to lay our heads everywhere we go; Boise, Twin Falls, and Pocatello. There is also a garage full of things for us to use in our new house at my sisters. We need to find a place soon, because here garage is getting fuller and fuller by the day thanks to the generous giving by many of her neighbors, friends, and church body. I am in awe at how people can so graciously give to people they have never met before, my sisters Bible study group has blessed us so much with clothes for the kids and Mam, food to help us get started, soap, shampoo, cleaning material, and gift cards to Wal-Mart for other things we might need. We feel so blessed, and so welcomed, thank you again for everyone who has given and have helped us feel at home during this transition time. To be honest, there still are a few things we are in need of, but I am reluctant to list them because first we have already been blessed with so much, and second until we are moved into our house and see exactly what we are in need of, it would be better to wait. For now, please continue to pray for direction as we work on our housing in Pocatello, and also wisdom as we look to help settle our family here in Idaho. Our hearts are still in Thailand, and for the kids and Mam this is a foreign land, even to me in some areas. We know that this is a time that we can come back and spend time with my parents and my family who have been so gracious in letting us live so far away for all these years, it is also a time for the kids and Mam to understand a little bit more about American culture and why Dad sometimes does things differently than the Thais. We are also looking forward to being able to be ministered to through the body of Christ and also serving others while we are here. Remember, I may be a missionary coming home on furlough, but my wife and children are missionaries heading out to the mission field in a foreign country. It is going to take us awhile to adjust, but by Gods help, your prayers and support, and lots of patience on our part I am sure that the Rutledge Family will do just fine. Thank you again for all your prayers and your help during this time, and please know that we are looking forward to spending lots of time with you during the next two years here in America.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update, and I am going try to continue to update you regularly as we adjust to life in America and begin our service here during the two years we call Pocatello home. In closing I will share with you briefly why we chose to come back to the US, what we are going to be doing here during our stay, and how you can continue to be actively involved in serving the Lord with us while we are Stateside.

The main reason why we decided to come home was to be closer to my parents and our family. My parents are getting up there in years, and a couple of months ago my Mom had a small heart attack. We really want to spend time with them while they around and give a chance for our children to know their grandparents. Also my parents have done so much to help us over the years, we want to return the favor and help them while we are here. Yes we will be in Pocatello and my parents will be in Caldwell, and four hours is a long ways away, but it is sure a lot closer than 24 hours away. So first and foremost we came back to spend some time with my family. Second we come back to help the kids and Mam with their English and also understanding of American culture. There is no better schooling then being immersed 24/7 in the subject you are studying and I am already amazed at how fast everyone is picking up English. Once they learn English, there are many opportunities for them to serve the Kingdom of God through the use of multiple languages. In Thailand people pay 100’s of dollars to have their kids learn English, here it is free day to day conversation. The third reason why we have come back is to seek Gods lead for future ministry opportunities and also spend time equipping ourselves to help with some of the different needs we encountered during our past few years in Thailand. Currently we aren’t 100% sure what we will be doing once we return to Thailand, but we know it will most likely involve working with families and helping Fathers, Mothers, Children, Husbands, Wives, Brothers, and Sisters working together to grow in their personal relationships with God and helping those in their community know more about Christ through their relationships with each other and God. In order to best equip our family to help serve other families, we have decided to relocate here to Pocatello, and spend the next two years being built into by other families in the church and also I will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Biblical Family Counseling, praying that what we learn we will be able to take back to Thailand and use it to minister to the families there. While we are in Pocatello, I will also be interning at our home church, University Bible Church and as a family we are praying about an area we can serve during our time there. The fourth reason why we have moved back is to reconnect with our supporters and our friends as well. You have been so faithful in supporting us over the past years, and even as our family grew we still were able to daily provide food and shelter for our family. Thank you so much for all of your giving, and we are looking forward to spending time visiting you and getting to hear how God is working in your lives and how we might be able to serve you during our time here. This move back is a huge step of faith, all of our needs are still dependent on a God who knows them, and provides for them through people like you. In Thailand it was possible for our family to survive on $1200 a month, but now we are in the States I am quickly seeing that we are going to have to increase our support in order to stay here. So I ask you to please pray that God will lead us to other men and women who are ready to team up with us helping to serve the people of Thailand and others in Southeast Asia who don’t know Him. Also please prayerfully consider continuing your monthly gifts to help cover our expenses. Our goal is to try increasing our support base to $2400 a month and raise an extra $24,000 to cover my schooling expenses. Even as I type those numbers I am feeling like I am asking the impossible. I know these are tough times, and everyone is struggling financially, how is it possible to raise these much money during these times? Well, we must look at what the Bible tells us, and remember God is the same yesterday, today and forever. In one of my favorite stories from 2 Kings 6 and 7. The children of Israel are starving because the Syrians are besieging them. And God tells them not to worry, “for tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flower shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” Remember, they were so hungry that they were selling a donkey’s head for eighty shekels of silver and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver. They were so hungry they were eating bird poop to put it in modern English. Yet, overnight God changed everything thing and that is the same God we serve today. He never changes; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yes these are tough times, and we do need to be good stewards with our finances, but I know that God will provide for our needs and he often does it through the giving of others in the body of Christ. Increasing our support by double and raising $24000 to pay for my schooling is a huge step of faith, and I am asking you to please pray with me and ask God to help meet all of these needs and lead me to people who are ready to give for His glory.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I now have two options for those who want to keep up with what God is doing in and with our family. There is the shortened three page newsletter that I will send out monthly, and then there will be the longer Blog entrees that you can read at your own pace. Please remember our family in your prayers, and once we have moved into our house, please know that you are welcome by anytime. My wife makes wonderful Thai food and loves to cook, and our children love being with people, so you are always welcomed at the Rutledge home. With that I will wish you good night and look forward to sharing more with you later. God bless

Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, and Kyle Rutledge.

Day After Day

2010-11-29T23:13:00.004+07:00

“In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Selah

Psalm 62:7-8

WOW, I can hardly believe it, 2010 is almost over and the year 2011 is only one month away. This past year flew by so fast, and I find myself wanting more time so that I can reflect more on the Faithfulness of God He has shown our family throughout 2010. This past year is just one of the many which God has been faithful to our family, and our time here in Thailand. I have been blessed to call Thailand my home for the past NINE years, and have also been blessed to be able to serve in full time ministry for over the past THIRTEEN years. Many of you have so faithfully supported me during those first few years while I was single, you have continued supporting me as I wed my beautiful wife and wonderful partner Maam in 2004. Your support continued as our family grew with the addition of Gracie in 2005, Joy in 2006, Hope in 2008 and our newest addition Kyle born earlier this year. Through your prayers and your financial support, the Rutledge family has been able to serve full time in Christian ministry here in Northern Thailand. From the time I boarded a plane from Pocatello to Orlando, Florida to join the JESUS Film, we have been a team, working together to share the wonderful message of God’s love to those we meet. As a new year approaches, I want to take this time to personally thank each of you. Your prayers are so vital to our work here, your financial gifts are such a sweet offering to God, and your letters and emails are always so encouraging. We would not be here without you, and I am not just saying that. The truth is 100 % of our financial income comes from you our supporters. Your prayers keep us healthy, give us strength and wisdom, and your emails and letters give us hope and a desire to continue to press on. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

You have been so faithful over the years, and God is always faithful. We know that God is always there, and will always provide, and time and time again He has provided. But as 2011 is approaching and the preparations for our move back to the States progresses I am starting to feel the stress of uncertainty. In about five months time I will be taking our family of six and moving back to the USA to live for about two years. This move is going to be the biggest step of faith I have ever taken. When I first moved to Thailand, back in 2001, I only had to be worried about myself. If the move didn’t work out, or the finances were not available, I would be alright. I could live on rice and water if needed. But now I am a husband, and a father of four. This move back to the US is a huge challenge to my faith. We are leaving all that we have here, to move back to the US were we have nothing. No house, no car, no clothes, no beds, nothing. In Thailand we live on about $1600 a month all of this from your financial gifts. Well we be able to live in America on that amount? To be honest, I am scarred. This move is a huge challenge, and we are only doing it because we believe the Lord is calling us to. Our goal for the move is to spend more time with my parents as they are getting older, and I would like them to be able to spend some time with my children. Also I know it would be really beneficial for our children to spend some time in America and for us to spend some time getting reacquainted with our family and supporters. Also, we feel the time has come to further our education with the goal to enhance our ministry opportunities. Maam and I both feel the need to reach out to families here in Southeast Asia, and I am looking at working on my Masters in Christian Family Counseling during our two year stay, in hopes of returning to Thailand and using that education to train and equip local pastors and church leaders to care for their families and those in their church body. This is a lofty goal, since there are very few family councilors in Thailand and no Christian ones. Our vision is a strong family, a strong church, a strong village, a strong country, a strong world. God started with the family before he started with the church, and that too is where we would like to focus. But in order to achieve this goal, we first must relocate back to the US and I need to go back to school. While we are states side we desire to remain in ministry as I am working on my degree, and so my church has offered me a place on their ministry team. We will be working with my church while I am also doing distance learning for my degree. In order for all of this to take place we do need a LOT of help.

First we need you prayers as we make finale plans and preparations for the move and for our time in the States.

Second we need your continued financial support. You all have been so faithful and we are grateful for all you have given. Currently we have 12 partners who give monthly and I feel bad asking them to give more. But as expenses are going to increase and I know we are going to have to raise more support. So I ask if you are giving now, please continue to give and invite your friends to give as well. If you are not yet on our team, but feel led to give, please contact me. I am looking at spending the first month back trying to visit as many people as possible to help meet our support needs. So please let me know if you or someone you know would like to partner with us.

Third we need stuff: I hate saying that, but it is true. We need a house, we need a car, we need things. Our goal is to stay Stateside for about 2 years, so we only want what we need, and second hand or borrowed is best. If you have a house for rent or that we could use in Pocatello, please let me know. If you have a van we could buy or borrow please let us know. Or if you have things that are needed for a house, please let us know. We are fully dependent on two things; God and Him working through others to provide for our needs. He has been faithful over these past 13 years, and I know He will continue to be faithful. Our hope is in the Lord.

I leave you now with the words from a song I heard the other day. I was feeling down, and a little stressed about our finances and how was I going to provide for my family. Then a new song came on that I had never heard before and the words penetrated my fears and brought light to my day. The words were these and as you read them, remember where your Hope is.

“Day after day our God is reigning, He’s never shaken. My hope is in the Lord. Time after time our God is faithful. Trustworthy Savior, my hope is in the Lord.”

“But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

Psalm 71:14-16

Grandmas Coming to Town.

2010-10-12T23:11:00.006+07:00

Him we preach, “warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Colossians 1:28-29

Greetings once again from Thailand, I trust that God is actively working both in and through you to help proclaim His greatness to the world we live in. Since our last update, life here has been busy but also very blessed. Our new son is growing more and more each day, and the girls are also getting bigger and bigger. The two oldest are on school break, and so that means each day brings adventures with the kids. Both Maam and I are working overtime keeping up with the four little ones. This past week has been extra busy as we are also getting the house ready for my parent’s upcoming visit next week. My parents arrive on the 16^th and will be here for about two weeks. It is always special when my parents come to visit, and this trip is extra special. My younger sister is traveling with my parents and they are coming over to join in the celebration of my younger brother Joes’ wedding. The baby of the family is getting married, and there is no way my parents would miss his special day. My brother has been living and working in Thailand now for five years, and God has blessed him with a beautiful Akha woman who has agreed to be his bride. They will celebrate their love for each other on the 23^rd of October. We are all very excited for this upcoming wedding, and also for the chance to spend some time with my parents and my sister while they are here. During their stay, my parents and sister will be staying in our house, and so we have been working hard cleaning up for Grandma and Papas’ visit. The girls have been a huge help and are eager to spend time with my parents and Auntie Dawna. I am really looking forward to my parents visit because after the wedding, the whole family will be traveling together to the beach for a four day vacation. I have lived in Thailand now for 9 years, and Maam has lived here her entire life, yet neither of us has ever gone to the beach here in Thailand. Thailand is known for their beautiful beaches, and there have been countless times Maam and I have talked about going to the beach, but due to lack of time, finances, and an occasional pregnancy we have never been able to make it. Now we are preparing for a move back to the States, and this could be the last chance we get to go before the kids grow up. So on October 24^th, I am taking Maam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, Kyle, my parents, my sister, and Maams niece for a four day vacation to the Hua Hin Beach. We will be staying at a Christian guest house, and are looking forward to spending time resting and relaxing with my family. There is one problem though, and that is the need for finances. In times past we have tried to go to the beach but lack of time or finances kept us from going. I am trusting that this time that will not be the case. We have the time, but now we are need of some financial help. I ask you to please prayerfully consider giving special towards this family get away. It feels strange asking for financial gifts so that I can go to the beach to rest, but I know that I do need to take this time and spend it with my family. And we have planned so as to keep it as affordable as possible, but as I look at our current finances, it would be doable but extremely difficult to pay for this trip without some extra support. Please prayerfully consider joining with me in helping to pay for this beach get away for Maam and the kids. I have figured the costs, and I believe $1000 would be enough to cover our plane tickets, the hotel, food, and some spending money to use while we are at the beach. If you feel like you could give please make your check out to UBC Worldwide Ministries, and mark on the for: Family Vacation. Be sure to mail it to the new address which is University Bible Church 4700 Philbin Road Chubbuck, ID 83202. Time and time again, you have given to help meet our needs, and we are so thankful for your gifts. We trust that once again God will provide through the gifts of His servants. If you do feel led to give, please email me and let me know so as I can be sure to email you some thank you pictures from the beach.

2 Timothy 2:2

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

So that is what is happening on the family front, now let’s update you on how God is working through our ministry here. Last update, I shared with you how God had opened many ministry opportunities for our family and we are already beginning to see some fruit in the lives of those we are serving. At the university where I am currently meeting with 20 young and dynamic collage students who are passionate about their love for Christ and sharing that love with their fellow students. These 20 young men and women are key students who have willing accepted the responsibility of leading a small group Bible study with others in their classes. Each Sunday afternoon I spend an hour and half meeting with them and helping them grow in their relationship with God, each other, and those they are leading. The collage students are just returning from a mid year break, and last night we had a cell group party, hoping to provide an opportunity for all the groups to join together and invite new students to join with us. It was a fun night, and I forgot how much energy collage students have. Sadly by 9 PM, I had to leave to take my children to bed, but many of them stayed up until midnight talking with each other. The party was a success and we had six new students join with us, who now are plugged into a Bible study group. I am also excited at two young men who have expressed their desire to be discipled and to disciple others. This morning I spent three hours with them, talking about discipleship, and how best we can use the remainder of the school year to disciple some of the younger men in our group. Please pray for Smart and Ben, and they join with me in spending the next six month actively studying God’s Word and teaching it to others in hopes that they too will teach it to even more students next year. I am thankful for this chance to meet with these key students, and am looking forward to updating you on how God is working in and through them to help reach Chiang Rai University for Christ.

If the ministry at the university wasn’t exciting enough, I was blessed with an opportunity to share the gospel with some people at the coffee shop I am currently teaching English to the owner of. During one of our English sessions, some of his friends began asking questions about my work. That led to a two hour discussion on religion and the difference between being a believer in Christ and following a specific religion’s teaching. It was great, and there was one lady named Ann who had lots and lots of questions. She even asked me if I ever dreamed about Christ, because when she first moved into her house, she had a dream about a cross and it was hanging on the door of her house. She saw the cross but didn’t know what it represented, and so she wanted to know. Her having a dream is huge, because for most Buddhist, it takes something spectacular like a dream, before they will believe. So she is searching and I am trusting that God will continue to prick her heart. Please pray for her and the others at the coffee shop, I meet with them three times a week, and the group has grown from one person to four as we start with studying English and most often finish talking about Christianity.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this update, and I trust that you are all doing well. Please email me back and let me know of any prayer requests you might have. We would love to hear from you. Also if you do find the time, we would love an updated picture of all our friends and supporters, so if you would like to email an updated picture of you and your family, we would love to post it on our prayer wall and keep you in our prayers.

The time has come to go to bed, morning comes early and we still have a lot to do before my parents arrive. Keep your eyes open, for in the next week or so I will be posting pictures from my brothers wedding and our trip to the beach. I also am looking forward to sharing with you more on how God is working in and through the Rutledge family while we are here in Chiang Rai, and also how our plans are coming for our upcoming move to the States in March 2011. Until then, may God continue to bless and protect you as you shine His glory through your lives day by day. God bless and we miss you all.

Dan, Maam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, and Kyle Rutledge

For HE is GOOD!

2010-09-16T13:48:00.020+07:00

PRAISE the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise?

Psalm 106:1-2

It is 10:30 PM and the house is finally quiet, Mam and the four kids are asleep, and I too am feeling the weight of a busy day on my eyelids. The bed is calling to me, and my body is assuring me that this update can wait until tomorrow f
or sleep is important and the morning comes quickly. NO! Tonight I will not give in, time and time again I have tried to write this update, only to be pulled away by a busy day or a sleepy night. Yes, sleep is important, but so are all of you. The faithful followers of this Blog, you who have grown to know our family through the updates we post. You have been zealous in you prayers for us when hard times came. You have joyfully celebrated when God has showered us with His countless blessings. You have given so bountifully to help provide for ALL OF OUR FINANCIAL NEEDS! And you have waited patiently for the latest updates to appear. Tonight, I will fight the sleep, and will write this update for YOU, that we can rejoice together at the wonders God does with the lives of those who follow His call. Now with the Holy Spirits leading and a cup of coffee by my side, let’s get writing.

THE QUIVER IS FULL!!!!!!!!!

The best place to start is with the most recent development in the lives of the Rutledge family. Maybe you didn’t notice in the opening paragraph, I did mention that the FOUR kids were asleep. Last update, we only had three, but since then God has blessed our family with a new little one. I would like to introduce you to little Rutledge number four: Yutapahn Kyle Rutledge. HE was born on August 20^th at 7:20 AM. HE is a strong healthy BOY, and over the past three weeks has already doubled in size. The three girls love their BROTHER, and always are asking to hold HIM. HE sleeps really well, and eats a lot. I know HE is a BOY, because HE also farts a lot. By now you have noticed that we had a SON. So our quiver is blessed with three daughters and one son. Before his arrival, we weren’t sure if we were going to have daughter number four or son number one. Everyone assured us it was a girl, and even Mam was 98 percent sure we were having another daughter. I had some hope it might be a boy, but Mam was right on the other three, so I was leaning towards us having another daughter. Don’t get me wrong, I love our daughters and if we had another one, I would be so excited. Girls are easy, we already have all the clothes and she would fit right in with the other three girls. But I was worried about when all four of them hit teenage years at the same time, what would I do then. I needed some help, and a son would be nice. God had mercy on me and blessed us with a healthy baby boy. We didn’t have any names picked for a boy until we got to the hospital and found out it was a son. Yutapahn is his Thai name, it comes from Ephesians 6: 11 and 13, and it means ARMOR or Armor of God. We chose this because we want him to be strong in the Lord and to stand firm in the Lord during his days on this earth. His English name was also an easy choice, we both agreed that we should name him after a man we admire with Godly character, so we named him after MY HERO, and someone I hope and pray my son grows up to be like, MY FATHER, KYLE. So our new boys name is Yutapahn Kyle Rutledge, we hope you all get a chance to meet him before he gets too big, and we welcome you prayers for guidance as we seek to raise him into a man of God.

CHRISTIAN GRACES:

In March 2010, when we left Akha Outreach Foundation, or plans included a short two month stay in Mam’s village with her family before our move back to the States in June. But God had other plans, and through His working we have been blessed with many opportunities to serve others while we wait for the big move to the States in March 2011. We decided to wait until March for the move, because that is the end of the school year here in Thailand, Gracie and Joy will be able to remain at their school with their friends before we move. Waiting for the girls schools to close before moving back was no problem, but we needed to find ways to continue to minister while we were waiting. I knew Mam would be busy with the new baby, but to be honest I wasn’t too sure what I would be able to do. We must remember though, that we are God’s workmanship, created for good works, which God prepared before hand that we should walk in them. I didn’t know what I was going to do during this year, but God had already planned it out. Within the first week living in our new house, God opened up a handful of ministry opportunities. Before the end of that month, I was faced with the problem of not having anything to do, to having to decide between the many opportunities that were presented to me. During this year, I will be ministering in a handful of ways.

First and foremost, I am focusing on my family. Leading them and help us grow together in the love and power of God’s truth. As a family our goal is to allow God to work in and through us to share His truth to others and proclaim His glory to those who we meet. All of our neighbors are Buddhists and everyday in the way we act with each other and with them is a testimony of God at work in our lives. I love watching the three girls go and practice saying their memory verses in Thai with the neighbors. John 3:16, Matt 7:7, Romans 3:23, and Ephesians 2:8. Also, as the neighbors watch me hang up the laundry, change diapers, vacuum the house, cook dinner, help the girls with their homework, always commenting to Mam that I am a good husband and must really love her, because these are all things that a normal Thai husband would never do. Ministry starts with the family, and if I can minister to my family, then our family can minister to others. I have also been blessed with an opportunity to help out with some collage students through Campus Crusade her in Chiang Rai. I have been meeting with and discipling the leaders of the nine Bible study cell groups which are on campus. I have also been able to help out a small church that most of the collage students attend, through teaching and sometimes preaching. It has been a real blessing meeting with the students, I forgot how much energy and also potential university students have. I have also been volunteer teaching English at a local jr. high school and also to four staff members who work with a ministry to the Wa people group. If this wasn’t enough, I have also started to meet with an owner of a coffee shop three times a week, teaching him English and sharing the gospel with him, the price for his private English lessons one cup of ice coffee.

So God has opened up many different ministry opportunities and I am able to spend the hours my daughters are at school ministering to others in the community. I have also been so blessed with the opportunity to spend quality time with my children and my lovely wife, being able to minister in their lives and we seek to grow in our relationship with God.

Please continue to pray that God will work in and through our family and me as we seek to share His glory among those He brings into our lives. Thank you again for your financial support and your prayers. 100 percent of our income comes from people who give, and even with the addition of a new child, we have continually had our needs met each month.

THE CHRISTIAN HOME:

As I mentioned earlier, ministry starts with the home, and that is why the next chapter in our life involves equipping myself to help lead my family in ministry and also teach and help enable others to do the same. In March 2011, we as a family will be moving back to the States, were Lord willing I will begin working on my master’s degree in Biblical Family Counseling. In my next update, I will share more about this move and why we have decided for me to go back to school. It was not an easy decision to leave Thailand, but we feel God’s lead and a looking forward to spending time living in the States and strengthening our relationships with you and other ministry partners. This is only a temporal move as we are already working on ways we can use the things we learn while I’m working on my masters to help minister to the lives of the families here in Thailand and Lord willing throughout Southeast Asia. I ask you to please pray for us as we spend these next few months preparing for our move. There is lots of paperwork to do before we head back. Passport and birth certificate for the new baby, updating old passports and making sure everything is in order before we leave, trying to deal with our things here, what to take back and what to sew back into the kingdom of God, also preparing things for our stay in America. We are looking at a minimal of two years in the US, so that means we need a house to live in, a van to drive, and everything else you need for day to day life. In America we currently have one box of clothes which we wear during our visits, that is it. We are looking at starting from scratch and we need your help. Please keep you eyes open for the next update, in which I will be sharing with you some very specific needs and asking you to join us in trusting God to provide them.

Well it is 1:20 AM and the coffee is wearing off. I must turn in now and I pray that as you read this you will see how much your giving has done to bless our family, and to touch many other lives we reach out to everyday, trusting that together we can proclaim clearly the wonderful name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

Good night (morning) and God bless

Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, and Kyle Ruledge

Times are Changing

2010-05-11T23:40:00.008+07:00

Proverbs 19:21 There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the LORD'S counsel-that will stand.

Greetings from a very hot and humid Thailand, eight years have passed of calling Thailand home, I have never seem to get use to this heat. The months of March and April are usually the hottest, but this year May is bringing the heat. For the past week the temperatures have been in the mid 40’s, not Fahrenheit, but 45 degrees Celsius. That converts to 113 degrees Fahrenheit, with 90 percent humidity. When it is this hot, even air conditioning doesn’t help much. The best thing to do is to remain as still as possible, while the air con and fan are running at the highest speed. But when you have three little ones, who don’t like to stay still long, the next best thing to do is to go swimming. We have been to the swimming pool a lot lately, and at night time, we turn our bathroom into an indoor pool. Mam is doing great for being 5 months pregnant, and we are thankful for ice. The rains should be coming soon, and also some cooler weather. Until then we are pressing on and trying to remain cool (of course I have always been cool). The only time I can work on the computer is at night, and even then I have the fan blowing on me constantly. I have wanted to update you for a while now, and so tonight I am going to do my best to get this posted before the heat comes back tomorrow. There is a lot to share with you, and I know there is no way to cover it all tonight, so I have decided to write a trilogy. First we will look at the past three months, next week I will bring you part two dealing with what we are currently doing, and the third week I will share with you our family’s future plans. So please check in each week to see the trilogy of the Rutledge family’s life on the EDGE.

CHANGE: YOU CAN BELIEVE IN

Since I last updated this blog, there has been a lot of change in the lives of the Rutledge family. Often times we are leery of change because we are not comfortable with the unknown. But as the Bible teaches, change is inevitable and is something not to fear as we trust in God’s provision and directions for our lives. Currently the changes taking place in our lives and our ministry here in Thailand are stretching us as a famil

y but also are drawing us closer to God and to each other. As I share with you some of the changes that are taking place, I ask you to please continue to pray for our family and that as we journey through these times together, God will use our family to show His glory to everyone we meet.

THE TWO YEAR PLAN:

Two years ago, Mam and I gave our two year notice to Akha Outreach Foundation. We believed that after seven years of ministry, it was time to move on and open the door for others to rise up and serve the children at the home. Time flies by when you are having fun, and before we knew it those two years had passed and on March 31^st 2010 we officially stepped down from our roles of leadership at the ministry and turned the work over to some very capable men and women who we know will do a great job at shepherding the hearts of the children towards Christ. It has been hard to let go, and we already miss the children and ministry so much, but we knew it was time to move on, and trust God will continue to work through the seeds we planted in the lives of the children. For the past seven years Akha Outreach Foundation had become our family. Mam and I were married there, we welcomed the birth of our three daughters there, and we grew to love all the lives at the foundation as our own family. It will be different now, but sometimes different is good. We will continue to help out at the ministry from time to time, and our hearts and our prayers will always be there, but now it is time for a new adventure and we trust God will lead us as we move on.

FOR RENT:

Originally, we had planned to return to Mams village and spend the months of April, May, and June with her family before our big move to the States in June 2010. Funny though how things change, and we quickly came to realize that our plans needed to be rearranged, and our time line for moving back to the States had to be pushed back. In December, Mam and I both felt like three children were enough, and after Christmas and New Years past, I would do the manly thing and go get snipped (ouch). But the passing of the New Year brought news of a new pregnancy and to joy of looking forward to welcoming our fourth child in September. With the pregnancy, the hassle of traveling with three children, and the cost of medical care in the States, we decided to remain in Thailand until after the birth of our fourth child.

The plans to move back to Mam’s village changed as well, as one evening Mam’s brother, who had been sentenced to 6 years in prison suddenly showed up at our door. This was a huge surprise and a huge answer to prayer. We were the only ones taking care of Mams parents and we were praying he would be released early so that he could help take care of them while we were in the States. Well three years into his sentence they let him go. So with him back in the village there was no room for our family to stay. So we had to start looking for a place to rent. We weren’t planning on having to rent a house, but God was in control and after three days of looking, He led us to a small little three bedroom house within walking distance of Mam’s doctor, 5 minutes from the girls school, and surrounded by 5 aunties, 1 grandpa, and 1 grandma who love our girls and Mam. In April we moved from the foundation into our new house, and have been busy unpacking boxes and getting used to life in the city. Mam has been great at making this feel like home, and the girls love talking with grandpa and helping grandma water the flowers. It has been a crazy start to 2010, but God has been very faithful, and we are looking forward to how He is going to work in and through our family over the next year. We were looking forward to our move back to the States, and were saddened we had to push it back, but we are also excited for the chance to continue to minister here Thailand. God has already opened up some unexpected doors to new ministries opportunities and I look forward to sharing those with you next week. God has been so faithful, and for the past seven years we have been able to have all of our financial needs meet through your faithfulness in giving. These next few months will bring many changes, but as a family we are still committed to serving God full time and that will only be possible through the prayers and financial support from you and others. PLEASE, PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THE RUTLEDGE FAMILY AS WE SHARE THE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL WITH THE PEOPLE OF CHIANG RAI. I have discussed the current situation and the new ministry opportunities with our church and the mission board, and they have given us the go ahead to continue on here. So all support can be sent to:

UBC Worldwide Ministries

845 South 9^th

Campus Box 8133

Pocatello, ID

83209

We are thankful for your willingness to partner with us these past seven years, and we look forward to continue working together to help minister to the lost of this world through the power and love of Christ. If you have any questions please email me at dan.rutledge@gmail.com, We do love hearing from you.

I look forward to sharing more with you next week in Part 2. Until then, I leave you with this prayer found in Ephesians 3:14-21. It is too long to type out, so I encourage you to read it and meditate on the power of Christ as He works in and through us for His glory for all generations to witness.

Thank you for your prayers, and all you have done. We look forward to hearing back from you, and please know you are always in our prayers.

Your Fellow Servants in Him

Dan, Mam, Gracie, Joy, Hope, and Faith(if a girl, no boy names yet)

Holiday Greetings

2009-12-08T22:20:00.006+07:00

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;
Now ye hear of endless bliss:
Joy! Joy!
Jesus Christ was born for this!
He has opened the heavenly door, and man is blest forevermore.
Christ was born for this! Christ was born for this!

Season's greetings and happy holidays, I trust you are doing well.

Since my last update, life for the Rutledge Family and the ministry here at Akha Outreach Foundation has been busy but also very blessed. There isn’t a week that passes without some new adventure to face or storm to weather, but we don’t despair because we cling to the promises of Lamentations 3:21-25
21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“ Therefore I hope in Him!”
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.

This is the hope we find in Him. I would love to share with all that has been taking place over the past few months, but I am desperately trying to get this update posted before the turn of the New Year, so I will just share a few highlights and have attached a link to a photo journal of the past months. I trust that the pictures will be more vivid in showing you the goodness of God and how He is working in and through the Rutledge family in Thailand. Thank you for taking the time to read this update, and I trust you will join me in rejoicing in God and His faithfulness.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dan.rutledge/LifeOnTheEdge?feat=directlink

The holiday season is upon us, and though this is my favorite time of the year, it is also the hardest. I love celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years here at AOF, but I do hate being so far away from friends and family during this time of the year. Please know even though we are physically apart, you are very near to our hearts. Mam and I have been frantically preparing a small Christmas gift to share with all of our supporters and prayer partners, and trusting that they will arrive in time for Christmas. We are always thanking God for you and all you have done to bless our family, but especially during the holiday season we want you to know how thankful we are. Without your prayers and financial support our family would not be able to minister here at Akha Outreach Foundation. 100 % of our finances come from your faithfulness in giving. Thank you so much for hearing God’s call and being willing to be used by Him to bless not only our family, but also 1000 of Akha and Thai people through the ministry here. This Thanksgiving our family took time to pray especially for you and thank God for His goodness to us, which we receive through you. We have so much to be thankful for, and because of your gifts there has not be a month pass by where we didn’t have enough money to cover our needs. God is so good, and thank you for your willingness to be used by Him for His glory. Thank you again.

December is always a very busy month for the Rutledge Family. On December 5th, Thailand celebrates Fathers Day and all the schools close for the day. December 5th is the king of Thailand’s birthday and this year he is turning 81 years old. It is a special day because he has been king of Thailand for over 60 years. He has been a good and just king and all the people love him. Over the years I have learned to see the love which the Thai people have for their king, and think back to the days of King David and what a love the people had for him. I also think about the King of Kings, and how wonderful His kingdom will be, and how blessed we are to be a part of it.

On December 10th Thailand celebrates constitution day, the day when freedom came to the common people. Thailand used to be a monarchy in which royalty ruled everything. But the king of Thailand decided that democracy was best and gave up his power to guarantee freedom for the Thai people. What a beautiful picture of sacrifice and love. We can’t help to think about Jesus and His willingness to give up His supreme power and rule, to come to the earth to be born in a lowly manger, and later to give up his life on the cross for us. That is sacrifice and true love. On December 12th we celebrate Mams’ birthday, followed by mine on the 19th, then on the 25th Bratanas’ birthday and also the birth of Jesus Christ. December comes to a close on the 31st, as everyone celebrates the passing of a year and the beginning of a new one. As you can see December is super busy for the Rutledge family, but this year we decided to add a little extra craziness to our Christmas time. Every year we celebrate Christmas here at AOF will all of the orphans and Bible students. Trying to get Christmas ready for 130 people is hard enough, but this year we decided to invite the members from the 16 churches under us to join us for Christmas. We can be looking at over 1000 people staying here for a three day Christmas celebration. How we will do this I am not sure, but I know it will be a truly wonderful time as we come together to celebrate to birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Keep checking the blog, I will be taking lots of pictures and posting them.

This is going to be a special Christmas for us, not only because we are expecting to host the largest Christmas party ever, but because this will be the last Christmas the Rutledge family will be spending with AOF for a while. For seven wonderful years we as a family have been blessed to be able to live and serve here at Akha Outreach Foundation. It has become our home, and we will be sad to leave, but after much prayer we feel it is the right time to move on. We will finish out the school year, which ends in March and after that we will begin preparations for a move back to the States. Why we are leaving and what we will be doing next will be explained in more detail in an upcoming letter. I just wanted to give you a heads up, and know that Lord willing we will be spending the holidays season with friends and family in the States. It is going to be hard to leave, but we feel a peace and know God has a new road for us to travel. Please be in prayer for us, as we begin the preparations for the trip back to the States. There are many steps and many things we need to do before we board the plane to the US, so please pray that we will be diligent in doing what needs to be done, but also have quality time with all the people we work with here at AOF. We have invested 7 years into the lives of this ministry, and we want the next 6 months to be invested wisely too. I promise to update you more about our move and our future plans, but if you just need to know now, please feel free to email me and I will give you a more detailed description of our upcoming plans.

Well the time has come to sign off. Thank you again for taking the time to read this, and please do check out the web photo journal of the past few months. I trust you had a great Thanksgiving, and our family is wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I leave you with the chorus from a Christmas Carol which is not very well known, but has a wonderful message. The Wassail Song, and the chorus goes like this:

Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
And God bless you, and send you
A Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year

Peace and Love through Christ
The Rutledge Family

ALL or NOTHING!

2009-07-21T23:20:00.002+07:00

Greetings from the Rutledge family and everyone here at Akha Outreach Foundation, we are currently engaged in a battle which I’m not sure we’ll win. The flu bug came to the foundation and of the 150 people who call AOF home, close to 100 people have bit hit with differing flu symptoms. I am honest in saying I have never seen a flu hit so fast and spread to so many people like this last weeks flu. It is also challenging because the whole world is worried about the swine flu (H1N1 virus), every time one of our kids get sick we have to deal with the fear factor along with the other flu symptoms. To date none of our kids have been diagnosed with the swine flu, and for that we are thankful. I believe we just got hit with a really bad flu bug, and with so many people living together, it is only natural for it to spread quickly to everyone near by. We are not the only home dealing with sick children, and as the number of flu cases increase we are seeing more and more schools closing. These are short closers, lasting 3 to 7 days in length and it is helping everyone find some time to rest and recoup before going back to school. Currently two of the schools which our children attend have closed and so we have decided to let the children return home to their villages for a week. We have also closed our Bible School for a week and will take this break to clean and disinfect the rooms and buildings. For the last week we have been working hard trying to deal with those who are already sick and prevent the flu from spreading to others, but we have found ourselves in a losing battle. For each child that gets better, we have four more that get sick. The staff have been working tirelessly to help distribute meds and care for those who are suffering from fevers. In their efforts to aide the sick, they themselves have been infected and now of the 15 person staff team that work here, 9 are sick but still working hard to care for the children and Bible students.
If dealing with the flu was our only problem, I believe we could make it through. But over the past month I have taken three trips to the hospital to deal with emergency injuries and ailments. Not only I but the staff as a whole have been pushed to the max with all of these health issues. It hard enough work managing our day to day operations, but to aid in unexpected heath issues, makes our work here virtually impossible. Nancy, the director’s wife used the example of the “Bang a Mole” game they have at carnivals. You just finish pounding one mole and then another one pops up. We have seen crazy days before, but never for as long and as consist as the past month has been. We had a girl in the hospital for over two weeks with what we thought was appendicitis but turned into be something more complicated then that. She returned home from the hospital just in time to catch the first attack of the flu bug. While she was in the hospital, we had another girls sprain her left arm which left her in an arm sling for the next two weeks. One week probably was enough, but she thought she needed it another week, so we let her wear it. We also had a boy fall off his bike while doing a “wheelie” and break his left arm. Two days later another boy fell while playing soccer and we think suffered a hairline fracture on his left arm. So for a week we had three children running around with their left arms in slings. Just as we were getting them all better, the Swine flu hit Thailand, and we began to pass out the face masks. Seeing all 92 children line up for morning prayers wearing their face masks was sure a funny sight. With all of our children home from the hospital and everyone equipped with a face mask we believed we were ready for anything. But that is when everything got crazy. We had a boy slip and split his face open, praise God not doing any damage to his eye in the process. After 14 stitches above and below his right eye he was able to return to school. Then last week we had another boy jump kick his way through a glass door. (No more action movies for these kids) He learned that jumping through glass doors will always result in one winner, the glass door. We took him to the hospital for stitches in his head, arm, hand, and leg. But if these trips to the hospital weren’t enough, the next day began the flu. One by one the schools began calling asking us to pick up different kids who were suffering from high fevers. And thus began the “kry what yie” as they say in Thai. The big flu as we would say it in English. The Thais refer to the Swine flu as the “kry what yie” but we have borrowed the term to help describe the madness which has been taking place here over the past few weeks. One by one the orphans, then the Bible students and now the staff experienced the flu which brings with it high fevers, sore throats, coughing, body aches, and if this isn’t enough, it also drains all of your energy for the next four days. We are thankful that it isn’t the H1N1 virus, but it still is a bad virus and I am sorry for anyone who gets it. Praise God there still are a few people left who haven’t come down with the flu bug and we pray that they can remain healthy. It feels like one of those “post apocalyptic” movies, where there are only a few remaining survivors left after everyone else on the earth is gone. It is a strange feeling around here right now with everyone back in their villages. We have around 20 people still here, but when you consider this morning there were 150 people here and now only 20. Strange, but quiet and for that we are thankful.
I am sharing this with you because 1st I haven’t updated my Blog in a long while and I really needed to get back to blogging. Second we are in need of your prayers, and would ask you to please remember us in your prayers for the next week. Third this is a good example of what daily life is like for the Rutledge family while we are ministering here at Akha Outreach Foundation, just incase you were wondering.
I am thankful that our family is healthy and even though I had to pick up Gracie today at school because she had a slight fever we haven’t been hit with the flu bug. I know that it is by the grace of God that we are still all well, and I know that you must be praying for us. Thank you.
Please continue to pray for all the orphans, Bible students, staff that are sick that they will get well quickly and completely during this week of rest. Pray also for those who have yet to get sick, that they will remain healthy and not have to experience the flu bug. Pray also for the 30 plus pastors and village leaders that will be attending our monthly training which starts tomorrow and runs through Saturday. Pray that they will be protected from the bug as well and that the staff will have enough strength to help minister to them while they are here with us. Pray also for the people of Thailand and the rest of the world as well as the fear of the Swine flu has struck and more and more people are living in fear of H1N1 virus. We have hope in the promises found in Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. God is in control and we can find hope and joy in this truth.
In closing I would like to leave you with a little nugget from God’s Word which I have been blessed to be studying over the past few days. This nugget is found in truth of the following two verses.
Joh 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
I can sum it up in this simple phrase: ALL or NOTHING. The past few weeks have once again reminded me that I can do nothing, not some things, NOTHING apart from Christ in my life. I can’t heal these sick children, I can’t make this children obey, I can’t do anything if Christ is not in me and working through me. It is real sobering to realize that we are completely helpless. I came here to help these children, to teach them God’s truth and help them live a life for His glory. But the longer I am here, the clearer I can see that it is not what I do, but what God is doing in me and through me that is going to truly help the children here. This doesn’t only apply the 92 orphans I help care for but also my own three daughters and my lovely wife as well. The truth is that I can do NOTHING. If we were to stop here, then it would be very easy to lose hope and give up on trying. But if we look at the second verse in Philippians, we see that in truth we can do ALL THINGS. Wait, didn’t I just say we can do nothing, and now I am saying we can do all things. Check my forehead, am I hot? Do I have the fever? No, we can do All Things, if and only if we have Christ. This is the key, without Christ I can do Nothing, with Christ I can do ALL THINGS, even take care of 150 sick people if needed. God is good, and I am so thankful that He revealed this truth to me during this time of despair. I find myself filled with Joy and Hope due to the Grace of God and His Son Christ abiding in me. I do not know what may happen tomorrow, but I am not afraid, for Christ is with me and through Him I can do ALL THINGS. Rejoice with me, for this nugget of God’s truth is not just for me, but for all of us who abide in Him. Let us draw near and abide in the true vine, allowing Him to enable us to do ALL THINGS.
Thank you for your prayers and support, we look forward to updating you next week on how mightily God worked through your prayers. We are dependent on your prayers and cherish the time you sacrifice to lift them up for us. We miss you all and are so blessed to be partnered with such a wonderful group of supporters. Thank you again and remember we can always find Joy in the Hope found in the Grace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen and Amen

Ps 57:2 I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.
Mt 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Mr 9:23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
2Co 6:4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Joh 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Easter Blessings

2009-04-13T07:27:00.006+07:00

“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.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2008-11-13T12:25:00.005+07:00

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Philippians 4:4-5

Wow, I am astonished how fast time flies. I guess when you keep busy, it speeds everything up. The last time I wrote it was mid September and our family was getting busy ready for our upcoming trip to the States, now it is mid November and we are busy getting ready for Christmas and the New Year. Our family has been back in Thailand now for two weeks, and I am afraid that if I don’t write you right now, it will be 2009 before I get another chance to write. The past few months were busy and full of many blessing, I know that the next few months will be busier and I trust that they will be blessed.
November is a month that we take time to remember all our blessings as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Since being in Thailand, I have come to see that we don’t and shouldn’t wait until November to count our blessings. We should daily be thankful for ALL that the LORD blesses us with. Thailand doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday but as a family we still try to set aside some time to reflect back over the past year and thank God for all His blessings. This year we have so much more to be thankful for, we may have to take a whole week to celebrate God’s goodness.
I know we all are thankful for Moetana Hope, our third daughter and such a blessing to our family. I have been richly blessed with four lovely ladies to daily share my life with. They do keep me on my toes, and challenge me to be a better husband and father everyday. Moetana will be six months old this month, and we are so blessed to have her in our family. As a family we are also thankful for the opportunity to live, work, and minister together as a family. It is hard sometimes, living at your job but it is also very rewarding to be able to be a family serving others together. We are so thankful for all of our health. The past year we caught a few small colds but nothing serious and for that we are so thankful. We are thankful for the changes we are beginning to see take place in the lives of the orphans and Bible students we work with. God is at work in their lives, and it is great to watch them willing submit to His direction and watch them grow in their relationship with Him and with each other. We are also thankful for the way God is working in our lives, I have great joy hearing Bratana ask to pray before we eat all of our meals, and if she doesn’t fill like the first prayer was enough, she won’t eat until we pray again. It is a blessing hearing Garuna and Mam sing praise songs before bed time, and also seeing how God is working in my life and Mam’s helping us to become better partners and parents through His Spirit. God is so great, and He blesses us with so much, it is hard not to be thankful. I believe sometimes we all get too busy to stop and really look at what God has been, is doing, and will do as we live our lives through Him. We are so blessed, and I can’t write all the things we are thankful for without including YOU. YOU being all the people who help make it possible for us to live, serve, and thrive here in Thailand. Your prayers, financial support, goodie boxes, emails of encouragements. All of these things that seem so simple truly impact us in a huge way. We couldn’t be here without you, and that is the truth. You are what helps make this ministry work, buy helping us you are blessing every life that we work with everyday. We are so thankful for all of you, and we are extremely thankful for the time we got to visit with most of you during our recent trip to the States. It was great to be back in Idaho again, to see the fall colors and the purity of fresh falling snow. It was the first time we had taken a big trip as a whole family, and even though it was challenging sometime, it still was well worth it. Our one regret is that we did not get to spend more time with you. Two hours for dinner isn’t enough time, and if I could have I would have loved to spends hours sitting and talking with you. For those who took the time to meet with us, thank you so much. You blessed us with you homes, your food, and especially your willingness to let us share how God is working in and through us here in Thailand. Our daughters loved spending time with your children, and it is such a blessing that so many of my friends have kids too. I could write for hours sharing with you all the blessings that we received during our trip but instead I would like to take this time and personally thank each and everyone who took the time to meet with us.
1. Kasey and Suzy and family: Thank you so much for rescheduling your time with us and giving us an opportunity to share at your church. Your family is precious and such a blessing to spend time with. The girls love their bracelets and I loved the apple pie and cigars. Sorry we couldn’t stay longer and have a second piece of pie, it was good. Thank you.
2. Darrin and Sunny: Wow Darrin it was great to meet your new bride and she is a great girl. Treat her right or I will come back and pound on you. Thanks for getting together and for letting me invade your evening just to use your internet and printer. Thank you and if you are every looking for a good place to vacation, please know you are always welcome at our house.
3. Justin and Trish and family: Thank you, thank you so much for opening up your house and your home to us for a week. Sorry we were messy; we are trying to master this living out of a suit case routine. Sorry also that we couldn’t spend more time with you, but know we love you and our girls are so thankful your children took the time to help them build a snow man. Thank you.
4. Mark and Christy and family: Your family is always there for us and such a blessing to our daughters and to Mam, thank you for letting us crash at your house and also for all the wonderful food we enjoyed while staying with you. Thank you so much for all the clothes you passed onto our girls, they look so girly in all their new clothes, thank you.
5. Dave and Alyson and family: You guys are awesome, and thank you so much for the truck and car seat that you let us borrow the whole time while we were in the States. Thank you also for helping get to and from the airport, and for taking the time to have us over for lunch. It was so nice to talk to you and let our families play together. We pray that one day we can return the favor. You guys are great and we love you, thank you.
6. Chris and Chrissie and family: Thank you for taking the time to schedule a special meal with us. It meant a lot to spend that extra time with you and also with the Jenkins family. We are sorry we couldn’t spend more time together, but we are thankful for the time we did spend for it was truly blessed. Thank you.
7. Gary and Judy: Thank you for the car seats that you let our family use while in the States, we are sorry that it didn’t work out to get together with you for a meal. We would have really loved to visit with you, but due to sickness and fatigue, we had to take a few days rest at the end, and we just ran out of time. Thank you for the car seats and for your willingness to share.
8. Thank you Emma for taking the time to have breakfast with us on a very early and cold morning. It was nice to meet with you and the girls loved spending time with you. Thank you for your prayers, they are so precious to us.
9. Thank you Mr. Dean, for the time you took to hang out with us, and also for the wonderful meal you made from Pizza Hut. Joy loved that pasta meal so much and it was fun hanging out with you and seeing you again. Thank you
10. Thank you Pettit Family for taking the time out of your busy schedule to be with us. Thanks Kevin for the time at breakfast, it was great to have some good man time and talk about life. It was also great to see your family and hear how God is working in and through your family while you serve Him over in Asia. Wow how your kids have grown.
11. Thank you Pastor Mike and everyone at University Bible Church. Thank you Pastor for taking the time to meet with me and talk about future plans and also keep me accountable in my personal walk with the Lord and my time with my family. Thank you for all your words of wisdom and the wonderful 2 foot burrito we shared with the guys. Also for everyone at UBC who have been supportive of us and our work her. It was great to see and visit with many of you, I wish I could have stayed the whole month fellowshipping with you all. Your prayers and support are so wonderful and we are so grateful for your willingness to be used by God. Thank you.
12. Thank you Dave and the mission committee at UBC: Thank you Dave for being so faithful in helping manage our finances and support. It is such a joy to see your heart to serve, and please know you are a big part of our ministry here, without you, we don’t know if we could continue as productively as we are. Also for the mission committee, thank you for taking the time to meet with me and hear how things are going. Thank you for your faith in our family and enabling us to serve here in Thailand. We do pray that one day soon you will be able to come visit us. Our home is always open.
13. Thank you Linda Rankin for setting up the time to share at your church and to meet with us. Sorry it was so short we wish we had more time. Your heart and love for our family and ministry is such a blessing. Thank you.
14. Thank you to the Myers Bible study group and their willingness to listen to what we had to share about what God is doing here. Thank you for being patient as our daughters adjusted to your little white doggy. The food was great and we were blessed that you opened your house to us. Thank you.
15. Thank you to all of you from Twin Falls Reformed Church who took the time to have dinner with us. I am sorry that Mam and the girls could not make the dinner, it just means that you will have to come back and visit us soon here in Thailand before they all grow up. The food was amazing, specially the Idaho potatoes. Funny it is the simple things that you find you miss when they aren’t around. Potatoes are what I miss. Thank you.
16. Thank you Ken for taking the time to come visit us briefly before we left Twin Falls. We do wish we could have seen your whole family, but we understand. It was great to see you again and great to hear that God is still working through you.
17. Thank you Ken and Grace Young for the wonderful home made chocolate chip cookies and the little cherry tomatoes. The girls loved them so much, it was also great to hear how God has blessed your family and to just rejoice together as we watch God at work. Thank you for the afternoon you spent with us, and we pray that your house will sell soon. Though we will be sad not to be able to visit you anymore in Pocatello, we will just have to take a little longer road trip.
18. Thank you big sis Catherine, Carl, and Hannah for inviting us to your wedding and do so much to help make our stay with you fun. The girls loved the pumpkin patch and Mam loved all the color of the leaves that were changing. I loved being able to see you all again and meet your new husband. He is a good guy and I am happy for you. Hannah, wow you have grown up so much, please do come and visit us soon, you are always welcome.
19. To the Alexander family. Hey there guys what can we say. We always loved visiting you in Bangkok, and even though now you have moved back to the States, it was still so great to spend time with you. We miss you guys, and trust we can see you again before too long. The girls all say hi, and Matt, thanks for the golf game, even though you beat me, it was still great to get out and swing the clubs. Thanks guys we love you.
20. To Mitch and Becca: Thank you for having us over for dinner, Joy and Gracie loved it, I too really enjoyed it. Thanks also for inviting so many people to come and hear about our ministry and how they could be a part of it. We wish we had more time to spend with you guys, your daughter is absolutely lovely. Congratulations and thank you again.
21. To the Shoemakers and Ayabei Family: Thank you for having us over for dinner and taking time to hang out. Again we are sorry that the girls couldn’t make it. They would of loved playing with your daughter, next time for sure. The food was great, but the fellowship was out of this world. God is so good, and it great to see how God is blessing your two families. Thank you for your prayers and support. Kelly and Jaqaie your boy is so handsome, congratulations.
22. Brandi, thank you for taking to time to meet us for dinner. It is always great to see you and hear how God is working through you. Keep up the great job and thank you for your prayers.
23. James and Rachel and family thank you for dinner, I had no idea you had a little girl, wow she is so cute and your family is so sweet. Thank you for dinner the food was great. It was great to spend more time talking with you and hearing how God is working. We will continue to pray for you.
24. To the Michaude family: Wow we almost missed you, thank you for taking the extra time to get together. We would have been heart broken if we didn’t get to see you guys during our visit. Your family is growing and is such an inspiration to us and so many others. It was great to see you, and even if it didn’t work out to stay with you, we still enjoyed our time greatly. God bless
25. The Pollock family; we are so sad that we missed you, we understand the busyness and we are so grateful for your willingness to still try and meet up with us. This time it didn’t work out, but next time for sure we will get together and Lord willing we can get together with Ben and his family too. You are such a blessing to us, thank your for your support and prayers.
Thank you Maxine, for taking the time for lunch, it was great to visit with you and hear how God is working in your life, thank you for your prayers and support.
27. Thank you to all of our other supporters who so faithfully give and have blessed us so much over the years. We wanted to visit with all of you, but lack of time and finances just made it impossible. Know that we love you all very much and are so thankful for all you have given.
28. Joel thank you for taking time off of work to have lunch with us. It was great to see you again, and we hope to see you next time we are through the Boise area.
29. Pastor Matt and everyone at Riverside Community Church for allowing us the opportunity to come and share with you what God is doing here in Thailand. It was a blessing to come and fellowship with you and she how God has blessed your church. We will keep you in our prayers and thank you again for the opportunity to come and worship with you.
30. Finally, thank you Dad and Mom. Truly the main people we wanted to spend time with while home was with you guys. Sorry you both got so sick and also we were so busy all of the time. I look forward to spending more time with you in the near future and letting our girls get to know their grandparents better. Gracie and Joy still ask about you and really miss the raspberries, any left? Mam loved driving the car and I loved just hanging out with you. We love you and thank you for sharing your time for us to visit friends and supporters. We miss you and are looking forward to visiting you soon. God bless.
Our time in the States was rushed and it seemed like most of our time we spent driving, but it was still a great time to visit with many friends and family. We also we blessed with some time to just get away and be a family. Most of that time was spent in the car but still we had a great family vacation. The weather was lovely, Mam got to see the autumn leaves changing, Gracie prayed for snow and God blessed her with two days of beautiful snow. Joy fell in love with Macaroni and Cheese and was able to eat it a almost every restaurant we went to. Hope just loved being held buy everyone and spending time napping on Grandpa and Grandma’s shoulder. I enjoyed visiting with so many dear friends, and of course filling up on Mountain Dew and all the beef I could get. God blessed us with safe travel, wonderful accommodations, and almost perfect health. We only had four weeks in the States, and I feel like we were able to complete three months worth of work. We are thankful that we are back to work now, and look forward to the next trip stateside possible in summer 2010. It is in the Lord’s hands.
I will bring this post to a close, thank you for taking the time to read it, and remember that we don’t have to give thanks only on Thanksgiving day, it should be something we do everyday. God is so good, and we are so richly blessed. I pray that you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving and a blessed holiday season. Your prayers and support are so welcomed. We had a goal of raising $1000 more a month for our support, we aren’t sure if we met that goal or not, we will have to wait until I we look at this month’s giving. If you are or would like to support us, could you PLEASE email me and let me know how much you will be sending, so I can make a correct budget for the upcoming year. Thank you again for your willingness to give and for the time you spent with us.
May God continue to bless and protect you, and remember to always allow God to work in and through you daily for His glory!
Your fellow servants in Him: Dan, Mam, Garuna, Bratana, and Moetana Rutledge

"Enjoy your flight"

2008-09-11T07:45:00.010+07:00

Greetings once again from Chiang Rai, Thailand, were the Rutledge family is busy making final preparations for our upcoming visit to the States. It is amazing how much work goes into preparing for a four week trip. We have been busy getting passports for the girls, a visa for Mam, plane tickets for all of us, and lining up places to stay once we arrive in America. Mam is busy sewing lots of cool things to give out to supporters and friends, Garuna and Bratana are working on their English, and I am trying to put together a prayer card of our family and a short video about the ministry. Lord willing come September 30^th we will have everything finished and be able to truly enjoy our visit with you. For those who haven’t heard of the latest schedule. Here it is one more time.

We arrive in Boise on the 30^th of September and will be in the Boise area until the 6^th of October. Then we will drive to Pocatello and be there until the 13^th of October. We will drive back to Boise and on the 14^th of October we will fly to Michigan for my sisters wedding. On the 19^th we will fly back to Idaho and drive to Twin Falls. We will be in Twin Falls about two days and on the 21^st drive to Hailey. We will be in Hailey until the 22^nd or 23^rd and then we will drive back to Boise. We will be in the Boise area until the 28^th of October when we fly back to Thailand. It is going to be a busy time, but we are truly looking forward to visiting as many of you as we can.

Please continue to pray for guidance as we firm up travel dates and complete all the necessary preparations for the trip. We are thankful that over $2000 has come in to help cover our air expenses. The total cost of our tickets is $5800 so we are trusting that the rest will come in soon. Also we have been so blessed with many offers of places to stay. Thank you everyone who so willingly offered the use of their houses during our visit. What a sweet aroma your gifts are to God. Thank you. We are still looking for a vehicle to use while we travel. Please pray that we will come across one that will help transport us during our travels to Pocatello, Twin Falls, and around the Boise area. (Praise God, for He is so good, as I was writing this letter, I received an email from the Stauffer family offering us the use of their vehicle while we are in the States. Thank God for His answered prayers and for everyone’s willingness to be a vessel of service for our King).

We have been busy getting ready for our trip, but that has not stopped us from having lots of fun here over the past two months. Since my last update we have been planting rice, husking corn, pulling teeth, and doing everything else that needs to be done to keep this huge family running.

This year we were blessed with an abundant amount of rain, and so when it came time to plant rice, we almost had too much water. But God is so good, and the week we started planting rice, the rains stopped and helped us be able to get all the paddies planted before it rained again. The price of rice has almost tripled and so if we have a good harvest this year, that will help cut done on the expense for next year. We also planted a huge field of corn and for the past two weeks, everyone has been working hard to husk all the corn. Not shuck, but husk. That means taking each and every kernel off of the husk. It has been fun sitting around with a bunch of kids on a big pile of corn working our fingers to the bone, literally. We all have nice blisters on our thumbs and palms after husking corn for hours. Our meeting hall is full of corn, and with so much corn around it is hard not act “corney”. Ok bad joke, I am sorry.

Right after our rice was all planted and all the corn harvested, we had a team of dentists come to do a yearly check up on all our teeth. Dr. Luce has been offering his dental skills to Akha Outreach Foundation for the past five years. Each time he comes, he spends the week; filling, cleaning and pulling teeth for all the children, Bible Students, staff, and even pastors and church members from the village. He has established a portable dentist office, and each year he comes back he adds to it. He also adds to his staff, last year he brought two assistants with him, this year he brought a group of nine, included was an oral sergeant. During their one week here, they divided into two teams, one traveling to a village and offering basic dental care. The second group staying here at the foundation checking on all the children, and Bible students, both groups together did more work then we could have accomplished in a year of going to the dentist. On one after noon alone I assisted in pulling over 18 wisdom teeth.

Growing up I was not a big fan of dentist, but after spending time with Dr. Luce and his fellow dentists, I have become a huge fan of dentist. In fact I am a huge fan of anyone willing to use the skills God gave them to serve His Kingdom. We all don’t have to be dentist’s to serve God in big ways, just being willing to offer your self to serve others, as Christ offered Himself for us, this is what the world needs to see. If we as Christians would live our lives for this, then we would begin to see people longing to know more about Christ.

Thank you all for your prayers and for your servants’ hearts. So many of you give so freely of your time and finances to help our family be able to live and work here at Akha Outreach Foundation. Your partnership with us is such a blessing and we do look forward to sharing with you how God is using YOU to reach the Akha with His hope. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, and we do look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible once we reach the States.

God bless and protect you, and remember that we are daily thanking God for you.

Your fellow servants in Him

Dan, Mam, Garuna, Bratana, and Moetana Rutledge

The Magic Number Three

2008-07-06T14:42:00.010+07:00

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13

Greetings once again from the Rutledge family, God has so wonderfully been working in and through our family over the past few months. There are so many exciting events that have taken place since I last updated this blog, and I am looking forward to sharing them with you, so without any further delay let us begin.

As a kid, I remember one of my favorite TV shows was the cartoon School House Rock. I used to love watching each episode eager to hear the songs which they used to help us remember important facts. We all can remember the song “I’m Just a Bill.” or the “Conjunction Junction.” But my all time favorite song was about the magic number 3. Yes, most of us can sing at least a few lines from this song:

“Three is a magic number,
Yes it is, it's a magic number.
Somewhere in the ancient, mystic trinity
You get three as a magic number.

The past and the present and the future.
Faith and Hope and Charity,
The heart and the brain and the body
Give you three as a magic number. ”

Will as I was thinking about what to share with you, this song popped into my head. It seems like over the past THREE months, everything has been happening in THREE’S. So without further wait let us look at the magic number THREE.

First off, on May 16^th our family celebrated this special day for two occasions. First it was Garuna’s THIRD birthday, and we also welcomed into the world our THIRD daughter MOETANA HOPE RUTLEDGE. She was born at 1:42 PM and weighted just over 7 lbs. Garuna and Bratana both were very excited to welcome their new sister, and we were thankful for a healthy baby, and a healthy Mommy. Moetana in Thai means “Rejoice or thank you”, and we truly are rejoicing in the Hope we find in Christ. Moetana is a month old now, and is growing very quickly. Garuna and Bratana are great helpers for Mommy, they are always eager to bring pampers when their sister is stinky, and they love to give their little sister a kisses all over the face. At least once a day they ask Mommy if they can hold their sister, and love to sing to her when she is awake. I have been truly blessed with four women all with a quiet spirit and the gift of patience. Moetana hardly cries and the first night she slept in the room with us she slept through the night. All THREE of my daughters have their Mother’s spirit and for that I am so thankful. Having THREE children, even if they are good, still is a full time job, and we have been ever so busy keeping up with these three. Garuna started school last month and goes THREE days each week. She really loves her teacher and each day has a new song to teach us. Bratana is growing so fast, and loves her older sister so much, she always wants to follow Garuna everywhere, unless the Baby is awake, then she wants to be with the baby. Both of them have amazing vocabularies for their age and freely use all THREE languages: Akha, Thai, and English. In no time at all they will be better then their parents. That is a scary idea. Maam is doing great, and sends her wishes. She is an amazing Mother and the THREE girls love her so much. There is so much more I could share with you, but life here is not just about our family, God is doing so much more here at Akha Outreach Foundation.

THREE months ago the schools started again following a two month break, and we are thankful that all of our children returned safely from their villages. We also took in 13 new children bringing our number of orphans to 92. When you try to imagine raising 92 orphans plus your own THREE children, it looks to be an impossible task. Trust me it would be if not for the help of a wonderful staff team, and the constant help from God. We have eight people who faithfully serve these children 24hrs a day, and without them this ministry wouldn’t survive. I have the awesome responsibility of leading this team and all of the orphans in our day to day activities. By God’s grace we have been able to continue on. There are days, that it seems like we can’t continue, but God is there to pick us up and lead us further on. This is the hardest work I have ever done, being a Father to 95 children, and also disciplining and leading the children’s team. It is the hardest work, but it is also the most enjoyable work. I do not have any trouble falling asleep at night, because of the exhaustion of a full day of work, and the peace of knowing that all I accomplished was for the furthering of God’s kingdom. These two factors are better then any sleeping pills.

I ask you to please continue to pray for God to continue to watch over all the lives here. Last week I killed THREE snakes in one night. Two of them were very deadly and were near some of the rooms our children stay. Also last week I witnessed THREE accidents involving motorcycles and other vehicles taking students to and from school. I have become the ultimate Soccer Dad, for each day I take THREE trips taking the children to school and THREE trips picking them up. One trip is for Garuna but the other two trips I am using the 6 wheeled truck to take all the children to school. The first trip leaves at 7 AM and I go to four different schools, dropping off 30 teenagers. This usually takes 30 minutes and then I come back to pick up 56 elementary students to take them to their school. Following this trip, I switch vehicles to my truck and drive into town to take Garuna to school. In the afternoon I do it all again. If I add up the time, I typically spend THREE hours a day driving kids to and from school. It is a good thing that I like to drive. Please pray though for our safety as we do travel to and from these schools.

Finally I want to give you a heads up, that in about THREE months the Rutledge family will be traveling back to the States for a month long visit. We are looking at coming during the Thai school break in October and will try to stay for about a month. We will be spending most of our time between Caldwell and Pocatello. We also hope to visit the Hailey area for some camping (if the weather is good), and the Twin Falls area. There are so many of you who have faithfully supported and prayed for us, and we are eager to meet with you. Sadly though I am not sure if we can meet with everyone, but we will try. I am giving you a heads up, for THREE reasons. 1) If you would like to meet with us and hear more about what God is doing here, then you can contact us and we can schedule a time to get together. 2) If you would like us to share at your church our Bible study group, then we can schedule a time that works for you and your Church body. 3) You can begin to pray that God will provide the needed finances to cover all the expenses of the trip. The price of airfare has increased and with five people flying we are looking at around $5500 just for the airplane tickets. We also will need a vehicle while we are traveling and if we look at renting one it would be close to $1000 for the whole time we are in the States. If you have a vehicle that we could rent for the four weeks while we are there that would be a huge blessing. Also while we are visiting Pocatello, we are looking for a place to stay. It would be for about two weeks at the most. Please pray that God will provide lodging. Also we are putting together a DVD to share with you about the ministry here, and we are looking for a lap top computer to borrow while we are in the States. Or if you have an old computer that you would be willing to donate to our family, that would be a huge blessing. We also are in need of raising some more support. You have been so faithful over the past years, and we have never been in need, but our family is growing and it is time to increase our monthly goals. We know that you give sacrificially already, so we are looking to finding some other brothers and sisters to join our support team. So if you know of someone who might be interested in hearing about the ministry here, or joining our support team, could you please have them contact us? Both your prayer and financial support has blessed us with the opportunity to live and serve here at Akha Outreach Foundation. We miss you all and are looking forward to visiting you in October. Please join us as we beseech God for the financial means to cover all of our needs. We truly miss all of you and are looking forward to introducing you to our THREE daughters and to share with you personally what God is doing through your prayers and support. Thank you so much, and we look forward to hearing back from you. May God’s continual hand of protection and provision rest bountifully on you and your loved ones.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Your fellow servants in Him

Dan, Maam, Garuna, Bratana, and Moetana Rutledge.

Our Quiver Is FULL.

2008-03-06T16:56:00.008+07:00

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Philippians 4:5

Wow, how has time flown by. My last update to you was five months ago. That is almost half of a year, where does the time go. As I get older it seems like time if passing so much quicker, but maybe that is because I am busy. Let me give you a quick update on what has happened over the past five months, and also share with you what is planned for the next few months.

I guess the best place to start is right where my last Blog left off. It was mid school break in October, and almost all of the children and Bible students had gone home for vacation. Maam, the girls and I were traveling to Bangkok to spend some time with my sister and her family and take some time to rest and relax before the new school term started. In my last Blog, I had mentioned that Maam and I were planning on coming back to the States in March of 2008 for a visit with our church, family, friends, and supporters. But during our stay in Bangkok that all changed, we found out that Maam is pregnant again. Yes that is right, we are expecting child number three sometime in mid May 2008. Right around the time Garuna turns three. It was a very pleasant surprise, and we are thankful that God has blessed us with another child; we were just really surprised at the timing. So following upon our return from Bangkok, we started to make plans for the upcoming year. Sadly we won’t be able to travel to the States in March 2008, but are currently praying about coming around December 2008. It is sure to be a challenge traveling with 3 little ones: Garuan will be 3, Bratana will be close to 2, and the new born will be 7 months old, but it would be special for our family if we can make it back to spend Christmas with them. Nothing is set in stone, and we are still praying for wisdom on how and when to travel back, but please know we do miss you all, and Lord willing are looking forward to getting back to the States sometime this year.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalms 127:3

The news of the new baby was the highlight for our break, and we returned to Chiang Rai rested and ready to start a new school term. From the first of November to the end of February I don’t really recall all that took place, but it sure was busy here. Here are some of the highlights:

October 31^st: All the schools open and all the orphans are back in School.

November 1^st: A team from Colorado arrives to spend a week helping out here at Akha Outreach Foundation. Their main focus while here was the painting of a beautiful mural in our meeting hall. The team was a huge blessing and everyone loves the mural they painted, we are already making plans for our other rooms in the meeting hall for future paintings.

The rest of the month of November was full of New Rice festivals in many of the villages. Sometimes we would be traveling to 3 to 4 villages a week, and with all the yummy food we were eating, the whole staff team put on a few extra pounds. November passed so quickly that we didn’t get much time to prepare for December.

I John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.

December 8^th we hosted a wedding celebration here for a good friend of the ministry. After the wedding, everyone worked extra hard to prepare for the arrival of our Christmas guests. This was going to be a very special time because we had a team from Singapore come celebrate Christmas with us. A very large team, 51 people total. This is the largest team we have ever had, and they were such a blessing to all the staff and everyone here at AOF. They gave us a very big Christmas gift too. A six wheeled truck with a covered back that we use to drive most of the children to school each day. We have 53 elementary students studying at the same school. In the past we had to take three trips to take them to school, but now we can do it in one trip. It is a huge time savor and blessing to all of us here at AOF. In order to drive this truck, you need to have a special license, and so the few months before the team arrived I was busy preparing for the test for my new driving license. The questions were easy, but it was all in Thai, and so I had to study extra hard and on the second attempt, I finally passed. So now I am the ultimate soccer mom. Everyday I take 53 kids to and from school and also to their special school activities. It is fun and all of the children love the new truck. The Singapore team was a huge blessing and we do look forward to their return next year.

December 25^th, the Singapore flew back home, and we celebrated Bratana’s birthday. It is hard to believe that she is already a year old. Both her and here sister are growing so fast, it is hard for their mother and I to keep up with them. Bratans was walking by Christmas and always wants to follow her sister everywhere she goes. They both keep us very busy, but they are such good daughters that we don’t really mind. They are such a blessing, and it is nice to come home each night to such cute smiling faces.

January was slower then the previous three months, and it was a great time for us as a staff team to rest and get caught up on some of our work. Towards the end of the month we hosted a women’s retreat, and like every year, it was truly a blessed time for all those involved. This year 95 ladies from 18 different villages joined the retreat. There is a change blooming among the families who have become Christian. Both men and women are learning about God’s love for them and the importance of each individual in the family. We know that villages can’t change except through the positive influence of the church, and the churches themselves can grow only as the family grows according to its God ordained roles. We are looking forward to a men’s retreat later on this year, and also a children’s camp in April. God is at work, and even though the churches and the members in them are very young in their relationship with Christ, there still is a strong unity and desire to know God more and to allow Him to work in and through their lives for His glory. Please continue to lift up our church bodies as they grow in the love of Christ.

February we welcomed a team of 16 people from Idaho. This is the third year in a row that we have hosted a team from Idaho, and it is truly a blessing to be reunited with fellow Idahoans. I might be biased, but I believe that our teams from Idaho are the best. They came to help build some shoe racks to help hold the 150 pairs of shoes that we have to deal with every time we enter a meeting. They also made some storage shelves and helped with some much needed painting. They spent a couple of days pouring cement at one of the villages were we are building a new church. It was a beautiful picture, watching the villagers, Bible students, orphans, and the team work together building a church. The church truly is the body of Christ, and this was a wonderful example of each member of the body working together for the building up of the church. The team also raised some money and spent some time building a prayer garden in memory of Manoon, the teenage boy we lost last September. We are so thankful for their help and their thoughtfulness for everyone here. We are already looking forward to their next return, and if you would like to possible join them next year, then please email me and I will give you their contact information. They mostly come from Twin Falls/Buhl area, but would gladly welcome anyone who has a heart to come. On this trip they brought a special guest. A young man aged 86 joined them, and was a huge blessing and encouragement to all of us. We are never to old to do the Lord’s work.

Also in February, we were able to attend the graduation of our nephew Naroong. He has been living with us for the past four years, and there were times when we weren’t sure that he would make it to graduation. But by God’s grace and a lot of patience, he has finally graduated from high school and is now trying to decide what is next. He wants to be a solder, and is also looking at studying to become a police officer. We are proud of him and eager to see how God uses his life in the future.

This now brings us to March. March is always a very busy month for us, because we celebrate endings but also new beginnings. All the schools and Bible school close during March for a two month vacation. Also we host a graduation celebration for all of our Bible student graduates. This year we have a special class graduating. Three years ago, we started to invite our pastors from our newly planted churches to come down for three days once a month for Biblical training. We have 13 churches under us but currently we have close to 50 people attending the monthly training each month. We found out that many of the villagers also wanted to attend the training and now we hold the training for anyone who wants to come and learn. After three years, they will receive a certificate and will officially graduate from the Biblical training program. This year is the first graduating class, we have close to 30 pastors and church leaders who will be graduating along side our Bible students on March 8^th. We are preparing for a festive party, and have three pigs that we have raised over the past year that will help feed the expected 1500 people who will be attending the graduation celebration. It is a lot of work, but we have many hands and lots of practice, so we are looking forward to a fun, festive day on the 8^th. Also starting on the 5^th and going until the night of the 7^th, we will have a revival meeting for all who want to attend. The theme for this year is “Rise and Shine”. We have special guest speakers from America and also some of the Akha leaders sharing with those in attendance. On top of all these meetings and celebrations, the schools that our orphans attend are also closing this month, and we are busy closing out the school year and preparing for the next school year that starts in May. March is a very busy month for the childrens’ team, because we have to manage school closing and also applicants for next year. This year we had over 40 children apply to come and live here. After lots of prayer, and many hours of visiting villages and each applicant, we have decided to take in 12 new children next year. Originally we were only going to take in 10, but there were 12 children that desperately needed a place to live and so we decided to increase to 12. Please pray for these new children and they prepare to come live here next year.

The finale school closes on March 14^th, and almost all of our children and Bible students will return to their villages to spend time with their relatives. This gives the staff team a chance to rest and refresh. Originally we were planning on traveling back the States during this time, but because of Mams pregnancy we can’t travel, and so we will most likely stay here and spend some time together as a family. My sister and here family are coming up for a few weeks in April, and that will be nice. Schools start in mid May and so we have almost two months to rest and catch up on different work projects. Mam, was hinting that she would like to paint some of the rooms in the house, so that might be how I spend most of my days, we will have to wait and see.

Thanks again for your patients and your prayers. The past few months have truly been busy and a times very stressful, but by God’s grace we have made it through, and now look forward to the next couple of months for some much needed rest and relaxation. You are very near to our hearts, and each night before bed Garuna says a prayer thanking God for you and asking Him to protect you. We do miss you all and wish that we could have visited you in America, but we trust that God will bring us together when His timing is right. Maybe in December, we will have to wait and see. Until next time, God bless and protect you and your loved ones, and once again, thanks again for your prayers, and your support. We would not be here if it wasn’t for you. THANK YOU.

Praise Report:
1. Praise God for another year of being able to live and work here at Akha Outreach Foundation. By far this has been the hardest year, but also the best year ever. We were saddened by the loss of Manoon, but rejoice that this year we didn’t have any of our orphans leave AOF. Our goal as a children’s team at the start of the year, was not to have any child live, and by God’s grace we made it. Thank you for your prayers.

2. Praise God because I am a millionaire. Yes you heard me right, I am one of the richest men in the world. It seemed like every month I received at least 1,000,000 in the mail. So many of you blessed our family with small care packages, and in each package were at least 10 bars of 100 Grand candy bars. I never thought that I would ever be a millionaire, but by your giving I am now the richest man in Thailand. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our blog and to send items mentioned on our wish list. We may not be rich financially, but in terms of friendship and generosity, we are truly rich. Thank you from all of us, Garuna especially loves the Apple Jacks. She sends her special thanks.

3. Praise God for the special donations people gave to help pay for our insurance bill. Through you special gifts and a very special donation from a man in Indiana we were able to pay for our insurance bill in full. The total price was $3250, and that is exactly how much we received from you all. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out, for up until the last day it was due we were still $3000 short, but there were some friends of a friend of mine who came to visit for the day, and before they left one of them offered to pay the whole amount. God is so great! Thank you for your prayers and your giving.

4. Praise God for child number three. This was a very big surprise, and God must like to keep us on our toes. We aren’t sure what the sex is, and are thinking about waiting to find out. We do need help again with names, and so if you have some good boy and girl names, please email them onto us. The baby is due in mid May, and both the baby and Mam are doing great. Garuna and Bratana are eager for their new sibling, and we are trying to decide how we are going to fit all three of these into the bedroom, and the car. Thailand doesn’t have Suburban, so maybe if we keep going we will have to look into a mini van. But that is in the future. I don’t want to think about that right now. Please pray that Mam and the baby continue to do will, and that Daddy will have enough strength to keep up with Garuna and Bratana while Mommy is busy with baby number three.

Your Fellow Servants in Christ

Dan, Mam, Garuna, and Bratana Rutledge

We shall be made whole

2007-10-11T16:20:00.000+07:00

“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.i maracom.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

2007-06-06T21:38:00.001+07:00

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

2007-04-17T22:21:00.000+07:00

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.

The Gift of Life

2006-12-30T12:09:00.000+07:00

Greetings once again from Chaing Rai, I trust that you have all had a wonderful Christmas and I pray that your New Year will be blessed also. Here at Akha Outreach Foundation we are busy getting ready for our Christmas celbration which will take place on the 31st of December. We decided to celebrate New Years and Christmas on the same day. It may seem strange celebrating Christmas on the 31st but since the schools don't close here for Christmas but do for New Years Day, it is easier to celebrate Christmas on a day that the kids can be home to enjoy it and don't have to focus on school.
We must remember that Christmas is not just about a day, it is about celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Living in Asia over the past few years, I have also come to see that Christmas is more about family time then presents, and at Christmas we can celebrate the truth that we are all apart of God's family through the present of Jesus Christ. Our hope for the World.
Speaking of hope and presents, we would like to introduce everyone to our new daughter born on Christmas day, at 1:15PM. "Bratana" Rutledge is healthy and looks very much like her older sister except she was a lot thinner at her birth then her older sister. Mam is doing great and we are back home now getting back into the swing of things. Garuna loves her new sister, and always is asking where she is. Daddy, is doing great too. I have been blessed with two wonderful daughters and a super wife. Both Garuna and Bratana have been easy babies. Bratana sleeps throughout the night and is doing great nursing with Mam. Mam is great too, and all I have to do is change diapers and make sure Mam has all she needs. Which is my pleasure.
We still aren't sure on an English name, we are leaning towards "JOY" but we are going to wait until my parents come next month to decide on a name. We are also waiting for her Akha name. This Mam's parents will give. Her Thai name "Bratana" pronounced Bra ta naa means hope. We chose this because Christmas is a time we celebrate hope. The hope found in the gift of Jesus Christ. Garuna has already given her younger sister a nick name. "Banana" because she has a hard time saying little sisters name.
We thank you for your prayers and you help. God has been faithful and has truly blessed our family during this holiday season.
We pray that you and your family have a happy holiday season and a blessed New Year. WE miss you all and look forward to the day you can see little "Bratana" in person.
Here are some pictures of the ever growing Rutledge family.
God bless you all
Dan, Mam, Garuna, and Bratana

The Rutledge Review

2006-12-20T09:41:00.000+07:00

December 19th, 2006

"Well may we rejoice to ‘talk of all His wondrous

works,’ and show how practical a thing

it is to trust in the ‘Living God.’”

Dr. William M. Bergin

"You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:5
Welcome once again to the Edge. I started this blog in the hopes of being able to communicate more often about what is happening with the Rutledge family while we are serving here at Akha Outreach Foundation. Sadly though the past few months have proven to be crazier then most and I haven’t been able to update you as often as I would like. In fact you can say that since I last shared with you life for the Rutledge family and also for the ministry here has been on the EDGE. I don’t intend to use the term on the Edge as something bad, instead we are focusing on life lived on the Edge of Gods greatness. Each day brings new challenges and new blessings as we follow God and His work in our lives and also the lives of those we come in contact with. Even though the past few months have been crazy, and there are days we do fill like we are teetering on the edge of insanity, God’s faithfulness is so great, and when we feel we are on that edge, He is always there to push us forward for His glory.

A life of ministry always offers new challenges, but this is the life that God called us all to, and we can press on knowing that He is not only with us, but has gone before us and is following behind. That no matter where or when we are. He is there for us. Life here is a challenge, but it is not boring; because we are living on the Edge of Gods greatness.

Now that I have warmed you up, let us jump right in and look at some things that have been going on here at Akha Outreach Foundation.

Quick Response Team:

First I want to thank you all for your quick response to my last Rutledge Review. I was able to get most of your addresses in time and your Christmas gifts should be arriving soon. Honestly we wanted to send each of you a special card, but we simply ran out of time to get them all written before the team left. Even though there was no card this year, please know that you are in our prayers, and we are truly thankful for all you do to help make it possible for our family to live and serve here in Thailand. I trust that your gifts arrive before the New Year and ask you to please continue to partner with us throughout the upcoming year. Your prayers and support are priceless and we could ask for no greater gift. Thank you.

Packages full of Care:

Second I would like to thank you who do take the time to read our Blog. I know that there are so many other things out there to read, and sometimes my letters get a little long, but I am thankful that you do take the time to read about what God is doing in and through the Rutledge Family. I was amazed when I received an email from one of you asking for our mailing address. After receiving the address, they proceeded to mail us a care package, filled with Christmas gifts for Maam and Garuna, and also some Pretzels for me. Words can not express the gratitude we felt at receiving such a small gift. Sometimes the fillings of being forgotten do visit us, but it is little things like emails, and small gifts that remind us that we aren’t alone, you are here with us, and that together we can press on for the Glory of the King. Thank you for your emails, your prayers, and your little gifts. They seem small, but they are bigger then you could imagine. Thank you for your time.

Emmanuel:

Thirdly, I would like to share with you what the next few weeks hold for us. It amazes me how faithful God truly is. There have been times over that past few months that I can honestly say that I was at my end. I didn’t have the answers to the problems we were facing, and I for sure didn’t have the strength to fight them. But God being always present, and all knowing, was not only able to guide us to a solution, but also refresh our weary souls. I can honestly say that the past few months have been the busiest I have ever been, and the next few weeks are going to be even busier. But God is our hope, and I especially enjoy the Christmas season because it reminds us of a crucial truth. “Emmanuel” God with us. I love the truth that Christ’s birth brings hope for all our days, because no matter what we may face, God is with us. I know that the past few months were hard, and the next few weeks will be even harder, but God is with us. With this truth we rejoice to see what tomorrow brings.

The Gift of Life:

But what does tomorrow bring? Well for all of us at Akha Outreach Foundation, it brings the beginning of a very busy two weeks. First, my sister and her family arrive for a four day visit and a short Christmas celebration. The day after their arrival we have a team of 18 people from Idaho arriving to help celebrate Christmas with everyone here, and also bless us with some different work projects. We are looking forward to this time spent with both my sister and her family and also the Idaho team, but as a family we are also looking forward to spending time with someone else. That is right the baby that we thought was going to be born in January has now decided to join us for Christmas. After visiting the doctor, it looks that we will be spending our Christmas at the hospital welcoming our second daughter into the world. We are so very excited, but we are also extremely tired because this is our busiest time of the year and we are doing all we can to get everything ready for our daughters birth. On top of all the normal stuff that is going on: Christmas celebrations in villages, sport days at the schools, and daily care for all the orphans and Bible Students, last week we found out that Maam’s brother was arrested for drugs, and is facing the possibility of spending the next 15 years in prison. He has two children, his son is living with us already and his daughter is at home in the village with her Grandparents. He was arrested because a friend of his told the police that Maam’s brother had sold him the drugs. We believe he is innocent, but here you are guilty until proven otherwise, and it would cost a lot of money to try to fight this. So right now we are doing what we can do to help and trusting that God will continue to use this situation for His glory. It looks like with the help of a lawyer he can be out of prison in about a years time, but we still need to find enough money to pay for the lawyer. We found a good one, who is Akha and works a lot on cases like this one. She gave us a good deal on her fees, but still it is going to cost about 50,000 Baht or $1,500. We don’t have this money, and right now we are stretched in helping to provide for Maam’s parents since her brother is not able to do that anymore. So we are waiting and trusting in God for His solution. Please be in prayer for Maam and her family during this time. We have been able to visit her brother a couple times in jail, and thus far have been able to help provide for all his needs, and the families. But emotionally this is really hard for Maam, and she really longs to help, but knows she isn’t able to help completely. And with the birth of our daughter coming in the next week, it has proven to be a real stressful week for us as a family.

Please pray that Maam will be able to stay calm during this time, and that we will have enough money to cover the birth and also help out in anyway we can with her brothers legal fees. Also pray for all the staff as they pick up the slack of our absence during this time that the team is here and everyone is busy with the holiday celebrations.

I know this is issue is short and kind of sporadic. I wish I had more time to share with you what God is doing, but I know this is the last day I will be able to write to you before all our guests arrive and life gets really busy. So I am working hard trying to get this out to you tonight. A great way to spend ones birthday, isn’t it. Yes that is right, it is my birthday tonight. December 19^th, Happy Birthday to me. Thank you for taking time to read this issue of the Rutledge Review. I look forward to celebrating with you the arrival of our new daughter _____________. We still don’t have a name for her yet. So, in hopes of choosing a name soon, we are open to any suggestions you might have. And in the case of us using the name you suggested, we will award you with a very special gift. So think carefully and please email us back quickly with name suggestions. For her birthday is only a few days away.

Thanks for your time and we are looking forward to hearing back from you. May your Christmas season be joyful and your New Year blessed. Remember that Emmanuel has come, and God is with us all.

Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year from Akha Outreach Foundation and The Rutledge Family.

God Bless you all.

“To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Both now and forever. Amen.” Jude 1:25

PRAISE AND PRAYER:

Praise Report:

Praise God for the opportunity to live and minister here in Thailand.

Praise God for the wonderful wife He has given me and the two beautiful daughters He has blessed us with. We know that each of them is fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you God

Praise God for the opportunity to host teams from different parts of the world, even Idaho. And for the opportunity to be a blessing to others, as they bless us.

Praise God for family. Tomorrow we get to spend four days with Dawna and her family, and also my parents are coming in January for a visit. We only pray that Catherine and Hannah can visit us soon. We miss you all.

Prayer Requests

Please be in special prayer for Maam and her family during this time of uncertainty about her brother’s future. We don’t know what lies ahead, but God does, and we trust in His provision, His faithfulness, and His hope.

Please prayer special for Maam as she is preparing for giving birth. She is stressed, and we need her to be as calmed as possible. We are trusting for a quick and non problematic delivery. And also for the funds to pay for the birth. It is a lot less expensive giving birth here, but it still will cost around $800. We know God will provide.

Please continue to pray for the Rutledge’s support team. We have been blessed with many great supporters, your financial gifts and prayers are such a blessing. We are still in need of some financial support and also some prayer support. I would again like to remind you how key prayer is. With out your prayers, we can’t continue, so please say a special prayer for us during this holiday season. Please, please email me a short note letting me know if you are willing and able to support us with your prayers and with your finances. You can make checks payable to UBC Worldwide Ministries and send them to (University Bible Church Campus Box 8133, Pocatello, ID. 83209.)

Life here on the Edge is exciting, and I pray that you feel the excitement too. God is at work and we are so blessed to be a part of His work. You have all been a true blessing to our family and the ministry here at Akha Outreach Foundation. I want you to know that I am eternally grateful for all you have given, and for your willingness to partner with us here on the Edge. We press on in our hopes of reaching the Akha with the love of Christ, through the love of Christ. Thank you for your prayers, and please know that you are always near our hearts and in our prayers.

Your fellow servants in Him

Dan, Maam, Garuna, + 1 Rutledge

“He that is blest is himself a blessing. Let us wish

that for each other and be that to all those for whom

we work and for whom we care. That someone should be a

blessing to others is the greatest thing of all isn’t

it? Not just a helpmate, or a companion or a friend,

but a blessing.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Addresses Needed

2006-11-08T20:24:00.000+07:00

Greetings once again from Chiang Rai. Life here over the past few weeks has been busy but blessed. We currently are hosting a team from Colorado and like all of the teams that visit us, they are a true blessing. Each November we welcome a team from Colorado, and each November we try to send back our Christmas cards with them. Yes that is right, it is almost Christmas time and that means I need for you to do me a huge favor.
Could you please email me your mailing address ASAP. The team leaves on the 12th of November and I would like to send something special back with them for you. If you would like to receive your Christmas gift this year, I ask that you please, please send my your address ASAP. I look forward to hearing from all of you and I pray that all is well with you.
I promise to write more later.
God bless
Dan, Mam, and Garuna Rutledge

The Rutledge Review

2006-10-16T14:50:00.000+07:00

O God, our help in ages past, our hope

for years to come, be thou our guide

while life shall last, and our eternal home!

"Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” Psalm 62:8

It is time again to review what is happening with the Rutledge family and the ministry here at Akha Outreach Foundation. Since the last time I wrote a lot has taken place not only here at AOF but also throughout all of Thailand.
By now I am sure that everyone has heard of the military coup that took place on September 19th. Thailand awoke to the news that our Prime minister was ousted and that the commander of the military was assuming power until new elections could be held. Since September 19^th, the military leader has turned the power over to a retired general and Thailand is planning on holding new elections next October. Everything in Thailand seems to be back to normal, and the Thai people didn’t seem too concerned about the whole situation. For us as Christians, we were reminded that stability and certainty can rest solely in the hand of our Lord. The nations may crumble, but He will remain firm and faithful. Please pray for political freedom to continue, and that the true freedom only in Christ will be found.

An International Blessing:

The military coup was one of the many exciting things which took place here during the month of September. We were also blessed to host three separate teams, from three different countries, all of them bringing a unique blessing to all the lives here at AOF.

The first team consisted of 22 5^th graders who were on a week long field trip from their school in Singapore. For most of them this was there first experience internationally and also with Christianity. During their stay, they spent two days teaching English in two of the schools our children attend, and other days working and playing with all the children here. This was a short visit, but their time spent here will have a long term impact on not only the lives of our children, but also on theirs. This was evident as we watched the Singaporean students hugging and crying with the orphans as they boarded their bus. We pray that as these students return to Singapore, they will not only remember the lives of the children here, but they will also remember what the love of Christ feels like.

We barely had finished our goodbyes with the Singapore team before we were welcoming our second team. This team was made up of a Dentist from America and his two Dental Assistants. For the past two years, Dr. Luce has blessed our ministry with dental care for all the children, Bible students, and even the staff. This year he brought with him two of his assistants and they were able to provide extractions, fillings, and cleaning of teeth for all the 80 orphans, 40 Bible students, and 10 staff that live here. But if this wasn’t enough work for one week, they also spent a day in a village doing dental care for over 30 people, almost all of which had never before been to a dentist. Dental work in Thailand isn’t terrible expensive, but when you think of trying to provide for over 100 people, it can be both expensive and time consuming. This one week a year that he dedicates to helping out the lives here, is a blessing worth more then a Gold tooth.

During this week, I was also blessed with the opportunity to play dental assistant. We had two portable dental chairs and one Dentist and two assistants. Each chair needed two people to man it, and so I learned the fine art of suction. The sucking out of the saliva, blood, and whatever else is in the mouth of the patient. I have gained a new respect for Dentists and their assistants. Spending 8 hours a day sitting on hard stools and looking into countless mouths is not my idea of fun. Even though the work was hard, it was all worth it knowing that were are able to not only help with their spiritual needs, but also with some of their physical ones. When the team was leaving, they joking said that I am now able to provide cleanings for all the teeth here, I am flattered, but I think I will leave that for them when they can come back next year.

Following our time with the second team, we were looking forward to a week of rest before our third team arrived at the end of the month. What looked like our rest week turned crazy the moment the military decided to oust the Prime Minister. The morning of the coup, all the schools were closed, and all our plans for that day went out the window. The rest of the week we played catch up, and by the end of the week, we were back into the normal flow of things, just in time to welcome our third team for the month of September.

The third team was a very special time for all of us here at Akha Outreach, because it was our first time having visitors from New Zealand. We have had people visit from all over the world, and every time we welcome a team from a new country it is truly joyful. It amazes me how big the body of Christ is, and how His family is a blend of languages and cultures unlike any other.

This team from New Zealand was made up of a family of five whose spent their vacation blessing our ministry and the lives of others in Thailand. They spent about 5 days here, helping repaint our basketball court and teaching our staff and students some basic first aide. Everyone was impressed by their work ethic and their cheerfulness, even in the heat of the Thai sun. This was our first team from New Zealand, but we pray it won’t be our last. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with this family and others from this small but amazing country.

Time for Camp:

If having three teams from three different countries and a military coup wasn’t enough to keep us busy during September, we also welcomed the end of the school term, and with it a week of testing for all the children and Bible students. Following test week, almost all of our children and Bible students were able to return to their villages to spend some time with their relatives. The schools in Thailand close for about three weeks, and this is a time everyone gets some time off to get away and rest. October is a time to rest from school, but it is also a time to attend camps. Most schools offer special camps during school breaks for students who want to improve their English, French, Chinese, Math, etc, but there are also many different Christian camps offered during this time. For the Akha October is the time for ACY camp. ACY stands for Akha Christian Youth and is a ministry reaching out to the Akha youth. They offer many different things, but their biggest is the ACY camp which they hold every October. Each year they hold it at different places, and this year they are holding it here at AOF. So as I am writing to you, there are around 650 Akha teenagers here with me. Being with all these teenagers forces you to contemplate two truths. 1) You are getting old, and late night hang outs followed by early morning showers don’t appeal to you anymore. 2) The energy level of teenagers is unstoppable, and if their heart is on fire for God, there is nothing or no one who can stop them from spreading that fire. These teenagers are the future for the Akha and if we can disciple them while they are young, the Lord only knows how bright their fire will burn for Him. Please continue to pray for all these campers, not only while they are here, but especially when they return to their villages and schools. Pray that the temptations of this world won’t douse their fire for Christ.

Family Update:

On to a lighter subject, Garuna is doing well, and is growing up so fast. Everyday she comes home after playing with the children with a new word for Daddy and Mommy. Most of the time she uses an Akha or a Thai word, but the other day she surprised me with an English word, “Pretzel”. “Pretzel,” you say, what is so special about that word? One of my favorite foods to eat is Pretzels. I don’t care for chips and sweets that much, but Pretzels I love. The only problem is that until last month, you weren’t able to buy dried Pretzels in Thailand. None of the stores sold them. But the other day I found a bag of Pretzels for sale. They weren’t Rolled Golds, but they were just as good. Now at night when I want a before bed snack, I can have my Pretzels. But I am not the only one who likes Pretzels, Garuna loves them, and before she goes to bed each night she eats some with Daddy. The first day she came in and asked for “Pretzel” it brought a tear to my eye. Ok not really, but it did sound really cute hearing her say it.

A CRY FOR YOUR HELP!

In closing I want to ask you to please be in prayer for Akha Outreach Foundation. For all the staff, orphans, Bible students, and church bodies that are under us. The Bible says that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Even though we know this truth, often times we rarely consider the effects this has on lives. Satan is prowling around and looking for those whom he can consume. And even though the Christians are securely placed in the palms of God, we still sometimes suffer the pain from the sins of others. I can not go into details about all that has taken place over the past week, but I can share with you, that we as a family (all of us at AOF) are hurting. Satan is trying hard to steal, to kill and to destroy all of the lives here. He is trying hard and there have been some who he has almost destroyed, but are hope is firmly placed in the truth of Gods Word. And even though some will turn away, there will be others in who Gods healing touch will be seen for all of eternity. I can’t share more, but I do ask, I plead with you now. Please pray for us. We are hurting, but we aren’t destroyed.

PRAISE AND PRAYER:

Praise Report:

Praise God for the three teams which were able to visit and bless all of us during the past month.

Praise God for the 650 Akha teenagers who were able to attend the ACY camp this past week.

Praise God for the chance to provide dental and medical care in an Akha village where there is no hospital. In one day 30 people were able to receive dental care and over 50 people medical care all for free.

Praise God for a week to rest, Mam, Garuna and I are looking forward to spending a week with my sister and her family in Bangkok.

Prayer Requests

Please be in special prayer for the ministry here and all the lives it touches. The last week was a hard one, and it reminded us once again that unless the Lord builds the house, they who build it labor in vain. We were dealt a blow from Satan, but we are thankful that he can only bruse Christ’s heal, while Christ will crush his head. We are all hurting, but He is the great healer. Already the healing is taking place, but still there is need for more. Please remember us in your prayers. You may not know all the details, but He does. We are crying out to Him, please join us.

Please continue to pray for the Rutledge’s support team. We have been blessed with many great supporters, your financial gifts and prayers are such a blessing. We are still in need of some financial support and also some prayer support. Following last week, I am again reminded how key prayer is. Please, please email me a short note letting me know if you are willing and able to support us with your prayers and with your finances. You can make checks payable to UBC Worldwide Ministries and send them to (University Bible Church Campus Box 8133, Pocatello, ID. 83209.) But I ask all of you who get this to please email me and let me know you are praying. Please?

You have been a true blessing to our family and the ministry here at Akha Outreach Foundation. I want you to know that I am eternally grateful for all you have given, and for your willingness to partner with me in reaching out to the Akha with the message of the CROSS. Thank you for your prayers, and please know that you are always near my heart and in my prayers.

Your fellow servants in Him

Dan, Maam, Garuna, + 1 Rutledge

“He that is blest is himself a blessing. Let us wish

That for each other and be that to all those for whom

We work and for whom we care. That someone should be a

Blessing to others is the greatest thing of all isn’t it?

Not just a helpmate, or a companion or a friend,

but a blessing.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Rutledge Review

2006-08-31T13:57:00.000+07:00

"Well may we rejoice to 'talk of all His wondrous
works,' and show how practical a thing
it is to trust in the 'Living God.'"
Dr. William M. Bergin

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11
Hello once again from the Rutledge family and Akha Outreach Foundation. Each day offers something new here, and today was no exception. Today I found out that cat tastes a lot like pork. Yep, in fact I am just finishing chewing up my last piece of Cat Kebob. I knew the Akha ate dog, and I have come to enjoy the juicy flavor of dog meet, but I never knew they ate cat that was until tonight. I guess when you eat a lot of dog, eventually you will crave cat. MAYBE! Anyway, a stray cat was killed by one of our dogs, and instead of throwing away perfectly good meat, the Bible students started up the grill and we had some cat kebabs for an after dinner snack. I have to be honest with you, it was rather tasty, and it did taste a lot like pork. So now you can say "Cat" the other white meat.
Well with that said, let me welcome you to another issue of the Rutledge Review. I am sorry for the delay in its arrival. Much is going on here, and it is hard to decide what to share with you. Praise God all the Rutledge family is healthy and even the new little one that we are expecting in January is doing great. All the orphans, Bible students, staff, and village churches are doing well, and they send their greetings. The past two months have been so blessed; and I find it so difficult to adequately share all that God has done. Here are some highlights from the past two months; I pray that you are blessed as you read them.

"Planting the Rice"

A lot has taken place here at Akha Outreach Foundation over the past two months, but by far the most exciting event was the annual rice planting. For the past two years, we have planted our own rice in hopes of helping to cut down the food expenses for the facility. This year, was no different and everyone was eager to being planting the rice. In rice planting, you fill the patties with water, then you till the patty using a big rotor teller, and following that you hand plant the rice seedling, three seedlings at a time. It is hard, back breaking work, and when you think of planting many acres at a time, the task is impossible. But the saying, "many hands make light work", is true and with over 100 people working side by side, the entire field was planted in just a couple of days. We could have probably finished the work sooner, but it was too hard to pass up the occasional mud fights that took place. And even though everyone worked hard, we also made sure that everyone played hard too. One of our main goals at Akha Outreach is the help install into everyone who lives here a good work ethic, and making sure that they see hard work as something to be enjoyed. I still believe that rice planting is the hardest work I have ever done, but it is also some of the most fun. When you're standing bare foot, in knee deep muddy water with a bunch of 12 year olds, and you think about all the crawly things that are around your feet. And then you hear someone yell snake, and as quick as can be everyone is out of the water, only to see that it was a twig. You can't help but have a good time. But sometimes there are snakes, and I have included a picture of the one, my boys and I killed while we were planting rice. One snake verses eight 12 year olds and one white man. This snake didn't stand a chance. Everyone had a good time, and we are thankful for the chance to plant our own rice. We are trusting God for a fruitful harvest come November.
Before I came here, I had done little farming, and since I have been here, there have been many passages from the Bible that have come to life as I have been working with the land. As we till the ground and get it ready for the rice seedlings, making sure that each seedling is placed gently yet firmly into the prepared soil. I think of how the Holy Spirit works in and through us to help prepare the soil of many lives. Also how the seeds of God's Words are gently yet firmly placed into each prepared heart. But that is not where the work ends, you have to daily watch over the field and weed out anything that is not rice. So in our lives we have to weed out the things that choke out the seeds that God is growing. And then when it comes to harvest time, and you see the fruits of all your hard work, you feel so thankful and can't help but be overfilled with joy. Come November and harvest, I think of the lives here that we have been investing countless hours in, trusting that one day, through the mercies of God, these lives will be a fruitful harvest for the Kingdom.
I wish you all could be here to take part first hand in the planting of the rice fields, but I want to thank you and remind you that you all are currently taking part in helping to prepare the harvest of many young lives. Thank you for your continued financial support and prayers. One day soon, we will be witness to the greatest harvest the world has ever seen. What a day that will be when Jesus comes back to gather his precious seeds.

"A Typical Day"

The question I have asked of me most is, "What does your typical day look like?" I usually begin my answer with a chuckle and smile as I say that at Akha Outreach we don't have typical days. Everyday is unique and you never know what is going to take place. It keeps us on our toes. But, for those who still are eager to find out what a typical day looks like, I will share with you what last Saturday was like.
First I work up at 4:00 AM, and drove 15 minutes into town to take one of our children to his school. Santie and three of his classmates were going to a scripture memory contest in Chiang Mai. Following taking him to school I returned home just in time for all the other kids to get up and prepare for the work we had planned for today. Saturdays, everyone works from 8 AM to 11 AM, and in the afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30 everyone has studies Thai, Math, Akha, and English. Today I was teaching the teenage boys how to rotate tires on the ministry vehicles, and about 15 minutes into work time, we had to rush one of our 6 year olds to the hospital, he had put a battery into his ear and couldn't get it out. It was a watch battery that he found in the trash and he and another boy decided to put it in their ears. The first boy got his out, but A Kow didn't, and we had to make a quick run to the hospital. Shortly after one of the staff left to take him into town, some of our boys were using a wheelbarrow to move some weeds and ran into the corner of one of the buildings, breaking of a big piece of tile that covers the base of the building. While we were dealing with this accident, another one of our boys drove a different wheelbarrow through a sliding glass door. This all took place before lunch. Following lunch, one of our teenage boys, who had been having back pains, suddenly couldn't move because of the pain, and off to the hospital we went again. They couldn't find out what was causing the pain and had him admitted to stay for further observation. At the public hospital, you have to provide your own blankets and anything else you might need. So this meant that we had to drive back to the home and get his blanket, tooth brush, change of clothes and anything else he might need, and take it back to him that evening. It is only a 20 minute drive from our home to the hospital, but when you do it three times in one day, it seems a lot longer. The day ended with me crawling into bed around 12:00 AM, eager to hear the early morning wake up call which was coming in the next 5 hours.
Praise God though that even though this was a difficult day and at sometimes seemed to be spinning out of control. Still He was with us, and we could thank Him for this day that He had made. Santie the boy who took part in the scripture memory contest got second place out of 56 schools and 72 different teams. The contest was over the whole book of Acts, he memorized the whole book and was able to answer whatever verses the judge asked him. He got second, WOW!!!!!! Also on Monday we were finally able to get the battery and lots of other black stuff out of A Kow's ear. He was complaining of having troubles hearing, but now we understand why. This is his first year with us, and I think is the first time his ears have been cleaned. Also Tawee, the teenager with the hurt back, was able to return from the hospital on Tuesday, and the doctor says that he just needs to rest and not over work and his back well heal by itself. Praise God for His mercies which are new everyday, even typical days.

PRAISE AND PRAYER: Praise Report:

1. Praise God for the rain and the completion of our rice harvest. We are trusting Him for a fruitful harvest and a continual provision for all of our food.

2. Praise God for the 24 lifes that took part in the baptism service we had three weeks ago. There were 7 Bible students and 17 children who received baptism. It was special because we were able to have the service in our newly planted rice field.

3. Praise God for the continual growth in our church plant ministry. Currently we have 13 churches registered under our foundation, and during our monthly training of church leaders we have over 50 people attending. These men and women are hungry for the Word, and we are thankful that we have the opportunity to be used by God to feed His truth.

4. Praise God for the completion of the JESUS Film for children in the Akha language. We are waiting for the test copy to come back for approval and following that we will have another tool to help reach the Akha for Christ through the Akha.

Prayer Requests

1. Thank you again for your willingness to partner with our family as we serve here at Akha Outreach foundation. Your prayers and your financial support are true blessings, and I am so thankful for you. I do ask that you please continue to pray for our personal support. While in the States, I was blessed to speak with many of you who were willing to be a part of our ministry, and I am so thankful for those who have given so faithfully over the past three months, but I noticed that our current support is way below the needed amount. God has been faithful and has provided, but it makes me sad that there are many who are missing a wonderful opportunity to be a part of what God is doing here. If you are giving or praying, thank you for your gifts, and if you haven't but would like to, remember these are gifts that last for eternity. And if you know someone who would like to become a part of our support team or find out more about Akha Outreach Foundation. Then please email me. I would love to share with them more of what God is doing here. One of the biggest ways you can bless us, is in aiding us in finding new people who are willing to be a part of what God is doing here. I can't afford to fly home every few months to raise new support, but through your aid, we can continue so build our support team and share the wealth that is found in giving. If you have lost the information on where to send the money, you can make your checks payable to UBC Worldwide Ministries and send them to (University Bible Church Campus Box 8133, Pocatello, ID. 83209.) We are thankful for the chance to serve the Akha people for Christ, and thankful to have you joining us in this services. Thank you.

2. Please be in prayer for Mam and her pregnancy. She is in charge of the kitchen this year, and has been doing an amazing job cooking for over 100 people. But she is now into her 5th month of the pregnancy and is starting to slow down. We are making sure to help her as much as possible, and giving her time to rest, but it is still hard sometimes and she gets worn out. She is an amazing wife, mother, and cook. And I am so blessed to be with her. The doctor says the baby and Mam both are doing great, and we are looking forward to our school break in October so that Mam can rest. If I can save up some money, I may sneak Mam away for a couple days rest and relaxation at a nice hotel, where she won't have to worry about anything but resting. Thank you for your prayers and we are looking forward to sharing with you more news as the new baby develops.

You have been a true blessing to our family and the ministry here at Akha Outreach Foundation. I want you to know that I am eternally grateful for all you have given, and for your willingness to partner with me in reaching out to the Akha with the message of the CROSS. Thank you for your prayers, and please know that you are always near my heart and in my prayers.

Your fellow servants in Him

Dan, Maam, Garuna, + 1 Rutledge

"He that is blest is himself a blessing. Let us wish
that for each other and be that to all those for whom
we work and for whom we care. That someone should be a
blessing to others is the greatest thing of all isn't
it? Not just a helpmate, or a companion or a friend,
but a blessing." Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Your Fellow Servant in Him
Dan A. Rutledge