Day After Day

“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.

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!

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

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

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!

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

“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.