We then returned for Sabbath School at 9:30. Moo Moo and I were going to give all the toddlers in Sabbath school a little gift out of the Zip Blessing bags. There weren't enough bags for each child to have a full bag, but every child got something out of the bags. Pastor asked me to speak at their main service and told me Donnie would translate. I have been saying the prayer of Jabez every morning for several months, along with the other women from our women's fellowship at church and decided that His prayer in I Chronicles 4:10 would be a good topic to share with the church. Everyone seemed really interested as I spoke and Donnie flawlessly translated. The church was clear full, just as I had remembered. Everyone sitting on split bamboo benches on the hard packed dirt floor. It was so hot in the church by the time I finished speaking the sweat was just running off me. I know ladies are supposed to "glisten" and not "sweat", but I don't think "glisten" quite describes what we were experiencing!

After the service I had a chance to renew old acquaintances and meet new people. I received many invitations to dinner and asked Donnie if he would keep track of them for me. It was now in the high 90's and I was longing for the cool tropical trade winds of Oahu! We all made our way to the house and people milled around outside while we ate yet again! Moo Moo went outside and told everyone "Pee Tah Thoo is going to obwee (rest) so come back later!" I was grateful for the chance to stretch out on my platform and try to cool off.

Less than half an hour passed before Moo Moo told me someone had come to see me. I quickly straightened my clothes and came out of my little room and was introduced to Sylvia Khin. She and I have been writing to each other for almost a year and it was great to get to meet her at last. I found out she is the sister of Roger Khin who works with Internally Displaced People out of the Mae Sariang office. She invited me to have dinner at her home at 4 PM but Pastor told her the Adventist Youth meet at 4:30 and they were hoping I would speak and encourage them during their meeting time. I agreed to come over after their meeting.

Since I was up, Donnie said he would take me over to see Christine and Benjamin. I have been supporting Christine since she was born and now she has a year old brother who was born just before I left last year.

(BENJAMIN and CHRISTINE)

The parents had asked me to name Christine since I was there when she was born, and wrote and told me of their son's birth and asked me to name him also. They were happy to have him carry the American name of Benjamin. Christine had not grown much, just a bit taller. She was still very shy and wouldn't come to me, but at least she didn't cry. She hadn't seen me for year and even though I send her letters and gifts, she doesn't really know me. Benjamin was sleeping stretched out on the bamboo floor and he looked to be almost as tall as his sister. Their young mother told me he outweighs his older sister already!

(CHRISTINE with her gift)

We gave them the gifts we had brought in for them and she was enthralled with everything. I had been given a whole case of books by a wonderful Christian author, Elizabeth George. It was called "God's Wisdom for Little Girls" and is beautifully illustrated. She kept turning the pages looking at all the wonderful pictures.

It was getting close to the time for the youth meeting, so we said our good byes and promised to attend their church the next day. Ray Moo's father in law is the pastor of the Baptist church. It is right next door to the Adventist church.

When we got back to the house Donnie chuckled and said, "there are more waiting to see you". Sure enough, there was a group of hill tribe women with their babies waiting to see me.

(HILL TRIBE WOMEN who had come for a visit)

Word had gotten out that Pee Tah Thoo was trying to help sponsor the poorest children and they were anxious for me to meet their little ones. We divided up some of the zip blessing bags for the older ones and gave the baby and toddler clothes to the little ones. Many of the babies had on nothing but a dirty short T-shirt. The mothers were so happy to get new little shirts and dresses. It made my heart ache that I had so little to give them. After they left, Moo Moo suggested I try to rest a bit, it was going to be a long afternoon and evening and this was only my first day here!

I sat down in one of the old sling back chairs made of teak that they had brought with them from their previous camp and was enjoying a few minutes of quiet when 2 more hill tribe women showed up. One was really old looking and the other was about 35 with a small nursing baby at her breast. She had 2 smaller children with her.

(MUTHA's MOTHER-IN-LAW and GRANDMOTHER)

The older woman said she was my Karen son, Mutha's, grandmother and he had told her I was coming. The younger woman was her daughter and the mother of Mutha's wife Ley Pah Pah. The baby at her breast was younger than Mutha and Ley Pah Pah's baby, Joshua. I knew Ley Pah Pah was 20 and her mother told me she was 39 and still having babies! It was really great to talk to them, even through an interpreter. By the time they left I only had time for a quick bath (cold water dipped from a tub) and change into another Karen nee.

We all headed back over to the church and after a wonderful time of youth sharing and singing. I shared with them one of the Sea Shell Devotions that I had written a few years ago. Donnie is such a brilliant interpreter, it all went very smoothly.

After the service I visited with more of the youth and tried to get away to change into shorts for the hike to Sylvia's house for dinner (where in the world will I put more food?) Sylvia speaks excellent English and is very involved in training and education. She is on the board of the Karen Youth Organization and is in development training for the Karen Women's Organization. After Donnie got me to her house, I told him he could have the night off. The poor guy has been tagging along after me so long, he is probably bored to tears!

When Sylvia invited me into her home, Pastor Dway Htoo from the Baptist church was there and told me thank you for bringing such nice gifts for his grand children, Christine and Benjamin. He then told me that since tomorrow was Mother's Day, his church was having an "Honor Mother" service and they would like me to share with the congregation in the main service at 11 A.M. I readily agreed, wondering to myself when I would find the time to prepare a "sermon". I quickly shrugged off that worry, knowing full well God always puts words in my mouth when I get an opportunity to share His word. I chose Sylvia's youngest daughter to be sponsored by the first and second grade class of Pearl Harbor Christian Academy. The children had been saving their money and sent in $100.00 with me to sponsor a child for them. Sylvia's eldest daughter, Cynthia, was in the hospital with malaria and Sylvia told me we would visit her later. After a very filling dinner of rice, vegetables and fruit, we all walked over to visit Cynthia.

The hospital is run by a French group called Aide Medicale International. The building is made of split bamboo with wooden floors. The patients all lay on woven mats on the floor. There were dozens of patients lying on their mats. Some had IV's running into them for hydration and medication. Cynthia was clear down at the end of one row. She is a pretty young girl of 13, but very shy as most Karen girls are. She was still running a fever and it was so hot in there, she was just glistening with sweat. Next to her in the corner was a small cloth hammock with a young woman and two small babies. One of the babies was hooked up to an IV and was lying limp across his mother's lap. His twin brother was sitting at his mothers' feet with a runny nose and filthy clothes on. Sylvia didn't seem to know her, but we smiled and greeted her. I wondered if the babies were twins, they were so much the same size. Next to the woman was a young girl about 6 years old, also very dirty. After visiting with Cynthia a bit, Sylvia walked me back to Pastor's home and told me she would see me at her church in the morning.

When I got back to the house, the family had finished their evening devotions and they were getting ready for bed. I was surprised at how ready for bed I was and it was only 8:30! Looking back on the day, I guess it had been pretty busy! It seemed like I had been in camp a week and it had only been one day! I had asked Donnie what he thought the Baptist church members would like to hear when I spoke to them and he said, "I think Jabez! It is a great story and we haven't heard about him before!" That certainly made it easy for me. I drifted off to sleep saying the prayer of Jabez quietly to myself.