Each day seems to be getting increasingly hotter than the next here in Pattaya.  I don’t think I have ever appreciated water in the way that I do here!!  Yesterday, Thursday, we went to the prisons again to give water, food and clothing.  The verse kept coming to my mind about “when I was hungry, you fed me, when I was naked, you clothed me.”  We don’t know the names of all the men, women and children in those cells, but I know the One who does, and that gives me great comfort.

In the afternoon, we had time off to enjoy some of the Thai specialties.  Some of the team got Thai massages (the good kind!), and others pedicures or manicures.  All the while, we would zip in to one of the air-conditioned malls to cool off and then back out again in the sweltering heat.  In the evening, we worked with a ministry called Southern Cross.  Every Thursday night there are Chinese tourists that go to the end of the pier to get onto these large dinner and show boats.  Southern Cross team members stand at the other end of the pier with Chinese bibles and packets of literature and hand them to the tourists as they leave the pier.  So we were able to join them.  They first taught just a few phrases of mandarin that we should say to the people as we handed them the bibles.  It was just saying “Hello, Here is a free bible for you”, or something to that extent.  We were staggered a bit so that if the people didn’t take bibles from those of us in the front, by the time they got to the back, they would eventually take one. A few of us held signs in Chinese that stated what was in the packets, as well.  Let me tell you, it was like a wave of people coming down the pier towards us!  Some couldn’t take the bibles fast enough, and others were just not interested at first and then they would see their friend with one and they would come back for one of their own.  It was all happening so fast and before you would know it the wave had diminished and it was all over.  At one point,  I was holding the sign, not handing out any bibles, when a man stopped walking and asked me for a bible in English, not Chinese.  I had brought along a small bible in my purse that day, and earlier had been thinking “why did i bring this along today, I’m not going to be using it and it just making my bag heavier!”  So, without even thinking, i quickly whipped open my purse, pulled out the little bible and handed it to the man, who thanked me and walked away, looking at it.  Tears sprang to my eyes as the reality of what we were doing hit me.  We were getting Truth into the hands of those who may never have the chance to hear it.  Just, wow.

So thank you for praying for us and continue to do so as we have only 2 days left!!

Until next time,

Shannon