Jax - trusting child

I love all 3 of my children, but today Jackson was on my mind. Jackson is a very typical little boy! He loves bugs, frogs, gecko’s, any super hero, can hardly sit still & very curious. His curiosity reminds me of Curious George. Curious George never really did anything intentionally, but boy did some things happen. I am happy to report that since the 2005 flooding of our house by the “commode incident” there has not been another monsterous disaster!

Anyway, I am looking at “Jax” (as we all call him) and just totally taken with his carefree attitude.

“Mommy I’m hungry.” He says.

“Peanut butter and Jelly or Ham and Cheese?” I ask as if I do not already know the answer. Ham and cheese it is!

Jax is off swinging a rubber snake crazily through the house.

He just told me he was hungry and knew Mommy was going to handle it & then just went back to what he was doing.

This got me to thinking. It made me think about how God provides for me. How God is so faithful to provide our every need. Yet, sometimes I give him my needs or my “anxieties” and I do not go in believing that it is “handled” as my son did. So many times I give it to God, only to take it back and carry a specific burden.

If Jax would not believe that I would feed him, I would be hurt – insulted. That I wouldn’t provide for my child? I think not! But now I have to think about how my unintentional holding of the things I give to God, only to take back hurts my Heavenly Father. Lord forgive me!
Through my son the Holy Spirit ministered to me.

Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Thanksgiving because you trust in Whom you have asked – Amen!

De Tway

One of the believer in our church, De Tway, has a very special place in my heart. I have had a heart for her since the 1st day she came to Thailand from Burma. I see her daily & have been so encouraged as she has continued to grow in understanding of Jesus. There have been changes in her life in response the gospel.

However, I am sad to say that while we were in Malaysia a marriage was planned for her. We are getting mixed information from rape to consent, but the Burmese culture is that either way there must be a marriage following. So, she is set to marry in the morning.

My heart is heavy as this man is a Buddhist. He did come to church and ask us for prayer & we pray that is the beginning of a life surrendered to Christ. The heart breaking part is that the marriage taking place is in Buddhist tradition. These traditions are demonic & the sacrifices and offerings to other devils have begun. In addition there is a welcoming of the "spirits". Tomorrow morning a monk is coming to "bless" their marriage.

My heart is burdened that De Tray is being married in this demonic activity. Pray for her. I am not sure she really believes she has a choice. We have shared the Word of God with her & shared our love personally for her. She has made the choice to move forward. My heart prays that as she seems "smitten" with him, that she make Jesus number 1 in her heart.

In addition to this we had to decline the invitation to the wedding. She understood as we explained to her in the Word where we stood. We have taken a stand for Christ. Now we are not in fear of physical damage, but there is already "backlash" towards our stand. Our stand is not cultural, but with Christ. Pray for peace and reconciliation.

Amy

Birhday, Visa’s & Friends

Hello!!!

We are back & refocused & refreshed!

First for those of you who have been waiting to hear our VISA update……We applied for 1 year, and were given 3 months. This family of 5 has to be out of the country February 5^th. We are going to be in Dallas & possibly other areas while in the U.S. sharing our hearts & reapplying for 1 year VISA's where we are most likely to get them. Pray for opportunities to share and for finances to cover this trip.

The boys birthday celebration! It was more like a week long celebration. On the way to Malaysia we pulled over in Hat Yai to eat. The idea was we were driving straight through!!! Well, getting prepared for the border I reach in our bag to get our passports ready & THEY WERE NOT THERE! At the last minute we decided to downsize our luggage & I forgot to repack our passports! Trent being the servant & wonderful husband that he is put the kids and I in a hotel & drove back to Ban Nam Khem to get them. This was no small task. It is an 8 hour drive to Hat Yai & he had to come back!!!

While in Hat Yai we were able to contact a family we just adore. They have a 2 little boys Josiah age 5 & Jude almost 2 - our kids play so great together. So the fun started there! There was an indoor park and the kids got to ride rides & even eat at a McDonalds! Very different from the village life!

Once Trent returned we were on to Malaysia. There we applied for our visas & got to relax a bit. The visa procedure takes 2 days. So we waited for the results and celebrated Jackson & Braden's 7^th Birthday. The boys had so much fun! What a wonderful way to celebrate!

On the road.......

Hello Friends and Family
Thursday morning (Nov. 2) we are off to Malaysia! Our 1 year visa expires this month & we will be applying for another one. 1 year visas are harder to come by outside of your home country for Thailand, but we are going to move forward. We know that God is in control! We will keep you updated on the outcome.

Today is a busy day (Wed.) as we are wrapping up our obligations for the upcoming week. Brad from our American team & Laid Laid our Burmese partner will be running the ministry in our absence. Pray for them too that they will walk in the Spirit and lead in His ways.
Please also pray as our church family is seeking the Holy Spirit this week! It is an amazing time! We pray that next week as we return for Intercession and prayer that these followers will indeed be filled!

In other news….. Jackson and Braden are turning 7 on November 18th! This is crazy to me! They sure are growing up. I love them so much & their personalities are amazing! We will be celebrating their birthdays in Malaysia to make it an extra special time. There is a REAL toy store in Malaysia!!!! Trinity is still in the process of losing her 1st tooth (age 5). She was horrified at this at first, but now excited – well as long as I will not touch it. Ha ha!

Just last night the kids thought we should call a meeting. They had it in their heart to to bring a “Word!” Is that not too cute! Yes, we had demonstrations with Trinity’s Barbie’s and the boys dinosaurs about forgiveness, kindness, love & hell. Wow! They sure know how to bring it!

Ok, it is time for me to get ready for Home visits J God bless you!
In His love,
Amy

When life gives you lemons, let your kids make lemonade!!!

Well it is the 28th of the month, which regularly seems to be a time of great “stretching” financially. The Lord always provides our every needs & it is up to us to use what He gives us J So, Trent and I are putting together with what we have left for the month & making do. Then I start thinking about “beyond the necessities” and about my kids snack time. I figure I can make cookies to make yummy treats to keep things going.
So here I am, Betty Crocker I am NOT, and I am cooking away! I do not have the ingredients to make the normal favorites & decide to get creative……Hmmmm….. Not always a great idea, but I have to do with what we have. Ginger Treats it is! After all, I have had my sister in laws & they were very good.
As I am bringing the final ingredients into mixture I decide to give it a taste……..EW! Disgusting! I have come to learn that these were not the cookie recipe I thought that it was! So, I am thinking….what have I done!! I have used our resources & these are going to be horrible!! A flood of emotions run through my mind, but I resist all those & decide I can fix it!
Adding a bunch more sugar, brown sugar too, a little bit of this & a whole lot of that….and well, it is edible. I am disappointed, but going to keep experimenting, but before I do I will see if they taste better “baked”. I bake & pull out. I sample, and still not that good L Jackson (my pickiest eater) come running in from playing in the rain & asks, “did you make cookies!!!???!!” I respond hesitantly…..”yes…” He replies very excited with big eyes, “can I have one?” “Yes” I reply. He takes a bite, “mmm Mom these are so good. Very good!” He had no idea that I messed up the recipe, but He liked it!
My next test….Trinity. She takes a bite, “mm, can I have another?” Oh yes you may! I think to myself that I have increased the batch to feed our entire village by trying to “improve” it.
Finally, Braden…..Well, Braden always likes ANYTHING – so he did indeed like it! He even liked the burned ones!
In summary, I may never make these cookies again, but my kids were happy and blessed & have what they think are yummy treats – I am so thankful!
I have been blessed with AWESOME KIDS!!!

Here for Him!

One thing I have become completely certain of is that we are here for Him alone! I think when we left to come onto the mission field, we came as world changers. There is nothing wrong with wanting to serve the Lord, but we had ideas. We had plans. We were in the way!

Looking back over this year (which has been the hardest year of my life) I realize that it has to be ALL for HIM. People's lives go on back home. The people you are serving never say "thank you". You serve day in and day out & it is never enough. The food is just horrible. The smell of our village is repulsive. We are in a nice sweat all day. We are persecuted behind our backs. The people even just finished a festival in which the people paraded down our very street daily for 10 days boasting of their devils. We can pour out our hearts and love the people with brotherly/sisterly love, but only God can change a person! We have shared the Gospel so many times and as a whole the people's hearts are so hard. They want something. They want money. They want food. They want the shirt off your back if you will give it. Only a few have truly pressed into wanting Jesus.

But we have to stand in His love, so that we can share His love. The Lord is teaching us to love the unlovable. We were the unlovable when our lives were apart from Christ! We are tired, but He gives us rest. We do all of this for His Name to be known, Him to be praised & to be challenged into deeper communion with our Lord!

Pray for our renewed strength & for the people's hearts to want HIM!

Thailand

Who are we & what are we doing?

Trent, Amy, Jackson, Braden & Trinity Pruett –
Serving the Lord in Thailand

The ministry here in Ban Nam Khem, Thailand is focused on prayer, discipleship training & church planting. The Lord has placed upon our hearts to reach the needs of the community to share the love of Christ as described in Matthew 22:35-40
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.”
We do our best to live up to this expectation of our service to the people - in the Name of all Names – Jesus Christ!

At this time we have 2 weekly church services with a children’s program, 2 school days & daily outreach, evangelism, and follow up in the community. There is also a night of Intercessory prayer as the Lord is hearing our prayers and teaching the people to Come to Him! He is the “I AM” of their every need!

Prayer Request

I was just putting together some information about our family & I thought I would share our prayer request here too.

Anointing: Pray that we will experience a continued fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit's anointing upon our lives and ministries.

Encouragement:Discouragement can easily set in amid heavy workloads and adjustments to cultures. Pray God will strengthen us spiritually.

Evangelism:Reaching people for Christ is the heartbeat of missions. Pray that the Spirit of God will move mightily in crusades and open hearts in personal evangelism.

Family:Missionary life requires commitment and sacrifice from every member of a missionary's family, even those we have left behind in America. Pray that God will strengthen our family members and draw them closer to each other in the Lord.

Health:Many missionaries battle physical illness. Pray for continued health and sustained strength for the task.

Projects:Numerous projects are under way on the mission field - church planting, Bible schools, day cares, renovations, etc. Pray that materials, workers, and finances will be provided to complete these projects.

Protection:Spiritual warfare is real. We often come under Satan's attack. Pray that God will shield us from harm and give us victory in overcoming spiritual darkness.

Provision:Needs in some countries are especially great. Cost of food, utilities and other supplies can be staggering. Pray that God will provide for day-to-day needs.

LOVE, AMY!

Kids Say the cutest things!

October 05
Kids say the cutest things!
I see Jackson laying on my bed and he looks very sad. Curious I go and ask him what is going on....
"It's just....I don't want to say it...." Jackson says.
I think......Oh no! Then calmly tell him, "It's okay Jax, you can tell Mommy."
Jackson says, "It's just....(tears welling up in his eyes).....it's just that I....(now looking at me heartbroken and teary eyed)....I like Spiderman more than Batman now"
I am shocked, relieved & trying to stay just as serious as him, "Jax it is ok. Spiderman is a good guy & you can still play with Batman sometimes"
Jackson, "Ok, but you better call Mimi and let her know. (just as he wipes his eyes dry!)
As if you couldn't already tell....Jackson has had a very serious liking to Batman for over a year now & he is such a loyal little guy that this was serious business!
Mimi is my Mom and knows of his former love and devotion to Batman :)
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Now for those of you who do not know, Braden has started talking about his wife since he was 4 years old. This is not prompted by me at all. He is truly very curious about this wife of his. This is a recent random conversation.
Braden (VERY SERIOUS), "So Mom, how's it gonna happen?"
Me, "How is what going to happen Braden?"
Braden, "You know, love. How am I going to start loving my wife?"
What do you say to that! Ah!!!
Me, "Well, Braden I am not exactly sure. But the Lord is preparing a beautiful little lady for you! It will probably go something similar to this. You will see a girl & your heart will skip a beat. She will be beautiful to you & the more you get to know her, the more you will like her & then you will love her."
Braden, "Really? Oh, ok. Jackson you wanna play?"
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Trinity overhearing this conversation with Braden.
Trinity, "Mommy I don't have to get married to somebody because Daddy says I can marry Jesus! Really!"
I just smile and nod as I know her Daddy has been at work here over his precious little daughter!

Let the children come!!!

October 03
Tuesday Night Service
written by Amy

Tonight we have officially started the childrens program! I am so excited as this has been on my heart for quite some time :) There is more love & play that actual ministering as we do not have another translator for the youth.

I was so excited as 2 of the boys I used to work with out at the jungle site came. Same and A Thone. It was so great to see them!!! I have missed the children in Ba Ny Si greatly, but know the Lord has me where he has me. We also had 3 new children come.

In spite what happened (the attempt of a girl being taken) last week, I am UPSTAIRS safe and sound with the kids! So, all you children lovers rest assure the children are safely upstairs & they always have the Lord watching over them.

Keep us in your prayers. We are praying for another translator! Until we welcome all children to play and share in action the love of Jesus!

Sunday Night Service

October 02
Sunday
2 weeks ago we took, on appearance, a huge loss to our church family. The 3 main people wanted to walk away. We pray that the Lord captures their hearts once again & brings them to repentance quickly! The first week we had a very humble congregation during our weekly services. Many people in the community were confused & then the 3 that left were telling them not to come. Well, Sunday we had a great showing, to the Lords delight. People are getting over the intimidation, and coming to church despite the resistance they are getting within the community.
Recently we are hearing from the believers that they are being threatened by beatings, even at knife for coming to church. Their friends are making them choose between them or the Lord. Most of the threats are by scared neighbors and family. They are being told that the spirits will come and kill them, bring them bad luck, and torment them if their is a Bible in their home or that these people worship Jesus. Fear had a short victory, but just this week the women started coming back!!! Praise the Lord!
Tonight the Lord had a full audience. Just as the word says, the devils came too. We had hecklers in the crowd, we were mocked, there were major distractions by a man totally out of control of his emotions(manifesting), and a man grabbed a child and ran out DURING CHURCH! The mother quickly was told by another woman & the child was recovered within seconds, praise God again! We pray that as the Word was spoken that it will shatter these hard hearts and set the captives free! Despite all these distractions there were hearts surrendered to the Lord! Take that devil!
We are so excited to report that we are finally getting a greater child showing at church. Next week will begin getting started with a fun atmosphere upstairs at the church for the children to be loved while the mothers get fed spiritually. We are praying for another translator so that their can be a ministry to the children. We are starting with showing love & leave the rest up to the Lord! I am personally very excited about this as I have had it in my heart for quite some time. Please join with us in prayer over this flock!
Also be in prayer for Mynamar!!! Our church here is to the Burmese/Mynamar people and their hearts are greatly being pulled over their loved ones back home.