August 24- Sept 15 2011

There has been so much going on that I am not sure where to start. I am also sorry that I had to post 2 blogs together. We were having a hard time uploaded the last one.

We flew into Myanmar on August 24th and we stayed in this country until September 6. Myanmar is a country that really needs Jesus as only 6% are Christians and at times it can be hard for the Christians. You are not allowed to preach about Jesus in public. Until recently they didn't even allow tourists into their country but things are started to change and in fact they now welcome visitors. The people of Myanmar would like for people to come visit them and Myanmar is a very beautiful country.

In Yangon we started our prayer and intersessions journey for the country. We stayed in this city for 2 days and then on the August 26 we flew to another city called Mandalay. In Mandalay we meet our tour guide and started our journey to the Myanmar/China border. This was a 2 day bus ride and we needed to have a tour guide as Muse is a city that you can only enter with permission. While we were here we prayed over the city gates for the city and country to come know Jesus and also for the stoppage of drugs coming back and forth between the borders. People also cross the border illegally. You can cross legally but I am sure that money has a bit to do with the illegal crossings. The border between China and Muse is just a row of trees. There are a row of trees and then a small wall and then a canal of water and then another small wall. We were standing on the small wall praying and interceding and we found out later that we were actually standing in China. I mean that the trees really were the border we thought the second small wall would of been in China. This trip is one like we have never been on before but it is a great one.

August 30 we are back in Mandalay where we will be staying for a few days. While in Mandalay we have been going to different parts of the city and praying over it. We also visited some local churches while we were here to see if we could do anything to help them or to encourage them in anyway. The first church was an Anglican church where we prayed for the pastors wife and they told us a little bit about themselves. The pastor and his wife are in their sixties and will be retiring soon and they need a place to live so please pray for them. We also visited a Methodist church where we were invited to come share at the youth service at night. We also got to meet a missionary couple from the Netherlands. With the Methodist church there is a YMCA. The church is trying to build an outreach center for the youth of the area but have run out of money. The building has been started but they can not continue the work until they get further funding. If you would please pray for them and also if you feel inclined to help in any way please let us know.

At the youth service John and I along with a couple of our team members shared a little with what God had put on our hearts. It was a great time and in fact one of the youth workers came to us and wanted to thank us for what we shared. She said that it really touched her heart and that she felt like it would stay with the youth hearts as well. She said that it really gave them all hope and encouragement. So this was a great time.

In a Baptist church we sang a song in front of an adult Bible study group, this was a first for John and I, and also shared a little bit about ourselves. It was great for John to be there as there was only one man in the class so this encouraged the man to see and hear from John. They were so welcoming to us and they served us with tea and water. The people of Myanmar are very lovely people and we are enjoying our time with them.

After Mandalay we flew back to Yangon, the city where we first started from, and meet with a local pastor. This pastor took us to see his 2 orphanages where we had a chance to share a little bit and then to pray over the children. We even had the children pray over us. After that he took us to his Bible school where we were able to pray and give prophetic words to the Bible students and pastors. In fact we have been invited to share at the Bible school if we ever go back to Myanmar. After the Bible school we went to the largest stadium in Myanmar where they will be holding the second Gospel Music Festival. While we were at the stadium we had a chance to pray for tjs upcoming event. John and I walked all over the inside of the stadium praying for people to encounter Jesus during this time. We even walked around the outside.

The Gospel Music Festival and the location of it is a really big deal because they had to have permission from the government to hold it there and they have never given permission before for such an event but they have now. At this Gospel Music Festival which is being held from Oct 14-16 2011 they are expecting over 10,000 people. So please start praying for this event and for the pastors that are putting this event together. There are pastors from all types of denominations coming together for this event. This s a really big deal and we are expecting great things to happen at this event. We will be n contact with a couple of the pastors so we will let you know new information as we receive it.

September 6 and we are now in Bangkok Thailand until September 9. While here we are working with a ministry called Nightlight. If any of you have ever seen the film Furious Love this is the ministry that was shown on that film. This ministry is working with women in the sex trafficking industry. They try to help this women to stop selling themselves. During our time here we ministered to the women with prophetic and encouraging words. We also did some SOZO'S with some of the women there. In fact we will be doing some more ministering with them when we return to Bangkok on September 16.

Sept 9 and we are now in Chang Rei, Thailand until Sept 16. Here we are working with a YWAM base who takes in children that are HIV positive or have lost both of their parents to HIV and they have no place to go. Penny and Paul are the people that run this ministry and they are amazing people. In fact they know that we have been traveling alot so they are making sure that we get some rest time too. They also take in young mothers who are HIV positive and have been kicked out by their families. They would love to see families stay together so if there is anyway they can help the families stay together they will. They are in the process of building a hospice center for HIV people and a floor is also
For young mothers that are HIV positive. Please pray for them and this project they really need teams and funding to finish the project.

This morning we meet with another young ministry called Ezekiel Rain. They are also working in the sex trafficking area. They are in the beginning stages and are working on making relationships with other ministries now. One of the things that one of the woman said was that God was breaking her heart for the men.This is something that God has been doing in me and this is the first ministry that I have heard of that wants to help the men. The men are broken too and they need help too.

Well tomorrow we will fly back to Bangkok. We will be here until Sept 21 and then on the 21st we will fly to Hong Kong. We will be in Hong Kong until Sept 28 and then we will begin our long journey back to the states. We appreciate all of your prayers. When we are back in the states we hope to catch up with as many of us as possible. We love all of you.

Much love and blessings,
John and Cindy

10 days in the bush

Sorry that it has been so long since we last updated. Internet was horrible in Pemba. I started this a few days ago and I am finally getting around to finishing this. Thanks for your patience.

Today is Tuesday, August 16, and we have surrived the 10 days in the bush. During our ten day bush outreach we went to a total of 8 different villages. We did not have running water at all and we used laterines the whole time. At these villages we showed the Jesus film every night and we saw many people come to The Lord. The people in the villages were very friendly and they were very welcoming. Each night we gave the village chief a gift of thanks for allowing us to be there. The gift was a very simple gift of a capaluna and a pair of earrings. The earrings were placed in a nice bag that they will find many uses for. Capalunas are used for many things such as a skirt, a sling to carry their babies in and a general carrier to carry clothes, food etc.

During our bush time we camped in 3 different villages and drove out from there to different villages. I can't believe that I exactly it camped in a tent for 10 days. I don't think that I have every camped in a tent for that long. It is really amazing to see what you can do with the help of Papa God. While we were in the bush we ate rolls for breakfast, beans and rice for lunch and tuna spagetti for dinner. Tuna spagetti is noodles and tuna. The noodles are boiled in water with a lot of oil. They use so much oil that the noodles turn yellow. A couple of nights we also bought a pig to eat. The locals are very happy when they get pig. Pig is a luxury for them. When they make pig they make it like a stew. They chop up all of the pig and put it in the stew. When I say all I mean ALL nothing is left out. I had nothing but fat on my plate, no meat, so I can't say what it tasted like. John had a little bit of meat and said it wasn't too bad. However, he would not eat it in the states this way.

One of our favorite moments in the bush was when we were playing with the children. The children were very sweet and loved to hold our hands or to just touch us. Sometimes the children were afraid of us, akunas (their word for white people), but they would usually warm up to us. All of the people love to have us take photos of them and then show them the photo. They would often laugh at the photo as this was the first time that they ever saw a photo of themselves.

The journey back to base was a 6 hour drive. It probably should have been longer but our driver, Mozambiqey, likes to drive fast. He was determined to get us back in the shortest time possible. The only problem with this is that we were all crowded in the back of a cameon with no room to move. We took a mother and her 3 children, Pastor Jose's sister, all the way back to Pemba with us. So one of her children sat on my lap the entire way home. We stopped a few times on the way home and each time I got up my legs were asleep. Nothing like climbing over a generator and out of the cameon with your legs asleep and wearng a skirt. Must say that it was great to get back to base and have a nice cold shower, the first shower in ten days.

Well it is now Aug 20th and we are in Hong Kong it is truly amazing here. The city is so clean and there are mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. I really am amazed at how beautiful it is here. I was thinking Hong Kong was flat for some reason but I guess I was wrong about that. It really is beautiful here and we are getting to enjoy some rest before we head off to Myanmar. One of our team members used to live here and work with the ministry where we are staying. The ministry here was started by Jackie Pullinger some of you may have heard of Jackie and her ministry.

We left Pemba on Aug 17 and flew to Joburg, South Africa, where we spent the night. It was cooler in Joburg but we were able to take our first hot shower in over 2 1/2 months. I forgot what hot showers felt like and I must have stayed in there for 15 minutes. It was really wonderful. We also went out to eat and got to have a hamburger. Wow it was good! Not sure if it was really that good or if it was just the fact that I could have one and that I didn't have to eat rice and beans. John had a steak and he said that it was really good. The next day we had breakfast at the hotel and then we went out to lunch. At lunch I had a SALAD. I sure have been missing my salads! Then we went off to the airport to catch our 13 hour flght to Hong Kong. The food on the plane was even good. This is how you know that you have been really missing good food when you consider the airplane food to be good. Last night we got to meet the people that will be going to Myanmar with us. We had a meal with them, where they taught John how to use chop sticks. John has never eaten with chop sticks before and they told him that he did great for a first timer. Guess what we had rice again but at least it was not with beans. There was a type of fried fish with cheese on it and cabbage made with bacon bits that were the toppings. I think by the time we will get home we won't want to see white rice for awhile. But at least the toppings were different and there wasn't any sand etc in the rice. Sand and dirt are often found in the rice and rolls in Pemba. So at least we don't have this anymore.

We will be here until Aug 24 when we will be flying to Myanmar. Please start praying for us. There will be a lot of spiritual and natural warfare going on. God is going to do some amazing things while we are there and we are all looking forward to this part of the journey. We will not be able to send out any emails or call while we are there. I am including our itinerary for the next couple of weeks so you will know where we are and how to pray.

Aug 24- Sept 6 Myanmar traveling all over the country Sept 6-9 Bangkok Thailand, working with nightlight ministries that works with prostitution Sept 9-15 Chaing Rei Thailand working with a ywam base and doing many things Sept 16- Sept 27 not sure Sept 28 fly back to states

We should have email while in Thailand so I will update again when I can.

Thanks for all of your love and support.We could not be doing any of this if it wasn't for all of your support.

We love you, John and Cindy