The Elephant Man...and Woman

Hi from Thailand,


Dave and I finished our ‘Peer-to-Peer Debriefing’ training and took a few extra days to relax and explore this wonderful country. My favorite way of doing this was from the back of an elephant. We wandered through thick forestation, down streams and along riverbanks for nearly two hours atop an amazingly agile mastodon. I used to think horses were big. For a fleeting moment, I remembered an old movie where ‘mad elephants’ went on the rampage destroying palatial homes and tossing people into the air. It seemed like a somewhat horrifying but oddly humorous way to close out my life. The obit might read, “Sara B. fell from an elephant today. After years of living out of a trunk, she died near one.” Of course, that didn’t happen but buying the tourist trap picture of the two of us perched on Jumbo’s back did. As I look at it now, I’m reminded of the guide we have in Jesus. The power that carries us moment by moment through our days and the confidence we can have in his sure footedness along unfamiliar paths. Maybe that picture was a steal after all.


Riding in a Tuk-Tuk to the market
We leave for Yemen in a week. We will be in several locations in that country followed by a month’s stay in Ethiopia. Part of our ministry will be to re-teach what we have just learned about debriefing peers. It will comprise a two to three day workshop. The possibility of becoming discombobulated with so much new information to present is probably more than a possibility. So, prayer request number one is that: The Holy Spirit, who is never ruffled, will coordinate our thoughts (and papers) and convey all that needs to be shared in an orderly, fun, usable and enlightened way in both Yemen and Ethiopia. Request number two: There are many in Yemen who have experienced the recent loss of dear co-worker. Ask that, through us, He will comfort those who mourn. There are others, in both countries, which are new and confronted with all the large and small issues of adjusting to a new home. Ask that they will experience his grace and courage. And there are those who have served long and difficult years, who are in much need of a fresh touch. Although you do not know these workers, I can see each face and the immediacy of their needs. Please know that when you pray, these faces, unseen from your vantage point, reap blessings in a very real way. He is the master and time travel has never been a problem in prayer. A final request (since that last one comprised several) is for our continual surrender to him. May he always be our first love and that our cups would be filled to overflowing so that others can drink of him from our lives.

Thanks for your availability to Him in defense of those who serve in NAME.

Sara for Dave too

Night Market in Chiang Mai, Thailand