December 10, 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

Acacia and Annapuran with lotus-flower krathong.

Time has a way of creeping up on you and before you know it the weeks are just flying by. We’ve only been in Thailand for four months, but it feels more like a year. We have had so many experiences, wonderful and challenging, in such a short time that it makes it seem like we have been here longer.

Time also has a way of healing. Annapurna’s cheek is finally healing after the dog bite when we first arrived. Acacia is now enjoying school and is adjusting well to her new home (the addition of a kitten to the family has helped!).  Shelly and I are doing better in language school, even though it’s a slow and sometimes painful process.

It has been time to begin a kids Sunday school! The local Thai church we attend has a Sunday school program in which all the kids ages 2-12 are grouped into one room. Although Shelly has never taught Sunday school, she volunteered to begin a class for the children, ages 2-7. Today was her first day of teaching! She received help from a Thai woman who helped tell the nativity story in Thai; then they sang songs and decorated a wooden angel ornament. It was a big success, and she looks forward to planning the next lesson.

Loi Krathong parade to honor the water spirits.

The holiday time is here!  Having celebrated our first Thanksgiving in Thailand, we now look forward to our first Christmas. We don’t know what Christmas will be like in a country that is 95 percent Buddhist, but I’m sure it will be interesting. Buddhism isn’t just a religion; it is a way of life, intertwined in every aspect of daily living. We were fortunate to participate in a local holiday, Loi Krathong. This holiday is a celebration in honor of the water spirits. Lotus-shaped baskets made of banana leaves containing flowers, incense, and candles are floated on rivers, lakes, and canals. Paper hot-air balloon lanterns are lit and fly throughout the sky, and there is a grand parade. These rituals are done as an offering and to wash away the previous year’s sins.

It is time for reflection on what God has planned for us. We continue to pray for guidance and trust in Him to show us the way. It is sometimes a challenge to be a witness of Christ in a Buddhist country, but we are richly blessed and feel privileged to be here serving Him.

Thai monks at Loi Krathong festival.

It is also time to be grateful and give thanks to St. Andrews Presbyterian, Good Shepherd, Grace First, and Los Ranchos Presbytery for their tremendous financial support. These giving churches were instrumental in helping us reach our fundraising goal, along with many generous individuals. We also have two new churches that have joined in supporting us, Heritage Presbyterian in Lincoln, Nebraska, and First Presbyterian in Dixon, Illinois. We look forward to building a lasting relationship with all of the congregations supporting us! We also want to thank again Bill Saul, who was there from the very beginning, Dave Dolan, who was instrumental in completing our fundraising, Steve Yamaguchi of Los Ranchos Presbytery, and our home-church pastor, John Huffman. We can’t even begin to put into words the gratitude and feeling of love for all the people that are supporting us in His mission.

And as we close, it is time to look toward the future, to a new year. We are excited about the path in which God is leading us. Please pray for our physical, mental, and spiritual health, and pray for Thailand and its beautiful people.

Every day we take time to remember how incredibly blessed we are, and we pray that you will take the time as well.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1

Blessing to all!  Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Brett and Shelly Faucett

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 92