A little bit of a different update this month:

Alise and I have been much more busy and tied up than we expected (more on that below) so the co-founder of the House of Love and the House of Blessing ministries is taking the opportuinity to share news and updates about Thailand:

Kim is Visiting Thailand…

Greetings once again from Chiang Mai, where I have been able to return for an extended visit. God has been so gracious to bring me back so that I could hold Da’s new baby. What joy it is to have a grandson in arms! And I am delighted to see what a wonderful mother Da has become. Indeed, it is a time of joy overflowing. Ten of our HOL graduates had a welcome party for me—each one is becoming such a kind and caring adult. I am also able to spend some time at the House of Love. With COVID, many of our students are going to school only every other day. So I am getting plenty of hugs between studies. And I am pleased to see the independence and initiative being taken by so many on the staff. I have been able to also help in the office, and even attended a board meeting! It is good to be back.

I will be here until March 18th, when I will return to Columbus Ohio. Good-byes are never my favorite thing, but it is easier this time, knowing that I have a lovely home of my own to return to. One of the many blessings is my location—less than 1/2 mile from my sister. And having had the last 6 months to reconnect with my friends and also be back at Karl Road Church has been another blessing. Thank you for your care for me, and for the people we serve here!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans15:13 NIV)

Some Prayer Requests and Updates:
We praise God that during a new wave of Covid infections in Thailand, all of our House of Love (HOL) family has stayed safe. The staff has been amazing, working with 13 different schools to make sure everyone is progressing in their studies. Please pray for continued safety for everyone.

Our House of Blessing (HOB) has not been able to reopen, but our daycare teachers have been visiting the urban communities twice a week. I appreciated them looking at the positives coming out of COVID restrictions. They love that more parents are involved in their young students’ studies. (Of course, because there are no jobs, it has been difficult for some families to feed themselves.) I am thankful for our rice program that helps out with basic needs. If you would like to contribute to this program, please contact juanes@internationalministries.org for more information.

Exciting things are happening at the Center for the Development of Persons with Disabilities (CDPD)! Working with the government who has donated land, Saylo is working on a program that will be a training center for persons with disabilities that will include a demonstration garden and production of clean energy. Prayers are appreciated!

As there has been changes at all the projects—one thing doesn’t change—the continued need for outside funding! We’ve trusted God for 30 years, and I know He can continue to work! I wanted to include donation information in case you would like to give:

I wanted to also let you know of a special opportunity to give towards the education of one of our new graduates. Post has always dreamed of being a nurse, and has been accepted into an accredited program at the local Christian university. Most of our graduates have gone to government schools in the past—in fact, Post will be the first one of our students to try this program. The costs are substantially higher, coming to about $5,500/yr for the 4 year program. Please pray Post will be able to pursue her dream.

Finally, I did want to ask for special prayer for myself. As many of you know, I have had Parkinson’s disease for the past 15 years. When I returned to the USA, my doctor thought I would be a good candidate for “deep brain stimulation” where I would have brain surgery to place electrodes that are attached to a battery pack. While the surgery has been around for 20 years, the results can be varied. Will you pray for my surgery on April 18 (is that right?) and that I will have a good response.

…while the Juanes Family is Visiting America

We have had to come back for a quick trip to America to make a visa change so we have taken the opportunity for some travels and visits. Some of our trip highlights (and lowlights) include: trips to Ohio, Arizona, and all over California, being able to speak at some churches, catching COVID (we are better now), preaching over Zoom (which worked out since we were still recovering), spending time with our sending church community, Christmas with family, and playing in the snow (which the kids missed greatly.) It was with mixed feelings that we came back to America because we really felt like we were starting to build up some momentum in relationships and language learning, but we are also thankful for the time to visit family. The staff at the House of Love and House of Blessing are really doing an amazing job, we left knowing the ministries were in good hands. We are so grateful to be working with such an experienced staff. Our new visa paperwork has been submitted and we are praying that we get it back in time so we can return home to Chiang Mai next week. We look forward to seeing the kids and staff and we look forward to spending some time with Kim for a few days before she returns to Ohio.

We continue to  be so very thankful for you, for your love, for your prayers, and for your support.  “This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you.” John 15:12  May you experience the deep love of Christ as you generously love those near you and around the world!

Arriving in San Francisco, appreciative of family and friends to pick us up.