As the weather here shifts from humid and rainy to drier and wonderfully cool, I am coming into a new season in my life and ministry, too.

I just returned from an intense and blessing-filled training in Manila, Philippines (more on that later). Part way through the month there I heard news that my team leader Kevin and his family had secured a house in a new slum community and were living there a few days a week. The hope is for a house church to come alive in the near future. There are already two young believers there and I have been praying to see God work in that slum. I was really excited to hear of Kevin and his family’s commitment to seeing a work start there.

During the last week I was in Manila I got word that my community of Permsup would have not 2 years, as expected, but 4 months until eviction.

I returned to Permsup last week with a mix of emotions. The conference had given me time to reflect on my life and make some decisions, as well as give me new vision and energy for ministry. At the same time, I am having to deal with the fact that my house and community will be bulldozed as early as February. People I have come to see as a second family will be scattered. Fortunately, nearly half the community is in our savings group, and under the leadership of our Thai partners they are applying for government assistance to secure a plot of land. Still, it seems that nothing is certain, not enough money is being saved yet, and the deadline is rapidly approaching. Community members who have not been saving are in panic mode right now. A couple families already have back-up plans to live on the outskirts of town. Half of my youth Bible Study will be moving to that area.

Assuming the group gets the land, it will not be possible for Dave or I to build houses there, since we are foreigners. But Nim and Gaew, our Thai church leaders, are intending to live there. It is possible that I could rent a room from one of them, but Dave’s only option is to live near, but not in, the community.

This has given me the opportunity to ask the question: is this the time for me to move on to a new community? To start, with Thai partners, a new house church? Our goal is to hand off the leadership of these churches to Thais as soon as possible, and to then start new works. Already we have two solid Thai leaders in the Permsup church, and several Christians who could very well become leaders in the near future. The service has recently been conducted in the Isaan dialect, the first language of the people, which I have not begun to learn yet, so I am not contributing much to the church right now anyway. My main ministry has been the youth Bible Study, but only of the girls will relocate to the new land, and I think there are others who could lead that group (Nim lead it while I was in Manila).

And now we have a house in Potong. That community has been on my heart, especially as there are two youth believers there and no church yet. The vision the Waltons have for the house is for a team of Thais and possibly a missionary (most likely me) to move in together. There are two large bedrooms and a common space with a kitchen, two bathrooms and a gathering area more than large enough for a house church meeting. Since last year I have felt God saying that eventually I would minister in Potong, and to pray for the community until then. I was assuming that would be about two years from now when I possibly moved there, when Permsup was evicted and its church more established. But maybe now is the time?

Please pray with me about this. Nothing is certain yet, but I definitely feel the seasons changing and need to be receptive to God’s leading. Please pray also that those who are planning to relocate together would be able to secure the land, that those with more finances would help those who are struggling, that God’s blessing would be on the various application processes, that the church would stay intact and even experience a revival as they see God’s provision for them. Pray also for those who have not been planning for this, that they would seek the Lord in their desperation and that he would have mercy on them.