SNOW and Tickets!
Announcement: Houston, we have TICKETS! Our flight date is January 24th and that is a date that is suddenly very near. Starting today we begin all the things we need to do to move. First Visas, then finalize insurance, then vaccinate (maybe), then pack. Our flight pattern looks like it will be a doosy. Columbus to Chicago to Doha to Bangkok to Mae Sot. All in 27 hours. Whoa. We thought NY to Beijing to Qingdao was a long day… Saw these earlier: #UnlikelySequels: Titanic 2 #failedchildrensbooktitles: The Very Hungry Tape Worm #horrorfilmtitles: Meals on a Plane Conference: Prayer Requests: For Burma: You may have heard of a political leader who has done worlds of good for the minority groups of Thailand - if not her name is Aung San Suu Kyi. Pray that she turns her attention toward the people on the northwestern border - the Rohingya people. They are in an unimaginably terrible situation. While other minorities are being protected to some extent - the Rohingya are now receiving the full attention of those interested in destruction and torture.Pray for these people. For Compasio: As the organization turns its attention toward developing families and the city of Mae Sot, they are closing the children homes that they have operated since Compasio's founding. They still have about five children to place in willing and healthy families so pray for good families to step forward and adopt these children and for Compasio as they transition. For my family: the clock is ticking and there is about one month left before we fly. Pray that we prepare our children, our hearts, minds and bodies appropriately. We've done something like this before and at the same time we've never done anything like this before. We're not worried, but we know we'll need to do A LOT of adjusting once we get off the plane.
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I must share two things, a joke and a lesson. The joke is first, and Sonya just made it up today. What is a chickens' favorite vegetable? BWACcolli! if you give it a good squawk there at the beginning its even better out loud than in type. Promise. THING 2One of Sara's lovely aunts shared this thought at an event she hosted for us: Referencing Ephesians 6:10-18 - The Armor of God. "When you read Eph. 6 and your imagining yourself with the sword of the spirit and the shield and all the rest of the armor, what else do you imagine? If you're like me you are imagining BIG BAD SATAN right there fully equipped with flaming darts superimposed on a background of roiling smoke and lava. Right? The only other thing - at best - is some kind of heavenly light at my back - representing the prayers of the saints or the power of God... other than that, I'm alone. What kind of army is this? Why do I imagine myself as a solo-mission soldier against all the forces of evil? Not only have a basically removed God from this picture (which I am aware that I do). But I have also removed every other brother and sister in Christ!! (this I was previously unaware that I was doing.) My imagined picture is not a reality. First off - Jesus went up against Satan first - so at best I'm back up. More likely kitchen duty. Secondly - if I am on a front line of some sort - I am by NO means alone! I've go the church! I've got hundreds of brothers and sisters that I know and countless more that I don't know! I must say this has been rather exciting to me. I hope it is encouraging to you as well. It has redefined the idea of 'support raising' for me. Prayer Requests: 1. Sara is in Thailand right now at a Compasio meeting stratgizing about how Compasio will move forward with vocational training and disciple making. This means the rest of us Harvels miss her and both child Harvels have magically gotten sick. =( 2. I (Jason) am going to training in Texas next week to learn more about business and missions. I think it will be cool. Check it out if you like: YOBEL 3. Financial: If everybody who has indicated a desire to support, then we are at 80%!! that leaves us about 800/month yet to raise. The end is in sight! 4. Health Stuff: its possible that we may have found health insurance. I have trepidation. Its not really a halo, its just the trees. probably...
News: The last time we got in the car, Levi actually asked with a hint of sadness “Is our vacation over now?” Whoa. We’ve been on the road for a few weeks now, and although I’ve been absolutely dreading the fundraising stage of moving to Thailand – I’m now finding out that the actual process of doing this means visiting friends and family – some of which we haven't seen since we left for China. In the words of Michael Freeze: “more fat less hair” has been the only tough part of these visits. We are currently traveling back up through the eastern states and then will speak at several support raising events around New York before returning to Ohio… With possible stops in Kentucky, Alabama and Michigan. Yikes. Our trip started with an incredible donation that completed a full third of our total support needed after a single conversation. This generosity left us staggered and much encouraged concerning our upcoming travels. We are currently 65% supported and are looking forward to our next stop! Pray for Burma: •Despite the cease-fire, fighting continues in the northwest of Burma as the Peoples liberation army refuses to stand down until their demands are met. •The Rohingya people are probably the most heavy-pressed of all the minority groups. They are a displaced people currently being ignored by their government. •President Obama lifted trade embargoes against Burma this week – pray that cash from new trade deals benefits the entire population.
News: We set ourselves an official 'end of summer vacation' date - and it was yesterday, so the time for diligence is upon us! The other day at my parents house, Sonya (recently ever-hungry seven year old) told my mom: "at your house there's lots of food but no snacks, but at our house there's lots of snacks but no food!!" I was surprised at this comment for multiple reasons, but I had no idea what she was talking about, so I asked "what home are you talking about?" She started to say china, then started to say New York, then started to say Apple Valley (Ohio) then settled with "I have no idea!" She's a funny girl, but I know exactly how she feels. Its been a great summer of visiting dear friends and family, but we are officially homeless! Pray for us: Please pray for us as we hit the road. After get in the rest of our New York Visits, its looking like we may be in transit until mid-November! Also pray that by the end of that trip we've raised all of the support we need for our next move to the Thai/Burmese border. The Praise in this is that as i look at our list of people to visit, it is a list of people we love and will love to see. Pray for Burma: If you don't know, we're headed to a Burmese refugee community in Mae Sot, Thailand. We are going to join an organization called Compasio, and will be helping to develop some vocational training with them for women at risk for trafficking. Check out the Compasio or Partners websites (links to the right) to get an idea of where we will be living and working. |
The Harvel FamilyWe're all settled in to our home in Thailand for the foreseeable future. Its a crazy place - so it suits us. |