January 2011 Prayer Letter

Written by Karl Dahlfred on 18 January 2011.

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Christmas 2010 Dear Friends & Family,

We praise God for a good three months in the Northeast, despite the untimely death of Karl’s father that brought us back to the U.S. two months earlier than expected. God was very good in providing us with many helpful people to supply what our family needed - clothes, supplies, manpower, babysitting, finances, conversations, fun times, and opportunities to talk about what God is doing in Thailand, and in our lives. Many thanks to those who had a part in our time in the Northeast this past fall.

On Jan 10th, our family flew to Southern California where we will be living until our return to Thailand in late 2011. Coming directly from the bone chilling Northeast, it has been fantastic to walk to the park with the children in shirt sleeves. Many of our things are still in suitcases though we are quickly settling in to our new home and surroundings.

Some have asked, “What will you be doing for the rest of your time in the States?” We’ll be doing a lot of what we’ve already been doing - meeting with supporters, speaking at churches, encouraging prospective missionaries, recruiting new missionaries, and visiting with family & friends. Karl also hopes to do some further studies to prepare for a potential part-time teaching role at a Bible college / seminary when we return to Thailand.

It seems that some people wonder if missionaries on home assignment are primarily just kicking back and relaxing (or looking for more money). To address such unspoken questions, I wrote a blog article titled, “Why Do Missionaries Go on Furlough?” I'd encourage you to check it out.

Even while we are in the U.S., one of the ways that we are able to be involved in ministry to Thai people is through our website - www.dahlfred.com. Just recently I received an email from a pastor in the Netherlands who has been teaching the Bible to a Thai Buddhist woman who is friends with one of his congregation members. It has been challenging because her English is not very good (and presumably her Dutch is no better). However, she will soon be visiting Thailand, going to the province where our family worked this past term. This Dutch pastor contacted me through our website to see if we knew of any churches in that province which this woman could visit while in Thailand. I got that info from some fellow missionaries in the provincial capital and was able to pass it on. Hopefully, this Thai woman with an openness to listening to the Scriptures can now visit a Thai church and hear the Gospel in her own language during her upcoming trip to Thailand. Praise God for the connections for the Gospel that are possible in the digital age.

Thanks for praying for our time in the States this year and please continue to pray for the Thai people as the church in Thailand grows and faces challenges. God is at work and we wait to see how He will grow and mature His church.

by Christ’s grace,
Karl & Sun Dahlfred

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