I am trying to think how best to describe our six weeks in Vientiane, Laos.
It is a poor country, the people are small, generous, kind, polite, always smiling. They consider us fat which is a good thing in their eyes. They are entrenched in Buddhism and there are idols everywhere.
We took a trip to Luang Prabang one weekend with a family who have become good friends. Memories of that trip include villages clinging to jungle-covere
d mountainsides, wondering how they don’t lose their children over the sides, babies tied onto the backs of sisters and mothers. People always selling things. In Luang Prabang we saw beautiful waterfalls, sat in a van for an hour waiting for a monsoon downpour to stop and watching naked children playing in the rain. 
Ornate temples were everywhere with orange clad monks who appeared to be anywhere from eight years old to aged. Took a ride on the muddy Mekong in a narrow boat with no life preservers. We missed out on riding elephants because they were angry after the major rainfall.
Our work was to build friendships while coming alongside staff in a hospital to help i
mprove conditions by cleaning and teaching English. The English was to prepare the staff for doctors coming to consult, furthering education, and helping them to do business in an English speaking world. English classes were held daily and the students were eager despite being shy to practice.We worked with a team of three twenty something kids. Jake is a medical student from Kansas and will be a wonderful Dr. someday. Dorcas is a Chinese American who is waiting to be accepted to med school. She was our great tech support and constantly confused for being Lao. And Emily, a college student from Colorado with a very big heart. Our team worked hard to clean the walls of a pediatric ward – tough to do in a hospital that rarely has running water.
When we left it was emotional – we had made good friends, some who called us brother, father, and mother. We were overwhelmed by their generosity and statements of appreciation. Constant requests were made for us to come back.
Pray for the Lao.
Pray for us as we go back to Kiev and will be involved with two weeks of Vacation Bible School in different neighborhoods in our area.
Colossians 4:3 …praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ …
