My dear Friends,

This comes with my love for you all and to thank you for your prayers over the last few weeks.This could well be the last Monthly Update I will send before I leave Thailand and return to the UK. I will leave Chiang Mai three weeks from today and I am very aware that the clock is ticking!!

Last month I mentioned that I would be “farewelled” at our KBC Annual Convention!  The evening was the last evening of the Convention and it was chosen to honour me.  The Karens really wanted to thank me for all the years I had worked with them.  The Karen women had prepared a special plaque to present to me.  On the plaque they wrote “The Thailand Karen Baptist Women’s Union would like to give thanks to God and express our appreciation to Thra Mu Jacqui Wells.  Thank you for your faithful service.”  Then they blessed me with the priestly blessing from Numbers.  Hopefully, I can show you the plaque when I’m in the UK.

After they had presented the plaque a lady representing the ten different associations which make up our KBC came up onto the stage to present me with gifts!!  I was given some wonderful gifts of weaving, some silver jewellery and love gifts of money.  Many felt that I would not be able to carry heavy gifts of weaving to the UK so they gave me gifts of money wrapped in beautiful boxes.  Their love gifts amounted to over 600 pounds sterling!  I was so overwhelmed with their love and generosity.  I will save the money and then buy a piece of furniture for my house in the UK.  In that way I will have something very special to remember the Karen.  (In actual fact I could never forget them!)  The evening was so special and it will always be in my memory.

Please pray for these last three weeks.  I have two more meetings to attend:

Prayer requests for May

8th May
Please pray for the Executive Board of Thai Tribal Crafts as we meet together.  We will be making plans for the next few months and we will also be trying to think of new ways to sell our products.  The economic situation in the World has really affected our sales.

16th May
I will meet with all the Women’s Committee for all the Baptist groups in Thailand.  There will be Thai, Chinese, Lahu and Karen Baptists present.  This will be my last meeting with them and I will be farewelled from there too!

I have ten days to finish all my sorting and have my things ready for the packers.  I’m trying not to panic BUT I would so value your prayers as I arrange all this!  The packers will come on the 14th of May!  They will pack and then ship some of my personal belongings to the UK.  I only have 20 kgs weight allowance on the plane so I will send most of my things by sea.

9th May
On Saturday 9th May I will be having a sale at my house.  Pray for me as I sort out the things I will be going to sell.

I have some really good news!!  I have found some lovely friends who are going to look after my dog Amber.  My friends Avis and Roy Rideout are so excited about having Amber and I sure that they will really look after him.  It will be hard for me, though, to give him away!

Finally in the midst of all my busyness I am also trying to prepare PowerPoint presentations to use when I visit you in the Churches.  Please pray that I will have time to create presentations which will bless us all as I travel and visit my Link Churches.

I forgot to give you my travel dates!!  I leave Chiang Mai on Tuesday 26th of May at 21:00 and arrive in Birmingham Airport at 12:30 on May 27th.  I am travelling with Emirates airline.  Please pray for my travel and that my luggage etc will arrive safely.  Thank you so much.

I shall look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks time and I ask you again as I say goodbye to so many precious Karen and expatriate friends.  I will finish now with a blessing:

David Adam

     My love and prayers,
          Jacqui

 

Karen Women's Workers
Jacqui teaching in August