Fall Update

Greetings!  A lot has happened since we last wrote and we wanted to let you know the latest news from Laos and our family.  As always, we want to thank you for supporting us.  We know that nothing good and lasting will happen in Laos by our skill and resources alone, so your prayers are the key to the work of God’s Spirit moving among the people of Laos.  Thank you for remembering our family and our needs.  We’re extremely grateful for the way the Lord has provided for us in every way. 

The Candlelight crew on Teacher's Day!

Since returning to Laos in September, we’ve had some new and exciting things happen.  I (Kirk) have been working as the new director at our English and Vocational School named “Candlelight”.  It’s been really fun and challenging as I learn how this business functions and what needs to take place for us to keep having a positive impact in the future. Currently there are 18 Lao staff and three American teachers.  We do need more English teachers, so if you know of anyone with teaching background who would love to serve in Laos, let us know!  My favorite time of the week is our Tuesday staff lunch where we eat together after singing a few worship songs, praying together, and having someone share a short message.  Thank you for praying for wisdom for me as I lead our school. 

Calah is still teaching at the home school co-op, but has some new endeavors as well.  Every Friday she leads a Bible study with two Lao friends of hers.  They come over to our house to eat noodles while they read through Matthew.  What’s exciting is that one lady is a new believer and the other is very interested!  Neither of their husbands are believers yet, so please pray for these ladies, Jai and Noy and their families.

Calah and I are still studying Lao part-time and although at times it’s frustrating that we can’t communicate fully and say everything we want to, it’s encouraging to see progress and be able to carry on simple conversations most of the time. Please continue to pray that we will be able to not only speak and understand what people are saying, but to really know what they are feeling in hearts and trying to communicate with us. 

Family photo opportunity by the river

On the lines of language, we decided to send Keziah to a Lao Christian pre-school that meets at one of the recognized churches in our city.  Calah drops her off two mornings a week before taking the other girls to the co-op.  It’s been an adjustment for Keziah who most mornings says, “I don’t want to go to my pre-school”.  She is no doubt aware that she is different from the other kids and still can’t understand what’s being said in Lao.  We are encouraged, though, that she has made a friend named “Dawk Mai” (flower) who she looks forward to seeing.  It’s our hope that she will be able to stick with this long enough to get past some of the frustrations and be able to learn Lao well enough to communicate and make Lao friends.  Please pray for courage, peace, and joy for Keziah as she goes to her Lao pre-school.

This next month we’re excited for Calah’s parents to visit for a few weeks.  We always look forward to December when we get to celebrate two birthdays: Kolaya (she’ll be 10 on Dec. 7^th) and Keziah (turning 4 on the 17^th).  It also feels a bit like home when we put up our Christmas tree, stockings, and lights and start playing the Christmas music, even though we won’t get the snow!

Thank you for your part in His work in Laos and for remembering our family. 

Gratefully,

Kirk and Calah

At the end of our first term!

As a family we’re excited to be coming home in one month for our first home assignment.  It’s hard to believe we’ve been in Laos for almost two years!  We’re really looking forward to coming back to visit family and friends as well as get in on some fun Minnesota summer activities. 

One new development for when we return to Laos will be my (Kirk) new position as Director of our language school, “Candlelight”.  I’m grateful for the chance to be involved in leading our team of teachers and staff and most excited about teambuilding, mentoring, and discipleship opportunities.  Candlelight is a great little community that feels a lot like a family, impacting the lives of dozens of students who come through our doors every day. 

 

Calah will continue with responsibilities at the Home-School Co-op where the girls attend as well as continuing some part-time Lao classes, meeting with neighbors, etc.  The girls have had a great year at the Co-op and we’re grateful for this schooling option that allows us to stay in Laos with a reasonable budget.

One thing to pray for is a short-term group of students from Crown College in two weeks.   Twelve students will be working with us for two weeks and we’re really praying for the Father to open doors of service for us to be able to minister to the lives of those we care about here.

Well, we will keep you posted on how this last month goes here, and hopefully connect with many of you when we get back.  As always, thank you for remembering us, and remembering the people of Laos before our Father.  

Lao Lessons

Kirk and I continue to study Lao at Candlelight School, here in Vientiane.  Kirk is studying about Lao society five days a week, and I'm studying some new believer vocabulary two days a week.  We are blessed to be connected with CAMA Services, who runs Candlelight and teaches Lao to foreigners. We are able to study at the school as much as our own brains can handle!

Kolaya and Mikaya are studying Lao with an awesome lady named Tooey who makes learning Lao fun by playing games.  In this video Kolaya is practicing saying, "I have . . . [insert a school supply]".

Keziah practices Lao at home with the lady that watches her for 4 hours on Tuesday and Thursday.  She knows the names of body parts and can understand quite a bit when Na Jai is talking to her; but as of right now, she refuses to speak in Lao back to Na Jai.  But she rattles off in English a response.

Our neighborhood

We would really appreciate your prayer for our neighborhood, specifically for our landlord and her family. Recently, they had a family dispute that was the scariest event I've ever witnessed.  The girls pictured above are some our girls' favorite friends in Laos.  They are such fun-loving, patient little girls and our girls love when they ask to come over to play.  Our house is next to theirs and we can see into their living room from our kitchen window, so we noticed the mom and dad getting louder and louder as they began arguing.  I looked out the window to see what was going on when I saw the dad swing an ax at his wife's head three times.  I yelled for Kirk and we rushed over to our outside gate to see if there was anything we could do.  By the time we got outside the husband had retreated back inside but the wife was crying and yelling outside the house about what a horrible husband he was and that he was always drunk.  The kids were near their mom yelling and crying.  We assumed that the mom and her daughters would go to their sister-in-law's house and wait for the drunk, angry husband to calm down; but she didn't.  She decided to send her kids back into the house for her keys to the motorcycle and her purse.  They, of course, were terrified and went screaming into the house and running back outside with the things.  Within seconds the dad was back outside yelling, but this time he brought a gun and demanded they leave the motorcycle and the purse.  

Kirk and I sat watching the events that were unfolding, praying frantically how we could help.  Unfortunately, there was no culturally acceptable way for us to step in; and other family members were around watching and yelling at the man already.  

After things had simmered down (Kirk was pretty adamant that I wait until the husband was back inside his house), I snuck over our back wall and went a back way to the sister-in-law's house to see if I could help take the wife to the hospital or drive them somewhere safely away from their house.  She had already been taken to the hospital for some bleeding on her face and she had taken her kids with her.  I stayed at their house for over an hour listening to our landlord tell their family's story and the many struggles they have had.  God was so faithful to help me understand, which was a difficult task since the ladies in the house were upset and speaking so quickly.  But I feel like it was so important for me to let them know that I saw the event, I was sad with them, and I wanted to help in anyway possible.  I took the time to pray for them, but I hope I spoke clearly and correctly because it is really hard for me to pray in Lao.

Please pray for this family, especially the girls and their mom.  Pray for these girls to be shielded from the emotional and physical abuse that is present.  Pray that they all come to know God's love and forgiveness.  

Homeschool Co-op

This is a picture that was taken recently at the co-op that I teach at and our girls attend.  You can see the girls and I to the right side of the picture.  Kolaya is hugging her good friend, Naya; and Mikaya is in front of them.  This year we have over 11 families that come together Monday through Friday to share responsibilities and teach our children together.  I am teaching first and second grade, together with a lady named Elleke (she is in the brown shirt and blue pants at the table).  We have 4 second graders and 3 first graders.  Mikaya is in my first grade group and is really taking off reading.  

Kolaya is in the classroom with the third and fourth graders and studies with 2 other girls and 3 boys.  She is taught by Ms. Dawna (holding her daughter on the left side of the picture), Ms. Kari (in the middle front with the red sling purse and her daughter on her lap), and Ms. Jenny (not pictured).  They are a collection of moms who enjoy teaching different subjects.  She has voiced a great love of writing within the last few weeks and prefers to read non-fiction books.  

Keziah's teacher is Ms. Jolene (right in front of Mikaya with the black shirt) and Keziah absolutely loves going with the early childhood group.  There are 9 kids, ages 4 and down.  They enjoy painting, playing outside, doing crafts, and playing together.  Keziah especially enjoys dress-up and crafts.  

Ronzheimers' Update

Dear Friends,

A lot has happened over the past few months.   As a family we are continually encouraged by your prayers and want to thank you for your ongoing support.  It seems like each week we learn new things about Laos and what our purpose is here.  I have been blessed with some opportunities to travel this past year.  In October I rode my bicycle across Laos and Vietnam in one weekend with friends working in water sanitation and development.  It was an awesome experience to see southern rural Laos, learn more about the development of water resources from my friends, and pray for villages as we rode through the mountains on our way to the ocean.  God has expanded my heart for unreached people in this region.  

Bike trip across Laos and Vietnam

Driving motorcycles to travel to villages in Phongsaly

Thank you for praying for me as I went to Phongsaly, the northernmost province of Laos in November for eleven days.  I was able to partner with another development organization and help with a survey process in really, really remote villages.  It was like going to another world, (and I was regarded as an alien), but again, God opened my eyes to the needs of people untouched by modern civilization.  It’s not clear at this time whether my work will take me to people like this any time soon, but I’m still praying that someday God will use me in villages like this.  Finally, last week I participated in a tropical agriculture workshop in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The organization, ECHO (you can Google them, they are based from Florida in the U.S.), is dedicated to fighting world hunger through innovative agricultural options for the poor.  Again, I hope to use this knowledge working here in Laos in the near future.

Calah continues to teach first and second grade at the home-school co-op where Kolaya and Mikaya attend.  Calah is one of the only professionally trained educators there which means she has a lot of wisdom about how the co-op is administered.  Please pray for her as her responsibilities increase with this educational option.  The co-op is growing and has the potential to minister to many families working here in Laos.  

The girls are all doing well.  Mikaya is excited about her upcoming birthday and Kolaya just started to participate in a softball club on Mondays.   She loves it and I also am pretty excited about being Dad/Coach.  Keziah is now 3 years old and has begun to talk our ears off.  She loves telling LONG stories often!

The girls at Mikaya's 7th birthday

Our family really enjoyed a Christmas break back in the U.S. for my brother Joel’s wedding in California.  We’re looking forward to our actual home assignment in June and hope to connect with many of you during that time.  Until then, please continue to pray for us as we study the Lao language, build relationships with friends and neighbors, and try to discern what roles we will have in the future here with CAMA.  

As always, we don’t feel like we’re doing this alone and we’re grateful to have each of you along on this journey with us.

In Him, 

Kirk