Give Thanks in All Circumstances

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Last month, I asked some of the Vietnamese kids if they were afraid of getting sick from Covid-19 anymore and they replied, “No we are not, we are more afraid of getting dengue during rainy season.” In Cambodia, rainy season or monsoon season is from May until November. We are seeing rain every 2 out of 3 days. This season is vital for local agriculture but it also enables mosquitoes to breed easily and spread viruses such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya. These viruses only spread through mosquito bites so we try our best to use repellent and cover-up outside.

This month, there is an outbreak of chikungunya in Cambodia and we started to hear about many cases in the Vietnamese communities we normally visit and the local Khmer church. It was a common prayer request during our Bible studies. Unfortunately, Kevin also contracted the virus last week and was hit hard with a high fever, joint pains, rash and insomnia. He was bed-ridden for about 5 days and is starting to regain strength. This is not a deadly disease, and the only treatment is to take fever medication and drink lots of liquids. Kevin feels like he can truly empathize with all the people that have gotten this virus before.

Even though it was a difficult week, we want to give thanks to our heavenly Father. Kevin is extremely grateful he can easily buy acetaminophen and turn on the air conditioner when he was overheating compared to most of the locals that do not have access to these comforts. I’m thankful that God has been protecting the rest of our family and we had many friends open up their home to watch our kids so that I can have a break or run errands. We have also had many people checking on us and keeping us in prayer. Thank you for all your care and support.

Prayer Request:

Please pray that Kevin makes a complete recovery and does not develop long-term joint pains from the virus.
Our kids will commence online schooling starting on Monday, Aug 24. Please pray that our family will find good harmony in managing the kids’ schooling and ministry work.

Kid’s Corner: What did you do when daddy was sick?
Marcus – “We just made it a normal day without daddy. We played boardgames and puzzles.”
Mackenzie – “And we had screentime and playdates.”