Here are our prayer requests for the month of June:
1. The guesthouse that we have been working at for the past 8 months is currently closed due to a large landslide that happened about 2 weeks ago. The guesthouse is about 5 or 6 feet from the edge of the landslide. The guesthouse sits along the side of a large mountain that gently climbs to over 14,000 feet. The guesthouse sits at the 8700 foot mark of the mountain. We have had to close the guesthouse to guests due to the risk of the it sliding off the mountain. The government currently has a group of 2o to 30 people working on a large retaining wall, but it will still be 3 or 4 weeks before it is completed. Pray that the guesthouse doesn’t slide off the mountain and that workers will complete the wall as soon as possible. Pray also that the weather will remain dry. If it rains, work on the retaining wall has to be suspended.
2. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the “liberation” of Tibet by China. Anniversary celebrations are scheduled to take place throughout the month of July. Because of the risk of protests and violence, over half of the Tibetan Plateau is currently closed to foreign travelers (click link for more info). In the western portion of the prefecture we live in, there have been recent protests against Chinese rule (click link for more info). The Kham region of Tibet where we live has always been a hot spot for independence activity. Pray with us that this region quiets down and remains peaceful. If violence erupts in this region, as it did in 2008 and 2009, the entire prefecture would close to foreigners and we would have to leave. Our region was already closed for 2 months earlier this year (March and April) and we don’t want to see that happen again.
Upper Rabshi Village in Yushu prefecture lying at 13,500 feet
3. We have hired 4 new Tibetan staff at the guesthouse. Two of them we have known for many years. TW is a Kham Tibetan from Drido while TD is from Khakhog in Amdo (Tibet has 3 main regions, Amdo, Kham and U-Tsang). Both TW and TD have heard the Gospel in great detail and at times have even professed to be believers in Jesus. However, with no sizeable church among the Tibetan people and no church anywhere near where they live (for TW, the nearest church is a Chinese speaking church located 600 miles from his hometown), they no longer call themselves Christians. Working with these two people the past weeks and months has been great. We have really challenged them on a lot of things by comparing the teachings of Buddha with the teachings of Jesus. Pray that these two people will once again put their faith in the God who created the heavens and the earth.
4. In January 2012, our family will return to the US for 9 to 12 months so that our son Tyler, who will be 3 in October, can have a series of surgeries to remove a birthmark around his right eye. This will be the first time we will have been home for a significant period of time since we moved to the Tibetan Plateau in the late summer of 2003. We came back to the US in ’05, ’07 and ’09, but for only 3 or 4 months each time. By the time we arrive in the US in January, we will have spent 90 of the past 100 months in Asia. To say that we are in need of a break is an understatement! Pray with us that Tyler will get the needed secondary insurance policy that he needs, that the surgeries all go well and that our time in the US in 2012 is restful and relaxing.
5. Continue to pray for the earthquake survivors in Yushu prefecture. More than 75,000 people remain living in government issued tents. Rebuilding of the town of Jyekundo has been incredibly slow. MSNBC recently ran this report on how rebuilding is going: http://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/15/6854190-reconstruction-slow-in-tibetan-town. Tension has been very high in the entire region, which has the highest percentage of Tibetan people anywhere on the Tibetan Plateau. There have been numerous protests this year from local Tibetans who are tired of living in squalor conditions. All Tibetans have had their land repossessed by the government, even those who owned their land genrations before China came. Tibetans will have to spend this coming winter living in a tent again and there is a chance that many will have to spend a 3rd winter in tents during the winter of ’12-’13 as the town is not scheduled to be completed until the spring or summer of 2013. There is a huge military presence in the area to prevent any major outbreaks or violence. Pray that this area also remains peaceful and that the town is rebuilt quickly.
Dartsendo during this past winter
Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet lying at 12,800 feet
We hope that all of you are doing well. If you have a moment, please leave us a comment on our website or email us. We always enjoy hearing from you!
Blessings