JESUS . . . Brighter and Dearer Each Day!

If I had not responded to God's call to live and work out here in the jungles of Thailand by myself so to speak:*  I would never have learned to trust His hand.*  I would never have learned about His endless resources and capabilities to sustain and provide in every situation.*  I would never have learned to rejoice in darkness and trials.*  I would never have learned what rewards come from much time spent in Bible Study and prayer.* I would never have learned to love the unlovely.* I would never have seen Jesus so much brighter and dearer each passing day!  Oh joy of joys -  Jesus is in every detail of our lives, He is all we need for sure!!!In this list above, you must know that I have a long way to go in all these categories.  I am far from what God intends for me to be.  There is so much more refining work for Him to do on me!  However I am filled with an irrepressible desire to sing His praises, because I have had a glimpse of His goodness and He floods my undeserving, wretched soul with love!Examples of these things come every day.  Take last Sunday November 10 for example.  We were in MaeSalit preparing for the electrician to come with us the following Tuesday.  BletJaw and I decided to get everything purchased in MaeSot Sunday, then we could show it to the electrician and make sure it was all there, and if not we would still have Monday to go back and get it right.Sunday morning we left early.  Just before arriving in MaeSot we called Kelly Meyer with a question.  It was then that he told us that the big store of building supplies was closed on Sundays!  So much for that plan.  We went ahead and purchased all the medical supplies that we needed to restock due to 4 months of depletion throughout the rainy season.  That left just 2 things for me to do the next day.  My visa and electronic supplies!  My visa is very easy and only involves turning in my slip of paper and receiving another slip with the 3 month date that I am to return.  That would leave the rest of the day for the electronics.Monday morning I was nervous.  Not because of making the purchases, but because I must not make a mistake.  This was the very last day possible to make purchases and it was so important! I gave it all to God and asked Him to please take care of me and send me help from heaven because I did not know about all the different brands of switches and plugs.  You have to get separate parts and put them together.  We needed different combinations - some two switches - some two plugs - and some with one plug one switch.   To say nothing of fans and lights!  So many different kinds and different places to get them at!When I arrived in MaeSot I went straight to the immigration office with great confidence.  This was simple!  Wrong!  I found the office had moved to a different building and there was a different girl at the counter.  She took my passport and slowly examined every page front and back!  This spells trouble!  Next she calls a higher officer and together they decide that my visa is expired by 5 months and I am completely illegal in this country!  I must pay 20,000 baht fine and many other things that I cannot understand.  I am shocked because just 3 months ago I had turned in my slip of paper and received the next slip that said to return on this day.  I thought I did everything right.  What happened?Now they do not like that the bank I opened my account with is in Chiang Mai.  They tell me I must go to Chaing Mai!  I tell them I do banking in MaeSot now constantly.  A German man had heard this conversation thus far and was enraged.  He came forward and looked at my bank book and said, "She has money in the bank, that is all you have to know!"  He looked at me and said these people just change the rules all the time just to suit themselves, it makes no sense.  Silently I agreed.  This sort of thing has happened to me before.Now they decide that I must go and get a passport picture, a bank statement for the last 3 months along with a statement of guarantee.  I must copy my entire passport and bring proof of residency along with the 20,000 baht fine.  This is what I had to do when I first started a retirement visa in this country (Except for the fine), and they said I would not have to do that again.  The officer finally said I did not have to bring proof of residency.  That was a relief because it took me 3 days to get that right before!When I brought all the things that were required, the officer in charge took them to her desk and studied them for a long time - one and one half hours to be exact!  Then I had to sign one form after another - 8-10 I would guess.  I have no idea what they were all about. Than another 50 minute wait and the officer calls me up.  I felt like I was at the judgment stand without an attorney, however, Jesus, my judge and attorney was with me and He never loses a case!   The lady looked very serious indeed - like there was no hope for me.  She showed me my bank statement and pointed out that my balance fell just a little below the required amount during the month of September.  She told me that was wrong.  I told her to look at the next 2 weeks, it had come right back up again.  After a long period of silence, during which time my heart and lungs could hardly function, she said, "I will let you go this time!"  Then for the first time ever, she smiled a faint smile at me and proceeded to hand me my slip of paper for the next 3 month period.Five hours after my initial visit, I walked out of that immigration office with a retirement visa for one more year in my hand!  Praise the Lord!  Surely this year will be an awesome year together with Jesus, who I now see as so much brighter and dearer to me!The day is not over yet.  I have precious little time to shop for the electrician!  But God has provided for me again!  Let's back up a little bit.  At about 10a.m Denise Meyer had called me to say she was headed to MaeSot to pick up her husband at the airport at 10:30, but her truck heated up and she must stop in Meta to get it fixed.  I told her I could surely get him if he didn't mind rushing around the town trying to get the required visa papers.  Sure enough, he was very patient with me and in answer to my prayer that morning, I had the perfect one who could help me buy the needed supplies!  He had done this before in the very same shop!   Together we reviewed the blueprint and the written list of supplies.  To tell you the truth he figured out all the plates, boxes, clips, and breakers at the store, while I seemed to be just standing there, tired, half dazed, and amazed at how God had once again supplied all my needs!We walk out of that shop thirty minutes after closing time.  We still had to go to two more places for a ladder and fans.  The fan shop did not have as many as we asked for, so they directed us to their branch shop out on the main highway.  We arrived at seven p.m. - right at closing time, but they had been contacted by the previous shop and had everything ready.God's guidance through this day means so much to me.  First of all He is caring for me every moment in the big and little things.  Second I am assured over and over again that it is His will for us to have the solar system, just as it was His will for us to have a much larger more beautiful building to work out of than we ever expected.  It is all for His glory, and as the lights go on in that building may we truly be a light on the hill.  May the gleaming rays light up and penetrate these villages, and may people all around see Jesus for themselves shining, brighter and dearer to them each day!