April 2, 1998 Thursday Evening Midnight

Dear Family,

Phonsawan called twice today: the lawyers have started, the fees have been paid, she is helping the three freed grandmothers with important matters, and tomorrow she gets to visit her family in jail. Meetings are set for this weekend to try again to improve communications across the river. One meeting scheduled for today didn't materialize for unknown reasons.

Thomas & Kindy Kweekul helped us translate the ten page court document today and it took almost seven hours. It was hilarious reading the transcript from an American's point of view with our ideas of freedom of expression: the Laotian government was insulted because Mr. Kenneth said it was easier for a tricycle cab driver to approach God than for him to approach the Prime Minister! It was tragic from a Christian's perspective: a two year jail sentence for a twenty year old young lady because she taught the Bible to children ages 5 to 11?. The basic human right to worship God in our own home is a privilege denied the Laos 10 and four and a half million Laotian people.

As you pillow your head tonight in the comforts of a real legal system, remember to thank God for your religious freedom. Then please ask Him to share your freedom with the 4,500,013 Laotians. Here are a few bad examples as they appear in the official court record (notes in parentheses after the quotes are mine):

pg. 2 "Charge: they organized a meeting to creat social turmoil." (forty-nine Christians and visitors attending a Bible class on Romans and Revelation)

pg. 3 "Mr. Kenneth used an example to compare God with the Prime Minister and asked the question, Who is the most important? Can a tricycle cab driver go see the Prime Minister? Mr. Kenneth said he could not because the police would not let him go in. If the tricycle cab driver approaches God, he can." (insulting government leaders)

pg. 5 "In the investigation and in the court room, Mr. Sy Yilatchay confessed that he used his own house as a meeting place for religious meetings and he invited members from different areas and different provinces to come." (guilty of Article 66, organizing meetings to create social turmoil)

pg. 7 "Mrs. Khamphin Suliyaathen (defendant)confessed that: She became a member in February of 1997. After she became a member, she studied the Bible and attended at several places until October of 1997. She then opened her house to a Bible class and used her own money for the expenses." (guilty of Article 66, organizing meetings to create social turmoil)

pg 7. "Miss Duangmanee Yilatchay (defendant) confessed that: She became a Christian in 1990. In 1997 she became involved with foreigners (Americans). They appointed her to teach the small children ages 5-11. She alternated every other month with Mrs. Phonsawan (the wife of Mr. Bounlerth). She attended four large Bible seminars. Other than this, she was involved in Bible teaching to the small children at Naborn village, Vientiane province." (guilty of Article 66, organizing meetings to create social turmoil)

Good night, sweet dreams, God bless,
Ken & Jean Fox
Udorn, Thailand