April 7, 1998 Tuesday Evening Midnight

Dear Family,

News from the Vientiane jails is a little happier this evening. We have the eye witness accounts of two that experienced the first two weeks in the Wattay jail and have very close loved ones in the Thatdam jail. Being incarcerated at Wattay jail was not a completely bad experience and much better than Thatdam jail. Their description sounded similar to the detention center that the Canfields and a Fox endured for three nights. Wattay jail was a converted house or hotel with a locked gate and the prisoners were free to mingle. They were the only prisoners in the jail. The ladies had Bibles in their purses and they could sing when the guards were not around. They had personal Bible study time, devotions, and great fellowship. They stated that conditions in the Thatdam jail are much harsher, the compound is smaller, the cells are real jail cells, and the facilities are very primitive. The last day before they were released they had to endure the infamous seminar. The guards assured them that their God was only a myth or else they wouldn't be in jail. The guards said, "the only god in this jail is us. Your God can't help you."

The sad note that we expected is that no one is meeting together for fellowship, Bible study or worship. Phonsawan takes grape juice and unleavened bread to the jail every week for the Thatdam prisoners. How's that for a paradox, the freed prisoners and the free Christians are afraid to meet but the prisoners have the Lord's Supper every week. One short term solution we have discussed is having the Vientiane Christians take a shopping trip on Sunday. Lots of Laotians get border passes on the weekends to go shopping in Thailand where goods are much cheaper. The Udorn church is really excited about the idea of a van load of Lao brethren joining them for a Sunday Celebration. The long term answer is to restore God's Spirit in their hearts, to get the Lao church leaders back in their leadership roles, and to build back the confidence that everyone had in Jesus before January 30th.

Your prayers and encouragement are bearing fruit. The American Embassy reported that at their meeting today with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the officials were receptive to Bill McDonough and Tommy Allison coming to Vientiane, and they would schedule meetings for them. Another embassy official was also setting up meetings with the Ministry of Public Health. They had no new news about the prisoners and I reported the motorcycle rumor to them. You may not know Tommy and Mary Alice Allison, but they are like a breath of fresh air in any gathering. If anyone can pick up the pieces of the broken Lao Christians and put them back together, God has equipped the Allisons with the ability, the Word, the language, and the Heart to do it.

We leave here Thursday morning driving to Khonkaen, Bangkok, and Songkla. Sunday we express our gratitude to the Songkla church that has been fervent in prayer for the Laos Christians since the first day. The following Monday to Friday is the annual nationwide Bible camp with the theme, "The Amazing Jesus". Our email messages will slow down but our hearts remain tuned to ten wonderful folks that are missing their families, their homes, their freedom, but not their God (the guards didn't realize He was there before they were).

Love you all, God bless,

Ken & Jean Fox
Udorn, Thailand