April 25, 1998   Saturday evening before the 87th day

Dear Family,

A summary of Vientiane events is exciting from the stand point of the Partners in Progress project.  For five days the Lord has blessed Bill & Marie Claire McDonough and Tommy & Mary Alice Allison with the wisdom of serpents while helping them to be as harmless as doves.  Here are the positives:

1. The Laotian government has accepted Tommy as PIP director.
2. The Allisons have gratis visas that will be converted to entry visas with unlimited access to Thailand.
3. The PIP vehicles have been promised to be returned next Monday.
4. The Allisons have met and now know all the government players.
5. The American Embassy has given their support to the Allisons.
6. The Allisons have moved into Jerry Canfield's house and have email and telephone access to Thailand and the USA.
7. Contact has been established with the families of the Laos Ten.
8. Amnesty International has contacted us again for additonal information.

What are the negatives? Only one, the government will not discuss the five PIP employees in jail nor the other five Lao Christians in Thatdam prison. Tommy will pursue this next week but PIP has no connections with the Ministry of Interior that controls the jails and the internal politics.  The American Embassy has assigned one staff member to assist the Laotian attorney we have retained to represent the Laos Ten.  Phonsawan contacts the attorney almost daily and the appeal process is slowly going forward.

Sunday morning is coming quickly, what will the Vientiane saints do tomorrow? Phonsawan will break bread with several teens and another saint at her house. The Laos Ten will secretly and quietly have the Lord's Supper a block from the American Embassy (Thatdam prison can be seen from the ambassadors office). Tommy and Mary Alice plan to fulfill Matthew 18:20, "where two or three have gathered together in My name" at their new home. The harsh realities of the government persecution in Vientiane will be painfully felt as the Allisons worship by themselves for the first time in a city of 500,000 and over fifty Laotian Christians. 

Sunday, "blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of the righteousness" will jump off the page of Matthew 5:10 in Vientiane. "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me" will be reflected in the empty seats, the missing song books, the seized Bibles, the confiscated personal notebooks, and the silent podium that is in police custody. If you don't read the end of the story, "be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life", you could almost get discouraged.

I'm beginning to develop a deeper understanding of that word "rejoice" used by the Roman prisoner Paul.  When the singing gets especially spiritual where you worship Sunday and your spirit is soaring, when the air conditioning or fans feel just right in your auditorium tomorrow with hundreds of soft seats or hard benches, and when the preacher has you feeling warm and fuzzy in God's love on the Lord's Day, make a mental reality check and swap places with Kongmany or Khammieng or Bounlerth and rethink, "rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice."  How much of our rejoicing depends on things, places, and people, and how much depends on our relationship with Him? Joy and rejoicing doesn't depend on the externals, but on the internals. To all of you that are praying, writing, loving, and desiring the Laos Ten to be free, remember to rejoice for them and yourself this Lord's Day.

Count it all joy when you are privileged to share with and for Him,
Ken & Jean Fox
Udorn, Thailand