Dear Intercessors,
I am in the USA as this is written. Krinny, Sue Domangue and April Wilson are at our house in Pathumthani, a northern Bangkok suburb.

You may have heard the news of several blasts in Bangkok. These occurred in the hours leading up to and just after the countdown to 2007. These blasts were coordinated but small in nature. Two have been confirmed killed as this is written.

I wish to ask you to pray for these ladies’ safety. They are not in immediate danger as far as we know as we actually live around 20 miles north of the city center. Meanwhile they have cancelled plans for a trip into the city tomorrow to be safe.

Please pray that somehow these events would tender the hearts of the Thai people. Pray also for other missionary and Thai pastors and brethren who may be in harms’ way.

I would appreciate intercession for me as I take care of some things here in the USA then head back to Thailand on the 9th of January, 2007.

Thank you in Jesus’ Name,
Bro. Tom

Dear Intercessors,
These last month has been pretty hectic for us. Krinny and I left Thailand on the 28th of November to visit with our daughter and family in Lithuania. We returned on the 10th and I left on the 15th – 18th for a trip to Northeastern Thailand where I had several meetings with men who are translating solid materials for 5 different languages. All of us (Krinny, Susie Domangue, April Wilson, and I) left for a short getaway from the 20th – today, the 23rd. Next up is of course Christmas then I leave on the 26th – Jan 9 to the USA for several strategic meetings concerning ministry here in Southeast Asia. It is all pretty much overwhelming but so very much necessary.

We praise the Lord for His protection for these travels. Doors are open on every hand as we go. So many opportunities to make a difference, please pray for laborers!

Concerning the Lao Hmong, there is simply no resolution to their plight. This past week, the authorities invited the Lao representatives to interview some of the refugees. It was agreed by both governments that these people are not refugees, rather economic migrants. Laos has stated the Hmong cannot be refugees because there is no war. They agreed to return the Hmong as soon as it could be worked out.

Meanwhile, the brethren at Nam Khao Baptist Church have just celebrated their second Christmas in relative freedom (as much as you can have in a refugee camp with guards) here in Thailand. God continues to bless the Church in spite of the difficulties. Bro. Lange reports that more leaders are now trained as it looks like either way the governments decide, the Hmong will probably be broken up from this camp. The Lord’s work must go on and the Church is making contingency plans for that day. The believers there display so much faith in our Lord. I wish we had that in our freedom in the USA.

Please pray for several translation projects in numerous languages and for the publishing that must be done to put these items into print. We have requests from several pastors from several language groups for help in producing evangelistic and discipling literature as well as song books and Bibles. Please pray for God’s direction and provision for these things.

Pray for Krinny and the ladies as I go to the USA. Pray for their safety and the work they will keep on with while I am away.

Our latest prayer letter has just been mailed but a PDF version of it is online at: http://gaudetfamily.org/PrayerLetters/2006/December2006.pdf

Thank you for your faithful labor in prayer and finances for the Gaudet Family. You are an important part of this work!

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Karin (Krinny) Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
My Pastor, Larry Adkisson is due to undergo a heart catheterization procedure today, Monday, Nov 27th at 4:30pm. He was admitted to the hospital on Saturday afternoon with rapid, irregular heartbeat. It is a problem he has experienced before and has been treated for, but this time they could not regulate it. His heart stopped Sunday and the Drs worked on him for around 4 minutes getting a heartbeat again. Since then, his heartbeat has been regular and they are now planning to do this procedure to look into repairs.
Krinny and I are heading to Lithuania just about 24 hours from the time of this writing. Of course we are monitoring this situation with our Pastor closely. Please be much in prayer for him. We of course are concerned, but know the Lord is in control.
If I was in his situation now, I would want folks like you praying for me. Of course this man and his family are very special to this missionary family. Thank you for praying!
You may want the phone number at Metropolitan Baptist Church for updates on his condition since we will be out of e-mail contact for the few days of travel - 817-237-2201
For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Friends,
We feel the need to update you on a few things and of course ask specific prayer. Please accept this e-mail accomplish this. I apologize in advance for its length.
Translators we are working with in 7 languages have now finished or are in the process of finishing work on a number of projects, including a large illustrated book presenting the Bible chronologically. After they have finished, we have a lot to do on the computers to get these publications to press. Thank the Lord for opportunities such as this to make a difference!
We will be converting a facility here in Bangkok for more extensive offices just after the first of the year to better accommodate the publishing work on the computers. This office facility will also house the video edit computers and translation facilities. Also we have yet to rent the facility near the Burmese border but plan to do that in the near future.
Krinny and I will be traveling next week, Nov 28-Dec 10. We will be seeing our daughter and family in Lithuania. Please pray for our travels and for our co-workers here in Thailand while we are gone. These young people will be apart from their families for another holiday. Their labors here are with a great amount of sacrifice.
Just after Christmas, on the 26th, I will be traveling to the USA to be in a Hmong festival in Fresno, CA, then travel on to Fort Worth, TX for a few days before returning to Thailand on the 9th Jan. RLI was short of funds and purchased a reduced shipment of rice for the Hmong refugees this week. I was interviewed on the radio via phone from CA earlier this week. Pray that this and the trip to the USA will open the way for the Hmong community in the USA to get involved in helping their people in a greater way.
As previously mentioned to you we are looking for another vehicle. We have pretty much exhausted the need to search farther until we are actually ready to buy. Our target to actually purchase at the moment is during the two weeks I am back in Thailand Dec.10-26. Please pray that we will have the funds on hand to buy a dependable van of 2-3 years old. It appears that we will still need around $7,000 for that purpose after our old vehicle sells.
I twisted my ankle on the famous Bangkok sidewalks about a week ago. For 2-3 days afterwards, I thought that I had gotten away with only minor problems, but around 4 days ago, the ankle began swelling and I have been mostly incapacitated since then. Trips to the Dr have shown no broken bones, only a severely sprained ankle. I missed several important appointments in the northern part of the country yesterday, and now Krinny and I are holding our breath to see how ambulatory I will be when we are supposed to travel on the 28th. Please pray for these two old bodies. Wait, we are only in our 50’s, but the miles sure do add up!
We are grateful for your faithful intercession. Many of you also invest financially in this work. We are indebted to each one of you. The holiday season will be over before we know it. It is such a blessed time of the year. How grateful we are for the opportunity to communicate with family and friends during this time.
For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,

Please pray for the situation with the Hmong refugees from Laos. Within the camp in Phetchabun there is virtually no change. The government is still talking about relocating them to a site some 6km away from their present location while they sort thru what to do with them. At the same time, there is no resolution on how to care for the refugees (the government still refuses to call them refugees!). The large international aid groups are being kept from them due to the uncertain way they are being handled.

At the same time, two significant things happened this week with some of the Hmong from Laos. Earlier in the week, 53 of these people were deported to Laos. It was an official deportation involving the Lao government from all reports. The UNHCR made a statement about it afterwards that they had been unable to interview these people due to the policies.

Then yesterday, (Friday) immigration officials raided a neighborhood in Bangkok and seized 194 people, Hmong and Vietnamese. These all held cards identifying them as “Persons of Concern” by the UNHCR. Many of these people made their way to Bangkok from the camp in Phetchabun to make appeals to the UNHCR. They were sort of hiding out in Bangkok awaiting processing of their UN paperwork.

It seems these people are not going to win any way it falls out. Staying in Phetchabun they have been under threat of deportation, limited food supplies and no educational facilities for their children. For those who tried to get help from the UN by traveling to Bangkok, they now have been arrested.

As missionaries and part-time volunteer humanitarian workers, it is very difficult to watch all this unfold. Praise the Lord that NamKhao Baptist Church, established in the refugee camp is able to minister spiritually. However, a few of the believers narrowly missed the same fate as these as they tried to get recognition from the international community.

Please pray that there will be some sort of easing of the harsh conditions for these Hmong from Laos. Pray that they will have security from those who they fled when they left Laos. Pray for the brethren of NamKhao Baptist Church to be able minister spiritually to these hurting people during this time.

There are some things developing as RLI (Relief Logistics International – www.rlingo.org) attempts to continue with humanitarian work with these people. It was reiterated to me again this week at a meeting the fact that RLI was has been on target for the past 15 months since the large international agencies have been kept from helping these Hmong.

Please continue to pray for them and for the missionary families involved.
For Souls Still Waiting,

Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
How we thank and praise God for you, our faithful co-laborers. Intercession is work and as you pray, you are every bit as much part of what the Lord is doing here as we are. Maybe more so, as many battles are won before we even put our hands to it!

There are so many opportunities before us now. We have translators in 5 languages (Burmese, Karen, Hmong, Thai, Karenni) working now on projects. Before this month ends, Lord willing, we plan to rent a small house near the Myanmar border where large numbers of people from the ethnic groups of Myanmar are living inside Thailand. This house/office/translation center/storage facility will allow us to be able to work with many of these people in their different languages easier than using a hotel room each time we travel the 7 hours there.

With the translations coming in within a month or less from now, we are making ready more of the publishing capacity to handle it all. We ask you to pray specifically for our small “team” as we labor in this great need.

Many of the languages that we are now targeting have only very limited Christian literature. Having tracts or Gospels to give to people is something that most Pastors in the region have never even imagined. One man, an ethnic Ahka has met with me several times and even though I have told him our desire to publish in his language, he finally saw something in print in another hilltribe language and it all started to sink in. He is very anxious to partner with us to publish the Word of God in his language.

With all of these opportunities before us we became keenly aware of our need to replace the vehicle we have been driving since we arrived in Thailand. It is a 16 year old Toyota wagon converted locally from a dual cab pickup truck. It has never been dependable enough to take very far from home, thus demanding that we rent a vehicle each time that we travel.

Knowing the need, our sponsoring Church just put $5,000 in a vehicle fund for us. We praise the Lord for that! With the sale of our car, we expect to have a total of $7-8,000 toward another one. That may sound like a lot, but here in Thailand vehicles hold their value for a long time. We have seen several 2-3 year old Toyota vans for $16,000 and up. From that age they hold their value till nearly 10 years old. We have also seen a 5 year old Kia van for $8,000.

So, all that to say this, please pray for us to have wisdom as we look into what we will be able to purchase. For the next three weeks or so we are going to look at vehicles and pray, then with whatever funds are available for this purpose at that time we are going to buy the best vehicle we can find. We would appreciate your intercession.

Krinny and I are looking into the possibility of an 8-10 day trip to visit our daughter and family in Lithuania. If that can be done in December, we could celebrate an early Christmas with our grandchildren!! It has been two years since we have seen them and the youngest was only 6 months old then. Grandparents will understand.

We could not do this work without you, our prayer partners. Many of you also support us financially. We are indebted. Please don’t stop!
For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Please allow this update to ask prayer for the Hmong refugees and the work that RLI has been carrying on with them. As you know, RLI (Relief Logistics International) has been providing food in the form of rice for the entire population of 6,000+ refugees in Ban Huay NamKhao, northern Thailand for over one year. Rice is not enough to live on but it is what has been made possible to give with the funds that many in the USA have provided. At present, just over 320 TONS of rice has been provided to these displaced people during that time. That amounts to 16 tractor-trailer loads of rice!

Approximately three months ago, MSF, (Doctors without Borders) the only other humanitarian organization working with these people besides RLI, obtained funds to start targeted feeding of children. Because the government still has not allowed the UN access to these refugees, the large international agencies have not been able to step in and help. However, a UN agency which deals with children started providing funds to MSF to help children, thus doing a backdoor funding for the only other food distribution that has been done within the last year other than RLI.

RLI just paid out the last of the funds on hand for a 6.6 ton shipment of rice. We want to share with you excerpts from a letter we just got from MSF. Of course they are very familiar with the health of the Hmong refugees…

“(MSF’s) distribution is weighted toward families with young children, and unfortunately does not adequately supply food to families with few or no young children. This leaves many people underserved, putting the elderly particularly at risk. That is why the rice provided by RLI is so critical to these people right now.

At this point the rice provided by RLI is the only food available to a substantial number of people in the camp, and we hope your supporters will understand the great benefit they are providing for this community.”

These doctors from MSF report that the current population in the refugee camp is over 8,000. They are only able to help the children under 5 years old and their families and this accounts for around 2,472 people. The rest who have need are served by the rations of rice from RLI.

The government is making way for an official camp to be opened up for these Hmong from Laos. It is felt that after that happens, the large humanitarian organizations will be requested to help these people. Until then however, RLI has carried the load of helping the Hmong in Huay NamKhao for over one year.

Of course, you know the story; an independent Baptist Church has sprung up in this refugee camp which has now over 300 members! The Lord has done amazing things with the sacrifice that many of you have made.

Currently, the rice RLI has been purchasing for these refugees costs $1,840 for 6.6 tons. That amounts to around $1 for 3.5kg of rice, enough to feed a family of 6 for one day. Until MSF started their program to help children 3-4 months ago, RLI’s shipments of rice into the refugee camp occurred on the average of every 8 days for one entire year! Now, coordinating with the other organization, we have been averaging 6.6 TONS of rice every 2 weeks. The last shipment was yesterday, Monday, Nov 5. Again that is the last of the funds on hand at this time.

Please pray for these people that the government will speedily handle them in a way that will allow them to get on with their lives. Pray for RLI’s role with them in the future. Please continue to pray for the brethren of NamKhao Baptist Church. God has blessed and we trust Him to continue.

Please pray for us (Gaudet’s) as we begin searching for a vehicle. The one we have been driving is so undependable that when we need to travel we must rent one. With all of the opportunities before us, it has been decided that we must obtain another one. We are looking now into the costs at the same time putting the one we have up for sale.

Thank you for your intercession on our behalf. You will never know this side of heaven what it means to us.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

This update is being written on the last night of a meeting with pastors and leaders from within a refugee camp on the Thai/Burmese border. This is the 13th annual meeting that these Karenni pastors from Burma have had. This time was different as it marks the first time that they have had speakers who were foreigners. Until now they have only met together and spoken to each other. It turned out to be a great blessing to us and from the testimonies; our presence was a great encouragement to them also.

Once they figured out that we really would come and speak to them they are now trying to arrange several other meetings. Some of these will require entry into the main part of at least two of the refugee camps along the Thai/Burmese border. We have no idea yet how that will be possible but they feel it will be possible to satisfy the government with an official letter of invitation from them.

These Karenni people are ethnic Karen, one of the largest minority groups from Burma, and the one which was so responsive to the Gospel as it was preached during the days of Adnorium Judson. Isolation due to the military regime of Burma (now called Myanmar) has contributed to several doctrinal errors within these churches, but they have responded well to us this week.

It was a blessing listening this evening to testimonies of how the teaching helped many of them. They are simple people, living in exile in very primitive conditions, with only the faintest hope of ever returning to their homeland.

While here, I was able to find qualified translators in three languages. I hope to return in about three weeks to pick up some work that can be published quickly afterwards. In addition, I have a Karen songbook that these people desperately need to have reprinted. Please pray as I look into the possibility of providing these.

Thank you for your prayers as we worked with these people. Please continue. Jeff Lange is back in Bangkok as you read this and I will be in Chiang Mai over the weekend to follow up on some opportunities with translators in a few other languages. What doors are open before us! Please pray.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Please allow me to say, Thank you for praying! We asked without giving details for you to pray about some crucial decisions that needed to be made about ministry here. It is evident that the Lord had His mighty Hand in guiding and supplying. More later, some details are still developing…. Thank you for praying, please don’t stop!

For now I would ask you to pray specifically for a trip that Jeff Lange and I will be taking tomorrow to the northern part of Thailand along the Burmese border. We have the opportunity to speak to several Karenni pastors who are refugees themselves. The meetings are scheduled for Monday thru Saturday. Please pray for our travels. Pray for the teaching with these men especially, and for direction for us about future ministry with them. Pray for our families and coworkers as they will remain here in Bangkok during that time.

In the northern region of Thailand there are many people from the hill tribes. Most of them are from Burma, China or Laos. I would ask you to pray as some things are coming together now about producing solid evangelistic literature in several of these languages. Each trip to the region is valuable. Pray that this one will be pivotal. We have spent a total of 16 months in Thailand and really only now are in a position to make great headway in these matters for which our Lord has burdened us.

One of our coworkers, Jamie Dodds will be flying to her home in Fargo, ND on Tuesday. Her three months here have been quick. Pray for her travels and that she will be able to encourage other young people in her Church to follow the Lord in missions. A trip such as this is often life-changing!

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Praying Friends,
ank you for your intercession for us while we were in Australia and Singapore. It was great to be back with some friends as well as make new ones. The meetings were a tremendous encouragement to us. The young ladies who traveled with us all worked in the youth program during the meetings. It was tiring but refreshing at the same time.

We are back in Bangkok as this is written. Next week for me will be spent in preparation for some meetings in Mae Hong Son with several Karenni pastors, just outside a refugee camp. Please pray for Jeff Lange and me as we travel there on the 22nd of October for one week of all day meetings. This will be a tremendous opportunity and challenge.

I cannot express to you how crucial this next week is in a couple of other ways. The opportunities to make a difference for the Lord here in Southeast Asia are overwhelming. A couple of these opportunities simply cannot be ignored or set aside. We have asked the Lord to give direction in these and this coming week is when we need to have that direction.

I was asked recently, “Bro. Tom, how do you know which opportunities to pursue when there are so many?” That is very simple, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM! If we are short of laborers, we must find them. If we are short of funds, we must find a way to obtain what is needed. Souls hang in the balance.

Please pray for Myra Noel as she travels to Samoa on the 17th of October. She will be teaching Robyn Faafouina how to do page layout work on the computer. Pene and Robyn are missionaries there and are developing evangelistic literature in Samoan. They need to know how to put the material into print.

Myra has worked with us for over 7 years. She has been handling some very specific projects in Fort Worth while we are in Thailand. This has been a tremendous help to us and now she has this opportunity to train some others in the work she does so well. I know she could use some help with the funds for her trip. Pray for her and help if you are able. Here is her e-mail address: myranoel@aol.com

Your labor in prayer makes a difference in the work here I assure you. May you see that from our perspective.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
We humbly ask your continued prayer upon the work here on several fronts. So much is going on in so many areas at the moment.

We picked up Denise Chapman from California at the airport on Sunday. She will be with us until the 17th of October. Please pray for her time here as it will be fast paced.

We (all 6 of us!!) are on schedule to depart Bangkok on the afternoon of October 1, and fly to Sydney, Australia. Krinny and I both will be among the speakers at a 3 day long meeting. All of our co-workers will be working in the children’s program during these meetings. We are looking forward to the time of fellowship. After that meeting we have a few days in Australia before traveling to Singapore for a one day stopover then back to Bangkok on the 12th October. We would appreciate your prayers.

RLI just paid for another 6.6 ton shipment of rice for the Hmong refugees. One of the UN agencies had considered undertaking a complete feeding program for them but declined due to the government’s position on the status of these people. They are not considered to be refugees and the government discourages the UN to get involved with them. So, the work that RLI has been doing is still vitally important.

A great relationship has been developed with the man who owns the rice mill that RLI has been using. He is a professing Christian who actually went to college in Texas years ago. He has a heart for the Hmong people and with each shipment of rice he has been making donations of things for them. Today, following the large truck carrying rice, he sent along a pickup truck with 2,000 bananas and 500 oranges in it for the Hmong. Our Lord has a way of stirring people to action. We would never have imagined everyone that He has used for these desperate people.

Please pray for one of the young men who worked with us last year. Andrew Coats spent three months here and was a tremendous help. He fell while hunting near his home in Maryland and crushed one of his vertebras. An operation has already been done on this past Sunday but another one is scheduled for this Wednesday. As I understand it, the Drs said if it had been the next vertebra, paralysis would have been immediate. He needs prayer. The e-mail address for his family is: uscoats@juno.com.

Publishing and printing continues. Today we dealt with Thai and Burmese. I say “we.” Actually the publishing projects were handled by two of our co-workers and the printing projects handled by two more. How God is using these as they labor alongside us.

What an incredible confidence it gives us knowing that many are interceding on our behalf as we labor here. We will never know this side of heaven what prayer hath wrought.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

We have experienced virtually no fallout from the military coup in Thailand on Tuesday evening. The greatest difficulty so far has been that banks were closed for one day and a military checkpoint at the end of our street has caused huge traffic jams.

We are approximately 25 miles north of downtown Bangkok and the military chose the area leading into our neighborhood to set up a checkpoint on the main north/south highway.

We have been out to see the tanks a couple of times and were amazed to see hundreds of Thai people stopping and having their photos made in front of tanks, posing with troops. There is a very light atmosphere to the military presence. To give you an idea of the feeling of many Thai people here is a quote from an article in The Nation, an independent English language newspaper. A soldier says in an interview:

“We have our own democracy. We are all under His Majesty the King and people still have faith in the monarch. The military has a duty to protect the country, the religion, and the King.”

Even this afternoon, we went by the tanks again and there were at least 100 people, mostly Thai muslims standing around looking at the tanks, posing with their children in front of them and giving flowers to the troops.

This popular attitude is likely to prevail unless there are shots fired in the aftermath of the coup. Please pray for Thailand during this crisis. Pray for opportunities for ministry with people in these days.

Our small “team” even got in on posing in front of tanks just in time for a reporter to shoot a picture over my shoulder. It appeared in one of the Thai language newspapers today, front page!

At any rate, please keep on praying about this situation. We are making preparations for travel to Sydney, Australia for meetings on Oct 1.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Many of you have heard the news of a military coup in Thailand. We just wanted to drop you a quick line and let you know that we are all doing OK. The center of the attention is downtown in Bangkok, nearly 25 miles from where we live. The military leaders responsible for the coup declared today a holiday and closed the banks, government offices, stock markets, etc.

We were able to get funds out of ATM’s a few minutes ago so any immediate problems with banking for us is at present stayed. Of course an extended closure of banks will drag the entire economy to a standstill as well as make it difficult on us.

Jeff Lange is flying in today from Mae Hong Son where he met with some Karenni men. His wife is here in Bangkok and is doing OK also.

The military leader that has been named as head of the interim government and other military leaders have met with the King of Thailand and expressed their plans concerning this coup. The parliament has been abolished and the constitution has been suspended. Interestingly, the senior military leader who has now been named as the interim leader of the government is a Muslim. He was elevated into a senior position in the military some time ago in hope that he could better deal with the unrest in the southern provinces where Muslims are waging battle for control. However this coup has nothing to do with that problem as much as ousting the prime minister.

At any rate, please pray for us and for our coworkers. We are scheduled to leave for Australia on October 1 for 12 days. No one knows how this may affect those plans. Pray for all of the missionaries in Thailand as well as open doors with Thai people during this time.

Also please continue to pray for the Hmong refugees. Control of the provinces has been turned over to military commanders in each place. No one knows how this will affect the situation with the Lao Hmong in Phetchabun and in several jails where they are being held.

These days demand prayer. We are indebted to you, our prayer partners. Please don’t stop!

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

We went to the Hmong refugee camp in Phetchabun and spent last Sunday with them. Bro. Bruce spoke for the morning service at the NamKhao Baptist Church. We visited 85 of the Lao Hmong prisoners at the Khao Kho jail with Bro. Ge Chang. He had some food from their families to take to them. It was very hard for us to stand there and talk to these people; adults and children grouped under a tent in the back yard of the jail. We saw such despair in their eyes as we spoke to them. One lady in particular asked for prayers as she is almost due to give birth and is having problems with the pregnancy. Pray for this group of Hmong also as the government sorts through how to deal with them.

From there we went to Chiang Mai where we met up again with the Lange family. They were attending a training session along with pastors from many different ethnic backgrounds and languages. We (the Lange’s, Bruce Martin, and I) met and exchanged contact information with several of these men. This is a real answer to prayer as I have needed to make contact with men who could help with the translation and writing of literature in several of the area languages. Please pray as we follow up on these contacts over the next week.

I had appointments with two other men in Chiang Mai concerning shipping of the materials in the USA. We should have the necessary info now to proceed. Please pray as we work out these details.

Then we traveled to a Thai city on the Myanmar border, (discretion needed) where we met with a number of men with whom future ministry for the languages of Myanmar is possible. We were very excited to find the situation on this border city. Many people from several different areas of Myanmar are there, making up a large portion of the population. Many are illegal, but virtually every language of Myanmar is represented. A key man there can put us in touch with the ones we need to work with in translating and developing sound materials in these and other languages. On this trip, we met with men who speak Burmese, Karen, Karenni, Kachin, Akha, Chin, Lahu, Lisu, Mon, and Shan.

Plans are being formulated now to rent a small house where we can stay while working with these people. Due to their status, they cannot leave the area but we can travel there. The plan calls for the house to be used as a guest room to avoid hotels, and also as a storage facility for literature as it is developed and produced in Bangkok as well as the USA. Along with work in several other regions, it will not be possible or expedient to move there, rather travel and stay a few days at a time as needed.

Literally the same thing needs to be done on at least one other international border at this time. Frankly I have no idea how this will work. With the other things we are doing based in Bangkok, the funds are stretched to the limit already. As I consider traveling to the border area regularly it will be necessary to have someone travel with me when the other men here are not available. Also, the vehicle we currently have is not dependable enough for such travels.

I have not had time to try to determine what is needed financially or logistically. This is the reason I am asking you, our prayer partners to intercede for us at this time. For the languages of Myanmar this seems to be the best answer so far. May the Lord have His way in it all. May His Name be published again in that blighted land as it was in the days of Judson. May we have a small part together in that work!

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Missionary Bruce Martin, from our sponsoring Church arrived last night for a 10 day stay. There are several things which I have needed to do in distant cities and will be taking the opportunity of Bruce being here to accomplish some of these.

We leave tomorrow morning in a rented pickup truck to travel first to the Hmong refugee camp in Phetchabun. We plan to spend Sunday with the brethren there and then on Monday we head to Chiang Mai where I have three appointments lined up with men I need to see concerning shipments and etc. On Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning we will drive to Mae Sot, on the Thai/Burmese border. There are at least two men in that region I need to meet with. All of this has to do with future ministry in Thailand as well as in the Burmese, Karen, and Karenni languages.  

We trust you will uphold us in prayer as we make these travels. Upon return to Bangkok, we will be considering if there is time left to travel to the Cambodian border. We still have a large quantity of Khmer literature in storage and plans need to be finalized to move it.  

We have just hired a young Thai/English speaking lady to help us. This is certainly an answer to prayer. Her English skills leave a little to be desired, but we have a good relationship with her already. This young lady made a profession of faith before we came to Thailand the first time but she has not really grown much. Please pray as we not only have her work with us but try to disciple her.  

I will still need to find a Thai/English speaking man who can work with me part-time in translating materials and making some things happen here in Thailand. Please pray toward that end. Pray for Krinny and our young lady co-workers while we are gone for 5 days. 

We have two seagoing container shipments ready in the USA now. We should be ready to call for these shipments after leaving Chiang Mai on Tuesday. We are still in need of funds to ship one of them. The last one from Fort Worth, TX cost $5,400.00 for shipping, duty, and port/delivery fees.  

We also need to make some logistical shipments of literature near the Cambodian border and also up country about 175 miles. We are short of funds now for several of these matters. Please uphold us in prayer concerning that also.

RLI supplied another 6.6 ton shipment of rice for the Hmong yesterday. This expended all of the funds given for that purpose. Our position is that we will continue to help the 6,000 Hmong refugees in this manner as long as funds are available for the purpose. So far, our Lord has seen fit to continue. We can not stop helping them until there is no longer a need or until He no longer supplies.

 Thank you for interceding for this missionary family. You will never know this side of heaven what it means to us to know you are praying and standing with us. We cannot imagine ministry without you.

 For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors;
I apologize in advance for the lengthy update, but many of you have faithfully interceded for the Hmong people from Laos who are living in Phetchabun province. For those who pray, you will want to be brought up to date with a more complete picture of what is happening to them now.

While we were in the USA for 4 months a lot happened and I sort of lost a grasp what was going on behind the scenes even though I was in constant contact with our coworkers here who were ministering with the Hmong. Since returning to Thailand , we have now made a trip to the village and more importantly to this report, made the rounds to both NGO and governmental agencies in Bangkok .

Over the last two months things have been slowly changing in the impromptu Hmong refugee camp. Guards set up a checkpoint and only allow into the area those whom have reason to be there. It was even necessary that a photo ID be made for the guards while we were still in the USA so that we would be able to visit the camp when we returned. None of the Lao Hmong are allowed to leave.

The one other international aid agency, MSF or as they are better known, Doctors Without Borders have taken on more and more tasks to help the Hmong. Of course they are very well connected and at this moment, a couple of UN agencies as well as others are providing funds for different programs besides health. There was not only no interest in this before by these agencies, nor would it have been allowed by the Government.

One of MSF’s programs that just started in August includes providing food for the families with children under 5 years old. This has been the reason that within the last month, it was not as much of a burden on RLI to help the Hmong with food. Other families without young children are still in need however.

One small group of French teens was allowed to build a bamboo building for the Hmong schoolteachers to use to teach their children. They also bought one load of rice this past month. It was a one time thing but these are major advances over just a few months ago when Relief Logistics International and MSF were the only agencies and MSF was only handling health and sanitation matters. Up till August, RLI was the only agency providing food.

Now a major UN agency is talking to MSF and RLI about stepping in and handling the food needs. If that happens, they will address the entire dietary needs of the people, not just rice. What an incredible blessing this would be. It is far from a done deal at this point and until that happens; our help will still be required.

Just this week the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres was in Bangkok and met with the Thai government. He expressed concern over these Hmong people and urged Thailand not to forcibly deport them to Laos . Meetings were held between the UNHCR, and the Thai and Lao governments.

The long and short of it is that we do not know what will transpire next but it has been suggested that Thai government will be establishing an official refugee camp for these people somewhere and allowing the UNHCR access to interview them to see if they are indeed refugees. If that happens, large international aid groups will be invited and urged to care for the humanitarian needs of these people.

Of course we do not know how this will affect the NamKhao Baptist Church . Its 261 members are fully part of the group and would be interviewed along with the rest of them.

We are not yet sure of how much RLI will be called on to continue to help the refugees but for the moment, large groups of the people are still in need. I went over RLI’s involvement with one of the humanitarian agencies this week. When it was all put on paper for them, I was amazed at the fact that we have been able to help them since August 26, 2005. Just over one year ago we made the first rice shipment into the camp. We were told over and over during the past year that no one else has helped on a consistent basis. Of course, our Lord used that and from this group of 6,500 Lao Hmong refugees a church sprang up.

We do not know what will happen next but at the same time we are rejoicing over what the Lord has done! Many of you helped fill the gap by providing for these people when no government or aid group could or would. Christians saw what no one else saw, an opportunity to make a real difference!

Please continue to pray for them and for us as we assess what can be done next. The last of the funds available to RLI will be spent next week on a 6.6 TON shipment of rice. We will continue to trust that the Lord will supply what is needed until it is no longer needed.  

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
With all else going on in the work here, I wish to ask your intercession for some situations here in the region which involves people in great need.

HMONG: The displaced Hmong people who fled from Laos, living Huay NamKhao are in the same situation that they have been in since we first met them in July, 2005. For the last 2 months, checkpoints have been set up and they cannot leave the area. It has been announced that as of October 1, 2006, the impromptu refugee camp will fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior, the same agency that oversees the 150,000 displaced people from Myanmar in refugee camps along the Thai/Burmese border.

We do not know what that will mean but we are praying that ministry with them will still be possible. The Church established in the refugee camp is nearing its first anniversary. God has blessed.

The work of RLI in providing food for them has slowed down due to funds. This happened about the time that one international agency started to help them with food also. There is still a need so please pray in that regard also.

NORTH KOREANS in Thailand: Two days ago police arrested 175 North Koreans for entering Thailand illegally. 18 of this number were found to be carrying papers giving them formal refugee status by the UNHCR. They are to be sent to South Korea immediately. The remaining numbers, including children are being charged with illegal entry and are being fined and jailed.

Recently more North Koreans have been using Thailand as a route to freedom after fleeing North Korea and traveling over land from China. Who knows but there is some way that ministry with North Koreans could be accomplished from here?

BURMA refugees: This week it was announced that around 2,000 refugees from Burma; mostly ethnic Karen have been accepted for relocation in Canada, Australia and the USA. These are being processed now from the refugee camps along the Thai/Burmese border. In addition to the more than 150,000 living in the refugee camps, many hundreds of thousands of displaced people from Burma are living among the population in Thailand. Many can be reached with the Gospel and they are open to its message. Please pray.

Publishing and printing are underway in several languages. Please pray also for an English speaking Thai helper for our family. This is crucial to being effective.

Your intercession is treasured. Only eternity will reveal to us the great value of prayer.

Thank you from the Gaudet Family; For Souls Still Waiting….

Dear Intercessors;
Greetings from Thailand! It is hard to imagine that we have been back in Thailand for only 18 days; so many things are going on.

It has been somewhat difficult getting our offices back up and running full-speed. Our main desktop computer had to be repaired and networked again. We seem to be missing some key data that has us hamstrung on several projects until we can get it express mailed from the USA. We hope to have that in hand and all up and working by the middle of next week.

When we departed for the USA we were out of virtually all supplies to run the duplicator. Ink and masters are in now and our co-workers have just completed printing a booklet in a newly translated series of correspondence studies. A lot of printing has to be done in the next few weeks so we are grateful that the print shop is back up and running.

All of our small “team” will be traveling to the Hmong refugee camp tomorrow where we will meet up with the Langes, Jay Chang and family and of course the believers of NamKhao Baptist Church. Many of the members prayed fervently for Krinny while she was hospitalized earlier this year. We departed Thailand without having the opportunity to meet and thank them again for praying. I am sure it will be a precious reunion with these dear people; victorious Christians, yet refugees facing deportation.

Two of the young ladies working with us have not had the opportunity to meet the Hmong yet. I am sure their hearts will be stirred as well. We will spend this Sunday and part of Monday with them as they start a youth revival.

Please pray for safety for our family as well as the Langes as we all travel tomorrow. You are an important part of the work here as you labor in prayer. Never let it be said that prayer is not work.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
I have just returned to Bangkok from a whirlwind trip to Northern Thailand. Jeff Lange picked me up at the airport in Chiang Mai after he drove from the Hmong refugee camp in Phetchabun - a 5 hour drive. We left the next morning to drive to Mae Hong Son, another 5 hour trip on treacherous mountain roads. We spent the night there then on Thursday morning, we drove just outside the nearby Burmese refugee camp where we met with 7 Karenni pastors. These men are all refugees from themselves and pastor churches inside the refugee camp.

We spent a couple of hours together talking, teaching and trying to access the need for ministry with them. Before we left, they invited us to speak to them for an entire week in October. This will be with the pastors, not the churches, so our inability to get into the refugee camp is not an issue at this point. These men really need encouragement and some doctrinal issues need to be addressed also. Bro. Lange and I are really looking forward to ministry with these men. Collectively they have around 2,000 in their congregations.

It was humbling to sit with men who have paid such a price to serve God, and also to know that they are the distant product of the ministry of Adoniram Judson. Many years have passed since the 1840’s when the Gospel first came to their forefathers, and in many ways a great drifting has taken place. But, what an experience to sit with them and try to be an encouragement.

Pray for us as we prepare for that week and also try to obtain and produce Karen and Karenni materials for them. What an opportunity! By the way, using Thai is not even a possibility. Communication with them must be done in English and interpretation made into Karenni by one of their number who is fluent in both languages.

More later on this matter, but I wanted to let you know that your intercession was fruitful. Please bathe this upcoming weeklong meeting in prayer. What a difference prayer makes!

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Many of you have interceded for the politically and spiritually oppressed peoples of Cuba and North Korea. Within the past few days news of situations in each of these countries cause us to realize that the Lord is in control.

Cuban president Fidel Castro underwent stomach surgery and handed the reins of the government to his brother. This is the first time since 1959 that Fidel Castro has not been in power in Cuba. Although it is said to be temporary, speculations abound that this will be the turning point in freedom for the people of Cuba. All we know is that the people are in need of Christ and brethren in free countries are preparing to make a difference there. Please pray, strategic times! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucmg/20060803/cm_ucmg/thelastcommunist

This week came news also of massive flooding in North Korea due to rains and deforested lands. North Korean sources stated that as many as 10,000 may have died as a result of the flooding. Humanitarian aid groups predict widespread food shortages resulting from crop failures following the flooding. Surely North Korea will make request for significant aid from the UN as well as other countries. The suffering continues, but could it be that our Lord has something else in mind through these tragedies? http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-07-31-voa12.cfm

On another note closer to us in Thailand, plans are in place now to travel to the Thai/Burmese border area to visit men from a nearby Karenni refugee camp with Jeff Lange on the 10th of this month. Please pray for travel there as we are unable to get flights into the area. The roads there are treacherous. Pray for potential ministry with these people.

Money is on hand now for one more shipment of rice for the Hmong refugees in Phetchabun. The need is still great. Humanitarian aid for these people has gone far in opening their hearts to the Gospel..

Please continue to pray for a Thai language helper for us. Both of the candidates that we had been talking to are no longer possibilities. It is imperative for us to find someone soon so that we can be effective.

We want you to know about a new phone number for us. It is local to Fort Worth, but rings here in Thailand. The number is: 817 350 4349. Also our webpage has all contact information on it. www.metrobc.org/gaudet

Thank you for interceding. Much more could be mentioned. Please continue to uphold us before the Throne.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Just a quick note to tell you that we arrived safely in Bangkok. What a wonderful blessing to walk into our apartments and have everything in place. We literally just opened the door and went to bed. We will have our body's clocks off by 12 hours for the next few days dealing with jet lag. That is always fun times. The older Krinny and I get the longer it takes to get back to normal. Unpacking will occupy some of those hours when everyone else is asleep! The young ladies with us should bounce back quicker, but they were dragging before the day was finished too.

We have already begun dealing with scheduling of our time over the next few weeks as mentioned in an earlier update. I would appreciate your intercession on these matters.

Krinny made a comment today that this is the first day she has spent in Thailand without being in pain. The entire time we were here before, all 13 months, she was incapacitated in one way or another. We rejoice in His goodness today.

Thank you for praying, please don't stop!

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet,

As mentioned in an earlier Update, we are scheduled to leave for Thailand on Monday, July 31. Of course we are busy getting things packed up and in order for the return.

We are looking forward to just unlocking the doors to our apartments and going to bed the night we arrive. That is very much unlike the first time we arrived in country. We are indebted to Jeff and Theresa Lange for watching over our places while we were in the USA.

The first two weeks in Thailand will be pretty full. I must begin at once scheduling trips to both Myanmar and Cambodia. We are all scheduled to make a trip to visit the brethren in the Hmong refugee camp on the second weekend of August. I am also scheduled to travel with Jeff Lange to meet with some Burmese pastors who are refugees in a camp near Mae Hong Song, Thailand. Jeff has been denied entrance to the camp, but the Lord worked it out that we will be able to meet these men outside the camp on that date. Pray for potential ministry with them please.

Of all the things that are before us upon our return, we would like to ask you to pray specifically about one matter. For me to be able to travel as I must it will be necessary for us to have some help for my family and coworkers. We have put out feelers for an English speaking Thai lady who can not only serve as a companion to my wife and young ladies, but also handle secretarial work involved with the Correspondence School that the Langes operate. The right helper will facilitate the work in many areas. I cannot possibly communicate to you how strategic this is for my family at this point. Please pray.

We are looking forward to this coming Sunday in our sponsoring Church. All our coworkers are here helping us get ready to leave and we will be enjoying a "Fifth Sunday" fellowship with Metropolitan Baptist Church just before we leave. It will be a special time for us.

Thank you for interceding and for the many ways that many of you have encouraged us over these last months. We feel blessed to know that we are going back to Thailand with so many standing with us. Your partnership in this work indeed makes a difference.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet www.metrobc.org/gaudet

Coworkers going to Thailand:
Susie Domangue - suedomangue76@hotmail.com
Jamie Dodds - Mydaffodil86@aol.com
April Wilson - aprilwilson83@hotmail.com

Remaining in the USA, working out of our office in Fort Worth:
Myra Noel - myranoel@aol.com

Dear Intercessors;
In earlier Updates, we had asked you to pray about several things that have now come together. We would like to update you on some of these matters.

Tickets for travel to Thailand are in our hands now and we are busily getting ready to depart. The travel date is July 31. All three of the young ladies going with us to Thailand will be here by Monday of this week. We are going to be maintaining our office in the USA this time when we go to Thailand. Myra Noel has agreed to stay in Fort Worth and handle publishing projects that can best be done from the USA. Susie Domangue, April Wilson, and Jamie Dodds will be working with us in Thailand on things that best can be done from there.

We have just put up a website on which among other things you will be able to read these Gaudet Family Updates. Also we are mailing a Prayer & NewsLetter on Monday and this is on the site as well. It can be downloaded in Acrobat PDF. Also, the site has a page on which all of the videos we have produced are able to be viewed. The URL for this site is: www.metrobc.org/gaudet

We had asked you to pray for our granddaughter after she was hit by a car and her leg broken. She is healing well and a full recovery is expected. No infections developed. Thank you for praying.

I will be updating you again on some other matters pertaining to our arrival in Thailand. For now, please be praying concerning these things. You cannot imagine how much comfort it gives us knowing many of you are interceding.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Greetings from sunny Texas! I feel the need to update you on some things and ask your continued prayer.

We have not pinned down the exact date of our return to Thailand yet, but are shooting at the last half of July. Many details have to come together to make that occur. As you know we did not originally plan to spend any more than one year based in Thailand but I seriously misjudged how long it would take to have peace about leaving. So very much more needs to be done. Our current plans call for us to return for one more year.

I plan to spend a lot of time traveling in and out of the regional countries when we do return. Other publishing related work will go on in Thailand while I do this, but the travel is necessary to work with men in each of the nearby countries. I will expand on that more later. Meanwhile, please pray now for the open doors necessary as well as the funds for travel.

We are fully set up in Thailand already including housing and a 5-story "Resource Center" and a small print shop. We have already handled three container shipments of literature from the USA as well as smaller shipments from two other countries. Working with brethren in Thailand as well as the surrounding countries we will continue to develop and make available effective evangelistic and follow up materials. The targeted languages at this point are: Thai, Lao, Burmese, Khmer (Cambodia), Hmong, Vietnamese, Karen, Kachin, and others. Work has been done or is going on now on 6 of these languages. Please pray for these efforts.

Two more container shipments of materials in Thai, Lao, Cambodian, and Burmese are being assembled in the USA as this is written. In fact, we are only awaiting our return to Thailand to set the date for shipment. We are making some changes in the way we handled shipments on the Thailand side. Please pray for these changes and for the funds to ship.

We are due to travel to Australia and Samoa in October of this year. We are also looking at the possibility of including the Philippines and East Timor in that trip. We have a working relationship with brethren in each of those places. These travels are an important part of why we are going back to Thailand. Please pray for these arrangements.

Decisions are being made now as to the team of co-workers we are setting up for our return. I trust you will intercede for these arrangements. We must have the mind of the Lord in these decisions. Souls hang in the balance and we are keenly aware of it.

Please pray also for our 5 year old granddaughter, Kaylee Johnson (daughter of Brian and Lisa Johnson, missionaries to Lithuania). Two days ago she was running and collided with the side of a car making it's way out of the parking lot in front of their apartment in Utena, Lithuania. The front tire struck her leg and ran over her foot. It was found that both of the bones in the leg had been broken and a couple of large gashes in the top of her foot, with friction burns down her leg. The leg has been set and the gashes sewn up and she is to return to the Dr. on Monday to see how it is healing. They were concerned about infection. Medical care in Lithuania leaves a lot to be desired. The first facility she was taken just bandaged it up and sent her home. Thank the Lord they took her for a second opinion in Vilinus, the capitol. Please pray for healing for her. Of course, grandma and grandpa are concerned.

Much more could be written, but I trust you will sense the need to pray from these words. We realize the work we do is not "Normal," and actually is quite expensive most of the time. If we felt there was anything else we could do to honor the Lord with our lives, we would do it. His calling is without repentance. However we know it is due to many of you praying that we are able to make much difference. Thank you for your labor of love and for being patient with these many words.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Praying Friends,
We wish to ask intercession from you in a couple of matters;

East Timor: The family of Filipino missionary Ferdie Flores has been evacuated by the Philippine Embassy. Ferdie went back to his home in the eastern part of the country, and is safe there at the moment. He said by phone that when he took his family to Dili to be evacuated, he was almost caught in a firefight. Now that he is back to his home, his supplies are running out and he is unable to get funds due to the banks being closed.

I was also able to get info on at least one of the other missionaries in East Timor. Chris Smith (Australian) is staying put in his house in Dili and has heard bullets hitting the house during some of the violence. The Lord saw to it that his wife was in Australia having some medical tests done when the violence started.

Please pray for these men as well as the Nelson Fernandez family as they labor in that war-torn country. Pray for safety for them as well as the Timorese they have been able to reach with the Gospel. Pray for tender hearts as a result of the renewed violence. Pray that the fighting could be stopped.

Thailand: Jay Chang is a Hmong/American preacher who has been in Thailand for the past 2 1/2 months or so with his wife Heidi and their two children. God has greatly used him in ministry with the Hmong refugees, working alongside Jeff Lange. Today we got word that Heidi's father passed away in North Carolina. They awakened to that news and immediately began packing for the 5 hour trip back to Bangkok. At this writing they and the Jeff Lange family are on the road traveling back to Bangkok from the Hmong refugee camp, and I am trying to help them get airline tickets. Current plans are for the children to stay with the Langes and for Jay and Heidi to travel to North Carolina for a week.

Please pray for their family as well as the travel arrangements. It is sometimes difficult to find seats for an immediate trip and of course the cost is usually not cheap. Their pastor said that they would need to have help to pay for the tickets. Pray for these things and if you would like to help, contact their pastor, Tony Shirley at 1-828-674-4209

I am currently traveling in OH and will be flying home on Thursday of this week. We will leave on Saturday, June 3 driving to San Antonio, TX for meetings. We covet your intercession.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors;
Please forgive the long update. We are busily working through many details that need attention here in the USA. As many of you know, we planned to be in Thailand only one year. When our visas ran out at the end of the year, and we came back to the USA, we realized that it would be necessary to return for a while.

We have some very specific things to accomplish when we return to Thailand and are trying to make sure we have what is needed; resources, funds, and laborers. I am traveling now talking to brethren in printing ministries and speaking in several churches. Krinny is in Fort Worth, filing papers, doing office work, and gaining some strength that she lost after her surgery.

Several of you have asked for an update on the 28 Hmong young people who were taken back to Laos. At this writing there is no updated information that we can report to you. The video that we mentioned in our last update has been widely distributed and has created a great deal of interest in the matter. Over 350 of these videos have been duplicated and distributed. Many are praying.

The brethren of the NamKhao Baptist Church in the Hmong refugee camp have just completed a bamboo and thatch building in which to have services. Jeff Lange had reported that the building that the Church was using was no longer available so the refugees themselves raised the funds and built the building. It was a great step of faith for them to give the money to purchase the materials. Many of them went without food to see this building completed. The Lord is using them in ministering to their own people in the refugee camp. What an incredible testimony for the Lord. A dedication service is planned for this coming Sunday. Please continue to pray for them.

Many of you remember our involvement in East Timor several years ago. The people of that new country have suffered so much over the years but it is not over. The news today out of the region is that the Australian military was called back to East Timor to quell new violence that has left a score of people dead and a lot of destruction. The fighting is due to a number of Timorese soldiers who were sacked by the government, then turned and started fighting their own countrymen.

I spoke by phone this morning to Filipino missionary, Ferdie Flores in East Timor. His family is safe for the time being. He reported that one of the other missionary families are currently safe in their Embassy in the capitol, Dili. The news today reported that 1,300 Australian military personnel are heading to the region to secure it. Please pray for the situation and especially for the missionary families there.

Interestingly Bro. Flores reported that the work has been very fruitful in recent days. The largest baptism service he has had was two weeks ago when he baptized 14. This last week he baptized another 11. God is at work in the midst of turmoil. Please keep praying.

One other matter of rejoicing; The Jerry Balding family; who were so much of a blessing to the work in Thailand, joined our home Church this past Sunday! They are purchasing a house and are looking forward to getting settled in. They have a great love for the people in Thailand. Please pray for them.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Friends,
It has been a while since we updated you. I have been in meetings for 10 days on the East coast while Krinny has convalesced at home in Fort Worth. We have been in three Sunday services in our own Church now and it is such a wonderful, refreshing blessing to hear the singing and preaching as well as enjoy the fellowship.

Krinny is doing well and while not fully recovered from the surgery, she is so much better that she says it is hard to believe it happened. You must understand that when we left for Thailand just over one year ago, she was periodically using a cane to get around because of a knee problem that had bothered her for more than three years previously. She had knee surgery in May 2005 in Thailand and was not fully mobile with that before she had the problem in December that led to 36 days in the hospital and colon surgery in February of this year, also done in Thailand. All in all, the whole time we were in Thailand she was incapacitated to some degree physically. Now that she is on the mend, she finds herself in better condition than she was when we left for Thailand in February 2005. We are so grateful for the Lord having us in Thailand during this time.

I am continuing in meetings in churches here in the USA for the next couple of months while we also work on many loose ends that must be tied up. These meetings involve a lot of travel of course. Also it is necessary for me to travel to Mississippi to pick up a load of Thai Bibles provided by BEAMS ministry. These will go in an upcoming shipment to Thailand.

We are working with printing ministries on Scriptures as well as other items for Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Cambodia. Please pray for these meetings and arrangements as well as the faithful brethren who provide this material.

The work that RLI has been doing to help the Hmong refugees has been amazing to say the least. As of this writing, a little over 190 TONS of rice has been provided for them. Funds are currently available to make about three shipments more.

I would encourage you to read the article at the website below. It quotes a Hmong man from inside the HuayNam Khao village who simply says that without the assistance of NGO's (RLI has been the only NGO providing food for these people on a consistent basis, every 7 - 10 days) he would not have food for his family.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/180406_News/18Apr2006_news13.php

The refugee also mentions his wife doing embroidery. We actually have some items that have been made by the refugees. We brought them with us from Thailand in hope of finding some way to market them for the Hmong. If you are interested in knowing more, please contact me.

I am sorry for the long e-mail. So many people we meet in churches are telling us that they faithfully prayed during the past months for us. I assure you we were aware of it and are grateful. Please don't stop praying.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Just a short note to tell you that we are safely in Fort Worth, enjoying the fellowship with our Church family. We were able to get great seats on both legs of the flight home and Krinny made the trip well. She has been mostly free of pain and only experiencing weakness and jet lag. We enjoyed services in our home Church yesterday! Thank you for praying for us on the trip home.

We have had meetings booked for the time we will be in the USA. Due to Krinny's convalesce I will be making most of those by myself. I leave for the first of them on April 4 and return on the 13th. I have a lot to do to get ready for that schedule. Please pray as I have opportunity to present the needs in Southeast Asia and beyond. Trust the Lord with me to raise up laborers and the resources to make a difference for Christ in that needy region.

Some of you have received DVD's from us. A few have responded that you were unable to make the DVD's work. The format of DVD that we use is the most widely compatible format. However if your DVD player or computer will not play it, please let me know and we will gladly exchange it for another copy in the other popular format you can use. If you asked for a DVD and did not get it please let me know. Mail is unpredicable from Thailand.

If you have not received one of these videos and would like to do so, let me know and we can get it out to you soon; no charge!

Persecution of Missionary Ferdie Flores in East Timor.

Hmong - A video report of Ministry with the Hmong Refugees in North Central Thailand.

What do they do Anyway? - Short Term missions (NEW)

One other item to mention for your prayerful consideration. I just spoke to Jeff Lange by phone from Northern Thailand near the Hmong refugee area. He again went to visit the 8 Hmong refugees who are in Jail. While there, it was reported to him by the police that the 8 Lao Hmong men would be taken back across the Mekong River into Laos on Thurs morn; March 30. That is Wednesday Evening for us here in the USA.

We ask prayer for these people. One of them is 14 years old and two are 15. Some of them have been in Jail for more than 2 months. They have awaited deportation to Laos since being arrested for unspecified charges. Simply put, they were just grabbed when they let the village to forage for food or money.

In December, 2005, a similar handling of a deportation of 27 young people to Laos drew international attention to the governments of Laos and Thailand. That situation is still not resolved. We have just begun production of a video about those 27 young Christians who were deported to Laos. Please pray, God is able to help them even now.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Just a short note to update you on our travel plans. Krinny was released from the Dr. care yesterday and today we were able to secure a flight departing from Bangkok on this Thursday, March 23! She is of course still moving slowly but all seems to be well and she is directing the packing of baggage.

We have been blessed beyond measure to have Teresa Wilson here during these last days. She has really taken up the slack as we prepared for this trip back to the USA. Much had to be done toward packing as well as preparing for others to handle caring for our apartments and the Resource Center.

At any rate, we have said some hasty good-byes and just around 36 hours from now we will be boarding a plane heading to Fort Worth, TX. Actually tomorrow will be quite busy with more preparing for the trip.

Please pray for Krinny as we make this trip home. We are on about the most direct route, with travel time around 20hours and only one change of planes. However that may be a bit much for her at this time. Please continue to pray.

It will be a tremendous blessing for us to be in our sponsoring Church this coming Sunday morning. We are looking forward to the time there.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Krinny has been home from the hospital now for 8 days and she is gaining strength daily. She has been mostly free of pain except for overdoing it one day. She had somewhat of a setback when she went in to have stitches taken out. Fluid had built up behind the incision area and that had to be treated. She had to go back to the Dr. today to have it looked at again and he felt that all would be well and we would not be delayed in our departure.

We do have airline tickets for the 28th of March, just 13 days from now!! It will be possible for us to have a medical extension of our visas for a few days since they expire on Tuesday the 19th. So, all seems to be working well for that date.

As you know all of our team of coworkers had their tickets secured for the first week of March long before we knew about the need for Krinny's surgery. The Lord laid it upon the hearts of Chuck and Teresa Wilson, members of our sponsoring Church, to have Teresa fly to Thailand and help Krinny as she convalesces and gets packed up. The Wilson's are parents of two of the young ladies who have served with us here in Thailand over this past year; April and Sarah. Mrs. Wilson arrived on Monday night and has already been a tremendous blessing to us. Any of the other of our coworkers would have gladly stayed to help if we would have asked them but we just did not know what we would need and when. It is obvious to us that the Lord did know. We are blessed beyond measure to have friends like this, a church like Metropolitan Baptist Church, and people like you praying for us.

We are busy getting caught up on things that had to remain undone during the time Krinny was ill; most of this year so far! Also, we are beginning to pack for the trip to the USA. We have many things to take care of concerning the work here before we leave.

Yesterday RLI was able to provide a second 6.6 ton shipment in 5 days for the Hmong refugees. The frequency was increased due to their great need at this time as well as funds were available. The government has created a nearly impossible situation by putting up checkpoints so the Hmong cannot leave and then preventing the local roadside merchants from selling food to them. Merchants are afraid to take food to sell into the village but the truck carrying 13,200# of rice from RLI was allowed to pass without hindrance. What is the resolution for these nearly 6,000 Hmong refugees? No one knows yet but the situation cannot continue like it is. Please pray.

Another smaller shipment of rice was provided by the Fargo Baptist Church to the members of NamKhao Baptist Church, the church started last September. It was allowed to enter the village also without difficulty.

The Langes remained in Bangkok during the time of Krinny's surgery to help us with our coworkers' departure. After that, they traveled back to the Hmong village, then to Chiang Mai, back to Bangkok, then back to the Hmong village. They have a tremendous load on them with that work as well as handling the correspondence school with nearly 1,000 students studying in Thai. Unfortunately we are of no help with Thai. Please pray for them and for the Lord to raise up laborers to help. Pray for their travels. The roads here are great, but drivers are literally nuts! We all have had so many close calls on the roads and of course one rollover accident.

Much more could be said and probably will in the near future. However, I wanted to update you on these things mentioned and ask your continued prayer. Our Lord has been so good to us. Your intercession and friendship to this missionary family and ministry is appreciated more than we could ever express.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Krinny was discharged from the hospital late on Monday. We are home now and she is resting comfortably. This is the first time in many weeks that she is not in pain and she is so glad to be out of the hospital. Total time in hospital since January 5 has been 36 days accompanied by 3-CTScans, Echocardiogram, Cardio-tress test, a few other procedures too vile to mention, a Surgery, numerous lab tests, X-Rays, hundreds of doses of antibiotics, etc.; most administered intravenously. She is indeed glad to be home.

As most of you know, her illness and surgery has fallen nearly on top of our scheduled travel back to the USA. As she convalesces at home now we are beginning to make lists of things that we must take back to the USA with us, and I will begin now looking into airline tickets. Packing can wait a few days. We still plan to return to the USA sometime the last week of March, if the Lord wills and the airlines are cooperative.

Please continue to pray for her recovery. Pray also concerning the finances. It was necessary to pay by credit card before she could be released. We frankly have not had time to deal with it, but it looks like almost 1/2 of the funds needed have already been provided. God is so very good. Pray also about the airline reservations (sometimes hard to fly when you want to) and items that must be dealt with here in Thailand before we depart.

The situation with the Hmong refugees still has no resolution. Many things make it complex to the governments concerned. Meanwhile the people are actually in worse condition because of it. The increased focus has caused the government to post checkpoints outside the refugee area to keep them from leaving, thus making it nearly impossible for the refugees to earn money or forage for food. Hunger is a significant problem now. The need is actually greater for the relief work that has been done by RLI and the volunteer staff of missionaries here. At this point the funds for RLI are still coming in but it has been sporadic. We are currently waiting on notification of funds being available to make another shipment of rice to the refugees. It has been around 10 days since the last shipment was made. RLI has provided, with funds from many of you, over 150 TONS of rice for these people. This has provided a helping hand; certainly not fully feeding them. At least they know they have not been forgotten by Churches in the USA. Please keep on praying for them.

The Church established within the Hmong refugee community is doing great. The Langes are stretched to the limit but God has blessed. Another missionary family who normally works in communist Laos (name withheld due to security concerns for him) has been living in the village and playing an vital role. An American-Hmong pastor from North Carolina who was here for two weeks in September is bringing his family to Thailand to labor alongside these men. Ge Chang and family should be in Thailand within a couple of weeks. He will be greatly used of the Lord as he speaks Hmong. Please pray for these men as they continue to labor with the Hmong. God has blessed and done a miracle among them.

I cannot tell you what a blessing it has been knowing that so many of you have been praying during these days. Most of the prayer requests and updates we send have to do with ministry opportunities. Updates for the past month however have been mostly about Krinny's illness and hospitalization. Many of you have written and expressed your concern. Thank you for the encouragement and prayer. No missionary family could be blessed as we are.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
Krinny spent two days in ICU as the Dr said she would. The next couple of days in a regular room were pretty hard on her. Seems like every medicine they gave her made her violently ill. That was hard since she had not eaten anything including drinking even water for the past 6 days. She made significant progress since even yesterday when they were able to take her off the painkiller drip. She was able to get out of bed and sit in a chair for a few minutes yesterday and today she spent most of the day sitting in the chair and walking a little. Without the nausea she has made leaping bounds to recovery. Most of the tubes, etc. are removed and within the next day or so she will begin eating a semi-normal diet. They start her on liquid diet tonight.

At this point it looks like she will be in the hospital for another 5 days or so. She is certainly looking forward to being out of the hospital. We were talking about how much it has meant to us to have you praying during this time. After the Drs. after operated on her they commented how amazed they were that she had not been aware of how sick she was. Her condition was severe.

We are grateful to the Lord and to you for upholding us during this time. Please don't stop praying.

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom Gaudet

Dear Intercessors,
As many of you know we spent Christmas in the Hmong refugee camp. Since returning from that trip, Krinny has been sick. We thought it was related to a flu or food related problems. She did not improve so I took her to the hospital to be checked out. They admitted her due to associated pain, and this morning did some tests which included a CT Scan. She has Diverticulitis. It is not perforated, but an abscess has formed that has to be dealt with by taking powerful antibiotics by IV. She will be staying in the hospital as they administer these meds for the next 3 days. Then the Dr will determine if the healing is sufficient to forgo surgery. The pain she had last night is much better but she is still nauseous and of course uncomfortable.

She and I were in the hospital today having these tests when the container full of literature was unloaded. As of right now we do not have the EXACT total for customs and port fees, but yesterday I agreed to an estimated total of $2,200! We are delighted as this was the first estimate per TON. (20 tons on board, most of it subject to this figure) We should know the exact figure on Monday but it is all safely unloaded in our facility now. Based on the last shipments' fees, we had $1,400 of this in an account already. Thank you for praying!

When it rains, it pours they say... All of this is happening in the middle of preparations for a group arriving from Fargo Baptist Church tomorrow night. Of course Bro. Lange is flat out getting ready but each one of us are involved in some manner in this outreach. Please pray that the Lord sustains each one of the group coming. Pray that we would be prepared for the Lord to lead and work in our midst during these days. I know Jeff and Theresa Lange would appreciate your intercession as they are in a place of leadership in this effort. Souls hang in the balance. God has shown Himself so mighty even today!

For Souls Still Waiting,
Tom and Krinny Gaudet