August 2008
Dear Friends,
As I sit here, sweating a little, a fan is blowing around the humid air, and a gecko just crawled across the wall. Sipping on tea to sooth my cold. I am amazed at where we are. I can't believe that a month ago we were dreaming about what this would be like. This week Tim and I looked at each other, sharing that surreal moment when you realize that what was future has come and we are know living it. After so many letters about support raising and theoretical musing about what will be, it feels so good to just sit here and write a letter filled with concrete details of our new life and ministry here in Bangkok. We moved into our new apartment yesterday. It is definitely raw, we must sleep under mosquito nets and the smallest crumb attracts an army of ants, and I already mentioned the geckos. At least a half dozen scrabble away every time I enter the bathroom. But it is exactly what we had wanted. It has three floors, which are basically each, a big room, with one bathroom on the first floor we all share. Currently on the first floor a Thai family lives, they are about our same age with a little daughter just two months older then Ella. Jim the husband plays guitar and writes music and Boo the wife is so friendly and welcoming, she brought us soup and rice for breakfast this morning. They are Christians and work with another organization that serves the slum. We live on the second and third floor. The second floor has a little living area that we divide into a kitchen and living room, with a small built in room that we will use as an office. The third floor is just a big open room where we will all sleep. There is also a little outdoor patio for hanging clothes on this floor as well. I am really excited about the patio since though small there is a little place where I can plant something. This apartment is just outside of the slum and seems like it will really be a great street for meeting and making Thai friendships and hopefully partnership. Language school will soon take up most of our time, it has already become apparent how limited we are by not being able to speak. We have however been blessed to have made some really great connections that will serve as a way for us to begin ministry while in language school. We have become good friends with Emily one of the leaders at Nightlight. Nightlight reaches out to the women who work in the bar and red-light area's. This is the group we stayed with while we waited for our apartment to become available. During this time we were able to see them help a women leave prostitution and go home. The joy this women felt and the new life she felt she had be given was so inspirational and we just pray planted the seeds for her to truly find new life in Jesus. In this time we have spoken with Emily about Nightlights needs, they function on mostly Thai staff (women who have left prostitution) supplemented by volunteers. They are actually in a lot of need right now and amazingly they need someone with a business experience. Tim has offered to go into there office once a week and serve there. I will also bring Arielle with me once a week and when Arielle is older I will do their street ministry. We think this will be a great inroad to learning about the needs of the women, trafficking and what God is calling us to do. Other areas of ministry that have opened up as well are really excited. Tim will begin going out with YWAM once a week to the red-light districts and reaching out to the men who come for the women. Talking with these men often reveals such brokenness in their own life and can sometimes turn them away from seeking fulfillment where there will just be emptiness. We have also begun to build relationships with a group who does small house church plants in smaller slums on the outskirts of Bangkok. We have a real hope that someone from these small house churches might have a heart for our slum and come to lead bible study or worships that we can invite our Thai neighbors to. Finally but definitely not least in the midst of this crazy time of transition we were blessed to welcome a healthy beautiful baby girl, Arielle Dylan Hupe! Yes Dylan after Bob Dylan, and Arielle is Hebrew for lion of God. Do we know how to pick names or what! She is wonderful and so far very healthy. Being in a new place away from family and loved ones can make the joy of this occasion feel a bit lonely as well. As I reflected on these feelings over this week, caring for Arielle and in bed recovering myself I think God really spoke and reminded me of his promises in Mark. No one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or mothers or father or children or land for me and the Gospel will fail to receive a 100 times as many in this life of house or brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land and in the age to come, eternal life. Much of what we are experiencing on a daily basis is very difficult, adjusting to a new culture is hard for just one person, to adjust as a family with a new born is extremely hard. I did not go into this countless little detail because they are not the focus. Additionally just missing family who do not get to celebrate Arielle with us. But as we sacrifice and as we give to God the offering of our lives we hold to the promise that we will be given 100 times not only in the life to come but in this life. We will be given 100 times our sacrifice in women and children rescued, and the gift of seeing lives reborn.
Thank you very much.
Love Amy, Tim, Elijah and Arielle. P.O Box 2 Kluai Nam Thai P.O Bangkok, Thailand 10115 timandamyhupe@yahoo.com www.timandamyinthailand.blogspot.com