Factory Moving Day

We have a Site!

After we got the word that the factory site we chose in Chiang Rai was a “no-go”, we began the search for a new site.  We looked at about 20 different options.  Then on January 29th, the company in Laos we are buying the factory equipment from, was ready to ship it across the river.  At first we thought we'd store it temporarily in the location here in Chiang Rai, but since the shipment was a day late Peter had time in Chiang Khong (the little town on the Thai side of the Mekong) and found a great storage place with easy accessibility.  We have known the warehouse owner for a few years, but not well.

 

Anyway, after spending a day getting the equipment unloaded, Peter began to wonder if this wasn't a possible site for the factory itself.  We had been hesitant to look here, because we felt we were too close to the border.  But, nothing else was opening up and God confirmed in our hearts that we do not need to worry about the Lao authorities.  So we made the decision to rent this place for two years while we continue looking for a more permanent home.  By renting this site we hope to get the factory up and running in time to make deadlines set by the World Food Program.

 

We had two men come from North America on January 30th to help us with design layout for the equipment and installation.  Well, that was great, but unfortunately, the electricity at the site was inadequate for the size of motors we are running.  So, we went to work applying for a new transformer and heavy-duty electrical service.  That has moved along quickly and we hope to have full power in a week or two.  Praise God for this answer to prayer!  Ruthie.  

The right people on the bus

Already we have met quite a number of well-qualified quality Thai who would like to join us.  We are praying about each one as they come to us and believe we need to bring some of them on-board to help us find the right location and begin working.  The question is:  Do we go with older, more experienced people?  Or with younger, recent graduates?  Please pray that God would lead us to the right ones.  We agree with the writers of the book, Good to Great, who say that it is important, first of all to “get the right people on the bus”—then to get them “in the right seat.”  The “right people”, we know from past experience and our reading of Scripture, are those with hearts that are teachable, have a love for God, and a good work ethic. 

Deposit Returned!

In order to ‘hold’ the warehouse site we felt was ideal while we investigated all the legalities, we signed a letter of intent with the current renter and placed a significant deposit down for improvements he had made to the property.  Our fear, then, became that he would refuse to return the money even though we had anticipated this possibility in one of the clauses of our agreement.  But when we sat down to talk with him a couple of days ago, we were pleased to find him understanding and agreeable.  Some payment for use of storage space and his loss of time was in order—and before going to see him, we came up with what we felt was reasonable.  When we sat down to talk, that was the exact amount he requested!   

Undone by CHIC

Ruthie and I just put 5 wonderful people on the plane back to Bangkok last night—an advance team of planners and videographers for the CHIC conference to be held this summer (this is a nation-wide gathering of high-schoolers from Covenant churches held every 3 years).  We flew down to Bangkok, met them, and accompanied them to many sites around the city, then Chiang Rai, and Laos.  Why CHIC?  Because two of our Covenant ministries here in Thailand will be the subject of the CHIC project offering this year—our Mekong Valley Project and the Abundant Life Center in Bangkok (Karen and Carl Groot)—and these creative people are concerned that this offering be more than just another “missions moment” in the life of the CHIC week.  Like us, they are concerned that young people catch a vision for the needs in the world around us and a conviction that God has “good works that he has prepared in advance for them to do” (Eph. 2:10)—a way that they can become involved in showing Christ’s love.  Though we are tired, it was a great time of discussion, travel, visiting—the whole of which was very encouraging to us.  Praise God.  And please pray that this project will come together in the minds of planners and video-editors over the next months.  

Where is that place you want us, Lord?

As we said earlier, we thought we had the perfect place for our factory—a large warehouse big enough, with a tall roof at a very reasonable rent.  But when the final word came last Friday from the Office of Industry, we realized how short the time is getting:  We have two families ready to join our work, and two short-term, highly- skilled Christians from the States arriving to help  with the factory lay-out and installation.  But no location and no work for them to do!  Unless God intervenes!  Our Dutch friend and colleague explained the situation to his mother and she counseled, “Remember Jairus’ daughter!  Jesus said, ‘Only believe’,” and the matter was solved.  We are open to whatever God has for us, any location he has for us.  Please pray and believe with us!

God's Sense of Timing

It looks like we may have hit our first road block.  The site for the factory that we sent pictures, we discovered, is just outside of the zone for factories like ours.  Would you pray with us that God would lead us to an even better site?  We have never fully understood the ways of the Lord and one of the most difficult things for us his God’s timing.  It has been our desire to get this factory up and running so that we can submit a bid to World Food Program in March of this year and begin shipping the product in June.  We knew this was a tall order, but we know that we have a God of the “impossible”.

  

So while we don’t understand why this set of circumstances has arisen, here are a few things we are banking on:  Our God is an awesome God and he will provide all our needs according to his riches in glory.  (Philippians 4:19).  Our God is sovereign—that is, according to my dictionary, “Greatest in degree, above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.”  So we are confident that he will provide us the right site for this factory and that He will provide it at the right time.  Please pray with us that we will wait with faith.  Ruthie.