Z)he (^emo^d Soj.

ounting,3 in ZJltailand
'By faith they sojourned in the iand....

looking forward to a city which has foundations,

whose builder and maker is God."
HEB. 11:8-10

Alan and Janet Bemo

Box 180

Chiangmai, Thailand

January - MarcK, .1981

at^'bo^ the'train^ ajoltingstop."

heard much excitement outside

was going on.

so went out to see what

With the aid of flashlights we saw that

half the cars of the train had gone over a break in the tracks.
easy to tell the

M<vik wko

baptcim

rruAd^And

La.u Si/aa.

On close examination it was

tracks had been deliberately taken apartfthe bars and bolts were laid neat

ly between the tracks) and the tracks had been pried up to make the train derail.
Somehow
the train stayed on the tracks even though some of the wheels of the engine had gone off.
The conductor showed us with his flashlight that this was the exact spot where the train had
been derailed two months ago and several (about 21 people) had died.
The vegetations was
still mashed down from the derailed cars laying on it.
This had been happening several
times in the last few months. There is outside insurgent activity in that area and they are
doing this to scare the people not only not to trust the transportation system of the coun
try but the government itself.

It took six hours to fix the tracks and

for a crane locomo

tive to come and set the engine right again. Helicopters and police swarmed the place but I
slept soundly because of the peace that passes understanding.
Though very late, I did meet
Paul and Tom in Bangkok and we spent two days getting paperwork done for their visa extentions and sight-seeing before bringing them back to Chiangmai.
When we got back to Chiangmai a three-week Lisu preacher training school was in its last
week. I taught I Samuel in this school but had taken a couple of days off to meet the new
recruits. Mrs. Dittemore was very glad for this as she needed my hours to give her the ex
tra time to finish off John. The next week, Paul, Tom, Beth and I went by bus and truck to
Mipo to work in the orchard and teach when possible f-or a week. When we got off at the end
of the bus stop we found that we had missed the truck going up the mountain by 30 minutes.
We were very disappointed and had to put up in a little hotel for the night ($3 for four of

us.)

But as it turned out this led to one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives.

We went to visit a Christian brother in town and while there he asked us if we would go with
him to a

village that

had sent

word that there

were several there

who wanted

to become

Christians.
Since it was on the other side of Chiangmai we told him we would like to go
with him as soon as we came back from Mipo, not dreaming of all it would involve.
We went
on up the mountain the next day fellowshipping with the brethren in upper Mipo village that
night.
The next day we went down to the orchard where we worked for a total of five days
putting the place back in shape again. We went back up to the village to have another meet
ing with the church on Thursday night and where Janet and kids met us to spend a couple of
days there.
Then on Sunday we had another meeting to which we had especially invited all
the Christians on Mipo from five villages - we wanted to have a special memorial service for
a Christian brother who had been murdered recently.

Mark was the Karen opium addict I told you about in our last newsletter.
When he was ready
to go back home Beth had given him a pair of jeans since his were so raggedLater when we
were up there

with another missionary family

the man took his nice

flannel shirt off

and

BuAnlng Splnit SkeZi

Same oi the, convoAti at Omiong
"iiJhy did the, GentiZe^ ^ge, And the, peoples imagine, vaZn things?, . . ,the fwZeAS meAz gatheAe,d togetheA, against the Lohd^ and gainst fus Anointed:" [Acts 4:25,26)
gave it to a shivering Mark in front of everyone. About ten days later Mark was feeling and
looking good after being off opium and working and eating good.
He decided to go to a
neighboring village where there was a young widow woman he was interested in. Now he didn't
go courting - you don't do that in this culture.
He simply went to be seen, as if to say,
"Look, everybody at me, I'm well, I'm a hard worker now and I would make a good husband."

It so happened that recently glOOO ($50) had been stolen from someone's home in that vill
age. When they saw Mark's apparent prosperity (new clothes), they accused him of the rob
bery. The head man had him tied up and called one representative from each family (15
families). They took him to a remote ridge and started beating him.
Mark insisted on his
innocence and begged them to just give him one hour to live so someone could go to his home
village and bring witnesses to prove the clothes had been given to him. They said, "There's
no need to do that. We don't need to ask because we know you are guilty." Mark said to the
head man, "Then may you die the way I am dying". They knocked out all his teeth...he prayed
"God, they're going to kill me now, receive my spirit."
The head man laughed and said,
"Don't pray to God, I'm your god. You are in my power and I'm the one who can save you." He
then called one of the Christian men to come forward and shoot Mark.

The man said he didn't

want to but the headman said, "You have to or else, you Christians are the only ones who
aren't bothered by departed spirits." Altogether Mark was shot four times by four different
men before he died.
Then they left his body unburied.
Two days later the headman went
crazy. He started running back and forth beating his head against the walls till his face
was bruised and bleeding,- The scared relatives sacrificed 12 pigs and innumerable chickens
to appease the demons, knowing he was demon possessed.
But it did no good.
He then asked
the Lisu preacher from another village to come and pray for him which he did.
The man was
healed immediately. But his relatives finally convinced him that being a headman he better
not become a Christian and that more sacrifices would have done the same thing.

As soon as

he started sacrificing again, he went crazy again.

His relatives sent him to Chiangmai to
get medical treatment and he is now back in his village living on drugs to keep himself
above water.
He will never be healed without the grace of Christ.
The Christian man who
pulled the trigger first can't sleep at night or even sit still for five minutes. As I
write this account tears

come to my eyes again

for the

terrible way

our brother died, so

young in the faith and yet so courageous.

May we rejoice that He has already attained what
we all are striving for...to be with Jesus.
We rejoice that we are able to be here so that
people like Mark can hear the Word and, believing, be resurrected from this unjust world.
We reported this to the police, making it clear where Mark's clothes came from.
He had no
relatives, only his Christian family.
So that Sunday Christians came from four villages
noticeably not from MiWe village where he was killed, and we had a special memorial service,
praying for this village and the Christians there. Our scripture readings were Gen. 4:8-12;
Num. 35:33; Deut. 21:1-9, Heb. 9:22, 13-14; and II Chron. 7:14.

The hands of the Christian

community there have been greatly strengthened as the whole mountain has seen these strange
things happening. I believe God will use May;k's death to bring many more people to Himself.
Then on Wednesday, Jan. 28th, Brother Som Phet,

Long, the village that had asked for help.

the elder from Prau,

came to take us to Cm

, We arrived in this all Thai village about dark

and received a warm welcome. After a supper of sticky rice and vegetables we had a teaching
time. About thirty five people attended, sitting around on the floor.
After the teaching

one young man who had occasional epileptic seizures asked us to pray for his healing, and we
did after he was able to confess, "I believe. Lord, help my unbelief!" and prayed to God
himself.
The next day two families in the village, including this young man, and the wife
of a young Christian man in another village were baptized - eleven in all.
Before baptism
we had had special meetings in each of the homes of the new believers, reading scriptures
(II Cor. 6:14-18; Acts 19:19-20), praying for God's protection over everything in their home
and then helping them to tear down their altars and 'spirit' strings and books, etc. and
burn them.

As soon as we got back from the baptismal service the headman came to say the whole village
was upset because these two families had become Christians. They said they were going to
call a village meeting to decide what to do about it.
We had an idea of what was coming.
None of us had much of an appetite that night but spent much time reading scriptures like

BEMffS SOJOURNS
IN

By faith they sojourned in the land

1/

THAILAND

looking forward to a city which has foundations,

whose builder and maker is God. Heb.!h8*IO

FORWARDIWj AGENT:
Mrs. Linda Goerke

Alan & Janet Bemo

Rt.

Box 180

Chiangmai, Thailand

MARCW - JUNE 19SI

Dear Co-workers,

King City, Mo.

6hh63

Again, I have put off writing so long that there is too much to write about. These last
few months I believe, have been busier than ever before.
Often I have gone on a trip only
to come back for a few hours or days and then be off on another.
Here at home there has
been a constant flow of hungry and sick people coming through, so Janet has been really busy
too.
Once, while I was away, a man in the Church died and Janet had to take care of the
funeral arrangements.
Many times we have seen that this constant hospitality is the thing
that makes people willing and able to listen to the gospel even out in the villages. Visit
ing the sick, clothing the naked and feeding the hungry is so important. We are doing it to
Christ Himself when we do it to the least of His brethren and we will be judged according to

whether we do it or not.
Jesus.

This takes daily sacrifice-daily taking up the corss and following

Janet bears the main brunt of this ministry.

We both need your prayers,

only have
to
you
about the BingLong area this
We have
been going there more often lately. The first
Eugene
Morse
me
to

We had

invited people from

villages but only

three from other places came.

I was quite

disappointed because of the time,

materials that had gone into this.
we
some very good
a

for

O f M.

money and
However,
it
We

up

teams

some

teaching at the meeting place and others going

from house, toJio.use. _ Fiftee_n_p_eople were _baptized that week.

up

to

was

the

most exciting and one of my hardest struggles

Bt/RWIMG SPIRIT SHELF IW VaGaV^

ever.
In the Meng Heng valley where BingLong
^
is located, there are about five big Shan villages which are absolutely unreached with the
gospel. We have often prayed for these people as we passed through on our way to work with
the Chinese. A Thai brother, Som Phet, got in touch with me to say that there was a fellow
Christian who used to live in the Meng Heng valley.
He wanted us to go with him to teach
his relatives and friends there. Even though the rains had started early this year, I still
drove the truck over the 72 Kilometer road (?), the worst stretch in the world.
It wasn't
too bad. The first night we spent in BingLong, calling on Chinese, and then the next night
to the Shan village of Nuang Khea (Mango Vine) where we taught about ten people and let them
listen to some Shan gospel recordsing.
The next day we presented gospel tapes to the Shan

Commander and taught in another village.

We were going to head for home that day but it

rained all day so we went to a Karen village we had heard

about.
We found eight Christian families there but they
had not had a teacher for three years.
We taught about
thirty adults that night.
to

go to

a second

The next morning we were asked

Karen village

where there

was

one

Christian. We did this in a drizzling rain which had gone

on all night long so that the road was very slippery. At
this man's house three other men came over and sat on the

elevated bamboo floor to hear the gospel.

Now on the
three previous days we had been throwing tracts from the
truck and yelling, "Here's something to read!" as we went

up and down the valley.

And just as we were teaching on

the Power of God in the second village two people came H!

walking in.
The woman said they had seen some of the
tracts we had passed out and that her husband, who was
sick, had been wanting to become a Christian for five
years, but that he had never had an opportunity.
Now he

had sent his wife and a friend to look for us.

They had
walked for two hours asking people along the way which
way the yellow truck had gone.

We found

immediately back

57 years old,

ly crippled by a stroke.

about Jesus

As soon as we finished

five years ago

to

house.

had been partial-

He confirmed that he had heard

and

had wanted

to become a

ALAN TEACHING IN [TILLAGE

Christian ever since but had never had a chance.

for Him.

reply.

We taught him for several hours and prayed

Afterward we asked him if he believed that Jesus

"Did he believe

that Jesus had died

was

for His sins?"

God's Son.

"Yes".

"Do you believe that Jesus came back to life after three days?"

"Yes!" was his

And now the

"Yes".

We took

hard one:

this crip

pled man out in the rain to the river and baptized him in the name of Jesus Christ.
That
was Saturday and I was wanting to get home but it just kept on raining. I could see God kept
us there to meet this man with rain, but why was He keeping us there now?
I was getting
nervous because I was afraid the rains had set in for good and the truck would be stuck there
for six months till the rains stopped and the roads were cleared.
Even so we had to stay on to Sunday and taught several times a day on the Life of Christ

and the Christian Life.

These new Christians recorded songs and teachings on tape and lis
tened to it almost all day long.
Finally, Monday morning was clear and three other trucks
were going to try to make it out. Noi Dok, the new Shan Christian, his wife and their grand
daughter went along too, to see the doctor in Chiangmai.
We traveled in caravan for about
an hour and a half till we came to a very bad place.
One vehicle got stuck to some degree,
but the first two vehicles, being four-wheel drive, got through pretty easilyv
The third
was a truck like mine and they asked for our help, which we gladly gave. However, when they
got though

they took off and left us.

That was the last we saw of the caravan.

The three-

able-bodied men in our truck were left to get ourselves out.

It tooJ< us three hours to get
through that hole.
We continued digging our way thru hole after hole, going a foot at a
time. In late afternoon, we came to a long, steep, muddy slope. We started working our way
up it and when it was getting close to dark we^ould see we weren't going to make it up that
night. I backed down to a flat place where,we prepared to spend the night. We did not have
enough sleeping gear and little food but we* were optimistic that if it did not rain that
night and the next day we could get out. I went to sleep beside a campfire but woke up in a
few hours with rain drops on my face. Six of us men scrunched in the back of the pickup and
experienced the hardest rainfall any of us had ever been in. My faith was being tested!
I
wondered, "What would demon worshipers do in this situation?
Would they make rash vows so
their spirits would get them out?' "Well, I won't do that to you God.
I will just praise
you because you are worthy of praise!"
I made this mental decision but it was easier said
than done. I'm afraid my praises were not too loud.
The Thai brother sand very loudly,
"Blessed be the Name of the Lord!" The next morning we finally got a fire going and we hud
dled around the fire drying out. All the men were wet. (The woman and graddaughter slept in
front). During the night's rain the ruts we had left on the slope had become two feet deep
rivers. The ground was wet, soft and slick.
Though the truck had chains it couldn't begin

to get up. We started digging away mud and filling in.

We worked for 6 hours getting up
that slope. Before we made it up we were told that a whole section behind us had washed out.
Before this, turning back was an alternative but now we had no choice.
When the truck is
stuck in mud up to the axles and frame to the body and you can only move a foot at a time,
you can imagine our frame of mind despair. No food and a sick man and child.
We ate the
heart of a wild palm tree for lunch. I thought that if we couldn't get out that day we would
have to leave the truck on the mountain and take turns carrying the man out. Still we praised

God and joked. God was giving strength!

The woman with us who was still not a Christian
said, "I am really finding out about Christianity on this trip. Spirit worshippers would be
curstng their spirits in this situation saying, 'You sorry spirit, what's the matter with
you? You're no use at all.
All the time I've worshipped you sacrificing all my chickens &

pigs and it's been all wasted.

You're no use at all.
You're so little and powerless you
can't even keep the rain from falling.!
Thwei (the sound of spitting) on you, you worth
less spirit! etc.' But you Christians just keep praising your God." Now, I saw the good God
was doing through this evil. CThe only way God could communicate His love for us was Jesus'
death. The only way this woman could see the love relationship of God and His Children was

suffering.) Around 1:00 p.m. a couple of men came by and shared their lunch with us.

How

good that sticky rice and boiled eggs was! , They helped us get up the next slope by digging
and pushing. Then we came to the (unknowing' to us) last difficult slope. We just looked at
it for a few minutes.

It was the worst yet!

A long 25 degree grade with mud over a foot

deep and criss-crossed with ruts. We started digging but I thought it would take us all day
the next day to get out. After we had been working for about thirty minutes a big, beauti nn ,^high7~four^h^T~Tbyo^fa truck wi th~chains~came~oveT the-top. -f-knew L!ie ChiTrese-drTver^
too. He backed his truck up to mine and after breaking the chain three times, finally pulled
us up the hill with the help of 20 soldiers with M16's strapped to their backs who helped to
push. After that it was smooth sailing the rest of the way to Chiangmai. It was good to see
the green grass of home, with friends and family who had been worrying and praying.
Five
times on that trip I had been that close to death, but the Lord brought us safely home.
There are many other things T should have written to you about.
The orchard is doing
great. The pecan and fruit trees are growing rapidly. The area of the community orchard has
expanded to where we are ready to plant 70 more trees. The Christians there are developing
the whole valley.

A new orchard project has been started in BingLong where we have lemon

trees planted so far.

I really will try to write sooner next time. Thank you for your patience and prayers.
Yours, because of His Resurrection,
The Bemo Family

TjUe Sento^d SoJourning,d in ZJltailand

By faith they sojourned in the land....

- ^ .qoi

looking forward to a city which has foundations. Uu 1 ^

whose builder and maker is God. Heb.ll 8-10

F0RWARDIW3 AGENT:
Mrs. Linda Goerke

Alan & Janet Bemo

Rt.

Box 180

King City, Mo.

6hh63

Chiangmaij Thailand

July, August, September 1981

Dear Co-Workers,

We are writing to you from our house in Mipo.

house is made of bamboo and has a dirt floor.

We moved here on September 2nd.

This

Though it is primitive by American standards,

it is the nicest, we think, in the village. It belongs to a Christian family who has moved
to a tea plantation to work temporarily. The community well for this part of the village is
right outside our home which is nice for us to use and visit with people.
We had been dreaming about being in this
kind of a situation ever

Thailand.

arrived

But when it came right down to the

last few days before we actually moved I became quite apprehensive.

Would our presence
here

be a

burden

to

the

Christians since

there were some things we weren't used to

or

find it difficult to do for ourselves? Would

presence
people
or free

create

n'

"

a dependence
or
to

most importantly, continually depending on

for their spiritual food and not growing on

their own?

HOUSE IN MIPG

As it has turned out, everything has worked out wonderfully and we thank God for this .
Our schedule has been something like t.his: Rise at 5:45 to teach a literacy class to ten
children and three adults from 5:00-7:00 a.m..then breakfast...the four children then go to

school in one of our four rooms to study their correspondence course.

Janet teaches Sarah
and Cathi Carlile teaches Becky, Jonnie and Nathan. Their classes last till noon.
In the
afternoons they wash, chop wood and do other chores and homework.
It is quite a challenge
but Janet does a wonderful job of cooking on open fires, washing clothes by hand and gener
ally keeping the home fires burning. We have an oven that is heated with charcoal, even. I

have been going off to the orchard at 8:00 each morning to plant trees (50 since we've
arrived), mend fence, and have dug a fish pond.
This morning I decided to stay at
the
house for a couple hours to get this letter written to you.
Right now there are three Lisu
men who came to the village to buy rice, and out of curiosity, have stopped in to visit.
I
served them coffee and they are listening to a gospel recording by Ron Morse in Lisu. In
the evenings we have another literacy class for 20 people from 7:00-8:00.
Then from 8:009:00 we have a Bible lesson.
I have been thrilled to find people so hungry to learn.
I
have found a satisfaction and fulfillment here beyond my fondest dreams. Already in 10 days
they have memorized 6 scripture songs, the Chinese alphabet, and heard 10 parables of Jesus,
and we've had one home meeting in the home of a young couple that are wanting to become
Christians.

ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE

LIVING ROOM AND BIBLE CLASS ROOM

The roads are still in bad condition as it is near the end of the rainy season so our car
isn't here. We are sort of stranded. We brought lots of canned food, flour, and rice. Al
so, the parents of the students are very thankful and often bring cucumbers, summer melon,
egg plant, and even roasted corn. Yum!

I need to back up a little bit and tell you what has been going on during the last couple
of months. On June 26th, Mom Dittemore left to return back to her home in Joplin, Missouri.
It has left a big empty spot in our lives.
On June 28th the Loves, Smiths, and Cathi Carlile arrived. Cathi is from Bedford, Texas and came over especially to teach our children
while we stay in mountain villages this year.
She has studied at Ozark Bible College and
besides being a real help with teaching and working around the house she is a real part of
the spiritual atmosphere of our home.
Tom & Kathy Love had visited Thailand before and
planned to come for a long time, but felt it necessary first to study Chinese thoroughly in
Taiwan and to attend more Bible College at Ozark Bible College. They are planning now. Lord
willing, to stay here for a long time.
Right now they are studying the Thai language and
taking care of the Chinese Church and hospitality work in Chiang Mai.
Rod & Ann Smith came
for five weeks for an internship. They are also students at Ozark Bible College and Rod is
a horticulturist. While they were here we all made several trips together. Within days af
ter they arrived we went on a real hair-raising trip over the worst road in the world to
take 1,000 coffee trees to BingLung. It took all day to get there over a road where we had
to walk many times while the truck wrenched through mud holes three feet deep and thirty
feet long and up muddy slopes. The 5 days we were in BingLung we planted 500 trees on Bro
ther Shen's land, sold 200, left 200 for Brother Shen to plant himself, and gave another 100
away to a poor family.
We made another trip to a Chinese re-settlement village over close
to the-La^ border called Lyan^ Hwa Syin Tswun where we took over 300 fruit trees^to sell for
half price, teach them how to plant and taught the Bible. We came up here to MiPo for about
a week, too, where Rod Smith budded many trees and taught the Christians how to bud. We al
so built a fence and many other assorted jobs. When we weren't on a trip. Rod spent his time
in Chiang Mai helping to start a fruit tree nursery which will hold 1,000 trees.
This pro
ject has now fallen to Tom Love to care for, plus the bee project.
Tom, my son, Jonathan, and I went to Mae Sa Lok by bus and boat up
There Tom and I taught on the parables of Jesus for four days.

the

Mae Kok River.

Near the end of July, Bob Moorehead, the preacher of Overlake Christian Church, one of
our supporting churches, and his wife visited us for two days. The day before they arrived,
a man had come to Chiang Mai to buy rice and had died of a heart attack that night.
We had
to get a death certificate and took his body back to the village immediately.
Even though
we had a legal permit to transport a body, one of the Thai villages threatened us for taking
a body through. They said they were going to stop us when we came out, but thank the Lord,
it started raining just as we passed_that village patro^l and everyone stayed inside.
On August 9th, Janet and Beth left for Taiwan to take Beth there to start school, Janet
returning on the 20th. Beth sounds very happy there and we know many dear co-workers there
will take good care of her, but it sure leaves a big empty spot in our lives.
Please pray
for her there.

Well, that is basically what has been going on during the

don't forget to pray for us as we labor here in MiPo.

last three months.

Please

Yours for His Kingdom's Sake,

Alan Bemo and Family

Formosa Christian Mission

Non-Profit

c/o M/M Doug Bemo

527 Anthony
Muskogee, Oklahoma 74401

Organization
Permit No. 15
Muskogee,Okla
74401

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Horizons
Box 177

Kempton, Ind. 46049

CH1ANOMAI

Z)he Hemo d Soj.ountm3 in ZJkailand

By fkith they

kxAfii$

in ihc IsikI. ...

to ft city ii^ich Has foufldftttons.

httiirfgy and miktSir ii God. Hcb.l|:8"iO

OCTCSER. H0VEK8ER & D

Alan & Janet Bemo

Box IBO

>

V
'

Chian^ai, Thailand

FORWARDIWG AGENT:
Mrs. Linda Gocrke
1
King City, Mo.
6hh63

MERRY CHRISTMAS! People's hearts are only merry when ti-.ey hear and understand
the n^Bsage of Christmas...There are still so many in the world who do not know!
I "know there are many right around you who-do not- know ei-fehar.f^r-us-who know,
we wiil be truly merry as we share God's message with those who do not know. Me
are happy here but especially at this time we think of all of you. TVie hord
.willir.g, we will be in the States next Christmas!

Today is a rainy day so no one in the village can go to the field. It is on

days like these that people do things around the house that have been stacking
upfix the door, ;3plil wood, sharpen tools, etc.

This Is a good day for me

to get some correspondence taken care of.

We have really been hnppy here in Mipo village but our stay h/is not been with
out problems. Becky and 1 came down with a very bad sickness that lasted about
ten days in all.
We had high fever, achey muscles and general discomfort. We
finally had to be taken to the hospital. Becky had a rash. The doctor said vre
either had Scrub Typhus (aoiiiethiug like Rocky Mountain Tick Fever) or some kind
of unidentified virus.

We are all doing fine now.

Our literacy class is really doing so good. By the time you get this letter,
we should be finished with Book One of our Good News Reader.

Each graduate is

very excited about receiving their graduation presenta red, blue, tan or brown
Bible that they will be able to read!

They have learned to sing mcuy songs and so far have-learned-to-sing three-of
them in harmony. We have finished teaching the parables of Jesus and now are
teaching through the miracles. It is so exciting to teach these things to
people who have never heard them^
While here in Mipo we have
have been stranded because
up a little and so we went
and MaeSai. We had gotten
from a Burmese brother.

been pretty well staying put. Most of the time we

the roads are closed. However, last week it dried
on a three-day trip with 10 villagers to Chlangmai
a letter from MaeSai, which is very close to Burma,

He said that two Christian books we gave him to trans

late were finished and that permission had been given by the government to
print it. So we went up there to talk to him about the details of printing.
On the way up there, one brother in the track asked if we could turn in to an
Alah village to see his uncle who lived there. His uncle, a Chinese, is the
only Christian in the vil.lage of 36 houses. However, he told us there were
ten other families who wanted to become Christians if only a teacher would
come and live with them for a while and teach them everything. What an oppor
tunity! And a person could do it in the Thai language, too. There are so many

opportunities like this.

We called souk? of the people who weren^t out working

to come and we wete able to do some teaching* This iri a need we have seen In
so many places and we are trying to fulfill here In Mipo by training the Chris
tians and the leaders.

Things are really sprouting in the orchards, too.

planted 6 weeks ago, 15 are sprouting out nicely.

cluding pears, peaches, persinsnous and .limes.

Out of twenty .apfJle trees we

Many trees are growing in

Now we are starting a shade house

to start 2,000 coffee trees to be planted by four men next June,

A long time before opium planting season got here, Brother Lee's said he was
not going to plant opium this year because he knenv' it was wrong. The rest rf
the Christians felt they would have to plant at least two more years though,

till their peaches started coniing up. However, the rainy acason has lasted
longer this year than usual. Opiu^Ti was planted but daily rains ruined the
newly planted seed. One man, .l\rother Chen, said he has taken this as a sign
from God and that he has decided to plant kidney beans instead. Checking with
the U.N. we found that the price promises to be very good this year, but we
could not find any seed. That's why the price will be good! We've heard of
a place to get seed over in a neighboring Laha village and are praying that God
will provide. After hearing of the good price, three other men are wanting
seed too. Pray for these people as they follov; the Lord.
I thought you might like to know about OmLong, Even though I have not had time
to go there, Paul Lang has and we are so happy to find that God is working.
Although teachers cannot go often, the brethren are remaining faithful and grow
ing. They meet together to study and pray.

On Paul's first trip back, there were four people who were baptized by Brother
Som Phet who before had thought that only preachers could baptize. This time a
lot of villagers turned out to see the baptism.

Remember that this is the

villagers who threatened our lives Eind tried to blow up our truck with dynamite,
That night as they taught in a veighboring village, they were actually stoned!!
A large stone came flying through the leaf roof and landed right beside Brother
Som Phet! They came back from this trip praising God for the opportunity to
suffer for the Lord. On this last trip, they noticed a change In attitude as
some of the persecutors had become friendly and interested. Paul has gone up
there to work and live with one of the Christian families for a couple of weeks.
We are praying for God's protection.

We have been blessed with visitors since we have been here in the village. Two
different young men with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) have come up to stay for a
few days and help work. Also, Al Hamilton came up for a day. We wish you could
come too. How about coming over for a few days or weeks? How about sending
your preacher or head of the missionary committee over? It would be nice. Even

if you can't, the Lord willing we will be going on furlough in May, 1982, We
are looking forward to seeing everyone.

Yours in Jesus,
Alan & Janet Bemo

I'jGi

Z)lie

J Soj^ourning.3 in ZJkailand
By faith they sojourned in the land

looking forward to a city which has foundations,

whose builder and maker is God. Heb.l|:8-I0
OCTCBER, NOVEMBER & DECEMBER, I98I
Alan & Janet Berao

FCRWARDIMj AGENT:
Mrs. Linda Goerke

Box 180

Rt.

Chiangmai, Thailand

King City, Mo.

6hh63

Cathi Carllle, Becky, Janet, Alan

Sarah, Nathan, Jonnie

only merry when they hear and underThcre arc still so many in the world

MERRY CHRISTMAS! People's hearts are

stand the message
of Christmas.*
who do not know!

know either.

For us

know

many right

there are

who know,

around

you who do not

will be truly merry as we share God's

We are happy herfe but especially at
iThc Lord willing, we will be in the

we

message with those who do not know,

this tine we think of all of you.
States next Christmas!

village can go to the field.

It is
things around the house that have
wood, sharpen tools, etc. This Is a
pondence taken care of.

Today is a rainy day so no one in the

on days like these that people do

been stacking up--fix the door, split
good day

for me

Beth

to get some corres-

We have really been happy here

in
"*T"
Mipo village but our stay has not
been without problems.
Becky and I
came down with a very bad sickness
that lasted about ten days in all. We had high fever, achey muscles and general discomfort.
We finally had to be taken to the hospital.
Becky had a rash.
The doctor said we cither
had Scrub Typhus (something like Rocky Mountain Tick Fever) or some kind of unidentified
virus.

We are all doing fine now.

Our literacy class Is really doing so good.

By the time you get this letter,

finished with Book One of our Good News Reader.

we should be

Each graduate Is very excited about receiv

ing their gradiiation prcsent-a red, blue, tan or brown Bible that they will be able to read!
They have learned to sing many songs and so far have learned to sing three of them in har
mony. We have finished teaching the parables of Jesus and now are teaching through the mir
acles.

It is so exciting to teach these things to people who have never heard them.

While here in Mipo we have been pretty well staying put.

stranded because the roads are closed.

However,

Host of the time wc have been

last week it dried up a little and so we

went on a three-day trip with 10 villagers to Chiangmai and MaeSai, Wc

gotten a letter
from MaeSai, which is very close to Burma, from a Burmese brother. He said that two Christian
books, we gave him to translate were finished and that permission had been given by the gov
On
ernment to print it. So we went up there to talk to him about the details of printing.
the way up there, one brother in the truck asked if wc could turn in to an Akah village to
see bia uncle who, lived there.
His uncle, a Chinese, is the only Christian In the village
of 36 houses.
However, he told us there were ten other families idio wanted to become
Christians if only a teacher would come and live with them for a while and teach them every
thing. What an opportunity! And a person could do it in the Thai language, too. There are

so many opportunities like this.

We called some of the people who weren't out working to

ccsne and we were able to do some teaching.

This is a need we have seen in so many places
and we are trying to fulfill here in Mipo by training the Qiristians and the leaders.

Things are really sprouting in the orchards, too.

Out of twenty apple trees we planted 6

weeks ago, 15 are sprouting out nicely.

Many trees are growing including pears, peaches,
persimmons and limes.
Now we are starting a shade house to start 2,000 coffee trees to be
planted by four men next June.

A long time before opium planting season got here. Brother Lee's said he was not going to
plant opium this year because he knew it was wrong.
The rest of the Christians felt they
would have to plant at least two more years though, till their peaches started coming up.
However, the rainy season has lasted longer this year than usual.
Opium was planted but
daily rains ruined the newly planted seed.
One man. Brother Chen, said he has taken this
as a sign from God and that he has decided to plant kidney beans instead.
Checking with
the U.N. we found that the price premises to be very good this year, but we could not find
any seed. That's why the price will be good! We've heard of a place to get seed over in a
neighboring Laha village and are praying that God will provide.
After hearing of the good
price, three other men arc wanting seed too. Pray for these people as they follow the Lord.
I thought you might like to know about OmLong. Even though I have not teid time to go there,

Paul Lang has and we are so teppy to find that God is working.
often, the brethren arc remaining faithful and growing.

Although teachers cannot go

They meet together to study and

pray.

On Paul's first trip back, there were fotir people who were baptized by Brother Som Phet who
before had thought that only preachers could baptize. This time a lot of villagers
turned
out to see the baptism. Remember that this is the villagers who threatened otir lives and
tried to blow up our truck with dynamite.
That night as they taught in a neighboring vil
lage, they were actually stoned!!
A large stone came flying through the leaf roof and
landed right beside Brother Som Phet!
They came back from this trip praising God for the
opportunity to staffer for the Lord.
On this last trip, they noticed a change in attitude
as some of the persecutors had become friendly and interested.
Paul has gone up there to
work and live with one of the Christian families for a couple of weeks.
God's protection.

We arc praying for

We have been blessed vlth-^^-i^tors-sf^^se^-we ^vo-been hers inr-4hs-viI4age-

Two^ diffea?ent

yotang men with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) have come up to stay for a few days and help
work. Also, A1 Hamilton came up for a day. We wish you could come too.
How about coming
over for a few days or weeks?
committee over?

How about sending

It would be nice.

fxirlough in May, 1982.

your preacher or

head of the

missionary

Even if you can't, the Lord willing we will be going on

We are looking forward to seeing everyone.

Yours in Jesus,
Alan & Janet Bemo

Non-Profit Organization

Formosa Christian Mission

c/o Mr. & Mrs. Doug Bemo

U.S. POSTAGE

527 Anthony
Muskogee, Okla. 7iiU01

PAID

Muskogee. Oklahoma

TiiliOl
PERMIT NO. 15

HorisoB3
Box 177
ADDRESS CCRRECTIOfl REQUESTED

Koaqton, Ind. 46049