April 26, 1998    Sunday evening, day 88 starts in four hours.

Dear Family,

The Lord blessed us with an opportunity today to visit with one of the original Laos 10. She has been an active part of the Phon Kheng Church of Christ for over a year, has seen her son and daughter baptized, brought visitors almost every week, and takes her faith in Jesus Christ very seriously. She and her teenage daughter crossed the border yesterday, spent the night with Thomas & Kindy, worshipped with us here in Udorn with a record setting crowd of 46, and was the guest of honor at lunch after services.  Here is her story that I typed while she talked:

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We think of Jerry & Meg Canfield often and pray for God to bless them both. They were so good to us that we can't express our feelings. After our arrest, I have not had an opportunity to talk with them.

While I was in jail for those two months everyone was in good health. Duangmanee and I were the jail cooks, we worked together and stayed together. The men worked at cutting wood. Fellowship and love for one another were obvious among the Christians. There were no Bibles in Thatdam prison. We couldn't pray or sing together as they threatened to punish us. Duangmanee and I got up at 5 A.M. to cook, so we  would pray together early in the morning before anyone noticed.

There were 300 prisoners in Thatdam prison, 98 men in Khun Sy's cell and only about 10 women total. We were allowed only two sets of clothes. The prison furnished rice about the size of your fist for each prisoner and families had to supplement food for the prisoners to have enough to eat. 40 men were in solitary confinement with Khammieng & Khamsaweang, all jailed for serious crimes. The cells are crowded and sleeping is like a bunch of bananas, all close together. The families furnish mats and blankets.

The guards praised the ten Christians for their behaviour after we were released. Bounlerth was chosen by them to be warden and Khongmany and other Christians were selected as his assistant wardens to take care of the prisoners.  Duangmanee is the cook and runs the prison refreshment stand that sells soft drinks and goodies. Prisoners can watch TV in the evening.

One of the grandmothers was told by an official from the Lao National Front before the meeting that we couldn't meet at Khun Sy's house. Another grandmother's son is an ex-policeman. He told her not to go to the meeting the week we were arrested. The spy Songweang had been sending monthly reports to his boss for 18 months before the arrest.  Somsak was the other police spy. Why did they arrest us? I doesn't know.

Two of the released prisoners were picked up at the prison in a Toyota sedan when they were released and taken to Wat Si Muang where they willingly went through a  washing ceremony by the Buddhist priest and publically proclaimed they give up Christianity.  In their confession at the prison, they both wrote they give up Christianity. Our visiting grandmother simply wrote she would be a good model citizen after her release.  The guards ridiculed her based on the confessions of others that gave up their faith.

We thank Jerry & Meg for all they have done for the church and my family. We miss them. God is good, blessed us abundantly, and answered our every prayer while we were in jail.
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She was obviously happy to be here, appreciates everyone that has helped them, worries about her son who is struggling with his faith, understands the church situation and is willing to have the four Christians in her neighborhood and up to 10 others at her house for the Lord's Supper on Sunday.

I clicked on the Laos 10 web site that Paul Lee maintains and blew her mind with the picture, news, and the ability to send her story immediately to Christians all over the world.  She read the translated letter from the Ethiopian church with tears and wonder. She can't take that letter into the Thatdam prison but will have it read by every family that has a loved one in the prison and they can verbally take it into the prison.

God has wonderful people in his family on earth and we were blessed today to be with one who loves God, who believes that God answered every single prayer that you have prayed for the Laos 10, and who isn't scared of jails.

Lord, please give us all faith like that. Ken & Jean Fox
Udorn, Thailand