I faced a flood of memories during last week’s editorial team meeting for Cru Storylines. We’re planning a story that that will take place in rural Thailand. We hope to send a writer and photographer there to gather the story in September and to publish it around the end of the year.

More than thirty years ago, Anne Marie and I lived in the Philippines and reported about the countries in Central Asia and the Pacific. I often recall highlights from the Philippines and several of the countries we visited.

We visited Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Each had its charms, and each was interesting to visit. Seeing God at work in places where Christianity is the faith of a minority of residents was always exciting. Jesus’ love was clear in the lives of His followers as they shared the gospel with their neighbors.

Thailand holds a special place in my memory for several reasons. Much of Cru’s ministry there in those days took place in the northeast part of the country. Most of the church members and leaders were rice farmers.

I sensed similarities with the farmers near where I grew up. Reporting how God was drawing people to Christ in a primarily Buddhist society brought me joy. As a photographer, I found Thailand colorful and visually appealing. The memories were so compelling that I pulled out some photos from Thailand.

One highlight of having been Cru staff members for more than 30 years is we can look back on so much. We’ve seen people in Asia, Europe, South America, and the U.S. meet Jesus.

As you think of us over the next few weeks:

• Please pray that we’ll leverage both past experiences and new opportunities to help people around the world grow closer to God.
• Please continue to pray for Anne Marie’s health. She’s still dealing with an autoimmune disease but is much stronger and has more capacity that she did last time we wrote.

We’re grateful for your prayers and partnership over the years.

Sincerely in Christ, — Mark, for the Winz family