November Update 2025

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

We pray that all our family and friends will have a very blessed Thanksgiving this year. I love this holiday the most because it’s a time of being together with family and being thankful for all the things God has done in our lives. Annie and I have so many things to thank God for that I could never list them all on a piece of paper. We are especially grateful and thank everyone of you who prays for us and supports us now for almost 30 years. During this holiday season, we are praying that God will bless you abundantly in every area of your lives. Amen?

The first weekend in November, we were able to drive to the city of Saraburi in central Thailand to visit our church family at the New Life Church. We enjoyed our visit, and God blessed us all. Annie taught in the morning, and I preached the main service. It was good to see everyone again and enjoyed the fellowship with everyone. 

The VA finally contacted me for my qualification exams. We had to fly to Bangkok for 3 appointments.  The eye and ear exams were on Wednesday, and the general medical exam was supposed to be on Thursday, but the doctor canceled. So, we flew back home on Friday and then on Sunday drove to Udon Thani (about a 2-hour drive) for an examination on Monday.  All the exams seemed to go well, and now everything is in God’s hands. So please pray for God’s favor with all of the decision-makers. Amen?  

Please pray for us as I still have some health issues that I will have to take care of in the near future.  God is good, and we are trusting in Him always. Praying for guidance and when to make the right decisions to take care of everything. 

We truly thank all of you for your prayers and support! Annie and I are praying God will bless all of you all in a very special way!

We love y’all!

Ralph and Annie 

October Update 2025

Greetings in the Name of Jesus!

We hope this message finds you all blessed and doing well. It’s been a while since I last sent an update, as we’ve been quite busy dealing with some health issues. After completing our annual checkups, I’ve been scheduling appointments with doctors to address some of the concerns we had during our time in America.

Specifically, I’ve seen a foot doctor here in Thailand due to the results from the MRI at the Va clinic in America. The symptoms I’ve been experiencing include persistent swelling in my lower leg and foot. The foot doctor initially ruled out an ankle or foot issue and referred me to a vascular doctor.

The vascular surgeon diagnosed me with chronic venous insufficiency, which means the valves in my leg’s veins aren’t functioning properly, causing blood to pool in my lower leg and foot, leading to swelling. The recommended treatment is endovascular radiofrequency ablation.

In addition to this leg issue, I’ve also been dealing with pain in my left knee. Before we returned to Thailand, I saw a doctor who gave me a steroid shot in hopes of alleviating the pain. Unfortunately, it hasn’t improved, and it’s actually worsened. Last week, I consulted a knee specialist, who confirmed that there are no other options besides replacement surgery or a miracle from God.

While we continue to hold onto the belief in a miracle, we also need to take immediate action to improve my mobility. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to move around as we would like to continue our ministry here for a while longer.

Amen. 

So, we have some decisions to make about what to prioritize and when. Please keep us in your prayers for wisdom on how and when to accomplish these tasks. The recovery time for the vascular surgery is relatively short, only a few days, while the recovery time for the knee surgery is much longer, around 4-6 weeks. Therefore, we won’t be able to do anything until after the first of the year. Additionally, since I don’t have insurance here in Thailand, prayers for financial provision during this time would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for all your prayers in advance. We will keep everyone updated when the time comes.

As for the churches we serve here, they are all thriving and growing in every aspect. COTR BURIRAM is stronger than ever, with a strong core of members actively involved in the church’s operations. It’s truly a church to be proud of.

We are planning to make a ministry trip within the next two weeks, hopefully. Please keep us in your prayers as we will be traveling for a week or so.

Wow, Christmas is almost here, and it’s also a busy time for us. We are already scheduled for one Christmas service at Chum Phae Church.

Well, that’s it for now. As always, please keep us in your prayers for protection, health, and provision. We pray that God continues to bless you all beyond your wildest needs.

We love you all!

Ralph and Annie 

August Update 2025

                Greetings, everyone from Thailand!

We’ve been back in Thailand for two weeks now. We’ve been catching up on our first priorities and have finally adapted to the time, eliminating the jet lag. Our first task was to get our car serviced after being in storage for five months. Last Thursday, I renewed my driver’s license for another five years (thank God for His help and favor!).

Now, we’re preparing for a month of doctor visits and yearly check-ups. Please keep us in your prayers throughout this month and September, as it’s packed with appointments. Tomorrow, we’ll have Annie’s yearly mammogram and other necessary tests. Please pray for a good report and for everything to be well. Amen?

Since our return, we haven’t had a chance to engage in any ministry yet. However, we’re hoping to squeeze in a weekend or two between our doctor appointments. But our top priority at our age is ensuring that our bodies are in good shape. Amen?

We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone for their prayers during our trip back. God answered all our prayers. We had great flights and received favor throughout our journey to our home. God is truly good!

Please continue to pray for our direction, provision, protection, and good health.Also, please continue to pray for my disability claim with the VA and for a favorable decision in my favor. We also pray for all of you, that God will continue to bless you beyond your needs and desires. Amen? 

We love you all!

Ralph and Annie

PS

 

If anyone would like to give a one time offering or support us on a monthly basis on line, click on the Donate Button at www.ralphdryden.com , or give via PayPal directly to us at PayPal.Me/RalphDDryden, Zelle@rddryden@gmail.com or give via mail:

Church on the Rock

P O Box 1228

Nederland, TX 77627

Checks can be made out directly to me Ralph Dryden or 

If a tax exempt is needed the checks can be made out to 

K E Resources - memo line: Dryden Support

July Update 2025

                                 Greetings in the name of the Lord!

We pray that God continues to bless you all in everything you do. Annie and I express our deepest gratitude for your prayers and unwavering support.

It has been almost five months since I submitted my claim to the VA, and I still haven’t received any word. However, we remain hopeful and believe that God will take care of everything and ensure that things turn out for the best. In the meantime, I have been fortunate enough to complete several health-related tests and evaluations during this waiting period.

Despite the delay, we have decided that we cannot wait any longer to return to Thailand. There are several reasons behind this decision. Firstly, our car is in storage, and we need to have it serviced before we can use it. Secondly, we have scheduled yearly checkups and physicals in September, and we cannot reschedule them. Additionally, there are other pressing matters that require our attention.

Therefore, we will be flying back to Thailand on August 7th and arriving in Bangkok on the night of August 8th. We will then continue our journey to Khon Kaen on Saturday, the 9th, in the afternoon.

During this time, we kindly request your continued prayers for safe travels and divine favor wherever we go. We are eagerly looking forward to returning to Thailand and reuniting with our Thai family and visiting all the churches we hold dear. We have missed everyone dearly and hope to see you all soon after our return.

Family

Children's Church 

Church on the Rock Sisters

Church on the Rock Brothers

New Life Church Vidor

Close Friend

As we prepare for our return, we pray for our protection, health, and provision. We are grateful to all of our American family and friends who have been able to visit us during our time here. We thoroughly enjoyed every moment spent with you, and we hope to see you again in the future.

May God bless everyone, and we love you all!

Ralph and Annie

May Update 2025

 Greetings, everyone, in the name of Jesus!

As I write this update, we have been back in America for two months already. Time flies when you’re having fun! We returned expecting the weather to be typical for spring, but it never fails that several cold fronts have passed through, leaving us cold since our arrival. However, the weather is finally warming up for summer, which is more what we’re accustomed to.

We’ve been traveling for about six weeks and have been truly blessed wherever we’ve been. We’ve visited churches in Garland, Grand Prairie, Palestine, Rusk, and the entire Beaumont/Nederland area. God is so good, and we loved seeing all of our families and friends. It was an absolute joy sharing the Word and spending quality time with everyone. We express our gratitude to God for each and every blessing.

Please keep us in your prayers as we spend the next few months here in America. I’ve filed a claim with the VA for disability, and I’ll have to wait until the claim is complete before returning to Thailand. Please pray for favor, and that they’ll respond quickly. 

Please keep us in your prayers as we still have a few churches to visit within the next month or so. We will continue our furlough for a few more months. So, please pray that we get ample rest and have a wonderful time spending quality time with our daughter and family. Hopefully, we will also get to visit other family members during this time. 

We are so grateful for everyone’s prayers and support! We truly appreciate all that you do for us, and we will be praying for God to bless you abundantly, far beyond all your needs!  

We love y’all!

Ralph and Annie

March Update and Prayer Request

Hello everyone!

Annie and I are currently in a hotel in Bangkok, waiting for our flight back to America. We’ll be flying to Korea on Monday night at 11:15 pm, with a 3-hour layover. Then, we’ll fly straight to Dallas for 12 and a half hours, arriving at DFW at 9:00 am on Tuesday morning. Since we’re both older, this journey is quite a bit for us. We’d really appreciate your prayers during this time. Please pray for us to have the strength, energy, and protection we need. We’d also love to get some rest on the plane. Finally, please pray for good weather and smooth flights the whole way to Dallas.

Thank you so much for your prayers in advance. We’ll see you all soon!

God bless everyone, and we love you all!

Ralph and Annie

February Update 2025

      Greetings everyone in the Name of Jesus!

We are getting excited about our trip to America in March and seeing our family and friends soon.  Everything is starting to line up already.  We have started our itinerary already, and the month of April is full, and we are planning to be in the Beaumont area the first two weeks of May.  We are presently contacting pastors in the area to get a date to visit everyone. If you are in that area and want us to visit, please contact me so we can set a date.Please keep us in your prayers during this time as we diligently prepare for our upcoming trip. Our journey begins on the 17th of March, as we depart from Thailand and arrive in Dallas on the morning of the 18th. Please  pray for safe and secure travels throughout our trip. Amen?

We ministered at COTR BURIRAM on the first weekend of this month and had a great service with Annie teaching and me preaching the main service.  This will be our last visit until we get back from America. We will miss everyone, so we are praying God will bless them all while we are gone.  Amen!

This will also be our final update from Thailand. Our next update will be next month, after we arrive in America. So, we pray that God bless all of you and hope to see most of you very soon. We pray for you as you pray for us. 

We love y’all!

Ralph and Annie

PS

 

If anyone would like to give a one time offering or support us on a monthly basis on line, click on the Donate Button at www.ralphdryden.com , or give via PayPal directly to us at PayPal.Me/RalphDDryden, Zelle@rddryden@gmail.com or give via mail:

Church on the Rock

P O Box 1228

Nederland, TX 77627

Checks can be made out directly to me Ralph Dryden or 

If a tax exempt is needed the checks can be made out to 

K E Resources - memo line: Dryden Support