Cell Group at Am’s House

We called San before we left for Khao Phanom to ask if he’d like to study the Bible with us. He said “Yes”. We picked him up on the way to Am’s house. Once there we saw only Am’s family, but within 5-10 minutes there were 16 people. We began by singing some songs out of a songbook while Nantana played the guitar. After that we began the lesson reading some verses from the Bible about the existence of God. Then we filled in blanks on a study guide. Before ending we prayed thanking God for so many coming the first meeting and the fun we had.
We continue to teach at Am's house even though she has returned to college. Pray for her family to be faithful in studying God's Word.

Our daughter and family visit

We waited anxiously at the Krabi Airport to pick up our daughter, Jamie and granddaughter, Natalie, on May 15th. What a great time we had showing them the beach and other interesting sites nearby. Jamie had fun eating Thai food during her stay.
She also visited friends in Phuket, in Penang and a high school reunion in Penang. Her husband, Zac came for a week and it was a joy to have time with him. It was fun having our daughter and granddaughter around and be able to be grandparents close up.

Disappointments

We began teaching 28 year old Gaan Chronological Bible Stories. During the two lessons we taught, she was an eager learner. As a matter if fact, she couldn't get enough study and wanted to find a church close to her home to begin worshiping God! But something happened. The following week, she wasn’t home for her scheduled Bible study and didn’t answer her phone. Gaan knows our phone number but hasn't attempted to contact us about further Bible studies in her home. Not wanting to embarrass her or make an unwelcomed visit, we've left it up to the Holy Spirit to renew the spiritual hunger in her heart.

Another disappoint this past month was San, a 14 year old boy we met after receiving a response card. San like Gaan was very enthusiastic to learn about God. We took him to a brand new cell group and he was impressed with the singing and the Bible study. He asked if we had other cell groups he could attend. We took him to a second group and received the same avid response. However, we needed to change the time of one cell group. This meant San would get home later at night. Thus, we asked him to get permission from his parents which he failed to do. Upon finding this out, we politely refused to take him to the cell group explaining we could not break the level of trust with his parents. San didn't understand and has failed to attend anymore cell groups.

This kind of thing happens more than we'd like to say. In a Buddhist country, it takes so long and so many visits before we find a person even remotely interested in the Gospel. Consequently, our disappointment when we see promising people fall away. But what a reminder that we are in a spiritual battle as described in the Bible. Satan has a firm grip on those he has held captive for years and doesn’t want to turn any of them loose.

Prayer & Praise

1. Praise God for the cell group in Khao Din which is averaging 10 people. Pray for more interested adults to continually attend.
2. Katie will teach in a Blai Praya high school for 6 weeks during the summer. Pray for many students and teachers to become interested in God through her work there.
3. Continue praying for the one day Mobile Medical Clinic to be held in Khao Phanom on June 15th to bear fruit for God’s kingdom.
4. Pray that the Holy Spirit will re-ignite a hunger for God with Gaan and San, who have shown an interest in knowing God in the past.
5. As we follow up on those interested from the Khao Phanom Mobile Medical Clinic, pray for adult Thais to be interested in studying the Bible with us.
6. Praise God for the recent trip that our younger daughter’s family made to visit us.
7. Pray that God will bring abundant fruit from passing out tracts and other contacts.
8. 8. At our annual meeting, Linda has been asked to work in the office. Since this is not part of her usual activities, pray that she will successfully complete her duties there.