Training to Witness

Each Saturday we teach a seeker group* in Khao Din of about 7 to 10 people. In order to establish a church, it is necessary to get members of the group to actively witness to the people in their community. There is no way we can do this alone. To help train members how to witness, we began taking them out (along with a church member from Krabi Baptist) in April. We went house to house using a picture set explaining Creation to Christ. The seeker group members thought passing out tracts & talking to people about God was so much fun that they didn’t want to stop! Pray that our witnessing will produce results. (*Seeker Group is a group of interested people studying the Bible but have yet to make a commitment to Christ)

You Prayed & They Returned

Last month we asked you to pray for a family that had dropped out of one of our cell groups. We were concerned about a teenager and 12 year old in the family who were showing a genuine interest in the Bible studies and close to believing. Thank you for your prayers because they returned! However, the parents still sit on the outside as we teach. So your next project, if you choose to accept, is to pray for the parents to return & participate in the weekly Bible study. (The father told Richard that the reason he didn't come was because he drank, smoked, & gambled. Richard told him that he would never be excluded because he was a sinner. The only ones excluded are those who think they are perfect & don't need a savior)

Thai New Year - April 13-15th

Thais usually return to their homes in the country for Thai New Year in April. Many people are off from work the whole week. During this festival, Thais will pay respect to their elders and visit friends. At the local temple or a place announced by the community, Thais will come to give blessings and politely pour water on the shoulder of the elders. Besides this formal ceremony, children and teenagers partake in a massive 3 day water fight. They splash and spray water on anyone in close proximity, including adults, police, and tourists. This New Year is the year 2553 according to the Buddhist calendar.

Krabi Bike Race

Richard was in a Bike Race on April 9th. It was really hot that day, and some of the racers quit the race early because of the heat. A six bike pile up occurred during the race as one biker fell over from heat exhaustion. Richard won a 3rd place trophy for his age group of 55+. He received his trophy from the mayor of Krabi town.

Immigration – Yearly Visa

We went to Bangkok earlier in April to get our visa renewed for the coming year. We knew that many Thai government offices had moved north of Bangkok to get away from traffic congestion. We were surprised when we saw the new facilities. The buildings had several stories- it was almost like a shopping mall on the inside. Each building had its own bank branches, convenience stores, restaurants, cleaners, etc. We went early in the morning to Immigration, so there were only a few people ahead of us. We were grateful for the new air-conditioned building and the spacious waiting room inside. We took a stack of documents along with us. Thankfully,there was only a 2 hours and 45 minutes wait to get our new visa. God is good.

Praise and Prayer

1. Praise God that Yik, Mike, Nam and Sai have returned to Bible study on Saturday
afternoon.
2. Praise God that our daughter, Jamie, arrived safely to Thailand. We were able
to join her and go on a side venture to Vietnam.
3. Pray that Gal’s family will come consistently to study the Bible on Saturday.
4. Pray for Am to lead her new husband, Boy, to know Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior.
5. Pray for Sam-ran, a business man in Khao Phanom, to be interested in spiritual things.
6. Pray for both El and Bird/Branee to get rid of the idols in their homes and worship solely the one true God.
7. Pray for God to raise up Thai Christian leaders for our groups in Khao Phanom.