Children's Day

Thais love children so Children’s Day was an opportunity to work with the community and show the generosity of Christians. Many communities have programs for the children. Children are featured doing Thai traditional dance or other skills. Civic groups do contests & games, give away free food and prizes too. Twelve Thai Christians worked in the heat giving away 1300 balloon animals, snacks, and Christian tracts. Children came steadily throughout the morning hours. More balloons and snacks could have given away, but we ran out of both 11.30. We were all tired, but grateful for the tent shelter, drinking water, chairs and tables supplied by the city.

Other December Activities

December was a busy month. Besides the activities we told you about in our last blog postings, Richard performed a wedding, we went into the local prison, a house dedication, and a New Years’ party at the church. We also kept up our regular schedule as much as possible. Linda flew to Bangkok to get a second opinion on eye surgery, but was told there she really doesn’t need surgery now - Praise God! Richard went to the doctor in Phuket and got a precancerous place cut off his arm.
Richard also performed in a 9 scene play during the Krabi Baptist Christmas Program. Over 600 Thais attended and heard a sermon on Jesus being God. Praise God that Jesus is God and being the creator has power to help in our lives. Many at the program were fed stir fried noodles and a chicken rice dish that night.

Going to the Prison

On the Wednesday after Christmas, we went with a group from Krabi Baptist into the local prison. Our group went to the women’s section of the prison. In an area (pictured here) built for 50-60 women, 104 women stay (eat & sleep). The women were attentive as we talked, acted out a mime, our pastor gave a 10 minute sermon and distributed small gift packets with things for everyday use to them. During the sermon, some of the ladies were teary-eyed. Guess it’s easy to admit you’re a sinner when you’re in prison. Pray that some of these will accept Jesus as Savior.

Prayer & Praise

1. Praise God for all our good volunteers on Children’s Day in Khao Phanom.
2. Praise God for the Krabi Baptist members who weekly support the worship in Khao Phanom.
3. Pray that we will see God miraculously working in our last 9 months in Thailand.
4. Joseph is a Christian, but his wife, Tik is not. Pray that she will be a Christian soon.
5. Pray for Sida and his wife Du-angJai to find jobs soon in Khao Phanom.
6. Pray that teachers’ hearts in the local school will be open to the Gospel.
7. Pray that we will have conversations with Thais which will lead them to God.

Khao Phanom Baptism

We left home early Sunday morning to pick up some of the people from Khao Phanom who would be baptized. In the car, Jiap was witnessing to the father of the 2 teenagers & child, who were to be baptized. Guy, the father, listened to what was said and agreed. He even told about his children’s faith as they prayed for their dog. The dog had been shot in the head, neck & spine and has been partially healed. After worship & lunch at Krabi Baptist Church we went to a church member’s swimming pool, where six Thais received baptism (3 adults, 2 teenagers, & 1 child). We sang by the pool before their ceremony and Pastor Dusit asked the new Christians about their belief and encouraged them to live out their Christian faith. We ended the service with prayers for the newly baptized Thais.

The Meaning of Christmas Explained in Schools

We performed Christmas Programs in 4 High Schools and 2 Elementary Schools in Khao Phanom. We were able to present the Christmas story through words, story, songs, a skit and handouts. Most importantly, we had the opportunity to explain the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of a Jesus Christ who is the true God worthy of worship. Most Thais think Christmas is all about exchanging gifts on the new year or Santa Claus. Both American and Thai team members pitched in to get props ready, give a witness, sing, and act in a skit. One of the highlights was a particular question and answer session. The Thai elementary students asked questions such as: What’s the difference between heaven and hell? When was Jesus born? When did Jesus go to heaven? Is there really a devil? and “Why do we celebrate Christmas?” What wonderful questions from the mouth of children.

Khao Phanom City Christmas Program

Khao Phanom town gave us permission to shut off the street in front of the house where we worship on Sundays. The city also brought 2 tents to cover the road, plus tables and chairs for guests. On December 19th at 2.30 pm, only 6 children had come. We began to worry. Since this was the first time we had planned for a Christmas program in the city of Khao Phanom, our expectations for the number of guest was some where between 50 - 80. But only 6 had shown up! However, slowly more people began to arrive. The program actually began at 3 pm. Richard prepared the program, but Thais from Krabi Baptist carried the program for about 2 hours. Several skits were done, dancing, games, prizes distributed, the Christmas story was told with felt pictures, and a 10 minute sermon was given by Ajohn Dusit from Krabi Baptist Church. One child even did a hula hoop act to music. In the end around 130 Thais from the neighborhood heard the Gospel, greatly exceeding our expectations! Talking to the non-Christians who came, some of them said they had heard there was a church, but didn’t know where it was. Others came out of curiosity and the desire for free food & prizes. Around 20 Thais from Krabi Baptist Church were a great help in registering people, setting out the food, awarding prizes, & leading games. Christmas tracts were given to all guest. We fed 150 people chicken, rice, ice cream cake and cookies. Thanks for your prayers for the program. The program was a blessing to the community and showed the generosity of Christians for their neighbors. Most importantly they heard the story of Jesus Christ!

Prayer & Praise

1. Praise God for the great cooperation with our Christmas Teams – both Thai and American! Pray for fruit from these programs.
2. Praise God for six Thais from Khao Phanom receiving baptism on December 12th.
3. Praise God for the Gospel presented in the Khao Phanom Christmas Program, pray for fruit for God’s kingdom from this activity.
4. Pray Tos-in-ie to place her faith in Jesus Christ.
5. Pray for our Children’s Day activities on January 8th to bring families to Christ.
6. Guy’s behavior has become worse since our last blog update. Pray again for Guy to stop playing cards and have faith in God.
7. El’s paralysis is lessening. She is able to do more than when we first met her. Pray for El’s complete healing and her faith in Jesus Christ.

Thanks for your prayers!