Vegetarian Festival

The end of September the Vegetarian Festival began. This festival is a clear demonstration of the animistic and demonic forces among our people group, especially those with Chinese ancestry.
The festival begins and is centered around local Chinese temples. To begin the festival, they erect bamboo poles for the gods to descend from heaven. They believe these gods (sons of the Chinese Queen of Heaven) oversee, protect and bless the event. All participants wear white and eat only vegetables in order to cleanse themselves. Participants are expected to go to the temple daily to make merit and to receive good fortune.
The most disturbing aspect of the festival are the scores of people (men, women and children) that open themselves up to be possessed by evil spirits. Each day parades, which last for hours, march through city streets and are filled with those who claim to be possessed by these spirits. They file through the streets shaking their heads side to side and with their eyes rolled back into their head. Many of them pierce themselves with knives, swords, poles, picks, etc., usually through both sides of the face in order to demonstrate to the crowd that the power of the gods is able to protect them.

Please join us in prayer for the hearts of these people. Our desire is that the Southern Thai would cast off their fear of spirits and submit themselves to the one true God who has power over all. May the Lord reign among the Southern Thai!

Visit with a Friend

We visited some Thais we had known through the years in south Thailand. One of those was a girl named Dang (not her real name). She was a m*slim, who came to have a relationship with Jesus Christ about 10 years ago through the witness of 2 journeymen. However, over a year ago, her family put pressure on Dang to marry a m*slim man. This was an arranged marriage. She now has a small child and goes to a church in another town when her husband is away. She wanted Richard to do a private ceremony dedicating her baby to God. Once we were alone, Richard did the ceremony. We gave Dang a letter explaining the meaning of the baby dedication. She is to present the letter when her child reaches adulthood. Dang clearly made a wrong choice in getting married to please her family. However, please pray for her to be able to withstand the pressures of family and maintain her faith in Jesus. Pray that she may be able to share her faith with other m*slim women without endangering her life. Pray also for her husband who is a strict m*slim to have miraculous Damascus road experience and become a strong believer.

Saying Goodbye

The Krabi Church gave us a going away dinner. The members of the church fixed different foods that have been our favorites like sweet & sour fish & musselman curry. Church members sang a song which flooded our minds with pleasant memories of our shared time together. Several stood and gave testimonies about the work we had done in Krabi Province & how it had affected their lives. Later others came privately to tell of their appreciation for our years of service.

On Sunday the members in Khao Phanom Baptist Church gave us a special dinner to celebrate our work among them. We were blessed! Pray for the small group of worshippers in Khao Phanom to grow in faith. Pray for them to be a strong witness to draw others to God.

Prayer & Praise

1. Praise God for the committed group in Khao Phanom to grow into a strong church
2. Praise God for Krabi Baptist Church as they support the group in Khao Phanom weekly.
3. Khun Sal-lee has committed her life to Christ. Pray for her growth as a Christian.
4. Khun Somsri, Branee’s husband came to church, pray that he will give his heart to Jesus & grow.
5. Pray for those participating in the Vegetarian Festival will see real power which comes from the true God.
6. Pray that we will see fruit from our work in Thailand even though we are not in Thailand physically.
7. Pray that God will enable Dang to be a witness of God’s saving power.
8. Pray for God to give us a smooth transition back to life in America.