The Thaikid Returns

Vegetarian Festival

2011-10-04T11:35:00.001+07:00

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

2011-10-04T11:32:00.001+07:00

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

2011-10-04T11:30:00.002+07:00

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

2011-10-04T11:28:00.002+07:00

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.

TEXAS Team

2011-09-03T21:38:00.001+07:00

After the team climbed up the Tom Sua mountain, they could see the surrounding area where they would be working during the week & they prayed for the people in the area. Their work included many activities such as doing a program for the local Compassion group. Their leader preached on Sunday and some of the members did a mime. Their programs in 5 schools were varied with puppets, singing, mimes & games. Wherever they went they were a huge success and were signing their names like movie stars on either tracts or plain white paper. At each school they got hugs and some kisses from the students. In the last school, some of the music students performed using Thai musical instruments such as ongalungs, & drums. In addition, Bibles and Christian material was left for the school library & various teachers.
On their last day of ministry, the group passed out tracts. Divided up into 4 groups, the groups went from house to house presenting the gospel in the village of Dead Elephant. Most of the volunteers had never witnessed before and became proficient as the day went on. One group met Mac. Two years before, a girl had given him some Christian literature. He had questions, but didn’t know where to go to get answers. They gave him a Bible and explained about it so he could begin reading about God. Another group met a girl named Oh, who wasn’t interested in God. As they talked to her, her defenses went down and she said to the translator, “these people are just like me, they have problems and yet they seem to have joy.” We left her some Christian literature and plan on going back to visit.
Many of the volunteers spoke about how the trip had changed their lives. They did not just see Krabi, Thailand as a tourist destination, but as a place filled with lost Thais.

YORAY Charms

2011-09-03T21:36:00.001+07:00

Branee gave me a well-worn green plastic container with 3 items inside. Her instructions: “Get rid of this stuff! I don’t want it any more.” The box contained 3 gold plated charms held by a long silver chain stuffed inside individual soft white cloth bags. Believers in YoRay* use this metal charm (encased in plastic) in a ceremony for healing people from various diseases or illnesses. I asked Khun Bird, Branee’s son: “In the past as you practiced the YoRay religion to whom did you pray when using the charm to heal others?” I was curious to know if he prayed to the Japanese founder of YoRay, now deceased, or some other god. Khun Bird replied that one could pray to any god of his choosing. Followers of YoRay believe supernatural power passes through the charm producing a golden light that brings healing to those sick. Each charm cost the followers of YoRay 2000 Baht or about $69 US dollars. As requested, I did away with the charms. But notice the real commitment on the part of Branee & Bird to give up completely the old way of life for the truth in Jesus Christ. * YoRay is a religion from Japan that tries to incorporate beliefs from several religions into one. Besides healings, they ask members to paint abstract pictures to express their energized emotions and arrange flowers to give them peace of mind.

Wanted: Oh

2011-09-03T21:34:00.001+07:00

Oh is a young adult woman, who is very shy. While going out with the Texas team, Jay, who translated for the team cornered Oh. Through the testimony of Nathan & Jon, Oh felt close to these young adults. She said they have problems just like me. Jay explained how he was a Buddhist, but came to see Jesus as the only hope for his life. She is interested in God. Pray that she will overcome her shyness, come to worship in Khao Phanom and believe in Jesus as her Savior.

Wanted: Mac

2011-09-03T21:32:00.001+07:00

Mac is a 40+ year old man with questions about God. He has a wife from the northeast and 2 children. He has a small convenience shop in his home, but is also a rubber farmer. He is building a new house right beside his old home. Two years ago he received tracts from us and had questions, but didn’t know who to ask. This year the group from Texas met him and witnessed to him. Pray that God will speak to his heart through reading the Bible and dreams.

Prayer & Praise

2011-09-03T21:30:00.000+07:00

1. Praise God for the Texas team and the program that they presented in schools and the results which will come because of their coming.
2. Praise God that we have sold most of our furniture. We have only a few small items left. This is an answer to your prayers!
3. Pray that we will finish well, as we prepare to leave Thailand.
4. Continue to pray for the group in Khao Phanom grow numerically & to soon form a church.
5. Pray that those who have received a Christian witness will know they need Jesus as Savior.

Nathan

2011-08-05T13:34:00.005+07:00

We were very fortunate to have had Nathan Eversole spend 3 weeks at Tom Gop school in Khao Phanom. Nathan was kept busy teaching kindergarten through 9th grade levels. After teaching one class, he noticed a child starting to go through his backpack. One of the girls in the class fussed at her friend for doing that. Nathan, however, didn't scold the child but figured out that the student was curious about the Christian tracts he carried inside the bag. Nathan gave the student a tract. This led to others coming and wanting a Christian tract too. A few minutes later, the student re-appeared to ask him the meaning of the pictures in the tract. Nathan sat down and patiently went through the Gospel story using the pictures from the tract. This turned out to be a great opportunity to share about Jesus using a natural situation initiated by the student.
One day, the entire school went across the street to a Buddhist Wat. The school was to present candles to the monks. During the ceremony, Nathan was seated at the front. While the students and teachers bowed to the Buddha image, Nathan sat respectfully still. The head monk wanted to know why Nathan didn't bow as did the others from his school. The head teacher from Tom Gop school whispered to the monk, "He is a Christian, Chrit, Chrit". The monk didn't quite hear. She whispered louder, "He believes in Christ". Finally the students picked up the word "Christ" echoing Jesus name throughout the Buddhist Wat. This was probably the last place you'd ever think to hear the name Jesus. After the event, everyone knew for sure that Nathan was a Christian.
Both teachers and students really appreciated Nathan teaching skills and friendship. Several have told us that they will miss him very much.

Dylan

2011-08-05T13:31:00.003+07:00

Dylan Hollinger was another teacher volunteer who helped in Khao Phanom for 3 weeks. He worked at Khao Din Pra-cha-ah-new-goon School. Dylan taught mostly 12th graders. He played volleyball, "Cross word" games, cheered the kids on as they competed in sports activities, and even went on a field trip to a plush hotel in a resort city. The purpose of the trip was to help students learn how to eat like westerners using forks and knives like you would in a fancy restaurant. He spent an extended time with his roommate Ga-mon, a Muslim who heard the gospel through Dylan’s conversations with Dee, a girl friend of Gamon’s. He also spent 2 weekends with the head of the English department’s family. Through conversations in the evening on a bamboo shelter outside their home, Dylan talked about Christianity & his beliefs. Baum and his wife, New, tried to give the Buddhist perspective on what they believed. Baum & New had a hard time explaining some things or didn’t really have a good answer to some of the questions that Dylan posed to them. Baum was curious about what happened to a person when they died because he had been to 4 funerals during the last month. Through this conversation, Dylan was able to share the Gospel. He affected the lives of Baum and New’s family and had a teary departure. Dylan said that he learned much from his time in Thailand especially the power of answered prayer as he leaned on God.

Katie

2011-08-05T13:28:00.003+07:00

Katie Blatchford spent 6 weeks teaching English at Khao Phanom Benja High School. However, during the 5th week, her high school was engaged in mid term testing of students. This left Katie with very little to do. Thus, she and a fellow foreign teacher, Carly, went over to a local elementary school to volunteer their services in teaching English. Katie said that the children were adorable, very attentive, and lots of fun. After 3 days of teaching, they had to return to the high school. But before leaving the elementary school, Katie was able to give the students (mostly poor) school supplies and Christian literature. During her stay in Khao Phanom, Katie made friends with Ajohn Net and used meal times to talk with other teachers. She also made friends with Carrot, a 12th grader, who wanted to learn to speak English well. Katie had the opportunity to explain the gospel using an evangecube with him. Carrot even came to church one Sunday afternoon to meet with Katie. At church she and others had the chance to tell Carrot that being a Christian is not just for "westerners". He thought that if you were Thai, then you were expected to be a Buddhist. And if you were a westerner that automatically made you a Christian. Katie & the Thai Christians at church explained that becoming a Christian was an opportunity open to each and every Thai person that believed in Jesus Christ. Through her experience in Khao Phanom this summer, Katie said that she learned to depend more on God even when she didn’t understand the reasons why different things happened. Katie worked hard, made many friends and will be greatly missed.

The Snake

2011-08-05T13:24:00.001+07:00

Returning to Khao Phanom from taking 2 of our summer volunteers back to their school, Linda saw something brown moving in the the tray with the windshield wipers. Pretty soon a divided tongue appeared and then a head and part of the body. The snake had a brown diamond pattern with yellow separating the diamonds. It was swaying in the breeze looking at Linda, just in front of Linda’s side of the windshield. Linda pointed in front of her and whispered snake. She continued pointing and saying “snake” louder and louder. Richard thought that she was talking about a snake on the road up ahead. Then the Thais in the back seat saw the snake beyond the windshield on the hood of the truck and began telling Richard to stop the truck. Finally Richard saw the snake and pulled over to the side of the road just before entering Khao Phanom town.

Rawi, a friend from India, found a stick and tried to pin the snake down in the windshield wiper well. Richard picked up a stick too, but the snake got between the plastic and the front left side engine metal panel. Richard thinking to get a flashlight, opened the front passenger door with Linda sitting there. One of the girls in the back seat yelled close the door. The snake had gotten in between the door and the front metal panel about 6 inches from Linda’s leg. Richard shut the door and those left in the truck cab darted out the back right door onto the street. They rushed back about 30 feet behind the truck leaving Richard & Rawi fighting the snake. Richard opened the door and the snake tried to enter the truck cab. Richard slammed the door shut and got the snake caught partly in the truck cab door with the other part swingly wildly between the truck bottom and the street curb. Rawi finally was able to pin the snake head to the pavement. Richard realized he need something more than the stick for smashing the snake with. He looked around and saw part of a cinderblock. By that time the others of us had released the guys in the back of the truck bed, so they could help. Rat (a Burmese) picked up the cinderblock and alternated with Richard pounding the snake’s head. After the snake stopped moving, they opened the front door again to release his trapped body. Rawi picked up the snake with a stick and threw it into the bushes.

Our hearts were still pounding, but we were grateful that God protected us from being bitten by the poisonous rattlesnake. We were also grateful that we had parked by some sticks and broken cinderblocks and the patient wisdom of Richard & Rawi in killing the snake.

Prayer & Praise

2011-08-05T13:23:00.001+07:00

1. Pray for Oh and Mac to open their hearts to learn more about God and then
accept HIM as Savior.
2. Praise God for the work of Katie, Dylan & Nathan as they taught English &
witnessed at their different schools.
3. Pray that the witness of Dylan to Baum, New, and Ga-mon will bear fruit for
God’s kingdom.
4. Pray that Carrot will understand the Gospel & become a Christian
5. Pray for Benz, Yuan and Nai-an-i to know God as real for their lives.
6. Pray for our last 2 months in Thailand to produce fruit.
7. Pray for the numerical growth of the Khao Phanom church.

Speaking English - Teaching as a Volunteer

2011-07-02T13:21:00.003+07:00

We have a returning volunteer, who is teaching at Phanom Benja HS. As a child, Katie, a teacher from South Carolina, dreamed of being a teacher like her grand -parents. But how did she know that she would use her skills as a teacher for missions.
She has already had the opportunity to present the gospel to a teenage student, who hangs around the teacher’s office. She is making relationships with the teachers by eating with the them and helping them with their classes. She has had opportunity to explain to the teachers things like God is a God of love and doesn’t punish you if you forget to pray one time for your food at meals. As she personalizes Christianity for these teachers and students, pray that her relationships with them will bring some of them into God’s kingdom.

Praise and Prayer

2011-07-02T13:19:00.000+07:00

1. Praise God for the arrival of Katie, Nathan & Dylan, our summer volunteer ESL teachers!
2. Pray for Nathan, Dylan, & Katie to have many natural opportunities to present the Gospel to the fellow teachers and their students.
3. Pray for Thais to come to church in Khao Phanom, as a result of our three volunteer teachers.
4. Continue to pray that God will completely heal El’s body, so that she can walk, go to worship and become an integral part of the KP church.
5. Pray for us to maintain a balance in our work and getting ready to return to America.
6. Pray for a volunteer team coming from Texas (July 22-29) to make a positive impact for Christ in Khao Phanom.

FLOOD RELIEF: Feeding Village 7

2011-06-01T14:56:00.003+07:00

Last month in Na Khao sub-district of Khao Phanom flooding from Phanom Benja Mountain caused mudslides in Village 7. Eleven Thais were killed and one body has yet to be found there. Some of the villagers are now living in temporary housing because their homes were destroyed. They have one year to build new houses in other higher/safer locations further from the mountain. The temporary houses are one room tin buildings on stilts. Some of the people still have palm or rubber trees they can harvest. However, others lost their palm and rubber trees, as well as their houses. Krabi Baptist decided to help these people by serving them a dinner. We served saffron chicken & rice with clear soup and oranges for dessert. While the villagers ate dinner, some of our young adults entertained them with Christian songs. After dinner, A. Dusit, pastor of Krabi Baptist Church, gave out blankets, plates and spoons to the villagers. Praise God for the opportunity to serve others!

POWER OF PRAYER SUBDUES EVIL SPIRIT

2011-06-01T14:52:00.008+07:00

Besides furniture and appliances, the flood in Khao Phanom district destroyed doors. In Village 2, Khao Din we distributed doors to flood victims. Some women said, “I don’t feel safe at night. All we have is a curtain to cover the doorway. We have no protection.” A. Dusit, pastor of Krabi Baptist decided we should help these people by buying doors for them. Nine doors were bought and donated to these families in that village. At the time that the truck with the doors started down the village road, an older lady whose family was scheduled to receive a door, began to shake and could not speak. Once the door was delivered to her house, her husband began telling A. Dusit about how his wife started acting strange. A. Dusit looked around and asked for permission to pray. He reached over the outside door frame and grasped a cloth which had to do with spirits and began to pray. Within several minutes of his praying the lady stopped shaking and began to speak again. Such is the power of prayer.

5000 Attend Congress on Evangelism

2011-06-01T14:46:00.005+07:00

Five thousand plus Christians from all over Thailand attended the Congress on Evangelism in Bangkok. It was held May 5-7. Inspiring speakers, such as Bill Hybels, encouraged Christians to be bold in their daily lives to proclaim the Gospel to their neighbors. Thai Christian leaders gave ideas of how in this age of technology they are impacting Thais with the Gospel. Right now there are 400,000 Christians in Thailand. The emphasis of Christian leaders is to have a million Christians in Thailand by 2015. Pray that Thai Christians will get serious about reaching their neighbors and friends for God.

Prayer & Praise

2011-06-01T14:39:00.002+07:00

1. Praise God for the progress that El is making. She can now stand on her tiptoes holding onto the wall. Continue praying for her to soon walk.
2. Praise God that 3 schools have accepted summer volunteers to teach in their schools in Khao Phanom!
3. Pray that the summer volunteers will make a positive influence for God’s kingdom in the lives of students and teachers in Khao Phanom.
4. Pray for God to open the floodgates of blessings on Khao Phanom Baptist Church and more Thais will come worship.
5. Pray for a Thai Christian leader, who will work with Khao Phanom Baptist Church when we leave Thailand.
6. Pray that Thai Christians will take seriously the goal of a million Christians in Thailand by 2015 and tell others the difference Jesus has made in their lives.
7. Pray for grace as we sell our things and leave the ministries we have been working in the past 4+ years.

Flood Relief

2011-04-30T22:26:00.002+07:00

The end of March, steady rains hit southern Thailand for about 5 days. In Khao Phanom district, the rains on Phanom Benja Mountain caused mudslides and tons of water to sweep through the district. Several sections of the district were underwater for almost a week. Eleven Thais died here. The swiftly running water swept rubber & palm oil trees, houses, vehicles, furniture and people away in its current.

We heard some really sad stories. Most found out the run-off water was coming & were rescued by boats from roofs and second floors. Other people had time to flee and take their trucks or motorcycles to higher ground. The water rose to between 1 & 2 meters. Other people, once the waters receded, slept on bamboo shelters back at their homes while cleaning up their muddy houses. Families were waiting for electricity & water to be restored. Some tried to wash their mattresses and dry them on the road or tree stumps. Furniture had to be discarded because it was damaged beyond repair. Refrigerators & washing machines could be seen in yards drying after being cleaned. Some waded through small amounts of standing water to cut their rubber trees or get the fruit from their palm oil trees so they would have an income.

Much aid was sent by the Thai government, royal family, & private donations to the really badly affected areas. Lesser amounts of aid reached other sections. Because our funds were limited, we had to choose where to best spend our resources. Once the waters were down, we went out to find out where to help. Through our church, Krabi Baptist, we had made up around 358 bags with food/personal use items from Disaster Relief Funds (and another 100 bags were distributed from Thai Baptist Funds). In addition, foldable mattresses, pillows, lightweight blankets and even doors were distributed. Two cooked meals were also served in flood villages. During those meals, the gospel was related in sermonettes, songs, music and church members serving the Thais in the two villages. Another meal is scheduled for next month, as well.

Long Distance Bike Race

2011-04-30T22:22:00.002+07:00

Phuket Bicycle Riders sponsored a race of 62+ miles. Urged on by his fellow bike riders in Krabi, Richard wanted to see if he could actually ride the 62 miles in the heat. The race began at the Sarasin Bridge between Phuket & PhangNga Provinces. It followed the beach in PhanNga Province before doubling back on the main road into Phuket. The riders went to the 2 Sisters Heroine Monument and returned to the Sarasin Bridge. Over 150 bikers started the competition, but Richard was among the about 50 riders who actually finished.

World Team

2011-04-30T22:16:00.001+07:00

A volunteer team from America came to help a few days. They did a variety of things from passing out food bags for flood relief, washing church fence, prayer walking and encouraging new Christians with their testimonies. We were encouraged by young adults, who were taking a year off to go around the world and see where God is working.

Thai New Year

2011-04-30T22:13:00.002+07:00

This is the beginning of the Buddhist lunar year. It is the year 2554. During this time, Thais travel upcountry and every train, plane, & boat is filled to capacity as they travel. One hundred eighty-eight people died on the roads during the holiday. The 3 day celebration brought many out to splash/spray & throw water and welcome the summer months. If you’re fortunate enough to be close, people spread powder to help you feel cool. Originally, elders had water gently poured on their shoulders to bless them and children had fun splashing water in the intense heat. This has now turned into a full-fledged water fight.
We attended a party in the evening and had fun eating Mexican food with Thais, Russians, & Americans.
Then on Friday we traveled to the province of Satun for a meeting with our team.

Prayer & Praise

2011-04-30T22:11:00.000+07:00

1. Praise God for the opportunity to participate in flood relief for those who had lost so much in the southern flood/mudslides in Krabi.
2. Praise God for the help of Krabi Baptist members in buying & bagging up the food to be given away in the disaster relief .
3. Pray that Thais in Khao Phanom will come to belief in Jesus Christ’s salvation.
4. Continue praying for Tik, & Duang-jai (whose husbands are Christian) to come to know Jesus as Savior.
5. Pray for us to sell possessions that we don’t need before September and our return to the U.S.
6. Pray for a pastor/leader to be found to take over the work in Khao Phanom with the church there.

Flooding

2011-04-02T20:14:00.002+07:00

Thirty-four+ districts (counties) in the south have been affected by flooding. This weather has seen lower temperatures and flooding in our hot season. Waves have reached 6-12 feet high in both the Andaman Sea & Thai Gulf and stranded tourists on islands. Fishing boats couldn’t go out because of the high waves.

Travel on the Thai mainland has been affected too. The north-south Highway was cut in several places because of the flooding. Landslides washed away homes, household goods, vehicles, and killed some Thais (23 by the latest count). Because of the flooding, electricity was cut or erratic. Public water was polluted by the flood waters. Those who could flee to higher ground did and took refuge in homes of relative/friends, schools and Buddhist temples.

Thais here can not work their rubber trees. Thus, they have no income because of the rain. Most don’t have any savings. Crops are affected and the price of food stuffs has risen, just as it was a few months ago when the sugar & rice prices rose because of flooding in Thailand’s central region. Pray for the lives of those affected by the flooding. Pray for us to have wisdom in our disaster relief work through Krabi Baptist Church to produce people for God’s kingdom.

Annual Meeting

2011-04-02T20:12:00.001+07:00

We attended a meeting with our fellow “m”s in the north of our country. We helped behind the scenes with office & other activities that needed to be done for the meeting. It was fun to be able to sing songs & worship in our own language. Many seminars were held to help with ideas in how to evangelize better, as well. A group of volunteers from Mississippi came to help with the children’s programs and they did a super job! Seniors graduating from High School were recognized and a gift sent with them to help with their re-entry to the USA. A skit/spoof, kind words from our supervisor, and a gift were given us in recognition of our leaving Thailand later this year & retirement late next year.

Prayer & Praise

2011-04-02T20:06:00.002+07:00

1. Praise God for Ravi, an Indian working in Khao Phanom, who is coming to worship with our small group.
2. Praise God for the refreshment, & learning which took place at our annual meeting of “m”s this month
3. Pray for those affected by the flooding to be able to pick up their lives without much problem.
4. Pray that God will give us wisdom in our ministries to those affected by flooding will bring some into God’s kingdom.
5. Pray for the people of Khao Phanom to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
6. Pray for those Thais in Khao Phanom, who claim the name “Christian” to come worship with our group on Sundays.
7. Continue praying for Tik, & Duang-jai (whose husbands are Christian) to come to know Jesus as Savior.

El's Profession of Faith in Jesus Christ

2011-03-02T09:47:00.003+07:00

We finished teaching El the foundational lessons. Then we asked the question, “Do you believe that Jesus is God, who came to suffer & die to wash away your sins? Her answer was “Yes, when I first heard that there was a God who was concerned about me, I was interested. I listened and decided to follow. I read my Bible daily (sometimes several times a day) and prayed for God to forgive my sins and heal my body. Since the beginning when you came, my body has steadily become stronger. I want to walk so that I can go to church to be with other believers, tell others about God and serve in the local church. I have started in this path already and I don’t intend to return to my old ways.”
Since studying with us, we have seen El change from hate for her husband (for leaving her and having a minor wife) to consideration for him. We pray for El’s continued physical healing – that she will walk again, serve God and that her spiritual life will show God’s love to many in her community.
At Christmas we had given her a picture of Jesus. (We put it up high on her wall like you would do to show respect for a picture of the Thai king.) Her husband saw the picture and said that Jesus was handsome and that he, himself, looked like Jesus. He wanted his picture placed on the wall alongside the picture of Jesus. We explained to El that Jesus was like the king & that we could not place her husband’s picture beside that of Jesus, but we would put it underneath the one of Jesus. Richard brought his drill and placed the picture of El’s husband below and to the side of Jesus’ picture. In jest, we also warned that we would change the husband’s picture for one of El’s cat, if her husband did not begin following Jesus. Pray for El’s husband to think and begin following Jesus too.

First Communion at Khao Phanom Baptist Church

2011-03-02T09:43:00.002+07:00

The last Sunday in January, the worship group in Khao Phanom had its first communion. Everyone was very excited. A. Dusit, pastor of Krabi Baptist, preached a sermon on preparing our hearts to worship and follow God. After praying for the needs of the church members, communion was held. All were very excited to receive the bread and grape juice together as signs that they were followers of Jesus Christ as Lord. The communion set was provided by a Men’s Sunday School Class in Virginia. (Communion Sets have been hard to get in Thailand.)

Chinese New Year

2011-03-02T09:39:00.002+07:00

Before Chinese New Year, many of Chinese descent cleaned their houses as preparation to welcome the new year. For us it began about 7.30 am with fire crackers going off at our next door neighbor’s house. They were calling down their ancestors and spirits to feast on food here on earth before going back to the land of the dead. The dragon dancers were out, as well, calling for money as they danced to bless your home or business. Most Chinese here celebrate by going to visit their relatives and friends. They give gifts to those they respect and to elders. The children love Chinese New Year too because they get red envelopes (ang bow อังเบา) from family (family friends) with money in them. (Most of Richard’s riding buddies did not go out riding their bicycles because they, as Chinese, were feasting as well.)

Prayer & Praise

2011-03-02T09:21:00.004+07:00

1. Praise God for El’s profession of faith in Jesus Christ. (This is an answer to your prayers!!)
2. Praise God for some rest taken during the month.
3. Continue to pray for El’s healing – so that she will soon walk again.
4. Pray for El’s husband to become a Christian, as well.
5. Pray that not only more Christians in Khao Phanom will regularly attend, but also that non-Christians will consistently attend & believe in Jesus' work on the cross for us.
6. BePop, a Korean Christian, is marrying a Thai girl. PRAY that she will truly be come a Christian, not just a change of religious status on her national ID card.
7. Pray that God will soon provide a Christian pastor to continue the work in Khao Phanom before we leave.

Children's Day

2011-01-31T22:22:00.001+07:00

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

2011-01-31T22:19:00.002+07:00

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

2011-01-31T22:13:00.001+07:00

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

2011-01-31T22:11:00.000+07:00

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

2011-01-01T15:55:00.004+07:00

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

2011-01-01T15:52:00.005+07:00

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

2011-01-01T15:48:00.004+07:00

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

2011-01-01T15:47:00.004+07:00

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!

Hat Yai Flood Relief

2010-12-01T15:34:00.001+07:00

Ten thousand tourists were stranded in Hat Yai. “The water came so fast we couldn’t get much of our possessions upstairs.” “The water was 5-10 feet in different parts of the city.” “I saw my refrigerator floating downstairs in the flood water.” “I couldn’t wait for the city water to come back on so I used dish soap and flood water to clean the marks & mud off my walls and floors.” These were just a few comments of people affected by the flood.

The pastor’s car at HatYai Baptist and the church vehicle were submerged in the flooding. The pastor didn’t have insurance. His car was stripped to the bare metal. In the church’s parking lot, a man using a high powered washer was cleaning the inside of the shell of the pastor’s car.

Church members came and cleaned the inside of the church building. Desks and chairs were warped. Office equipment such as printers, paper, & literature were lost. Wet hymnals and Bibles were spread out to dry.

We were asked to help another missionary couple get and distribute bags of food. Food was brought to HatYai Baptist Church, put in bags and distributed to families near the church. One community on an island where there is a small 4-5 member worship group also got help. The Thai Baptist Association in Bangkok sent 1,000 bags of items to be passed out. During the handing out of bags at the church, the gates had to be shut so that enough aid would be left to give out on a nearby island. On the island, a community government official helped us get food to those most in need. Our 3-day work helped the community. Thank you Southern Baptists for your help through the Disaster Relief Fund!

Loy Gra-Tong Celebration

2010-12-01T15:31:00.001+07:00

This annual ceremony is asking forgiveness of the Mae Kong River for polluting the water. It is also the floating away of your sins. This year the celebration was held on a weekend. Some people painstakingly prepared their floats. Many venders also came to sell to those not having the time to prepare a proper gra-tong. These beautiful floats are made with a section of banana trunk as a base, with flowers, incense, candles and a small coin on top.
The worshippers go to the nearest river or body of water when it gets dark. There they pray to mother earth to forgive them for polluting the water. Then they gently push their small floats into the stream and watch it disappear in the current.

MOST WANTED

2010-12-01T15:17:00.008+07:00

Khun El is paralyzed. She has been studying the Bible with us for about 7 months. When we first met her, she could not move her legs much and her foot was stiff and hard. She is improving and she can now kneel and come up straight on her knees with help. Pray for her to walk again & become a Christian.
Khun Guy is the father of 6 children. We teach 3 of them and those 3 profess faith in God. He is a tenant rubber worker. He is addicted to playing cards and has caused his family much grief. He says he has to be perfect to become a Christian. Pray that he will allow God to change his life.
Yik is the wife of Guy. She is a hard worker. She has come to church with us several times. She is afraid for her children to become Christians, but is not formally blocking them from coming. She blames her husband for their family’s money problems. Pray for her to trust in God and depend upon Him for the needs of her family.

Prayer & Praise

2010-12-01T15:12:00.001+07:00

1. Praise God for the Disaster Relief fund which made it possible for our flood
relief efforts.
2. Pray for Yik, Guy & El to become Christians.
3. Pray for our Christmas program that we’ll present in 6 schools to be effective in
presenting the Christmas story.
4. Pray for some to come to know God from our church Christmas program in Khao Phanom
and in Krabi town.
5. Pray for Som, Fone, and Nit to consistently study the Bible with us.
6. Pray for us to find a clean stream to baptize in Khao Phanom.
7. Pray for more Thais to come worship with us in Khao Phanom.

MOST WANTED

2010-11-01T14:08:00.002+07:00

KHUN FONE – Wanted: to become a Christian. This young married woman came to live in the south with her husband. She works with her husband in the rubber industry, but is often sick. She has migraines which hinder her understanding what she studies with us. Pray that she gives her life to Christ.
KHUN SOM – Wanted: to become a Christian. He is a middle aged rubber farmer. He learned about God from Branee and Bird. He studies with us on and off as we teach Branee & Bird. He tells us that he reads his Bible we gave him and prays each day. He quickly understands the Bible teachings and asks questions. Pray that he give his life to Christ.
KHUN BUN – Wanted: to come to church. She is a young mother, who moved to the south because her husband abandoned her after their daughter was born. A local family is adopting her baby and Bun lives with the parents of the adopting family. She is expected to care for her baby, clean, and look after the fertilizer shop while the family is out selling. She has little money, no vehicle and is living 12 miles deep in the countryside. Pray that she have the opportunity to worship in the city of Khao Phanom each week.

Vegetarian Festival

2010-11-01T14:04:00.005+07:00

The Chinese gathered not far from our house in the provincial field next to the city pillar for the opening event of this 10 day festival honoring the 9 emperor sons of the Queen of Heaven. There must have been around 700 people who came including small children. All the Chinese shrines were represented from throughout Krabi Province. Participants came in trucks to transport their small ceramic Chinese gods. Most had big drums and cymbals to bang on along the way. Once in Krabi, they gathered at the field, beat on the drums as if competing with each other. At times the noise was deafening! Then in certain areas, mainly woman dressed in special Chinese style costumes, danced in front of their ceramic gods. There was a group of men with whips that marched around looking as if they were in a trance ready to crack the whips at a moment's notice. Before traveling to Krabi city, most had called down the Chinese gods at their local shrines to inhabit them. (Some were no doubt demon possessed.) Then there were the men & woman who pierced themselves with rods through the cheeks, who were constantly being hydrated. They at least got to sit in chairs until the ceremony was over. The mayor & governor of Krabi said a few words praising the tradition of the Vegetarian Festival. Then the parade into the downtown began.
Each group gathered their gods to carry in palanquins on their shoulders. Other people drove the gods on the back of their pick-up trucks. Loud firecrackers were lit often and Chinese dragons were winding their way along the roads among the gods. Supposedly, the gods had come out to bless their believers. Those mediums for the gods were dressed in Chinese clothing with their eyes rolled back in their heads, drooling, and acting crazy. Some adherents routinely used swords, knives, or axes to cut their tongues. Sometimes large wooden blocks were thrown to guarantee good luck to store owners. At some homes/businesses tables were set with paper money, rice, chrysanthemums, pears, apples, pineapples, drink - all for the gods to spiritually eat and bless the people.
Vegetarian food was everywhere - guaranteeing to cleanse the soul according to their belief. On into the evening trucks drove around with people banging drums and singing. On the last night of the festival, the ceramic gods were driven down to the river to go back into Chinese heaven to the sound of firecrackers and fireworks.
Pray for the people who follow these gods to soon come to know their true creator and Savior.
"For more pictures of the festival, click on the link below":
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2105646&id=1419370438&l=487e5048e9

Vacation

2010-11-01T13:53:00.003+07:00

Our schedules are usually busy, so a vacation of peace and quiet was great. We walked on the beach, Richard rode his mountain bike, but most of our time was resting and reading. One day we even went to a tin mine museum. (Tin mining, up until 30 years ago, was the economic mainstay of Phuket island. Now its tourism.)
Walking down the street each night to get supper, we were mobbed by vendors trying to get us to buy all kinds of merchandise from tee shirts to pirated DVDs of all the latest movie hits from the USA. (Many displaced Nepalese and Bangladeshi people are now selling instead of Thais at many beaches in south Thailand.)

Prayer & Praise

2010-11-01T13:47:00.003+07:00

1. Pray for the church in Khao Phanom to grow numerically and be a light in their
community.
2. Pray for those who worship the Chinese gods to come to understand that the true
God wants them to be reconciled to HIM.
3. Praise God for the young adults at Krabi Baptist to continue to seek to do God’s
will.
4. Richard was bitten by a dog in the countryside. Pray for our safety as we go out
to visit and pass out tracts.
5. Pray for Som to seek God more than other things in life & become a Christian.
6. Pray for God to open the door for Bun to get to church and have contact with
other Christians.
7. Pray for Fone to be healthy, understand the truths of the Bible as she studies,
and become a Christian.

Krabi Baptist Church's 15th Anniversary

2010-10-03T23:09:00.006+07:00

The music team practiced long hours nightly for an entire week. Flowers had been ordered and church members made gorgeous floral arrangements to brighten up the room. The speaker’s flight arrived at the airport on time. All was ready. There was excitement in the air. In 2 days of services, around 90 – 100 people (each time) came to worship.
The church history told of the early days with their struggles of being one of the first churches in a town of around 80,000 people. Pictures were shown of the shophouse where the services were held and the young pastor lived. In recent years the church helped during the tsunami by building coffins for western bodies, distributing disaster relief of food, fishing nets, helping outlying communities and presenting satellite dishes to schools in areas where there are not enough teachers. Those in attendance also heard about the yearly Christmas program where the church hosts the community. (The program gives a clear presentation of the birth of Christ and how Jesus can lead those that believe to salvation.)
A. Prayoon, the guest speaker from Bangkok, did a great job humorously talking about our duties as Christians and the priorities we set in our lives. Some government officials, who came as part of their job, enjoyed A. Prayoon’s message so much that they stayed the entire service and didn’t leave after they gave their official greetings. Everyone was pleased as we went out on the lawn to eat food. Thanks for praying for all the preparations and the celebrations.
Scriptures that A. Prayoon read from the Bible, his good humor and prayers were repeated on a radio station in town. His words were also quoted at a provincial meeting praising Christians and their views. Praise God for Krabi Baptist Church being a lighthouse in a dark place for 15 years.

Prayer & Praise

2010-10-03T22:59:00.004+07:00

1. Praise God for Linda’s improvement from shingles!
2. Praise God that your prayers were answered about the Revival in Krabi.
3. Praise God for visitors at the worship services in Khao Phanom.
4. Pray for more people to attend the worship services in Khao Phanom.
5. Pray that we may effectively present the Gospel message to Thais in the Khao
Phanom area.
6. Pray for Som, Fon, Jarern, Nit, Nok & others to study the Bible in Khao Phanom.
7. Pray that the problem with nerves(related to shingles)in Linda's back to
quickly disappear.

From Vision to Reality: Khao Phanom Baptist Church

2010-09-04T19:47:00.006+07:00

During the week, Oh and Meow have a restaurant in their home, serving kanom jin and other noodles. However on Sunday’s, one room in their house becomes a worship center. Expectantly, five Thais from Khao Phanom, began meeting on Sunday afternoons. A. Dusit and 12 other members of Krabi Baptist came in support of the new church start. We met in a cleared room at Oh and Meow’s house. During the first service,there was a warm atmosphere of love. A. Dusit told that his dream to see a church in Khao Phanom was becoming real. He said that driving through Khao Phanom recently, God assured him that a church would be started there.
A sign was made to go on Meow and Oh’s house. The sign says Khao Phanom Baptist Church. Another sign by the street corner tells the times and invites others to come worship. We are thankful for this faithful group of 5 believers, who will soon be baptized. Pray for more Thais to soon join them in worship.

god shelf comes down

2010-09-04T19:45:00.003+07:00

Bird and Branee made professions of faith 2 months ago, but their Buddha shelf remained. (A Buddha shelf is a shelf on the wall that supports a Buddha image, or highly respected monk image, amulets and or other household gods.) This is a sure sign that he was not yet ready to relinquish the old even though they wanted Jesus too.
Recently on a wet and rainy day, we went to teach Bird and Branee. After teaching the lesson, Bird said that he had something for us to help him with. To our surprise and joy, he said that he wanted to take down the Buddha shelf. Because Bird was a little afraid of taking the shelf down himself, he enlisted Richard to take the things down. Branee said I feel so happy that the shelf was coming down. Bird said my heart feels lighter already because I confidently believe in Jesus Christ alone. Pray for the heart of Branee’s husband, (who will retire and move into the house with his wife and son in October) to quickly accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Prayer and Praise

2010-09-04T19:38:00.002+07:00

1. Praise God Bird and Branee took down their idol shelf.
2. Pray for more Thais to join the worship in Khao Phanom on Sunday afternoons.
3. Pray that Branee’s husband, who will retire and join his wife in October, will quickly believe in Jesus Christ.
4. Pray that Oh and Meow’s restaurant business will not be hurt because of the church signs.
5. Pray for Linda’s health to improve after problems with obstructed veins and shingles.
6. Pray for El to soon become a Christian.
7. Pray that Tip and Chuan, two non-Christians, will come to worship on Sundays.

On the Brink of Choosing

2010-08-07T19:54:00.004+07:00

In the community of Ta-lay Hoi, we drove up to the only intersection. We were returning to the town of Blai Pra-ya to eat lunch. A man with long curly hair flagged us down. This man, his mother and a small child wanted a ride into the bigger town to catch a bus. While in the car we talked about God with the man and gave them tracts to read on his long bus ride. Within the week we received a response card back saying that a man named Montri wanted to study with us. To our surprise it was the man who we had given the ride to the week before.
Weekly we teach Montri and his mother Raynu. Montri has attention deficit and must be continually brought back to the subject at hand. At times he really understands what is being taught and he answers our questions well. However, other times his exuberant spirit and the old ideas about Buddhist life, making merit, international mythology, and pop music still have a grasp on his life.
Just last week, someone in the village passed out posters about a Buddist ceremony to be held soon. When he came to Montri’s home, he put them up on the front side of Montri’s house. Montri says he believes in Jesus and wants to go to heaven. But like many Thais he is afraid to be cut off from society for being different. We have finished teaching Montri foundational beliefs. Now we must make a decision about whether to continue teaching Montri. Pray for Montri to truly understand the Gospel and fully accept God’s grace for his life. Pray for Raynu to make some wise decisions about her life, her young grandson living with her, and her husband, who lives in another province.

Disrupting a Spirit Ceremony

2010-08-07T19:51:00.005+07:00

Praise God for the different volunteer teams that come to help in south Thailand each summer. One volunteer group from North Carolina was taken to pass out tracts and witness in the country side (Picture on right). Other groups are taken into schools to do English programs.

We went into a school of 300 students to do one such English program with some American volunteers from Texas. In the session for singing songs, a student became disruptive, saying the volunteers could not use their drum. Trying to find out why, we questioned the students. They said our program was in conflict with a special ceremony to the spirit gods going on at the same time near the front of the school. To get more details, we went and asked a couple of teachers.
They explained that while the volunteers were doing the 2 hour program, the principal and 4 of the teachers were doing a ceremony around the spirit of the land’s shrine. The teachers wanted the students to have good behavior. So they held a ceremony asking the spirit of the land to make the students good. In Chinese religious ceremonies, drums are used to call the gods down form heaven to listen to you. This student had apparently gotten the different religious traditions mixed up and was afraid that we would call the spirit of the land away from the ceremonies that the teachers were doing to listen to what the volunteers were doing.

Annual Meeting

2010-08-07T19:50:00.000+07:00

We drove 2 days to arrive ahead of the other m’s attending our annual meeting. We helped set up the office and got ready for the daily schedule. This years meeting saw our fellow m’s doing the music and leadership preaching. Daily seminars trained us in more methods of getting our work done. Breakout groups helped us make the training more relevant to our work. It was great to see other friend’s from throughout the country, but it was also good to return home to our own bed. Pray that we will see much kingdom fruit from the information learned.

Prayer and Praise

2010-08-07T19:39:00.003+07:00

1. Praise God for a continuing joint worship for our groups on Sunday afternoons in Khao Phanom.
2. Pray for more Thais to join us in the Sunday afternoon Worship.
3. Pray for Thai leadership to emerge in the Khao Phanom group
4. Pray that members of our Sunday School classes at Krabi BC will begin to be more evangelistic.
5. Pray that we will see more results from evangelistic opportunities.
6. Pray that we will soon see more Baptist churches begun in Krabi Province.
7. Pray for more Thais to be interested in God in Blai PraYa district.

El’s House Gets a Facelift

2010-07-02T19:42:00.003+07:00

El became a paraplegic about 2 years ago, after a fall in the field. A year later, El’s husband left her for a minor wife. El’s husband doesn’t support her. El must depend on the generosity of neighbors to wash her clothes, sweep her floors and give her something to eat.
Each week our team would go to teach El the Bible. It was obvious to all how dark & dingy El's room appeared. We thought the room needed brightening. So we had her room plastered with cement so that we could paint. Both of Richard & Linda put on the primer coat of paint on Monday. That first day of painting neighbors came by to see what we were doing. El (not yet a Christian) praised God for what was happening and witnessed to her neighbors as we painted. The next day, four volunteers from Granberry, TX came and painted El’s room her favorite color, light blue and part of the outside.
Thanks, guys for your willingness to serve others!

El’s husband occasionally comes by the house and when asked to study or learn anything about God, he has refused. After the painting was finished, El’s husband came to see what had been done. He fussed because we had not done his whole house. El’s response was “You had a chance to get on God’s side and you refused, if you had chosen God he would have helped you too.”

Lotti Moon Totals Announced

2010-07-02T19:40:00.000+07:00

The beginning of June, it was announced that the total amount of money received from the Lottie Moon Christmas offering in the past 12 months reached $148,984,819.41. We praise God for His faithfulness and how this reflects the continuing commitment by Southern Baptists in these times of a challenging economy. While this amount is short of the goal of $175 million, it is the third highest amount received in the history of Lottie Moon. The total amount received enables us to continue to tell lost Thais about God’s plan of salvation & disciple those who are interested in Krabi Province.
Thank you so much for your continuing support and sacrificial giving which allows us and 5000 other missionaries to reach out into the lost world!

Volunteers Open Doors for Evangelism at Schools

2010-07-02T19:37:00.001+07:00

We borrowed these volunteers for a day to go into 2 schools near where our Saturday cell group meets. The team from Granberry, Texas divided up into 4 groups: one team sang English praise songs, another group taught English, still another group did sports and the last team presented the Gospel to the kids through an evangi-cube. The students at the elementary school were so excited that they didn’t want the volunteers to leave. This was the greatest exposure to westerners that the students had ever had.
Thanks too to these volunteers, who did a great job and opened the door for more ministry at the schools!
One of the girls from our Saturday group (Ngam, a 16 year old) asked for some eternity bracelets while we were at the High School. She gave them to 4 of her teachers and explained the meaning of the beads. She also answered questions that the teachers had. Praise God for her bravery!
Also at the high school, we met a young woman named Tassini that we had witnessed to 2 years ago. (She is a college graduate, who has contracted with the high school to sell food to the students.) She asked for more tracts, and wanted us to visit her home again to tell her about God. She asked where the Baptist church in Krabi town was too. (Tassini’s house is about 31 miles from Krabi town and for a person to ride a motorcycle that far is hard, especially in the rainy season.) Praise God for His work in the lives of these Thais. May much fruit here be produced in the near future.

Prayer and Praise

2010-07-02T19:20:00.003+07:00

1. Praise God for the Granberry, TX & Gastonia, NC Volunteers, who had opportunities to witness in Krabi this past month.
2. Pray for us to see our goal of starting at least one Baptist Church accomplished in the near future.
3. Pray for Dow’s profession that she loves God move her to make time to study the Bible.
4. Pray for Tossini’s interest in God to move her to receive Jesus as Savior and become part of a church.
5. Pray for more Thais to come study the Bible with El on Tuesday afternoons.
6. Pray for our annual meeting in July to be productive for those who attend and for good health for all who come.
7. Thailand has been peaceful this past month, continue praying for unity among her people & a determination to solve their problems.
8. Krabi Baptist Church’s radio station has had a bumpy start with several problems.
A. Pray that many Thais in Krabi will listen and be influenced to know Christ.
B. Pray that the English program that Richard does on Sunday evenings will draw
Thais in search of learning English to know God.
9. Pray for us to draw nearer to God and for us to see more of His leading in our work.

Angel's Rejoice - New Christians in Khao Din

2010-06-02T11:32:00.007+07:00

Recently we felt like our lives resembled a yoyo going up and down. Due to neighbors refusing to talk with them for studying the Bible, the number of Thais attending the Saturday cell group fell. We were concerned about the future of the group. Would they follow Jesus or not? We had been teaching them for almost a year, and were coming to the end of the Chronological Bibles stories. We wanted a firm commitment from them to follow Jesus.

Eight people came that Saturday. This included one man, who has come sporadically. Ah-john Dusit, the pastor at Krabi Baptist, came with us. He explained what it means to follow Jesus and gave an invitation at the end of our lesson. Seven of the 8 made the commitment to follow Jesus. The Bible says that the angels rejoice in heaven when we are saved. Praise God!!

The Bible also says that God hears the prayer of a righteous man. Thanks for your prayers!

Our Daughter’s Visit

2010-06-02T11:28:00.002+07:00

Jamie was here with our granddaughter, Natalie for 3 weeks. In the course of her visit, she went to Viet Nam with us, visited a Thai friend in Phuket, went to Aow Nang beach with her family for 3 days, and went to Phi Phi Island with her husband while we keep Natalie.

Natalie was a real joy! She went to cell groups with us in 5 locations and was a great hit with the Thais. She got her picture taken numerous times with different Thais from our groups. We also had great delight in being grandparents up close for the 3 weeks, instead of through the web cam on our computer.

New Christian Radio Station - FM 100 - True Love

2010-06-02T11:26:00.001+07:00

This past month, Krabi Baptist Church began a 300 watt community radio station. Besides playing Christian music, sermons and other Christian programming, several of the church members are DJs. Even Richard is on the air doing a 2 hour Easy English program once a week. He mixes secular and contemporary Christian music with the English lessons. It is exciting that God’s Truth can be proclaimed in this way.

Praise and Prayer

2010-06-02T11:08:00.007+07:00

1. Praise God for the 7 Thais in Khao Din who accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior!
2. Pray for Pa, Gal and Am to make a commitment to study the Bible consistently with our Saturday group.
3. Praise God that we had a great time with our daughter and her family even in the midst of the violent protests in Bangkok.
4. Pray for us not to be sick. (Both of us had a bad case of food poisoning.)
5. Pray for Thai government officials to make good decisions about the country’s future.
6. Pray for Thai leadership to emerge from the groups that we are teaching.
7. Pray as we witness & pass out tracts that we find people interested in studying God's Word.

Training to Witness

2010-05-03T14:53:00.009+07:00

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

2010-05-03T14:42:00.008+07:00

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

2010-05-03T14:40:00.002+07:00

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

2010-05-03T14:34:00.004+07:00

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

2010-05-03T14:29:00.003+07:00

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

2010-05-03T09:46:00.007+07:00

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.

Bird Breaks Free from YoRay Religous Sect

2010-04-05T15:55:00.003+07:00

Instead of an idol, the Thais come to worship the word, “Savior” written in Japanese on a wall. This savior will come when the world ends.
This Buddhist religious movement began in Japan during the 1930s. They seek to make an ideal world through eating organic foods, art (painting/flower arranging), and divine light healing. The also do rituals to ancestors and accept many good teachings from other religions. 660,000 Thais follow this teaching.
Bird was in YoRay for 6 years. We now teach him and his mother on Tuesday afternoon. Richard recently went with Bird to pick up some things he had stored at the YoRay Center in Suratthani. During the travel to Surat, Richard asked him, why he had come out of YoRay. Bird responded, “I saw the truth in Jesus and I wanted the truth.” Praise God!!

Cool Mountain Vacation

2010-04-05T15:50:00.002+07:00

Richard & Linda took a vacation to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. We stayed in a private home, read books, put together several jigsaw puzzles, hiked, and had a quite time away from the daily hour trips to work in Khao Phanom & Blai Praya. It was cool in the mountains – a relief from the heat of Thailand. The area we stayed in is called “Little England” because of the Tutor architecture of the hotels and many of the local homes. We also got to practice our English speaking skills and worship in English .

Seminary Student Testimony

2010-04-05T15:45:00.003+07:00

During the summer break here (March –May) seminary students go to several places in Thailand. One team came to practice things they had heard in class in the south. They came a few days to help us with our work.
One of the students gave his testimony. Tong was a dancer in bars and discos in a Thai tourist city and was into drinking heavily plus other things.
Tong’s mother had been inhabited with spirits for 12 years. She had been to and spent lots of money on 2 spirit doctors, who both died. His older brother became a Christian and led his mother to God. The spirits left her when she became a Christian and didn’t return.
When Tong returned home, his mother asked him to go to church with her one Sunday. His thoughts were, “I don’t want to go, but to appease my mother I’ll go. I became a Buddhist monk temporarily for my mother, going to church one time is certainly a much shorter time than a couple of weeks as a monk.” He went to church and he too met God. His life changed and now he’s studying at the Baptist seminary in Bangkok so he can work in a church with teenagers. Praise God for calling Thais to Himself, who will in turn bring many others to Jesus.

Praise and Prayer

2010-04-05T15:37:00.002+07:00

1. Praise God that Meow and Chaat are seeking God. Pray for Meow and Chaat to study and grow to become Christians.
2. Pray for Yik, Mike, Ngam, and Sai to desire God more than other things in their lives and return to Bible study.
3. Pray for Gal, Pa, Bal, Am, and Khwan to be able to stand the pressure of being ostracized/isolated by their community because they are studying the Bible.
4. Pray for Sam-ran and his daughter to study the Bible and come to know Jesus as Savior.
5. Pray for Moo whose mother is dying of cancer to put his trust in God.
6. Our daughter’s family is coming for a visit the end of April. Pray for us to have good safe travels and bless our time together as a family.
7. Pray for Southern Thai Christians to lead lives which are testimonies to God’s love and power to change lives.

Paralyzed Lady Hears God's Voice

2010-03-05T10:17:00.001+07:00

El is paralyzed from her waist down. Jiap met her while she was out selling Cell Food (a food supplement). Jiap asked us to visit El because she wanted to hear about God. We went feeling like El really wanted to be healed and would accept anything just so she could walk again. While there we asked her to lay aside her former Buddhists beliefs and try Jesus. Tow, a member from Krabi Church, came to play the guitar and we sang some Christian songs which El said she liked very much. We talked about God and told her about praying for forgiveness from the things she had done wrong. Jiap wrote out a simple prayer for El to say at night before she went to sleep.
The following week during our visit El said, “you know after I said that prayer you gave me to say, I heard a voice telling me that Jesus was already helping me. I was surprised and looked around to see where they voice came from, but saw no one.” Her neighbors and relatives told her that she was just being brainwashed, but El said she felt better and wanted to know more about our God. This was good because Richard had asked Jiap to teach her the first lesson in the Chronological Bible lessons. He is trying to get our group members to teach what they have learned to others. (Jiap has taught 3 lessons already & is doing a great job!)
We left a song book with El and she has been using it to sing some of the songs in the book. She has even been getting those who visit her to sing with her.
Her husband, who has a second wife, came for a visit and noticed a difference in El. He said that she didn’t fuss at him now. A few days later, he came and gave her about $40 to buy food. This is great because since he left to find another wife, El has been dependent on others helping her. Now her husband is coming by on a regular basis and helping her.
Please pray for El’s healing, and most of all, for her to believe in God.

Bible Drill

2010-03-05T10:16:00.002+07:00

There is a lively song in Thai which teaches the books of the New Testament. The Thais love the song. We taught it to the children in Toong Pru and then had them memorize the names of the New Testament books. Upon completion of the memorization, we gave the kids new testaments. Now we’re having Bible Drills to help them learn how to locate the different books in the New Testament. The older children excitedly compete each week.

Fellowship at the Beach

2010-03-05T10:12:00.002+07:00

Richard left the house about 7 am to pick up members of the Khao Din group and bring them to church in Krabi town (about 50 kilometers away). After eating lunch at church, we took the group to Nop-pa-rat beach. The kids played in the water as the adults watched from the shady shoreline. The kids had fun collecting small jellyfish in cups (That’s fun?). Later we went to the Sea Shell Cemetery which is part of a National Park. Everyone was amazed at the small shells which once were deposited at the bottom of the sea thousands of years ago but now compacted on rocks visible to visitors. However, the kids liked the shopping area most of all. It was a good escape from regular activities & a great time to get to know the individuals in the group better.

Prayer and Praise

2010-03-05T10:10:00.001+07:00

1. Praise God El’s life is changing and that her husband has taken more interest in helping her.
2. Pray for El to be healed, but most of all for her to become a child of God.
3. Pray for Montri to understand what he studies each week and begin practicing what he learns.
4. Pray for the groups we teach to remain faithful as we are gone on vacation and to meetings in March.
5. Pray for the Gospel to break through to the hearts of the ToongPru children and their families so they will to come to Jesus.
6. Pray for the Thais at Krabi Baptist Church to show more interest in Vern and that he will become more involved in Krabi Baptist Church.
7. Pray for members of each of our groups to actively witness of their faith.

Children's Day 2010

2010-02-03T19:25:00.002+07:00

The 2nd Saturday in January is Children’s Day. Most towns and schools have activities for the children. They play games, do Thai traditional dances, get prizes, and free snack foods. We joined Khao Phanom city in their celebration. Eager children began coming before 8 am. We had a steady stream of children until lunch. We gave away 700+ children’s tracts, snack foods, and balloon animals. Two church friends blew up and tied off the balloons as fast as they could so that we could make the balloon animals. By noon, all four of us were ready to eat lunch and rest. Both friends ended up with blisters from tying off the balloons.

Funerals

2010-02-03T19:23:00.001+07:00

The deceased in Thailand are kept in a refrigerated casket during funeral dates. We have attended 2 funerals lately. Both of the funerals we attended were for Christians. One deceased person was kept at Krabi Baptist Church through the 2 days of services. The family slept in the same room with their loved one. Richard preached one of those services about Jesus being the good shepherd. Each service ended with those attending eating rice porridge and beverages. The non-Christian mother asked for her daughter’s body to be cremated so that she could take her ashes home.
The second funeral we attended was for a relative of one of our cell group members. We traveled three hours away through some beautiful mountainous countryside to the city of Na-korn-Si-Tham-ma-rat. A Presbyterian church has a cemetery in that city. The cemetery had a shelter where the services were held and the family stayed. We arrived about 11 AM. The family made sure that we were greeted and had something to drink. About 30 minutes later they served us lunch with a choice of 7 toppings to put on our rice. (Serving food is standard for most funerals in Thailand.) We left about 3 PM and did not stay for the night services. (This would have put us getting home about midnight and having to work the next day.) According to Thai tradition, we left an envelope with money in it to help the family pay for the funeral expenses. The services lasted 7 days and the deceased was buried in the cemetery in a partially buried vault.

Encounter With A Spirit

2010-02-03T19:20:00.007+07:00

A young couple drove 4 hours into Ranong Province with us to visit a Thai pastor friend and the church of 50-60 persons which meets in his side yard. The church has ½ Thai and ½ Burmese people. During the service, Richard preached with a Burmese man translating from Thai into Burmese. His message was on the importance of prayer.

At the end of the service, our friend, the pastor asked those who were sick or experiencing personal problems to come forward for special prayer. Several walked to the front including a lady who was having headaches and complained that she was dizzy. She looked rather distant as well. As the pastor spoke the name of Jesus, the lady being prayed for started to sway like she was going to faint. Richard immediately grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. However, she jerked away like a halfback breaking free from a tackle. Linda saw the lady stumbling. Thinking she was about to collapse, Linda reached for her arm but the lady spun away like a top out of control. We were both shocked by the bizarre behavior.

On the way home, the wife of the young couple that rode up to Ranong Province with us asked about the lady that was prayed for. She thought the lady had a spirit inside her. She explained that her grandmother is a spirit medium. When her grandmother invites a spirit to enter the body, her actions are very similar to the woman who was prayed for on Sunday. We both came to the same conclusion because the Bible clearly shows that evil spirits both resist and fear the name of Jesus.

Prayer and Praise

2010-02-03T19:18:00.001+07:00

1. Continue to pray for Montri to be healed from the traffic accident injury, and believe fully in God.
2. Pray for a full commitment of Krabi Baptist in the area of church planting in Khao Phanom/Blai Praya and follow-up.
3. Pray for Ran to be completely healed of several diseases, and gain strength, so that he can work and support his family.
4. Continue to pray for Linda to be completely cured of related effects of chikungunya disease.
5. Pray for Vern to study God’s Word, understand what he reads and accept Jesus as his only Savior.
6. Pray for each group we teach to grow in their faith in God and be active in telling their friends and neighbors about Jesus.
7. Continue praying for more adults to study the Bible with us in Khao Phanom and Blai PraYa.

Khao Phanom Christmas Program

2010-01-02T11:28:00.001+07:00

Thanks for praying. God heard your prayers!!! We had 32 Non-Christian Thais come to the Christmas program in Khao Phanom. In addition,10 members from Krabi Baptist Church came to help, plus ourselves and Nantana. So altogether, 45 excited people participated in this special Christmas outreach. What a great celebration of the birth of Christ! The children in Khao Din surprised us with a dance that they decided to do on their own. The dance was performed to music of 2 Christian songs. Our pastor from Krabi Baptist preached for 15 minutes and everyone enthusiastically listened. Our co-worker (Nantana) told the Christmas story as we changed scenes using felt figures depicting the story of the angel visiting Joseph & Mary, the shepherds in the field hearing the Good News, and the Magi’s visit to worship the new born king. There was plenty of singing, games and of course prizes. Everyone got a present. With any celebration in Thailand, there must be food. On this day the people in Khao Din provided plenty of food. The entire day was truly a blessing from God.

Krabi Baptist Christmas Celebrations

2010-01-02T11:26:00.003+07:00

In Thailand, many think that Christmas is the westerner’s celebration of the New Year. They don’t know that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ. Christmas is truly a special time of year in Thailand. It is the best time of year for Christians in Thailand to explain the meaning of Christmas.
Church Christmas Caroling took place Christmas night by going to homes & businesses of church members. We started at the pastor’s house and proceeded around the province until 3 AM. All were tired and needed lots of sleep, but all had a joyous time singing and praying for of the families of each home where we caroled.
Lotus (the local Walmart type store) allowed us to do a Christmas program in their mall. This included children dancing, Christmas songs, and the pastor telling the meaning of Christmas. While the program was taking place, other members of Krabi Baptist went passing out special Christmas tracts to shoppers.
Krabi Baptist Church invited many Thais to a special community Christmas program on December 27th. The program this year had over 500 people attending. The program was held outside in the field beside the church. Children did traditional Thai dancing, the pastor preached for 15 minutes about Jesus' birth and the worlds desperate need for a Saviour, several plays were performed, lots of games took place and food was eaten at the end of the event. It is our prayer that God works in the lives of the Thais who came to the Christmas program so that they will make Jesus Lord of their lives.

Bicycle Race

2010-01-02T11:25:00.004+07:00

On December 11th, Richard entered a mountain bike race in Krabi. He and his friends practiced a few weeks before the race. The competition began near the Andamen Sea and ended on a steep 45 degree angled hill overlooking the sea near Krabi’s Royal Residence. Richard was able to keep up with most contestants through out the race with many being much younger than he. However, the last hill of the race did him in. After 34 kilometers of riding non stop on dirt roads, trails through rubber tree plantations, & a few paved roads, he struggled to make it to the top. Two men in the same age group passed him at the last minute beating him by about 20 seconds! Going across the finish line Richard was exhausted but proud that he had finished the race! After recuperating with 3 bottles of cold water plus 3 bottles of Gatorade type liquid, he felt much better. Overall, Richard came in 12th out of the 26 participants and got a trophy for his efforts.

Lottie Moon

2010-01-02T11:05:00.003+07:00

At this time of year we want to express our appreciation of your support through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. This funding helps by providing a truck for us to drive while doing ministry, tracts and books to give out, Bible teaching materials, and resources to do special evangelistic events through out the year. The offering is a vital funding for our organization’s work. Thank you for your support.

Prayer and Praise

2010-01-02T11:04:00.001+07:00

1. Praise God that A. Nantana’s baby boy arrived safe and healthy on December 30th. We are now without a Thai co-worker. Pray for God to prepare the right person to work with us.
2. Children’s Day is January 9th. We will be tying balloon animals & giving our Christian tracts in Khao Phanom city. Pray that these activities touch the lives of Thai adults and children that attend the Children’s Day Program.
3. Pray for Ran, a father in a family at Tung Pru, to be completely healed so that he can work again and support his family.
4. Pray for Linda to be completely cured of related effects of chikungunya disease.
5. Pray for the husband, Vern, of a recently deceased Krabi Baptist church member to come to know God as Savior.
6. Pray for the quick and complete healing of Montri, a member of our BlayPraYa seeker group. (He was hit by a motorcycle as he was walking home.)
7. Pray for Kingsley (a Christian from Cameroon) as he teaches and witnesses at Blai PraYa High School, a school of 2,000 students.

Saga of the misbehaving drain

2009-12-01T21:45:00.001+07:00

One Thursday, Linda forgot to put the clothes washer drain hose into the toilet causing a massive flood in our downstairs bathroom, with water flowing out into the kitchen area as well. Because the water wouldn’t drain out through the clogged pipes, we were bailing water with a large dust pan and plastic pan. We called the landlord and he came to find us still getting 2-3 inches of water out of the bathroom floor. He brought the magic acid, which worked a miracle the month before by cleaning out the pipe (after a small explosion), but it did nothing this time. He hired some workmen who used a plumbing snake with no success. They ended up breaking up our cement backyard in several places looking to find the drain pipe leading from the bathroom. No success. Finally the owner called the city to come flush the drain pipes. They came and looked, made an appointment to come on Monday and ended by telling us not to let water down our drain pipes. We thought, “It’s only a few days, it’ll be OK.”
The appointed time came and went with no workmen & no city truck. We called to find out the reason for the delay. We were told that they workmen would not come. What!!! Didn’t we schedule an appointment 3 days before? When Linda heard this she started crying not knowing when we’d be able to take showers, wash our hair and wash dishes without having to use buckets and pouring the used water in the toilet. She called the landlord and he said that he had already filled out the right paperwork. He then called the city and found out that the workmen were helping their supervisor build a house, but they would stop and come help “today”. As we sat down for lunch, the workmen did come with their large red water truck to flush the drains (picture is of a similar truck). Hallelujah, success!! It’s been one day and water is still flowing down the bathroom drain pipe and no flooding.

U. S. Team is Magical

2009-11-30T22:20:00.003+07:00

A team from Oxford, Mississippi came to Krabi. They did juggling, magic tricks, drew pictures, and did mime. They had fun going into markets, schools, doing street evangelism and performances at 2 churches in Krabi city. During street evangelism and markets, Thais accepted tracts as they saw magic tricks and got balloon animals for their children. A show in the night market of Krabi city was a venue for presenting the Gospel as well as passing out tracts to Thais. Their mime showed that our bad actions can be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit through accepting the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Students as well as teachers were enthralled by the show. Could you do this at a school in America?
Thank You Mississippi Team!

Pa’s Wake-Up Call

2009-11-30T22:18:00.003+07:00

Pa was driving her motorcycle early in the morning. Her 19 year son was on the back. As she was thinking about something her husband said, she fell asleep. Her wake-up call was running into a large cement mileage marker. She sustained injuries to her abdomen, bruised her ribs, broke her left arm in several places and separated her shoulder. While Bow, her son, hit his head resulting in 9 stitches in his forehead. Because of her internal bleeding, the local Khao Phanom district hospital sent her to the provincial hospital in Krabi city for surgery. Staying in a hot hospital ward with about 30 other women, she waited on the surgery.
During her hospital stay, our team, and then members of the local Baptist church went and prayed for Pa. After our prayers her bleeding stopped and she didn’t have to have the operation on her abdomen. Two days later her broken arm was set and the doctors waited a few more days to make sure she was OK. Pa believed that God had answered our prayers for her. Pray for her to be patient in her recovery and be faithful in attending the cell group.

Chikungunya – Funny Name for the Effects of a Mosquito Bite

2009-11-30T21:06:00.004+07:00

Linda got bitten by a Aedes Mosquito causing a fever, headaches and swollen joints and muscles. While the fever and rash last approximately 8 days, the fever settled into swollen joints and muscles. After 3 weeks of pain and little relief, staying at home and not recovering. Richard took her to the doctor at the hospital on the 23rd. She was given a shot and medicine to help control the swollen joints and muscles. Most of the pain has left and she has returned to work. This Thanksgiving Linda feels very thankful to God for getting better.

Prayer and Praise

2009-11-30T20:43:00.004+07:00

1. Pray for members and leaders of Krabi Baptist Church to seek God first in their
daily lives.
2. Pray that members at Krabi Baptist will enthusiastically work with us to
accomplish establishing churches in Khao Phanom and Blai Praya.
3. Pray Linda to be completely cured of related effects of chikungunya.
4. Pray that more adults will join our present Bible studies.
5. Pray for Richard & me to not let other activities draw us away from our quiet
time with God.
6. Pray for us to see God daily at work in our lives and in establishing churches
in Khao Phanom (Cow Pa-nom) and Blai PraYa districts.
7. Pray for adults and children in our cell groups to see God working in their daily
lives.

Radio Program

2009-10-02T20:59:00.002+07:00

"The Happy Family" radio program from Voice of Peace began airing in Khao Phanom. The program incorporates current events, and advice for the family coming from the Bible.
The radio station was most pleased with the program. It airs from 8:15 - 8:45 each morning. We are praying that God will use the program to soften the ground and turn many Thais in Khao Phanom to Christ.

Flooded Bathroom

2009-10-02T20:56:00.004+07:00

On September 28th we walked into the ground floor bathroom. Water had begun backing up. We thought, “Oh no! This was one of those times during the year that the bathroom backed up.” We poured soda down the drain hoping that would cure the situation. On Wednesday a couple visited from Singapore. To our embarrassment, the man went to use the downstairs bathroom and a noxious smell greeted him as he opened the door. The water had backed up all the way to the door (about 2 inches) ready to overflow into the kitchen. He had to use our upstairs bathroom. While Linda talked to them, Richard bailed out the bathroom, cleaned and dried the floor. However, our visitor had washed his hands after using the bathroom and this caused the floor to flood again! Richard again went in to bail out the bathroom floor, clean and dry it.
Friday we called the landlord because we had used caustic soda to clean the drain and it did not help. We heard that the city had a service to clear drains. We asked our landlord to call the city to get help. About a half hour later the doorbell rang. The landlord came with a large bottle which he said the workers at his school used to clean the school’s drains. As he was pouring the liquid down the drain, there was rumbling in the pipes, a small explosion, and a column of steam spouted about 10 feet into the air. As the steam first came out the landlord jumped back and looked stunned. Then he tried to escape the bathroom as a putrid smell filled the room. We opened the back door and windows and brought a fan to clear the air. It took awhile. Then the landlord insisted on returning to the bathroom to pour more of the acid down the pipes. This time he was ready as he poured the liquid, but the column of steam was only about a foot high. Praise God this miracle acid drain cleaner worked & the drain pipes continue to be clear!

Training in Bangkok

2009-10-02T18:22:00.000+07:00

The middle of September we went to Bangkok for training to help us in strategy, evangelization and training of nationals. It was a very upbeat meeting which reminded us of some of the things we had let go by the wayside. We practiced some of the principals given during the training. As we discussed some of the realities of the work, we recognized that God is greater than problems that we have. We also talked with our fellow m’s to see what they are doing.

Car Free Day

2009-10-02T18:20:00.001+07:00

Richard rides about 3 times a week in the evenings with 3 – 6 Thai men. They bike about 30-45 kilometers a time. Richard sees his bicycling activities as part of establishing community relationships. This year he again participated in the province’s celebration of Car Free Day. Many Thais from around the province and about 10 westerners rode around Krabi city. Later they ate a meal together and joined in lowering the country’s flag and singing the national anthem in the evening.

Prayer and Praise

2009-10-02T18:16:00.003+07:00

1. Pray that Thai Christians at Krabi Baptist Church will have the vision to reach their family, friends, and neighbors so Thais will come to Christ.
2. As we go out each week, pray that we will see where the Holy Spirit is working.
3. Continue to pray that God opens the hearts of Thais in Khao Phanom through the Christian radio program we are airing there.
4. Pray for more Thai Christians to join us in witnessing and teaching in Khao Phanom and Blai Praya.
5. Pa and Bal were in a motorcycle accident. Pray for their rapid healing and their family to become committed to Christ.
6. As Mr. Kingsley has more opportunity to share God with his students and fellow teachers at Blai Praya Witayakom High School, pray for many to know Jesus as Savior.
7. Pray that Baptist Churches in Khao Phanom and Blai Praya will be begun soon.

Seeker Group Meeting

2009-09-02T20:07:00.015+07:00

On our arrival in Toong Pru, only 2 people were initially willing to go with us to a group meeting in Khao Din where we were bringing 3 groups together for a special program. What a shock for us since the group members had been excited about going to the combined meeting just the week before! We had secured permission from their parents in advance. We began talking to the adults and parents of the group. Knowing that our prayer partners were praying for resistance to be broken down, 8 plus a baby finally went with us to Khao Din. For most, this was a big event traveling 17 miles to another area. The members of the Toong Pru group seldom leave their own village.

Among the lush rubber trees of the countryside, our meeting of the 3 seeker groups in Khao Phanom took place. The Thais were so excited to be among others who studied the Bible. Most thought that they were alone their own small groups. But with 22 in attendance singing and praising the Lord,they were greatly encouraged! Besides singing, the group was treated to testimonies from the pastor of Krabi Baptist Church & Khun Lek, one of the members. The story of Daniel was taught emphasizing that God was with all believers in all situations (see picture). For a craft, A. Nantana had the members make a woman keychain using yarn. Of course, you can't have a meeting in Thailand with food. There was plenty to eat including fruits, cakes and home made cookies. We knew the program was a success as several participants told us that they day was "sunuk", meaning lots of fun.

We are so thankful for your prayer intercession for this combined meeting. Your prayers were the turning point in getting permission for the people from Toong Pru to go with us to Khao Din. It was a joyful experience for those who so desperately need to know Christ as Savior.

Mobile Medical Follow-UP

2009-09-02T20:04:00.006+07:00

The search for mobile clinic patients led over many dirt roads with literally potholes everywhere and also over fairly smooth paved roads. Our adventure took place on bright sunny days and dark rainy and muddy days. The search led us to talk to those patients from the mobile medical clinic, who had expressed interest in the Gospel. Many wanted more free medicine. However, 99% of them rejected the Gospel presentation we gave on our visit.

A teacher from the school where the clinic was held has indicated interest. As we visited with his wife and him, they had questions about God and the Bible. We plan on returning to see him to find out more about his interest. It is our hope that Sa-ner and his family will come to know Jesus as Savior.