5000 Attend Congress on Evangelism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.