Please pray for Thailand and Cambodia. The past week or so, you might have seen in the news that there has been conflict (shooting/firing at each other) near the border between Thailand and Cambodia. While everything seems like a war, they somehow avoided calling it “war.” The cause of this conflict is complex (long history), but partly it has to do with claiming the territory on the border line. According to Thailand, Cambodia started shooting first. There have already been over 40 people who have died (both soldiers and citizens), and they had to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people around the Thai borders.
As a matter of fact, I passed through this area back in May! It’s the first time in my lifetime to see them use powerful weapons/tools in this country, among them are Gripen, F-16, BM-21, PHL-81, Type-90 B and more. On July 29, the leaders from both countries agreed to an “immediate cease-fire,” but it still continues. Thailand believes Cambodia didn’t keep its word and won’t stop shooting. Please pray for the people affected by this and for peace.
A Visitor Wanted to Be Baptized?
We have had visitors and guests at our church often, and every once in a while, we have an interesting encounter. This young man flew in from the northeastern part of Thailand (with his relative) to visit our church. I greeted him right before the service started, and he said, “I come here to change my religion and to be baptized.” So, I encouraged him to stay and worship with us, and that we would talk some more afterward. He joined, but his relatives waited in the foyer, refusing to come in. After the service, I was excited to talk to him, but he said he needed to go. He kept insisting that he came here just to be baptized. I told him we need to discuss some things since this is our first meeting. He didn’t want to stay and talk. I gave him some gospel tracks and encouraged him to come back whenever he’s ready to talk. He mentioned Mormonism, and it made me wonder if he got the idea about baptism from them. Please pray for this young man.
Pray for Our Deacon Candidates
I continue to meet with our two deacon candidates (and their wives) to talk about the meaning, the role and qualifications of a Biblical deacon. It has been good and helpful meetings for all of us. We still have a couple more meetings to do before moving on to the next step. Please pray for these men and their families. Pray for me and our church as we are in the process of selecting our first deacons.
Guests from Singapore
Some fellow brothers and sisters in Singapore found out about me and our ministry here and flew here to spend a weekend with us. Their pastor was supposed to come as well, but had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency. Their sole purpose was to get to know more about our family and the ministry, while also encouraging us and seeing how they can pray for us. I was encouraged by their company, and what a blessing it was to meet them.
Studying “The Gift of Tongues”
During the adult Sunday School time, our church has been taking turns doing an inductive Bible study through books in the Bible and reading books on specific topics. After studying through the book of John for the first half of this year, we decided to take a break and pick up a book to study. This time, we are studying a small book I wrote on “The Gift of Tongues.” As we mentioned before, this is an issue that many people misunderstand. So, it’s good for our people to understand the topic. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter are helpful as well. Interestingly enough, the day we started to study the book, there was a visitor in the ladies’ group who was taught differently on the topic and sat through the class disagreeing with our stand on the issue. Pray as we study this book together.
Planning for 2025 Preaching Seminar
We are still planning on hosting our annual preaching seminar toward the end of this year. Right now, we are praying about the best dates, location and also the topic. Please pray for us regarding this. We hope to finalize everything and send out the invitations by the end of August or at the latest by early September.
Friends from Korea
His name is Rak. I met him when I first came to America in May 2010, and we shared an apartment for a few months in Little Rock. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with him many times. Though we went our separate ways, we have stayed in touch throughout the years. He’s now married, and he and his wife visited us this month. It was a joy to spend some time together and meet his wife for the first time. He is such a sweet friend. They got to meet all our kids, and we showed them where we live, as well as where we worship. We were grateful for their visit!
Jessie and the Boys Finished Another School Year!
Jessie and the boys officially finished another school year! Noah finished first grade, and Titus finished third grade. They started late and had to take off more than usual, so it took almost a full year. But I’m very proud of them for pushing through with their studies, despite some challenging seasons in life. This is Jessie’s fifth year doing full-time homeschooling with the boys, and she’s doing an amazing job. They will be off from school a couple of weeks before the beginning of a new school year. Please remember them in your prayers.
