• Sutthisan Church — We have been gathering every Sunday morning for worship in our home since June 22. Right now, we are using our living room until our building is finished. Ben and I are taking turns preaching through the book of Romans. Most people will stay for lunch and visit into the afternoon. Sometimes we have almost as many kids as adults. A few Sundays ago, I felt like we had more kids than adults. It was close! That day we had 13 kids and 16 adults. We are thankful for the people who come to grow and serve. Praying the Lord would bless this new little church for His glory.
• Visitors From Across the Sea — We have recently had two surprise guests come and visit us. We had such a good time getting to know them and were encouraged by their visit. Our kids especially enjoy having someone to come and stay with us.
• New Men’s Bible Study — Wednesday afternoon is a new time for us brothers to spend a few hours reading the Word and praying together. Here is a picture of our first meeting. We also decided to read through J.I. Packer’s Concise Theology before we meet to give us some topics to think through. I’ve enjoyed getting to know these brothers some more and spending time with them.
• Fighting between Cambodia and Thailand — A year ago, we lived right where the recent bombing took place. The 711 that was bombed was one we often visited, and it was even within walking distance from our house. It’s been heartbreaking to see people we know and love go through this. Thankful that things have seemed to settle down for now.
• Medical Outreach — A few days ago, Josie and I got back from teaming up with Medical Missions Outreach. I was invited by the local pastor, who was hosting the team, and I went to be a part of the evangelism team. It took place in Surin, about six hours east of Bangkok, and also close to where some fighting with Cambodia has taken place.
A team of about 50 doctors and nurses came here from America. While patients were waiting for their glasses or medicine, they would come to the evangelism team, and we would administer care to their hearts/souls. In those four days, we had the opportunity to share the gospel with 1,239 people, and 14 of them made a profession of faith! It was a joy to witness one of those professions.
A blind man came to the clinic for some sunglasses. He couldn’t afford to buy more, and the ones he was using were glued together. The medical team hooked him up with three new pairs! He was thankful and didn’t mind sitting around and chatting more while he waited for his wife to get her eyes checked. This gave me extra time to talk with him. Mr. Hian started to show interest in the gospel. Even though I couldn’t look into his eyes, I could tell he had a special interest in who Jesus is and what he came to do. There was a moment in our conversation when he expressed that he wanted to trust in Christ. I called my Thai brother, Wat, to come over and help me continue to talk with him.
It was amazing to see Mr. Hian, who went from never hearing the gospel to smiling because the news was so wonderful to him! After he professed his new faith in Christ, he made such a special comment, “I can’t wait ‘til I can see both of your faces in Heaven someday.” We all laughed and were filled with joy and hope. Try to imagine the context of this conversation. Almost everyone that we came into contact with was born and raised to be good Buddhists. Even several of the people I shared the gospel with seemed interested in learning more about Jesus and reading the Bible, but they felt they needed to ask their family back home first.
Mr. Hian’s wife returned, and I shared briefly with her his desire to go to church now. She gave us her number so the church can call and follow up with him.
I had a friend call out, “Brandon, we need a foreigner to come and talk to this Monk.” They knew that I wouldn’t feel as much tension and a need to use special words when talking to him. He wasn’t very talkative, so I just went straight to the question about a Creator. After talking some, he admitted, “There probably is a Creator.” I shared with him the gospel of Jesus Christ and prayed for him.
Another great joy for me was seeing how the workers and people we met cared for sweet little Josie. She really wanted to come on this trip, and I’m so glad she did!
I loved how she would sit with me and pray with people. I hope the Lord will give us and our family many more opportunities to serve Him like this. She was my helper too. I often got so carried away at the end that I forgot to give them their tracts and church info. A kind tap on the knee from Josie was all I needed.
We are grateful for the school that welcomed us to serve the people in Surin. We appreciate the government health workers who served us delicious Thai food with their warm smiles. We thank the doctors and nurses who used their vacation time to come and make a difference here. We are grateful for the university students who volunteered to help with translation. We appreciate the churches and organizations in America that make these outreach efforts possible. God is truly good! What a joy it is to share with others about His goodness!
Please join us in praying for the Sutthisan Church, the Men’s Bible Study, wisdom and strength in the construction of the building for the church and the follow-ups after the Medical Outreach.
We praise God for working in the hearts of the people here and are thankful that tensions have ceased along the Cambodia/Thai border. We are also thankful to God for your prayers and support.
