Send a check in the mail to:
Thailand NOW
P.O. Box 56
Mannsville, KY 42758
(Please make checks payable to Thailand NOW)
Or give online by clicking this link: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/thametmis/
We serve with the Thailand NOW
Click on the image to visit our website at thailandnow.org
This past Sunday, my father, Mike Morrissey Sr., passed away. For the past few years, each time we have travelled to serve overseas, I have been concerned that I may not see my Dad again. My Dad's health has been in deep decline, and he has had to be admitted to the hospital frequently. My Dad has taken a few falls in the last few weeks, but this past one on Saturday was real bad. He had a brain bleed that did severe damage. Although I am grieving, I praise the Lord that I was in the States at the time to be with him right up until the end. Even though I grieve, I praise the Lord that my father is not suffering with the pain that he had been bearing for the past few years.
I looked in past blogs, and I found this picture from 2014 when my Dad visited us in Thailand. In this picture, he is praying blessings on a new Pioneer Pastor Church Plant with Pastors Jennifer, Peter, Apple, Nuch, and a lay member of God is Good Church in Chonburi. Back then, Dad was strong and robust in body and spirit.
The other blessing that Sherri and I have is that we have a great support system. We have been humbled by the showering of words of sympathy and prayers of comfort. God is good and so are His people!
Dad was a faithful supporter of the Blessing Home Centers, which save and protect children and teens from the child sex and drug trades. When he first started supporting this ministry, we had one center with ten children. Now we have expanded to five centers and provide services to over 150 children.
A Blessing Home scholarship costs $600 annually, and helps provide school uniforms, food, transportation to school, afterschool classes, Bible clubs, and medical and dental care to give these kids a different trajectory in life, a new life of hope built upon Jesus.
If you, or your Sunday School class, or small group would like to support a Blessing Home child, you can designate your donation.
If you are sending a check, put BLESSING HOME in the memo section of the check and mail to: Thailand NOW, P.O. Box 56, Mannsville, KY 42758
If you are giving online, you can select BLESSING HOME has your designation. You can give online through our website >> https://thailandnow.org/donate-2/
Thank you for your faithful prayers and generous donations that make this mission possible.
It is a great victory when our Blessing Home move on to go to University or Technical College, and it is an absolute life changing event for the whole family when they graduate and move on to their careers.
You all have been very faithful and generous in your support, and we hope you are blessed reading the stories of these two graduates.
Pleng Pleng is the daughter of Pastors Sila and Wassana, who lead the Thailand Wesley Church Organization (a Thai independent Wesleyan denomination). Her mother Wassana is the Director of Blessing Home Minburi, located in Bangkok.
Pleng Pleng has always been a indispensable worker at Blessing Home Minburi, teaching English to the children and teens (English proficiency is a valuable skill, since it is the language of international commerce). Pleng Pleng also serves at Prasiri Wesley Church as Worship Team Leader and leads in ministry to children and teens at her church.
Pleng Pleng has now graduated at Assumption University in Bangkok with a B.A. in Marketing. And she is now working at Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC), a Christian ministry that provides local Christian radio and media broadcasting in 50 countries in over 152 languages.
We are very proud of Pleng Pleng, whose work with FEBC is helping to bring the gospel of Jesus to Thai people. Pleng Pleng has to spend 4 hours per day going to work and back home on public transportation, so her work days are quite long.
Our second graduate is Kai Mook, who is a graduate of Blessing Home Isan. Kai Mook and her older sister Yok (also a Blessing Home Isan graduate) are fervent workers and leaders at Blessing Home Isan and Grace Methodist Church in Nonsomboon.
Kai Mook and Yok are Sunday School teachers for the children at Grace Methodist Church. They also serve on the Worship Team. Kai Mook is a key leader in the Church Multiplication team being led by Pastor Corn, who is the Director of Blessing Home Isan. This Church Multiplication team is planting Pioneer Pastor Churches in three unreached counties in their region. We are amazed at the fruitfulness of Kai Mook's ministry. She is an effective evangelist and disciple-maker!
Kai Mook earned her Associates Degree in Business Computer Applications and now works at a Christian company in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima that makes signs. And she travels home on the weekends so she can serve with Grace Methodist Church and Blessing Home Isan.
We praise the Lord for both Pleng Pleng and Kai Mook. They have been blessed greatly and now they are a great blessing to the Thai people. God is good!
YOUR DONATIONS MAKE THIS MISSION POSSIBLE
If the Lord leads you to support Thailand NOW mission, you can donate by mail, online, or with estate gifts.
Donations by mail: Checks can be made to Thailand NOW and sent to our treasurer at Thailand NOW, P.O. Box 56, Mannsville, KY 42758
Thailand NOW missionaries Nhia Wahn and Mao Her have opened a new Blessing Home Center at their new home church in Kalasin province. Pastor Corn, director of Blessing Home Isan, brought a group of her Blessing Home young adults and teens to help give this new center a great start. And then the numbers have taken off, and the place is totally packed with children and teens.
Above is Pastor Korn leading the children at Blessing Home Kalasin in worship songs. Pastor Corn has been accepted into the D.Min. program at Asbury Theological Seminary and will begin her studies at the end of July. Most of the work is done online, but she will need to come to Asbury once per year. We are very proud of Corn!
Above is the young children's group at Blessing Home Kalasin with Thailand NOW missionary, Pastor Mao.
Above is the teen group at Blessing Home Kalasin, with Pastor Mao on the left and Pastor May on the right. Pastor May serves as Director of the Abundant Life Financial Training Program and also as President of the Life Upon The Rock Foundation. This new Blessing Home Center in Kalasin is registered with May's foundation. The village chief was very happy to meet with May and to discover that this new ministry was being done under a legally registered foundation with the Thai government. It is important to do things the right way.
This new Blessing Center (Blessing Home Kalasin) also has a new Pioneer Pastor church being planted. Pastors Nhia Wahn and Mao Her are veteran church planters, and we know that this new church plant will be a center for planting many Pioneer Pastor churches in the Isan region, which is the most unreached part of Thailand. Please pray for this new Pioneer Pastor church and for Pastors Nhia Wahn and Mao.
Abundant Life Financial Training for our Blessing Home teens and young adults gives them a great start
In April, the Blessing Home Isan young adults and teens joined an Abundant Life Financial Training Seminar provided by Pastor May at the Training Center in Buriram. They were joined by adults from other churches coming for training in biblical principles of financial management and life skills.
Are hope is that these young people will learn biblical financial management early on so they they will not make the same mistakes of falling into deep debt and doing no budgeting and management of finances.
Above is a group picture of everyone receiving certificates for participating in the Abundant Life Financial Training seminar. Pastor May is in the middle of the front row.
Above: Participants learn how to use the envelope system of managing family and small business finances.
Above are three of our Blessing Home Isan young adults, and all of them serve with Pastor Corn at Blessing Home Isan and Grace Church. These three are key leaders in the efforts being led by Pastor Corn to plant Pioneer Pastor Churches in the Isan region. The one in the middle is Kaimook (which means Pearl) and she is one of our newest college graduates. We will introduce her and other Blessing Home graduates in next month's blog.
YOUR DONATIONS MAKE THIS MISSION POSSIBLE
If the Lord leads you to support Thailand NOW mission, you can donate by mail, online, or with estate gifts.
Donations by mail: Checks can be made to Thailand NOW and sent to our treasurer at Thailand NOW, P.O. Box 56, Mannsville, KY 42758
Gifts of stocks, bonds and other estate gifts: Please contact our treasurer, Terri Gabehart via email at terrigabe@windstream.net
Friday, April 24, 2026
Sherri and I are grateful to all of the faithful supporters who make this mission possible through your prayers and generosity. We are now completing 20 years of service in Thailand and we look forward to continuing to serve the Lord in Thailand and throughout Asia, as the ministry has expanded.
Missions Mobilization in Central Asia
In March, we enjoyed the wonderful privilege of training pastors in Central Asia. These church planting pastors serve in many nations such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Most of these pastors serve in Muslim majority locations. We were asked to give training on how to make disciples and plant churches in these Muslim communities, and we were moved by the hearts of these pastors to reach the lost for Christ.
The location of the training was in Kyrgyzstan (which is located between Russia and India) which is a Shiite Muslim majority nation. The day before we flew to Kyrgyzstan, the war in Iran broke out and Ayatollah Khamenei (who is a Shiite high cleric) was killed. Our team in Thailand did not want us to go, but we knew we must go and we are glad we did. The training was done at a compound that was surrounded by thick concrete walls and a large solid iron gate. We had to stay on the compound and could not leave, for safety sake.
We enjoyed the hospitality of the people of Kyrgyzstan and look forward to coming back for future trainings.
Graduation Ceremony at Global Theological Institute
For the past 16 years, we have supported Global Theological Institute with scholarships and for 13 years was their primary sponsor. Many church planting pastors from many denominations have been trained at Global Theological Institute, including many Pioneer Pastors serving with Thailand NOW.
In April, Global Theological Institute had 18 graduates. Three of them were recipients of Pioneer Pastor scholarships, all serving in different regions of Thailand.
We are especially proud of Pastor Bangon, pictured below, who is the founding pastor of Ban Rat Church in Nakhon Ratchasima province. Bangon planted Ban Rat Church together with Pastor Corn and the youth and young adults of Blessing Home Isan. The Lord is working in a powerful way through Bangon.
Easter Baptisms
It is common in Thailand for pastors to choose Easter as a day for baptism of new believers. This fits in perfectly with the ancient tradition in church history of Easter baptisms. There were many Pioneer Pastors that contacted us to invite us to the baptism ceremonies, but we were back in the States for Easter. But we enjoyed the pictures that they sent.
Thailand is a Buddhist majority nation with a significant Muslim population. Most new believers come out of Buddhism or Islam for a new life and faith in Jesus Christ. Most Christians in Thailand are first generation Christians.
Below are some of pictures sent by Pastors Sila and Wassana of Prasiri Wesleyan Church in Bangkok. They travelled to Bangsaen Beach (near where we used to live) to conduct the baptisms.
YOUR DONATIONS MAKE THIS MISSION POSSIBLE
If the Lord leads you to support Thailand NOW mission, you can donate by mail, online, or with estate gifts.
Donations by mail: Checks can be made to Thailand NOW and sent to our treasurer at Thailand NOW, P.O. Box 56, Mannsville, KY 42758
Church Multiplication - Train the Trainer Event in Bangkok
Usually we post a few pictures when we have a training event, but this time we need to not post any pictures nor give names of those who participated in the Train the Trainer event in Bangkok.
In February, we had 25 veteran church multipliers from all over Asia come to Bangkok to be trained to be trainers of Church Multipliers. This event was done as a collaboration with The River Network International, and we are grateful that they are giving away their curriculum so that churches may be planted throughout Asia.
We had participants from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines come, and many of them serve in places where evangelizing and planting new churches will cause them to be persecuted and imprisoned. Sherri and I were in the midst of God's royalty, when we were with this group of veteran church multipliers.
One church multiplier from India was a quiet, shy woman who never boasted about how the Lord has used her. It was others who told us that she has planted over 500 churches, many of them are 6th and 7th generation churches. And now over 30,000 people worship every Sunday at these churches.
Another Indian church multiplier was recently released from prison for the crime of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
All of the participants will be taking the materials from the Train the Trainer event back home and will translate the materials into their own languages and then use these materials to train others to plant churches in their home countries. We already have commitments for translation of materials into 14 languages.
On the last day of training, each participant made a church multiplication plan. We were especially touched by one of the church multipliers from Myanmar. Myanmar is currently under civil war, and the Myanmar military, which is controlled by the Burmese ethnic majority, is attacking the minority groups in various states in Myanmar. This church multiplier from Myanmar just two weeks before the training, lost his son-in-law, a grandson, and three other relatives when the Burmese air force bombed his village. Instead of hating the Burmese and the military that killed his family, this church multiplier had compassion on the Burmese people, who are majority Buddhist. When he revealed his church multiplication plan, a large portion of the plan was to make disciples of the Burmese majority and plant Burmese churches! God's servants like this man truly are God's royalty!
We also invite you to participate in a missions team going
to Thailand in July 2026. Jeremy and Shelby Folkerts, who serve
as Mission Mobilizers for Thailand NOW, will be leading this team.
Please visit this website for information on this mission team opportunity > https://thailandnowmission.blogspot.com/
The itinerary is on that website as well as an application form.
Thailand NOW is accepting applications for a team of up to
10 people to join Thailand NOW board members Jeremy and Shelby on a mission
trip to Thailand from Jul 22 - Aug 2. The cost is $2,000 per person if sharing
a room with another person. $2,500 for individual rooms. This covers all team
expenses including in-country lodging, transportation, and food. This does not
include flights or insurance.
Finished applications
should be sent to folkerts@thailandnow.org and
funds should be sent to Thailand NOW, P.O. Box 56, Mannsville, KY 42758. There is a deadline of April 22, 2026 (coming
up soon) for receiving your application with a non-refundable deposit of
$500. The remaining funds can be
received by June 1, 2026.
What we will do and what to expect
WHAT YOU WILL DO ON THIS MISSION TEAM
We
will visit some of the Pioneer Pastor churches to pray with new believers
and those in need.
We are
working with Thai mission teams to do English Bible Camps at the Blessing
Home Centers. We will bring crafts for the kids to do and will also lead
in games. The Thai mission team will lead in singing Christian songs and
will teach the Bible. We will also be engaging in basic English language
conversation with the kids, to give them a chance to practice.
We
will learn how the Thai church is growing rapidly in a multi-religious,
multi-cultural context.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Heart-warming
fellowship and worship: You will be working on projects side-by-side with
Thai Christian brothers and sisters. As you seek to be a blessing to them,
you will soon discover that they will bless you even more.
Housing:
You will stay at hotels with air conditioning.
Food:
Be prepared to eat Thai and other Asian foods that will be prepared for
you. The foods will be made non-spicy. We will do our best to accommodate
any dietary restrictions you have, but you need to list those on your
application form so we can prepare. If you are a picky eater, you will
want to bring snacks with you.
FLEXIBILITY:
The projects and schedules that we will follow will be
flexible due to the context of ministry here.
January was a month with a lot of travel, and we were able to see.
In January, Sherri and I travelled to visit all of the American and Thai missionaries and team members in serving in Thailand. It was a great blessing to see the fruitful ministry at each of the locations.
Blessing Home TaPhraya is now back in full operation since a cease-fire between Cambodia and Thailand has been in effect for a few months. The schools are back open and everyone has been able to leave the refugee centers and churches where they were staying during the crisis. Thank you everyone who has prayed for peace. This is an answer to prayer.
All of the Pioneer Pastor Churches in Thailand and in Cambodia are now open. The border is still closed, but we are closer to finding a solution for bringing Pioneer Pastor training to the Cambodian pastors.
Mao and Nhia Wahn Her's new parsonage/church/ministry center building is complete and they have already started evangelistic outreach in their community with the goal of planting a new Pioneer Pastor church and Blessing Home Center.
Director May at the Abundant Life Training Center has now begun planting a new church and she has a small group meeting for worship each Sunday.
Missions Mobilization Training in the Philippines and then landing in the hospital in Bangkok.
The first week of February, Sherri and I travelled with our team to give Missions Mobilization training to pastors and leaders in the Philippines. This is our first time in this wonderful nation and we were blessed to meet godly Christians who want to make disciples and plant new churches in the Philippines.
The top picture is a group picture of all who attended the Engage! Missions Mobilization training.
The middle picture is Sherri's team for this training which included people who were born in India (Anup Rai), Thailand (Corn Prayongkham), Laos (Mao Her), and Kenya (Metrine Mudibo). Sherri's team reflects the growing leadership in missions coming from the Global South). Sherri's training team is standing in front of a banner that lists all of the nations in the world in bold print and then after each nation, the Unreached People Groups (UPGs) in each nation are listed in standard print. We LOVE this banner. People just come and read and think about the unfinished task of missions to reach all people groups, because EVERYBODY NEEDS JESUS!!!
The bottom picture is of one of our prayer breakout times, because the power for the mission that God has given to us comes from the Lord.
Part way through this training in the Philippines, I (Mike) became very ill. When I arrived back in Thailand, Sherri took me to Bumrungrad Hospital where I was admitted. I had a UTI (twice in the past, these infections have turned to sepsis - so Sherri really keeps an eye on me). I also had a stomach virus (astrovirus), asthma complications from the pollution in Bangkok and Manila. And I still was recovering from a respiratory infection as well. The combination of all of this just knocked me down, but praise the Lord, I feel much, much better now. Thank you for your prayers.
Pioneer Pastor Program expanding into Vietnam.
In February, we met with Pastors Ma Linh and Brep from Vietnam, who are Methodist leaders in Vietnam. Thailand NOW is now partners with the Vietnamese Methodists for planting churches and training pastors through the Pioneer Pastor Program.
In March, Thailand NOW will send two trainers to provide training for Methodist pastors in Wesleyan theology and to make concrete and detailed plans for how we can educate and train new pastors and leaders to plant churches in Vietnam.
Above are Thailand NOW missionaries Mao Her and Sherri Tabaka-Morrissey together with Pastor Ma Linh of Vietnam.
Prayers are needed for the Train the Trainer Church Multiplication Seminar in Bangkok
Next week, Church Multipliers from India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines, and Bangladesh will be coming to Bangkok for a 4 day Train the Trainer event to multiply churches throughout Asia. Thailand NOW is hosting this event in partnership with The River Network, a ministry out of Pittsburgh that trains church multipliers throughout the world.
I believe this seminar will have a HUGE impact for the Kingdom of God and will begin mutually beneficial partnerships throughout Asia. Please pray for the Lord's blessing on this event. We can work in the fields and "plant crops and water them" but it is the Lord that makes things grow.
Your donations are very much needed
Your generosity makes this mission possible and we could not do it with you. Please help.
We want to express our congratulations to Thailand NOW missionaries, Allie and David Houle on the birth of their daughter Lydia. Lydia arrived a few weeks earlier then expected and we give thanks to our Heavenly Father that Lydia and Allie are both doing well.
Abundant Life Financial Training
Ratchada "May" Kuntisa, Director of the Abundant Life Financial Training ministry has been busy training Thai Christians to manage their money through biblical principles. Through this training, Thai Christians learn how to budget their family and business finances, how to make an emergency fund, how to get out of debt and stay out of debt, and how to start an Abundant Life Savings Group in their churches.
Below are pictures of:
1 Seminar participants at Muang Thai Korat Church
2. May teaching the seminar at Muang Thai Church
3. Seminar participants learning the "envelope system" for tracking and controlling their finances.
Churches that have had Abundant Life Financial training AND have had an Abundant Life Savings Group in operation for over one year see very large positive changes. The members of these churches see people lifting out of perpetual debt and poverty and moving towards financial freedom. These churches see an increase in tithing and these churches become strong and self-sustaining.
Church Multiplication "Train the Trainers" event in Bangkok in February 23-26.
We have church multipliers coming in from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand (and possibly other Asian nations as well) to learn to become Church Multiplication Trainers. We believe this event will be a watershed moment for our ministry and for the Pioneer Pastor Program, as we seek to expand our efforts across Asia.
Please lift this event in your daily prayers. Many of the church multipliers being trained at this event serve in nations where Christians are persecuted and church multipliers and evangelists (and their families) are in constant danger. They are the heroes of the church and we consider it a great honor to serve together with them.
Your donations are very much needed
Your generosity makes this mission possible and we could not do it with you. Please help.
It is a great blessing to have prayer warriors lifting up our needs and praises to the Lord. We are grateful for your faithfulness to Thailand NOW mission.
Mike's knee surgery was a success.
For the past eight months I have had constant pain in my left knee. At first I thought it was getting better, and then I would re-injure my knee (doing simple things like turning over in bed at night). After several months, the pain was constant and not getting better, so I waited until getting back to Thailand to have surgery. Fortunately I only needed arthroscopic surgery, but I need to use crutches for several weeks to allow the knee to heal. Praise God! I do not have knee pain anymore, and I have been sleeping through the night for the first time in months. God is good!
Red, a Blessing Home Isan graduate, passes his teachers exam and is now certified by the Ministry of Education
Congratulations to Red! This past Spring, Red, one of our kids from Blessing Home Isan graduated with his B.A. in Education from Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University. Since that time, Red has been studying for the Teachers Exam so he can become certified and licensed as a teacher through the Ministry of Education of Thailand. The majority of students fail this test, and it is very difficult to pass. Last week, Red found out that he passed the test and is now certified to be a teacher. This is HUGE!! Red will now be able to be employed as a teacher, which has good compensation, a pension, and job security.
When one of our Blessing Home kids graduates from university, it is a game changer that lifts them out of poverty and provides a great future of good opportunities. We are very proud of Red!
Cambodia Update
The cease-fire between Thailand and Cambodia is holding and the border is still closed. Unlike in past years when an armistice was quickly formed which included opening the borders so commerce could commence, this time it looks like the border will remain closed for a very long time.
We have over 20 Pioneer Pastor Churches over the border in Cambodia just across the border, and these areas are closed off to us at this time. We are unable to do trainings and visits with these pastors and churches. Your prayers are needed.
Nhia Wahn and Mao Her are moving to Kalasin province to plant a Pioneer Pastor Church
Thailand NOW Missionaries, Pastors Nhia Wahn and Mao Her, are moving to Kalasin Province in October. Mao's sister generously purchased land in a community where they have relatives. There is an uninhabitable house on the property right now that has no water or electricity at this time. This house is in the process of being expanded in both the front and the back and renovated so that it can be used as a combination church and parsonage.
This new Pioneer Pastor Church is located in Don Chan District, and it contains 5 counties (sub-districts) , all of which are totally unreached. We are very excited because we know that when they plant this new church, it will result in many new churches being planted in this region of Thailand which is the most unreached area. In this area, only 1 out of 10,000 people are Christian.
Mao and Nhia Wahn have a lot of work to do over the next several months as they move up there and do the work of renovating this house and evangelizing in the towns around them.
The River Network: Training the Trainers for Church Multiplication in Asia
In February 2026, we will be hosting The River Network to provide training to Church Multiplication Leaders from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. This training is "Train the Trainer", meaning the participants will be qualified to bring the training materials back to their home countries, translate the materials, and then provide the training to churches in their home nation. This training will take place in Bangkok at the Avana Hotel, a Christian-owned hotel.
We are excited to expand the ministry of Thailand NOW to encompass other nations in Southeast and South Asia. Our prayers are that a movement of church multiplication will make disciples and bring the Good News to the most unreached nations in the world.
Fundraising for two large dormitories for the Abundant Life Training Center
We have $21,810 of the $242,000 needed to build and furnish two large dormitories that will provide lodging for up to 72 people. These dormitories will make this ministry become self-sufficient, because we will no longer need to spend money on hotel rooms when we are training the trainers of the Abundant Life Financial Training program.
When we came to Thailand 20 years ago, 58% of Thai farmers owned their own land. But because of predatory loan practices, now only 15% of Thai farmers own their own land. This indebtedness leading to bankruptcy plagues those who live in the city as well. When Thai Christians learn how to manage their finances with biblical principles, they begin to save up for emergency funds so they don't have to borrow anymore. They get out of debt and stay out of debt. And when churches are filled with strong families, the church becomes strong.
Our goal is to have all of the funds needed by the end of 2025. This is the final capital campaign for this ministry. Please help this project to cross the finish line. If you give to this project, please designate for the Building Fund.
Your donations are very much needed
Your generosity makes this mission possible and we could not do it with you. Please help.
In last month's blog, we shared a praise that the Pioneer Pastor Program is expanding into Cambodia. Over 20 pastors with over 24 churches in Cambodia have requested to be trained in Bible, Ministry, and Leadership, and the Pioneer Pastor team led by Rev. Dr. Somsri Doungkaeo has taken on this mission. Below is a picture of Pastor Somsri praying with pastors.
And now we need your prayers. This past month, there was a skirmish on the border between Thai and Cambodian troops. Parts of the border between Thailand and Cambodia are disputed, and this causes diplomatic friction and sometimes the tension turns into shooting. There is a ceasefire, but the land border entry points between Thailand and Cambodia have been closed. This makes it much more expensive and difficult to connect with the Cambodian churches and to train their pastors and leaders. Now we must fly into the capital, Phnom Penh and then hire a van to drive us 9-10 hours to the churches that are near the border.
At this time, we do not have enough funds to do this, so we are praying for peace and praying for the land borders to open up once again. Your prayers are needed.
Below is a picture of Thai people protesting in response to the border skirmish.
We are flying back to Thailand very soon
Sherri and I will be flying back to Thailand soon, and I (Mike) have a personal prayer request. I will be going to see a sports medicine surgeon at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok once I get back to Thailand, and it looks like I will need surgery on my left knee. Surgery will probably take place in the middle of August and I will stay in Bangkok for a few weeks for physical therapy.
Prayer Meetings and Mission Updates on Zoom
If your church, Sunday School class, or small group is interested in including us in a prayer meeting or to speak about the mission, we can do this on Zoom. Please contact us by email at morrisseys@thailandnow.org
Donate
Checks can be sent to: Thailand NOW P.O. Box 56 Mannsville, KY 42758
Since 2006, we have been training Pioneer Pastors to plant churches in unreached counties in Thailand, and we have always had pastors from other nations come for ministry training. Most of the pastors who have travelled to Thailand for Pioneer Pastor training have come from Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China.
At first, it was just us doing the training. But our goal has always been to train Thai leaders to do the ministry. Our goal was to train pastors to be trainers, so that the Thai pastors can provide Pioneer Pastor training. In 2009, some of the Thai Pastors that we trained became Pioneer Pastor trainers. They not only provided training to Thai church planters, but they lay pastors from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos would travel to Thailand to complete the training.
Over the years, many hundreds of pastors from all over Southeast Asia have received training in Biblical studies, Ministry skills, and Leadership development. The Thai pastors, like Pastors Somsri and Warin of Fire of Glory Church, have become super fruitful in multiplying churches and training Pioneer Pastors.
Recently, at a Pioneer Pastor meeting in Sakaeo province, on the border with Cambodia, Pastors Somsri and Warin had a serendipitous blessing. The meeting in Sakaeo was for the purpose of recruiting Pioneer Pastors. And they were greeted by many lay pastors wanting Pioneer Pastor training. But the big surprise came when Somsri and Warin were met by a delegation of lay pastors from over 24 locations in Cambodia, who had travelled to seek Pioneer Pastor training.
Now Pastors Somsri and Warin are forming a team to bring Pioneer Pastor training into Cambodia. They are being missionaries in every sense of the word, bridging the gaps of language, culture, distance, and nationality to help Cambodian Christians multiply churches in their own nation. Pastors Somsri and Warin will be bringing their team into Cambodia now. God is good!
For Sherri and I, this feels very gratifying, that the ministry the Lord called us to do has come full circle. And now the Thai pastors we have worked with have now become missionaries themselves.
A New Thailand NOW Theme Song and Video
A good friend of Thailand NOW Missionaries Nhia Wahn and Mao Her has made a beautiful song and video promoting Thailand NOW called "Bring the Light". Thank you very much, Mr. Charles Cawv Thao of Musikolab Production for sharing your gift of music and inspiration!
Fundraising for 2 Large Dormitories for the Abundant Life Financial Training Center
We have $20,000 of the $242,000 needed to build and furnish two large dormitories that will provide lodging for up to 72 people. These dormitories will make this ministry become self-sufficient, because we will no longer need to spend money on hotel rooms when we are training the trainers of the Abundant Life Financial Training program.
When we came to Thailand 20 years ago, 58% of Thai farmers owned their own land. But because of predatory loan practices, now only 15% of Thai farmers own their own land. This indebtedness leading to bankruptcy plagues those who live in the city as well. When Thai Christians learn how to manage their finances with biblical principles, they begin to save up for emergency funds so they don't have to borrow anymore. They get out of debt and stay out of debt. And when churches are filled with strong families, the church becomes strong.
Our goal is to have all of the funds needed by the end of 2025. This is the final capital campaign for this ministry. Please help this project to cross the finish line. If you give to this project, please designate for the Building Fund.
Your donations are very much needed
Your generosity makes this mission possible and we could not do it with you. Please help.
You are invited to join the TEAM THAILAND short-term mission team!
Thailand NOW is accepting applications for a team of up to 12 people to join Thailand NOW board members Jeremy and Shelby on a mission trip to Thailand from Oct 9 - Oct 19. The cost is $2,150 (not including flights). Flights will be coordinated by Thailand NOW once all team members have been identified. You can find a link/QR code to the itinerary and the Thailand NOW application at the bottom of the page.
What we will do and what to expect
WHAT YOU WILL DO ON THIS MISSION TEAM:
We will visit some of the Pioneer Pastor churches to pray with new believers and those in need.
We are working with Thai mission teams to do English Bible Camps at the Blessing Home Centers. We will bring crafts for the kids to do and will also lead in games. The Thai mission team will lead in singing Christian songs and will teach the Bible. We will also be engaging in basic English language conversation with the kids, to give them a chance to practice.
We will learn how the Thai church is growing rapidly in a multi-religious, multi-cultural context.
The application is on that website. If you are interested, you will want to apply soon because there have been many people contacting us already.
We need special donations for the Final Phase of Construction of the Abundant Life Financial Training Center (ALTC).
The Abundant Life Financial Training Center (ALTC) is operational but not yet sustainable. When we have trainings for the financial training or Pioneer Pastors, we must pay for hotel rooms because we do not yet have dormitories on the campus of the ALTC. Once we have dormitories built, this ministry can become sustainable. Sustainable ministries can thrive, be solid, and can be very fruitful.
We need to build 2 large dormitories that will provide lodging for up to 76 people. $242,000 is needed for this final phase of construction. So far, we have $17,500 raised. It is our hope that individuals and churches will take up donations to help with this project.
If you donate for this project, please be sure to designate your gift to the BUILDING FUND.
First, an update regarding Pastor Somsri who suffered a heart attack due to arterial blockages and was also diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure. Somsri is back home resting and it looks like the two surgeries she had to remove the blockages were successful. She is still quite weak and has to take it slow, but we praise God for her recovery. Thank you for praying for Pastor Somsri, who is a mentoring pastor for the Pioneer Pastor Program and a very fruitful church multiplier.
Second, we must say "Thank You!!" for praying for the Christmas evangelistic outreaches that all of our churches are doing. In fact, there are at least 300 Christmas outreaches taking place at the 108 Pioneer Pastor churches and we are seeing many people become followers of Jesus at these evangelistic events.
Above is a picture from Lamae Church in Southern Thailand. Pastor Manop is praying with seven people gave their lives to Jesus Christ. This is one of three outreaches that his church is doing.
Our Pioneer Pastor Churches in large cities tend to be much larger congregations and they do large evangelistic outreaches. God is Good church in Chonburi has many Christmas outreaches this year. The one at their main church campus had over 500 people from the community come, and this was not their largest event! Click on the picture below to see a video they posted on Facebook.
Your prayers and generosity are the powerhouse of the mission, and we see the fruit of your faithfulness as we see Thai people become disciples of Christ and churches multiply too. You are a great blessing to us and the Thai people and we are very grateful for your support.
2024 has been a special year for us. We our in our 20th year of missionary service in Thailand and we also celebrated our 40th anniversary! For our anniversary, we treated ourselves to go to a professional studio and have portraits made. Below is our formal portrait, and then a candid picture that the photographer shot while we were laughing. (Personally, I like the candid picture the best, but I know we must use the formal picture when churches ask us to send pictures with a bio.)
Sherri and I wish you a Joy-filled Christmas and a New Year with an abundance of blessings from the Lord!
