Download our Fall 2021 Newsletter and Read an Inspiring Story to Lift Your Spirits

We know we are biased, but we think our Fall 2021 Thailand NOW newsletter is filled with good news that will lift up your spirits. Go ahead and download it and read by clicking this link >> Thailand NOW Fall Newsletter

Please feel free to send this email to others and download the newsletter to distribute at your church.

On a different note, Sherri and I and all of the Thailand NOW missionaries work with Thai staff and pastors who are absolutely amazing people. It is our great honor to serve side-by-side with them and we want you to get to know their stories too. So, we would like to share the story of Ploy, who works with Thailand NOW missionaries David and Allie Houle.

Hello! My name is Ploy, I am 27 years old and I have worked with David and Allie for 1 year and 7 months. Allie and David asked me if I would share with all of you more about my story. I am from a less than perfect family. My parents divorced when I was 15 years old. They decided to split up because of financial problems, they are not good at managing money. I was okay with their decision to divorce, I knew that they had raised me the best they could. They wanted the best for me, and they wanted to teach me to be a responsible person and to always be considerate of other people. 

My parents had 3 children, 2 sons and 1 daughter. I was the middle child. My brothers and I loved to play and go exploring together. Sometimes we argued, but we always loved each other and were very close. After our parents divorced, my father moved away to Bangkok (he went to live with his relatives there.) My older brother became a soldier (he did not want to, but he was drafted to serve for 2 years). My mom, my brother and I moved to Pattaya, but I didn’t stay in Pattaya for long. My mother was unable to work and take care of us, so my brother and I moved back to our hometown, Khon Kaen. There we were able to rent a room for just me and my brother, I was 16 and he was 13.

It was important for my mom to make money to support us. Sometimes she would have to ask my dad to help and send money for us to go to school. My mom had to make money to pay for all of our living expenses. When I moved to Khon Kaen with my younger brother, I tried to find work to help my mom with paying for everything. I took care of my younger brother and I worked part time selling fried chicken and orange juice at the market. I would make about $5-6/day. 

I applied for all the school scholarships I could find, and I took out student loans to finish high school and to go to university to study Thai Language. While I was in university, I was involved with many clubs and activities and volunteering, which helped me to get a scholarship. Because I completed all of my credits in 3.5 years, I was able to do a Work and Travel program for my last semester. I went to America for 5 months. This program was for students to go and work part-time and to learn about American culture. I went to Destin, Florida and worked at McDonalds. 

After I came back to Thailand, I moved back to Pattaya to live with my mom and to work in property management at a condo. I worked 6 days a week, but I asked for every Sunday off so I could go to church. On Sundays I would go to church for worship and serve God by doing activities with the youth. I would be at church from the morning until the evening every Sunday. I met David and Allie at the church where we would do lessons and activities for the teenagers together. I worked at the condo for 2 years before David and Allie invited me to work with them. Then I quit my job to go work with Thailand Now.

I thank God for finding me. I know that I always had God’s grace in my life. Even though I haven’t been a Christian my whole life, I believe God chose me long ago. Through elementary and high school I went to a Catholic school. I was able to make friends who were Christian. I had the opportunity to go to church many times. When I went to University, I met my boyfriend, Run, who is a Christian (we are still together). I went to church with him and learned about God through Run’s life. After we had been together for 2 years, I decided to devote my life to Jesus. Right after I became a Christian, my family was not accepting of it. My whole family was Buddhist, and in Thailand, almost all Thai people are Buddhist. Buddhist people follow the teachings of Siddhartha, Karma, and they have to make merit so they can come back in a better life, and to help their ancestors get to a better place. When we would go to the temple to make merit, we would buy snacks and bring money for the monks and make offerings to the idols in the temple. But once I was a Christian, my family could see that I was different, and they weren’t happy that I wouldn’t go to the Buddhist temple with them anymore. But this was not an obstacle for me with my belief in God. Because I stand firm in my belief in God (and I can be stubborn).

In all the time that I have known God, I am always discovering more and more how good God is. I thank God that he has prepared a way for me to come and serve God with this ministry and at church (and wherever else he will lead me to serve). Recently, my mom has come to know God and accept Him. I believe that everyone in my family will see God’s goodness in my life. All of them see the love and care from David and Allie and all of my church family. I believe that my family will come to believe in God. God has not stopped working in my life. I am just the first one in my family that He has called. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has a heart for helping our brothers and sisters, and the children here in Thailand. God bless you all.

If you feel led by the Lord to support this mission, you can donate by check or online. 

1. Send a check to: 

Thailand NOW 

P.O. Box 56 

Mannsville, KY 42758 

OR 

2. Give online at https://thailandnow.org/donate/

We are happy to report that it looks like Thailand will be re-opening both internationally and domestically soon. This is not a sure thing. In the past, there have been news reports of re-opening, just to have the situation change at the last minute. So prayers are needed. Here are some of the prayer requests: 1. Sherri and I have booked tickets back to fly to Thailand on December 22. We need to obtain visas and Certificates of Entry, which are very complicated to complete. Every month,the requirements and procedures change, and it is difficult to hit a moving target that is random. Dealing with this is a bit stressful. Please pray that we can get all of the needed documents and approvals in a timely manner. 2. At this time, churches in urban areas of Thailand are not able to meet. Meetings of more than 5 people are not allowed in areas considered "deep red" for COVID. As you can imagine, this has had severe consequences for the members of these churches and their pastors. A domestic re-opening is needed for the churches and ministries in Thailand to thrive. The hard domestic lockdowns in Thailand, that restrict travel between provinces, has been a significant reason why we had to delay our return to Thailand. As long as the lockdown remains in place, we would not be able to preach and teach in the urban churches and would need to do online Zoom meetings rather than in-person events. So it was better for us to remain in the States and do Zoom meetings from here. At least we could itinerate among supporting churches and still continue to do online ministry in Thailand. 3. Thailand NOW missionaries, Carol Fare and Vicki Brown (they serve at the Special Blessings Korat Center), have still not been able to be vaccinated. The supplies for FDA approved vaccines have not yet reached their city. 4. While we were here in the States, our Thai staff moved to Buriram province, which will be the location of our new training center. We gave them our furniture and kitchen items for use in their new home, since it was going to be more expensive to store the items and move two households worth of furniture, than it would be for us to just start over. May and Teddy, who serve with us, are looking for a house for us to rent. Please pray that they will find the right place, one that is functional and affordable. They will have a lot of work to do, because most homes are bare shells. We will need to paint the walls, install window treatments, air conditioners, water heaters, water purifiers, and purchase furniture, appliances, and sundry items. We are thankful for your faithful prayers. Later this month, we will send an announcement about Phase 2 of the Abundant Life Training Center.

God is doing great things through our Thai brothers and sisters!

First, I (Mike) want to thank all of you for your powerful prayers for me while I was in the hospital.  I had a prostatitis for a few years (and didn't know that I had it) and it turned into a sepsis infection that damaged my heart and organs and I also developed pneumonia.  Praise God, the damage to my heart and organs has reversed and my lungs are clear.  God is good!  I was healed by God through your prayers.  Thank you!

Now that I am healthy again, I will be re-scheduling to visit churches from September through December.  If you would like for us to come to your church, contact us via email at morrisseys@thailandnow.org.

Chonburi Province

Second, I would like to announce that our mission is working together with Pastor Pranee to plant a new Pioneer Pastor church in Thungkwang county in Chonburi province.  This county has no Christian church and over 5,000 people live there.  Last year, Pastor Pranee planted a Pioneer Pastor Church in Huathanon county, 12 miles away from this location.  She will serve on this circuit of two churches, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in an unreached places.  Because of your faithful giving, we were able to give funds to help Pastor Pranee to build a simple house in Thungkwang, that will serve as her residence and also as a home church.  Please keep Pastor Pranee in prayer.

78 year old Payom receiving baptism from Pastor Somchai. 
Thai new believers are of all ages!

Both of these Pioneer Pastor Churches are daughter churches of Promise Church, which is led by Pastor Somchai.  Pastor Somchai sent us a video of baptisms of new believers at his church.  

Please take time to watch the video and enjoy.  It will warm your heart and is worth taking time to be blessed by it.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your faithful support that has allowed us to send food relief to the Thai pastors serving in urban areas.  The lockdowns in the urban areas of Thailand have devastated the economy.  This lockdown will continue for many months because the Delta Variant of COVID has spread to all of the provinces in Thailand.  At this time, only 14% of Thais are vaccinated.  Please pray that the vaccination efforts will increase.  Your prayers make a difference!