God is good! We have
more great news to report.
TMM has just opened a second church this year through the
Pioneering Pastors Program. This church
is in an unreached sub-district in Chiang Rai called Mai Ya, and it is the
hometown of Pastor Jerron. Pastor Jerron
and his wife, Pastor On, were the first church planters we worked together with
when we first came to Thailand. They
planted the church at Bowin, which was our first church plant, and they have
worked hard to form Bowin church into a strong congregation. They have both had the vision of planting a
church in Pastor Jerron’s hometown for over 2 years, but we asked them to wait
until Bowin was strong enough to be self-supporting and there was a leader to
replace them. They were faithful in
agreeing to do this, and the time has come for them to pursue their vision
because Bowin is strong. The church now
has their own building, they no longer need to rent. And Bowin church has a new leader in Pastor
Amnut, who previously was a pastor intern at this church.
Pastor Jerron and On are very excited about their new
ministry in Mai Ya. Before Pastor Jerron
was a Christian, he served as a Buddhist monk in the Mai Ya. When Sherri and I went walking through the
town with Pastor Jerron, everyone remembered him and greeted him. He already has many strong relationships
here in Mai Ya to build upon as he now seeks to share about the Lord Jesus
Christ with the same people that years ago he served as a Buddhist monk. God has placed a great burden on the hearts
of Pastors Jerron and On for the people of Mai Ya. Mai Ya sub-district has 17 villages with over
11,500 people, with no church in the sub-district until now. Now the sub-district of Mai Ya has a church,
and this church will make an eternity of difference here.
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| Left to Right: Sherri Morrissey, Pastor Banya, Abbot Tahp, Pastor Jerron, Teacher Amporn (wife of Pastor Banya) |
Pastor Banya, his wife Amporn and their son Sadudee, joined
us and Pastor Jerron in traveling to Mai Ya for meetings for pioneering this
new church. While in Mai Ya, we had the
privilege of meeting Pastor Jerron’s old friend, Abbot Tahp. Abbot Tahp and Pastor Jerron served as
Buddhist monks together years ago at the Buddhist temple in town. Now Tahp serves a the abbot of a small
Buddhist temple on the hill beside the town.
Abbot Tahp was pleased to see his old friend, Pastor Jerron, and
responded positively to Pastor Jerron, as he told of his plans to come up and
plant a church in town.
There is already a small group of believers in Mai Ya, and
this group has been calling out to Pastors Jerron and On for the past year to come pioneer a
church in their village. One of these
believers is named Ben, and she has offered her large house to be the place of
worship for the church. It is impossible
to miss Ben’s house, which is painted fluorescent pink, and shines brightly
against the neighbors’ homes which are all earth toned. Then when we entered the house, it was all
pink inside as well. Sherri and Ben both
must have received lessons from the same home decorator. It is all very bright and cheerful.
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| Inside the Pink Church of Mai Ya |
Ben and her best friend Pen (the names sound alike except
for you say them with different tones) are strong in the Lord already. They study the Bible everyday through
correspondence and it showed. Their
Bibles were frayed from use and their spirits were vibrant with the love and
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ben
and Pen hosted all of us at Ben’s home for two days, graciously preparing
delicious meals for everyone. Ben and
Pen also received a vision from God that their village needed a church, and
they were to have open their home to be used as a place of worship. Ben even had a pulpit built and placed in the
living room of the pink house. This
pulpit was a symbol of their faith that God would lead a pioneering pastor to
join them. Ben and Pen were overjoyed
that God made a way for this to happen by leading Pastors Jerron and On to lead
this new church. We know God will bless
this new church at Mai Ya, for He has ordained it so.
We were pleasantly surprised on our last day of meetings in
Mai Ya to have a group of believers from a church from a different sub-district
came to worship with us and to give their blessing and encouragement. This church is a Presbyterian church and we
were truly edified by their excitement that Pastors Jerron and On would be
pioneering a new church in Mai Ya. We
worshipped and prayed together and ate a meal together as well. The fellowship of God’s people is truly
sweet.
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| Ben (foreground) and Pen, Spirit-filled believers in Mai Ya. |
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| Members of the Presbyterian church in the neighboring sub-district come to visit with us and the believers of Mai Ya. |
TMM is supporting Pastors Jerron and On with monthly support
as well as a financial grant to help Pastor Jerron open a barber shop in town
to help him support his family and also help the church to become financially self-sufficient. Church planting and economic development
always go hand-in-hand to form strong churches that can stand and multiply on
their own.
Please pray for Pastors Jerron and On, they have much work
to do and many relationships to build as they share Christ with the people of
Mai Ya.
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| Sherri at the Buddhist temple on the hill, with a view of the nearby town in the background. |
