A very inspiring worship service at Life Center UMC

This past Sunday morning worship at Life Center UMC (the church that sponsors Blessing Home) in Pattaya was a great blessing.

This past Sunday, the women from the Tamar Center worshipped with us.  The Tamar Center is a ministry of Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in Pattaya that helps women to leave prostitution and develops them to have new life in Christ through a residence program that teaches them other vocations, such as becoming beauticians or managing a coffee shop and bakery.  The members of Life Center UMC have had a special relationship with this ministry, helping with vocational training, such as making greeting cards that can be sold to tourists.   12 women and 3 staff from Tamar Center were worshipping the Lord with us, and it was amazing to see how God has radically changed their lives, giving them hope and joy and a community of faith that supports them.  Changed lives and hope in Christ is what our ministries are all about, and it gives a great feeling of satisfaction, knowing that God is working in the lives of these women.  It is a privilege for Blessing Home to work together with other ant-trafficking ministries here at Ground Zero for sex trafficking in Pacific Asia.

We usually like to take pictures and post them on the blog, but we need to allow these women to have anonymity which they need.

Also, on Sunday morning, we heard the testimony of a follower of Jesus Christ who used to be Muslim.  This past Sunday was Muslim New Year, and he attempted to call his mother to express his love for her.  But she would not receive his call, which was expected.  This man, named Moses, has been rejected by his family and cannot return to his home town in the Southern region of Thailand because he would most likely be killed for becoming a Christian.  Moses is a brave man who has given up everything for Christ.  And now his church family is his only real family.   It is an honor to worship the Lord together with Moses.  He is truly inspires us.

Meet Pastors Rungroj and Somjit

Pastors Rungroj and Somjit are veteran pioneer pastors.  We met them six years ago when they planted a new church in an unreached sub-district in Thailand near where we live, at Sichang Island.  That church is now doing well, and they are being called by God to go to his hometown of Nong Phikun in Nakhon Sawan province (Nakhon Sawan means "Heaven City").  The sub-district on Nong Phikun and two neighboring sub-districts have no church of any type whatsoever.  We are resourcing and training Pastors Rungroj and Somjit to go there to pioneer a church, starting at the end of September.

Nong Phikun is a beautiful rural area, where they grow many things, especially corn.  They type of corn grown here is used to make corn oil.  We are resourcing Pastors Rungroj and Somjit for agricultural projects which will support them in their ministry.  They have many plans, including building a fish farm.
This is how we do church planting in Thailand, we help train pastors in the Cell Group method of church planting and we help them form business plans and coach them to implement them, so they can support themselves.  Self-supporting pastors and churches are permanent ministries.

Please pray for Rungroj and Somjit as they prepare to pioneer once again.  Your prayers make the difference.  Also pray for their youngest daughter, who is in the picture with them.  She is in her final year of high school and will remain with friends of the family on Sichang Island, so she can graduate.  This is a big transition for her as well.

Veteran pioneers, Pastors Rungroj and Somjit with their daughter standing in a corn field on their farm in Nong Phikun.

View Pastors Rungroj and Somjit in a larger map

This is the location where Pastors Rungroj and Somjit will plant a new church.