Triage and College Scholarships

Schools across Thailand are closed for summer break during March and April, and this is the time when Pastor Banya and TMM missionaries do triage.  There are always many more children who need help than what we have resources for, so we must determine which children are at the greatest risk, so that we can give them the limited spots on the Blessing Home roster.  At Blessing Home Ground Zero, Pastor Banya does this through interviews, and everyday there are people who bring children seeking to get them enrolled in at Blessing Home.  Carol and Vicki at Blessing Home Isan do home visits and interviews to find the children who have the greatest need.  We do triage so that we can make the very best use of the funds that you generously donate to save and protect children.  We want to make the most impact with the gifts God has given to this ministry.

Because of your generosity, we now are giving full college scholarships through Blessing Home to deserving young adults who would never be able to go to college without major assistance.  You have already met Bo and Sopita, who have completed their freshman year at university.  They have done well and will receive scholarships for study again this year.  

Kao Poad is receiving a full scholarship from the Thailand Methodist Mission through Blessing Home Isan

Today we would like to introduce you to one of our new college scholarship recipients who is very special to us.  Her name nickname is Kao Poad which means “Corn” and she leads the Praise Team at her church in Nonsomboon.  Kao Poad’s parents, Maeng and Saow, are devoted Christians who are tenant farmers who work hard but only can barely sustain their family.  Kao Poad and her niece Namtaan live in the same household and both are students at Blessing Home Isan.

Maeng and Saow say thank you for helping their family.  Their granddaughter Namtaan (on the far left) is a student at Blessing Home Isan and their daughter Kao Poad (on the far right) is receiving a full college scholarship.

Kao Poad began her studies as an English major at St. Theresa International College this week and we are proud of her because she overcame many obstacles in life to be able to qualify to be a student at this college.  Kao Poad is the first person in her family to attend graduate from high school and go on to college.  Please keep her in your prayers.  Kao Poad is attending a competitive university and she must “run with the horses” to make good grades at St. Theresa.

We have had several people email us asking for information on how to donate, so we thought it would be good to include that with this prayer blog.  Your donations make the mission possible.

You can give via internet or snail mail.

If you are sending a check, make it out for TMM and send to our treasurer at:

TMM

P.O. Box 56

Mannsville, KY 42758

OR, you can give online on the TMM website at thailandmethodist.org

Update and Praise on the Blessing Home Expansion and a Big Praise at God is Good Church

Praise God, over $88,000 of the $110,000 needed for the Blessing Home expansion in Pattaya has been raised.  We are very close and need $22,000 to complete this project.
And we have some very good news.

The money we have received so far has been enough that we were able to purchase the building next to Blessing Home!  So we do not have to be concerned about the building being sold to someone else before we came up with enough funds.

But the rest of the $22,000 is needed to make the building usable.  And we need to get this is in the next two months if possible, so please pray that we can complete this project soon.  This is essential because the Johnstons will be arriving this summer and we must have this building prepared so their family has a place to live.

The building to the left of Blessing Home has now been purchased!  Praise the Lord!

The remainder of funds is needed for the following needed modifications.
1.  Build a "storefront wall" and residential entranceway to the new section.
2.  Separate the church electric system from the residential electric system.
3.  Install locking door on the new stairwell.
4.  Install kitchen on third floor.
5.  Knock down dividing wall on all three floors and install floor tiles and ceiling where walls used to be.
6.  Install several TV monitors in the new sanctuary.
7.  Install 4 new air conditioning units.
8.  Painting and more painting.
9.  Install security wrought iron on windows and doors in the new section.

So please remember the Building Fund during this Easter season as we make a final push towards completion.

NOW FOR ANOTHER BIG PRAISE!

God is Good Church in Ban Bueng was planted on Easter of 2013, just two years ago.  They quickly built a sanctuary, but they have been overfilled for a long time.  We have been talking to Pastors Peter, Nuc, and Pimjai for quite awhile about the need to expand the sanctuary.  We said the lack of room was a great problem to have.  It is a wonderful problem when more people are coming to church than what you can fit into the building.

So three weeks ago, Pastor Peter surprised us by saying they were going to expand the sanctuary to be twice the size and that they were commencing work the next day, and they would complete the work in less than a week!  He then invited us to come to the first Sunday in the newly expanded sanctuary.  I (Mike) told Peter that the new sanctuary would be adequate for the next six months, but they would then need a new sanctuary.  Peter smiled and replied, "You are wrong, Mike.  It will only be three months!"  And I replied, "Peter, I am wrong, it will be only 1 month and you will need to build a new sanctuary because the expanded one will be overfilled."

Well, Sherri went to God is Good Church the next Sunday for worship, and the newly expanded sanctuary was completed and very beautiful.

Pastor Peter praying in the newly expanded sanctuary at God is Good Church

Well, we are thrilled to report that the first Sunday the new sanctuary was over-filled.  There were already too many people to fit into the sanctuary comfortably.  The chairs had to be compressed to the point where we were right on top of each other.

This is a panorama picture of the 16 new believers receiving Jesus Christ that Sunday at God is Good Church.

God is Good Church is filled with gifted evangelists and every Sunday we visit we meet new believers there.  This past Sunday, 16 new believers professed their faith in Jesus Christ during morning worship.   God is Wonderful!