Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Provides!

Every year, around the first week of December, a very generous businessman donates thousands of blankets to Pastor Somsri and other Thai Christian leaders, and then these blankets are distributed by them to churches all across Thailand to be used in Christmas evangelism events.  

In Thailand, Christmas is not as much a family celebration as it is a time when the churches reach out to their community with the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Thai Christians save up their money during the year, so they can generously provide gifts for their neighbors who do not yet know Christ.  So, the generous donation of blankets helps new churches (that could usually not afford to buy gifts) to be able to show the love of Jesus at Christmastime.  

But this year was different.  The first week of December came and there were no blankets.  The factory in China that makes the blankets had been closed because of Zero Covid restrictions.  Pastor Somsri and the members of Fire of Glory Church began to pray for God to provide. 

Last week, Pastor Somsri traveled to the office of the generous businessman who donates the blankets each year hoping to hear good news.  The very minute that Pastor Somsri arrived at the office, the office manager received a call from the Port of Bangkok, the container of blankets had just arrived and would be ready to pick up the following day.  When God's people pray, mountains move!

As soon as Pastor Somsri received the blankets, her team started to pack them into boxes and ship them to churches in every region of Thailand (see the picture above).  Jehovah Jireh - God Provides!

The Christian Movement in Thailand is Accelerating

Here is a graphic of how churches are being planted throughout history in Thailand.  As you can see, the Christian movement is accelerating!

It is the vision of the Pioneer Pastor movement that every county have at least one thriving Thai church.  With your prayers and support, you have helped us to work with Thai pastors and leaders to plant 47 new churches in previously unreached counties in Thailand (plus many more in counties that already had one church).  The need is still great because 75% of counties (sub-districts) in Thailand are still unreached, having no Christian churches.  

I wish we had an up-to-date version of the above graphic.  The graphic ends in 2016 with 5,097 churches.  Since then, another 3,220 churches have been planted in the past 6 years.  And the churches that do exist are larger and stronger.  

Every month, new Thai Christian believers are being baptized.  It is a great joy and privilege to be able to work in the fields of harvest with Thai pastors and Christian leaders.  Sherri and I are grateful for your faithful prayers and support which make this mission possible.

Carol and Vicki are retiring

Carol Fare and Vicki Brown have served faithfully with Thailand NOW (formerly Thailand Methodist Mission) for many years.  They began serving at Blessing Home Pattaya in 2013, and then were the first Directors at the Blessing Home Isan Center.  A few years later, they initiated a new ministry for special needs children called Special Blessings Korat.   We are grateful for their service and wish them happiness and good health as they remain in Thailand after their retirement on December 31.

Merry Christmas!

We and all of the Thailand NOW Team wish you and your family and Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.  May the Lord bless you as you have been a great blessing to us and the Thai people.

Please help us get the word out about Thailand NOW.

Please download our 2022 Newsletter and print out a few copies.  Keep one copy for yourself to read and then please post the other copies at your church, in your Sunday School class, or any other place where church members will be able to see and read it.

Please click on the picture of the 2022 Newsletter above to download it.

Abundant Life Training Center Update

As you can see, all of the groundwork is complete and now we are beginning with the walls.  Construction of the Sanctuary/Training Room is going fast.  After this building, construction will begin for a house for Teddy and May who serve as Directors of the Abundant Life Training Center and pastors of this new church in Lamplaimat, Buriram in Northeast Thailand.

We still need more funds for the rest of Phase Two of this project, which is building a Kitchen/Restroom building and a small office building.  We have received a bit over $108,000 of the $140,000 needed for this phase and we hope that you and your church (and church groups, like Sunday School classes) will make special donations towards this project this Christmas.

When you give to this project, please designate your gifts to the BUILDING FUND.

Donations can be given online at https://thailandnow.org/donate/

or send a check by mail to:

Thailand NOW

P.O. Box 56

Mannsville, KY 42758

Thank you!!

A time of grief in Thailand

As you all have seen in the news, there was a terrible mass killing in Northeast Thailand this week.  A man who was dismissed from the police force last year entered the nursery where his son attends and he attacked the teachers and children ages 2-5 years old.  Only 23 of the usual 90 children were there because flooding from rain and a mechanical breakdown of the school bus prevented most from being at school that day.  Of the 23 children present, only 1 survived. 

The killer then drove to his house, taking the lives of his son and wife before committing suicide.  A total of 23 children and 13 adults were killed as well as many other were injured.  It has been a time of deep national grief.  Mass killings are a rare occurrence in Thailand.

We know many of you have been praying and we appreciate your thoughtfulness.  

Director of the Abundant Life Financial Training Program, Ratchada "May" Kuntisa, graduates.

May began serving on staff with us many years ago as a Thai language tutor for new missionaries, and then was promoted to serve with us as a translator and then as Director of the Abundant Life Financial Training Program.  May has overcome great difficulties that would have crushed most people.  One of the first ones to take notice of the great potential in May was a short-term missionary who served with us at Blessing Home Pattaya named Katie Bredesen.  Katie chose May (and a few others) to receive a college scholarship for one year.  (Thank you, Katie!)

Since then, May has continued her education and has now completed her B.A. degree in Information Science.  What is incredible is that she accomplished this while raising her own three children as well as being the guardian of her nephew and taking in her sister-in-law and her son.  In May's household eight people live in a small townhouse, and the only time she has to study is in the middle of the night.  All this while working full-time too.  It is very rare in Thailand for a mother to graduate from college with a B.A. degree, but to have a mother with 4 children in her household to accomplish this is incredible.  

Construction of the Church building at the Abundant Life Training Center begins.

Above is the picture of Sherri, May, Khun Ai (the general contractor), and Teddy (May's husband and full-time Thailand NOW team member) signing the contract to begin construction on the church building for the Abundant Life Financial Training Program.  May and Teddy will sign a separate contract to build their home on a corner of the training center land.

The day after signing the contract, construction began.  Below are some pictures of piledriving reinforced concrete columns into the ground.  These columns will prevent keep the foundation from sinking, shifting, and cracking.

We have now received over $106,000 of the $140,000 needed for this phase of construction.  We have enough funds to build a house for May and Teddy (the Directors of the Abundant Life Training Center) as well as the Church Building.  We still need $34,000 more so we can build a kitchen/restroom building and a small office.  Our request is that every church and each individual supporter will consider special Christmas offerings and donations to this project.  Our hope is that we will have all of the needed funds raised in 2022.

When you give to this project, please designate your gifts to the BUILDING FUND.

Donations can be given online at https://thailandnow.org/donate/

or send a check by mail to:

Thailand NOW

P.O. Box 56

Mannsville, KY 42758

Donations of Stocks and Estate Donations 

Giving stock is a great way to make an eternal difference in the lives of Thai people. Stock shares can be transferred directly to Thailand Now and can have more tax benefits for the giver and the recipient.  Please contact our treasurer via email at terrigabe@windstream.net if you are interested in giving this way.

Estate Donations  - By including Thailand Now as an additional beneficiary in your estate plan, you can have a huge impact on the mission of reaching Thai people for Jesus Christ. Thailand NOW's tax ID number is 27-2388347.  Your financial advisor or tax attorney can best assist you in making these arrangements.

Two Wonderful Answers to the Prayers of God’s People and an Update

Our hearts have been bursting to tell you about two wonderful answers to your prayers, but we had to wait until now.

Wonderful Answer to Prayer #1 – Allie and David Houle are now parents!

You have been praying for Allie and David Houle during the past few years as they sought to adopt a special needs Thai child.  We thank you for your continued prayers, because many people tire of praying for the same need for a long time.

So, we would like to share with you the blog article that David and Allie just published.

We have wonderful news to share!

We finally brought our daughter home! Hallelujah! God is good!

Thank you all so much for praying with us! It has been a very long process but we are overjoyed to have our little girl home. About a week ago we got news that our case had been approved by the adoption board and the orphanage began working to put together a final meeting with us. It was an all-day affair where we got to meet with the caretakers, the nurse, the social workers, and even the director of the orphanage. They showed us around the orphanage and gave us more detail into her care before having lunch with us and taking pictures. We are just so thankful that we have brought her home. It truly is an answered prayer. Moving forward, there are still a few things we have to do to finish the adoption process. Next week we have an interview with the adoption board in Bangkok and that’ll kick off the start of the 6-month probationary care period. During which, we will have a social worker periodically come out to our house to check on how things are going. The orphanage has asked us to not yet share photos of her or post any online at this time.

We are so happy and we look forward to sharing with you all how she learns and grows. Please continue to pray for us and our family as we get to know each other and bond. Also, please be praying that our interview and the final stages of the adoption will go smoothly as well. Thank you all so much for your love and support. We are very happy parents!

David and Allie

 

Wonderful Answer to Prayer #2 – Pastor W receives justice at court from those who want to persecute Christians

Four months ago, we met Pastor W (we cannot use his name or reveal his location for safety concerns) who is an experienced church planter.  Pastor W has planted three churches in our region, and he is now planting his fourth church.  Hardcore COVID lockdowns in Thailand devastated his church and his business.  For almost two years, his church could not meet in person and could only worship online.  Church donations plummeted at the same time Pastor W’s business was tanking.  The church could no longer afford the rent on the building they were renting, so they moved worship to Pastor W’s home, which is very small.  There was not enough room for everyone to come worship, so many had to worship online.  Even those who came to worship in-person could usually not sit inside (which only could seat about 12 people, and most had to sit or stand outside.

This past year, they began construction of a simple church building on the plot next to Pastor W’s house.  Because they did not have much money, they used free or discounted scrap materials from other nearby construction projects.  By the time we met Pastor W, church construction was 75% complete.  Because of your generosity, we were able to give funds to Pastor W that will be enough to complete the construction, so that all of the members can worship together.  This church is in a strategic location, near the new local university.  Many apartment buildings for students and faculty are being constructed around the church.

Three months ago, Pastor W noticed a pile of cans of old paint on the sidewalk in front of a paint store (The paint was past it’s expiration date and could no longer be sold).  There was a sign on the pile of cans that said “Free Paint for Donation”.  Pastor W selected three cans of paint and then went back to the church and began to paint the sanctuary.  Soon after Pastor W began to paint the sanctuary, police arrived at the church and arrested Pastor W and brought him to the police station where he was charged for stealing paint. 

Pastor W explained that the paint was on the sidewalk, and there was a sign saying “free paint for donation”, and the owner of the paint store acknowledged this, but said that Pastor W should have come inside the store to receive permission to take the paint.  The paint store owner said he objected to the paint being used for a Christian church, and that he would have been OK if it had been used for a Buddhist temple or school.

Pastor W offered to pay for the paint but the paint store owner refused.  For the next three weeks, Pastor W was summoned to come to the police station on a daily basis for interrogation.  He was threatened that the penalty for theft would be reparations equal to 20 times the cost of the paint (a sum that would be equal to 6 months of his normal income) and one year imprisonment. 

Pastor W asked for us to pray and also requested anonymity, because it was a dangerous situation for his family.  So, we did not post his story on the blog, but instead just asked a smaller group of people to pray without putting Pastor W’s story in print.

This past week, Pastor W went to court and the judge determined that Pastor W was innocent of all charges and that the lawsuit by the paint store owner was frivolous.  The judge then offered Pastor W the option to immediately counter-sue the paint store owner, and said that he would be awarded the same amount of money that the paint store owner tried to extract from him.  With the humility of Christ, Pastor W declined to prosecute the paint store owner and said he wanted peace.

Below is a picture of Pastor W and his wife hugging each other outside the courtroom (For their safety, we have modified the picture to not reveal faces).

NOW an update on the Abundant Life Training Center

It looks like we have found the contractor to build the church building and the house for the Thai directors of this ministry.   We hope to begin construction in a few months when rain season ends.

We really need to raise the remaining funds needed for Phase Two of the Abundant Life Training Center, so we can build a Kitchen/Restroom building and a small office too.  So far we have $102,000 of the $140,000 needed for this project.

If you want to give to this project, please designate your donation for the Building Fund.

You can give online at https://thailandnow.org/donate/

OR

Send a check to:

Thailand NOW 

P.O. Box 56

Mannsville, KY 42758

Prayer needed for two new Pioneer Pastor Churches

1 Corinthians 3:5-9

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.  For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

We need your prayers for two pastors who are planting new Pioneer Pastor Churches.  The Pioneer Pastors are doing their part, sacrificially working in the fields, planting and watering for the Kingdom of God.  But only God can make things grow and flourish.  Your prayers help to make the new Pioneer Pastor churches to make disciples who are strong and to also plant new churches themselves.  Thank you for being co-workers together with us in the fields of Thailand.  75% of the counties (sub-districts) in Thailand are unreached, having no Christian churches.  It is these unreached counties that are our strategic focus for planting new churches, so that people can be transformed by the love of Jesus.

When a Pioneer Pastor Church is planted, the pastor and new believers at that church always have a great burden on their hearts for reaching others with the Gospel of Jesus.  They have new life in Jesus Christ, and they want to see others have the same joy that they have experienced.  Many Pioneer Pastor Churches go on to plant other churches.  This is the case with Pastor Awee (who graduated this year, receiving a Master of Divinity degree) and the God is Good Bueng Khan Church.  For the last three years, they have been evangelizing and leading a cell group in Rattana Wapi, an unreached county in Nong Khai province (see the map below) right up on the border with Laos, on the Mekong River. 

Rattana Wapi has a population of 11,000 people, most of Pastor Awee and his members have planted the first church in this county.  They meet every week for worship and prayer, and more and more people are receiving Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Pioneer Pastor Churches many times plant new daughter churches, because church planting, evangelism, and disciple-making are baked into their DNA.  It is just what we do as Christians who have experienced the power of the Father, love of Jesus and transformation and in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit.  We want others to have this too.  

Another new Pioneer Pastor Church that needs your prayers is Hat Kham Church, which is located just a mile or so from the border of Myanmar in Prachuap Khiri Khan province (see the map below).

Hat Kham is a county with a population of 9,000 people and Pastors Wichien and Puangtaun of Kuiburi Church have been evangelizing and leading a cell group here for several years.  They have developed leaders at Hat Kham, and one of those leaders has been called by God to train for ministry to become the pastor of this new church.

Pastor Jaeng (seen in the white shirt and the center of the picture) is a widow who returned to her home village in Hat Kham after her husband died, to care for her mother who opened her home to be the base for a new church.  Pastor Jaeng is in the midst of divinity studies at Bangkok Bible Seminary, and is also leading this new church in her hometown.  All of the members of Hat Kham Church have specifically asked for prayer because there is great resistance to the Gospel, and God's intervention is needed to open hearts.  We told them that there will be many people praying for them, that they are not alone.  This made them very happy.  

Thank you for being co-workers in the mission through your prayers and support.  You make this mission possible.

https://thailandnow.org

Thailand NOW
P.O. Box 56
Mannsville, KY 42758

A New School Year Begins for our Blessing Home Kids

(Left: Maria tries out her new school uniform)

Now that the Omicron Covid Spike is over in Thailand, most Thai children are going back to in-person instruction in school for the first time in two years.  It has been a great challenge to keep the Blessing Home teens motivated to do their online studies.  They do much better with in-person instruction, so we are thrilled that the schools are opening up. 

On the left is Maria (formerly called Naet) who is in Christian foster care through the Blessing Home program.  Through your generosity, she is able to go to a private school and to receive the love of her foster parents, Dr. Somsri and Mr. Samai.   This is possible because of you and we are grateful.  Thank you.

Every time we see our Blessing Home kids in their school uniforms, we just burst with praise for God that He has changed the trajectory of the lives of these children, giving them hope in Christ and a wonderful future of good opportunities.  God is Great!  God is Wonderful!  Amen!

Another wonderful thing about the new school year of in-person instruction is that our Pioneer Pastors can once again share the Good News of Jesus Christ with school children through special events at the schools.

Although Thailand is a Buddhist majority country, many public schools allow our pastors to teach about Jesus at special events.  Pastors Dr. Wassana and her husband, Rev. Sila, of the Prasiri Wesleyan Church in Bangkok went to an Elementary School where Wassana attended as a child in Chaiyaphum Province.  

Wassana grew up in a county that had no Christian church and it is still unreached to this day.  This does not surprise us, because 75% of the counties in Thailand are unreached and have never had a Christian church.  

Dr. Wassana has a heart for reaching the people in the county where she grew up as a child, so she has formed an Evangelism Team to go to two unreached locations to begin the work of bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people.  This past week, they were able to tell stories of Jesus to the school children at the Elementary school and they also gave out Christmas Child boxes (yes, this is a little bit late, but the boxes arrived in Thailand long after Christmas had passed).

Above is a picture of Dr. Wassana and the school children who received Christmas Child boxes.

One final word of PRAISE!

Since last month, we have received generous donations towards the Building Fund for Phase 2 of the Abundant Life Training Center.  We have now received $102,000, which is enough to construct a church building (which will also be used for training and seminars for the Abundant Life Financial Training Program) and to build a house for May and Teddy, who serve as staff with us.  We will begin construction on the church in the next few months.  We are waiting for a few months to let the rain pack down the dirt that was used to fill up the land above flood levels.  This is necessary so that the foundation will not settle and crack.  

Now we are only $38,000 from our goal, which will help to construct an Kitchen and Restrooms Building as well as a small Office building.

If you would like to donate to this construction project, be sure to designate your gift to the Building Fund.

All donations can be done by check or online.

Checks may be sent by mail to:

Thailand NOW

P.O. Box 56

Mannsville, KY 42758

Online donations can be given through our website at: https://thailandnow.org/donate/

 

One Outstanding Day of Amazing Blessings

Last week, we traveled to Phetchabun province for the graduation ceremony of the Thailand Theological Seminary (TTS).  TTS is one of the four seminaries (Global Theological Institute, Phayao Bible Seminary, and Bangkok Bible Seminary are the other three) that we send Pioneer Pastors for ministerial studies.  Over the past 16 years, we have had the great privilege of sponsoring the theological education of 123 full-time pastors and Christian workers.  And we have attended and participated in many graduation ceremonies.  But this one was truly amazing.

First, it was amazing because five Pioneer Pastors earned their Doctor of Ministry degrees, which is the first time any of the pastors who serve alongside us have reached this level of education.  We have seen a trend across many seminaries in Thailand.  For a long time, Thai seminaries have relied on professors from the United States and South Korea to come to teach one or two week block classes because there were not enough qualified Thai professors to teach all of the classes needed.  But now that more and more Thai pastors are earning their doctorate degrees, these seminaries are able to employ Thai professors.  

Second, there was a total of 11 Pioneer Pastors who graduated on this day, 5 Doctor of Ministry degrees, 4 earned Master of Divinity degrees, and 2 earned Bachelor of Ministry degrees.

Here are some of the Pioneer Pastors who graduated on this wonderful day:

(ABOVE: From left to right) Dr. Warin (D.Min.) of Fire of Glory Church, Rev. Santi (B.Min.) of Sukhothai Church, Dr. Somsri (D. Min.) of Fire of Glory Church, Rev. Moss of Fire of Glory Church.

(ABOVE: From left to right) Rev. Nuch of God is Good Church, Dr. Sherri Morrissey, Dr. Narayuth (Peter) of God is Good Church, Rev. Mike Morrissey, Rev. Awee of Buengkan Church.

 

(ABOVE: From left to right) Rev. Mike Morrissey, Rev. Sila (M.Div.) of Prasiri Wesleyan Church, Dr. Wassana (D. Min.) of Prasiri Wesleyan Church, and Dr. Sherri Morrissey.

Third, what made this day to be truly outstanding was the large scale of the graduation ceremony.  Over 280 people graduated on this day, making it by far the largest graduation ceremony of any Thai seminary that we have experienced.  With these many graduates, we can feel the momentum of rapid growth of Christianity in Thailand.  We extend our applause and admiration to Dr. Wallapa who is president of the Thailand Theological Seminary for her fruitful ministry and tireless labor for the Kingdom of God.  She is an anointed servant of the Lord!

Finally, Sherri and I would like to wish all of you a Blessed Easter!  Jesus is Risen! Hallelujah!

Good news at a time when most of the news is bad.

A Blessing Home Child Graduates from University

We are pleased to announce that BooBay has graduated with her B.A. degree in Business English and Hospitality.  BooBay's father was a Pioneer Pastor who passed away four years ago.  While he was in his last week of life in the hospital, we promised to support his daughter BooBay through university, so that he could have peace of mind about his family as he was nearing the end.  

BooBay worked hard at her studies, and stayed at our house one night per week during the school year to practice her English and receive tutoring.  She just graduated this month and she works at the front desk of a four star hotel in Sriracha (yes, the same city where the famous Sriracha sauce came from).  We want to thank all of our generous donors who make it possible to send some of our Blessing Home children to attend university and trade school.  BooBay and others like her have a great future ahead.  God is good!

What happens to a Christmas Child box after I donate it?

We are very happy to know that most of the churches that support our mission also participate in the Christmas Child, which is a world-wide ministry of Samaritan Purse.  The Christmas Child boxes that you thoughtfully and compassionately make and donate, are sent to nations all over the world, including Thailand.  

For the last six years in Thailand, Christmas Child boxes have arrived well after Christmas is over.  But that is not a problem at all.  We just store the boxes until we do Christmas evangelism outreach events later in the year.

This week, the Christmas Child boxes arrived in Bangkok, and Pioneer Pastors from all over Thailand went to pick up the boxes.  Pastor Somsri of Fire of Glory Church sent pictures to us of picking up the boxes, and we wanted to share them with you.  As you can see from the second picture, Pastor Somsri loaded her vehicle to the brim with the boxes and resources.

What many people in the United States do not realize is the gift boxes are just a one part of a wonderful program.  Along with the gift boxes, Samaritan Purse also gives us free books for children called "The Greatest Journey".  They are brilliantly designed books that share the Good News of Jesus Christ through an 12-week Children's Bible Club.  So when we have Christmas outreach, we share the gospel with the whole family at the event.  Many people receive Jesus as their Savior at these events.  And then we begin the 12-week Children's Bible Club where we begin to help the children to grow in Christ.  

We make use of this wonderful ministry in the Pioneer Pastor program as we plant church in unreached counties in Thailand.  We begin with these Christmas events and then move on to start Children's Bible Clubs.  Through these clubs, we then go on to reach the whole family for Jesus.  So your gift of a Christmas Child Box has much more impact then you may have known.

The Abundant Life Training Center - Phase Two

Every month, we get closer to the goal of raising $140,000 for building a Sanctuary (which will be used as a training center and also as a Pioneer Pastor church, since this center is in an unreached county), and a house for the Directors of the Abundant Life Training Center, a kitchen / restroom building, and a small office.

We now have enough funds to build the house for May and Teddy, who will lead the ministries at this new location.  And we hope to have enough funds by Easter to also begin building the Sanctuary.

Thank you for your support and all of the rapid progress that is happening.  God is good!

If you would like your donation to be designated for the construction of the Abundant Life Training Center, please be sure to designate it for the Building Fund.

You can donate online at https://thailandnow.org/donate/

Or donate by mailing a check to Thailand NOW at:

Thailand NOW, 

P.O. Box 56 

Mannsville, KY 42758

Sherri and I are now back in Thailand, PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Sherri and I arrived in Thailand on January 31st and then had to stay 8 days in strict quarantine at a special quarantine hotel.  We were met at the airport by people dressed up in PPE and transported to the hotel in a special quarantine van.  We could not leave our room during the eight days of quarantine, but we were able to use the time constructively to get some rest and to work on projects.  But now we are out and we are at our new home in Buriram province, near where the Abundant Life Training Center is being constructed.

There are so many things to report, and I am not sure where to begin.

1.  First, some news that broke our hearts.  Pastor Ekarin, one of our beloved Pioneer Pastors, passed away last month, leaving behind his wife Pacharee and 3 school age children (the youngest is only six years old).  ThisWe will miss Ekarin's humor and his beautiful singing.  Please keep this family in prayer as they grieve and try to put life back together.  

2.  Pastor Sila and Wassana (in the picture standing in front of their "planning board") and the members of Prasiri Wesleyan Church in Bangkok have been working day and night for the past 2 months.  They have demolished the two homes that they were using as church buildings and then quickly constructing a new church building.  The building is not yet complete, but they at lease can use the building on Sunday mornings for worship.  All of the labor is "in house" and the Lord has miraculously provided all of the materials at deep discounts.  They have not had to buy or lease any tools and equipment, because their neighbors (most of whom are Buddhist) have let them borrow what they needed.  This building is being built at only a third of the cost of what a contractor would have charged!  We praise the Lord for His provision!

3.  Today we are finally bringing in our last load of fill to raise the land (which was previously a very wet rice paddy) for the Abundant Life Training Center.  We have had to have a bit over 2,000 truckloads of dirt to raise the level of the land by 6 feet so it will be well above flood levels.  We are now ready to begin construction on a house for May and Teddy who will serve as Directors of the Abundant Life Training Center as a Pioneer Pastors of the new church which will be planted here (this is an unreached county).

4. The old van that Pastor Somsri was using to pick up families to bring them to church had all broken down and the repairs would cost more than what the vehicle was worth.  They also used the old van to travel with the Pioneer Pastor program, training and mentoring new pastors.  And the financial devastation of Covid had left them unable to purchase another vehicle.  We had the great privilege of buying this Chevy SUV that is in good shape and low mileage too.  We praise the Lord that we have generous sponsors who make the mission possible.

5.  Yes, here is the fundraising chart for Phase 2 of the Abundant Life Training Center.  We received many generous donations, and now we have a bit over $71,000 of the $140,000 needed for to build a church building, a house for the May and Teddy, the directors of the Center, a small office building, and a simple kitchen / restroom facility.

Praise God, we have enough now to build the house for May and Teddy.  We hope to receive more donations between now and Easter so that we can build the church building.

If you want to donate to this project, be sure to designate it for the BUILDING FUND.

Donations can be sent by check in the mail to:

Thailand NOW

P.O. Box 56

Mannsville, KY 42758

OR Give Online at https://thailandnow.org/donate/