God is answering your prayers! Thank you!

 We have wonderful praises to report to you this month.   When you pray, we see great things happen in Thailand.  Truly, we have no idea where to begin, so we will start with the most recent answer to prayer.

First, Allie and David Houle, Field Directors for the Blessing Centers, have been in the process of adopting Aden for four years now, and the adoption is finally approved!  Thank you for praying for them for this whole time and not giving up.  Allie and David and all of us at Thailand NOW are celebrating this long awaited blessing.  God is good!

Please continue to pray for Allie and David, that they can quickly get a Thai passport and an American visa for Aden so they can bring her to they can all visit family, friends, and supporters of the mission back in the United States.  Aden Houle is now officially their daughter, but is not yet an American citizen.  So she will need the Thai passport and American visa for her to come to the States.  Allie and David have not been back home in Georgia for over five years because they have awaited the finalization of the adoption of Aden.  

Second, seven months ago, we asked you to pray for Pastors Jin and Fee (not their real names - for their safety we must protect their identities) who are a clergy couple that planted the first church in a region of 8 counties in Northeast Thailand, none of which had a church. (again, we cannot name the community, to protect them).  Jin and Fee rented a two-story row building in their unreached city and started a church there.  The abbot (chief monk) of the local Buddhist temple was upset that a Christian church was being planted in his city, so he organized an armed mob to invade the church.  The abbot and the mob pushed Jin and Fee up against a wall, holding them by their necks, and forbade them from using their phones to take videos or pictures.  Then they destroyed everything in the church and threatened violence if they did not move away from the city.  The police did nothing and no charges were brought against the abbot or any of the mob.  When they did not move away because they could not break the lease on the building, the abbot organized the mob for a second time, and they ransacked the church for a second time.  

Pastors Jin and Fee left the city and moved to a member's home about 2 miles outside of the city.  The room that they met in could not contain everyone, so efforts were made to buy land outside of the city to build a church campus. We paid for an architect to design blueprints for the sanctuary, housing for the pastors, and some classrooms.  We asked everyone to pray that the government officials in the city would look favorably upon them and approve the blueprints and construction permits for building the new church campus.  Jin and Fee contacted us to report that they finally received approval for the blueprints and that they now have the construction permits that are needed.

Thank you for praying for Jin and Fee for the last seven months and not giving up on them.  Your persistent prayers are paving the way for this church to become permanent in the community so that the 62,000 people living in this formerly unreached region can hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and have new life in Him!

Third, for the past two years we have asked you to pray for God's provision for Phase Two of the Abundant Life Training Center.  We needed $140,000 for the construction of a large meeting room, a house for the Director's family, and a Restroom/Kitchen building.

This past month, we received donations that put us over the top and fundraising for Phase Two is complete!  We are grateful for your generosity that made this possible!

The large meeting room in the picture above is complete now.  And the other two buildings (the kitchen & restroom facilities, and the Director’s house, should be complete before the end of the year.  Thank you for praying for the last two years and not giving up.  

Now we will begin Phase Three of fundraising for the Abundant Life Training Center.  Phase Three include the following steps to move the training center campus forward toward functionality: 

1) Bringing in electric service (poles, a transformer, and lines); 

2)  The purchase and installation of 8 inverter air-conditioning units; and 

3)  Building a security wall with 2 gates around the perimeter. (This will also keep local water buffalo from walking through freshly poured wet concrete floors when we begin our Final Phase of building two dormitory/bunk houses... Yes. We had to chuckle when we first saw hoof-prints in the main room’s wet concrete!)             

 The total needed to accomplish these Phase Three tasks is $47,000.  If you, your family, or church group would like to give a special gift toward this project for Christmas, we’d be so grateful!  The Abundant Life Financial Training Center will make it possible to equip pastors, leaders, and Thai churches throughout the nation to grow in essential financial skills, and will provide Biblical training in stewardship—a vital area of discipleship that can bless and strengthen families.

If you would like to give for the construction of the Abundant Life, please designate your gift to the BUILDING FUND.

Donations can be sent by check to:

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

OR give online at:

https://thailandnow.org/donate-2/

Introducing Our New Missionaries

 

We would like to introduce our new long-term missionaries, Revs. Nhia Wahn and Mao Her.  They are Hmong pastors who lived in Laos during the Vietnam war, when their families had to flee to Thailand, where they lived in refugee camps before migrating to the United States and becoming American citizens.  Nhia Wahn and Mao serve as Methodist pastors in Wisconsin, and they will be visiting churches in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin to raise financial and prayer support.  Please pray that all of the necessary funds are raised quickly so they are able to come to Thailand in July 2024.  

Pastors Nhia Wahn and Mao will be serving as Mentoring Pastors for the Pioneer Pastor Program and will be locating in Bangkok, but serving throughout Thailand.  They will be working closely with Pastor Sila and Wassana who lead the Evangelical Wesleyan Church of Thailand organization.

Nhia Wahn and Mao will also be working together with Pastor Wassana to initiate a new church plant and a new Blessing Home Center in Chaiyaphum province in Pastor Wassana's hometown.

Sherri and I met Pastors Nhia Wahn and Mao 16 years ago when they visited us in Thailand and they have been faithful supporters and prayer warriors of the mission.  We are very excited about their decision to be faithful to God's call on their life to serve Thai people with the love of Jesus.

Please remember Thailand NOW mission during this Christmas season.  Your faithful support has an eternal impact on the lives of Thai people:

• Your generosity saves and protects children from being trafficked in the brothels and drug trade;
• Your faithful giving helps to plant churches in unreached counties in Thailand so that people can hear the wonderful Good News of Jesus Christ;
• Your donations make it possible for Pioneer Pastors to receive scholarships for seminary studies and for Blessing Home kids that excel in school to receive scholarships for university and trade school;
• You make it possible to train Thai people to manage their money with biblical principles so they can have emergency funds, and pay off their debt and stay out of debt.

You can give in many ways.

1.  Send a check in the mail to: Thailand NOW, P.O. Box 56, Mannsville, KY 42758

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

3.  For estate giving, please contact our treasurer, Terri Gabehart by email at terrigabe@windstream.net

Blessing Home Isan Youth begin a church planting movement

Seventeen years ago, when we opened the first Blessing Home Center in Pattaya, we had a vision that the Lord would give bright futures to these kids.  We believed that many of the Blessing Home kids would become young adults who were followers of Jesus and had purpose-filled, joyful lives.  And our Lord has done that.  Our God is a wonderful, and His lovingkindness is beyond measure!  

The Lord answered our prayers and the prayers of thousands of prayer warriors like you.  But we want you to know that God has gone beyond our prayers, and far beyond what we imagined.  A revival has broken out amongst the Blessing Home youth and also the young adults who graduated from the Blessing Home program.  Through the leadership of Pastor Kaopoat "Corn" Prayongkham (in the picture below), the Director of Blessing Home Isan, these youth and young adults have been reaching out with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Acts 1:8 (NASB)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My            witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of  the earth.

The revival began with serving in the church, which is their "Jerusalem".  Some served on the praise team.  Others served on the Audio/Visual team.  Others served by teaching Sunday School.  Others served as leaders of the Abundant Life Savings Group.  We have seen guardians and other family members of these Blessing Home youth and young adults becoming followers of Christ.  

Next, the youth began evangelistic outreach into their community and their whole county, which is their "Judea".  The Blessing Home youth and young adults took leadership of providing youth day camps, where they would take turns teaching music, English language, Chinese language, and most importantly teaching them about Jesus Christ.  Many more youth are a part of the Blessing Home Isan ministry and the church there because of these day camps.

Now, these same youth and young adults have been led by the Lord to plant Pioneer Pastor churches in two unreached counties in their region, which is their "Samaria".  The first church plant is in Suk Paibun county, with a population of over 12,000 people.  This church is only one month old and has 30 people in it of all ages.  They have worship together and then divide into two Sunday School classes.  This church meets in a house (most Pioneer Pastor churches begin in homes) that a generous person is allowing to be used for this new church plant.  

One of the Blessing Home young adults named Yok is enrolled in seminary, and will studying through distance learning to earn a Bachelor of Ministry degree so she can become the pastor of this new church.  Pastor Corn will serve as a mentoring pastor for Yok.

Yok received a scholarship from Blessing Home for two-years of study at a vocational college to train to become an electrician.  Yok has graduated and will now become a bi-vocational servant of God who will help to plant this church while she is does seminary studies to prepare to be a pastor.  Through your generosity, we are able to provide a full scholarship for Yok's seminary studies.

The second church plant is in Ban Rat, a nearby unreached county with a population of 8,000 people.  This church is also one month old and has 20 people worshipping there.  This church meets at the home of one of the Blessing Home youth.  Above is a picture of Yok praying for one of the youth at Ban Rat Church.  Below is a picture of Pastor Fern (who leads Grace Church, which meets at the Blessing Home Isan campus) leading worship with adults at the Ban Rat Church.

On top of all of this, Pastor Corn and some of the Blessing Home youth are travelling to other provinces to serve the Lord.  For most of these kids, they rarely if ever travel more than 50 miles from home.  So serving in another province is like going to the "remotest part of  the earth".  Once per month, the Blessing Home Isan youth travel to Blessing Home TaPhraya to put on a day camp.  Blessing Home TaPhraya is about as remote as you get, being just 1/4 mile from the border with Cambodia.  Now we see the revival fire of the Holy Spirit starting to catch on at Blessing Home TaPhraya.

This all happens because you pray!  When you pray, mountains are moved by God in Thailand!

One more word of praise.  A few months ago, we were contacted by one of our Pioneer Pastors with a wonderful serendipitous blessing.  For her safety, I will refer to her as Pastor S.  Pastor S said that she was contacted by the local Buddhist temple.  There is a Buddhist school for children at the temple, and they requested that Pastor S. come every week to teach the children about Jesus!  This is truly a miracle that this door has opened up.  This door opened up because of your prayers!  God is good!  So if you could remember to pray for Pastor S., especially on Sunday evening (which is Monday morning in Thailand), you can lift her up in prayer while she is teaching the children about Jesus.  

We also want to thank all of you who generously donate to Thailand NOW mission.  Your donations make this mission possible.  

If you would like to donate you can send a check to:

Thailand NOW

P.O. Box 56

Mannsville, KY 42758

OR give online at https://thailandnow.org/donate-2/

Beginning our 19th year of Missionary Service

Sherri and I have now begun our nineteenth year of service as missionaries and Executive Directors in Thailand.  God has blessed the mission tremendously and we give praise to the Lord that we work with wonderful servants of God in Thailand.

Although now there are many different ministries with Thailand NOW, including the Blessing Home Centers, the Abundant Life Financial Training Program, and Global Theological Institute, our first and primary ministry which we were appointed to do was to plant churches in unreached parts of Thailand.  The Pioneer Pastor Program (one of our ministries with Thailand NOW) seeks to work with Thai pastors and Christian leaders to plant churches in unreached counties (sub-districts) in Thailand.  75% of the counties in Thailand remain unreached, having no Christian churches.  We believe that EVERYONE needs Jesus, and our life goal is to strive to have at least one Christian church in every county in Thailand, so that all Thai people will have a chance to hear the Good News of Jesus.

During our time of service here in Thailand, we have been blessed to work with Thai leaders to plant 48 churches in unreached counties, and over 50 other churches in under-reached counties.  

We are reminded of 1 Cor. 3:6,7 

  "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.  So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth."

The Thai leaders planted, we watered, but ALL of the growth was a result of the Power of God at work.  And you prayers and generosity have made it possible for the planting and watering to take place.  We and the Thai leaders are blessed by your faithfulness!

Usually when a Pioneer Pastor Church is planted, within 3-6 years, they will go on to plant another church.  Planting churches is built into the DNA of these churches.  Sherri and I have served here long enough that we are now on our fourth generation of Pioneer Pastor churches!  God is GREAT!

We request that you pray for one of these fourth generation Pioneer Pastor Churches that was planted last year.  Rattana Wapi Church is a fourth generation Pioneer Pastor Church.  When we came to Thailand, we served at Pradumri Church in Chonburi.  We helped them to plant our first Pioneer Pastor Church in Bowin (a city of 150,000 people with NO church!).  The leaders that helped plant that church then went on to plant their own church, God is Good Church in Ban Bueng.  Then God is Good Church planted a church in Buengkan under the leadership of Pastor Awee.  Now Pastor Awee and the members of God is Good Buengkan church planted a new church last year in Rattana Wapi in Nong Khai province. 

Pastor Awee is training a local church leader at Rattana Wapi to become the pastor there.  Her name is Pastor Mamuang (seen in the picture above with Sherri), and she is truly a dedicated servant of God and a hard worker.  Through your donations, a full scholarship has been given to Pastor Mamuang and Somsri (Pastor Awee's wife) for seminary studies with Thailand Theological Seminary to earn  Bachelor of Ministry degrees, and Pastor Awee has been given a full scholarship for seminary studies for a Master of Divinity degree.  Every six weeks, these three travel for 12 hours one-way to go to Chonburi province to take one-week block classes, and they are doing well.

Two months ago, we worshipped at Rattana Wapi Church.  They have built a shelter between two homes, and there were over 90 people attending worship on that Sunday (many more than in the picture below, which was taken about 9 months ago - the church has really grown!).  Many of those who came to worship had to stand because there were not enough chairs.  Your donations helped to buy 50 more chairs and a new drum set as well.  

One of the ministries that this church has is a school of music for youth.  The youth come to learn to play guitar, bass guitar, drums, piano, and singing.  The Sunday that we were at Rattana Wapi church, the youth were leading worship and everyone was encouraged to see young people serving the Lord.

Pastors Awee, Somsri, and Mamuang spend much of their time visiting those who do not yet know Christ to share the Good News.  Every week, they send pictures and reports to us of people receiving Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Both Rattana Wapi Church and God is Good Church of Buengkan are growing rapidly because of the efforts of these pastors and their church members to make disciples of Jesus Christ.  Below is a picture of Pastors Awee and Somsri sharing the gospel of Jesus with a Buddhist monk in their town.  When they sent this picture to us, they said, "Share the Good News with ALL PEOPLE".  We say, "AMEN!!"

If the Lord leads you to donate:

You can give online at https://thailandnow.org/donate-2/

OR send a check to:

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

 

We are stepping up Thailand NOW mission to a higher level.

One of the things that has been very evident to Sherri and I is that the work of the mission is expanding and growing faster and faster, and we cannot keep up with it.  This is a wonderful challenge, and we need to make changes so that we do not become the "bottleneck" towards growth.

In our training of Pioneer Pastors, we introduce them to the Jethro Principle, which is to train up leaders to do the work of the ministry, do not try to do it all yourself.

READ: Exodus 18:7-26 

Focus Passage: Exodus 18: 21-22

But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.  Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.

Moses had been trying to do it all himself and he could not keep up.  Moses had become the "bottleneck".  So his father-in-law Jethro gave wise advice in Exodus 18:21-22.  And Moses took that advice and put it into action.

It is time for us to practice what we preach and teach, so that Thailand NOW mission can plant more churches, save and protect more children through the Blessing Centers, start more Abundant Life Savings Groups in churches, educate more pastors and leaders at Global Theological Institute and other seminaries, and provide scholarships to more of our Blessing Home kids, to school and university.

So...starting this year, Thailand NOW will begin a process of receiving Thai national missionaries who will relate directly with churches and individuals in regions of Kentucky, building missional partnerships of prayer and financial support.  Each year for the next four years, we will take on one new Thai national missionary to develop these missional relationships.  These Thai national missionaries have expansive nationwide ministries that involve Church Planting, Blessing Centers, and the Abundant Life Financial Training Program.  

Later this month, we will introduce you to the first of the Thai national missionaries.

Thailand Congress on Evangelism

OK, I know when you see the word "Congress" you think of politics, but when Thai Christians see this word, they think of a gathering of Christians that is wonderful and powerful.  Every few years, Thai Christian organizations come together for a very large national meeting called the Thailand Congress on Evangelism.  Church and Para-church organizations from all across Thailand come together in Christian unity, to cast vision, encourage one another, and praise the Lord! The Thailand Congress on Evangelism has not been able to meet for several years now because of COVID.  But now that life is moving back to normal, the Congress will meet in April 25-28.  For the last several years, we have wanted to send May Kuntisa (in the picture below), who serves as Director of the Abundant Life Financial Training Program, to go to the Congress to represent this vital ministry.  

This year, May will attend. Please pray that May will be able to make many good contacts so that we can expand this program into churches throughout Thailand.  As Thai Christians learn to manage their family and business finances with biblical principles, they are able to save up to have an emergency fund.  They also get out of debt and stay out of debt.  And eventually, they are able to pull themselves out of poverty and into financial strength and stability.  As more and more Thai Christian families experience biblical financial freedom, the Thai churches also become stronger, financially, as well as in their witness to the goodness and power of God.

We will be back in the States in Fall and Winter of 2023 to speak at churches and small groups.

If you would be interested in having us come to speak at your church or small group, please contact us at morrisseys@thailandnow.org.  The size of the group does not matter, so do not be shy.

We have very limited Sunday mornings available, so most of our speaking dates will be during the week or Sunday evenings.  

Thailand NOW is an independent Methodist-Wesleyan mission; on behalf of our Thai brothers and sisters, thank you for partnering with us!

Update on the Abundant Life Training Center

 It has been 3 months since we have given an update on the progress of Phase 2 of the Construction of the Abundant Life Training Center.

First, we want to say thank you for the great generosity during Christmas time that has helped us get much closer to our goal of $140,000.  We have now received a bit over $130,000 and it is our hope to get across the finish line by Easter.

Lots of progress has been made in constructing the large meeting room (which will become a church as well).  The last three weeks have been a bit slower because the road in front of the training center is being expanded four lanes.  Below are some pictures of construction of the church building.

After the church building is constructed, we will immediately begin construction of a kitchen/restroom building and also an office building.  It will be wonderful to have this training center in operation because it will help us increase our capacity to train more pastors and leaders.  

If you would like to give to this project to help take us over the finish line, please be sure to designate your gift to 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