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/