A big Sawatdiikrap to everyone who gets to read this. I am trying to send some news quicker this time and hopefully shorter as well. Our life has really got busy over the last month as I have started full time work and Air has commenced tutoring Kevin Hemingway (our resident missionary) in Thai as well as doing translation work for him.
Please pray for Kevin because he is trying to facilitate the establishment of a cell church network. The most desirable result of his efforts would be for a Church Planting Movement to sweep through Khon Kaen province. For anyone that doesn’t know, a CPM is when small house churches reproduce themselves and keep reproducing themselves because the Holy Spirit is working so powerfully in them that the House Church Christians just cannot stop witnessing. This is what has happened in China, where there are now about 100 million house church members. It has also happened in Cambodia, India, and many other countries around the world where mission work seemed extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Please pray that Kevin will be sent back to Thailand for a second term by AOG World Missions. Pray that he will receive extra support so that he can pay Air. Pray for his upcoming wedding in September when he will marry a Thai pastor Oratai. And pray that God will bless the house churches that he and Air start, and especially that their members will be filled with the Holy Spirit to evangelise their neighbours.
Last week they certainly told their friends because there were 14 people at the meeting. This week at the house church Air and Kevin will hold a ceremony for the 7 new Christians. They will have a ’birthday party’ with cake and Mor Lam (Isaan music) singing. Ceremonies are very important to Isaan people they feel that life is incomplete without them. Kevin is trying to make this house church and any following cell groups free of western influences he and Air want Isaan people to believe that Jesus is for Isaan.
I am so thankful to God for my jobs. He gave me exactly what I needed. Neither job is strenuous and both are extremely interesting. This week I signed the application forms for my work permit so praise God for that. Next Monday Air and I will travel to Udon Thani (north of Khon Kaen about one hour) to get the final stamp for my 9 month visa.
We have one big prayer request. About a month ago a 23 year old woman who Air had discipled four years ago, came back to Church. Dia had been away at University but now she wanted to start up at Church again. But two weeks after she came back her parents told her that they had found someone for her to marry. She did not want to get married especially to a non Christian man. Now her parents have told her that if she goes to Church they will disown her and that she must follow their orders and get married. This is the most common form of persecution that Christians face in Thailand. So please pray that for a miracle to happen in Dia’s circumstances.
Please pray against Spiritual laziness in the members at Khon Kaen Assemblies of God Church. Particularly that the Youth would keep their fire for evangelism going.
Thankyou to everyone for praying for me and my health. I have been much better and I believe that God is healing me day by day, removing the fatigue and Hepatitis C from my body.
Please pray for our house. We will get the plans back tomorrow and then we have to apply to the Government for an address, permission to build, electricity and water. And we need to work out where the money will come from to build it.
Pra jao wee porn
James and Air.