We would like to begin this monthly newsletter with an
urgent request of prayers for churches and individual Christians that live at
the border between China and Myanmar. In that area, there is a different group
of Christians who declared the Triune God as unbiblical. So these people
demanded that all Christians burn every book including Bible and hymns if the
word Trinity or Triune God appears in the book. Many did burn hymns and Bibles
as the result of this false teaching. On top of this, they even demanded that all
Christians burn down church buildings; they condemned the church buildings as
satanic gathering places. They believe that church buildings are unbiblical. The
situation is very complicated, and it has caused a whole lot of tension. Please
pray that God will let people see the truth and also strengthen those standing
firm based upon the true Gospel.
As we have informed you in our previous newsletters that
Stephen has been teaching and preaching through electronic devices so that
people who live far away would be reached and could hear the true Gospel of
Jesus Christ. Consistently, Stephen has been asked with various biblical and
theological questions. A week ago, Stephen was asked about the Theology of God,
Triune God in particular. The question is that how could the One God also be a
Triune God? What does the Bible truly says about the Triune God? Isn’t God the
One and Only God? Then why is God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
Aren’t we, Christians, the temple and the church? So, why do we need a church
building?
Stephen has been teaching many Christians in the remote
areas of China and also border areas of China and Myanmar through an audio
messenger application on the phone. Many of these areas have had some of
Stephen’s former students teach them the book of Revelation, and they are now
studying further with Stephen through this audio application. The number of
Students is about 231 students. Thank God that we can use a simple application
and technology to reach people in remote areas.
July events
During July, the family had a family prayer service at
the house to give God praise, honor and thanks for blessing us with all sources
of blessings: ministry, the summer-harvest of rice, family and a precious time
to spend with John for a couple months. Many Lisu churches in Chiang Dao and
Chiang Mai attended. The prayer service and fellowship meal were a blessing to
all because we all had a blast in worshipping God and also encouraging one
another. During this prayer service, several Korean missionaries also attended
and worshipped with us.
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| Family Prayer Day |
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| Korean missionaries singing praise |
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| Thankful for Mary and the Lisu women who made this delicious meal |
Nick has been busy meeting with some Christian friends in
Chiang Mai to raise money for relief and development to help the Lisu in
Myanmar. He has been running around, getting wisdom and trying to find people
to help educate and develop the Lisu in Myanmar. Especially, the fighting is
still going on in northern Myanmar, and the Lisu people are caught in the
middle of the fighting, even though the Lisu are unarm and peaceful. Many
people groups are displaced, yet the Lisu, the peaceful group for some reasons,
has no official help from in or outside of Myanmar. So, Asian Mission
Fellowship Organization is trying to find help with relief and development to
go and help the Lisu people. We are focused on sharing the love of Christ with
people and we are specifically not interested in the politics of the country. Please
continue to pray for the people that are struggling in Myanmar. Stephen has
been asked to attend several of the meetings with Christian members in Thailand
and to share the situation of the Lisu. Many people are becoming more aware of
the situation. Many are praying for the Lisu. Actually, many churches and
individuals in Chiangmai, Thailand, had given their means. Even though it was a
small amount of money, but the gift (we believe) demonstrates not only Christ’s
love, but also shows Christ’s body, the church, is bound universally into one. We
did send the first relief fund to them a few weeks ago. We are still constantly
receiving the gifts from $ 3 -100. Praise the Lord! Hopefully we will be able
to send the second set these coming months.
Family
Our family enjoyed a great time of fellowship this summer.
We have visited the many exotic places in Chiangmai. Though we have lived in
Chiangmai for almost 7 years, we have never visited a Night Safari world. It
was a great family night out getting to see the animal night life. We also went
to an Elephant show. It is still amazing to seeing elephant kicking balls,
drawing beautiful pictures and many other things. John even had a chance to
spend time with Tigers up close at a Tiger Kingdom.
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| Family night out at the Night Safari |
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| Elephant show at the camp was extraordinary |
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| The final product of the elephant drawings |
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| John with his new best friend |
John has enjoyed his time in Thailand. He’s been able to
experience the Lisu culture as well as learn some tips and pointers from his
father on how to effectively preach. He is starting to pack up and prepare for
his trip back to America on the 29th of July. He is very excited to
start another year at Boise Bible College. Please pray for him as he is
learning from great professors to become a humble preacher.
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| Stephen translating John's sermon |
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| Preaching to the Lisu church in the town of Chiangmai |
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| The Lisu church located in the town of Chiangmai |
Stephen and Nick are planning to head to Myanmar again in the next few months in order to teach the Bible and also encourage the Lisu people that are displaced from their homes. Stephen will cross the border into China as he did before to teach the Word of God there. The Lisu in Myanmar and China are very excited about this news and are currently preparing a location and time so that many will be able to attend and learn Bible and praise God together. Please be praying for this upcoming trips!
