As
we come to the end of the year, we are preparing for many events in December.
The month of November seemed like a time to prepare for the last and often one
of the busiest month of the year. The reason December is full of ministry
opportunities is because it’s the month when harvesting crops has come to an
end and many people have a few weeks of break before the New Year. During
December, Christmas festivals (often referred to as winter festivals for
non-Christians) pop up left and right, in almost every village. This is a time
of great jubilation and also a great harvest of souls for His Kingdom.
Since
2014, Thailand unfortunately has been Southeast Asia’s top drug hub. Even to
this day, drug abuse has risen, especially among teens. With meth pills as low
as .30 USD (cents), drug abuse among teenage boys is a huge issue, even in our
neighborhood. For many year Asians For Christ has been investing in the lives
of our neighboring children, not only to be a light to the community we live
in, but also to transform the community through the Love and Grace from Jesus
Christ that continues to work in us. We thank God who always provides short-term
missionary to reach out to these neighboring children with God’s Love. At the
moment, Kaylee Voorhees, daughter of Derek and Nell, our dear family friends,
has decided to come and stay with us for about a month to see what ministry in
Southeast Asia is like; she, assisted by Becky, has been teaching a couple days
a week at the neighboring Thai government school for refugees from Myanmar. The
kids are loving the learning experience as they do various fun activities.
Moreover, Nick is doing sports ministry with the boys from the school. In the evening,
several days a week, they have been coming to soccer practice which Nick coaches.
The number has gone from 12 to about 20 kids every practice in 3 months. The
small size field is getting too small for the kids, but it’s an awesome time to
invest into their lives and to share the Good News with them. The kids at the
school here holds dear to our hearts; we have formed relationships with them
and their families for many years now and we have seen several of them believe
in Christ. Now, they are asking and requesting that we have a small Christmas
party for them again this year, which we are planning for at the moment.
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| The Thai government school; all the kids (mostly refugees) are required to stand in front of the Buddha image before and after school |
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| Nick and Isaac spending time with the kids from the school |
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| Becky and Kaylee playing games with the kids in class |
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| Kaylee teaches English as Becky helps when the kids really don't understand |
Furthermore,
we are also preparing for Lisu Christmas festivals. The Lisu people are a
people group who love poems and music, and in order to reach their hearts,
music is a really great tool for that. In the past several months, Asians for
Christ has recruited four new vocalists to sing gospel songs which will be
available for the Lisu audience in the near future. This has been a challenge. One
of the task at hand is to bring these young Lisu singers from Myanmar to
Thailand in order to sing Gospel music at a couple of the Christmas festivals
in Thailand. We are figuring out the requirements for them to get Thai visas. Prayers
would be appreciated for this to go as smoothly as possible.
November
contained fewer events than previous months, but the highlights were still impactful.
First of all, Stephen started up a class on First Corinthians for the elderly
people. Among them are Stephen’s relatives who are seeking the Word of God.
They regretted not having a chance to study God’s Word when they were younger,
but it’s never too late to study and renew your relationship with Jesus.
Stephen has completed his final proof-reading on his recent exegetical
commentary book. He is now working with a publishing company in a restricted
country; if God is willing, his work will be legalized in restricted areas and
people will have a tool for deeper studies of the Bible.
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| Stephen giving a sermon at the chapel as a visiting professor at one of the Bible seminaries in Chiang Mai |
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| Stephen teaching 1st Corinthians |
Also,
Stephen has been asked to preach at the first Christmas event in Laos in front
of several government and local leaders, both believers and non-believers. This
event is not only for the celebration of the birth of Christ, but also to
evangelize to non-believers. Please pray for his safety and health as his
health is not fully recovered for the last trip. It will be a quick
trip--flying to Luang Prabang on December 5, being the main speaker for the
Christmas event and two services and then preach at a Sunday worship service
before heading back to Thailand on December 9. We are praying that this event
will result in a great harvest for the Lord, that many hearts would be opened
after hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are praying that our Living God
will be glorified. The evangelistic door in Laos is being opened wider and
wider. Praise the Lord! The local Christian leaders in Laos has also requested
Biblical training for them, which is wonderful! We are very excited that we are
expanding to reach the Lost in a high risk for Christian country for the Lord.
Please continue praying for our ministry in Laos.
In
ministry, it’s a team effort. The soldiers in the front line couldn’t penetrate
new areas unless they are being reinforced daily from our Living God and Lord
and from the support from fellow warriors. Our mission field is very far from
the churches and Christian families who are constantly praying for and supporting
our ministry. We are very blessed to have awesome Christian brothers and
sisters in Christ partnering with us. If you would like to partner with us in
expanding his Kingdom in Southeast Asia and China, there are 3 things you can
do right now. One, pray for us --- pray for the mission field, pray that we can
conquer and be strong as we constantly face spiritual warfare, and pray for
more workers to help us. Second, consider supporting us financially. As we
expand to new areas with new ministries that God has opened doors to, our
ministry expenses naturally increases. In order for our ministries – orphanage
in Myanmar, training of leaders and evangelism in Southeast Asia and China,
higher Biblical training for Christian leaders through classes and seminars,
Bible commentaries and Christian media for the Lisu, expansion into Laos, Youth
Ministry, and many more – to operate optimally, financial support from our
partners is very important! You can give financially at www.asiansforchrist.com (through
tithe.ly, which is sent to our U.S. tax deductible account in Idaho). Third, if
you would like to come and be a part of our ministry on the front lines, let us
know. We are needing more Kingdom Workers with expertise in teaching English, teaching
the Bible, relationship building, agriculture, coffee, and much more. If God is
challenging you to be a part of our missions in any way, please open your
hearts because you can be a part of his Kingdom expansion in Southeast Asia and
China. In Christ, we are all soldiers going to war against the kingdom of
darkness in order to break chains and free people through the Gospel. Each one
of us can be a great impact for His Kingdom. With everyone doing their part on
a team, the team will accomplish great things!
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| Stephen praying over patients before they had acupuncture treatment by a doctor from Korea |
As
temperature changes, most of the Wongs are struggling with allergy and sickness.
While gaining age, Stephen is continuing to fight for his health. He is in Laos
at this moment. He needs much of your prayers for him. Mary is physically weak
with all of the things she has to take care of at our home base. Please pray
for her as her health becomes frail. Nick asks for prayers for spiritual growth
in wisdom and love as he helps wherever and whenever he can on the mission
field. Becky is has really enjoyed hanging out and helping Kaylee teach at the
local school. Please also pray for our kingdom workers and partners spreading
His Gospel in Myanmar, China, Thailand, and Laos. As always, we thank you for
being a part of our ministry and our family.
