Thailand needs your prayers at this moment more than ever. Yes, Thailand is coming back to life. People are going out more and some businesses are opening up again, yet the political crisis is escalating daily. Many groups are protesting for a whole government system reform while others just want a change the current government leadership. Many thousands are gathered in the midst of this COVID pandemic. Please pray for Thailand as anything could happen. Over all, Thailand has contained the virus pretty well with all of the necessary steps such as quarantining on arrival and tracking all of the people that may have been exposed to Covid 19 positive individual. For the most part, the majority of the people comply with wearing masks in highly populated areas. The land borders are where the majority of infections are occurring. Pray for the political issues to be solved peacefully and pray that Covid 19 numbers stay low even with the political demonstrations.
The Wong family is doing well, making a lot of trips to villages in the mountains in order to visit different churches and the sick at the hospital. In this newsletter, we would love to share with you at least three trips at three different villages: Huay Ko, Pa Bong Ngam, and Sam Muen. First, Huay Ko has been the epicenter of evangelism since the 1960s, when the first pioneer native Lisu missionaries came all the way from China (passing through Myanmar) and setting up base at this village. After setting up camp, they would carry out the Great Commission to the lost in various villages throughout northern Thailand. Through these native evangelists’ endeavors and dedications, many Lisu villagers (even other ethnic groups) accepted Christ. In fact, this is where Mary's father set up base while evangelizing to other villages (also, where Stephen first met Mary). Praise God for such a legacy! At this village, Stephen and Mary continues to encourage the new and young generation to carry on this legacy, shining a light to every corner of northern Thailand and even neighboring countries as the past generations have done. In order to set an example, Stephen and Isaac shared His message side by side. Isaac’s message on Job related well with the challenges we are facing during this pandemic and how we need to continue to trust in God and we will one day receive His immense blessings.
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| Stephen and Isaac sharing the message together |
After coming down the mountain from Huay Ko village, Stephen and Mary visited the hospital in Chiang Dao where they prayed for the sick. This is a government hospital so the majority of the people admitted here are very poor. The sick would lie on beds next to each other in a big room. The people who could meet the expenses of private rooms were very rare. Stephen and Mary prayed for Mary’s father who has an irreversible heart condition (He is not eating much anymore). When they finished praying, many in the same ward asked for prayers as well. One single mother who had just given birth also asked for prayers. After they finished, Mary went out to buy diapers for her child. There were many more who asked for prayers that day. In Thailand, it is not a custom for village preachers or pastors to visit the sick; usually it’s the duty of the family to visit and take care of the sick. For some, like the new mother with no relatives, she had no one. We felt deep compassion for her and many others.
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| Stephen stopped at the hospital to pray for Mary's father and relatives (every time, we traveled in that area) |
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| Another patients mother asked Stephen to pray for her sick boy |
Another
village that Stephen headed to was Pa Bong Ngam. Most members from this village
and nearby villages are related to Stephen. Indeed, they are his clan or his
family. Originally, Stephen’s clan came from Mongolia. Stephen still has over
ten thousand relatives still living in Mongolia (of course, in China and
Myanmar as well). During the early 1500 A.D, many migrated from Mongolia and
settled in the Southwestern parts of China and later scattered throughout
Myanmar and at last to Thailand during the 1940s. Stephen’s clan is the biggest
clan amongst the Lisu people in Thailand. However, the majority of the members
of this clan are unbelievers. Please lift them up so that their hearts will be
opened for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, a lot of mission works still needs
to be done!
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| Pa Bong Ngam villagers and many villagers from the surrounding areas |
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| Stephen preaching at Pa Bong Ngam Church |
The village we headed to at the beginning of October was Sam Muen. In Thailand, this place is one of the few villages where power lines have not reached and the water system is very poor (we did not get to take a bath during our stay). In order to get some electricity, some of the villagers have solar panels. Others have to use oil lanterns at night. We came here to help encourage the villagers to turn back to Christ. As you may have read from older blog posts, this village used to be very on fire for Christ but recently without much Christian leadership, many have left the church. Our goal is to rekindle the fire that was once here. On this particular trip, Stephen and Nick met up with farmers to talk about farming. Many farmers came together and discussed about life. The most memorable moments that we had in this village were in the early morning and late evening when we all, believers and non-believers, gathered together talking about life and farming, hunting and faith, while drinking tea together. This is what Stephen calls “The Tea Theology.” Nick is planning to help the farmers there grow coffee organically. Through Nick's coffee expert friends, the plan is to help educate the farmers there in growing coffee and also preserving the forest. The elevation and the history of the village is perfect for coffee. Prayers for ways to help the village be more sustainable and come back to Christ would be much appreciated.
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| Morning Tea Talk at Sam Muen |
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| Stephen hammering some small posts for coffee plant nursery |
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| After several days, the coffee nursery is finished |
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| More talks over tea |
We
thank you so much for your continued support and prayers. Even through these
tough times, many of you have reached out to us to encourage us. We praise
God for the fellowship we have in Christ.
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| A group of Lisu leaders visiting our house |
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| Nick's group of soccer players is growing and they are learning about honesty (sportsmanship) |
***Note:
If the situation escalates, there is a good chance that internet service may
not be readily available. In such case, our blog posts may be delayed.***
