The world seems to be going through a unique weather phenomenon. At the same time the US had hurricanes, Southeast Asia also faced catastrophic typhoons and torrential rainfalls. Billions of dollars’ worth of damage were estimated throughout Southeast Asia. The city of Chiang Mai, where we are based in, saw the worst flood case in over 100 years. The downpour caused landslides and rivers to rise beyond the banks causing many houses, even with stilts, to succumb to drastic water damages. Many lives were lost, and many more are starving even after several weeks after the flood receded. In Southeast Asia, most of the people do not have home insurance and are living paycheck to paycheck; the storm destroying crops and homes was a huge challenge to their livelihood. We at AFC had to mobilize into the mission field we work in because this was life or death for people.
Equipping
Stephen has been teaching a group of leaders from the border of Myanmar and Thailand. The focus of AFC’s seminary, called Asia International Seminary (AIS), is to teach Christian servant leaders the Bible, exegetically. The focus is on solely on the Bible and what the Bible teaches; a famous slogan of Thomas Campbell is “where the Bible speaks, we speak (and) where the Bible is silent, we are silent”. Many of the Christian leaders come from different backgrounds and we discuss interpretations and present what the Bible says from its context. The students have enjoyed learning and have used what they have acquired in their sermons and lessons. Praise God for giving us the opportunity to teach those who have never been to school, mostly because of the lack of teachers and resources.
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| Stephen with the new batch of students |
We are aiming to have several Christian leaders from the
States to come help us teach in Thailand in February. The topics from the State’s
leaders will be pastoral care, church planting, and youth ministry. Nick will
assist in teaching about youth ministry and mental health. We pray that we can
give the Christian leaders in Asia more knowledge to equip them in their
ministries because these topics are not common here.
Evangelizing
Some of the Christian leaders in the past who have graduated
from AIS has now been instrumental in evangelizing in many places. Stephen
along with Thai AFC team has been reaching out to a new church plant in a new village
settlement about an hour from the city of Chiang Mai. In the past month, there
were 11 new believers who accepted Jesus and were baptized down in the river.
This was a great moment for this new village as more turn to Christ. Many
people have come to Christ in Southeast Asia, and we hope to continue to encourage
them to remain true to their faith. This is why AFC focuses on a wholistic type
of ministry. Our primary goal is to tell people about Jesus, and at the same
time, we equip the people in the villages with the word of God and many different
arsenals of knowledge for them to tackle challenges, and then we empower the
people by supporting them in their livelihood and helping them develop skills
which so that they can feed their families. Among other things we do, these tactics
help us give the believers the best chance to stay strong in Christ, many years
after they believe. Please pray for our team in different countries and areas
of Southeast Asia – especially for God to continue to guide them and for God to
provide for them in every need.
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| Baptisms down in the river |
Empowering
AFC and IDES partnered up again to bring wholistic ministry care to those in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. At this moment, we have helped hundreds of families in Thailand and Laos with the post flood relief efforts. Our team is currently waiting to enter Vietnam. The relief efforts are focused on the people in the rural areas of these countries. Many rural locals in Southeast Asia are living below the poverty line, this relief effort will be a much-needed lifeline and a way for them to experience Jesus’ love. Thank you to IDES for their partnership with us in many relief projects throughout the years.
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| Stephen and team setting up to hand out food to the people in Northern Thailand |
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| Mary and Stephen working together in the relief effort |
Family News
Recently, we also hosted a thanksgiving worship event at our
house. As you may know, this is the time of the year when all the farming
villagers are free from their work. They finished their harvest and are looking
for opportunities to come and worship God. We hosted an event, and over 400
people from different churches and villages, including nonchristians in our neighborhood, showed up to praise God for the yearly harvest. They also prayed for our family and the ministry. This was a blessed
event which we try to host every year.
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| Thanksgiving at the house |
Nick has finally submitted his proposal to the medical ethical
committee at Chiang Mai University and is waiting for their approval before he
begins doing his survey for his thesis. As you may know his study will focus on
Thai Christian’s mental health and the influence of Christian practices and a
relationship with God. Please pray for him as he is doing one of the first
study of Christians in Southeast Asia which will be on international scientific/medical
journals. His hope is that this will be a light in the scientific/medical communities.
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| Nick just submitted his proposal for ethical review |
Mary has been taking care of the household duties. Without Mary,
much of the background work of the ministry would suffer; because of her, the ministry
runs smoothly. She has also been working on farming for our food – both the
family and in our ministry. It hasn’t always been easy because of natural
disasters (like the flood), pests, or sometimes theft. Becky is helping around
the house and supports in any way she can. Isaac’s high school education is
coming to an end next year. He has also finished his mandatory ROTC training.
Pray for him as he is deciding which university to apply to and attend. Khao,
Nick’s wife, is an interpreter in a Japanese company in Thailand. She has been
a great light in the place she works but sometimes faces bullying because of
her faith. Please pray for her as she reaches her coworkers.
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| A visit from Thai Christian police and soldier association |
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| Mary's clothing ministry: sending clothes out |
Another major news is that John and his wife Anna have moved back to Thailand from the US. The whole family is all together! They plan to be here with us for at least a year. They have been here for a couple of months and have recently slowly acclimated themselves. Anna’s brother Josiah also came with them to experience Thailand and our ministry. The three of them have also had the opportunity to help out with the ministry.
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| Our family is all together! |
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| Josiah encouraging the church as Stephen interprets |
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| John and Stephen preaching together |
The following is the experience of their move, written by Anna:
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Thailand has never failed to amaze me! The bustling city,
beautiful greenery, and, of course, the fresh fruit are some of my favorite
things! This time around, though, I was much more interested in some of the
traditional health practices here. As a young woman navigating holistic
wellness in America, I welcome new experiences and insights from local doctors
and herbalists.
Fortunately, during the first week after we arrived from the
States, Stephen was hosting a weeklong class for Christian leaders from the
Lisu villages. Among his students, there was a traditional doctor and an
herbalist. These wonderful people intertwine their knowledge with the power of
prayer, offering it to people in their villages who might not otherwise have
access to doctors or hospitals. We had the pleasure of observing how they work!
The doctor offered his services to diagnose us. With no
prior knowledge of our lifestyles or health, he used a simple touch on the
wrists to discern both the problems we were experiencing and other issues we
could feel but not fully understand.
Next, the herbalist gave us the opportunity for a sauna-like
detox using plants that only someone with his extensive knowledge and passion
would know how to utilize. We sat under heaps of blankets while he placed
heated stones into a pot filled with healing herbs, letting the steam work its
magic. Not only did we experience the benefits of the sauna and healing herbs,
but the herbalist also took time to pray over us before we even began, asking
for healing and blessing the process we were about to undergo. It was
incredible to witness how skillful these amazing people are—not only experts in
their fields but also deeply aware of the connection between the earth, our
bodies, and our Creator. They seamlessly weave that knowledge into their
important work, inviting God into their treatments and blessing His people
through it.
During the first couple of weeks, John was also able to
travel with Joe and Stephen to a local village about 30 minutes away. It was an
amazing experience to visit another church and worship alongside them. One of
John’s biggest takeaways was his observation of the people. The entire village
was comprised of shacks and metal huts, with each household clearly living in
poverty by American standards. However, they had the biggest hearts to serve,
give, and worship. John reflected, “It makes you realize how much you have been
blessed, and it also makes you feel convicted that, despite all the blessings,
we often take them for granted.” It was encouraging to see that these people,
despite having so little, found strength in their community and their immense
faith and devotion to God—a true inspiration for people around the world.
Recently, we also had the opportunity to participate in a
Thanksgiving celebration where churches gathered to praise God for His
provision and this year’s harvest. Hundreds of people came together to sing
songs of praise, expressing gratitude through dancing, prayer, and speaking. It
was four hours of the church joyfully praising Jesus! Afterwards, everyone
shared a delicious meal that so many beautiful women had worked all night to
prepare, gladly accepting just two hours of sleep to provide food and thanks to
God’s people. It was joyful, encouraging, and so much fun to experience! God is
good!
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God has blessed us with such a wonderful team of AFC board. As you may know, we recently went through a revamping of our organization, along with the board members and revisiting our vision and goals. We have felt like the fire burns brighter as we have shared prayers and visions. The board members have been very encouraging. Please pray for our board members and their families. We have rallied up and continue to seek what God would like of AFC in Southeast Asia and China. Please continue to pray for the AFC on-the-ground team and their families. Pray also for our family and the many ministries we are blessed to help. Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support. If you would like to volunteer with us or have any questions, let us know. We know that even in the face of floods and many challenges, God is with us.
