New Things on the Horizon

 

Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28 is of utmost vital and eternal significance. As His followers, we are called to lift our eyes beyond the immediate and embrace God’s greater vision. God desires that every person on earth to hear the life-giving message of the gospel. God doesn’t want anyone to be perish, but that all would come to repentance and experience His transforming love.

This Great commission compels us to move beyond ourselves and our borders. Our calling is to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the nations, especially throughout Southeast Asia and China, where countless souls have yet to encounter His grace. By his grace, God are sent to equip Christian workers, to evangelize to those who do not yet believe, and to empower communities with the love of Christ.

Equipping

Recently, we have been focused on equipping current and future Christian Kingdom workers. We have had over several classes, over 50 local Christian leaders trained in advance biblical classes – tearing down the denominational views and studying the Bible exegetically. These Kingdom workers come together from these different denominations and study the Bible intensively in order to improve their biblical understanding and therefore teach the members of their local churches to base their faith and understanding upon the truth in the Bible. This has been one of our main focus because we believe that the Bible is the foundation of our belief and it is crucial for the church and its members.

Stephen teaching Revelation

Alebo, a former student, also helped teach the class

Stephen recently taught the book of Revelation in a weeklong intensive course for Christian workers from Myanmar and Thailand. This group of leaders demonstrated a deep passion for studying God’s Word. One student, in particular, showed remarkable dedication by walking alone for three hours, crossing mountains and the border, and then riding a bus for another three hours—each way—to attend every class over the past two years. In this weeklong intensive course, Nick had the opportunity to teach about mental health from what he’s been studying in his master’s degree. He worked with the students to find out their attachment style. Attachment theory involves the idea of the importance of the first few years of a child’s life with their caregiver (especially the mother); this relationship, if unhealthy leads to insecure attachment style which is associated with negative mental health and strain in relationships. Nick’s focus, from his research, is to let the students know that insecure attachment styles, if left unaware, affects relationship with the community and even with God. This is to encourage people to also give emphasis on raising children in the best way possible. The students finished the weeklong course with great feedback and were equipped to go back and teach what they learned to their community.

Nick teaching pastoral care/mental health

Evangelizing

As you know, we are continuing to expand, so our next main focus is to make a evangelistic efforts flow smoothly together with our teaching endeavors. In the past, we have worked with local evangelists and have reaped many souls for His Kingdom. Unfortunately, some of these past evangelists, for many reasons, are working on their own or moved on to other careers. Albeit this task of reaching out to the lost is complicated with many challenges – physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially. With over tens of thousands of people coming to Christ in the past decade, we desire to continue to improve this aspect of our missions. We have been discussing how we can better play a role in partnering with these evangelists. Now, we have the best candidates from each of these cohorts we equip and are working more diligently in the strategic planning, fundraising, and support in their field. Although we still support a range of Kingdom workers throughout Southeast Asia and China, we have chosen specific evangelists and dialed in even more in their ministry by providing stable financial and missional support.

Evangelism to remote villages

The best yet not easy way to get to remote villages

A church in some of the remote areas are simple
but full of faithful Christians

One of the students in this cohort is an evangelist who has been traveling to areas in Myanmar where opium is still readily available. This evangelist has bravely
gone to the areas and shared the gospel with many villagers, turning them from growing opium – even though opium is important to their livelihood. Opium has grown in some of these areas where the law and regulations have not been active, and the villagers grow the opium as a cash crop. Most of these villagers are just making a living, not knowing the harm some of these crops may cause; in order to change the people’s decision in growing such a lucrative crop, the people must change their personal beliefs. For those who decided to change crops, they take a loss in income but are doing because they now belong in His Kingdom. Praise God for the amazing work that starts from the building blocks of the truth and goes into the field.

Another student, Michael, a retired police officer in Northern Thailand has been instrumental in the mission field. He has been serving at a local church in Chiang Rai where ethnic minority children are being reached out. The church continues to grow even with a large generational gap between the members. On top of this, Michael, using his government connections, has been helping refugees from Myanmar gain temporary status to stay in Thailand. In previous months, many of the refugees were arrested, separated from their families, and awaited deportation. If the refugees were sent back to their country, they face imprisonment or illegal conscription to join in the war. Michael stepped up and helped the refugees stay in the country (at the border), while the churches in the area tended to their needs and shared the gospel.

Empowering

AFC has always been a “wholistic” ministry because a person is spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental. We have seen too many times in missions that physical needs are put aside; don’t get us wrong, spiritual aspects of the mission is very important, but it should also come with meeting physical needs. Many missions build large church buildings, bring people into the church, and focus on spiritual teachings. While these are amazing things especially if the locals are already living in prime conditions and having sustainable jobs. In Southeast Asia, many are living below the poverty line and are struggling to make ends meet. In these spiritually-only focused missions, many of the large church buildings end up eventually empty as people are trying to pursue their next meal.

Stephen visiting this center with Christian volunteers which
provides prosthetic legs for the disabled

We sponsored some of the prosthetic legs

In the past year, we have worked with local churches to provide relief for those affected by the war, floods, and earthquakes. A few months ago, our team provided meals and clean water to thousands of people in Mandalay, Myanmar through our partnership with IDES and churches in the States. We focused primarily on meeting the physical needs of the people first. Not a word of the gospel was delivered on the first week of relief work and this was our choice because we understand that in Southeast Asia the culture is focused more on community and gratitude. After a week, the people started to ask why we were helping them, and this is the moment we share a glimpse of Christ love and good news to them. Overwhelmed by gratitude, the community in Mandalay spread the word and our missions were recognized and praised. This is the moment we knew that the door in this area was open for evangelism. Even the local head monk at the large Buddhist temple in Mandalay was thankful for our work that they presented AFC a certificate of appreciation from their Buddhist group. Now, another field has been planted with the seed of Christ and we are now in the process of setting up a class on how to reach Buddhists for the local church leaders and evangelists (some of our students live in this area). After a few months, the physical needs of the locals are still there as they try to reorganize their lives; please pray for the people in Myanmar as we may need to assist their needs as they recover from earthquake and continue to live in a war-torn country.

Expansions

We are happy to announce that we have two buildings being constructed to accommodate the growth of our missions. The need came when we realized hundreds of local Christian leaders from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and China requested to come study with us. We realized that although teaching online was a great avenue for those who are unable to come onsite, the onsite classes are more hands on and can go deeper. On top of that, when teachers came to help teach, they had no place to stay so that added to the expenses. To take on this, AFC board decided to construct buildings to tackle these needs. One of the buildings will be purposed to host teachers and students who come to AFC center. The other building will be a multipurpose building used as a church, meeting room, classroom, and a multimedia recording studio. This is a game changer as we further His Kingdom and make it more sustainable in equipping, evangelizing, and empowering.

Stephen discussing with the construction team

Family

The Wongs recently went through a bombardment of the flu. This spread around and lasted a couple of weeks. Although most of the family was sick, they continued the overseeing of the buildings’ construction, teachings, and planning. Stephen has been busy in the office teaching classes and preparing his next courses. Mary continues to oversee most of the projects at the center, including (with Stephen) the construction of the new buildings. Isaac just finished his midterm exams and enjoying his first year in college. He has already been to Japan to compete in engineering contest and their team won the best idea award. Becky has been teaching the grammar class portion of the English bible class which her and Nick (with the members from Hawaii) lead. This class has been a desirable class for many from Laos and Myanmar, unfortunately the number of students are low due to unstable internet from the conflicts in their countries. Nick is finishing up his manuscript for his master’s degree and is awaiting to publish them to a journal, after he has finished his thesis and defense, graduation will be on the horizon.

Stephen, John, and Nick attending a meeting in town
 with local Thai Christians

We are very excited about how AFC is expanding and it is all thanks to everyone who played a part. We thank you for you partnership and prayers for His Kingdom work in Southeast Asia and China.

Proclaiming Peace Amid the Storm

We are living in a time of upheaval. Not long ago, we faced the global shock of COVID-19. War erupted in a neighboring land. Floods came. Earthquakes struck. Hearts tremble. And peace—true peace—seems far from the eyes of many. But let us consider Peter stepping onto stormy waters toward Jesus. The winds howled, the waves threatened to consume—but when Peter’s eyes were fixed on Christ, he walked above the chaos. So it is with us. In a world unraveling, we must look not at the storm, but at the One who still commands the wind and the sea.

Earthquake in Myanmar: Suffering Met with the Compassion of Christ

In March, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook the foundations of central Myanmar—a land already torn by political unrest. Amid collapsing buildings and cries for help, AFC’s connection to Myanmar became more than a calling—it became a lifeline. Over the past decade, we have sown gospel seeds in this land through youth ministries, leadership training, and humanitarian outreach, often in partnership with IDES.

When the earth convulsed, some of our students were in Mandalay. They witnessed buildings crumble and lives buried beneath stone and steel. As emergency services faltered, the streets filled with the hungry, the thirsty, and the grieving. In response, AFC and IDES mobilized swiftly. By God's grace and with the support of faithful partners, we delivered over 12,000 meals and clean water in just a few weeks.

What unfolded was nothing short of a miracle. Within two weeks, our local Myanmar team—composed of seminary students, youth, and church leaders—launched an organized relief effort. Over 50 church members gave sacrificially of their time, energy, and compassion, some even cooking and packaging meals deep into the night. Remarkably, despite political tensions, military checkpoints opened for our teams. God made a way where there was none. From hospitals to shelters—even near a Buddhist temple—we carried not just food, but the love of Jesus.

The Church in Maymeo were all onboard to help!

Distributing ready-to-eat meals in front
of the Buddhist temple

Another location to give people food

In an unforgettable moment, the lead monk of that temple publicly honored AFC, presenting us with a certificate of commendation. This acknowledgment is not just a token—it is a door. A door for deeper relationships, greater gospel access, and bolder evangelism in the heart of Myanmar. We are now preparing to train evangelists specifically in reaching Buddhist communities with gentleness, wisdom, and the power of the cross.

The certificate being handed to our Myanmar team

Teaching, Discipling, Transforming

In May and June, Dr. Derek Voorhees joined us at the Thailand-Myanmar border for an intensive teaching module on Romans and Matthew. For nearly two weeks—sunup to sundown—pastors, teachers, and evangelists from both countries immersed themselves in Scripture. In the midst of political unrest, earthquakes, and hardship, the Word of God was being proclaimed, studied, and lived out in a small border town. Peace was present—not the kind the world gives, but the kind that flows from the Holy Spirit and the unshakable truths of Scripture.

Derek teaching while Ale Bo (former AIS student) translates

Group photo with the class!

Lunch served for the students

We are deeply grateful to Derek and his family who gave not only their time but their resources to make this mission possible. Our students—frontline leaders across Shan State, Myanmar and Thailand—left renewed, sharpened, and deeply moved. Many would meditate in the evenings on the truths taught. This is discipleship that multiplies. This is revival in the making.

Big group photo!

We now boldly invite anyone stirred by the Spirit to join us. Come teach, serve, pray, evangelize. Come help turn this corner of the world upside down for Jesus Christ. His Kingdom is expanding, and we are witnessing it—one act of obedience at a time.

Family and Ministry Life: Living as Servants of the Gospel

Each month, Stephen leads a week-long intensive course, pouring into future leaders with deep theological training. In addition to these intensives, he faithfully teaches two to three online courses weekly, reaching students scattered across China, Myanmar, and Thailand—each lesson a seed of truth sown across borders. On weekends, he continues to preach the Word, embodying the spirit of the itinerant preachers of old who carried the gospel from village to village with burning conviction.

Stephen preaching at Huey Lai Church

Mary’s clothing ministry became a vital lifeline during the recent earthquake crisis. With the help from Stephen and Nick, she transported sacks of clothing to the border, where they were distributed to families devastated by disaster and conflict. In a time when war has stifled production and imports in Myanmar, simple garments and hygiene items have become sacred gifts—acts of mercy that carry the fragrance of Christ’s compassion. We at AFC strive to proclaim hope, healing, and dignity to the suffering.

The clothes have reached Myanmar

Becky serves faithfully, teaching English and the Bible to children in Chiang Dao. Her Saturdays are spent pouring into young hearts, equipping the next generation. Isaac, now a university freshman in Computer Engineering, will soon represent his department in Japan for a competition. May God use even this platform for His glory.

Nick is nearing the completion of his Master’s thesis and recently found out a friend has decided to believe and will get baptized. This act, powerful in any context, is especially profound in Thailand, where family and cultural resistance to Christianity is often fierce. But love broke through. Light shined in the darkness. The family saw the fruit of Christ and did not oppose.

Nick’s wife, Khao, is on track to being promoted to a management position, a testimony to her integrity and diligence. John, too, is thriving as an English teacher, having recently delivered a TED Talk—a sign of influence and impact in the public square.

***We have an update on the expansions of the AFC center. Now, there is a greater increase in students coming to learn. More students will also mean we will need to have more teachers. As more projects arise, we will also have more guests at our center. Therefore, we have decided to make expansions at the center by constructing more buildings to host students, guests, teachers; we will also be able to host larger numbers during Christian events when multiple churches from the mountains will come and meet at our center. We have received great gifts from individuals and churches in starting some of the buildings. As we progress, we are still needing to raise more monetary resources and possibly anyone with construction skills to bring their talent and advice. If you have any questions or would like to be a part of this expansion, reach out to us!***

We have a reserve water tank now to support
the expansion

Mary and our helpers clearing up the land
for construction

Bearing Peace in a Broken World

We are tired—but not defeated. Busy—but not distracted. Challenged—but never without hope. As the world groans under war, disaster, and confusion, we are reminded again: we are Christ’s ambassadors. We do not run from the chaos—we walk into it with the peace of Christ in our hands, on our lips, and burning in our hearts.

Thank you for praying, giving, supporting, and walking with us. The work is not finished. The harvest is great. But we will not stop. Until Christ returns or calls us home, we will press on—proclaiming peace through the Prince of Peace.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” (Romans 10:15)

 

Relationships are Important!

 In the past months, we have been blessed to meet new people and reconnect with friends we haven’t seen in a long time. We feel like God is reminding us how much he loves his most beloved creation—people that is. A Missions focus is always the people. People who partner with us to be able to have the opportunity to serve in Southeast Asia and China. These people pray for us, encourage us, and even share our burdens and challenges. The people we work with in the field are also of great importance; we know that doing missions has their highs and lows. The lack of sleep, the cusps of mental breakdowns, the creeping loneliness, the physical burdens, the constant feelings of weight on the shoulders, and much more. These are things that we have, if we’re honest, felt many times. Through our great team, we continue to encourage each other even in the lows. God continues to build us up when we feel like the world around us is falling apart. Then there are the people we invest our time and efforts to bring them to Christ. The Missions is all about people.

This past month we had the honor to work with one of our partners from Indiana. This group came all the way across the pacific to help us teach classes in pastoring and church leadership classes to our students. As you may know, we select our students who are currently in ministry and are willing to be poured into. The number of interested candidates is vast! Each set of students ranges between eight to twelve. Anyways, the four men from Indiana came ready to work with us. We were encouraged that they came here knowing they had to abandon some comforts in America. For instance, the weather here is extremely hot and humid, traveling in cramped cars, and even the bathrooms in some places resemble those from horror films. Even with the differences of cultures and customs, these men came ready to serve.

The team visiting the new church plant

Kevin teaching a class

We served together at Asia International Seminary (a program under AFC), teaching from 9am into the late afternoon in the open hot canteen with just a couple fans to give an occasional breeze of relief. The mindset of these visiting teachers was definitely – not to be served but to serve. Bruce and Ken taught about what it’s like to lead a church in the states and about dealing with grief. Jon and Kyle would focus on teaching English at our partnering government school of mostly displaced children. The feedback from the seminary students and schoolchildren was very positive, they were blessed to have these guys come, teach, and spend time with them. We were thrilled to spend time with them outside of the classroom, as we visited village churches and had meals together. We are encouraged to have more of our partners from overseas come and serve alongside us.

Bruce teaching about grief

Kyle and Jon teaching at the government school

Certification presentation day

Stephen has been teaching and preaching at a higher rate. God is moving among the community, and many people are requesting to study from him. On the weekends, Stephen visits the various churches that our team planted last year. These churches continue to grow and even to the point where they have built an entire church building in order to house all the members. The Christian leaders who are going to pastor these churches are doing a great job and occasionally come to our team when they face challenges. It is all about the people! On the teaching side, recently, a man in his 80s asked if he could also learn the Bible with Stephen; this is such an encouragement because we see many like these that are dedicated to their ministries and constantly seeking to grow in their faith and understanding. We are hoping to expand our seminary by building 3 more buildings to house more people (students, teachers, partners) and to have a building dedicated to teaching and media production. Our hope is to be able to meet the ministry needs as more and more students and guest teachers arrive at our center. We are raising 150,000$ to build  3 buildings: 2 buildings (male and female) to house students and guests, and another building as classrooms, meeting rooms, and media production (for online teaching, recording Bible lessons). We are excited to say we have raised about 1/3 of our target, if you are called to be a part of this new project to expand His Kingdom, please contact us for more information.

Visiting a new Church plant in a remote village

In February, Nick went to Laos to teach and visit with the local Christians. Nick’s original plan was to teach the Christian pastors there about mental health first aid and how mental health affects the body and therefore affects the church. The plan was averted because the teaching center in the area had a change in management, so they had to cancel the classes. Although it seemed like the trip would be a waste, it turned out to be such a blessing. His former English students in Laos reached out to him and he was able to connect with many of them. This was a wonderful blessing because he was able to tell them about his faith and the wonderful things God has done in his life. During the trip, he was able to meet and make friends with villagers, former soldiers, and government leaders in a new location; it is the hope that His Kingdom may expand further throughout Laos.  

Nick going on a hike with
Lao government officials

Nick spending time with his former students

Nick having a meeting with Lao department of development

Soccer tournament - Evangelism strategy led by
our Vientiane team leader 

Family

Isaac recently graduated from high school and will be starting his degree in IT engineering at Chiang Mai University this fall. This has been a great transition because he was among the first students to be accepted on the spot with his great portfolio and grades from high school. To put into perspective, students are to take an entrance exam and then selected based on grades, they accept around 10,000 students each year and many students don’t make the cut. Isaac was met online with CMU’s admit team and they accepted him. We are very proud of Isaac and excited to see him take this next step in his life. Mary continues to be a huge support to the family and AFC. She does an amazing job in the background so that everything runs as smoothly as possible. This has been a blessing because we are able to focus on other tasks and have the assurance that everything (food, needs, etc.) is taken care of and that is why we are very thankful for Mary’s important role in His Kingdom works. Becky has expanded the English Bible class by offering a beginners/grammar class for the new students. This has been a gamechanger as several more students from Myanmar have joined our Saturday classes. John is growing in his ability and work in the English teaching field in Chiang Mai. His students have given very positive feedback, for instance, the way he adjusts the lessons to fit the needs of his students. John has also been a great member of AFC as he will often go with Stephen to encourage the new church plants. John’s wife Anna is continuing to recover from her illness and has been doing a lot better and gaining more energy every day. Nick continues to work in the background with planning and coordinating the plans especially as he is working on his masters in mental health. Currently, he still needs several hundreds of participants in his data collection phase from Thai Christians in Chiang Mai. This has been a challenge since many people are reluctant to do a mental health research questionnaire. Please pray for him and his studies because he is the first in his field to do a study on Attachment especially in the Christian community in Southeast Asia. This study will be an incredible testimony about the importance of having a relationship with God and the Christian practices and its positive relationship with positive mental health. Nick’s wife, Khao, has been a positive influence as an interpreter in a Japanese company. Many of her coworkers have seen how much of a “good” person she is as a Christian. Her boss is also setting her up to become a manager soon. This has been a blessing to see her growth at the work place! We were also very blessed by the visit of Kaylee Voorhees, daughter of Derek our wonderful team operating in the States. It has been such an encouragement to have our friends come and encourage us in the field.

Isaac officially graduating from highschool

Kaylee's here!!

Family board game night

Nick speaking at a Thai church about mental health and
the benefits of a relationship with God

Nick with his mental health professors

Message from John (perspectives of one recently returning to Thailand from being in America for almost a decade):

As I have continued to live in Thailand, I continue to see a need for deeper education, especially for the students of SE Asia. Families as well as students care about their education, they yearn for opportunities that will help improve their living situations, hoping to get a better education to find a better job, get a higher income to be able to support their family. This is the mindset of the Asian people. And even though Thailand has many institutions and schools to provide an education for these students, it seems to be more business oriented. Many schools are here to make money, trying to cut expenses and raising rates of tuition to make a profit as a school. This is common for many schools as well as international schools. It is a disservice to families who want the best for their child. After coming to Thailand, I am hoping that I can continue to combat this and impact students’ lives for the better, helping them to think more critically and help them learn advanced skills to help them succeed in life. Not only is Thailand's education lacking, but many organizations and centers that are trying to help people, are sometimes doing it for the money or fame. They continue to look for personal gain rather than helping those in need, especially those who are evangelizing. Again, it is a disservice and a sad sight to see as many organizations and entities are talking about doing the right thing but then succumbing to worldly gains and not truly helping people. I hope that the work that we continue to do, whether that be my business in teaching English and other professional skills, or the ministry at AFC continues to shine a light to others that are in need, to be a model example for other organizations to continue to focus on what really matters, the people. Please keep praying for God to use me, my family, and the mission organization to continue to be faithful to this ministry and faithful to His calling.

We are blessed by so many relationships we have around the world. Thank you all for being a part of HIS Kingdom work in Southeast Asia and China.

***** Important update: Myanmar, especially the city of Mandalay, has been affected by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that shook Southeast Asia on July 28^th. Over 1600 people have died and many are still missing. Many are having to sleep in the streets because the buildings are no longer structurally safe. Electricity and network connection is spotty, and food and water are scarce. This is  one of our mission fields, and to watch the people struggling is beyond words. We are currently open to accepting donations for the relief aid for Myanmar. The funding will go directly to provide food and water for the people affected by the earthquake in Mandalay. In the past, we have had many new believers through relief projects which have been a blessing for our mission work. We are hoping to help the people through this event and show them the tangible love of Christ! If you are called to help and be a part of this project, please reach out to us, or give through our website www.asiansforchrist.com - please note in giving, memo section (for Myanmar Earthquake Relief)****

Collapsed buildings in Myanmar

People are having to sleep outside!

New Year 2025!

Happy New Years! Like every year before, we’d like to highlight what God did through us in the previous year and provide our goals for the next year. First, it has been a great year especially with John and Anna moving to Thailand. The whole family has had the blessing of being able to meet whenever we could. The end of 2024 was hectic as Thanksgiving rolled into Christmas and then New Years. As you may remember, much of the Lisu people have a little break towards the end of the year after their agricultural harvest. So, the two months at the end of the year is a time to wind down and party!

Stephen giving a sermon at Huay Lai Church

Stephen encouraging a longtime believer

Thanksgiving at Huay Ko Village

Christmas for the kids at a local government school

Nick and John leading games for the kids

Mary and the neighbors handing out ice cream

This year, we completed our campus ministry project in the capital of Laos. The center we built is a space where we can connect with college students. This ministry has been very successful, with many students coming to Christ. Our evangelist in Laos has done an excellent job building relationships with the students and creating a Christian community near the colleges. Unfortunately, we have not been able to fund this ministry consistently, which is a common challenge when operating in restricted countries.

Nick visiting with evangelist Sithat in Laos

The center in Laos is structurally finished

In Biblical teaching, we celebrated the graduation of our latest group of Christian leaders from the Asia International Seminary (AIS). These graduates are now serving in various roles throughout Thailand, and we are grateful that our Bible program is advancing God’s Kingdom. This year, we also welcomed a new group of students who have already begun classes with Stephen. Currently, he is teaching four groups of students from Thailand, Myanmar, and China, totaling 154 students. These students are preachers, Bible teachers, and evangelists working in different churches and different countries.

There is still a high demand for more leaders in this region. For example, some of our former students have planted four new churches in Chiang Mai, Thailand. However, there is only one preacher serving all these churches. To support them, John and Stephen travel almost every weekend to help preach at one of the churches. Please continue to join in prayer for more workers to meet the growing needs of His Kingdom in this part of the world.

Another aspect of AFC is to empower the people in our mission field as we focus on the people as a whole – spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical. We worked with IDES this past year in helping displaced people groups and the people who suffered from the recent floods in Southeast Asia and China. Thanks to our wonderful partner IDES, we were able to provide for physical needs and feed thousands of people. We know that catastrophes are inevitable, and it is such a blessing to be able to help those who are hungry. Through these projects many open the door to hearing about Christ and many have even accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. Praise Him!

Mary and Stephen distributed food packages in Thailand

Helping the flood victims in Laos

Furthermore, the churches we helped plant in Thailand have been growing both in numbers and their spiritual faith. This has been a blessing to work with our alumni to help raise the next generation of leaders in these areas. It has had some challenges occasionally but that is normal. We know that where the Kingdom of God thrives, there the other side likes to destroy. Please continue to pray for these churches and our mission field.

After service meals!

Family Update

Family Christmas white elephant gift exchange

Family and friends on a hike; met with Nick's student
who is a monk at Suthep mountain temple

Isaac is in his final semester in high school and that is exciting! He's currently in contact with a few colleges and making decisions on where he would like to study. It really helps that his portfolio has many projects and awards to show. Becky has continued to help out in anywhere that's needed, from helping Mary around the house to setting up zoom meetings for our English Bible classes. On top of this, she takes consistent trips monthly to the village in Chiang Dao where she spends time teaching to the children there. Nick continues to assist with some teaching and planning for AFC while he's focused on his Masters. His Master's thesis is on the topic of Attachment Theory (psychology) and mental health among Christians in Thailand. This study has a focus on how a Christians relationship with God and their Christian walk (prayer, devotion, forgiveness, being like Christ, etc.) influences their mental health. Excitedly, this will be one of the first large scale studies on Christians in academic psychology in Asia. Please pray for him as he is reaching out and collecting data from 465 Thai Christians, which is a difficult but needed task.

Becky teaching the kids at Huay Ko village

Mary has been doing wonderful in running everything in the house while Stephen focuses on ministry; she has been evangelizing to the neighbors in our area to the point where they are starting to honor our practices. For example, the neighbors gather and help us set up for our thanksgiving worship service or they would join us in our work with the local government schools. This has been another wonderful blessing. Stephen continues to teach to the leaders throughout Southeast Asia, online and onsite. He is currently also guiding a few new churches on our mission field as they face challenges and grow spiritually. Please pray for his health as he continues to make major impacts through equipping Christian leaders, evangelizing to the lost, and empowering people on the field.

Stephen visiting a long time believer
in Chiang Dao

Stephen and John giving a message

Mary's clothing ministry

John and Anna are getting acclimated with Thailand and its culture. They have been living in the city and connecting with new friends. John has been teaching English while going up to villages with Stephen to give sermons and encouragement to the new church plants. Here is a little feedback from John's experience being back in Thailand:

"Thailand has been beautiful as well as sad to experience. Beautiful in the fact that the atmosphere and environment is amazing, the culture is vibrant and rich, the people are genuine and caring like none other. Sad in the fact that these people experience things worse than us; worst in financial situations and worst in social situations. It is eye-opening to come back to Chiang Mai and see the evident beauty and sadness. Having now lived in Thailand for several months and working as a “tent-maker”, working a 9-5 and also spending extra time in helping the ministry, it has opened my eyes to the fact that the people that we are focusing on have life so much worse. The saying, "someone always has it harder" is seen with the people that we work alongside. The Lisu people are mainly farmers. Their annual salary comes from borrowing money from either the bank or loan sharks, hiring some people to help them plant the seeds that they buy with the borrowed money and then they work day and night in the farm. After harvest, they sell their crops and pay off their loan and live off a meager amount of profit. Many farmers will make only $880 for the entire year. To put into perspective, the average Thai person who works will roughly make $4,200 a year! My heart aches for these people as they have less than a quarter of the average salary and still, they are more kind, more caring, more serving, and more thankful than I am. They are more thankful and devoted to their God than we, Americans, are. Friends and family, remember to thank God for the blessings that you have. And, also be intentional with finding ways to help the poor and needy. Above all, remember that someone out there is having it harder than you."

We continually thank God for your partnership in our ministry in Southeast Asia and China. We believe this year will be another great year for His Kingdom as we have made plans for teaching and expanding our mission field. Several of our partners and team are planning to come join us and experience what we do. If you are interested in partnering or visiting us, reach out to us. Please continue to pray for us and the ministry God has allowed us to take part in!