“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:38)
We have GREAT JOY because God brought us through the stormy seas of life, and we are now back in Thailand. Praise the Lord!! Church services are going . . . again. Souls are being saved . . . again. Praises to God are ringing out . . . again. What a wonderful God we serve! We are so glad to be back. Although some of those in the church moved away during the time we were gone, the others have returned. It is so good to see them again. Pray for their continued growth in Christ and for more souls to come to Christ.
These last two months also came with sadness, as our precious daughter-in-law Soso went to be with Jesus. We know it is just for a little while, but it is still difficult saying goodbye for that little while. She was the kindest person I have ever known. Please keep our son and grandson in your prayers, as well as the orphans that were in their care. Joseph is still in India praying and trying to come up with the right answers for everything. Pray that God will give him wisdom and guide him every step of the way.
God so wonderfully provided the funds to be able to hire a young man to be a full-time helper/interpreter. His name is Gai. I had been teaching him English before we had to return to America. Since our return, he has been increasing in English very rapidly, as I’m able to teach him and work with him on a daily basis. He had told me beforehand that he did not believe in God or anything else for that matter, but he would interpret for me whether he believed it or not. I said it would be fine as long as he accurately interpreted what I said, which he agreed to do. By the middle of October, Gai had heard me give the Gospel several times. He had heard me teach about sin, salvation, and Jesus from different Scriptures in the church services. During this time, we also took a trip up the mountains near the Burma border, and there I met a Thai man named Lattee. He was 77 years old and fluent in English. He really encouraged Gai, as they talked a lot. The morning before we left, I saw Lattee having a cup of coffee. I asked if I could join him, and he happily accepted. Gai came shortly after and sat behind Lattee. As I began to share the Gospel with Lattee, Gai listened and looked on excitedly. He even took some pictures. When Lattee bowed his head to call on the Lord Jesus, Gai also bowed his head. When Lattee finished praying, I asked him where would he go when he died, to which he responded, “Heaven.” When he said “Heaven,” Gai responded very excitedly. As Gai and I walked away, I asked him why he was so happy about Lattee calling on Jesus. Gai answered, “He is a very old man, and I’m happy he will go to be with Jesus when he dies.” I said, “So do you believe what I’m telling about Jesus?” He said, “Not yet, Teacher, but I’m happy for Lattee.”
The following Sunday, my normal interpreter for Sunday services did not come to church, so Gai interpreted for the first time for the services. Just before the morning services, a grandma came to the door and asked if her 12-year-old granddaughter could come to church. She said, “She has been crying all morning, wanting to go to church.” That morning, we shared the Gospel with the girl, and Gai interpreted. Again, Gai was very happy that Ja, the girl, had trusted Christ. That evening, I taught from Ephesians 2:8-9, how we are saved by grace through faith and not works. As the invitation started, Gai stopped interpreting. When I looked over to see why, his head was bowed, his hands were folded, and he appeared to be praying. I looked out at my wife and kind of shrugged an “I don’t know” to her, then looked back at Gai and waited. Then he looked up at me and said, “Now I believe, Teacher! Now I believe!” I love watching God work!
Thank you for all your faithful prayers and support!
Yours for His harvest,
Andrew Long
Romans 10:14
