March was a busy month for us! We started a new class at our language school, started a new church, and started two new ladies’ Bible studies!
Our language school is geared mostly to adult students and older teens wanting to study abroad for university. Several of the primary schools that we held Christmas Programs for this past year inquired if we would be willing to teach younger students. We invited four of the schools to select seven students each to attend a special ten-week summer class, which began March 4. Bro. Scott Mercer and I are enjoying teaching the children, and they are doing extremely well. The parents and the schools’ English teachers have been invited to attend a small presentation at the end of the course, where the students will present some of the things they have learned. We have already had requests to open the class to other children, as well, and are prayerfully considering this. Please pray with us that these children would not only desire to learn English but also desire to learn about Jesus.
On March 5, we planted our fourth church since coming to Thailand nine years ago. The church is located about 45 minutes east of our Hua Hin church in a small town called Nong Plap. The Lord provided us with the perfect building on one of the main roads nestled in between a small convenient store and a TV repair shop. It is also just down the road from the large Dole Pineapple Factory, where several of our Karen church members are employed. Bro. Randy and Mrs. Carmen Shook are heading up this new work, along with a few of our Thai staff and our Karen translator. We hold Karen services on Sunday evenings and Thai services on Tuesday evenings. The response from the area has been tremendous, and we are already averaging between 20-25 people for the services. It is exciting to see new converts bring family and friends to the church. Please pray for the Lord’s blessing and that the church will be a great testimony in the community.
On March 17 and 18, we started two new ladies’ Bible studies in two different locations. They are held back to back on the third Friday and Saturday of each month. The Friday night Bible study is located at the new church in Nong Plap, and the Saturday Bible study takes place in the home of one of our faithful members who lives about 40 minutes north of our church in a town called Cha-am. Several of our members already live in that area, and those ladies who live in Hua Hin can choose which study they’d like to go to and catch a ride with us. If you look closely at the pictures, you will notice Khun Yai chose to go to both studies even though the lesson was exactly the same. She just can’t get enough of learning about the Bible and wanted to be an encouragement to both groups of ladies. What a blessing! This year we will be focusing on Titus 2, and for our first lesson, Missy Shook and I taught on holiness. The ladies absolutely loved this special time of studying the Bible, singing, and praying together. It is our desire that our ladies will grow exponentially because of this effort. Please pray for Missy and me, as teaching the deep truths of the Bible in Thai can be somewhat of a challenge. At this first meeting, I expressed to the ladies the importance of learning these lessons in order to be able to teach their children and grandchildren. Slowly we are seeing generations being raised up for the Lord in Thailand. Amen!
Shari House
