Here is a recap of the last few months of 2024.
September
It is always exciting when our church kids invite their friends. Donkow brought these two sweet girls, BaiDong and BaiKow. They both trusted Christ as their personal Saviour. Yoke came with her parents and also sweetly trusted Christ as her Saviour. Evelyse celebrated her 5th birthday and started kindergarten.
October
For the first time ever, I had a sibling visit me on the mission field. It was wonderful to have my brother Jeff and my sister-in-law Carrie bring 10 people from their church to visit the ministry here for a week. We had a full schedule, and while they were here, their group helped me put on a Bible English Camp for the orphanage kids in PaDeng. We had 60 kids who attended the camp, and although we were in record-breaking temperatures for heat, we had an amazing time. The kids had a blast, and the workers’ hearts were touched daily by the sweet spirit of these kids who go without so much. It has been since our young adult days that my brother and I have been able to minister together, and it was just such a precious thing to serve the Lord with him during this camp. Jeff and his entire group were soul-conscious everywhere we went and were often in tears with what they saw and experienced. It was a reminder to this veteran missionary not to get calloused to the need around me when I see it day in and day out. Our group was able to see quite a few saved during the week of camp and while we were out sightseeing. These two young cadets were our tour guides at one tourist spot. They talked with us for nearly an hour and trusted Christ as their Saviour after hearing the Gospel and having their questions answered.
The following week, our church held our yearly Village Bible Clubs in 4 different locations. Our staff and church members worked hard, and this year we had an average daily attendance of 150! We saw over 50 souls saved during this 3-day outreach. Since this outreach is held during the school break, it is a great opportunity for our teens to get involved. I was so proud of the work they did for the Lord.
December
It was a blessing to be able to host my annual Mother & Daughter Christmas Brunch for the missionaries in our area. We had a lovely time of fellowship together. This year, I also hosted a Christmas dinner for our college-and-career-aged adults. On Christmas Sunday, the Hua Hin church had 300 in attendance, and the Nong Phlap church had over 700. At least 30 souls were saved on that special day. Evelyse’s friend Gam is a sweetheart and faithfully attends church with her great-grandmother.
The Heavenly Treasures Project received a large donation at the end of the month towards the Karen orphanage. I had the privilege of delivering new mattresses and sheet sets for each child, along with some special snacks. They were elated! What a blessing it is to have such faithful supporters to all the ministries here in Thailand.
Serving the Master joyfully,
Shari & Evelyse
