Teerapat and Tiffany Phaisarnpiwat Prayer Letter: A Few Months of Firsts

A Few Months of Firsts

A pastor from my hometown village requested me to preach and help lead in the vows for a couple’s wedding, because he isn’t very good in Thai and the bride was Thai. This was the first wedding ceremony I was privileged to help officiate. Less than a week later, Wut’s father passed away while we were out sharing the Gospel. Wut and I went to the hospital to pick up his father’s body and bring it back to Wut’s home for four days of mourning and the burial. Out of respect for my being Wut’s pastor and having helped with the funeral preparations, they asked me to speak on the day of his father’s burial. After all their traditions and practices were done, they gave me a few minutes to share words of comfort, speak of our Saviour, sing a song, and pray for the family and friends. We returned to Wut’s home the evening after the burial with some people from our church. We were able to witness to some of the family there. In less than a week, we witnessed the beginning of a family and the ending of a father/husband’s life. Again, God reminded us of the need to share the Gospel with everyone around us. We are praising God for the 146 people who trusted Christ as their Saviour these past few months.

We have been praying for a new two-story place to rent for our church since the end of last year. After searching in a village that seemed to have mostly just homes with families living in them, God had us pass by a new, two-story building with a nice yard and space to park a couple of vehicles. The owners had hoped to sell it, but after sales not going through and the building staying empty for a while, they agreed to rent the building to us for about $200 a month. It has two rooms upstairs for a dormitory for Bible college students, as well as two more rooms for a nursery and Sunday school. After knocking down the dividing wall, we now have one big auditorium downstairs. We are just in awe as to what God has been doing. Not only did God give us the exact style of building we were praying for, the financial expenses to move and set up the new place were also given to us. We still have a couple of projects left: build an extending roof to make an outside kitchen and build an outside baptistry (finding open waterfalls during COVID is getting more and more difficult). We will have three Bible students living at the church. Please continue to pray for souls to be saved and for our church to be used in the village of Mae Ku.

Meet Our First-Year Bible Students

Our pastor friend, Atitarn Jomhong, in Bangkok has started Suvarnabhumi Baptist Seminary. SBS has an online correspondence program with requirements for the students to serve in their local church and participate in their activities. We have three men at our church who have a desire to attend Bible school. They have joined SBS’s program and will be serving and practicing what they are learning at our church.

Un, my brother-in-law, is 33 years old and has been saved for two years, but with working in Bangkok, he did not go to church that often or get to grow spiritually. He and my sister have recently moved to MaeSot and now attend our church. This week, Un followed Jesus in baptism. He wants to grow spiritually and to help in the church. He will be studying in SBS’s two-year correspondence program.

Wut is 21 years old. He grew up in a spirit-worshipping family, and six years ago, he became the only one in his family to trust Christ as his Saviour. He has matured and grown spiritually since then. He has been studying with me one on one. Wut now faithfully goes out soul winning with me every week and is our song leader. He believes God wants him to be a missionary. He will be studying in SBS’s four-year correspondence program.

Cha Tree comes from a Buddhist family. He trusted Christ when he was 11 years old. He is now an enthusiastic, hardworking 18-year-old and a big help with the music and sound and anything else he is able to assist in at our church. He will also be studying in SBS’s four-year program.

We are looking for sponsors for these men. Each term is $206. They are hoping to find some part-time work to help with personal and everyday living expenses but would need help with their school fees. Their first term begins in July. If anyone would be able to sponsor a term or a student, we would be so grateful. We have a classroom at the church for them to use. We covet your prayers for them as they begin this new journey in their lives.

God bless,

Teerapat and Tiffany Phaisarnpiwat