Throughout February, I taught on God’s love, and we had a special little service for our church members on the 13th for Valentine’s Day. Right after Valentine’s Day, we again had to stop meeting together for services. COVID cases began to increase, and our church neighbor called the village leader on us again. He was kind, as always, but we decided it was best to return to services with a couple of nearby families in our home and livestream on Facebook temporarily. We praise the Lord that the situation improved, and in April we were able to resume in-person services.
Most people were staying home because of COVID, but with the hot season coming on full force, many went to the waterfalls to find relief from the heat. Each week we have been going to a different waterfall to pass out tracts and talk to anyone who will listen to the Gospel. Hundreds of tracts have been passed out, and at times, some not only took a tract but gave us the time to share with them the gift of eternal life. I met two young men, who were just sitting enjoying the cooler weather and nature at the falls. When I asked if I could sit with them and share with them about going to Heaven, they said “Yes.” One of the men had been to church before and was eager to hear more. About a half hour later, they both trusted Christ. Keep planting seeds and inviting people to church. They may not be ready to accept Christ the first time, but the next time they meet someone who offers to share with them the Gospel, they just might be ready.
In April, Thailand celebrates their New Year, which is also known as “Songkran.” It is officially a three-day holiday, but many celebrate for five days. Each day has a specific purpose. Usually, huge water fights happen everywhere during the holiday. These water fights in our province were canceled due to COVID, and instead, the waterfalls were packed with people. We took groups from our church, armed with hundreds of tracts, to three waterfalls during that week. We had a wonderful time together passing out Gospel tracts and booklets, picnicking, and cooling off at the falls. This year, the last day of the celebrations coincided with Resurrection Day. While we were picking up for church, many were going to the temples, meeting with the monks, and participating in different ceremonies, including wrapping the village in white string for protection and blessing. We are so thankful that we were able to find a quiet place in the clearing of the woods to hold our Resurrection Day service and church picnic. Some people from the village came to the clearing and stood in the background listening to us sing and watching the service. There was a small runoff from a bigger waterfall, and after our service, two people followed Jesus in believer’s baptism. We continued our celebration of Jesus’ resurrection the Monday and Tuesday after Resurrection Day. Our church people gathered at our home for a study on why the Resurrection is important to us as believers.
We praise God that Tiffany and I celebrated our 5th anniversary in between the Songkran Festival and the celebration of the resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for praying for our family and ministry here in MaeKu and for faithfully supporting us.
God bless,
Teerapat and Tiffany Phaisarnpiwat
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- One of the waterfalls where people go to cool off during the hot season
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- Sharing the Gospel with two young men at one of the waterfalls
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- Celebrating our 5th Anniversary!