November brought us to the end of our furlough travels, and we were thrilled to have another church commit to give money toward the church’s Building Fund. God gave me another opportunity to preach in Missy’s home church, Midwestern Baptist Church, our last Sunday in America. We are always so thankful for the support, love, and prayers of Dr. Ken Bentley and the dear folks there at Midwestern. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with Missy’s parents and family before heading back to the field.
Our family arrived back in Thailand the last day of November, and we have been going non-stop since then. Six of our supporting churches have sent money for the building/land project, with a few more commitments yet to be fulfilled. We want to say “Thank you” to these churches: Lighthouse Baptist Church, Ludington, Michigan; Freedom Baptist Church, Rural Hall, North Carolina; Faith Baptist Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Sierra View Baptist, Reno, Nevada; Maranatha Baptist Church, Jacksonville, North Carolina; and Bailey’s Grove Baptist Church, Asheboro, North Carolina. With the sacrificial giving of our team members, our church family, and the churches in the States, we are excited to see what God will do in the days ahead.
We had a special Christmas Sunday on December 17, with 310 in attendance. This was just for our church members, with no extra promotions due to our limited space. What a great day we had with Sunday schools, a church service, a delicious Christmas lunch, a time of singing carols, the Christmas story, and gifts. It was such a joy to share Christmas again this year with our church family.
Khun Jantorn is a lady who has been saved and a member of our church for over a year now. She has some health problems, and one of her legs is crippled. A few Wednesday nights ago, she raised her hand to give a blessing. She shared with the church family that she had waited to get baptized, but now she was ready. The following Sunday the church cheered her on as she followed the Lord in baptism. Watching the Lord work in hearts and lives never gets old!
Our good friends from our college days, Jeremy and Priscilla Long, and their daughters, Emma and Martha, came to visit our family over Christmas. Their visit was a sweet time of fellowship and made our holiday season extra special this year. They brought fun treats from America, the ladies made Christmas goodies together, we played games, and the kids enjoyed making memories with new friends. We’re thankful for their support of our ministry and their friendship through the years.
Missy and I make visits and go soul winning together throughout the week, and we are thankful for the freedom to share the good news of the Gospel. Please continue to pray for us as the church grows and new ministries are started. We have some plans for new Bible studies and children’s ministries in this new year. Missy and Miss Shari will continue their monthly ladies’ Bible studies in the cities of Cha Am and Nong Plab as well. The ladies will be studying about prayer and thankfulness and the importance of these in the Christian life.
We are blessed to have faithful supporting churches and friends who also pray for us and stay in contact through mail, email, social media, and phone calls. We love you and want to thank you for having a part in another great year of missions work in Thailand.
To God be the glory,
Tim Shook
