May 20 was the one-year anniversary of our return to Thailand. On Sunday, May 17, the church surprised my wife and me with gifts, flowers, and very kind words in honor of the occasion. It has been a blessed year, and we love being back where the Lord has called us.
Something our family has enjoyed this past year is making church visits together on Mondays and Saturdays. We challenged ourselves to visit without an interpreter, and it has been encouraging to see how the people have opened up to us since our understanding of the Thai language has increased. Having this opportunity to reach out to our church members on a more personal level has been a precious experience.
This month the older children on the team began studying the Thai language. We are thrilled to have one of our church members, Khun Pat, to tutor them each week. She teaches professionally at a local language school and teaches the adults on the team also. This will give our children the oppor-tunity to enjoy their lives even more here on the mission field.
Missy and I have seen 18 souls come to Christ this past month, and God has allowed me to lead 2 more people to Him without a translator. Our team has seen some tremendous open doors in little villages near our church, and we are excited about the future opportunities of discipleship in these and other areas.
Thank you for your faithful support this past year. What a joy it has been for our family to be settled into and back in the swing of the ministry here in Thailand. Your prayers and monthly support are what keep us encouraged and enable us to continue our calling and purpose. We pray for you and trust our reports are an encouragement! God is doing great things, and we are challenged with a greater vision to do more in this upcoming year.
For Him,
Tim Shook
-
- May 20, the one-year anniversary of our return to Thailand
-
- Our family in the car, ready to make church visits
-
- The older children of the team now studying the Thai language
-
- Lauren visiting her friend Noi