“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17)
After 12 weeks of staying at home, we had our first services on the first Sunday in June. We had two different services at the two church locations. Of course, with careful planning to comply with the government’s stipulations, our team and staff worked together to prepare the facilities of each location before the first service. We were excited to have first-time visitors, a profession of faith, and one who followed Christ in believer’s baptism. What a joy it was to see folks back together in the house of God. During the past 2½ months, we were thankful for modern technology, where we could livestream sermons, Sunday school lessons, and Bible studies. God has allowed our online presence to reach many people who have never attended our church. I was recently at the hospital for a doctor’s appointment, and a nurse, whom Missy has witnessed to in the past, recognized me from our church’s Facebook page. She told me that she had been watching our weekly services. What a blessing! We plan to continue streaming services online, and we pray that this outlet will reach more for Him.
Missy and Miss Shari made a few visits to our church members who live an hour away. They were able to help some folks who have struggled to provide for their families during this time of economic struggle. One of our faithful church men, Khun Lai, lives on his parent’s farmland. He lives very simply but has shown great faith since his conversion a few years ago. While the ladies were at his house, he removed a picture of himself dressed as a woman, which hung on the side of his house. He handed the framed portrait to the ladies and said, “Would you please replace this picture? I am not the same person anymore. This was before I met Jesus.”
Before trusting Jesus as his Saviour, Khun Lai was living in the bonds of sin as a woman and was considered to be one who was connected to spirits and spirit worship. His small, wooden shack was filled with idols and spirit houses. One day he was sick and needed medicine. When he went to get medicine from the village doctor, he met the doctor’s wife, who is a faithful member of our church and a born-again believer. That dear lady shared Jesus with Khun Lai and invited him to visit church. Khun Lai came to church the following Sunday and trusted Jesus to be his Saviour. Soon after, he was baptized and began growing in the Lord. He called the men in our church and asked that his idols and spirit houses be removed from his house. He also changed his lifestyle and returned to dressing according to his God-given gender. All of these things came from the boldness of one lady who was willing to share the Gospel. Her boldness gave Khun Lai the greatest privilege to know Jesus and begin growing in this new life in Christ. Khun Lai has seen the love of our Saviour and the sufficient grace of God as he continues to make steps of faith. Please pray for these new believers as they read the Word of God and follow Him in obedience.
Through the generous giving of our supporters, our team was able to help the families of the students who attend our English language school. The teachers and staff gave bags of food, a gift of money, and a Gospel tract. Please pray that we will have more opportunities to water these seeds that have been planted for HIS sake.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers during this time especially. We pray for you by name weekly, and we praise the Lord for the faith of our fellow believers throughout the world.
We can rest in knowing that, “. . . greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (I John 4:4)
For Him,
Tim Shook
