December was by far our busiest month since returning to Thailand seven months ago. Missy and I had the privilege of seeing 22 souls come to Christ this month. One evening while out witnessing, my partner and I met 3 teen boys playing soccer. As we began to tell them the Gospel story, one of the young men told us that he had heard about Jesus. In his excitement he expressed several times that he knew that when he died he would either go to Heaven or Hell, but no one had ever told him more than that. God used his enthusiasm to encourage his 2 friends to listen more intently. All 3 accepted Christ as their Saviour that night.
Meet Dtem—she is pictured in the photo below with our daughter Lauren and her daughter Avee. Dtem has been attending our church for over a year and had been a Christian for several years before coming to Independent Baptist Church of Hua Hin. She is married to Peter, a European, and has two teenage children. Dtem attends our Sunday morning services faithfully but always comes alone. One Monday evening our family visited Dtem in her home. That night we met her family and had a chance to talk and fellowship. Missy was surprised to meet Avee, since Dtem had never mentioned that she had a 12-year-old daughter.
The following Thursday my wife, Kristi Mercer (our youth pastor’s wife), and El (our youth ministry helper) went back to visit Avee and invite her to the teen Sunday school class. The visit was an unusual one, and the ladies left feeling as though it would be a miracle if Avee came to church with her mom. On Sunday Avee and her mom came for Sunday school and church and returned that evening for our annual Christmas banquet. God worked a miracle that day, and Avee has come back to church since then and seems to really enjoy being a part of our ministry. Please pray for this family and the salvation of Dtem’s husband Peter.
God also blessed our annual Christmas banquet greatly with 230 people in attendance. Christ-honoring Christmas specials were sung, the church gave a gift of a blanket and pillow to each member, a delicious meal was prepared, and the Christmas story was given. It was such a special time to share Christmas with the people whom God has called us to serve!
Your constant love, prayers, and support are what make our ministry possible! We trust your holidays were blessed.
Tim Shook