This Week: L2P School and Ethnic Ministries in Pattaya

This week we are completing the second half of our License to Preach School (L2P), which is a basic course for training those who will be entering the ministry. The course we teach is the same material used at the L2P training in the Kentucky Annual Conference. We thank Dr. Rice for giving permission for these materials to be translated into the Thai language.

The one thing about Thai Christians... they never ask easy questions. Teaching these courses that are required for credentialing is challenging. The pastors and Bible College students always keep us on our toes. We really enjoy teaching. There is no better way to learn material or to be refreshed in it than to teach it.

Right now I (Mike) am at our home office while Sherri is teaching. Our printer decided to "bite the dust" yesterday, so I had to get a new printer today and am doing a printing marathon.

Last Sunday, we attended the Chinese service at Life Center UMC in Pattaya. The worship leader was Pi Mary, a former member of Pradumri First UMC who is of Chinese origin. Pi Mary led the worship with joy and confidence in the Lord. We met several new visitors to the church and were happy to see the fruit of their hard work for the Lord.

On Tuesday, I went down to Pattaya with Pastor Sarah of Pradumri First UMC and Pastor Nimmit, who is an associate pastor at Pradumri. Pastor Nimmit is from the Akha hill tribe and has a heart to reach Akha people in Thailand, Burma, and China. We went to the beach at Pattaya, where Pi Mary arranged a meeting with some women she knew that are Akha. These women sell handcrafts to tourists at the beach. There were 6 women there and they were all interested in starting an Akha congregation. We had a meeting over dinner and decided to start meeting on November 17th at the Major movie theater. We don't have a building at this time, so we hope this location can work out for long term.

Pray for the ethnic ministries here in Thailand, especially in Pattaya where there is such great need.

More Pradumri Camp Pictures

Pradumri Camp Meeting at the Edge of the Earth

We had a wonderful, much needed vacation in Chiang Mai with our sons Anthony and Michael, our daughter-in-law Jude, and our two grandchildren, Madeline and Isaiah. We rode the overnight train there and back, and we enjoyed the beautiful mountain scenery from our sleeper car. Our family will all be moving back to the States in the Spring, so we were soaking in the pleasure of their company during our time there.
We had to cut our vacation short and come back home on Saturday morning so we could re-pack our bags and head out to Northeast Thailand to the Pradumri UMC Camp Meeting at the national park at Rarerng. To be frank, we really did not have the best of attitudes because we really wanted to have a few more days of vacation with our family, since we probably will not have another opportunity to do so. So we went with divided hearts to Rarerng, which is absolutely on the edge of the earth, just before you fall off of the edge. The roads were really bad getting there, and we were praying that we would not break an axle on the way to the place. When we arrived, we came to a camp that was breathtakingly majestic. And when we were with our Thai sisters and brothers, we immediately were received with joy and grace which dispelled any negative feelings that we had from cutting short our vacation.
On Saturday, 23 people were baptized, Praise the Lord! Dr. Somsak led the camp with powerful preaching. In fact, that day, 4 local people who had come to the camp received Jesus as their Savior and Lord. They were baptized on Sunday morning during the worship service. Dr. Somsak baptized them by the method of pouring. We appreciated this, because this helped to affirm our Methodist theology, which employs all three methods of baptism.
It is always a holy moment to partake of holy communion with new believers who are participating in the Eucharist for the first time. For new Christians, it is a moment that they will always remember. And for “veteran” Christians, it reminds us of the awesome privilege of sharing together in remembering what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. Seeing this through the eyes of newborn Christians provides a contagious excitement about the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus.
We thank you for making it possible for us to work together with Thai Christians to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a nation where most people have not had the chance to hear about the Lord. We are very blessed. And we are grateful to all who support us in our ministry here. Thank you. You are a blessing to us and to the people of Thailand.

Praise God for answering silent prayers

Last Thursday, I (Mike) drove Allen Metcalf and his fiance Jahp back to Sammuk Christian Academy, where they serve as missionary teachers. On the way back home, I had to drive down the pothole-infested road which has swampland on both sides of the street. All of a sudden, I hit a deep pothole and then the car swerved suddenly and uncontrollably to the right towards the water. Then it swerved violently to the left to the other side when I put the brake on. I did not have time to pray out loud. There was only enough time for the silent thought "Help me, Lord".
When that silent prayer went up to God, the car all of a sudden straighted out and safely came to a stop in the middle of the street. I praise God that even the silent prayers in our minds are heard by our Lord. When I got out of the car, the left front wheel was facing forward and the right front wheel was turned to the right. The steering arm was broken, not in the usual place at a pivot joint, but had stripped threads. It was only afterwards that I realized how awful this could have been if it had broken a minute later when I would be traveling on the main road at 50 MPH. Thank you Lord, for saving me from disaster.

Today is the first day of the Southeast Asia Consulation in North Carolina. Pastor Sarah of Pradumri First UMC is representing the Thailand Mission. Please pray for her as she serves at this consultation.

Meet Pastor Tharadon of Suphanburi

Pastor Tharadon is a true pioneering pastor. In fact, when we first met him, he called himself an Evangelist, because he said God has called him to the ministry of planting new churches where there are none at the present time. That caught our attention, because that is our vision too. Tharadon has planted several churches for OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship)which he turned over to new pastors as they were able to stand on their own.

Pastor Thardone will now be planting churches for the United Methodist Church in Thailand. A few months ago, he planted a church in Suphanburi, a rural province in Western Thailand. This church is now the Suphanburi UMC. This is the He also has started a cell groups in nearby Songpinaung district, which has no church at the present time. A new church will now be planted there as well. This will be our first United Methodist circuit in Thailand. So Tharadone will be the first UM Circuit Rider here in Thailand.

God has blessed. There are now 8 United Methodist churches in Thailand.
Pradumri UMC - Chonburi
Bowin UMC - Bowin
Life Center UMC - Pattaya
Bangkok UMC - Bangkok
Almighty God UMC - Nonsomboon
Lamppost UMC - Chiang Dao
Suphanburi UMC - Suphanburi
Songpinaung UMC - Songpinaung

Santa Clara 2009 VIM Team makes a big impact in Thailand

It has been a whirlwind week with the Santa Clara 2009 VIM team. 5 Team Members came on Tuesday early morning to serve the Thai people through the Lion’s Club Eyeglass ministry. It is a very long trip to come to Thailand, but this team was ready to work hard for the Lord.

On Tuesday afternoon and evening, the team went to Minburi in Bangkok, nearby to where Pradumri Bangkok UMC is located. We knew that many people would show up, so we chose to do the outreach at a government building rather than the church. Over 550 people received glasses that day. Every person who came and the family members who came with them were witnessed to by Thai Christians. These events would be impossible without the hard work of Thai Christians working side-by-side with the Santa Clara VIM team. Every person who came had a clear presentation of the gospel and received Christian literature. There were 52 Thai people who received Jesus Christ there in Bangkok that day. Praise the Lord! There will be follow-up with these people as well as the hope that we can water the seeds planted in everyone’s hearts on that day.

On Wednesday morning and afternoon, we went to Pluakdaeng in Rayong Province. This town is near the Bowin church. The Christians at Bowin UMC had been going out for evangelistic outreach to Pluakdaeng for several months and had a strong cell group started in the newer section of town near the large main road leading to the industrial parks nearby. But recently they discovered that a very small church (about 20 people) existed on the old part of the town. As United Methodists, we believe in working together with other Christians, so we offered to do this outreach at this church and help them to build their ministry. So we went to Pluakdaeng Unity Christian Church, which is a daughter church of a church in Rayong. There we had over 200 people receive eyeglasses and 24 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ! We hope to work cooperatively with Pluakdaeng church in the future.

On Wednesday evening, the team stayed at Rodem House in Jomtien Beach (south of Pattaya) which is a ministry to provide a place for Christian retreats and a place of rest and renewal for pastors and missionaries.

On Thursday morning, the team visited the children of Blessing Home in Pattaya. The children sang for the team. The children are very cute when they sing, because they like to sing very loud and with lots of enthusiasm. After visiting the children, we went to Bowin UMC where the team and a crew of volunteers from Pradumri First UMC of Chonburi and Bowin UMC boarded a bus to go to Almighty God UMC in the town of Nonsomboon in Northeast Thailand. We stayed overnight at a campground there with nice cabins, and then on Friday morning and afternoon, the team and the Thai Christians served at Almighty God UMC which is Pastor Nampon’s church.

Pastor Nampon and the Christians at Almighty God UMC had received strong persecution over the past several months. The hope for this mission was that it would present an opportunity to share the gospel with all who came as well as to strengthen community relations, so people see that Christians want to help their neighbors and improve conditions for all.

There were over 460 people who received glasses at Nonsomboon. But here is the great news. 130 people received Jesus as Savior and Lord! Praise the Lord!

Because of the ministry of the Santa Clara VIM team and the faithful hard work of the Thai Christians, 206 people became Christians and at least 1,800 heard the gospel of Jesus Christ in a personal and clear way (not only did those who receive glasses receive witness, but also those who came with them.) Many seeds were planted, and we know that there will even be a greater harvest in the future.

On Saturday, the team traveled back to Bowin to drop off the Thai Christians, and then went to Bangkok to see the city before going to the airport.
The Santa Clara team must be very tired, because they worked very hard all week. We are grateful to them and all of our sisters and brothers at Santa Clara KUMC for their sacrifice for the Thai people and for helping us.

There are four posts below this with pictures from the outreach. Feel free to view and download them.

Photos from Santa Clara VIM - Part 1

Photos from Santa Clara VIM - Part 2

Photos from Santa Clara VIM - Part 3

Photos from Santa Clara VIM - Part 4

UMC opens new church in Northern Thailand

Last week, Sherri and I went up to Chiang Dao, a small city in the mountains of the far northern region of Thailand. Chiang Dao is a region that contains many hill tribes (Lisu, Karen, Hmong, Akha, Muser, and others). Drs. Tanapong and Mualrerdee (picture at the top left), Bible College professors from a Bible College in Eastern Thailand, wanted to start a United Methodist church in Chiang Dao and a Bible College to serve the needs of the many hill tribe people in the region.


Drs. Tanapong and Mualrerdee participated in the Advanced Course of Study courses on United Methodist Doctrine and History before we left to go back to the States on itineration. They did not want to wait until we came back to Thailand to start the church, so they started it about 3 months ago. We knew they had planted a new United Methodist church, Lampstand UMC but did not know they had also started a Bible college (we thought this would be sometime in the future). So when we arrived there, we were very surprised to meet 21 students of the new Global Theological Institute. We had arrived early, so Drs. Tanapong and Mualrerdee were not there yet. This gave us an opportunity to get to know these students, many of whom were Lisu, Karen, and one was Hmong. They came to study because they knew they were called to be God's servants to plant new churches. They live in very primitive and crowded conditions, because more students wanted to study than what there were facilities to accomodate. But their hearts were filled with the joy of the Lord, and they were very welcoming to us. We were very impressed by the joyful sacrifice these students make on a daily basis for the Lord.


When Drs. Tanapong and Mualrerdee arrived, they were exhausted. They have worked non-stop, morning, noon, and night, for 3 months without rest. When they started the church and Bible college, they did not have any funds, so they sold their only home and used the funds to start these ministries. The funds from the sale of the house is not nearly enough to meet all of the needs. But they have given of their fishes and loaves, so that God can multiply it to feed the multitude. In the lives of Drs. Tanapong and Mualrerdee we saw New Testament faith in action. We were reminded of Acts 4:32-35

All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had. And the apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great favor was upon them all. There was no poverty among them, because people who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need.


What great faith! They teach the students Monday through Friday in the mornings and afternoon. On Saturday, they take the students out to evangelize (we saw the fruits of this, there were many new believers at this church as a result of this). And on Sunday, they have Sunday School and Worship, and do a Pickup ministry (transportation to the church and back home). We are praying that others will come to help them in this ministry, because it is too much for just two people. We know God will provide.

The International Motorbike Show Bangkok

Carrol Cheatwood, a friend from our home church (College Heights UMC), sent a website to us called The International Motorbike Show Bangkok.

Take a look at the slideshow. It will give a very typical look at what we see many times each day. It is amazing what can be transported on those little motorcycles. We admire the ingenuity that Thai people demonstrate on a daily basis. It shows a CAN DO spirit!

Here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/thaicarshow

Joyful Reunion

While we were itinerating in the States, one of the miracles that we spoke about was Santa Clara KUMC Mission Team as they served in Bangsaray. We enjoyed showing pictures from the event, because it was a time of seeing God's power at work in the ministry of the Thai Christians who witnessed faithfully and effectively. (If you did not hear this story while we were itinerating, follow this link to read about it in our blog: http://msmorrissey.blogspot.com/2008/09/miracle-at-bangsaray-and-pattaya.html )

This week, we had our first UM pastors and interns meeting at our house since we came back to Thailand. It was a joyful reunion. So many things had transpired in their lives and we wanted to hear all of their stories and be able to pray with them. At the meeting, some of the new pastors and interns saw the pictures of the event at Bangsaray, and we told them the story that we told you. They had shocked looks on their faces because they had never heard of such a thing in Thailand.

One of the evangelists at this event who witnessed to many, many people was Pastor Nampon of Almighty God UMC in Nonsomboon. She is pictured above at the event in Bangsaray (photos courtesy of Mr. Park Tae Hwa of Santa Clara KUMC -- www.thpark.com ) Pastor Nampon gave testimony at the pastors and interns meeting that she had a crisis last month. There was an senior woman who was a new believer that joined Almighty God UMC. This woman wanted to cleanse her house of idols. As usual, there was a special worship service to remove the idols. However, 2 weeks after cleansing her home of idols, this senior believer became suddenly ill and died. Her family and many in the town blamed Pastor Nampon because they believed the spirits were taking vengeance on the woman for removing the idols. Pastor Nampon faced persecution for the last month, but things have calmed down. Please keep Pastor Nampon and this situation in prayer.

The Santa Clara KUMC Mission Team will be here in September to do another eyeglass mission. They will be going up to Pastor Nampon's church. Please pray that the Mission Team's act of mercy in providing free eyeglasses and portraits will help to rebuild good relations with community leaders in Nonsomboon. This mission team and be a key to bridging trust in this town.

Serendipitous Blessings at Life Center UMC in Pattaya

Today we worshipped at Life Center UMC in Pattaya. The previous two times we visited, we attended the Chinese service in the afternoon, so we really wanted to connect with the Thai believers at the morning service.

When we pulled up to the church, the first thing we noticed was a new church sign with the cross and flame logo of the United Methodist Church. The sign reminds us of how proud we are to be United Methodist. Life Center UMC serves as a lighthouse of hope in the midst of a dark city, and seeing the UMC logo reminds us of the Connection which means so much to us.

When we went inside, the church was filled with joyous people worshipping the Lord. We really enjoyed the service, which had many people standing up to give a testimony of how God has changed their lives and blessed them. In fact, there were a few people who gave testimonies that we believe God will some day call into pastoral ministry. They were filled with holy boldness as they gave testimony to the goodness and power of our Lord.

There were many new faces and the numbers of worshippers have grown in the last few months. When we met some of the new people, we were truly blessed to discover that some of them were the grandparents or "foster" parents of the children from Blessing Home. We gave praise to the Lord that God is using this ministry to not only save these children, but also to reach the families that care for them. It is working! Blessing Home is truly a ministry to the community, reaching the children and the adults that care for them. This is what makes Blessing Home different than other orphan ministries. God is good!

On a side note, we are still adjusting to the heat here. It has been 100-110 degrees with 95% or higher humidity everyday. When we went back to the States, we were there long enough for our bodies to adjust to the moderate temperates of Kentucky (especially since Kentucky had unusually cold weather). Now we have to re-adjust to the sweltering heat of Thailand. We find ourselves quickly physically drained in this heat and must pace ourselves. We have been enjoying air conditioning more than usual in the effort to adjust.

Since we have been back, we have been trying to meet with the pastors and interns on an individual basis and will have our first group pastors meeting on Tuesday. We must make plans for an upcoming Mission Team from Santa Clara as well as plans for a License to Preach School coming up soon.

Keep lifting us and your Thai brothers and sisters up to God in prayer.