Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It was a wonderful time I had in the states during April to August 10, 2011. Thank you so very much for your wonderful hospitality and American foods. Also, thank you for your faithful support of prayers, finance support and your Christian love. On August 12, I arrived Bangkok and stay couple days with my daugther Debra and her family in Sriracha, south of Bangkok where they work for general motor company. Later, I went to a hospital in Bangkok to check up my diabete and health as I go there every six months or once a year. I got back to Maesot on August 17. All the teachers and students at Maesot Biblical Training are doing well. And, my other fellow-workers of evangelists and preachers in villages also doing well and working for the Lord as much as they can. Travelled to villages and visited local churches took a busy time as soon as I arrived at MBTC because some Christians in villages are confusing by Senventh Day Adventist and Jehovah witness’ doctrines.
September: First week of September, I went to Bangkok to encourage to a Lisu young church. Over a hundred of young people gather together to worship God every Sunday in a room. They are from different areas of northern Thailand and Burma. We had two days, Sept 3-4 worship God together and encouraged each other through the Word. On Monday September 5th, I flew back to Maesot. On September 9 -10, we had meeting with Borderline Christian Fellowship in Maesot. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand’s constitution, we, all the protestant churches, missions, organizations and local churches have meeting once a while and prayer together and discuss on winning souls through personal evangelism. Every four years, we have Thailand Christian Congress. This is just a worship together and encourage each other to grow up the church in Thailand as we set up our goal to establish a church in every community and villages in Thailand. Our meeting in September bring a Christian rivival services which took place on October 10 -13 in Maesot. Thousands of Christians from different places attended in the services as well as many non christians. Several hundreds people turn to Christ from Buddhism religion, included some monks.
October: In October, we had another team who are Burmese Doctors and nurses from Autralia and Burma join together and come to us to help medical treatment for the Burmese refugee in Maesot. Doctors, nurses and their assistants arround thirty people stayed with us at MBTC for five days and gave medical treatment for refugee. Some of them are dentist and many refugee get their teeth clean up and fix. It was a time of blessings for refugee.
We also had a very nice study time with Dr. Pai Su. He is a real Burmese who used to be a Buddhist monk for six years. Later, he resigned from monkhood and went to military serivices. That time he met a Christian lady and married her. Through his wife he found the real salvation in Christ. After he accept Jesus as his personal Savior and Lord, he come out from military and went to a Bible college and later he earn degrees of biblical theology. He came us in last week of October and taught three days on what is the differents between the Buddhism belief and Christianity’s. His teaching make to his fellow-Burmese people very clear understand on the gospel of Jesus. We invited him to come back again and encourage through the Word of God especially for the new Burmese Christians. In October, we also provided some foods for flood victims. That time we joined with government food supply agency in Maesot for the people who are suffering and lost every thing what they have. The flood began arround middle of August in northern Thailand.
November: In November is the most busy times we had. First two weeks, we buy rice bags, dry noodle packs, water bottles, soaps, toothpasts, soap power for wash laudry, milk for adult and baby, bread and many others. Then, we open the big boxs and put one from each items together in small bags so that every one of the flood victims can get equall. We prepared this as soon as we received money $15,000 from IDES. The third week of November, we went to flood areas that located six hours drive south of Maesot, near Bangkok with three small trucks and one ten wheels truck, total over six tons of aids/foods for flood victims. We spent five days in shared foods and many other things to 2,228 families or 15,000 people who lost every thing what they have and suffering by flood.
On November 21 -28, my brother Samuel and I went to China to participated in a new Church dedication which provided the costs by IDES. On new church dedicated day, there were arround three hundred people seated inside the new Church building. However, still over 1700 people are seating outside and arround the church and listening the message that is preaching from inside the church by evangelist Yexi Bee. May Christian brothers and sisters come to join in the new church dedication. People were crowded at church door. Every one is try to press forward at Church door to get in. When I saw them, I can not control my tears in my eyes because that moment I remember many nice church buildings where I went to America still many empty seats. There are some in Thailand and Burma too, if we compare the Spiritual hungry and thirst in China among the Lisu Churches. The Lisu Christian number in China is growing fast. There are over 400,000 at this time. Bible first printed in 2008 for 50,000 copies. Still many people are waiting for bible. We are planing to print another 30,000 bibles and 30,000 hymn books as soon as possible. Please keep this needs in your prayers. One Lisu bible will costs $2.60, one Lisu hymn books is $1.89. There are some original seeds for bible in treasurer’s account for about 18,000 bibles. But, we still need some more to cover the prices for 30,000 bibles and for 30,000 hymn books as soon as possible.
December: From our trip to China, we arrived back to Maesot on November 28, at 5:30 a.m. As soon as we arrived, we participated in a leadership seminar at our MBTC chapel. We had a leadership seminar on December 27 evening to 30. A professor name Somsat from Phayao Bible College was the main instructor in our seminar. He has a wonderful Spiritual gifts to teach the Word for the Christian leaders in my corner of the world. On December 1st, we held a graduation day at our MBTC. Ten students graduated at this 2011 academic year. Professor Somsat was special guest speaker on graduation day. All the graduates students go back to their homes and preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus in their area. Please keep them in your prayers so that they can win many souls for Christ.
December is the most busy month each year, Christmas celebrations held many places for three nights and two full days each place. First Christmas celebration was held in Chiangdao, Chiangmai province. Arround three thousand Christian brothers and sisters came in that place to worship God. Three teachers from MBTC went there to encourage each other. My wife and I went to Lahu Christmas celebrations. We also have a Christmas celebration with Burmese refugee Christians at our MBTC. It was very good times of fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters in my corner of the world.
We had some good things and bad things happened in December. On 25th of December, we had five new believers were baptized at MBTC chapel. They all converted from Buddhism to Christianity. This is very good thing happened on Christmas day. Another good thing is a young Burmese refugee mother was born a baby at the red light intersection while my daughter Leah is taking her to a hospital. Our daughter Leah and her husband are the main team leaders among the Burmese refugee Christian ministry. In the whole year of 2011, they cared hundreds of patients among refugees gave medical treatments, took to hosptals and clinics. This is one of the most busy work with them. On December 6, a young lady talked to Leah and says, please come to see me and take me to hospital. Pain alot! I am ready to deliever my baby. Leah was hurry up and drove her old truck to see that young lady because she heard the lady talked on cell phone with lound enough cry. When Leah get to her, the young lady was crying and says, oh! hurry up! hury up, I am pain alot. Then, Leah drove fast on the way to hospital on dirt road. After 20 minutes they got on pave road. However, her truck is not emergency truck and must stop on red light at intersection. A boy baby was born on Leah’s truck right at intersection while Leah was stoping there because of the red light. The baby mother prepare for baby nothing such as new clothes, towel for wrap. So, Leah’s long slevees shirt take off and wrap up to baby and hurry up to hospital. Later they arrived at hospital and the mother and the baby are o.k. They both in good health. Moses gave the name to the baby boy Joshua.
The bad thing happened is nine refugee houses with a small church building had burn down when they go out to work for daily food on farms that belong Thai farmers. A young lady was in their home and that day, when she cooks a lunch, she left home for couple minutes to get water outside of her home. The win blew pretty hard that day and a small spark of fire make all nine houses and their church building and every thing what have are lost. This was a very sad news and a big temptation on new Christians from evil one. It happened just two days after we celebrated Christmas at our MBTC chapel. Since that evening, we keep all the nine family members at our school. We encouraged them what we can through the Word of God. Later, an elder among them talk to me with a boldness faith, he says nothing can separated us from the love of God as the Word encourage in Rom 8:38-39. Please keep this new Christians in your prayers. We are working on rebuild new houses for this refugees. One of their bamboo and grass roof house will cost arround $500 at this time.
The work at MBTC and future goals. Although all students go back to their homes, teachers are still busy in MBTC to repair and remodel the rooms inside and outside and, arround buildings a little bit here and there. We do many things by ourselve. The only thing that we can not do, we hire some one. We are also working a studio room in our main building. This is a necessary for evangelical ministry to produce teaching lessons and sermons for radio broadcast. When we have done this, we can record many sermons and teaching lessons in DVD/CD and MP3. This are extremely requests from the Lisu Christians in northern India, Burma and China. It also need in Thailand among the Lisu and Lahu churches too. Our sermons also send to Manila, Philippines to trasmit from FEBC for the Lisu daily program. Many Lisu Christians in northeast India, Burma and China are listening every evening. They are the people who are living in the most remoted and isolated from the world. However, if we can preach in radio, we can keep in touch with them everyt day no matter where they are. I know, there are at least four hundred thousands of the Lisu Christians can listen our message through gospel broadcasting ministry . So, our purpose on studio room is to get in touch with the gospel at least four hundred thousands of Christians in each day. We also planing to set up a local radio station in this studio room so that we can transmit the gospel of Jesus for Thai, Burmese, and the Lisu and Lahu tribes who are arround us in five dirstricts. To be accomplish this ministry we really need your help, advices, prayers, finance assistant, share your talents and technical knowleges. For this project, we will need $25,000.
For refugee ministry: We need to build a Church, an orphanage house and a dinning hall. If we can build an orphanage house, we will keep at least 80 – 120 children and teach them about the love of God and other education. There are many children among the refugees because their parents were lost in tsunami, cyclone nargis and fourty years civil wars between the government and rebels. For this project, the church building, an orphanage house and a dinning hall, we already have a plot of land, but we need $50,000 to buildings costs. Please keep this in your prayers. Many refugee accept Jesus as they
Prayer requests:
- Pray for the new believers among the refugees so that they can grow continue in Christ.
Every Lord’s
day, arround 250 - 300 new Christians are coming to worship God at MBTC chapel.
- Pray for the refugee Christians who lost every thing what they have by fire.
- Pray for our studio furnish work and electric materials and broadcast equipments costs
need.
- Pray for Bibles and hymn books need to print for Lisu Christians in China.
- Pray for the Mulade Bible School. They are working for two new doorms at this time. I
hope you
remember what I wrote you in my earlier Update news letters.
- Pray for a church building need for refugee Christians in Maesot. Also, pray for an
orphanage house
and a dining hall for refugee children so that they can get a chance education and learn
more about
Jesus.
- Pray for the Christians in local churches stand firm in the truth belief in Christ. Also, pray
for local
church leaders so that they can overseeing the flocks through in the knowlege of
shepherding task.
- Pray for all faculty and staff at MBTC so that we can follow God’s direction wisely.
- Pray for my trip to Burma next week on January 29 to February 15 to have a strategy
conferences in
Rangoon.
We thank for your faithful partnership for the purpose of God’s work in my corner of the world through your prayers, your finance support and your Christian love. May God bless you all.
Your brother in Christ,
Ezekiel, Ah-Cha and all the fellow-workers in Southeast Asia.
In 1994 June 4, we founded the Maesot Biblical Training Center. It is located in Maesot city, on the Thai-Burma border in Tak province of northwest Thailand. The school is producing well-trained evangelists, ministers and leaders for local churches, especially for those who do not have high school educations. In Thailand, because of poverty and high schools located very far from primary schools, less than 1% of the modern young people in the village can attend high school. Therefore, this school was established for the people who do not have much education. Many of them cannot even read and write in Thai which is the official language of Thailand. We firmly believe that the gospel is not just for the educated. Therefore, we need workers for the Lord from different levels of living standards. 