Boondeekhun's Bulletin

At the beginning of March we went to a conference in Indonesia for Global Church Planters. The theme was "Collaborate to Saturate" and it was all about working together to complete the Great Commission. There were prayer sessions, Bible teaching and inspiring testimonies of how God is at work in every corner of the globe - surprisingly in many places where Christians are suffering great persecution. In the afternoons there were workshops on many interesting and useful topics. There were delegates from 66 nations around the world and we had some great conversations and made many new friends. We returned to Thailand encouraged and inspired, and determined to play our part in completing the task. One thing we have acted on so far is to set up online prayer groups for each of the congregations, after being inspired by the example of the Indonesian churches we visited.

Over the past couple of months we have had various groups of visitors come to help out with ministry. For the first time we have taken them into some of the homes in Tao Hai village to share testimonies and pray for the sick. There is definitely a new openness here so please continue to pray for our first believers and for a care group to be established. We were especially blessed by a visit from the Barker family from the UK, who are on a 3-year world tour. They got involved in everything, including English teaching, youth group, visiting and preaching, all in the space of 3 days!

Last month we did a fair bit of travelling: In addition to our conference in Indonesia, we went up to Chiang Rai for our nephew's wedding, and also to Nan province to help a fellow pastor who was moving back there. It was lovely to see more of the beautiful mountain scenery of northern Thailand. Whilst we were in Nan, an overnight storm cleared away all the smog allowing us some spectacular views.

Our tactic for escaping the April heat and smog this year is to head off to the UK and spend time with family. We especially want to be there for our little granddaughter's dedication. We're also really looking forward to our mini-break in Ireland with our daughter and son-in-law.

In mid-February, we had our first wedding at the Wang Daeng church. It was actually for Thew and Som from the Ban Dara congregation, but the space and facilities at Wang Daeng were more suitable for a wedding. Both congregations joined together to celebrate, and it was a wonderful occasion. Som's mum and dad were there too, they are not yet believers but are beginning to be more open after seeing the transformation in their daughter's life - please pray for them. This may well be the last big event held in the old building as the new church building work is moving along apace and should easily be finished by June.

Please pray for Best - she's the neighbour of two ladies from the Ban Dara congregation, Pa Yat and Pa Kraew. Wit does a weekly Bible study with them and they recently expressed their concern for this young lady. The doctors can't pinpoint what is wrong with her, but she has difficulty swallowing and has lost over 20kg in weight over the past several months. We have been to pray with her a few times and she has improved a little but we are praying for complete healing. Wit has taught her how to pray a simple prayer to Jesus, and she and her husband are beginning to have faith that God can work in their lives.

Please continue to pray for the church building project: for the safety and good workmanship of the builders; for good relationships with the neighbours and for the remaining finances to come in.

Pray for wisdom in planning the agricultural project, which we hope will enable the Wang Daeng church to be sustainable in the future. Pray for a suitable person to manage this project.

Pray for wisdom, health and energy for ourselves, Moses & Mary, Areerat and other local leaders.

Pray for healing for Somsong, Tuptim and Best.

Pray for people to come to faith in Tao Hai, especially for Somsong, Chalong, Yupin and Jon, and for Som's parents, Sak and Roon.

Blessings in Christ

Wit & Helen