NEEDED:
Native English speakers willing to be trained as language teachers.
Website address: http://www.worldbasethailand.org/
SET BACKS AND PRAISE REPORTS
We also have been hit with a large number of illnesses. Almost half of our staff has been in the hospital for various illnesses this past month, including pastor Dton who fainted. The staff has been working so hard, night and day doing outreaches and has not been getting enough rest.
On a positive note, Good News Church is growing! In July we had over 200 college freshman attend our annual “Freshy Camp.” Teams from New Hope Montana and Florence Avenue Foursquare in California came to help. They were a big blessing. Several made a commitment to Christ and we will be baptizing seven of these new believers in a couple of weeks.
We are also looking at starting another Burmese church by the end of the year. Pastor Tommy has started a group across town in an industrial area. The factories in that area employ around 50,000 Burmese workers under harsh conditions and for a very low wage. At present there is no Burmese language church any where near this area. We are still looking for funding to make this happen.
BUILDING
We still have not broken ground for the building. There has been one problem after another to work out, zoning problems, access to electricity and water. But all indications are that we should be granted permission to build very soon. We are still short about $200,000 needed to finish the project.
THE SOUTH
The whole family traveled to the south of Thailand the first weekend in August to celebrate the second anniversary of one of the largest Foursquare churches in Thailand. Pastor Borvorn is a strong pastor raised in the south and the southern people love him. That Sunday we witnessed 26 people being baptized. We traveled by overnight train to arrive early Sunday morning in the city of Had Yai, a southern city with a strong Chinese influence. Just to the south of Had Yai, Muslim separatists have been fighting to form their own country apart from Thailand. There have been many terrorist attacks and a neighbor of ours was injured in a bomb blast there about one year ago, but generally Had Yai is quiet.
One of the girls being baptized was recently healed during a Friday night prayer service. She had pain on the right side of her body for many years. But one day, members of the church went to her neighborhood to talk about Jesus. They talked about how Jesus has the power to save and heal us. So the young girl traveled to the church on a Friday night. She sat in the church from 4:00 p.m. until the service started at 7:00 p.m., but nobody asked her why she came so early. Finally, someone asked her if she needed prayer. She explained her condition and the whole church prayed for her. She is now completely healed and out of pain. Because of her healing many of her family are also now coming to church.
TEACHERS
New teachers are coming to help, but we are still short. Pray about joining us.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Please pray for several new English teachers to come soon. The school has grown to serve over 800 students in two locations.
Please pray that the government will approve our application for a Foursquare Foundation very, very, very soon. We need to foundation to legally own property and to carry out our various charity activities (orphanages, schools, tsunami relief) under the Foursquare name.
We have applied for a building permit to begin construction on our new facility. Please pray that the application will be approved. We still need to raise $550,000 to build a seven story facility that will house two churches, WorldBase, Language school and several social ministries and offices.
Please pray for our language teachers by name: Anna, Evan, Gary, Josh, Michel-lyn, Norma, Paula, Ty, Kelly, and Angie. Pray that our teachers would develop friendships quickly and be effective in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray that these “seekers” and new believers can be discipled in the Thai church.
Please pray for the upcoming Eastern Conference of Foursquare Churches Convention held in Bangkok this November, 2006. Our church is helping the ECFC Committee in organizing this international conference which is open to everyone. The cost is $150, which includes hotel, food, and seminars. Dr. Jack Hayford is the main speaker. Please pray that God would give us wisdom and discernment in all matters. For more information, please see our website.
Pray for the Ram 2 church.
Continue to pray for everyone’s health. Also pray for our continued protection, especially as we travel.
Let us know how we can pray for you.
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