March 21, 2021 Prayer Letter

Click here for a one page printable version of this letter

Dear Friends,

Thank you to those who prayed for me for a smooth return to Thailand after my brother’s funeral. There were many hoops to jump through to come back, but it all went smoothly. Many of our missionary friends who have come back since then have had difficulties of one sort or another, but I did not. I did have to quarantine in a hotel room in Bangkok for 15 days before going home or seeing my family. That wasn’t something I’d like to do again – but we got through it.

There is one good story from my quarantine time, however. A friend of ours who does not speak Thai well put me in contact with a young man who was interested in Christianity. While in quarantine I had a couple phone conversations with him, and we started to study the Bible together through Zoom. Those online Bible studies have continued once a week up to now. He goes to law school classes all day every Sunday, so has not been able to come to church. He did, however, join several of the men from our church for a men’s group last month at our co-worker’s home. He says that he is now a believer. I would love to find a way to have more in person contact with him.

The men’s group I just mentioned was started last month to be a once a month gathering for encouragement and a setting to ask questions and discuss the Bible and challenges they are facing. We hope this is just the start of more targeted discipleship among the men. Please join us in prayer for the spiritual development of the men in our church.

Over the past year, despite covid disruptions, we praise the Lord that the church has added several new people. But at the same time, we have lost several who have gone back to their home provinces for various reasons. This is an inevitable part of being a church in Bangkok. It is a reminder to us to take advantage of opportunities God gives us to have an influence in people’s lives. We never know how long those opportunities will last.

Congregational Singing Resurrection Sunday

Recently, there have been several new children coming to our church services and English classes. Not all of them come every week, and as far as we know, none of them have yet accepted Christ as Savior. A few of these children come from very sad family backgrounds. I have heard several testimonies from Thai Christians about how their first exposure to Christianity was as a child at a church. Their experience stuck in their minds, and God used it to bring them to Christ as adults. Of course, we pray these children will be saved sooner rather than later! Please pray for these children.

In July Hannah’s family will all get together in Minnesota to celebrate her parents’ fifty years of marriage. We plan to join them and also use this trip to take a few months visiting many of our supporting churches. Lord willing, we will spend some time in Denver before heading up to Minnesota. We look forward to seeing many of you then.

Until then, thank you so much for your continued prayers for us and the ministry in Thailand.

Your Partners for the gospel,

Duane and Hannah