After recently returning to Southern Thailand, we visited missionaries Brian and Duang Wilson, who live in the city of Surat Thani. They are translating relevant and timely material into the Thai and Tai-Kadai languages.

During our visit, we talked and prayed for the work in this city and province. We understand that over the years, there have been multiple attempts to evangelize. However, at present, our local church does not have even one Thai Seventh-day Adventist. We have a very small group of Filipinos that meet fairly regularly and hold English services. In a neighboring village, there is one elderly Uncle who, years ago, accepted Jesus. The Wilsons still visit him regularly to share home worship.

With this reality, the Thai Adventist Mission (TAM) has asked AFM to come up with a plan to raise a Thai church here as a light for the three angel’s messages. During our recent visit to this city, our hearts were stirred with the reality that God is at work here to bring hope and salvation to His sincere people seeking answers to life’s big questions. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to guide us to these people.

Bruce and I joined Brian and Duang along with Jeffery Cheung (a Chinese-Canadian young man serving there this year as a short-term missionary). Together we drove to the top of two different mountains that overlook the city from different directions. We spent significant time there pleading with God for this large city and its precious people. There is an interesting mix of Buddhism and Islam in this region of the country and temples and mosques are plentiful.

Only God knows the real condition of the people in this city of over 127,000, but He asked us to open our minds and hearts to the plans of the Holy Spirit. This team looks forward to being joined by the Sorensen family in just a few months to launch evangelism in new ways under the guidance of the Lord. Please pray with us that we will experience many miracles of God’s grace in this city and province in the coming days.

“The time is near when large cities will be swept away, and all should be warned of these coming judgments. Oh, that God’s people had a sense of the impending destruction of thousands of cities now almost given to idolatry!” (The Adventist Home 136.5).

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