“We don’t want you here!” the immigration officer told me.

What should we do now? Where can we go? How can I keep working in Nong Khai if we cannot live here anymore?

In Thailand, whenever a foreigner needs to complete a government document or process, they must obtain a stamp from the immigration office. I was renewing my driver’s license and trying to get a plate and documents for my car. The Department of Transit issued a letter requesting approval from the immigration office. In addition to the letter, I needed to bring all my and my wife’s documents (including passports, work permits, our marriage certificate, visas, a house lease agreement and more). If things go well, they analyze everything and place a stamp on the letter before I can take it to the Department of Transit so they can finish the process.
When I did that for my driver’s license, the immigration office complained and asked many questions, but eventually issued the necessary stamp. But when I went to do the same thing for the car documents three weeks later, they, after reviewing all the documents, refused to give the stamp and said they would not allow my family to stay any longer. I had to leave before my 90-day check-in expired (all foreigners must go to the immigration office every 90 days to check in to be allowed to stay another 90 days). My next check-in would be less than a month after they asked us to leave.

On top of this, my wife was eight months pregnant. We had to figure out which other location we would move to in less than 30 days, the same time we were expecting our baby to be born. We prayed fervently over the next three days and spoke with our field directors. Together, we decided to move to the nearest province to Nong Khai, which was Udon Thani.

With a three-year-old boy and an eight-month pregnant wife, we rushed to find a house while packing everything as quickly as we could. We spent the first week searching online and making phone calls. The following Sabbath, we went to the Udon Thani church (the closest church to Nong Khai) and talked with the pastor about our situation. He promised to look around to help us find options. The next day, we went to Udon Thani to see some houses we had selected, but we could not find any that fit our needs and were in our budget.

After looking at houses, we decided to stop by the park to enjoy nature, think, pray and let our son play a while. A few minutes after we arrived at the park, our pastor called me and said he had found a house for us to view. The owner was originally not available that day, but something changed, and she said she could stop at the house and show it to us.

We rushed to the house and learned that the pastor had already negotiated with the owner to give us a discount on the rent. That put the amount just inside our budget. The house was perfect—a small condo in a peaceful neighborhood. The owners had just finished renovations. We almost cried in relief. The next week, we signed the contract, and we moved the week after, just days before our 90-day check-in expired. Two weeks later, our son was born.

And how about our work in Nong Khai? We still do not know exactly what God is planning for us. But when we told our neighbor in Nong Khai that we had to move because the local immigration office did not want us there because of our religion, she was surprised and even a little angry. She did not want us to leave. We keep in touch and have visited them a few times already. They have also come to our house in Udon Thani to visit. She still does not accept very well the fact that the Nong Khai officers expelled us because of our religion, which, as it turns out, is building a bridge for her to be curious about our religion and about God.

We do not know God’s plans, but we do know that He controls everything and will make this obstacle become a blessing.

Please pray for the Thai people. The enemy is working hard to prevent them from hearing of God’s amazing love and grace.

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