Thank you all so much for being a part of my life as I ventured to a foreign mission field this year!  May this season find you enjoying festive time with family and friends and recalling God’s astounding gift of Jesus—the Savior of the World! Do you realize that about 94 % of Thailand is Buddhist and most have never heard of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this time of year? Our flute teacher Irma asked her student: “What do you like about Christmas?” Upon listing things like candy and Santa Clause, the student Kim was interrupted by the question, “Have you ever heard of the Baby?”  Kim responded: “What Baby?”

While you take for granted the story of Jesus in the manger, the shepherds, and the wise men, and ultimately the gift of salvation, most Thai people have never heard of it.  Imagine the emptiness and darkness of your life if you did not know the story of our Savior being born! As you are sitting wrapped in fleecy blankets next to your twinkling tree, imagine the exclamation as Mrs. White wrote: “Others, with agonized voices, said, ‘You knew! Why then did you not tell us? We did not know!’” (ChS 111.3)

This Christmas, I pray that you will be one of the shepherds who, eagerly expecting Jesus’ coming, heard the glorious angelic proclamation, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for ALL the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord,” and then immediately “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this Child, and all who heard it were amazed at what they said to them.” (Luke 2:10, 11, 17, 18)  May you, in your own city, purposefully spread this “Good News of Great Joy.”

May God richly bless you for already supporting the dissemination of the Story of the Birth of our Savior!  May you continue participating in fulfilling our call of making disciples of ALL nations! In Khon Kaen, we have the opportunity to tell this story during our Christmas Program Dec 24 & 25 at the big outdoor market.  Please pray for the Holy Spirit to touch lives through it.

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