“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15 ESV)

Our missionary team doubled in size! That’s right. As our church participated in the 10 Days of Prayer sponsored by the world church, we prayed earnestly that God’s Spirit would lead and bless us in 2026. Less than a week later, the size of our missionary team doubled.

It all started when Shannon’s parents visited us in Thailand and offered to conduct a free seminar on diabetes recovery. Our church members enthusiastically welcomed the offer and began preparing the venue and advertising materials.

“What would you recommend as a follow-up to the seminar?” I asked my mother-in-law while we discussed some of the details. A healthy cooking class came to her mind, triggering my memory of a Thai SDA lady named Tan, whom I knew to be an excellent cook and who, with her husband and daughter, lived three hours away in Phuket.

I felt impressed to call Tan and ask if she would help us conduct a follow-up cooking class. Enthusiastically, she answered, saying, “We were just going to call you yesterday and tell you that we were feeling called to come and help you with your work in Surat Thani. But here you are calling us first!”

After that short and exciting conversation, Tan called me back about an hour later to tell me that a Russian family we knew was also willing to come and help us. Their ministry was completely self-supported, and not only were they ready to assist with health and media, but the father and his son were already driving to our province to look for suitable housing for their family of six.

Shocked and elated, I felt somewhat as I imagine Abraham’s servant Eliezer felt as he watched God answer his prayer for a wife for Isaac. I called our AFM supervisors and my wife, Shannon, saying, “It really seems like God is answering our prayers and moving us more directly into a medical ministry this year!”

God has increased our team from two AFM families and one single AFM missionary to four families and two single missionaries, and from two missionary children to seven! We have already met and done some team-building, as well as spoken with some key church leaders at the Mission and Union levels. Plus, our Russian colleagues have already rented a house and signed an initial six-month contract. Tan’s family is still looking for their rental house, but they are committed to serving with us for at least six months as we lay the groundwork for the upcoming evangelistic meeting.

I am amazed at how God answered our prayers with even more than we asked or imagined. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our work in Surat Thani.

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