A newsletter from the mission project Good News for the Shan people, serving in Northern Thailand.

We hope you’ve had a wonderful summer holiday wherever you’ve been vacationing! Here in Thailand, we’re in the middle of the wettest part of the rainy season, and it can really pour down at times.

Since the last newsletter, a lot of exciting things have happened, and I have several stories to share. I’ve selected a few that stand out, like the story of a woman who was healed and then persecuted for her faith, and the experiences of a bush missionary, among others.

See a presentation video from our ministry

Read more of the newsletter below:

Special Evening in the Life of a Bush Missionary

It’s important for us to follow up with many of the new Christians, including those who have been believers for 2-3 years, as this story illustrates. Among our house churches, there’s one group that needs extra following up. They live far from us, and even further from our church, which makes it difficult for them to attend Sunday services.

In this area, several people have become Christians in recent months, but we’ve also encountered some spiritual challenges. During the rainy season, which we’re currently in, it becomes particularly difficult to visit this house church due to the muddy and challenging roads.

One Tuesday, Mawkkham felt strongly that we should visit them despite the unstable weather. We took the chance and set out.

When we arrived, we gathered the Christians together. Among them was an older man who had been a believer for some time (see the picture above). We noticed that he was wearing bands around his arm and leg, a practice often associated with animism. These bands are the result of a ritual performed by a witch doctor, which people believe will protect them from evil spirits when they are sick.

It was somewhat disheartening to see a Christian, who should know better, resorting to such means. Mawkkham asked the man why he had put on the bands. He explained that it was because of an illness. Mawkkham and one of the church elders who was with us explained that as Christians, we have God’s power and can pray to Him. We don’t need to seek help from witch doctors or spend money on rituals. Upon hearing this, he cut off the bands, and we prayed for him. He felt relieved and happy after we did this.

Mawkkham then taught those present about the authority and power we have in Jesus’ name. A younger woman who was there showed great interest in the gospel, and Mawkkham explained it to her. That evening, she accepted Jesus.

After the house meeting, the rain began to pour even harder. We were worried about whether we would be able to make it home. We prayed, and I attempted to tackle the first and most difficult hill on the muddy road. With some speed, the car slid from side to side, but we just managed to make it over the top. Once we were past the worst of it, the rain intensified further, but we made it home just in time. We thanked God for guiding and protecting us that evening.

Persecuted for Her Faith

One day in June, we prayed for a young woman who is being persecuted because of her faith. A few months ago, she and her mother accepted Jesus, but they live in a village where hostility toward Christians is great. There are very few Christians there, only five that we know of.

This woman was struggling with sleep problems and seizures, but after we started praying for her, she gradually improved. Previously, she had daily seizures, but in the last six weeks, before the incident I describe below, she had not had any and she had been sleeping well.

She began telling more people in the village how Jesus had healed her, but this was not well received. They said, “No, Jesus hasn’t healed you, he does not exist. You are not healed, that’s just nonsense. You will take this sickness with you to the grave.” A family member also hit her when she shared her testimony.

The last two nights before we prayed for her, she had not been able to sleep, and the seizures had returned. We prayed for her that day, and we truly felt that God’s power was present. We believe that something really happened.

Please continue to pray for this woman and her mother, as well as for the village they live in.

We Train the New Christians to Share Their Faith,
an Important Milestone

Every Wednesday, we have discipleship training, with around 10 people attending. We focus particularly on two couples and two young men. One Wednesday at the end of June, they had the opportunity to practice sharing the gospel. We also took them out in the evening, and two days later, they got to practice sharing the gospel in front of three people who were not Christians.

I see this as an important milestone in our ministry, and I believe that those who participate in our Wednesday meetings will become pillars in our ministry and church. All of these people are a result of our work and have come to faith through our ministry.

The School Provides a Break From a Difficult Life

Even though it is the rainy season and the roads are sometimes impassable, we still have many children coming to our Saturday school. Last week, we had as many as 47 children present.

In addition, we had a visit from a DTS team from Canada that stayed with us for a month. They were an invaluable support to our Saturday school.

They were also a great help in sharing their testimonies, teaching the Bible and spreading the Good News in the evenings.

The children are always so happy to come. For many of them, this is a welcome break from a daily life that can be both tough and challenging.

A Young Boy Set Free and Saved

One Sunday in July, a 15-year-old boy came to our Sunday meeting after traveling over an hour by motorcycle. He was struggling with evil spirits and had a seizure after the meeting. We prayed for him, and he was instantly healed. We also led him to salvation, and he left happily with a big smile.

We have prayed for him before, and he also came the Sunday before, but on this day, we saw a breakthrough.

Remember Myanmar!

The situation in Myanmar is critical—worse than ever. It is hard to find words to describe how serious it is, but we ask that you remember Myanmar in your prayers and pray for peace in the country.

It is often darkest before the dawn, and we hope that the light will soon shine over Myanmar.

Feel Free to Support Us 

The ministry and project we run have simple and limited funds, but the work is steadily increasing, and we are reaching further out. We need more funds to continue expanding and growing.

Project
The monthly budget for our project is approximately $1,300, but currently, we only receive around $500 per month.
For now, we manage through faith and larger individual donations.
We pray for increased contributions, which would also ease our personal finances.

If you are a member or leader in a church, please consider supporting our mission project among unreached and displaced people from Myanmar. We are also open to ideas on how we can raise funds for the project.

Feel free to contact us!

You Can Support/Donate in This Way

By PayPal (use this link).  
Read more about how you can support here
(if you want to donate for us personally let us know)

By Bank
If you have a Norwegian account you can use Vipps 900 90 354
I have both a bank account in Thailand and private and project accounts in Norway. Please feel free to contact us.

From one of our house churches by the mountains

Prayer Subjects

  • The Church and the Land: Pray for protection and growth for our church and for the land where we have our ministry. We just rent the land and sometimes we face challenges with the landowner.
  • The Woman Who Is Being Persecuted: Pray for the woman who was beaten and persecuted for her faith!
  • Driver: I do a lot of driving in our ministry and I have some issues with a tendon in my leg because of this, so please pray for healing. Also, pray that we will get another driver.
  • Discipleship: Lift up the two main couples we are discipling—Pi Ta & Pi Moe and Sei Gong & Nang Kam. Also, pray for three young men: Sei Zo, Mung Kam, and Pi Na.
  • Spreading the Gospel: Pray for us as we share the gospel, especially as we prepare for the Christmas evangelism and activities throughout December.
  • Healing and Miracles: Pray for healing and miracles when we pray for people, and that God will protect the new Christians and strengthen them in their faith. Also, pray that they will resist the temptations of their old lives, including alcohol and drugs.
  • Pray for Myanmar!!! Pray for peace in Myanmar!

Blessings
Shan team

Feel free to contact us!