ETS Training Gives Young Christians Confidence to Share Their Faith

Participants enjoyed small group discussions

Great Mission Church in Maesot, Tak Province was the site for the Lutheran Hour Ministries Thailand (LHMT) Equipping the Saints (ETS) training on May 18, 2013.  Pastor Jeraporn Sookthep and her church members were wonderful hosts for the day.

Our LHMT staff rode in a van for 7 hours to travel the 500 kilometers (300 miles) from Bangkok to Maesot on May 17 and back again on May 19.  Although the trip was tiring, our staff were very happy to be able to conduct the training for 76 participants from 7 different churches.

It was especially nice to see that most of the people who attended were young adults, who were eager to learn how to share their faith with their families and friends.  They had a lot of energy and enthusiasm throughout the day, as our LHMT staff presented the 7 ETS modules.  They had good discussions and everyone enjoyed the songs and activities that accompanied the training sessions.

At the end of the day 41 people were commissioned as LHMT volunteers.  Seventy-nine names were added to the list of people receiving encouraging Gospel text messages each week on their cell phones, including some non-Christian friends.

Everyone agreed that the day was a lot of fun and that they received very practical information about sharing their faith.  They especially liked the Gospel bracelets.  Some said that they were more confident and felt encouraged to witness to their friends.  We later got the message that some of them immediately started sharing their faith when they returned home.

The pastor from one of the churches invited LHMT to conduct an ETS training at his church in Sukhothai Province in the future.  We thank God for safe travel, for blessing the training and relationships with the participants and for providing us more opportunities to do ministry with churches throughout Thailand.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

A Unique Opportunity

Miss Nichara Boontanai is a Christian, who works as the manager of a community radio station in Ubon Ratchathani Province.  The station is operated by a group of local business people.  Throughout the week the station broadcasts community and government programs.  Miss Nichara does two of the programs every day, Monday through Friday.

Miss Nichara is a member of a church that uses radio programs produced by Lutheran Hour Ministries Thailand (LHMT).  She has always enjoyed these programs, because they are very practical and useful.  One day she got the idea that she could use some of these programs to share the Christian message with her friends and neighbors.  Miss Nichara asked her supervisors if she could broadcast the LHMT programs on weekends.  She was given permission to air them from 12:30-1:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Mr. Prawit Chularangsi, the speaker of “Cheerful Life’

The radio station has never broadcast any Christian programs, so Miss Nichara is excited for this unique opportunity.  She will start using the LHMT programs in April and will begin with “Cheerful Life.”  She plans to personally do follow-up activities with any listeners who show interest.  Miss Nichara hopes that the LHMT programs will be interesting and useful for the people in her community and that they will begin to learn about God and Christian beliefs.

Please pray that the listeners will respond positively to the programs and that the station owners will be happy to continue airing the Christian programs.

Hundreds of Young Christians Get to Know Lutheran Hour Ministries Thailand

LHMT staff sharing ministries to attendees

Lutheran Hour Ministries Thailand (LHMT) was joined to set up a ministry booth and product sale during a weekend ministry program organized by Youth for Christ, More than 800 young people participated in the activities on April 6-8, 2013 in Nakhon Nayok Province in central Thailand.

Youth for Christ, chairmen and leaders from the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, the Church of Christ in Thailand and the Baptists conducted Bible studies, gave presentations and led activities that encouraged the Christian youth to consider serving God with their lives.  Along with the other ministry organizations that were there, LHMT was given time to share with all the attendees about our ministries and how they could take advantage of the LHMT ministry materials and programs.

Each day the schedule included special time for everyone to visit the different ministry booths and purchase products.  During the weekend 273 people registered to begin receiving the LHMT Gospel text messages on their cell phones and 165 new Christians and non-Christians enrolled in the LHMT Bible Correspondence Course (BCC).  One young man, Mr. Supeerapan Gueadpan gave donation for our text messaging program.  He said, “I appreciate receiving the LHMT text messages for the past 4 years and I realize how valuable they have been for me.  I want to help LHMT provide these encouraging Gospel messages for other people also.”  We thank God for this young man’s donation, especially because we know that most young people don’t have very much money.

The LHMT staff enjoyed interacting with so many young people who believe in Jesus and we’re thankful to be able to help nurture some of them through our BCC.  We pray that God will use the BCC to more clearly reveal himself to the unbelievers who are just beginning to study.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thai Families Enjoy Songkran Together

April 13 is Songkran Day in Thailand.  It’s one of the biggest holidays of the year and usually extends for 4-5 days.  In some parts of Thailand the celebrations can last more than a week.

Thai people traditionally have seen Songkran as a time for cleansing in hopes of washing away bad karma from the previous year and gaining good luck and prosperity in the year ahead.  Many Thai people give their homes a good cleaning during Songkran.  It’s also a time for cleaning Buddha images in their homes and local temples.  Originally this idea of cleansing was used as a time for blessing the elders in the family.  Children would take a small amount of water and pour it on the hands of their parents and grandparents to show respect and as a wish for good luck and good health.

Coming at the hottest time of the year, Songkran now has become a national water festival.  In addition to pouring a little water on their elders, many Thai people now use cups, buckets, water guns and even garden hoses to spray water on anyone and everyone around.  Some people ride around with large drums of water in the back of pickup trucks, throwing water on cars, on people riding motorbikes and people walking along the street.  In some neighborhoods Songkran has become an extended community water fight.  This is a time when Thai people really enjoy celebrating and having a good time.

In recent years the Thai government has announced an extended time for Songkran.  This year the official holiday runs from April 12 until April 16.  This makes it a good time for people to travel long distances to visit their families.  A large number of people living in Bangkok return to their hometowns and villages during Songkran.  Some businesses close and many street vendors disappear.  Highways are jammed, trains are overcrowded, planes are fully booked well in advance and many additional inter-city buses are scheduled to try to accommodate the huge number of people traveling throughout the country.

Our Lutheran Hour Ministries Thailand office is closed during the Songkran holiday.  Our staff are visiting their families in northeastern, central and southern Thailand.  They’ll also take this opportunity to rest and relax from their work.

Please pray for us as we travel and use this extended holiday weekend as a time of refreshment and reconnecting with our families.

LHM Thailand Assists with TCLC Youth Camp 2013

From March 25-28, 2013 the Thailand Concordia Lutheran Church (TCLC) conducted its annual Youth Camp.  This year the camp was held at Baan Khun Klang Church on Inthanon Mountain in Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand.  The participants who traveled from Bangkok and southern Thailand, really appreciated the cooler weather and fresh air of the rural setting and the higher elevation. 

Under the theme “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me,” based on Philippians 4:13, a total of 70 youth and adults did Bible studies together, worshiped together, played games together and ate and slept together.  One of the goals of the camp was to develop closer relationships between the youth, who live a long distance from each other.  Having so much time together during the camp helped to accomplish that goal.

Each morning started with the participants dividing into smaller groups for Bible study and discussion, followed by a time of worship.  All 4 of the TCLC pastors who attended led Bible studies and teaching sessions.  Each day was closed with a time of worship and prayer.

One unique aspect of this Christian youth camp is that 15 of the 54 youth who attended are not Christians.  Many of the others are new believers.  The camp provided an excellent opportunity for them to learn more about the Bible, to be strengthened in their faith and to interact personally with other youth and adults who can help mentor them and serve as Christian examples for them.

The LHM Thailand director and staff made the 12-hour trip from Bangkok by van on March 25.  During the next 2 days they conducted a session which included 4 outdoor activities to help camp participants build relationships and trust with one another.  The LHM Thailand staff also helped with some big games, led singing and worship and did some ice-breaking activities. 

This is the second year that LHM Thailand has helped with the TCLC Youth Camp.  We received very positive feedback regarding our involvement and have been invited to help again next year.  Through the camp the LHM Thailand director and staff are able to build a stronger relationship with the TCLC, assist in training their youth and share pamphlets and other materials with them. 

At the end of the camp, 45 people signed up to receive Gospel text messages each week and 5 enrolled in the LHM Thailand Bible Correspondence Courses.  We also plan to make follow-up contacts with the 15 non-Christian young people who attended the camp.

We thank God and the TCLC for the chance to help with this camp and we look forward to joining the camp next year and to doing more ministry activities with TCLC pastors and churches in the future.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Annual Regional Workshop Held in Cambodia

From March 9-16, 2013 the Lutheran Hour Ministries Asia Regional Director, Mrs. Gunya Na Thalang; the Europe Regional Director, Rev. Peter Kirby; the 8 Lutheran Hour Ministry country directors from Asia and 3 directors from Europe participated in their annual regional workshop.  They received updates about the ministry in each country, shared ideas with each other and received helpful information from a special guest speaker.  This year’s workshop was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 

Although Rev. Dr. Douglas Rutt, Director of the International Division, was unable to join the workshop, he gave greetings and encouragement to the group via a Skype video conference call and LCMS missionary Rev. Dr. Fungchatou Lo provided the opening devotion.

The guest speaker was Mr. Erik Lai.  Erik is currently the General Manager of Glad Sounds, a leading Christian books and music distributor and chain store in Malaysia. Glad Sounds, a ministry of the Lutheran Church in Malaysia, owns and operates 10 retail stores in major cities throughout the country.

Erik did 10 presentations about topics related to using media in mission, how to communicate effectively, ideas for funding the ministry and leadership qualities.  The information that Erik shared with the country directors was very practical and helpful.  The country directors are confident that they will be able to adapt it to their different ministry situations.

In addition to the meetings, the workshop participants also had the opportunity to visit some historical sites.  They saw the Killing Fields and Toul Sleng prison, where many people were incarcerated during the Pol Pot regime.  The group also made a trip to Siem Reap, where they explored Ankor Wat. 

The LHM Thailand director arrived in Cambodia one day earlier than the others, so that she could help with the preparations for the workshop.  Mr. Phin Naro and his staff did a very good job of organizing the program for the week and everything went very smoothly.  All the country directors enjoyed seeing ministry in action, watching the puppet show and film, visiting the Cambodia ministry center, meeting the staff and the warm hospitality of the Cambodian people. 

We could tell that God’s Spirit was blessing our time together during the workshop.  By God’s grace the country directors were able to gain new ministry ideas, build closer relationships with each other and learn about the culture and people of Cambodia.  We thank God for giving us a good week and we look forward to next year’s regional workshop.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

New Believers Learn How to Share their Faith

Twenty members from two churches in Uthaithani Province joined the Equipping the Saints training sponsored by Lutheran Hour Ministries Thailand (LHMT) on March 9, 2013.  Although the LHMT staff followed the usual ETS format and schedule, this training was different from most of the other ETS workshops.  This time almost all of the participants were new believers.  Most of them have been Christians for just 1-2 years. 

During the discussion times many of the questions were about the Bible and basic Christian teachings, not just about how to share their faith.  Many of these young Christians were still not very familiar with some Christian concepts.  In addition to gaining more understanding about evangelism, the ETS training was a good opportunity for them to learn more about the Bible and who Jesus is. 

At the end of the day a number of the participants said that they were very excited to learn so much and to grow in their understanding of the Bible.  In fact, they indicated that they are eager to learn more and would like to have the LHMT staff return and conduct another workshop.  This is something the director will consider, since they live just 200 kilometers from Bangkok. 

Fourteen people registered to be commissioned volunteers for LHMT and 16 signed up to begin receiving the Gospel text messages on their cell phones.  Some adults asked to have 6 of their children enrolled in the Children’s Bible Correspondence Course.

The LHMT staff also gave some pillowcase dresses to the daughters of some of the people who attended.  These dresses were donated to LHMT by some good friends who live in St. Louis, Missouri. 

We thank God for blessing this training and for the new relationships that were started between the church members and LHMT.  We hope that we’ll be able to visit them again to help them grow in their knowledge about the Bible and in their relationship with Jesus.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.