Greetings from your coworkers in Chiangmai. May this letter find you all in the best of health.

FRUIT DRIVEN LIFE

With an average attendance of 80, the revival meeting took place on November 19-21, 2004 at Dawn of Life Christian Church. Preacher Khampan Sanit, our guest speaker, talked on the topic “Fruit Driven Life”. His current illustrations made his sermon very interesting. Altogether 35 people came forward to recommit themselves to the Lord, others for prayers, and five for baptism. James and Hannah took turns in leading the congregation in singing with Esther on the keyboard.

PICK YOUR CHOICE

The ladies’ group of Dawn of Life Christian held a bazaar on November 27, 2004 to raise money for the Children’s Home. The customers could pick food of their choice: Thai, Filipino, American, or Chinese food. Second hand clothes were also for sale. Lots of preparation went to this activity, but they did it happily for the cause of Christ. The youth of the church made barbeque on sticks to sell along with French fries soaked with a Thai-style powdered sauce. The Children’s Home helped by making ice-tea and selling it, and they also acted as energetic vendors by inviting in passer-bys. Their efforts had been rewarded when they were able to raise more than one hundred dollars.

GUESTS WELCOME

We were blessed by the visit of two families from the Philippines this year. Carlos and Liberty (Ilagan) Lardizabal came in March. Liberty is a former movie actress and a member of Cruzada Church of Christ. Ambrose and Thelma (Esther’s older sister) Rodriguez came in November. Ambrose is an elder at Cruzada Church of Christ and Thelma is an active leader among the women. We are always delighted to welcome guests who want to see the work of SALT Ministries.

YOU ARE DIFFERENT

In one of our Friday evening services, several people talked on how they reach out to their parents and friends. Wanpen Jaou and Yia Saelo from the Children’s Home and students from Kawila High School witnessed to their classmates. According to them, their classmates noticed their good conduct and behavior, and they wanted to know how come they were different from the rest. It was a perfect timing for them to explain what life in Jesus was all about. Joy and Gift, the newly baptized (June 2004) young ladies, also witnessed to their grandpa and father respectively. They wanted them to come to church and listen to what they have been learning, and finally on December 5, Thailand’s Father’s Day, their grandpa and father came to church for the first time after more than a year of praying and inviting them. Bantita Wiangkham, from northeast Thailand, who is now a graduating student at Lanna Christian College, was also on fire. She wanted her family to know God and accept Jesus as personal Savior, because since she and her brother became Christians, God has been blessing the whole family with good harvest.

NEWS FROM HANNAH

After the ladies bazaar on November 27, the youth committee and I led the young people (nearly 20 of us) out into the streets of Chiangmai to pass out Bible tracts once again. That period of time was when Thailand’s biggest, night-time festival, Loy Kratong, was taking place. Loy Kratong, similar to the US’s Independence Day, was the time of year where the Thai people all gather at the different rivers in the city of Chiangmai to release their hand-made floats with the belief in Buddhist teachings and Thai tradition. Thousands and thousands of people fill the streets to play fireworks and gather as a huge social ball. Before invading the streets that night and the next, we prayed for safety in the midst of a dangerous atmosphere of fireworks, gangs, drunkards and unpleasant strangers. Despite all this and the shower of rain, we went forward to share the good news. Of course we got grins, frowns and rude remarks as usual, but I reminded them to always put on a smile no matter what.
It was another rewarding and fulfilling experience. Although we can’t go out and talk to all the thousands of people one on one, at least we were able to pass out Jesus’ love through the tracts, and we believe that in one way or another it will produce good results in the lives of many or some of the people who received them. The youth and I continue to find ways to share God’s love in the growing society of materialism, technology and wrong beliefs that’s grasping tightly to the youth, children and young adults of Thailand.

CHRISTMAS EVANGELISTIC OUTREACHES

Our Christmas evangelistic outreaches held in many places were resounding successes.

READY TO LISTEN

The first one took place at Baan Nam Hao in Nan province on December 10-11, 2004. This is the village where a family was severely persecuted, but now the villagers are ready to listen to the Word of God. The team consisted of Virgilio, Esther, & Hannah de los Santos; Jonglak Yingcharoen, Bantita Wiangkham, Jinn Saetao, Sasiton Hoolao, Surat, and Worawut Wacharadechakun. About one hundred children and equal number of adults came to hear the Christmas message and to sing praises to the Lord. Some of the adults joined in playing games but most of them cheered their children during the fun time in the afternoon.