Larry and Jan Martin, International Ministries Ban Luang, Thailand January 2005
Dear Partners in Ministry,
Happy New Year!
As we watch TV and keep up with the happenings in the region we know that many people in Thailand, neighboring countries, and around the world are not having a Happy New Year. The devastation caused by the Tsunami is phenomenal. Please join us in prayer for those affected. We and the others in our mission were all a long way from the disaster area. Thank you for your prayers and concern.
Christmas is over
For us this year it involved telling the nativity story in the schools we go to on a regular basis There are certain advantages to working in the countryside where most things are low tech. The latest advantage we discovered is being able to tell the story using flannelgraph figures. The kids were mesmerized.
Some of our high school kids were treated to a puppet presentation of the Christmas Story given by a visiting team. The 12th grade class asked for the script so they could do it as a play at the end of year party at school. The party was cancelled as the country is in mourning for those who died in the Tsunami, but we did have opportunity to go over the story with the students over a number of nights. Seeds sown, please pray that they will develop and grow.
We have lived in Thailand for many years now and believe it or not, we are still prone to feeling homesick at Christmas which can rob us of the Joy of knowing that, Jesus is God’s gift to us. This year we celebrated a few days early with some missionary friends. We brought in the right things from the big city and created a Christmas dinner that was almost as good as mum’s.
On Christmas day itself Jan found herself getting up early and baking a birthday cake with some of her students. Then we put on a Christmas party for our Saturday students and after that traveled to Payameng Rai to join our old church there for their Christmas celebrations. This year each of the church families invited two other families to a dinner / party. A delicious meal was served outside and the entertainment was provided by the youth group and various people giving short testimonies to the goodness of the Lord in their lives. It was a very special time. It was all about Jesus.
As we go into 2005 we pray that you will know the joy of God’s presence.
With love and thanksgiving for your partnership,
Larry and Jan
Prayer points
Pray for those affected by the tsunami around the world.
Pray too that there may be opportunities to really share God’s love and concern with people at this time
Pray for our students many who have heard the real Christmas story for the first time. Pray that as they have now heard of the ‘Saviour’ they will realize their personal need for Him.
We have a number of mission teams visiting Thailand in January. Pray for safety for them as they travel and that their time here would see their heart for the Kingdom of God grow. Pray too that their presence with us would be a catalyst for the gospel.
Posted by Valerie at December 30, 2004 05:23 PM