The month of December is always a busy one for us and this past December was no exception. We ran 2 of our own Christmas parties, and lent a helping hand in many more that other people were organizing. We also hosted our second camping trip, and were part of organizing the first joint Christmas event in which almost all of the local churches in Ratchaburi participated.
This year was the third year that we have had a Christmas party in the community of Burmese laborers that we minister in. This year we had mainly non-perishable food items to distribute, as well as a some larger items for a few of the families. Friends from many churches in Ratchaburi and outside of Ratchaburi worked together to help make the evening a success and a good time was had by all. At the end of the evening many of the people in the community responded to the message of the Gospel. After three years of working in the community, we are sure that God is working amongst them and we continue to look for ways to show His great love for them and help them to learn more about how they can know Him more.
Mentally handicapped Children's Home
Our second Christmas party this year was in a Home for Mentally Handicapped Children. A friend of ours helped us to be able to buy pizza for each child - something that most of them have never had the chance to eat before. They played games and had fun, and learnt about God's love for them. We do not know how much the children understand about the Gospel, but we do know that God loves each of them incredibly and we want to be a part in showing that love to them.
This time, instead of just the Burmese kids that we took camping last time, we were also joined by another 15 children from the slums in Bangkok. Our friends at ARK international and Kings Kids Thailand did a great job teaching and coaching the kids- loving on them and having fun along with them. The camp was a great success and it will definitely not be the last that we host.
On Christmas day, Noiy was on the military radio station sharing about the real meaning of Christmas. It was the third time that he has been invited to share on this particular radio show, which is broadcast to 12 provinces in Thailand. We are so thankful for this open door and pray that they will continue to invite Noiy to share and that the hearts of the listeners will be open to the truth.
Ratchaburi Christmas Event
Our hearts were filled with joy on the day when we finally saw the churches in Ratchaburi working together towards a common goal. During the 5 years that we have been in Ratchaburi, it has been heavily on our heart to see the churches begin to work together. On the 28th of December, the churches gathered to host a Christmas event - the numbers of people that attended greatly exceeded expectation and we are certain that the churches were encouraged by the outcome of the day. Our prayer is that this will only be the start of greater unity.
Every event that we hold, every camp that we host, every time we speak on the radio, we have expenses that we must cover. We want to say a special thank you to those friends that support us and our ministry financially, particularly over the Christmas season when there are so many events that we participate in over one month. Thank you for helping us to make a difference in the lives of the people here!
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