Second Moberg Update Thailand 2023

Dear Family and Friends,

 

The time has been flying by quickly since our initial update back in January with much of our time since then spent either teaching or visiting with various people here in Bangkok. Initially we had planned to return home on March 30, but now we have extended our stay until May 3. This will require us to leave the country for a short time and then return with a new 30-day tourist visa. Therefore, we have planned a trip to Hanoi, Vietnam during which we will also be meeting with some long-term missionaries. Our hope is to learn more of what they have been doing and to encourage them with prayer and fellowship.

 

One Friday in February we joined volunteers from all the other branches of Santisuk English School to spend the entire day to teach English at a local grade school. This has been an ongoing event each year to expose students and their parents to opportunities that Santisuk offers for those interested in improving their English if they would be interested to sign up for classes in the future. The event was a fun time for everyone.

 

We’ve also had activities outside of our regular teaching time at Santisuk to help develop relationships with the students. Some of those include eating meals together after class time, an overnight trip to a beach town, a full day trip to an elephant/crocodile zoo and gathering at our condo for potluck dinner and games. We’d like to initiate a weekly event at our place to eat, play games and watch select episodes of “The Chosen” video series with follow-up discussion if students are interested. Please pray that they would be.

 

It’s been a joy for Lyndell to continue BSF (Bible study fellowship) once again with a group of women here representing many nations. Some of the women she has met before and studied with in the past. The class is still on zoom but hopes to meet back in person for next year’s study in the book of John. She was thankful to meet once in person for a lunch fellowship.

 

Doing life in a foreign country like doing life back home does not always provide exciting news to post, but we have seen evidence that God is working in people’s hearts to draw them to Himself through faith in Jesus Christ. We are currently doing a weekly Bible study with one teen student’s mother to learn more about the loving relationship that God is offering everyone who is willing to receive the free gift of eternal life by having their sins forgiven because of what Jesus has done for them. She said that since she was a little girl, she knew she was not made for this world and needed to find the way back to heaven. She has not yet fully believed in Jesus to be the only way for anyone to be granted entrance into God’s heaven after they die. She claims she has been taught in her culture that there are many gods. Pray that she will come to believe in Jesus who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

 

We have become friends with a young man Gary met last year who helps his father manage an organic coffee farm in northern Thailand and returns monthly to the city to sell his coffee. During those times we have met with him to share the gospel and pray with him. He too is bound strongly to tradition so as not to offend his parents, however, he has still shown some interest to know what Christianity is all about and has appreciated our prayers for him and his family.

 

Gary was asked to give a PowerPoint presentation about true love at the school during the time of Valentine’s Day. The emphasis was that true love is God’s love, which is not only the best love but also the greatest love. The first week of March Gary preached at the Santisuk Silom church. The main point of the sermon stressed that if we truly know the love of God, nothing will prevent us from obeying His commands, especially that to share the gospel with those who don’t know Christ.

 

We again are working with the church we regularly attend to make home visitations to pray and bring food supplies to refugee families who have had to flee their home country due to religious persecution. Again, like last year we shared in the joy of witnessing an answer to prayer when we met the father of one of the families who had been recently released from the detention center. He had been unable to see his wife and two children for 5 years. He shared that he had been beaten severely by Muslim terrorists from Turkey who were being held in the detention center because they had been involved in a bombing in Bangkok. He was beaten because he would not renounce his faith in Christ. His wife shared how both she and her husband had become born again believers after they been forced to leave Pakistan and heard the true gospel while in Bangkok. She said she was able to keep up a spirit of hope while her husband was away because she knew that God would always care for them since He has proved His love for them by sending Jesus to save them from their sins.

 

We have learned much about faith from these dear followers of Jesus who have suffered so much these past 10 years or so as they patiently wait upon the Lord to relocate them to a country where they can begin a new life for their families. Please pray for new sponsorships to open up for these dear families with young children. There are still about 48 families that the church is supporting who are waiting.

 

Last week we spent 5 days in Phuket in southern Thailand with the missionary couple we ministered with in north Thailand early in January. This trip was to provide all of us some R&R. Our times of fellowship around the Word of God were sweet and the food and incredibly beautiful surroundings were so enjoyable. They will also be living in our house back home in Minneapolis for three months towards the end of this summer, while on home assignment. We had time to share the gospel with an elderly man from Japan we had come to know while we were lounging around the pool. After he had heard about God’s love for him, he began to weep and said he didn’t understand why he was becoming so emotional. Please pray for Kunio to embrace the truth about what Jesus has done for him on the cross.

 

May God bless you all with an ever-increasing understanding of His marvelous love for all of us as we approach the time of year to remember and celebrate the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of our precious Lord Jesus Christ. A Blessed Easter to you all.

 

For His glory among the nations,

Gary and Lyndell

Sunrise over Bangkok through the poor air quality

Glad we don't have to use this for transportation

Specialty dessert- Bamboo stuffed with tasty sticky rise

A clear sign that it's getting really hot here in Thailand

English students hard at work composing a conversation

Daily offerings with a hope to bring about good luck

Women's Bible Study Fellowship group

Advanced conversation class

Spectacular view crossing river on ferry after teaching night class

Home visitation to bring food and encouragement

Regular weekly purchase of fresh fruit from street vendor

No, we haven't tried these and probably never will

Tasty green curry, but it can be really spicy hot, watch out!

Teaching future tense verbs to grade school children

Pizza night out after English class

Entire floor of mall devoted to cactus and succulent plants

Some very unique succulents

Students at our condo for food and games

Another item we surely will not be sampling

Another example of something else not on our try it list

Cashew chicken, mixed veggies, and pineapple fried rice
is one of our favorites for lunch

How fast is "too fast" at fast food restaurants?

A Belgian chocolatey sweet taste treat of home

Guess what this restaurant's specialty is advertising?

 

Bible study for interested students

Learning English at Santisuk is a bargain at only $90
for 15 two hour lessons because of volunteer teachers

Maybe a clue why teaching English is helpful?

Beautiful and relaxing beach on Phuket Island

Friendly lizard stopped by to say hello while lounging

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A welcome sight to have blue sky in Phuket 
after breathing so much pollution in the city

Reminder of what tremendous death and devastation
occurred here due to the 2004 tsunami 

I can almost imagine what the Garden of Eden
must have been like

Cannon ball tree is an appropriate name

Yes, I think this is my better profile side

Well, this is my better side thank you very much

Has someone been doing genetic engineering on these lobsters?

At 6 bags per family, almost 300 bags of food will be delivered
to needy families this month

However, what the families also appreciate
 is the extended time spent with them

The wait has been so long to be relocated and can bring weariness

A dear family who expressed great joy in the Lord even
though they have experienced so many trials 

Sunset over the Andaman Sea