First Moberg Update Thailand 2023-24

Chao Phraya River Bangkok

Dear Family and Friends,

We’ve already completed a month since leaving home with three months to go, Lord willing. After getting settled, much of our time has been getting reacquainted with those we know and count as our friends and taking time to hear of their needs so we could pray for them.

 

We handed out Christmas stockings containing small gifts and a short message of the meaning of Christmas to staff people we see daily here at our condo. We’re praying for them and asking the Lord to open doors for us to get to know them better as well, especially those who already can speak English.

 

Gary devoted a big chunk of time preparing for the Christmas Day message that was given in a remote area of Uttaradit Province near the border of Laos, about 8 hours from Bangkok. (A report is given below if you want to scroll down)

 

We were able to quickly rejoin the church’s outreach ministry team to provide needed food supplies to the homes of several refugee families. Their ability to remain hopeful despite their circumstance is a testimony of God’s sustaining grace. Most of the families are Christians and have fled their homeland because of religious persecution 10 years ago. Now they continue to wait patiently for the relocation process to be completed. We visited families often who are living in a one room apartment, one had seven people. In some cases, the families only venture out in the evening since they are afraid to be picked up and placed in a detention center. The children are unable to receive an education unless they find some way online.

 

It's difficult to post much about these people since we don’t want to put them at risk. But efforts are being made to help them with education for their children. We learned from one young man and his wife, who have been here for less than a year, the reason for his flight from his native country. He had been almost murdered because he was an educated, prosperous businessman who was a Christian and not willing to convert to Islam. He said he is trying to remain hopeful through weekly 3-day fasts, spending time in the Bible with the Lord, and encouraging counsel from our pastors.

 

We visited one Buddhist man in a public hospital who is one of the security guards at our condo. He was having a difficult time recovering after recent colon cancer surgery. His wife, also a guard, is only able to understand a little English and he can’t at all. We spent some time with him and prayed for healing physically and spiritually. His wife later texted us and, using Google translate, we found out how touched both had been by our visit. We pray that the concern he’s seen from us as Christians who prayed for him, our small gift to help pay the bills, and the tracts we’ve given to him and his wife about eternal life through faith in Jesus, would cause him to turn and receive what the Lord is offering to him before it’s too late.

 

This past Friday evening Santisuk Silom where we teach English held their bimonthly worship service. A young woman came before the service to register for the English class next week. She decided to stay and later told a member she had been told never to attend a church because she would be brainwashed, and it would be a very scary thing to do. Gary preached from II Cor. 5:17 on how a person becomes a new creation and why it so important to do so. She told us afterwards that she wasn’t sure why she had decided to stay (we trust it was the Holy Spirit) even after the warnings she had received, but she was now glad that she had stayed. She will now hear more about Jesus as she attends the teaching lessons during her English study.

 

This coming week we begin our January teaching session. Two other couples here are also from our church in Minnesota, but will teach at different branches than ours. We’re excited to see who the Lord brings to our individual classes so we can not only teach English but share the story of Jesus with them.

 

I will end with a report of the Christmas outreach that we had the privilege to attend, knowing that many of you had been praying. Your prayers were answered in a big way. The Thai pastors present were thrilled things went as well as they did. We want to thank you all from the depth of our hearts for your partnership in prayers and finances. All of us humbly and gratefully give all the praise and glory to our great God and Savior and say that with all sincerity because we completely understand that any contribution we personally had for the success of the outreach was because of the grace of God working through us by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. 

 

The following are excerpts of the report from Todd and Karen Indehar, the missionaries we worked alongside during that time:

 

On Christmas day Dr. Gary Moberg preached (through an interpreter) about the true meaning of Christmas at a first of its kind evangelistic event in the unreached district of Ban Khok, which is the last district in Uttaradit province without a church. An estimated 800-1,000 people heard the gospel clearly preached, sung, and proclaimed with calls to be healed, repent, and receive the free gift of eternal life through faith in Christ. Thousands of tracts were distributed before the event and a truck went throughout the large, remote rural district on the Thai-Laos border announcing the event for weeks beforehand.

 

Gary preached what I (Todd) think was both complete and should have been quite understandable to most of the attendees, many of whom have probably never heard the gospel even once in their life. (Several local leaders of the community who are Buddhist were present and given seats of distinction during the event and the mayor gave a welcome address.)

 

A large stage and loud sound system was set-up in the center of town (on a soccer field). The event featured free meals and gifts, fireworks, carols and worship songs, traditional Thai dance that communicated the gospel, and care packages of food and other essentials were distributed.

 

At the end of Gary's sermon, Pastor La-aw declared that all who were ready to be healed or receive Jesus should come up front. At first only two or three came up; but then about 50 or more people came forward! The prayer team included the Indehars, Mobergs and several Thai pastors.  Later, five people came up on the stage and testified about being healed and coming to faith.

 

A Thai businessman who leads the small group in the district said he's received a lot of positive feedback from people in general (which is good because I thought there was some potential for pressure or even violence against him, his family and business after the event; that still is a possibility). He said that he knows almost all the people who came forward for prayer as many are customers of his mini-mart store, and he said he knew many of the other people who came. He said the first time his group met for a Bible study after the event five new people came. He said they are beginning to go out and visit everyone that they know who came for prayer at their homes. I (Todd) don't know what the future holds there, obviously, we're just going a step at a time as God leads, but this seems like a potentially significant breakthrough for the gospel up there.

 

One Thai Christian from the district said it was the first time in his entire life (55 years) that he has heard the gospel preached and proclaimed publicly there. We also thank God that six small churches in Uttaradit province and other provinces in northern Thailand came together to help. Truly, the unity of the body of Christ and the love of Christ was clearly evident.

Peace of Silom Church members

Advent Service

Santisuk Silom English School Christmas Party

Home visitation one room apartment

A delicious meal always graciously provided for us during our visits

Meeting up with some old friends on Soi (street) Jesus!

Flew to Nan and drove to Christmas event site

Very beautiful scenery along the very winding road

Setting up for the next day event

Pastor La-aw and his wife
Pastor had a vision for this event 7 years ago

Means of advertising the Christmas event

Our very pink accommodations
Nobody was going to carry away the table and chairs

Cold weather up north even for a Minnesotan
No heat in the room, slept with jacket on 

Lyndell and Karen on our front porch

Christmas Eve dinner provided by church member at their restaurant

Christmas Day Dinner
not your typical ham or turkey dinner

Somchai, graduate of Asbury Seminary, my interpreter

Todd and Karen Indehar long-term missionaries to Thailand

Yeah, we can dress up sometimes too

                            Christmas carols before event begins

Mayor giving welcome speech

                           Fireworks indicate the event has begun

        Thai dancers perform to "As the Deer Panteth for the Water"

Authentic Thai dancers as event began

Preaching the message of Christmas

Peace of Silom Church pre-service dinner

Preaching at Friday evening service- Peace of Silom Church

After service group photo

You really think this Charcoal crepe will help my stomach?

It was delicious

Teacher training before January session
Come and join us some year

Please continue to pray that the work we do will be pleasing to the Lord, as we seek to make His name known among the people we meet in and outside the classroom sessions.