Thai Students at Work!

God is doing great things! This past week we have been joined by a team of students from the Baptist Bible school in Bangkok. They have been sharing with our neighbors around us and down the block and all over this area of Satun. Last week, one of the groups met Bang Go. He listened to their message with great interest. He wouldn't take a copy of scriptures, but he took them to eat a Thai desert and is open to more visits. Another group of students shared with a grandmother on the main road. She shows every evidence of believing in Christ. Praise God! They will be going back to visit with her and her family this week. The last couple of days, they have been staying in an island village conducting a soccer camp and children's activities and getting to know the people there. They have met one young believer we have found there. Pray for this team right now! Pray that God will pour out his HS upon them and put his Word in their mouths. Pray for His guidance. Pray for the team as they take part in hospital clinics for patients on Wed and Fri (Tues and Thur night your time). Pray that they will be used effectively. AND pray for us (the Richards) also, that we will be focused on the work that God has for us. that we will not be distracted. That we will pray much, pray long, and pray hard. To God be the Glory! ---K

Tragic News

We had not seen our friend Yee in several weeks. Yee is about 35 and runs a local diner. He was one who we had been sharing with and who seemed very interested. He is always so friendly to us and welcomes us gladly when come to see him. After our volunteer teams left, Yo (my intern) stopped by to see him. He called me with the stunning news, "Yee is dead!" Apparently, he had passed out while on a boat trip to a local island and never woke up. We don't know if it was due to sunstroke or heart attack or what? We were truly shocked. Neither Yo nor I knew what to say. This week, we will try to visit his wife and their two young children (their baby daughter is less than a year old). Pray that the Lord will show us what to say. This certainly reminds us that life is only temperary and we shouldn't take each other for granted.

Pray for the Sick

A door has been opened for us to share with HIV patients through the 2 teams from Arkansas this past month. Together, we came alongside hospitals trying to minister to these patients. Through games, singing worship songs, pictures of their families, passing out snacks, dancing, praying for and loving on these patients, God used these teams to give us and our Thai nationals many opportunities to verbally share the story of His love. In addition, the hospital administrators, nurses, and even district leaders gave us approval to continual to host activities and follow up with these patients. Given that they already know that we are Christians, we see this as a major break-through. Pray for Dane and Jar, grandparents of Oriah, a five-year-old who was infected from her parents who have already passed away. Pray for Jinn, the leader of one of the networks here who himself is infected. He has heard the gospel before and seems open to learn more. Pray for Pat. He is not infected, but his wife is. He is greatly concerned that his 2 children could possibly be infected. Pray for Sue Maria, a young women expecting twins. She is already infected. Pray that it will not be passed on to her children. We met these people and encountered many more heart-breaking stories this past week. Pray that God will open their hearts to receive the hope of his love and the life that only he can give.

Break-through!

Today, Yo and I went to Booyoo Island to make arrangements for next week’s team. Previously, we met a man there named Adam who is a secret believer living in this Mus!im community. After our meeting at the school, we ate lunch with Adam and a friend of his named Andy. We brought Adam a NT, because he has never had a chance to read it for himself. We began to explain it to him so that he would understand what he was reading. In doing so, we also shared the good news with both of these young men. As we were sharing , we noticed that Andy was also agreeing with everything we were saying. When we finished, Adam affirmed that he believed it was the truth. We turned and asked Andy also. To our surprise, he said that he also believed! We are so excited. We prayed with both of these men. They are eager to meet with us regularly to study the Word and begin praying together, but we must be careful also. Both men are in their twenties and still live with their parents, who would oppose them if it became known that they were believers. Andy is believing, but we can sense much apprehension. Please join us in praying for these young men. Pray that they will stand firm in their belief. Pray for God’s protection and strength. Pray that we will have wisdom to disciple them.

Happy New Year!

On New Year's Eve, we had a little party right in front of our house in town. Many of our neighbors came by for some punch, cookies, and popcorn. Libby and Emily were home from school, so our whole family was involved. We had given special invitations to many of our Mus!im friends that we have met this past year. Two of them, Chem and Soap, stopped by along with Chem's family and sat and chatted with us for over an hour. Chem then invited us to go to the seaside with his family and to visit some of his friends in another county. So... all day Monday, we were privileged to spend time with these friends. Despite a rainy forecast, the Lord gave us a beautiful day yesterday and we saw some beautiful scenery. I sat and talked with many of the men for hours and Tracy was able to spend a lot of time with the ladies. She also learned how to toast coconut treats over the fire. It was truly a great way to celebrate the New Year. Please be in prayer for these friends of ours this year that the Lord will lead many to trust in Him. Please also pray for us that the Lord will give us boldness and opportunity to share of His love with others. --- Keith