New mission opportunities in Thailand

by Rev. Dr. Leonardo Neitzel
When visiting the communities and mission stations served by Pastors Suchat Srikakarn and Suchat Chujit in Takuapa and surroundings, I am impressed by the opportunities the Lord God opens for His people to witness to His salvation.

Dr. Leonardo Neitzel and Dr. Leonard Harms (at left) visit with pastors and church leaders in Takuapa, Thailand.

The first place we visited was the home of the chairman of a congregation in that area. He joyfully opened his home to us and showed us a piece of land by the highway next door to his home that he wants to donate to his congregation to build a church. It will take an estimated $ 8,000 to build the church. Would this project be of interest to congregations or individuals in LCC?

We visited two more mission stations where the both the needs and mission opportunities are great. In each place about twenty people regularly gather for worship and Bible study. According to the pastors, these would certainly be well-served if they could be blessed with forty hymnals and forty Bibles in Thai, along with forty chairs and one fan. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism is also available in Thai and generously provided by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. According to Pastor Sompong in Bangkok, Luther’s Catechism has great acceptance among people beyond our Lutheran circles. It has served to sow the seed of God’s Word in the homes of many who are coming to know Christ.

We pray God’s blessings upon the mission and ministry of the pastors we joined for the weekend. We praise Him for the faithful work they are doing together with their congregations. We also pray that the Holy Spirit may continue to create faith in the hearts of people who are receiving and reading the Holy Scripture, Luther’s Catechism and we pray that other Lutheran resources may be made available and distributed by our brothers and sisters of the TCLC—Thai Concordia Lutheran Church.