The picture above is young Khmu girl named Phianxay. About a year ago, Operation Samaritan’s Compassion and Liberty Baptist Church of Newport Beach partnered together to provide the funds for her to have a lifesaving surgery. As a result of this act of compassion and kindness, eight people trusted Christ and are now attending church. After being abandoned by her grandmother, she has been adopted by a godly Christian woman and we have helped her to get enrolled in school. At one time, she lived in extreme poverty in the home of unbelievers and now she is growing to be a beautiful little girl raised in a godly, Christian home. Thank you for praying and giving so that we could help Phianxay and many others like her!

PLEASE PRAY FOR PHIANXAY TO GROW TO BE THE YOUNG LADY THAT GOD DESIRES FOR HER TO BE!

Almost a year ago, we found out that Kyi Pya Zaw (a 14-year-old Burmese girl) was going to have to work to help support her family. She would be working six days a week for a grand total of $38 per month. Because of her work schedule, she would be missing church services and various church activities. Because of generous folks like you we were able to “hire” her to work at her church a couple days a week for $40 a month. She cleans the church facility, teaches Sunday school, and helps with various other tasks for the church family.

Mercy (a 12-year-old Burmese girl) was basically orphaned and “adopted” by a National pastor in Myanmar and, unfortunately, they couldn’t afford to send her to school. So, because of the generosity of good folks like you we were able to get her enrolled in school. She is very happy about this to say the least. We are very grateful for the opportunity to help many families in Myanmar. Thank you for praying, giving, and helping us to help Kyi Pya Zaw, Mercy, and many others like them!

PLEASE PRAY FOR KYI PYA ZAW, MERCY, AND COUNTLESS OTHERS IN WAR TORN MYANMAR!

As I mentioned in our previous update, it’s summertime here in Southeast Asia. It’s still as hot as ever. Over the past six weeks or so, the temperatures have been between 95-103 and that’s not even taking into consideration the humidity, which has been horrendous. We did have one week where a cold front moved in, and we were in the low 90’s. The young people are back in school though and we are praying that the many decisions they made during the Spring Break will keep them walking in the light.

It’s been a great month or so since we sent out our last update, nothing spectacular, but God has been good in “the ordinary.” Despite the extreme heat, our church services have been going very well. My two Disciple Groups have been a blessing. Teaching our two groups of Bible students has been a blessing. Our Bible students in the village have been on a small summer break. Most of them went home to be with family and they will be returning for classes this week.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR MINISTRY HERE IN CHIANG KHONG, MY DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS, AND THE BIBLE STUDENTS!

I thought I would take a few moments of your time to share some about our Operation Samaritan’s Compassion Ministry. As most of you know, we started this ministry about 3 years ago. It was April or May of 2020, during the beginning days of the COVID crisis. For the first two-and-a-half years, we focused primarily on assisting the poor, the needy, and the helpless – especially those that were unable to work because of the various lockdowns. These lockdowns were far more serious and lasted much longer here in Southeast Asia than they did in the States. There were no government programs to help the folks out here and, of course, the poor suffered greatly.

In the past three years, as a direct result of OSC, there have been somewhere between 900 and 1,000 people (young and old alike) make professions of faith and approximately 250 have been baptized. Many of these have become faithful members of local churches. A handful of those that made decisions for Christ have since gone to heaven. Four churches were planted as a direct result of these many decisions. In the past year, we were even able to start a soccer league for 50 poor children in Laos. Eight of these boys have trusted Christ and are now attending church services. Thank you for praying and giving towards this much needed ministry!

The amazing thing about these numbers, is that the vast majority of those saved and baptized come from two communist countries where evangelism isn’t quite as easy as it is back home, or even as it is here in Thailand. So, yes, there was a “silver-lining” to the Covid crisis here in Southeast Asia. People were far more open to the gospel and the authorities tended to look the other way as we were helping their hurting citizens.

Here’s some stats that I received recently from our friends in Vietnam for the past 16 months of helping the poor, the needy, and the helpless:

*2,150 food packages delivered

*6,840 people were fed for 2-4 weeks

*378 professions of faith

Now that Covid has come and gone, a sense of “normalcy” has set in, and the poor are able to make a “living” if that’s what you would call it. Presently, our primary goals for Operation Samaritan’s Compassion are to provide aid for needy widows, for needy, fatherless children, for emergency medical needs (especially for the elderly), and helping poor children get an education. We thank God that we have been able to help more than 100 children and teens get enrolled in school. We have also helped a handful of high school graduates enroll in college. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HELPING US TO GET POOR CHILDREN ENROLLED IN SCHOOL, PLEASE SHOOT ME A TEXT OR EMAIL!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS OPERATION SAMARITAN’S COMPASSION AND PROVIDE THE FUNDS NECESSARY TO MEET THE MANY NEEDS!

THIS MONTH’S SPOTLIGHT – PASTOR “J”

This month, we would like to introduce you to Pastor “J.” He is a faithful man of God serving in a “Creative Access Nation,” a communist country. I have had the privilege to teach Pastor “J” over the past four years or so in different conferences and in our weekly Chiang Khong Discipleship Group, which meets in person, but he joins us online. Pastor “J” was saved about 13 years ago. About ten years ago, he started his first church and has now planted eight churches, which he oversees to this day. Over 600 people attend the services of these eight churches in a communist country. The mother church is no longer the largest of the churches, but it does run well over 100 in weekly attendance. He is one of the many different men that Brother Dwight Tomlinson and Barnabas 1040 supports monthly. Over the past year, they have had multiplied dozens saved and baptized. We recently treated Pastor “J” and his family to a three-day get away, which they thoroughly enjoyed. 

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR “J,” HIS FAMILY, AND THE EIGHT CHURCHES THAT HE IS OVERSEEING!

As always, my wife and I want to say, “thank you” to all our family, friends, fellow-laborers, and faithful supporters for your faithful prayer and financial support over the years. We love and appreciate you all!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
 – James 1:27

“Where have we any command in the Bible laid down in stronger terms, and in a more peremptory urgent manner, than the command of giving to the poor?”  – Jonathan Edwards