The above picture was sent to me by one of our men in China while I was in the States. I believe it is a picture of a grandfather and his grandchildren. My initial thought when seeing this picture was this, “Someone will be leading the youth in Asia into the future; who will it be?” Lord willing, it will be men and women of faith, men and women committed to the Gospel of Christ and the Christ of the Gospel!

The picture below is of four young ladies (Aries, Xi, Lu, and Lily) who were in our service this past Sunday.  They all have one thing in common, other than being Chinese of course. All four of them were led to Christ by someone in the West, or someone from the West. One became a Christian while attending school in America. One, while attending school in Australia. Another, while attending school in England. And the last young lady, was led to Christ by a foreigner from Germany here in China.

There might be a lesson here for us about the need in this part of the world! 🤔

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY THAT GOD WILL SEND MORE LABORERS INTO THIS PART OF THE WORLD!

March 16 marked five years for my wife and I serving in the harvest fields of Asia. It has been a tremendous blessing for us to serve with our team that serves in a “Creative Access” Nation, as well as our team that is serving the precious people of Cambodia, and now for the past nine months we have had the privilege to serve here in the country of China. Along with winning people to Christ and discipling believers, our heart’s desire is to be a help to missionaries and national leaders in the 10/40 Window, as well as getting the word out about this part of the world on the other side of the Pacific!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR MY WIFE AND ME AS WE SERVE IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD AND TRANSITION INTO ANOTHER “CREATIVE ACCESS” NATION!

It was a blessing to be back in the States for two weeks. During this time, I taught a four day Missions’ Intensive at Pacific Baptist Bible College, as well as preached in three of their chapel services. I also had the opportunity to preach in three different churches–including three times for our home and sending church (Pacific Baptist Church of Long Beach).

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE THE PREACHING AND THE TEACHING TO BRING FORTH MORE LABORERS FOR THE HARVEST FIELDS OF THE WORLD, ESPECIALLY THE 10/40 WINDOW!

I also had the privilege to preach for the service when Pacific Baptist Church voted Pastor Steve Meyers in as the pastor. As most of you know, my brother, Pastor Joe, started the church and pastored it for over 25 years prior to being hospitalized. This was an emotional evening for many of us. We thank God for Pastor Meyers and his wife Alma. They have done a wonderful job the past 4 ½ years filling in for my brother. And we expect them to continue to lead the church forward for Christ and the cause of Christ “around the corner” and “around the world.” Both my brother, Pastor Joe, and Pastor Meyers, and their families have been a wonderful testimony of God’s grace and have faithfully served Christ for decades.

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR MEYERS AND PACIFIC BAPTIST CHURCH, AS WELL AS PASTOR JOE AND HIS FAMILY!

While on this short trip to the States, I was blessed to be able to see my two newest grandchildren (Eliza Jade Aquino and Aaron Christopher Ayala). That’s twenty grandchildren now, with one more on the way. But then again, who’s counting? 🙂

One of the areas of ministry at our church here in China that God is using mightily, especially in helping to nurture our folks in their faith are our Connection Groups. As of now, we have six Connection Groups. These groups are intended to connect our folks to God, to one another, and with a lost and dying world, and we are seeing this take place on a weekly basis. Lord willing, a few of these groups will one day become churches. This past week, we had a wonderful time with one of our groups and even had two brand new visitors!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE OUR CONNECTION GROUPS TO REACH AND TEACH MANY FOR CHRIST! 

This past Saturday a handful of the folks from our church here in China had an “Easter Outreach” for the Children. While I wasn’t there, I have been told and have seen many pictures that verify they had a great turnout and a wonderful day!

HE IS RISEN!

Are there any words sweeter in the English language? This past Sunday was Easter/Resurrection Sunday. I preached a message entitled, “The Resurrection of Christ and the Revival of His People.” The auditorium was packed, the spirit was sweet, and the response to the message was tremendous. Afterwards a handful of us went out for a traditional Chinese lunch. The food and fellowship was great!

In less than two weeks, Denise and I relocate to assist our team in a “Creative Access” Nation. My primary responsibilities will be to assist in getting a Bible Institute/Bible College started, discipling national leaders, and overseeing the work while Koumaly Thongdy is on a short furlough.

Less than a week after arriving, I will be speaking for a Youth Conference hosted by our team. I will have the privilege to preach three times, along with teaching one session for  Pastors, Missionaries, and Church Workers .

We sincerely covet your prayers for this conference. We are expecting between 15-17 churches and some 300 people to be in attendance, and are praying for a real moving of God!

PLEASE PRAY FOR  US AS WE SEEK TO ASSIST OUR TEAM IN THE “CREATIVE ACCESS” NATION AND FOR THE YOUTH CONFERENCE IN THAILAND!

My wife and I want to thank you for your prayers and financial support. We couldn’t do what God has led us to do without dear friends like you.

Johnny and Denise

 

“I will go anywhere, provided it be forward.”
― Missionary David Livingstone

 

When you visit a Mc Donald’s in the country of Thailand, you will be greeted by a Ronald giving the traditional Thai greeting. In just over thirty years. McDonald’s has went from one location to over 200 locations in Thailand, including over 100 in Bangkok alone! They plan on opening another 200 locations by the year 2020. Sounds like they have a vision for Thailand’s 69 million people (less than 2 percent professing to be “Christian”).

The question is, “Do we?”

Every year, for the last 3-4 years, our teams from the “Creative Access” Nation, which we will soon be returning to, Thailand, and Cambodia have met in Bangkok for a week-long time of refreshing fellowship, and of course, great teaching from different members of our various teams. I had the opportunity and privilege to teach two different lessons: “Leadership that Glorifies God” and “Discpleship with the End in Mind.”

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD CONTINUES TO USE OUR TEAMS AND THE NATIONALS WE HAVE SEEN GOD RAISE UP TO REACH SOUTHEAST ASIA AND EVEN BEYOND!

This year, we had the privilege of also having our dear friend, Dwight Tomlinson and his wife Gayle with us. Brother Tomlinson is the founder of barnabas1040.com This a wonderful ministry, which raises support for national pastors. They presently are supporting 28 pastors in 12 different countries and 3 different Bible Colleges in the 1040 Window. Barnabas1040 is presently providing support for four men that I have had the opportunity to invest some into their lives.

If you are looking for a good investment for eternity and the 1040 Window, I would encourage you to prayerfully consider Barnabas1040.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE TOMLINSON’S, WHO ARE SERVING IN CHINA, AND FOR BARNABAS1040! 

I arrived in Bangkok one day early to preach for my dear friend and fellow laborer, Enrile Badua, and his church family (Bangkok Baptist Church). It was the last Sunday of their Missions’ Emphasis Month. I taught on “Right Attitudes on Prosperity and Possessions” during the Sunday School hour. And I preached a message on “Investing for the Master and the Mission” during the morning service.  Brother Badua has been in Bangkok for 17 years and has a wonderful ministry!

PLEASE PRAY FOR BROTHER BADUA, BANGKOK BAPTIST CHURCH, AND THAT THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN DURING MY TIME THERE WILL BRING FORTH FRUIT!

As I have mentioned in many of our updates, one of my primary responsibilities and privileges has been to disciple a few of our men individually and in a group setting. In the group setting, it has been more of a time of leadership development and discipling future disciplers. It has been a wonderful experience and I will always cherish these times together and will miss these men greatly!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR MINISTRY AND THESE MEN IN CHINA!

It was a real blessing to have three dear friends visit with us for a few days on their way to the Philippines for the Spiritual Leadership Conference of Asia. I have known Pastor Ryan Thomson and Assistant pastor Doug Mc Mains for many years. I have only known Tom Chapman, who is planning on moving his family to this part of the world in just a few months to serve the Lord, for about 4-5 years. All three of these men are wonderful servants of Jesus and have a heart, not only for the Lord, but for the lost. We had a wonderful time together and Pastor Thompson preached a powerful message on the Great Commission!

In just over a month, my wife and I will be relocating to the “Creative Access” Nation where my wife and I served for a year and a half, to assist in leadership development, discipling men, and starting a Bible Institute/Bible College. I flew down for a week and met with Koumaly Thongdy, preached for them a few times, and looked at the place where my wife and I will be living.

In the picture above, you will see a young man named Kong interpreting for me. Kong was saved a little bit over two years ago and surrendered to serve in the full-time ministry while listening to a message I preached at a Bible Camp in Thailand almost two years ago. Just a few weeks later, he started a ministry for teens and children in his home village about an hour-and-a-half a way from where he is presently living. God is using him and his new bride in a very special way in reaching the Hmong people, especially those in his home village.

PLEASE PRAY FOR KONG AND LILEE AS GOD USES THEM TO REACH THE HMONG PEOPLE!

While in the “Creative Access” Nation, I also had the opportunity and privilege to preach for another dear friend and fellow laborer, Brother Jamin Rodero. Brother Jamin and his dear wife have been in the country for ten years and he has planted, or helped to plant five different churches around the country. As always, it was a great service and they had a lot of food after the service.

PLEASE PRAY FOR BROTHER JAMIN AND HIS MINISTRY!

In previous Updates, we have asked for prayer for Peng Li Mai. She trusted Christ a couple of years ago, but for the past year or so has basically been bed-ridden with cancer. A couple weeks ago, Peng Li Mai went to heaven and I had the opportunity to speak for her funeral service. It was an honor, but it was also definitely different. Let’s just say they do funerals a bit different over here than back home. None of her family knows the Lord, so they did get a chance to hear the Gospel.

Just a few days after my wife and I arrive back in the “Creative Access” Nation,  I will be preaching, for the fourth time in the past five years, the annual Camp in Thailand. Yes, the same Camp that Kong surrendered to serve in full-time ministry in two years ago.  It’s always a blessing, a great encouragement, and a time where anywhere from 12-15 churches from two different countries gather together for a lot of great preaching, food, fun, and fellowship. This year’s emphasis is the youth. I am especially looking forward to having my nephew, Pastor Joe’s son, preach with us!

WE COVET YOUR PRAYERS FOR THIS UPCOMING CONFERENCE!

My wife and I thank God for all of you. We are grateful for your prayers, your words of encouragement, and your faithful financial support!

Johnny and Denise

“Sympathy is no substitute for action.” — David Livingstone, missionary to Africa

Just before being hospitalized, my brother (Pastor Joe), had a dream of two of our teams working together in the area known as the Golden Triangle. This is an area where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos converge at the Mekong and Ruak Rivers. Pastor Joe’s dream was to use this area to reach into these three countries, and eventually into China. While in Thailand recently, I had the opportunity to visit the actual Golden Triangle.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE THREE COUNTRIES AND THE MEN AND WOMEN–INCLUDING OUR TEAMS–THAT ARE LABORING IN THEM!

I had the privilege and the joy to spend ten days with our team in Northern Thailand. Jay and Heidi Chang, and Tom and Sue Sutrick are serving in the mountains and working with the Hmong people. This is a very special place for me. It was in these very mountains about seven years ago that God gripped my heart. Not only for these people, but for the many different people groups in the 1040 Window. It was here that I said to God, “If you could use me in a small way to reach one of these dear precious souls, I am willing to come.”  And, now almost five years later, here we are serving in Asia!

Tom and Sue Sutrick are my heroes. They really are! Neither of them ever attended Bible college. No ministry training to speak of, just two people who love Jesus and love people–especially the Hmong people. A simple lay couple for their entire lives, they both retired early to work with the Hmong people back in Wisconsin. And, in their late 50s, they packed everything up and “retired” to the country of Thailand to work with the Hmong people. They have been serving in these mountains now for about six years!

While in Thailand, I had the privilege of preaching for their church family eight times, and taught for three hours a day for a three-day Pastors’ and Church Workers’ Conference. In addition to Tom and Sue and their church workers, we had 10 men and two women come from a “Creative Access Nation” across the border for the teaching and the preaching. Grateful for Brother Jay interpreting for me during the special sessions. God really did bless in a miraculous way. On the last day, just prior to me preaching the closing message, tears of rejoicing were flowing and testimonies were given that caused me to tear up!

I also had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with ten different people while soul-winning in Tom and Sue’s village. While no one trusted Christ, they were all very receptive.

As I have mentioned previously, my primary focus, while here in China, is discipleship. Specifically, discipling and assisting with the training up of some of the men who are, and will be leading this congregation in the future, as well as possibly planting new churches in this city, province, and other parts of the country in the future.

Our Connection Groups are doing very well. I had the privilege and pleasure to visit and observe two of them this past week. On Wednesday, I visited our CG led by Li (Lee) that meets weekly at a secular business (KTV). God is doing something special with this group. Including Li and myself, we had 19 in attendance and 10 or 11 of them are unbelievers. Great opportunity to plant the Gospel seed. In recent weeks or months, three of them (Zhang Su Li, Li Ruchang, and Hu Li)  have trusted Christ. Two more women (Lu Yan Zhu and Chen Jing) are very close to getting saved.

On Thursday, I was with Liu Hong’s CG. Including latecomers, I think we had 15 in attendance and we had a wonderful time of food and fellowship, as well as a great lesson from Colossians chapter one by Liu Hong. He is doing a wonderful job leading this new group.

THE PICTURES BELOW ARE BLURRED FOR SECURITY REASONS!!!

As I mentioned in our previous Update, most of the preaching and teaching is being done here by the National men. Our heart’s desire is to see them take this work over in the near future, as well as plant a few new churches in this city. I did get the chance to preach this past Sunday. Our church theme for 2018 is “Loving Christ is Obeying Christ,” and I used that as a springboard to preach on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. The title of the message was “For The Sake of The Gospel.” It was a call for God’s people to come out of a spirit of complacency and be willing to leave their comfort zone. After the service, a handful of us went out for a time of food and fellowship!

We had a wonderful time of fellowship at one of our brother’s new home. I had the privilege to share a short message and pray for Zhang Lun, his wife, and their new home. Zhang Lun did not trust Christ until he was in his early 30s, and like so many others here, he had never  heard the Gospel until he was over 30 years old. In fact, he had never heard the name of Jesus Christ-at least in a tangible way-until he was in his late 20s. He and his wife love Jesus and are pillars in the church family here. 

After the service on Sunday, one of our dear and faithful members asked if Li and I would go to her home to pray for it. This sister has an amazing testimony. She was saved 24 years ago at the age of 46. She was led to Christ by another woman who had spent time in prison for her faith and who’s son was executed for his faith!

PLEASE PRAY FOR PERSECUTED BELIEVERS HERE IN CHINA, AS WELL AS OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE 1040 WINDOW!

A FEW ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please continue to pray for God’s presence, power, provision, and protection in our lives.
• Please pray for us concerning recent “religious” restrictions that went into effect on February 1.
• Please pray for Tom and Sue Sutrick and the two village churches they serve in Northern Thailand. 
• Please continue to pray for God to bless our six present house groups (potential future churches).
• Please continue to pray for those in leadership here at the church as we are beginning to train our folks including our leaders to disciple others.
• Pray for Zhang Lun, Li, Richard, Andy, Peter, and Liu Hong (and their wives), as God continues to mold them into the men and “leaders” that He wants them to be here in China.
• Please continue to pray for a few of our single young ladies (Cubie, Lily, Aslyn, Christine, and Theresa) to become the young ladies God intends for them to be.
• Please pray for our KTV Connection Group to be used by God to bring many souls to Christ. 
• Please continue to pray God will help us to reach more teens and faithfully disciple the teens we have now.
• Please continue to pray for Maggie and Hu Ying’s salvation!
• Please pray for Lu Yan Zhu and Chen Jing’s salvation!
• Please pray for Zhang Su Li, Li Ruchang, and Hu Li spiritual growth!
• Please continue to pray for our teams in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.
• Pray continue to pray for Dick and Trish Baucum to have a fruitful furlough.
• Pray continue to pray for our ministry in Laos, as we consider assisting them in developing a discipleship ministry and culture and starting a Bible Institute.

My wife and I would like to thank you for your continual and consistent prayer and financial support. And we sincerely thank many of you for taking the time to read our update and praying for the specific needs. We love and thank God for you all!

Johnny and Denise

“Is not the commission of our Lord still binding upon us? Can we not do more than  we are now doing?” — William Carey

 

The picture above is the famous Mekong River. I took this picture on our recent trip to the “Creative Access” nation that my wife and I lived and served in for 17 months. We lived about 300 yards from the river.

From China to Vietnam, the Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia. It flows through six different countries: China’s Yunnan Province (47 million people), Myanmar (54 million people), Thailand (68 million people), Laos (7 million people), Cambodia (15 million people), and Vietnam (95 million people). That’s just under 290 million people that can be found in these five countries and China’s Yunnan Province.

For nearly five years now, my wife and I have lived and served in three of these countries (China, Cambodia, and Laos), we have also had the opportunity to assist our team in Thailand on a few occasions (I will be there at the end of this month), and we have had the opportunity, on one occasion, to minister in Myanmar. Other than Vietnam, none of these countries have more than five percent of their population professing to be “Christian.” Vietnam has nine percent professing to be “Christian,” but most of those would be Catholic. There’s a great need for more laborers in these countries.

PLEASE PRAY THAT THE LORD OF THE HARVEST WILL SEND MORE LABORERS TO THIS PART OF THE WORLD!

Near the end of December, my wife and I travelled to the “Creative Access” nation where we served our first 17 months in Asia. We were there for a week. Our primary purpose for being there was to meet with our team and discuss the possibility of our relocating there for a season to assist with discipling young leaders, possibly starting a Bible Institute/Ministry Training Center, and a few other tasks that would enable the ministry to move forward, reach more people, and nurture the folks they have. Our secondary purpose for going was to attend the wedding of two of our young people. It was a great wedding too, even if a few cows tried to “crash the party.” 🙂

WE COVET YOUR PRAYERS ON THIS POSSIBLE MOVE!

While there, my wife and I celebrated my birthday, Christmas, and our Anniversary. Our team even surprised us with a Birthday/Anniversary Celebration during a Christmas Eve celebration for the church family!

As always, while in this country, I had the privilege and joy to speak for our team, as well as for another church that I have been preaching at for seven years (even prior to surrendering to go to the mission field).  My wife and I also treated the factory workers of this church family to an early Christmas dinner – Pizza!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE VARIOUS MINISTRIES IN THIS CREATIVE ACCESS NATION AND THAT THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN WILL BRING FORTH FRUIT!

As I mentioned in our previous update, the weather here has been cold, but the work of God and the fellowship of His people has been warm and sweet. It is such a joy to be able a part of what God is doing here-even if it may only be for a short season.

My wife and I love these folks and I am enjoying meeting with a few of the men on a one-to-one basis weekly, to be able to teach a handful of the men every Tuesday, to occasionally preach for our main services (we are having the Nationals do 75 percent of the preaching), to teach the teens a couple times a month, visit the sick and dying, and have folks (saved and unsaved) over our place on a regular basis. In fact, we overdid it this past week. We had folks over five-of-seven days. My wife is a super blessing! 🙂

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE OUR MINISTRY HERE TO MAKE AN IMPACT IN THIS CITY OF SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE, PROVINCE OF 47 MILLION PEOPLE, COUNTRY OF 1.4 BILLION PEOPLE, AND EVENTUALLY AROUND THE WORLD!

A FEW ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for God’s presence, power, provision, and protection in our lives.
• Pray for Peng Li Mai who has terminal cancer
• Pray for God to bless our six present house groups (potential future churches).
• Pray for those in leadership here at the church as we are beginning to train our folks including our leaders to disciple others.
• Pray for Zhang Lun, Li, Richard, Andy, Peter, and Liu Hong (and their wives), as God continues to mold them into the men and “leaders” that He wants them to be here in China.
• Pray for a few of our single young ladies (Cubie, Lily, Aslyn, and Christine).
• Pray that God will help us to reach more teens and faithfully disciple the teens we have at the moment.
• Pray for Maggie and Hu Ying’s salvation!
• Please pray for our teams in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.
• Pray for my upcoming trip Thailand (end of January) to be with our team for a time of ministry and fellowship.
• Pray for Dick and Trish Baucum to have a fruitful furlough.
• Pray for our ministry in Laos, as we consider assisting them in developing a discipleship ministry and culture and starting a Bible Institute.

Denise and I want to thank you for your continual and consistent prayer and financial support. We also want to thank many of you for taking the time to read our update and praying for the specific needs. We love and thank God for you all!

“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” – Missionary Henry Martyn

The couple pictured above can occasionally be found in our neighborhood begging, which is kind of rare, it’s not allowed in China. Every time I see them, and others like them, not only do I give them something, but I am reminded, not only of the immense physical needs in this part of the world, but the great spiritual blindness in this part of the word!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL SEND MORE LABORERS TO THIS PART OF THE WORLD!

In the past few weeks, it has been cold–really cold–in our part of the country. My wife and I lived and served in Southern California for over 25 years prior to coming to Asia. Then we spent another four years in Southeast Asia (Laos and Cambodia) where any time it gets under 75 degrees they get the winter coats out. So, weather in the low 30s, and an occasionally dip into the mid-20s, is just a bit different to say the least!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE US AND OTHERS TO BRING THE WARMTH OF HIS LOVE TO THIS PART OF THE WORLD!

One of the different ministries that I enjoy assisting with is teaching our teens on Sunday. This too, is a bit different than our ministries in Long Beach, Laos, and Cambodia where we were overrunning with teenagers. Here in China, it’s a bit different. For many different reasons, we have few teens, but it’s always a blessing to be able to teach them. We are going through the Gospel of John and they seem to be enjoying it!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL NOT ONLY GIVE US MORE TEENS, BUT THAT WE WILL BE FAITHFUL TO INVEST IN THE TEENS THAT HE HAS GIVEN US!

We now have five small groups spread throughout our city of seven million people. We have another one starting soon. All but one of these groups are made up primarily of believers from our church and the intention is that someday in the future they will become indigenous churches. One of the groups is a Bible study at, of all places, a Karaoke business. During the lunch period, anywhere between 15-20 of the over 200 employees gather in an office for a time of Bible study led by one of our men named Li. Nearly all of those attending are lost without Christ. The few who know Jesus, have been saved through this ministry.   I had the opportunity to teach for them recently. It was a real blessing! I taught from Luke chapter 2 on the reason we celebrate Christmas!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS LI AND THIS MINISTRY THAT HE LEADS!

While our ministry is in a time of transition, and we are trying to let our national men do the majority of the preaching on Sunday morning, I still have the opportunity and privilege to preach once every four-to-five weeks, and it’s always a joy and a blessing. Two weeks ago, I had the chance to preach on the “Humility of Christ” as it related to the Christmas story. The Lord really moved during the service!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR GOD TO MOVE IN OUR OUR SUNDAY SERVICES AND FOR ALL OF US TO WALK IN THE HUMILITY OF CHRIST!

One of my favorite times of the week is Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesdays, a group of our men meet for a time of prayer, teaching, and a time to deal with church business. I have been, for some time now, teaching on “Being a Disciple and Reproducing Disciples.” Too be honest, it’s sort of a new concept for many of the guys, but they have a real desire to be men who disciple others and to see the church become a discipling church. The last two weeks, my wife made a special meal for the guys. Needless to say, they were happy campers!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE THESE TUESDAY MEETINGS TO GROW ALL OF US IN THE AREA OF BEING A DISCIPLE AND REPRODUCING DISCIPLES!

As we mentioned in previous updates, one of the ministries we are committed to is simply having folks over our apartment on a weekly basis. We have believers, as well as unbelievers over for a meal and fellowship. In recent days, along with having Liu Hong over every Tuesday evening, we have had a group of our folks from our church family over for food, fun, and fellowship and two unbelievers named Maggie and Hu Ying and their daughters.

It was a blessing to share the Christmas story and the Gospel with Maggie and Hu Ying. Neither of them had ever heard either the Christmas story or the Gospel before. They seemed very interested!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE THESE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE FOLKS OVER OUR HOME TO LOVE, REACH, AND TEACH FOLKS!

While we surely miss being with family back home for Christmas, it was a blessing to be a blessing for some of the locals here during the Christmas season. Denise did a great job wrapping gifts for a few believers and unbelievers alike.

It was also a blessing for us to take a few of the single girls out for an early Christmas meal after a Sunday service just prior to leaving for our tip to Laos. These are sweet girls who love Jesus and are faithful to the work of the ministry here. So, if you are a single guy and looking for a good wife just give me a call! 🙂

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SINGLE ADULTS TO STAY FAITHFUL TO CHRIST AND THE CAUSE OF CHRIST AND TO NOT BE CAUGHT UP IN THE MANY DISTRACTIONS THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER!

While I was not able to be there (in Laos at the time), our church family put on a wonderful Christmas play and one of our good men preached a great message on the story of Christmas. I was told there were over 240 in attendance with at least twenty first time visitors.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SEEDS OF THE GOSPEL AND CHRIST’S LOVE THAT WERE SOWN DURING THE SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SERVICE TO BRING FORTH FRUIT! 

A FEW ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for God’s presence, power, provision, and protection in our lives.
• Pray for God to bless our five present house groups (potential future churches) and the new group Liu Hong will be leading soon.
• Pray for our time of transition here as a church family.
• Pray for those in leadership here at the church as we are beginning to train our folks including our leaders to disciple others.
• Pray for Zhang Lun, Li, Richard, and Peter (and their wives), as God continues to mold them into the men and “leaders” that He wants them to be.
• Pray for Maggie and Hu Ying’s salvation!
• Please pray for our teams in Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia.
• Pray for my upcoming trip to Thailand (end of January) to be with our team for a time of ministry and fellowship.
• Pray for Dick and Trish Baucum to have a fruitful furlough.
• Pray for our ministry in Laos, as we consider relocating for a season to assist them in starting a Bible Institute.

Again, my wife and I want to thank you for your continual and consistent prayer and financial support. We also want to thank many of you for being a tremendous blessing during our time of need. We love and thank God for you all!

Johnny and Denise Esposito

“We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first.” — Oswald J. Smith