If some of you are thinking that the picture above looks familiar, you’re right. Every year just about this time, I pull it out and add it to our Prayer Update. On March 13, 2013, my wife and I left the United States and headed for Asia. The picture is of us upon our arrival in Asia (Cambodia) on the very next day. After spending two weeks with our team in Cambodia, my wife and I headed to the country of Laos. Many of my preacher friends thought we were making a grave mistake. Many thought we were just plain old “crazy.” One pastor even said that my going to the mission field would be the greatest mistake that I ever made. By the way, I have made a boatload of them.

Well, after ten years of living and serving in four different countries (Laos, Cambodia, China, and Thailand), I just thought I would say, loud and clear, “As far as ministry is concerned, these past ten years have been the most fruitful and fulfilling in my 41 years of serving in full-time ministry, and yes, it has been a whole lot of fun too.”

My wife Denise would agree 110 percent. We have seen hundreds come to Christ and be baptized. We have helped in the planting and/or establishing of new churches, started a new college in Laos, and started Operation Samaritan’s Compassion – a ministry that has helped to meet the basic needs of multiplied hundreds (probably thousands) and has resulted in over 800 saved and about 200 baptized in the past three years. Yet, to be truly honest, most of our time and energy has gone to discipling believers and leadership development. 

SO MANY GREAT MEMORIES!!!

Thank you for praying, giving, and loving us over these past ten years while we have had the privilege to be on the field making memories, and by God’s grace, making a small difference for Christ and the cause of Christ.

To God be the glory!

Memories of Laos!

Memories of Cambodia!

Memories of China!

Memories of Conferences!

Recent Memories of Thailand!

Many of you will remember that in our last Prayer Update, I asked for some special prayer for our upcoming Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ “I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel” Conference. If you prayed, thank you. Your prayers were answered. God blessed in a very special way. Many pastors and church leaders, as well as many from our church family, were encouraged, strengthened, and better equipped to serve the Lord during the five-day conference. We even had three trust Christ – including one of the church leaders. To God be the glory!

A FEW SPECIAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

* Pray for Upcoming Vacation Bible Schools in Thailand
* Pray for Upcoming Youth Conferences in Thailand and Laos
* Pray for Our Bible Students and Mid-Term Exams

As always, Denise and I would like to thank you from the depths of our hearts for taking time to read our Prayer Update, for praying, giving, and loving us from afar. We love and appreciate you all!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

PHU CHI FA OUTREACH

The picture above is Brothers Tom and Jay sharing the gospel during our team’s recent outreach in Phu Chi Fa. Our team goes to the mountain top every year for this annual festival to pass out gospel tracts and share the gospel with those who are willing to listen. This year our team passed out more than 12,000 tracts, personally shared the gospel with dozens, and had 12 people trust Christ. While I was unable to join our team for this outreach, because of my sciatica kicking in after returning from Laos, I was praying.  Last month we asked you to pray for this outreach and many of you did. Thank you for praying!

PLEASE PRAY THAT THOSE THAT TRUSTED CHRIST WILL GROW AND THOSE THAT HEARD THE GOSPEL WILL EVENTUALLY COME TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST!

VALENTINE’S DAY COUPLE’S BANQUET

Our team did something this year that we had never done before. We had a Couple’s Valentine’s Banquet. We were specifically targeting unbelievers. To be honest, we had no clue how many folks would show up and were pleasantly surprised to see more than 20 couples show up. Over half of these were unbelievers. It was a wonderful time of food, fun, fellowship, and I preached a message on “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told” and shared a clear presentation of the gospel. We have heard so many good reports in the village and folks are asking whether we will be doing something like this again.  Last month we asked you to pray for this special evening and many of you did. Thank you for praying!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BRING AN INCREASE TO THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN DURING THE BANQUET!

SUNDAY AFTERNOON PROGRAM/FRIDAY TEEN NIGHT

If you will remember, last month we specifically requested prayer for these two brand new ministries. Well, God is blessing, and we are grateful for our team and the many extra hours they are putting in to invest in the hearts and lives of the next generation. On Sunday, after the service, we will have lunch with the entire church family and then after lunch there is a time of fun and games, teaching English, teaching Hmong, and some discipleship. We are grateful that Tong and his wife Bao trusted Christ and are being discipled by Tom on Sunday afternoons. Friday evenings is a time for the teens to have good food and some fun, along with worship and a time in the word. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THESE TWO MINISTRIES!

SPECIAL ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUEST: PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR PASTORS’ AND CHURCH LEADERS’ CONFERENCE COMING UP NEXT WEEK!

As always, Denise and I would like to thank you from our hearts for taking time to read our Prayer Update, for praying, giving, and loving us from afar. We love and appreciate you all!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

The picture above is me with our Bible students and two of our graduates that are now pastoring. Our ten-day ministry trip back “home” to Laos was wonderful. Both Denise and I had a wonderful time preaching (actually, I did the preaching), teaching, and counseling, as well as a lot of tremendous food and fellowship with our dear friends and fellow laborers.

I had the opportunity to teach our Bible students for 24 hours on this trip, as well as preach a combined service, preach for three different churches, including an Anniversary Service of our long-time, dear friend and fellow-laborer, Pastor “K.”

One of the hi-lights of the trip was Denise and I treating five pastor friends (four of them men that I had the opportunity to teach as Bible students) and their wives to a very nice meal. In addition to this, Denise and I had lunch or dinner dates with a handful of others – including our Bible students.

While we were in the country on this trip, we were only there for one Sunday. Two of the churches had a total of six saved and fourteen baptized on that one Sunday. Unfortunately, I could only be in one place at a time.

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL BRING FRUIT FROM OUR RECENT TRIP TO LAOS!

SPECIAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

*Please pray for our new Friday Teen Nights

*Please pray for our new Sunday Afternoon Program

*Please pray for our upcoming Annual Outreach at Puchi Fa

*Please pray for our upcoming Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ Conference

As always, Denise and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read our Prayer Update, for supporting us financially and with your prayers.

We appreciate your friendship and your support!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise

The pictures above are of a new ministry that we just started a month ago. We are now meeting on Wednesday evening for a time of fellowship, prayer, and teaching of God’s word with adults/teens and on Friday evenings for Children’s Ministry. It has been going extremely well. On one of the Friday’s, we celebrated with the children the annual “Thai National Children’s Day” with over 80 children in attendance. We are very grateful for the church family that is allowing us to use their building!

Please Continue to Pray for this New Ministry!

DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS

I am now meeting with 12 men in two Discipleship Groups. One of the Groups is in person here in Chiang Khong, Thailand (with one pastor joining us online) and the other Group is online. The Online Group is a group of men, from three different countries, that I have been discipling for a while and/or in the past.

Please Continue to Pray for these Men, their Families, and their Ministries!

BIBLE STUDENTS NEW TERM

It’s a blessing to be able to, once again, start a new term with our two sets of Bible students in the country of Laos. I am teaching on the Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes this term and very excited about it. Lord willing, by the time this update reaches you, my wife and I will be in Laos on a short ministry trip and will be teaching the students in person. Looking forward to it.

Please Continue to Pray for Our Bible Students and for our Upcoming Trip to Laos!

CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS/OUTREACHES

As we mentioned in our last update, during the month of December, Operation Samaritan’s Compassion was able to help different National Pastors and their church families to host different Christmas Program/Outreaches and God blessed all 22 of these different Programs/Outreaches in the five different countries [Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar]. Not only were there around 2,000 attending, with more than 100 professions of faith at these Programs/Outreaches, but hundreds of lost people were able to see the love of God in action. Below are just a few of the pictures from Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos!

Please Continue to Pray for these Different Pastors and Church Families to Wisely Follow-up!

OPERATION SAMARITAN’S COMPASSION

Speaking of Operation Samaritan’s Compassion, now that it looks like the “COVID Crisis,” and all that went along with it, is pretty much over in Southeast Asia, Operation Samaritan’s Compassion’s emphasis in 2023 will be widows, the fatherless, helping poor illiterate children to get an education, and emergency medical assistance for the poor.

Please Continue to Pray for Operation Samaritan’s Compassion to be a Blessing in 2023!

As always, my wife and I are grateful for your prayers, financial support, and friendship. As I often say, “We couldn’t be here, stay here, or do what we believe God has led us to do without your prayers and financial support.”

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise