FAMILY CONFERENCE IN CAMBODIA

The pictures above and below are from our recent Family Conference here in Cambodia! We had a wonderful three-day conference. Lots of exuberant worship, good food, fun, and fellowship, and some great preaching and teaching on marriage and the family, as well as teaching sessions for the single adults, teens, and children. I had the privilege to preach twice. The responses to all the messages were tremendous. Denise had the opportunity to teach a split session for the ladies. I heard that it went great.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES HERE IN CAMBODIA AND FOR THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN DURING THE CONFERENCE TO BRING FORTH GOOD FRUIT!

DENISE IS TEACHING AGAIN

Now, that my wife and I are settled here in our new “home,” it is a blessing for us to get busy about the Father’s business in Cambodia. Denise is volunteering her time three days a week to teach two different classes. The kiddos just love her, and she loves them. As I posted on Facebook recently, Denise and I have been married almost 43 years and during these past 43 years she has loved and served Jesus faithfully and she has given her life to loving and serving people – especially children and teens. She’s just gifted in this area. I married up and thank God for this good and godly woman.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR DENISE, HER STUDENTS, AND THE REST OF THE STAFF AND THE STUDENT BODY OF PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY!

HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES SOUL-WINNING

There are two things about our ministry here that stick out. First, this is a soul-winning church. We are passionate about reaching the lost here in Cambodia. Just about every day there are groups of individuals going to different villages in this province to bring the gospel to a lost and desperate people. Secondly, this is a disciple-making ministry. We are not simply satisfied with seeing people COME TO CHRIST. We want these same folks to GROW IN CHRIST. All the leaders in our ministry and many of the members are involved with discipling others.

Speaking of soul-winning, occasionally, we have an extra special, big push. We call it HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES (based on Luke 14:23). Recently, we had 80 of our folks, both young and old, come out and we saturated an entire village with the gospel and with gospel tracts. It was amazing to see so many folks come out, especially new folks. It was a blessing to hear some of our new folks give HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES testimonies in our service on the following day.

PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL OF OUR SOUL-WINNING AND DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES

NEW DISCIPLESHIP/MENTORING GROUP

Again, now that we are settled in here in Cambodia, I am beginning to fill up my schedule. Along with continuing my online Bible college and Bible Institute teaching and an online Men’s Discipleship Group, I have now added a Young Men’s Discipleship Group here and helping to disciple/mentor two other men. Lord willing, in January, I will start teaching a college class here on The Parables of Jesus.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE NEW MINISTRIES!

NEW TUK-TUKS

As I mentioned in the past, we had some friends from the States that donated a fairly large sum of money to help us purchase two new tuk-tuks for our ministry in Cambodia. One will be used exclusively for the church and the other will be used for the school and the church. The other money will be used to purchase a van for our ministry in Laos. We are so grateful that the tuk-tuks are in, up and running. The new van should be arriving soon. All three of these vehicles will be used to bring workers to the harvest fields, as well as to pick people up for services. And, as I already mentioned, one will also be used to pick up children from a village 45 minutes away and bring them to school.

PROJECT 1040
As I mentioned in our last Prayer Update, over the past 15 years or so, God has blessed our Team Southeast Asia in the countries of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand in so many ways. Multiplied thousands have been saved, multiplied hundreds have been baptized and discipled, churches have been planted, Bible colleges and Bible Institutes have been started, and the list goes on. In the past few years, we have had 15 students graduate from our colleges with another four more graduating this month. All our graduates are faithfully and fruitfully serving Jesus and nearly every one of them wants to serve God full-time. Unfortunately, this presents a small problem.

Unlike us in America, raising financial support is very difficult, if not impossible for our fellow laborers out here. If they are going to provide for their family, provide for a ministry, and be able to give themselves full-time in the ministry, they are going to need help from across the Pacific. It is for this reason, that our home and sending church, Pacific Baptist in Long Beach, CA (Pastor Steve Meyers) and Team Southeast Asia are working together with a new project, which we are calling PROJECT 1040.   

When I return to the States in the summer of 2025, I will be traveling for a few months to report of what God is doing in the countries of Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, as well as presenting this new ministry opportunity that I am sure many of our partners will want to be a part of. Please pray with us and for us as we seek to send more laborers into the harvest fields of Southeast Asia.

As I shared in our last update, I love the following words of my friend, Kevin Folger:

“The work of planting churches in closed or restricted access nations is nearly impossible for American missionaries because of their visibility. It is difficult for most Americans to blend into Asian culture. We are Americans, and we stand out as different from Asians. Thus, we draw attention to ourselves, which is especially true in countries that are closed to Gospel preaching and church-planting missionaries. It isn’t near as hard for Asian nationals to do that work. Don’t get me wrong, it is perilous and challenging work, but because they are Asian, they can work in these nations more readily than Americans. So, of course, I believe in working with and supporting national church planters and missionaries. It is what we are called to do.

The mission field is NOT like America, where money is readily available. Most nationals live in third-world countries where finances are very scarce. Poverty is a norm, and basic living is sometimes a challenge. We are talking about nationals living, taking care of a family, and funding a church planting effort, which is almost impossible given the living standards in many countries. Most men we work with live on a minimal amount of the equivalent American dollar.

Let’s think about the value of what we are doing. Capable trained national church planters are working at a fraction of what it costs to send and sustain an American family; it just makes good stewardship sense to support nationals.”– Kevin Folger, North American Director of Spiritual Leadership Asia

PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS NEW ENDEAVOR!

As always, Denise and I would like to thank you all for praying and giving. We could not be here, we could not stay here, and we could not do all that God has led us to do here in Asia, if it were not for your praying and your giving.

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Various Christmas Celebrations in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar during the month of December
• Pacific International Academy Christmas Party [December 12]
• Friend Day [December 15]
• Hmong Leadership Conference in Laos [December 17-19]
• Staff Orientation [January 3]
• New Small Groups [January 5]
• Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ Conference in Northern Thailand [January 28-31]
• Bible College Graduates Retreat in Thailand [February 2-4]
• Missions Emphasis [March 16]
• Youth Conference in Laos [April, exact date TDB]
• Ministry Asia Conference in Thailand [August, exact date TBD]

The pictures above are from a recent chapel service and special meal we had for our Christian school (Pacific International Academy or PIA) here in Cambodia. It was a joy to be able to preach for them, have some fun with them, recognize those that have had birthdays over the past few months, give some stuffed animals to the girls (made by my dear mother-n-law), and treat them to a very special meal of pizza, chicken, fries, and Coke.

These are some precious children with so much potential. Brother Kosal and his staff are doing a great job “training the next generation” here in Cambodia. We are also very excited about my wife teaching in the school beginning November 12. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND FOR GIVING!!!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE DEAR CHILDREN, FOR BROTHER KOSAL, AND FOR THE STAFF OF PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY!

MISSIONS’ CONFERENCE

It was a tremendous blessing to preach and teach for our Missions’ Conference as my official last act in Northern Thailand prior to relocating to Cambodia. I spoke five times in a matter of two weeks on the importance of giving our lives to Christ and the cause of Christ, specifically on this matter of missions. Not only reaching our Jerusalem, our Judea, and Samaria, but unto the uttermost parts of the earth. My last message was titled “It’s Our Responsibility.” While my text was different, the title was the same as a message that helped to challenge me to surrender my life to go to the mission field about 14 years ago. Many of our folks were challenged to PRAY MORE, GIVE MORE, GO MORE, even if it simply meant to GO to their Jerusalem. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND FOR GIVING!!!

PLEASE PRAY THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL CONTINUE TO WATER THE SEEDS OF HIS WORD THAT WERE SOWN OVER THE TWO WEEKS OF THE CONFERENCE!

MEN’S DISCIPLESHIP GROUP

It was also a blessing to be able to take our Men’s Discipleship Group and their wives out for a nice meal. I met with this group weekly for the entire three years that my wife and I lived and served in Northern Thailand. A great group of guys. These men and their wives all love the Lord and they are all committed to Christ and the cause of Christ. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have had a small part in each of their lives. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND FOR GIVING!!!

PLEASE PRAY FOR BROTHER TOM, PASTOR TZER-CHANG, JAY, MATTAI, MOR, TOON, AND THEIR FAMILIES!

PIA

As many of you know, often, when my wife and I return on short furloughs, I use the three-to-four-month period to write. On this past three-month furlough, I wrote a short book (80 pages), which I called, “The Greatest of These is Love: Shining the Light, Life, and Love of Jesus in a Dark, Desperate and Divided World.” I use all the profits from these books to raise money for special projects in Southeast Asia. Praise the Lord, this year, we were able to raise enough money to help our Christian school in Cambodia and a few needy families in Cambodia.

As for the school, we were able to purchase a couple of basketball hoops, basketballs, P.E. jerseys for the children, uniforms for the staff, a computer, printer, scanner, laminator, and a few other needed supplies. Also, I want to give a big shout out to Dr. Ray Young and Mike and Kathy Makripodis for assisting us in the soon purchase of a new Tuk-tuk to transport some of the children back and forth to school.  THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND FOR GIVING!!!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FOR PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY!

SERVICES IN CAMBODIA

It was a blessing to be a part of the various services and ministries (Sunday AM/PM, Wednesday PM, the School Chapel Service, the Friday Poor Children’s Feeding Ministry, the Saturday Children’s Ministry, and Saturday Soul-winning) and preach for the church family here in Tropeang Snor, which is just outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It is amazing what God has done in the past, is doing in the present, and, no doubt, will continue to do in the near and distant future through our church family.

On Wednesday evening, I preached on “The Great Commandment: Our Responsibility to Love God and Love Others.” We had a wonderful response to the message. Looking forward to speaking in our upcoming Family Conference. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND FOR GIVING!!!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR MINISTRY HERE AND OUR EXTENSION MINISTRIESTHROUGHOUT THE PROVINCE!

PROJECT 1040

Over the past 15 years or so, God has blessed our Team Southeast Asia in the countries of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand in so many ways. God has been so good! Multiplied thousands have been saved, multiplied hundreds have been baptized and discipled, churches have been planted, Bible colleges and Bible Institutes have been started, and the list goes on.

In the past few years, we have had fifteen students graduate from our colleges with another four or five more graduating this December. All our graduates are faithfully and fruitfully serving Jesus, and nearly every one of them wants to serve God full-time.

Unfortunately, this does present a small problem!

Unlike us in America, raising up financial support is very difficult, if not impossible for our fellow laborers out here. If they are going to provide for their family, provide for a ministry, and be able to give themselves to serve God full-time in the ministry, they are going to need help from across the Pacific Ocean. It is for this reason, that our home and sending church, Pacific Baptist in Long Beach, CA (Pastor Steve Meyers) and Team Southeast Asia are working together with a new project, which we are calling PROJECT 1040.

When I return to the States in the summer of 2025, I will be traveling for a few months to report of what God is doing in the countries of Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, as well as presenting this new ministry opportunity, which I am believe that many of our partners will want to be a part of. Please pray with us and for us as we seek to send more laborers into the harvest fields of Southeast Asia. Concerning financially supporting nationals, I love the following words of my dear friend, Kevin Folger:

“The work of planting churches in closed or restricted access nations is nearly impossible for American missionaries because of their visibility. It is difficult for most Americans to blend into Asian culture. We are Americans, and we stand out as different from Asians. Thus, we draw attention to ourselves, which is especially true in countries that are closed to Gospel preaching and church-planting missionaries. It isn’t near as hard for Asian nationals to do that work. Don’t get me wrong, it is perilous and challenging work, but because they are Asian, they can work in these nations more readily than Americans. So, of course, I believe in working with and supporting national church planters and missionaries. It is what we are called to do.

The mission field is NOT like America, where money is readily available. Most nationals live in third-world countries where finances are very scarce. Poverty is a norm, and basic living is sometimes a challenge. We are talking about nationals living, taking care of a family, and funding a church planting effort, which is almost impossible given the living standards in many countries. Most men we work with live on a minimal amount of the equivalent American dollar.

Let’s think about the value of what we are doing. Capable trained national church planters are working at a fraction of what it costs to send and sustain an American family; it just makes good stewardship sense to support nationals.” – Kevin Folger, North American Director of Spiritual Leadership Asia

Please do be in prayer for this new ministry, please consider supporting these dear servants of God, and please let me know if you would like to have me come and share the burden with your church family.  

As always, my wife and I would like to thank you all for praying and giving. We could not have come to Asia, we could not have stayed in Asia, and we could not have continued to do what we sense God leading us to do in Asia, if it were not for your constant prayers and your consistent giving. Thank you!!!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,
Johnny and Denise Esposito
 

ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Family Conference in Cambodia [November 14-17]
• Christmas Celebrations [Throughout the Month of December]. If you would like to help finance these celebrations, please let us know] 
• Hmong Leadership Conference in Laos [December 17-19]
• Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ Conference in Northern Thailand [January 28-31]
• Bible College Graduates Retreat in Thailand [February 2-4]
• Youth Conference in Laos [April, exact date TDB]
• Ministry Asia Conference in Thailand [August, exact date TBD]
• PLEASE PRAY FOR MRS. BOARD HERE IN CAMBODIA. SHE RECENTLY HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, WHICH REQUIRED BOTH A HIP AND A WRIST SURGERY! 

VOW REMEMBRANCE

My wife and I will have been married 43 years this coming December 26. We, along with our immediate family, and a few friends had the opportunity to do a Vow Remembrance, or Vow Renewal Ceremony. Knowing that tomorrow is not promised, I have been wanting to do one for the sake of our five children, their spouses and our grandchildren for quite some time now. We even exchanged rings (new rings). The grandchildren, especially the younger ones were excited to be a part of grandpa and grandma getting married and seeing grandpa kiss grandma. It was a special blessing. I love this woman and thank God that He joined us together decades ago!

PLEASE PRAY FOR DENISE AND ME AS WE CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS FOR HIS GLORY, FOR OUR GOOD, AND FOR GOOD OF OTHERS!

MISSIONS’ REVIVAL

As always, it was a joy to be the speaker for the Missions’ Revival at our home and sending church. This year’s theme was More Missions. Our primary emphasis, along with getting our church family to pray, to give, and to consider going was to help support the many national men and women that have been won to Christ, discipled, and have graduated from our Bible colleges in Southeast Asia. In addition to preaching and teaching for the church family six times over a seven-day period, I also had the opportunity to teach the first two-days of a three-day Missions Intensive for Pacific Baptist Bible College. Missionary Bounna Has taught on one of the days, as well as giving a testimony on my first day of teaching. It was a blessing. We are grateful for Pastor Joe’s leadership in the early days of sending our teams out and Pastor Meyers continued support over the past 11 years!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE MANY DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE OVER THE SEVEN-DAY PERIOD!
 
POOR CHILDREN ENROLLED IN SCHOOL

We are so grateful to have had the opportunity, for the third year in a row, to help more than 130 poor children get enrolled in school and help them to purchase the needed school supplies. We were also able to help a few faithful and fruitful young ladies get enrolled in computer classes also. A special shoutout to Pastor Noel Cwener and the Gospel Light Baptist Church family, Rick Dalton and his foundation, and two longtime friends and fellow-laborers Don and Diane Jasper, and Greg and Donna Hill for going the second, third, and fourth mile in helping to make this happen. Below you will see pictures of just some of these precious children, teens, and the college girls.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND FOR GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE CHILDREN, TEENS, AND COLLEGE STUDENTS TO GET A GOOD EDUCATION, BUT MORE THAN THAT, TO CONTINUE TO GROW IN THEIR FAITH!

TRANSITION TO CAMBODIA

As most of you will remember, from our last Prayer Update, we mentioned the fact that my wife and I will, once again, be relocating to Cambodia within the next month or two. We will primarily be working with the Christian School, the Bible College, and assisting Dave Board and the rest of the team there with leadership development.

Lord willing, I will continue my online teaching with our young people in Laos. Our Bible college students have just started new terms.  I will also continue to travel back and forth in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand speaking in various conferences. See the Additional Prayer Request section below for upcoming events.  

We are presently trying to raise some additional funds for a few projects. Primarily, we are trying to raise funds for our Christian school in Cambodia. The funds would be used to help the school get some much-needed supplies to make the school experience much more satisfying. We are also trying to raise funds to help underprivileged students to be able to attend the school in the future.

PLEASE DO PRAY FOR OUR TRANSITION AND FOR US TO RAISE THE FUNDS FOR THESE PROJECTS!
 
BUILDING A HOUSE

As we have mentioned in the past, since the COVID crisis is no longer a crisis, most of our Operation Samaritan’s monies are presently going to assist needy widows, to help needy children get in school, and for emergency medical assistance. Occasionally, we will do something different when a need arises, and the funds are made available from dear partners like you. This month, once again, thanks to Pastor Cwener and his church family, we can start building a new house for one of the most faithful men in one of our churches. Below you will see a picture and video of our dear brother’s house. I think you will agree with me, they need something different. 

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

TOM AND SUE SUTRICK’S RELOCATION

After more than 13 years serving in Northern Thailand and doing a fantastic job, Tom and Sue Sutrick will be relocating soon to start a new work in the western part of the country. We are very excited for them. They have a green light to start a new work in a location where there are 19 Hmong villages and just a few of these villages have a church, and more than likely, even then, not a Bible-believing, Gospel preaching church. My wife and I have loved serving with Tom and Sue over the past three years. They are a wonderful couple, they have a heart for God, and for the Hmong people. I look forward to hearing what God will do in and through their lives and this new ministry opportunity.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SUTRICKS!

As always, Denise and I would like to thank all of you for praying and giving so that we can do the work that God has led us to do here in Southeast Asia. There is much fruit that abounds to your account.

Thank you,
Johnny and Denise Esposito
 
ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Hmong Leadership Conference in Laos [December 17-19]
• Graduates Retreat Bible College Graduates Retreat [January 7-9]
• Church Leaders’ Conference in Northern Thailand [January 28-31]
• Youth Conference in Laos [April, exact date TDB]
• Ministry Asia Conference in Thailand [August, exact date TBD]

CHURCH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

The pictures above and below are from our recent Leadership Conference in Nong Khai, Thailand. The theme for the conference was “Together We Can Change the World.”  It was hosted by Ministry Asia, Koumaly Thongdy and the Prawata Baptist Church, Aaron Inventer and the Berean Bible Baptist Church.

There were close to 300 attendees, and more than 30 different churches were represented from the countries of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia. I had the opportunity to preach three times. Other speakers included Dave Board (Cambodia), Niranjan Sundaraaraj (Australia), Aaron Inventer (Laos), Kong Xiong (Laos), Paul Byers and Gerry Nable (Philippines), Pitak Jomhong and Chris Reed (Thailand).

Our fellow team member, missionary Koumaly Thongdy and His church family along with missionary and longtime friend and fellow-laborer Aaron Inventor did a tremendous job planning and hosting the conference.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL SEAL THE DECISIONS, EMPOWER THOSE THAT WERE AT THE CONFERENCE, AND USE THEM GREATLY THROUGHOUT SOUTHEAST ASIA!

PRAWATA BAPTIST CHURCH

It was a real treat to be able to preach for Brother Koumaly and the Prawata Baptist Church in Nong Khai on the Sunday before the conference and the Sunday after the conference. My wife and I had a great time catching up with the Thongdy’s and fellowshipping with their folks. It was also a blessing to have Jui come across the border to interpret for me. 

PLEASE PRAY FOR KOUMALY AND THE PRAWATA CHURCH FAMILY!

TEEN AND CHILDREN SUMMER CAMP

As we have mentioned over and over in our prayer updates, Kong and Lily, are doing a tremendous job. Kong has started two churches and pastored both for quite a while. He recently turned over one of the churches to another one of our graduates, Vangpao and his wife, Varmee. In addition to the two churches, Kong took over the college (after I left) and has done a wonderful job. In fact, he took the college to a whole new level.

Over the past few years, they have hosted a two-month long Teen/Children Discipleship Summer Camp. Teens and children from many different villages come to live for the entire two months. Kong, Lily, and our Bible College students disciple them, teach them the Bible, teach them how to play the guitar, the piano, and how to teach Sunday School. They also teach them computer skills, how to read the Hmong language, and how to speak English. What a tremendous way to spend the summer investing in the lives of the next generation.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

BIBLE COLLEGE CLASSES

Well, the summer session has ended. Our students all did well on their final exams and are looking forward to a short break before the next session begins. As always, it has been a joy to teach these young people, even if it is online. These young people have a hunger and desire to know, love, and serve the Lord and they are making a huge impact in reaching the lost and teaching the saved.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR BIBLE COLLEGE STUDENTS AND CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR RECENT GRADUATES AS THEY SERVE THE LORD AROUND THE COUNTRY!

MEN’S DISCIPLESHIP GROUP

One of my many joys, over the past three years while serving with our team in Northern Thailand has been our Men’s Discipleship Group. We have been meeting together for just about the entire three years. In the first few months, we met together twice a week, but since then we have met together once a week, and it’s been a real joy to watch these good men grow.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE GOOD MEN TO CONTINUE TO GROW IN THEIR FAITH, THEIR LOVE FOR THE LORD, AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO SERVE CHRIST!

DISCIPLING XIONG

Speaking of discipleship, it has been a great joy to be able to meet with one of our good young men, Xiong, on a weekly basis for the past three months. He has grown so much over the past almost three years. Thankful for Jui’s influence in his life. Jui has been meeting with him and a few others now for the past three years. It was nice to have him, and Mor join us in the Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ Conference in Nong Khai too. 

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR XIONG TO CONTINUE TO GROW AS HE JUST RECENTLY RETURNED BACK TO THE UNIVERSITY!

TIM’S NEW DISCIPLESHIP GROUP

Pastor Tim is a young pastor that I have had the opportunity to teach some while he was still attending college classes and since he graduated and started a church. He and his wife, Noy, are doing a great job. Recently, I had the opportunity to challenge him to get more serious about discipleship. He took it to heart and recently started a new Teen Discipleship Group.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR TIM, HIS WIFE, THEIR DAUGHTER, THE CHURCH FAMILY AND THE TEEN DISCIPLESHIP GROUP!

TRANSITION TO CAMBODIA

As most of you know, over the past almost twelve years, since my wife and I have lived and served in Asia, we have lived and served in four different countries (Laos, China, Thailand, and Cambodia). We spent two years serving with Dave Board and our team in Cambodia. We are glad to announce, that after spending the last three years here in Thailand, we will be going back to Cambodia in just a few months to once again work with our team there. We have so many blessed memories of our time in Cambodia and are looking forward to returning.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS TRANSITION FROM THAILAND TO CAMBODIA!

As always, my wife and I are grateful for family, friends, fellow-laborers, and our many other faithful supporters that pray for us and/or support us financially. We couldn’t be here, stay here, and do what God has led us to do if it wasn’t for God’s grace, your prayers and your sacrificial giving!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

MARRIAGE WORKSHOP

The picture above is from the recent Marriage Seminar/Workshop in Cambodia. Immediately after my wife and I left Nong Khai, Thailand we headed to Cambodia to spend a little bit more than a week with our team there. Of course, as many of you will remember, Denise and I lived and served with our team in Cambodia for two years. It has been a while since I was in Cambodia. My last trip there was just as COVID hit in February of 2020.

Our week with our team was filled with so many blessed memories. While with our dear friends in Cambodia, I spoke twice for the Marriage Seminar/Workshop (one of those messages was during the Sunday morning service). The response to both of the messages was very encouraging.

I also had the privilege to speak for their Ministry Workers, speak to two college classes, visit the students in the Christian school, go visiting with Man and Kosal, and hang out with many dear friends. It is absolutely amazing to see what God is doing in and through our team in Cambodia.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR TEAM IN CAMBODIA, FOR THE MANY THAT ATTENDED THE MARRIAGE SEMINAR, AND FOR THE MANY DIFFERENT MINISTRIES IN CAMBODIA!

PASTORS’ CONFERENCE
As always, our Chiang Khong Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ Conference was a tremendous blessing. We had 46 come from across the border to attend the conference. Our theme was “The Church and the Family.” Along with preaching four times, I taught multiple sessions on “A Godly Marriage,” “A Godly Family,” one session on “Discipleship,” and another session on “Biblical Preaching.” Brother Tom and Pastor Tzer-Chang taught sessions on “Walking with God,” “How to Get the Most Out of Your Bible Reading,” “A Prayer Life,” and “Being Involved with Your Children’s Marriage.”

Of course, as always, Tom and Sue, Pastor Tzer-Chaing, and the rest of the church family did a wonderful time planning and hosting. There were so many potential life-changing decisions made – including five women and two men trusting Christ.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!!!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL BRING MUCH INCREASE TO ALL THE SEEDS THAT WERE PLANTED IN THIS FOUR DAY CONFERENCE!

SINGLES’ RETREAT 

Brother Koumaly Thongdy and the Prawata Baptist Church family in Nong Khai, Thailand hosted a Singles’ Retreat, and I had the privilege and pleasure to do all the preaching and teaching. We had 57 singles attend the two-day retreat and it was a tremendous blessing. To my knowledge, this is the first time any of our churches have ever hosted a Singles’ Retreat. Of course, all the messages were relevant to their life situation. The theme for all my preaching and teaching was “Making Wise Decisions.” It was also a blessing to preach for Brother Koumaly and his church family three times on the following Sunday.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BRING MUCH INCREASE IN THE LIVES OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE!

It has been a blessing to be able to teach an online Bible Institute class with Pastor Kong and his church members the last two months. We normally have 11-12 households in attendance. This past week, we have 17 different households join us. They have a hunger to know, understand, and obey the word and they are faithful to turn in their homework weekly.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

As always, my wife and I would like to thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support. We couldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the grace of God and the generosity of God’s people.

For HIS Glory,
Johnny & Denise Esposito

ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

*Pray for the new terms for the Bible college students.

*Pray for the additional $3,500 that we need to help poor and needy children enroll in school for a new year.

*Pray for the special two-month Summer Teen Discipleship in the country of Laos.

*Pray for the upcoming Southeast Asia Ministry Leaders Conference in Nong Khai Thailand in August.

The picture above is of our eleven graduates. Denise and I were blessed to be able attend their recent graduation along with preaching in three different churches, teaching our Bible college students, doing a two-day Marriage Seminar, and fellowshipping with so many of our dear friends in our recent ten-day trip back “home” to the country of Laos.

Denise and I spent 4½ years living in this country, serving with Koumaly and Darath Thongdy, and the rest of our team there. We still consider it “home.” We absolutely love the country, and we love the people. It was such a blessed (and busy) ten days. We hated to leave.

Our Trip Back “Home” – Preaching in TDD

It was such a blessing to be with Pastor Kong, his wife, Lily, and their church family. Kong and Lily are like a son and daughter to us.  I have had the privilege to preach for them many times over the years, and it has always been a treat. More than seven years ago, I preached there for the first time and there were only 8-10 in attendance and four of them were from our ministry in the capital city. On this day, there were more than 130 in attendance. UNBELIEVABLE!

PLEASE PRAY FOR KONG, LILY, AND THE CHURCH FAMILY!

Our Trip Back “Home” – Teaching one set of College Students

It was a blessing to be able to spend two days teaching our college students from the city on Biblical Leadership Principles from the Book of Nehemiah and we had a couple of good meals together too. As always, we had such a great time. These are a great group of young people. Pastor Kampai is doing a great job leading them to be soul-winners. In just the past two weeks, he and the students have led 20 people to Christ – including a village chief and a shaman priest (witch doctor).

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR KAMPAI, HIS FAMILY, THE CHURCH FAMILY, AND THE COLLEGE STUDENTS!

Our Trip Back “Home” – Marriage Seminar

It was also a tremendous privilege and pleasure to teach our other set of Bible College students and MANY others on A Christ-Centered Marriage and Family. We had so much great food, fun (and lots of it), fellowship, and a boatload of feasting on God’s word and what it has to say about marriage and the family. It was nice to have folks from at least four different churches in attendance. This is such a needy topic in this part of the world. Many wonderful decisions were made.

PLEASE PRAY THAT THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN WOULD GROW TO FRUITION!
 
Our Trip Back “Home” – Preaching for our “adopted daughter,” her husband, and their church family!

It was also a joy to preach for one of our graduates Pastor Souphan, his wife (Sen), and their church family.  Sen lived with us for 18 months and I can’t think of more than two or three people in the past almost twelve years here in Asia that have been more of a help and blessing to us. They helped to get this new church plant started about a year and a half ago. We had a great time with them. Jui has been assisting with this new work since returning back to Laos after serving with us in Thailand for two years. He led four adults and teens to Christ the Sunday that I was with them. Oh, by the way, did I mention that Sen is a tremendous cook?

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR SOUPHAN, SEN, THEIR SON, AND THE CHURCH FAMILY!
 
Our Trip Back “Home” – College Graduation

It was a tremendous honor and blessing to be able to make it to the graduation service. Not only did I help start the college six years ago, but I have been teaching these young people on a weekly basis for the past six years, both in person and online, and two of our “adopted daughters,” (or granddaughters depending upon who you ask) graduated and one got engaged. It was a very emotional time for both my wife and me.

PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL ELEVEN OF OUR GRADUATES AS THEY BEGIN A NEW PHASE IN THEIR JOURNEY WITH JESUS!

Team Retreat in Bangkok

Just before making the trek to Laos, it was a blessing to get together with our team in Bangkok for a few days of preaching, teaching, and fellowship. We normally try to get together every two years, but COVID sort of messed that up. We had not met since January or February of 2020. We had a wonderful time. I had a chance to teach two different sessions at the retreat (“The Priority of a Godly Marriage” and “The Priority of Prayer”), as well as preach for a church in Bangkok on the Sunday before the Retreat.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR GOD’S CONTINUAL BLESSING UPON OUR THREE TEAMS IN THAILAND, LAOS, AND CAMBODIA!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

While I was unable to be a part of our Vacation Bible School, our team did a wonderful job in all four villages. It was so good to hear how well everyone did, especially our nationals. Between the four villages, we had over 300 children attending. Over a two-week period, our team met in each village for three hours a day for three days each. The children and teens had a blast and were taught God’s word, many of them for the very first time. A few of our teenagers taught too. Big blessing right there.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY THAT GOD WILL BRING AN INCREASE TO THE SEEDS THAT WERE PLANTED!

As always, my wife and I are grateful for family, friends, fellow-laborers, and our many other faithful supporters that pray for us and/or support us financially. We couldn’t be here, stay here, and do what God has led us to do if it wasn’t for God’s grace, your prayers and your sacrificial giving!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

* Please pray for our upcoming Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ Conference here in Chiang Khong, Thailand. It starts tomorrow!

* Please pray for our upcoming Singles Retreat in Nong Khai, Thailand that I will be preaching for in two weeks.

* Please pray for the upcoming Marriage Seminar in Cambodia that I will be preaching and teaching for in three weeks.

* Please pray for my back issue, especially considering all the travelling.

I know exactly what you are thinking: that picture above sure looks familiar. You’re right! Every year just about this time, I pull it out and add it to our Prayer update. So, those of you that have been faithfully reading our updates for years now, are probably sick and tired of it. Sorry, some habits die hard!

On March 13, 2013, my wife and I left the United States and headed for Asia. The two pictures above are of us upon our arrival in Asia (Phnom Penh, 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. As I have mentioned in the past, 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.

As I said last year, after eleven 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 eleven years have been the most fruitful and fulfilling in my 42 years of serving in full-time ministry, and yes, it has been a whole lot of fun too.”

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING TO OUR MINISTRY IN ASIA FOR THESE MANY YEARS AND PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS OUR ENDEAVORS HERE!

MARRIAGE SEMINAR IN THAILAND

It was a tremendous blessing for Brother Tom Sutrick and me to be able to do a two-day seminar for a church about an hour and a half from us in March. I had the morning sessions and the one evening session. All my sessions were on Marriage and the Family. God really blessed in a special way. We were told that these believers had never heard ANY teaching on the topic of marriage and the family. It was a blessing to have Brother Jay Chang interpret for me on both days.  Brother Tom took the afternoon sessions and taught on soul winning. Again, another topic that was foreign to most of these dear saints. Another huge blessing was Sue Sutrick leading seven women to Christ and Tzer Chang leading two teen boys to Christ during the two days of the seminar.

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS THIS DEAR CHURCH FAMILY AS THEY TRY TO LIVE WHAT THEY LEARNED AT THE SEMINAR AND PRAY THAT THE NINE NEW CONVERTS WILL GROW IN THEIR FAITH!

PREACHING, TEACHING, AND DISCIPLESHIP

As most of you know, a great portion of my time and energy is focused up discipleship and/or Bible teaching. I am presently teaching and/or preaching six days a week. Between three different discipleship groups, two different sets of Bible college students, twice on Sunday morning, once on Wednesday evening, and once on Friday evening I am staying busy and blessed. I absolutely love teaching the word and it is a thrill to teach folks that have a hunger to learn and to live for God.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS, OUR BIBLE COLLEGE STUDENTS, AND OUR CHURCH SERVICES UP ON THE OLD MOUNTAIN TOP!

COLLEGE INTERNS

As I mentioned in our last update, eleven of our Bible students have finished their classroom studies and are spending this term interning at different churches in Laos and Thailand. During the month of January, we had Vee and Tee with us. During the month of February, we had Sor, Fatee, Mai, and Pachoua with us. Mai and Pachoua lived with us in Laos, and we consider them our daughters (or granddaughters). They all were such a blessing in every aspect of the ministry here in Northern Thailand, and they were also able to join with my Tuesday Discipleship Group and with my online teaching of the Bible students while they were with us. We sure hated to see them go!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR ALL ELEVEN OF THE GRADUATES AS THEY CONTINUE TO INTERN IN VARIOUS CHURCHES!

VANGPAO AND VARMEE’S WEDDING

Speaking of our recent graduates, two of them (Vangpao and Varmee) just tied the knot. Both love the Lord, love people, and are faithful servants of Christ. They are assisting Pastor Kong in the newer church. This couple is a wonderful testimony of God’s goodness and grace. We are looking forward to seeing what God does in their lives and through their lives and ministry.

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO USE VANGPAO AND VARMEE AS THEY ENDEAVOR TO REACH AND TEACH MANY IN THE COUNTRY OF LAOS!

As always, my wife and I would like to thank all our family, friends, fellow-laborers, and faithful supporters for praying and giving. We couldn’t be here, stay here, or accomplish what the Lord leads us to do here but by His grace, your generosity, and your prayers.

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

A FEW ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

 * Please pray for our upcoming Vacation Bible School (4 different villages).
 * Please pray for our upcoming Team Retreat in Bangkok.
 * Please pray for my upcoming meetings in Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia.
 * Please pray for our upcoming Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ Conference.
 * Please pray for our upcoming College Graduation service.

* Please pray that we could raise $8,000 between now and July 1 to help enroll 125  poor children and teens in school for this upcoming school year.

VALENTINE’S FESTIVAL OUTREACH

The picture above is our team and a handful of others, including 11 of our Bible graduates from Laos, that took part in last week’s outreach. Every year for the past nine years (the week of Valentine’s Day) our team in Thailand takes the trek higher up the mountains to a village called Phu Chi Fa. For a three-day period, thousands of people, many of them coming across the border from Laos, come to be a part of the three-day Valentine’s Festival. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our team to pass out thousands of tracts and personally share the gospel with dozens of lost people.

The last two years we passed out between 8,000-10,000 tracts over the three-day period. This year we were able to pass out over 18,000 tracts, personally share the gospel with 127 people, and we saw 40 bow their heads and trust Christ. It was a blessing to have Pastor Kong, his wife Lily, and our recent Bible graduates join with us for this year’s Valentine’s Festival Outreach. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY THAT ALL THE GOSPEL SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN WOULD, IN DUE TIME, BRING FORTH FRUIT!

PASTORS’ AND CHURCH LEADERS’ CONFERENCE

Every year, for the past seven years now, our team here in Chiang Khong has been hosting a Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ Conference. We invite pastors and church leaders from the country of Laos to spend four days with us. There’s teaching and preaching all day long (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 1:00 – 4:00 PM, 6:00 – 8:00 PM) and lots of good food and fellowship.  Our brethren from across the Mekong don’t have opportunities like this back home so it’s always a huge blessing.

Our theme this year was “Setting Our Affection on Things Above.” I had the privilege to do all the preaching and my messages were all from Colossians 3. I also taught for seven hours on a “Christ-Honoring Marriage and Family.” Brother Tom Sutrick, Brother Jay Chang, and Pastor Tzer-Chang, taught on topics like “The Importance of God’s Word,” “The Importance of Prayer,” “The Importance of the Church,” and “The Importance of a Pure Heart.” THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL THE MEN AND THE WOMEN THAT ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE TO CONTINUE TO SET THEIR AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE AND FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE MANY DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE DURING THE CONFERENCE!

NORTHERN THAILAND

We couldn’t be more excited about what God is doing on the old mountain top and in our extension ministries here in Northern Thailand. To be honest, our church family meets in a small village and the church has always been a fairly small church (most in Southeast Asia are). Sadly, the two years of COVID really hurt the church. The restrictions were very tight here, we weren’t allowed to meet in person for a good portion of the time, and very little ministry was allowed. Of course, once the restrictions were lifted it took a while for some of our folks to “find their way back home.”

God has been blessing over the past six months. While we do not count how many attends on Sunday or on Wednesday, it doesn’t take a “rocket scientist” to see that we have pretty much doubled our attendance in the past year. More importantly, our people are growing in their faith, in their love for the Lord, their love for others, and their commitment to Christ and the cause of Christ. Denise and I are getting more involved with working with our children and with our teens, as well as still teaching our adults on Sunday. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR CHURCH FAMILY, OUR TUESDAY MEN’S DISCIPLESHIP GROUP, AND OUR EXTENSION MINISTRIES!

CHILDREN’S HOME

Those of you that follow us know that our team tries to go to the Rong Ber Children’s Home every three to four months. It’s always a tremendous blessing for our team to spend a Saturday with Brother Chris, his staff, and the young people. As I have mentioned in the past, we go to the Children’s Home to be a blessing, and yet, we always leave blessed beyond measure. As always, lots of food, fun, and fellowship, along with a message from God’s word.  THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR BROTHER CHRIS, HIS STAFF, AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE RONG BER CHILDREN’S HOME!

BOY’S SOCCER LEAGUE

A little over two years ago, Operations Samaritan’s Compassion helped to finance a brand-new soccer league for poor children in the country of Laos. Our Bible college men run the league, coach the teams, love the boys, and have wisely used this league as a tool to get the gospel to these young men. Fifty boys signed up for the league, 45 of these boys were unbelievers.

Now, all these boys have been loved and have heard a clear presentation of the gospel numerous times. Most of them have attended a service. Fifteen of the boys have trusted Christ, with all of them being baptized and discipled.

Most of these 15 boys that have trusted Christ are not only presently attending the church services but have become an integral part of the church family. I believe eight of the boys spent the entire summer living with our Bible college students. Lots of good discipleship was going on there.  Recently, during a break in school many of them spent another week with the college students and even attended Bible classes with them. God has been good. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE BOYS THAT HAVE TRUSTED CHRIST TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND FOR GOD TO CONTINUE TO USE THE SOCCER LEAGUE TO REACH MORE FOR CHRIST!

BIBLE GRADUATES INTERNING

As I mentioned in our last update, our eleven graduates will be spending this entire Spring term interning at different churches in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. We just had two of them, Tighawj (Tee), and Vee, spend a month with us. They were such a tremendous blessing. We now have four more of them (Sor, Fatee, Mai, and Pachoua) with us for the next four weeks. Mai and Pachoua are two of our “adopted daughters.” They both lived with us a few years back. Denise and I love them much and are grateful we get to spend some time with them over the next few weeks. As I mentioned above, all our graduates, but two, were able to be with us for the Valentine’s Outreach. Needless to say, they were a huge help and blessing. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE GREATLY USED OF GOD WHILE INTERNING AND IN THE FUTURE!

As always, Denise and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read our update, for faithfully praying and supporting us over the years, and loving us from a distance. We couldn’t be here, we couldn’t stay here, and we couldn’t do what God has led us to do but by His grace and your generosity.
 
Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise

PLEASE LISTEN TO OUR VIDEO UPDATE