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

COLLEGE GRADUATES

The pictures above are of our 2024 Graduating Class and this year’s student body.  It is exciting that we have eleven more students graduating from the Bible school that the Lord allowed me to help to start six years ago. That makes a total of 15 graduates over the past six years. This is a tremendous group of young people that love the Lord, love people, and are committed to Christ and the cause of Christ. These 11 graduates will spend the Spring months interning in different churches in the countries of Laos and Thailand.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE GRADUATES TO LEARN MUCH DURING THEIR UPCOMING INTERNSHIPS!

BACK IN NORTHERN THAILAND

My wife and I are glad to be back in Southeast Asia. We have been back now for a month. It’s a blessing to be back “home” in Thailand and it’s a blessing to be “back in the saddle.” Between our in-person Discipleship/Accountability Group here in Northern Thailand, teaching and preaching on Sundays, teaching our two sets of Bible students, some online discipleship, a few Christmas Celebrations, and helping to sponsor many more Christmas Celebrations, needless to say, we have been busy.

It’s hard to believe that we have been living and serving in Northern Thailand now for more than two years (28 months to be exact). It is a real joy to serve with Tom and Sue Sutrick and the rest of our team here. As I have mentioned many times in my preaching in the States and in previous updates, Tom and Sue are the real deal. They have a heart for souls, a heart for the Hmong people, and they live about the simplest lives of any missionaries that I know. Denise and I love them dearly.

Tom and Sue never went to Bible College, and they never served in full-time ministry prior to coming to Southeast Asia. They arrived in Thailand as elderly saints. They were both in their late 50’s when they arrived. Over the past twelve years, they have faithfully plodded away for Christ and the cause of Christ. They are a wonderful example of how a married couple in their senior years can make an impact for Christ and the cause of Christ.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OF OUR TEAM AND CHURCH FAMILY IN CHAING KHONG, THAILAND!

HMONG CHURCH LEADERS’ CONFERENCE 

What a blessing it was for so many of our dear friends and fellow laborers to be able to gather for a three-day conference. it was a great time of preaching, teaching, and fellowship. I was originally scheduled to preach twice in the conference, but some of the good men felt it might not be safe at this time to have me. I would have been the only non-Asian in attendance and it might have caused some suspicions. There were 150 people in attendance, including all our Hmong Bible students and 15 pastors/church leaders. Our students provided much of the special music, Kong and Cherchou (men that we have hi lighted on here before) both preached two times for the conference. Two of our graduates (Vangpao and Varmee) also got engaged at the conference.

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS THESE MEN AND WOMEN AS THEY ENDEAVOR TO BRING THE GOOD NEWS OF CHRIST THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY OF LAOS!

JUI IS HEADING BACK TO LAOS

It has been a tremendous blessing to have Jui serving with us here in Northern Thailand the past two years. At the end of this month, he will be heading back home (Laos) to assist another one of our graduates, Souphan, and his wife Sen and the work they planted a little bit over a year ago. We are going to miss Jui so much. He has been a tremendous blessing to the ministry here, not to mention to Denise and me personally.

PLEASE PRAY FOR JUI, SOUPHAN, SEN, AND THE CHURCH FAMILY!

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

By the time this month is over, we will have been able to help host about twenty Christmas Celebrations in five different countries [Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar]. While we have not seen as many come to Christ as we did last year, we have had dozens make professions of faith, and for this we are grateful. It has been such a blessing to receive good reports of people trusting Christ and so many young people being blessed in these various Celebrations.

Our 10th Annual Christmas Program in Muang Kan Village was a tremendous success. We had more than 200 in attendance, Tom, Sue, our team, and our young people did a tremendous job planning, singing, and performing. Everyone had plenty of food, fun, and fellowship. Best of all, the gospel was preached to all 200 plus people (many of them unbelievers).

While not exactly a Christmas Celebration, Christmas Program, and/or Christmas Outreach, it was a blessing for us to assist another ministry by purchasing blankets to give out in a refugee camp. More than 13,000 people had the gospel preached to them over a three-day period. According to the report that I was given, more than a 1,000 made a profession of faith.

It was also a blessing to have quite a few of our church members join us as we did some Christmas caroling, passed out care packages, and preached the gospel at our local hospital. If you notice the picture below, I didn’t get the memo that EVERYONE was dressing in Hmong attire. 🙂 

PLEASE PRAY FOR FRUIT TO CONTINUE TO ABOUND FROM THE SEEDS OF GOD’S WORD AND SEEDS OF LOVE AND COMPASSION THAT WAS SOWN!
 
THANKFUL FOR THE JOURNEY

Not only did my wife and I celebrate Christmas together this month, but we also celebrated our 42nd anniversary as a married couple, and my 67th birthday. We celebrated all three in a matter of one week. God has been so very good to us over the years. In the middle of January, I will celebrate 47 years as a believer, and in June, my wife and I will celebrate 42 years in full-time ministry. God has been good to both of us, our five children, and our 32 grandchildren, and for this we are grateful. I am so grateful for a good wife. Denise and I are very grateful for the many of you that have played an integral part in our lives and ministries over the years, and for this we say, “Thank you!”

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR DENISE AND ME AS WE CONTINUE TO WALK AND WORK TOGETHER IN OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS!

SPOTLIGHT – SOMCHIT AND MAI

Somchit and Mai are two of our graduates from the Bible school in the capitol city. I have had the honor of teaching the two of them for almost five years now, either in person or online. They graduated about eight months ago, but they still often join with me and the other students online. They were married last June and in September, a few months after graduating, they went back to Somchit’s village to assist his father in his ministry there. In the last few months, they have had 35 come to Christ and 6 baptized. They are a wonderful couple, they love the Lord and their people, they are tremendous soul winners, and they covet your prayers!

PLEASE PRAY FOR SOMCHIT AND MAI

ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

* Couples Banquet January 19

* Pastors’/Church Leaders’ Conference January 29-February 2

* Puchi Fa Evangelistic Outreach February 13-15

As always, my wife and I are so very grateful to all our family, friends, fellow-laborers, financial supporters, and faithful prayer warriors. We are thankful for your love, your prayers, and your financial support. Thank you for sowing into our lives and ministries and into this part of the world.

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise

Like you, as we enter this time of the year, with the holidays approaching soon, we can’t help but be thankful for all of God’s blessings over the years. We are also extremely thankful for the opportunity to be able to spend some time with family and friends in recent days and to be here while two more grandchildren were born. Luna Ayala and Micah Esposito entered the world just a few days apart and we happened to be in town when it happened.

PLEASE PRAY FOR LUNA, MICAH, THEIR FAMILIES, AND OUR LAST THREE WEEKS IN THE STATES!  

We are also very thankful for the many blessings in Southeast Asia. It has been so exciting to see what God is doing in and through our ministry in Northern Thailand, in Laos, and through the continued efforts to be a help to the hurting by way of Operation Samaritan’s Compassion in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS OUR VARIOUS MINISTRIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA!

NORTHERN THAILAND

Speaking of Northern Thailand, our ministry there (we have been living and serving there now for more than two years), is having its best days ever. Between the mother church and the three other village ministries, we are seeing someone saved nearly every week (including five two weeks ago), a couple of baptisms, and the attendances have been wonderful, including some good days on the mountain top (the mother church). Tzer Chang, who recently was instituted as the pastor of the church is doing a fantastic job. As always, Tom and Sue are doing their best job to be sure everyone in Northern Thailand has the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, Jui, Jay and his wife See are staying busy as ever. 

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR MINISTRY IN NORTHERN THAILAND AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE NEW CONVERTS TO GROW IN THEIR FAITH!

HELPING LOCAL SCHOOLS

I am very grateful for the opportunity to partner with a few of our National Pastors with a new ministry. It is a haircut ministry. Yes, you read it right – a haircut ministry. A few of our churches are working together to go to a few local public schools to give free haircuts to the poor children. This past month we were able to give almost 200 hundred haircuts. It’s a great chance to meet new people, be a blessing, and it opens the door to get the Good News of Jesus Christ out to many that might never of had a chance to hear. We have already had one adult trust Christ!

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL BLESS THIS MINISTRY AND THAT MANY WILL COME TO CHRIST AS A RESULT OF IT!

SPOTLIGHT OF THE MONTH – CHERCHOU

I met Cherchou almost eleven years ago when my wife and I first moved to the country of Laos. He was saved and baptized in a refugee camp in 2005. At the time that I met him, he was a very discouraged Christian. He had been invited to relocate his family to assist another man in starting a church. This never materialized. He had a son (his only son) that was given the wrong medicine, which resulted in him becoming severely disabled both physically and mentally. When the child died, Cherchou, his wife, and the rest of the family were devasted.

In his own words, he backslid. I had the opportunity to disciple him for about three years after this tragedy and God infused hope and health into his heart and life. God is now using Cherchou as an assistant pastor in one of the churches that we have helped over the years and he is also teaching in a Bible Institute, as well as interpreting for a missionary in the same Institute.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING AND GIVING!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS CHERCHOU, HIS FAMILY, AND THE MINISTRIES THAT HE IS INVOLVED WITH! 

My wife and I want to THANK all our family, friends, fellow-laborers, and financial supporters for YOUR PRAYING and for YOUR GIVING. It’s amazing all that God can do because of your investment. Again, THANK YOU!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise

SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY FOR CHURCH FAMILY IN TDD 

For those of you that have been following our ministry for a while and are regular readers of our prayer updates you are familiar with Pastor Kong and his wife Lily. In fact, we highlighted the two of them and their ministry in our last update. On Sunday, August 27, they celebrated their seven-year anniversary as a church family. I often refer to their ministry as a “miracle ministry,” and it is. God has blessed this couple, our Bible students, and the two churches that he is presently pastoring. On Sunday, August 27, they had more than 200 in attendance to celebrate God’s grace and goodness over the past seven years. God has been exceptionally good to this ministry. 

Thank you for praying and giving! 

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR KONG, LILY, AND THE CHURCH FAMILY IN TDD AS THEY CONTINUE TO GO FORWARD FOR CHRIST AND THE CAUSE OFCHRIST!

GLORIOUS TWO-YEAR TOTALS  

It was two years ago last week that we returned to Southeast Asia, relocating with our team in Northern Thailand because Laos was still locked down. In the past two years, God has been so exceptionally good. Not only is this true with our ministries in Northern Thailand, my handful of discipleship groups, and teaching our two sets of Bible students, but over the past two years, God has been exceptionally good to the various friends and fellow laborers that we have had the privilege to partner with over the years.  

In the past two years, between our church here in Northern Thailand and three churches in Laos that we continue to partner with, despite being in Thailand, we have seen 778 professions of faith and 152 baptized. Add to this, the 15 small churches that we partner with in Vietnam another 552 professions of faith and 60 baptized. These Vietnam totals are just from their ministry of benevolence, which we have been privileged to assist them with for more than two years now. If my calculations are correct, that is 1,330 folks trusting Christ and 212 baptized. More than 90 percent of these professions and baptisms come from two communist countries. God has been good. Exceptionally good! 

Thank you for praying and for giving!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR ALL OF OUR MINISTRIES AS THEY CONTINUE TO GO FORWARD WITH THE GOOD NEWS OF CHRIST TO A LOST AND DYING WORLD!

NORTHERN THIALAND

We are very encouraged about what God has been doing in Northern Thailand over the past two years and especially in recent days. We are now ministering in four different villages; people are trusting Christ (4 in just the last week or so). Our team had been praying for and witnessing to one couple for the past five years. Two weeks ago, Kong Meeg and his wife finally trusted Christ.  We also had a man and his granddaughter trust Christ this past Wednesday after the evening service. God has been exceptionally good. 

Thank you for praying and giving!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR TOM, SUE, TZER-CHANG, JUI, AND THE REST OF OUR TEAM IN NORTHERN THAILAND, AS WELL AS FOR THESE NEW CONVERTS! 

NEW COLLEGE TERM 

As always, it is a blessing to teach our college students. We have just started a new term for both groups of students. I am presently teaching through the book of Romans for our group in the city and for our students in the village, I am teaching the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and the Book of Titus). As I have mentioned often in our prayer updates, these are great young people. They are hungry for the word, they are committed to the work, and they have a passion to see people saved, discipled, and assimilated into the local church. Seldom does a week go by without a few salvation decisions. Two of our recent graduates (Somchit and Mai) have just married and will be heading to the southern part of the country to assist his father in his work there. God has been exceptionally good.  

Thank you for praying and giving!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS, FOR THE STUDENTS THAT WILL BE GRADUATING THIS YEAR, AND FOR SOMCHIT AND MAI!

SAMARITAN’S COMPASSION ENROLLING CHILDREN AND TEENS IN SCHOOL 

As we have mentioned in previous prayer updates, the primary focus of Operation Samaritan’s Compassion now is four-fold:

*1 Assisting Poor Widows

*2 Assisting Fatherless Children

*3 Helping Poor Children to Get Enrolled in School (yes, they are required to pay to get in public schools)

*4 Assisting with Emergency Medical Needs

Concerning helping with emergency medical needs, just today we sent $500 to help the father of a national pastor we have been working alongside for years. He still needs much prayer. They are transporting him to a neighboring country for better medical attention.

We are extremely excited to announce that we were able to get 120 young people enrolled in school, along with getting them the required school uniforms, and school supplies. We were also able to help another 25 young people with school supplies. God has been exceptionally good.  

Thank you for praying and giving! 

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE YOUNG PEOPLE TO HAVE A GOOD SCHOOL YEAR AND FOR THEIR PARENTS TO SEE THE VALUE IN EDUCATION TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY!

MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT: KOSAL SANN 

My dear friend and fellow laborer, Kosal Sann, was saved out of Islam in 2006 when Dave Board, our Team Leader in Cambodia, led him to Christ and soon thereafter discipled him and grounded him in the basics of the Christian faith. Kosal was instrumental in seeing much of his family come to Christ, which eventually resulted in the planting of a church in a Muslim village. After four years of wrestling with God, Kosal finally surrendered to serve full-time in the ministry as his three other brothers had done previously. Absolutely, amazing family, by the way! 

He and his dear wife, Phalley, are faithfully serving in our church in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and he oversees our Christian school. He also works with teenagers, discipling them, taking them over to his home for food, fun, and fellowship. Most of these teens are extremely poor and find this time at their house to be a great blessing. I would like to share a few words from Kosal concerning his and my relationship: 

“I am so thankful and grateful for missionary Johnny Esposito. I had the privilege to be discipled by him more than two years while he was living and serving in Cambodia. I have no doubt that God used him to influence my life while I was resisting God’s call for years. He taught me the word of God and he lived what he taught. He taught me how to serve the Lord in the way that he served the Lord. The fact that he loved God and loved others really inspired me to do likewise. He has invested a lot of time and resources into me and my family. Without his influence in my life,  me and my family would not be doing what we are doing for God today.”

Thank you for praying and giving!

PLEASE PRAY FOR KOSAL, PHALLEY, ABIGAIL, AND STEPHAN TO CONTINUE SERVING THE LORD AND IMPACTING LIVES!

TRIP TO THE STATES AND BACK ISSUES

Denise and I are in the States now for 3 ½ months. We have a full schedule with various Missions’ Conferences and/or Missions’ Emphasis Weekends, as well as reporting to many of our supporting churches that we have not had a chance to be with for years. It has also been a blessing to preach for our home church a few times, as well as preach for our college revival. 

As a few of you know, I have had a bad back for decades, but over the past year-and-half it has become brutal, to say the least. I can no longer sit down. I read my Bible standing. I eat standing. I work on my laptop standing. Yep, that is what I am doing at this very moment. If possible, when in a car, I get in the back seat and lay down on my side. Flying is, to say the least, brutal!

While this physical issue has not limited most of my ministry opportunities, it has changed the way I do things, especially how I travel. And yet, as always, God has been exceptionally good. While we are here, we are also spending a lot of time trying to find answers. All that to say this, I DEFINITELY COVET YOUR PRAYERS! 

PLEASE PRAY FOR MY SCHEDULE ON THIS BRIEF TRIP AND FOR MY BACK ISSUE!

As always, my wife and I would like to thank you for praying, giving, and for loving us over the years. We could not do what we believe God has led us to do and let us do, without your prayer and financial support. 

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito 

Pastor’s and Church Leaders’ Conference

Twice a year, here in Northern Thailand, we hold a Pastors’ and Church Leaders’ Conference primarily for men that are leading churches in the country of Laos. These are good men that have been saved, but never been discipled, and none have ever had any Bible training. Our threefold goal is to be an encouragement to them, to better ground them in God’s word, and to inspire them to do the work of the ministry in their villages.
 
Over the years, it has been exciting to get reports of the men being taught how to lead someone to Christ and going back to their country and leading folks to Christ.

Our theme this month was “Loving God with all of Your Heart.” All four messages that I preached were on the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40) and breaking down what it means to us and how to apply it in our daily lives. In my six hours of teaching sessions, I taught how to grow, keep growing, and not stop growing in their love for God and others. Tom and Tzer-Chang taught on “Building Blocks of the Christian Faith.”  We even had a missionary and a National Pastor from Vietnam that taught one session each, primarily focusing on the Great Commission.

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS THESE MEN AND WOMEN THAT WERE TOUCHED BY GOD DURING THE CONFERENCE AND THAT THEIR CHURCHES, FAMILIES, VILLAGES, AND COUNTRY WILL REAP FROM THE OVERFLOW!

Northern Thailand

On the home front here in Northern Thailand things are going very well. Whether it’s Sunday services in three different locations, midweek services in two different locations, folks getting saved, and new ministries being started, we have been blessed. After the Pastors/Church Leaders Conference, my wife, Jui, and I treated the ladies who did all the cooking at the conference (4 days, 3 meals a day for 50-60 people) to a nice meal in town. They had a great time.

Jay and his wife, See, had their newborn (nicknamed Johnny), dedicated during a recent Sunday service. And Tzer Chang was ordained as the new pastor of Siam Baptist Church.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR CHURCH AND THE EXTENSION MINISTRIES IN NORTHERN THAILAND AND FOR TZER CHANG AND HIS FAMILY!

Children’s Home

As many of you know, our team here in Northern Thailand tries to go and be a blessing to the Rong Ber Children’s Home once every three months. The home is located about a two-hour drive from where our ministry is located and we normally bring anywhere from 10-15 (or more) of our church members. As I have said before, we go to be a blessing, but we always receive a greater blessing than we give, I can guarantee it. As always, we had lots of food, fun, fellowship, and we always close our time there with a glorious chapel service with wonderful singing, testifying, and preaching.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR BROTHER CHRIS AND THE RONG BER CHILDREN’S HOME!

This Month’s Spotlight Pastor Kong and his Wife Lily

It has often been said that God can do much if we give our all to Him. Or as the old song goes, “Little is much when God is in it.” To be honest with you, I can’t think of another couple that have proved this to be true more than Kong and Lily. This couple loves the Lord, they love one another, they love their people, and they make a great team serving together in the ministry.

Pastor Kong has been saved now for just over eight years. About ten months after becoming a Christian, Kong surrendered to serve the Lord full-time, after I preached a message on the great need for laborers in the harvest. 
 
Two months after surrendering his life to serve God full-time, Kong started a ministry in his home village, which eventually became a thriving church, which is now running anywhere between 120-140 every Sunday.  Soon after he started this ministry, Koumaly Thongdy asked me to come start a Bible college, Kong was one of the original seven students and was a top-notch student, while pastoring the work that he had started. He eventually graduated, and now, is pastoring two churches, as well as running the Bible school!

His wife Lily is a wonderful woman who teaches the Bible and disciples women, teen girls, and children. She organizes just about everything and teaches in the college too. Oh, did I mention she not only helps to organize various conferences, like this most recent Youth Conference (more than 230 attendees), but does a great job with writing skits!

As I posted recently, “Over the years (almost eleven now) here in Asia, we have done our best to emphasize discipleship – whether one on one, in small groups, or in larger groups – and to be honest, not everyone has caught the vision, but Kong and Lily and our Bible students have definitely caught it.”

Operation Samaritan’s Compassion

In our last Prayer Update, we spent some time talking about Operation Samaritan’s Compassion. One thing I totally neglected to do that I wanted to do was to give a shout out to various men, ministries, and foundations that have been a huge blessing the past three years. So here goes:

A special thanks to the following churches, foundations, and individuals that have gone above and beyond the call of duty in supporting Operation Samaritan’s Compassion with either substantial one-time love offerings and/or monthly support. Pastor Steve Meyers and the Pacific Baptist Church (Long Beach, CA), Pastor Chris Chadwick and the Canyon Ridge Baptist Church, Pastor Jason Brockman and the Colorado Springs Baptist Church, Pastor Jayson Brown and the Victory Baptist Church (El Cajon, CA), Pastor Mike Kinney  and the Temple Baptist Church (Lacey, WA), Pastor Ryan Thompson and the Liberty Baptist Church (Newport Beach, CA), Pastor Rick Stonestreet and the Mountainview Baptist Church (Hesperia, CA), Pastor John Vapreszan and the Metro Baptist Church (Belleville, MI), Pastor Joe Grande and the Faith Baptist Church (Stockton, MO), Pastor Cwenar and the Gospel Light Baptist Church (Rogers, AK), Pastor Dennis Blankenship and the Bible Fellowship Baptist Church (Sacramento, CA), Pastor Doug Cassell and the Bethel Baptist Church (Linton, IN), Pastor Kevin Nangin and the Gospel Light Baptist Church, (Mission Viejo, CA) the Tom Raper Foundation, Rick Dalton and his foundation, Tom Modica (Chicago, Ill), and two longtime and very dear friends, Don Jasper and Greg Hill who have been a huge blessing!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE OPERATION SAMARITAN’S COMPASSION MINISTRY AND ESPECIALLY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST MANY YOUNG PEOPLE IN SCHOOL THIS COMING SCHOOL YEAR!

As always, Denise and I would like to thank our family, friends, fellow-laborers, and our longtime financial supporters for your faithful prayers and your financial support over the years.

 
Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,
Johnny and Denise Esposito

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