My wife and I want to thank all of our family, friends, sending church, and the many churches that are partnering with us in our work here in Southeast Asia. As always, God has been good. The past month has been busy, blessed, and bountiful for sure.

The picture above is Kong and seven young people that he had the privilege of baptizing a few weeks ago. Kong is one of our Student of Ministry students, who is also pastoring a church that he planted a couple years ago in his home village.

Along with being a full-time student in our School of Ministry, Kong and his wife are doing a great job in their church plant. Over the past three months, they have seen eleven people trust Christ and fourteen people baptized. These kinds of numbers are totally unheard of in this country. He and his wife Lilee, along with our “adopted” daughter Mai, are doing a great job discipling their young people.

As I mentioned in a previous update, Kong has also recently started a new ministry in another village about thirty minutes away from his present church plant. As of now, they have a Saturday evening service once a month and three times a month Kong picks them up early in the morning for worship at the church plant in his village!

PLEASE PRAY FOR KONG, LILEE, AND MAI AS THEY MINISTER TO THE HMONG PEOPLE IN THESE TWO VILLAGES!

The past month has been a wonderful time for our ministry, as well as a bit trying to say the least. In the past thirty days, the Thongdy’s have had to return to the States for a season. Their daughter Sommer has had some health issues for nearly a year, and they were unable to get an answer on this side of the Pacific. We thank God for Koumaly and his family and their faithfulness in this country the past seven or eight years!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE THONGDY’S, ESPECIALLY FOR SOMMER!

One of our sweet young ladies, Pachoua, lost her mother recently to a motorbike accident. We are grateful for our church family here in the Capital city and our two church plants, especially many of our Hmong men who traveled about ten hours and sacrificed financially to support and assist the family during the funeral. Pachoua has now moved in with my wife and me, Pachu and Mai. So, she officially replaces Bounmee who recently got married as one of our “adopted daughters” living here with us.

PLEASE PRAY FOR PACHOUA (far left), HER FATHER, AND YOUNGER SIBLINGS!

For missionaries, visa issues are often a “thorn in the flesh,” but especially in a “Creative Access” nation, which is communist. 🙂 My wife and I are having some visa issues and have for the past few months, but Lord willing, it will be resolved over the next week or so!

PLEASE PRAY WITH US ABOUT OUR VISA ISSUE!

As we mentioned in our last update, it has been a blessing to have Josh and Jason Board with us for a short time this summer. Jason just returned to Cambodia a few days ago. Josh will be with us until the end of our English Summer Term. Mary Hem, one of my former students from Pacific Baptist School and Pacific Baptist Bible College, a young lady my wife and I love dearly, is with us for three weeks. It’s a joy to have her volunteering to teach for us.

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

In the past month, we started our Summer Term for both our English School and our School of Ministry. We thank God for a good start in both of them. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be able to teach the young people here the English language, thus bettering their life in the future, and using the school to build relationships with the young people, often having them over our house for food and fun. It is also a tremendous privilege and pleasure to be able to teach hungry hearts the word of God. This term we are offering Ephesians, the Book of Acts 2, New Testament Survey 3, and both Men’s and Women’s Discipleship!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR ENGLISH SCHOOL AND SCHOOL OF MINISTRY

Speaking of our School of Ministry, it is good to have Souphan and Sen back with us. Souphan was saved and baptized in our ministry about four years ago. Sen is like a daughter to us, she lived with my wife and me for 17 months in the past. The two of them were married about three years ago, have been serving in Thailand, recently had a baby, and have returned home. Souphan was attending Bible classes in Thailand and is now attending Bible classes here.

PRAY FOR SOUPHAN, SEN, AND THEIR NEWBORN BABY!  

Pastor Lee Seng, along with pastoring a congregation of about 40 people in a village about thirty minutes from the Capital city, in which we have partnered together, is still working very closely with six other churches that he has started in the past. I was blessed to be able to teach the pastors and church leaders from all six of these churches all day about a month or so ago. He and his church family, with assistance from Barnaba1040, are presently in the process of building a small building that will be used for church services and Bible training of pastors and church leaders. Over the past three months, Pastor Lee Seng and his ministry have had one family trust Christ and get baptized!

Over the past 14 months, on Saturday mornings, my wife and I, along with two of our School of Ministry students have been going to the village where Pastor Lee Seng’s church plant is located. We teach the children and teens both English and the Bible.

Jui, one of our School of Ministry men, and I have been going to the village on Thursday evenings to have a “Children’s and Teen Bible Study Night.” We will have anywhere from 25-30 (as many as 40) children, teens, and adults in the service. Along with our desire to teach the word of God to these young people, our primary purpose for doing this is to help to train the Hmong men how to work with their young people. This is a great need here!

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR LEE SENG, THE FOLKS IN THIS VILLAGE, AND THE HMONG CHURCH LEADERSHIP!

As we have mentioned in previous updates, once a month we have a special service with a pastor friend of ours from Thailand. Pastor Pradit teaches in a small Bible college that actually has had a few of our young people attending. It’s always a special service when he comes. This last weeks service was no exception. One of the many blessings was the six former prisoners (four men, two women) that were in attendance that trusted Christ, while in prison, through Pastor Pradit’s Prison Ministry. They are all out of prison now and faithfully serving Christ!

PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD TO USE THESE FOLKS FOR HIS GLORY! 

T.J. and Kham Slayman, our fellow team members, also left for a furlough recently. We thank God for their impact and influence over the many years here in this country. They just have a special gift for working with people, especially the Hmong people. We had a special “going away” service their last Sunday here. It was a wonderful time of food, fun, and fellowship. Lots of tears being shed too!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SLAYMAN’S AND LAMPHAN WHILE THEY ARE IN THE STATES!

My wife and I are so grateful and would like to thank you for your consistent and continual prayers and financial support. The Lord knows that anything that is being accomplished here is the result of God’s grace and your goodness!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

 

 

 

HMONG MEN’S MEETING

One of the many  needs in this part of the world – in fact, one of the greatest needs–is teaching on the family, and especially the “next generation.” Over the next few months, I will be teaching three different groups (two Hmong, one Thai) in special meetings on the family. This past week was the first of the three meetings. I had the privilege to preach and teach for 10 men, primarily pastors and church leaders, on “God, the Family, the Church, and a Multi-Generational Vision.” We had a wonderful time and I believe a very beneficial time for all who were there. There were 5 pastors and church leaders from six different churches in attendance. Some of these good men came from as far as 13 hours away by motorbike or bus for a one-day meeting. Very humbling to say the least! THE PICTURE ABOVE WAS BLURRED FOR SECURITY REASONS!

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY GOD HAS OPENED UP FOR US TO INFLUENCE MANY CHURCH LEADERS IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD, WE ASK THAT YOU PRAY AS WE CONTINUE TO DO SO, AND SPECIFICALLY PRAY FOR THIS GROUP OF MEN!

OUR GETAWAY

Because of schedule conflicts, my wife and I were unable to get away for our 37th anniversary in December. Once the Spring Term for our English school and School of Ministry was finished, we took the opportunity to get away and head to Chiang Mai, Thailand. We had a fun time! I thank God for a wonderful wife and helpmeet who has literally followed me all over the world as we have served Christ and the cause of Christ together.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR MY WIFE AND ME AS WE SERVE TOGETHER IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD!

PREACHING FOR TWO CHURCHES

While in Chiang Mai, I was asked by two different churches if I would preach for their Sunday services. One of the churches (a fairly new church plant) was planted by our friends from the States, Jonathon, and Alisa Ballou, and the other one was planted and has been pastored for many years now by a Thai national, Pastor Srithone. I thank God for these two good churches in a country that is 85 percent Buddhist and less than one percent Evangelical Christian. What a special blessing it was to find out that an adult man trusted Christ after I preached for the Ballou’s!

DENISE AND I THANK GOD FOR THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WAS OPENED TO US TO PREACH AT BOTH OF THESE CHURCHES AND WE ASK THAT YOU PRAY THAT THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN WILL BRING FORTH FRUIT!

MIDWEEK SERVICES

After returning from Chiang Mai, I preached for both of our Midweek services. One in the Capitol city and the other in one of our village ministries. In both locations, I started a mini-series on “Having a Vision/Burden Birthed from Above” from the Book of Nehemiah. I was especially excited by the crowd in the village. Great response to the message in both locations.

MY WIFE AND I ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE WITH THE MANY FOLKS, YOUNG AND OLD, IN OUR THREE DIFFERENT CONGREGATIONS AND WE ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE TO PRAY THAT GOD WILL BLESS THESE WORKS!

PASTOR SRITHONE

A longtime friend of our team here in Laos, also named Srithone, dropped in on our midweek service on his way to plant a new work in the southern part of our country. For the past 19 years, he has been serving in the north among the Khmu people. The new work will be among the Bru tribe!

GOD HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO US THESE PAST SIX YEARS OR SO IN ALLOWING US TO MEET GOOD MEN LIKE PASTOR SRITHONE AND WE COVET YOUR PRAYERS FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY AS THEY EMBARK ON THIS NEW WORK IN A DIFFICULT PART OF THE COUNTRY!

PREACHING FOR FILIPINO CONGREGATION

Six years ago, when my wife and I first arrived in Asia, we lived and served here with our team in this country for seventeen months. During this time, I had the privilege to preach every Sunday for those seventeen months at the Filipino congregation in the Capitol city. On a few occasions, over the past few years, I have had the privilege to return and preach for them, this past Sunday was one of those occasions. Our dear friend, Pastor Aaron is in the States and asked me to preach. As always, it was a blessing. These are wonderful folks and they love preaching!

BOTH DENISE AND I ARE GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR THE FRIENDSHIPS FORGED OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS WITH THIS CHURCH FAMILY AND THEIR PASTOR AND WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD PRAY FOR THEM, ESPECIALLY SISTER ICY, PASTOR AARON’S WIFE, WHO HAS BEEN VERY ILL FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS!

JOSH AND JASON

As many of you know, Dave Board (our Team Leader in Cambodia) and I served together for many years at Pacific Baptist church in Long Beach, CA under the leadership of my brother, Pastor Joe. I have known Brother Board long before his children were born. So, to have his two sons come and serve with us for a short time this summer is a great blessing. They arrived this past week. Josh (24 years old) will be with us for about seven weeks and Jason (18 years old) will be with us for three weeks. We are anticipating that they will be a tremendous blessing to our folks and our ministry and praying that our ministry will be a blessing to them.We even had a chance to sneak in a surprise birthday party for Joshua.

WE THANK GOD FOR JOSH AND JASON BOARD, AS WELL AS THE ENTIRE BOARD FAMILY, AND WE ASK THAT YOU PRAY FOR THEIR TIME HERE WITH US!

Both Denise and I would like to thank you for your prayers and financial support. The Lord knows that anything that has been accomplished in the past or will be accomplished in the near or distant future, is the result of God’s grace and your goodness!

Your Missionaries in Southeast Asia,

Johnny and Denise Esposito

 

CELEBRATION SERVICE

We presently have three different congregations up and running on a weekly basis. Two of these are works in villages, while the other is the “mother,” which meets, as it always has, in the capitol city.  Every three months we do our best to get together for a “Celebration Service.” This is always a great time of worship, testifying of God’s goodness, lots of good singing from the three different congregations, teaching and preaching from the word of God, and, of course, plenty of good local food. We celebrated together this past Sunday and honored our mothers for Mother’s Day too. We had a wonderful service!

WE HAVE SO MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR. GOD SURELY HAS BEEN GOOD TO US AND THE PEOPLE WE HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO BE A PART OF!

PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL THREE CONGREGATIONS AND THE MEN THAT ARE LEADING THEM!

END OF SCHOOL OF MINISTRY SPRING TERM

We just completed our third term in our School of Ministry. Well, actually, the term isn’t officially over until this week when the students take their Final Exams. Our students have done extremely well with their class work in the New Testament Survey 2, Acts 1, Bible Doctrines 1, and the Men and Lady’s Discipleship classes. All of our students are very active in our ministry and, to be honest with you, without them, we simply couldn’t  do a fraction of what is being done here. Our summer term begins in three weeks!

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE PRIVILEGE TO TEACH THESE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE A SINCERE DESIRE TO KNOW AND SERVE GOD!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR STUDENTS (Kong, Jui, Lamphan, Pachu, Mai, and Lilee) TO CONTINUE TO GROW IN THEIR FAITH AND THEIR FERVOR FOR THE LORD!

END OF S.E.L.C. SPRING TERM

As many of you know, we operate an English school here, and have for years. The Thongdy’s, Koumaly and Darath, started the school about seven year’s ago. The English school affords us the opportunity to be here in the country, to meet many young people, build relationships, and even see some of them saved and baptized.

Along with teaching two classes, my wife has been administrating the school for about a year now and she has done a wonderful job. We had a record enrollment this term with 63 students. It really has been a great term. Final Exams and the End of the Term Party were held this past week. The vast majority of the students did very well on their Finals, and the Term Party was a blast!

WE THANK GOD FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR OUR FAITHFUL TEACHERS AND STAFF, AND FOR THE THONGDY’S WILLINGNESS TO LEAVE FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO COME TO THIS COUNTRY!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR SCHOOL!

HOSPITALITY MINISTRY

As Christians, we are to love God with every fiber of our being and love others as we love ourselves. This matter of loving others is an absolutely necessary component of the Christian life, and if we are going to love people, we are going to have to extend our hands of compassion towards others and be a hospitable people. This is especially necessary in a country where it is illegal for us to gather and to proselytize. Whether its bringing some food over to a lonely grandma, bringing a birthday gift, an illustrated Bible to neighbors, or having neighbors over to eat, giving food and financial aid to the poor and the hurting, we do what we can with the Lord’s help to let folks outside of the body of Christ know that we care!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR HOSPITALITY MINISTRY!

As most of you know, my brother, Pastor Joe, has been hospitalized for almost six years. He spent nearly 18 months in a coma. And for the last few years, since coming out of the coma, has been making remarkable, if not miraculous, progress. This can be attributed to a loving and merciful God, a loving and patient family, and the prayers of hundreds, if not thousands around the world. About a week ago, Pastor Joe went home and was reunited with his family. Needless to say, it was a time of rejoicing!

ON BEHALF OF MY BROTHER AND ALL OF THE FAMILY, WE THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR HIM AND THE FAMILY FOR THE PAST 5 1/2 YEARS! 

PLEASE PRAY FOR MY BROTHER AND HIS FAMILY DURING THIS TIME OF TRANSITION!

My wife, Denise, and I would like to thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support. Anything that has already been accomplished, and will be accomplished in the near or distant future, on this side of the Pacific, is the direct result of God’s grace and your goodness!

Johnny and Denise

“We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.” – John Stott

 

For the past four years, our team here has been hosting a Youth Conference in Thailand. It’s only a two or three-hour drive from where we live and serve. For security reasons, we have yet to hold one here in this country but are praying about doing so next year. As always, this year’s conference was a real blessing. Our theme for the conference was “Is There Not A Cause?”  

We arrived in Udon Thani, Thailand on Friday afternoon. On Saturday evening, I had the privilege to preach for a special service for the Udon church family, as well as some of our folks who arrived a few days early for the conference. I preached a message from Galatians chapter one, “God’s Two-Fold Purpose for Paul’s Life and Our’s.”

I had the opportunity to, once again, preach on Sunday morning for the Udon church family and our folks. I preached a message and challenged the folks, with five lessons from Jeremiah’s letter to those in Babylonian captivity [Jeremiah 29:1-14]. We had a great crowd; a great time of worship; a great response to the message; and a great time of food and fellowship after the service.

The Youth Conference was fantastic! I believe we had 13 or 14 churches represented from three different countries. The preaching, the teaching, the congregational worship, the dozens of specials, the skit (oh, yes, the skit), the food, the fun, and the fellowship made for a truly God-blessed three days. Fellow Team Members, Koumaly, Darath, Kong, Lilee, Jui, and Lamphan did a tremendous job planning this conference. Grateful for Koumaly’s vision for this a few year’s ago. It was a tremendous privilege to have Bounna and Thy Has, along with two of the Bible college students, from Cambodia with us during Youth Conference. They were all an awesome blessing!

I had the privilege to preach the closing message. I preached from Exodus 3, on “Moses and the Burning Bush.” Dozens of folks came to the platform for prayer that had surrendered to serve God full-time either in the past or during that service. It was a heart-warming moment for sure!

Unfortunately, many of our church family and extended church family were unable to cross the border for this year’s Youth Conference. So very grateful for fellow Team members, TJ and his wife Kham, along with others, for hosting a mini-Youth Conference on this side of the border. From what I understand, they had a wonderful time. They even had something we didn’t have – a dunk tank! 🙂

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL BRING GREAT INCREASE FROM THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN DURING BOTH OF THESE YOUTH CONFERENCES!

Every once in a while, I have the privilege to go to one of our village ministries about an hour-and-a-half away from where we live and serve. For security purposes, I can’t go  there often, it could cause serious problems for the folks in the village. It’s always a joy and a blessing to be with Kong, Lilee, and their folks. On my most recent trip, I had the privilege to preach twice and we partook of the Lord’s Supper. This was a first time experience for their church family!

Kong started this work about three years ago, after surrendering to serve God “full-time” when hearing me preach in Nong Khai, Thailand at a Bible Camp. Every week they hold services and different Bible studies for the young people of the village. They also have recently started a new work in another village about 30 minutes away. Nearly every month, he and his wife Lilee, along with one of our “adopted daughters” has the privilege of seeing someone trust Christ!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR KONG, LILEE, AND MAI AS THEY SERVE THE PEOPLE IN THIS VILLAGE!

A couple weeks ago, on a Friday, our ministry conducted two separate Teen Activities in two different locations. What a blessing! Between the two locations we had nearly 70 teenagers in attendance. Praise the Lord! Jui and a few others organized the Teen Activity in the Capital city, while Kong, Lilee, and Mai organized the one in their village. Of course, there was plenty of good fun, good clean fun, and teaching from God’s word!  PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR TEENAGERS!

Three weeks ago, Darath Thongdy, my wife, and a few other ladies hosted a Ladies’ Fellowship. We had quite a few teen girls and adult ladies. They too had plenty of food, fun, and fellowship,  and my wife had the privilege to speak for the ladies!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR LADIES AND OTHER CHRISTIAN LADIES HERE IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD TO BE A LIGHT IN THEIR HOMES, VILLAGES, AND WHEREVER GOD MAY HAVE THEM!

Again, my wife and I, would like to thank each and every one of you for your faithful and consistent prayers and financial support as we continue to labor here in Asia!

 

Johnny and Denise

The picture above is of our one of our “adopted daughters” (Pachu) and two girls from the northern part of our country. These two girls are for sale.

Yes, you read it right, they are for sale!

To make a long story short, their mother, who recently remarried, was told by her new husband to get rid of the girls. And, if she didn’t he would kill all three of them. So, she is going from village to village trying to sell them off to the first buyer, apparently to people she knows.

Unfortunately, this is one of the many sad realities of this part of the world. I thought I would take a moment and share a few thoughts on this tragic happening that is so prevalent in this part of the world.

In Southeast Asia and elsewhere, “the scourge of human trafficking,” sometimes called “modern slavery,” affects some 40 million men, women, and children around the world – and the vast majority of them are found in this part of the world.

According to the United Nations, during a three-year time period, more than 60 percent of identified victims of human trafficking were trafficked for sexual exploitation. Again, according to the United Nations, forced marriages of young women and young girls are rampant in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia. By the way, my wife and I live about 200 yards from the Mekong River.

All that, to say this: please keep the poor women and children in this part of the world in your prayers. Not only for their souls but for their physical safety!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE POOR, NEEDY, AND HELPLESS CHILDREN IN SOUTHEAST ASIA!

It’s always a special blessing to have friends from the States visit with us, but it was an extra special blessing to have our longtime friends and faithful supporters, Pat and Maria Culley, from California, spend a week with us. They were able to sit in on all six of our English classes (the students loved the Culley’s), our School of Ministry classes, attend our Sunday and Midweek services, our Tuesday Team Meeting, and, of course, a lot of great food and fellowship.

The Culley’s are the epitome of how a Christian couple ought to retire and live the last quarter of their lives. They are faithfully serving and giving at their home church, and I believe they personally support 20 missionaries. After leaving us, they headed to Cambodia to be with our team there and then off to Dubai to spend a week with a Filipino missionary. They have been to so many countries visiting and encouraging missionaries.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE CULLEY’S AND THAT GOD WOULD RAISE UP MANY MORE OLDER COUPLES LIKE THEM IN OUR CHURCHES!   

Our Thursday and Saturday ministry in a village about 30 minutes from the capital city is growing leaps and bounds. Both Thursday and Saturday are geared primarily towards teens and children, and on Saturday we teach both English and the Bible, but we are even seeing some adults attend our Thursday evening Bible study.

On Thursday evenings, I have been teaching on the Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew. I am grateful for our workers. Jui, Lamphan, Pachu, Tabby, and Denise (my wife) who have such a heart for the young people and go the second mile in ministering to them. It has also been a blessing to get quite a few of the teenagers involved with serving!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL RAISE UP MANY OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE FAITHFUL SERVANTS IN THE HARVEST FIELDS OF THIS COUNTRY AND BEYOND! 

It was a blessing to have our brother T.J. Slayman preach for us on two consecutive Sundays.  As we have mentioned in previous updates, our theme for 2019 is “Pursuing Christ and Christlikeness.” T.J. taught on the importance of winning the battle for the mind if we are going to pursue Christ and a Christlike life.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SUNDAY SERVICES AND FOR OUR FOLKS TO CATCH THE VISION OF LOVING JESUS AND LIVING A HOLY LIFE!

About three weeks ago Kong went to a wedding in his village and had the opportunity to see a long lost friend named Sia. Before he left the wedding reception, he had the opportunity to lead Sia to Christ.

PLEASE PRAY FOR SIA’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH!

My wife had another activity at our house with one of her English classes. They all enjoyed the food and had a lot of fun playing UNO. It was a great night of bonding for the ladies.

PLEASE PRAY FOR MEI, NUT, BANOY, AND BEE TO COME TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST! 

It was a special blessing to have a few of the young men from a Bible College in Thailand visit with us in our School of Ministry. Three of the four are actually from our country but started attending Bible school in Thailand before we opened up a school here. They are all great guys with a heart for the Lord and for their people. It was a joy having them with us!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO CONTINUE TO GROW IN THEIR FAITH AND BE USED BY GOD TO REACH THEIR PEOPLE!

Denise and I want to thank you for your continued prayers and financial support over the past six years. As I say often, we couldn’t be here and do what the Lord has led us to do without your prayers and financial support!

Johnny and Denise Esposito

ONE ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUEST, CAN YOU PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR YOUTH CONFERENCE TO BE CONDUCTED IN APRIL?

“While Christians choose to spend their lives fulfilling the American dream instead of giving their lives to proclaiming the kingdom of God, literally billions in need of the Gospel remain in the dark.”

 

 

The pictures above are from six year’s ago when we left Los Angeles and arrived on the mission field. It was nearly six years ago (March 13, 2013), that my wife and I left the United States and arrived in Southeast Asia. We will never forget the day we said goodbye to our family and left Los Angeles. When we left the States, we had nine grandchildren. We have 21 today!

It has been a blessing to be able to serve the people of Asia. It’s been a joy to see people saved, baptized, discipled, churches planted, and present and future church leaders trained for ministry among their own people. God has been so good and gracious to us over these past six years. We thank God for His favor, and we thank God’s people for their prayers and faithful financial support these past six years!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR GOD’S FAVOR AND FRUITFULNESS AS MY WIFE AND I SERVE THE PEOPLE OF ASIA!

For Christians, in this part of the world, there is a little emphasis upon the family – at least the biblical concept of the family. For the past five years, the Lord has allowed our Team to have a Family Camp that has been a tremendous blessing to our married couples, our families, and our young people who, in most cases, are the only Christians in their home. This year, as in the years past, we were blessed to have our dear friend, missionary Dave Board, and his wife with us. Brother Board and I worked on staff together at Pacific Baptist of Long Beach for many years, and he has now headed up our Team in Cambodia for about eight years, as well as overseeing our three teams in Southeast Asia.

This year, we did something a little bit different than in year’s past. We had Four General Sessions with Dave Board preaching for us. We were also blessed to have four Split Sessions with Dave Board teaching the Men, his wife teaching the married women, and my wife and I  were privileged to teach the singles and the teenagers!

We had well over 100 attending this year’s Family Camp, including people from eight different People Groups. We even had seven couples take a bus (Third World conditions)  30 hours to attend the Camp. The preaching, worship, fellowship, and food was tremendous. And, we even had 18 of our Hmong brothers and sisters baptized after the Sunday morning service!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILIES IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD AND THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN DURING OUR FAMILY CAMP, AS WELL AS FOR THE NEW BAPTIZED BELIEVERS TO GROW IN THEIR FAITH!

It’s always a special blessing to spend a weekend in one of our village ministries with Kong and Lilee. They are doing a wonderful job. In the past two years, they have seen some fifty people trust Christ as their Savior and many have or are being discipled to follow Christ as committed followers of the Lord Jesus. I had a wonderful Sunday with them. I taught a lesson during the Sunday school hour, “Being Thankful” from Luke 17, and preached for the main worship service on “Living a Holy Life in an Unholy Village.” As always, the response to the messages was great!

PLEASE PRAY FOR KONG, LILEE, AND THIS VILLAGE MINISTRY!

One of the real blessings of the weekend was to watch our “adopted daughter,” Mai teach the children. She did a wonderful job! Mai has been living with my wife and me for about six months now and is one of our students in the School of Ministry. She is a sweet girl with a real heart for the Lord and for her people. Mai is one of those fifty people, I mentioned above, who has trusted Christ in the past two years!

PLEASE PRAY FOR MAI TO CONTINUE TO GROW IN HER FAITH IN CHRIST, HER LOVE FOR CHRIST, AND HER LOVE FOR HER PEOPLE!

Our English school has three primary purposes: First of all, it gives us a reason to be in the country (no missionaries allowed here). Secondly, it gives us an opportunity to build relationships with the locals that we never could have had without the school. Thirdly, and most importantly, it opens the door for us to share the Gospel in a country where proselytizing is against the law.

With that in mind, school activities are important. As a school, we try to have two activities each term, but we also ask the teachers to have some type of activity monthly, if not more often. My wife recently had one of her two classes over for Mexican food and a few games of UNO. Oh boy, the girls (the male students weren’t able to make it) had a wonderful time. Actually, it was a “crazy time,” and it definitely accomplished the goal of getting to know each other a little better!

 

My wife is also very good at remembering her student’s birthdays and doing what she can to make special days like Valentine’s Day special for her students!

PLEASE PRAY FOR MY WIFE AND OUR OTHER TEACHERS AS THEY ATTEMPT TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR STUDENTS THAT WILL RESULT IN THEIR TRUSTING CHRIST!

It is such a blessing to watch our young people grow in Christ, their commitment to Christ, and their service for Christ. Jui is just one of many examples. Jui, one of our former English students, got saved about five years ago. Almost immediately he was baptized, started to grow, and about a year ago he left a really good job to join our Team full-time. Along with being my personal assistant, Jui oversees one of our Village Ministries. He works with our teenagers. He does our Ministry Finances. And this term, Jui started teaching in our English school. We are so proud of Jui and look forward to seeing what God has in store for him!

PLEASE PRAY FOR JUI’S CONTINUAL GROWTH AND SERVICE FOR CHRIST!

It was a special blessing to have two of the young ladies (Cubie & Christine), who were a part of our church family in China, visit with us for a few days. While their time with us was short, we kept them fairly busy. They had the opportunity to visit our School of Ministry classes, our English classes, our Midweek Bible Study/Prayer Meeting, and one of our Village Ministries, along with having some down/fun time!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHINA THAT ARE SERVING UNDER EXTREMELY STRESSFUL CIRCUMSTANCES!

One of my priorities and favorite responsibilities here in Southeast Asia is the discipling of the Nationals, especially future National leaders. I love spending time with our men. I loved spending time with the men in Cambodia, in China, and, once again, here in the “Creative Access Nation” that we’re, once again, serving in. Of course, discipleship has many different “faces.” There’s One-on-One discipleship, there’s discipleship in Small Groups and, in our case here, our School of Ministry is just another way to disciple our folks.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR YOUNG MEN (JUI, KONG, & LAMPHAN) WHO I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE FOR CHRIST AND THE CAUSE OF CHRIST ON ALMOST A DAILY BASIS! 

My wife and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your loving prayers, your faithful, generous, and sacrificial giving, which for the past six years has enabled us to do what God has led us to this part of the world to do, while you continue to do what God has called you to do in the States!

Johnny and Denise

“I wasn’t God’s first choice for what I’ve done for China… I don’t know who it was… It must have been a man… a well-educated man. I don’t know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn’t willing… and God looked down… and saw Gladys Aylward… And God said – “Well, she’s willing.”
                                                        – Gladys Aylward

 

The above picture is from our special meetings in Chiang Khong, Thailand. Most of the  men and women pictured above, are pastors and church leaders from a “Creative Access Nation.” They travelled by motor bike, bus, and boat to get to the meeting. Some travelled from as far as 24 hours away. I am humbled that they came!

My brother, Pastor Joe, before being hospitalized, had long envisioned seeing our teams in the “Creative Access Nation” and Thailand working together to train Nationals to reach various countries in Southeast Asia, and eventually reach into the country of China. In a sense, these meetings are a “dream come true!”

Please pray that God will raise up many laborers for the harvest fields in this part of the world and use our teams in the “Creative Access Nation,” Thailand, and Cambodia to assist in this process!

It’s always good to get back in a routine after the holidays! Our theme for the New Year is “Pursuing Christ and Christlikeness.” Our heart’s desire as a Team, and as a church family, is that all of us and every aspect of our ministry would grow in our relationship with Christ and become more like Jesus  during 2019.

Please pray with us concerning this!

As many of you know, and as we have mentioned often in recent updates, we are in the midst of a transition. We are in the middle of making many changes that we believe the Lord would have us to make and that we believe will help us to grow spiritually and numerically. Of course, one of the biggest changes we have made is to divide our congregation into three separate congregations. Despite doing this, it has been a blessing to see the “smallest” congregation, in the Capital city, still have good attendance and visitors. On Sundays and Wednesdays, I am preaching messages on, you guessed it, “Pursuing Christ and Christlikeness.”

Please continue to pray for our services!

After a nearly four-week break, it was really good to get our School of Ministry (Bible College) classes up and running once again. As I mentioned in our last Update, I am teaching New Testament Survey 2, The Book of Acts, and The Christlike Life. Brother Koumaly is teaching Bible Doctrines, Pastor Lee Seng is teaching Church Leadership, and my wife is teaching Christian Womanhood again this semester. While we may not have many students, as of yet, the ones we do have, have a real heart for Christ, the cause of Christ, and the people of this country!

Please pray for our new term in the School of Ministry and for our students to continue to grow in their pursuit of Christ and Christlikeness! 

One of our favorite times of the week is Saturday Village Ministry. Every Saturday a few of us go to a nearby village and teach the Bible and English to Hmong children and teenagers. We recently lost one of our workers, Bounmee. She married one of our team members in Cambodia, and, of course, moved to Cambodia. She was doing a great job discipling some of our teen girls, so my wife has replaced her and is doing a great job. I am so grateful for a wife, who for 37 years now, has been a wonderful helpmeet to her husband and a faithful, compassionate laborer in the harvest wherever God has led us!

Please pray for both of our village ministries, our workers, and for the many young people and adults that we are reaching for Christ and encouraging to pursue Christ and Christlikeness this year!

Another one of my favorite times of the week is going with Jui, who I am discipling and is assisting me in the work here, to the same village (mentioned above) and having a “Midweek Bible Study” for the young people in the village. It’s always a great time of singing, games, Bible trivia, etc. We sure do love these young people and are praying that they will “Pursue Christ and Christlikeness,”  not only this year, but for the rest of their lives!

Please pray that God will raise up young men and women of God that will pursue Christ and Christlikeness for decades among these young people!

Nearly every month, we have Pastor Pradit visit with us and preach for our folks. He is the fruit of an American missionary named Philip Pope. Pastor Pradit has been pastoring  the same church in Thailand, which he started, for 25 years now. More often than not, when he comes, he brings some of his college students, and it’s always a great night of worship, teaching and preaching, fellowship, and, of course, lots of food. Pastor Pradit preached a great message on “The Love of God.” We are grateful for the National men who are serving Christ and their people faithfully here in Southeast Asia!

Please pray for the many different churches in Thailand and our country that are doing what they can, with God’s help, to reach the lost and train the saved for God’s glory in these two countries!

As I mentioned above, I spent a wonderful week in Chiang Khong, Thailand with our Team. We are so grateful for Tom and Sue Sutrick and their church family hosting this four-day meeting. I am also very grateful for fellow-team member, Jay Chang interpreting for me.

An hour after arriving in Chiang Khong, I had the privilege to speak for their regular Friday Night Team Meeting. Trust me, we had a lot of fun and they were very open to the Bible lesson. On Sunday, I had the opportunity to teach and preach twice for the church family.

I also had the opportunity and privilege to teach and preach Monday – Thursday for our Thailand Team and 28 National pastors and church leaders from across the Mekong River in a “Creative Access Nation.” We have been holding these meetings for about two years now. As I mentioned above, this was our fourth meeting and one of the dreams my brother, Pastor Joe, had before his being hospitalized!

During the morning sessions, I taught on “Responsibilities of Church Leaders” and “The Importance of God’s Word.” During the afternoon sessions, Brother Tom Sutrick taught the brethren on “How to Use the Wordless Book” and “How to Study the Bible for Yourself.” Brother Jay Chang, who graciously interpreted for me all week-long, taught one session on “Baptism.” During the evening sessions, I had the privilege of preaching on “Following in the Footsteps of Jesus: Living a Christlike Life.”

Please pray that God will water the seeds of His Word that were sown during this week in Chiang Khong and bring an eternal increase, not only in these countries, but around Southeast Asia!

As always, my wife and I want to thank you for your loving prayers, and your generous  and sacrificial giving, which enables us to continue to do what God has led us to do here on the other side of the Pacific, while you continue to do what God has called you to do in the States!

Johnny and Denise

“The task of reaching every people group is no small thing, but the problem isn’t in the amount of people groups who are unreached; it is in the amount of people going to them.”

 

Our folks want to wish you all a Happy New Year from Southeast Asia! 

Another year has come and gone! It’s so hard to believe that it’s 2019 already. God sure has been good. The year 2018 was such a blessed year with us having the privilege of doing ministry in four different countries (China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia) and watching God work in so many different ways.  Our ministry here in this “Creative Access Nation” is doing well and we thank God for all of our family, friends, and faithful supporters. As we have said often, we couldn’t be here or do what God has called us to do if it weren’t for faithful folks like you!

Koumaly and I recently had the privilege of preaching and teaching for a Hmong Men’s Meeting not far from the Capital city. The meeting was hosted by Pastor Lee Seng and one of our congregations outside of the city. There were church leaders from six different churches in attendance. These are all churches that Lee Seng has either started or assisted in starting over the past ten years. We had a wonderful time!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE MEN TO BE USED GREATLY OF GOD IN THEIR VARIOUS VILLAGES AND PROVINCES!

As many of you know, recently, one of our team members from Cambodia, Adrian (a former student of mine from both Pacific Baptist School and Pacific Baptist Bible College) married one of our team members, who also happened to be one of our three “adopted” Hmong daughters. Her name is Bounmee, she’s a jewel, and we are going to miss her a boatload as she goes to Cambodia to serve with her husband. The wedding was such a beautiful and special occasion. We thank God for a young couple that love the Lord and are willing to serve Him in this part of the world!

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL BLESS ADRIAN AND BOUNMEE’S MARRIAGE AND MINISTRY IN CAMBODIA!

It was a real blessing to have quite a few members of our team from Cambodia, including the Team Leader of our three teams in Southeast Asia (Dave Board) and his family with us during the week of the wedding. We had a wonderful time fellowshipping with our longtime friends from Pacific Baptist and our fellow laborers in this part of the world. And even had the chance to do a little ministry with a few of them!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR ALL THREE OF OUR TEAMS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA!

The day after the wedding, I headed out of town to spend the weekend with one of our village ministries. This ministry is headed up by Kong and Lilee. We have mentioned them often in the past. They are doing a wonderful job, God is blessing, and it’s always a joy to be with them. While the crowd was down quite a bit because of Hmong New year, we had a wonderful time, and everyone was very responsive the messages!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR KONG, LILEE, AND THEIR FOLKS!

Our English School hosted a Christmas Fellowship for our students. We had such a wonderful time. The food and fun were great. But the greatest blessing was for our Buddhist students to learn the truth of Christmas and the Christ of Christmas. We even showed them a portion of the Jesus film in their language showing Christ being crucified for the sins of the world!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR ENGLISH STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND AND RESPOND TO THE GOSPEL MESSAGE!

Our School of Ministry Fall Term came to an end just before Christmas. Everyone passed their Final Exams and we had a great time of food and fellowship to finish the term. It was a blessing to be able to teach The Gospel of Matthew 2, New Testament Survey 1, and Discipleship and Leadership Principles for Men this last term.

Our next term begins January 14 and I will be teaching New Testament Survey 2, The Book of Acts, and The Christlike Life. Brother Koumaly will be teaching Bible Doctrines and Pastor Lee Seng will be teaching Church Leadership!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR STUDENTS AS THEY LEARN THE BIBLE AND LIVE WHAT THEY LEARN!

It was a blessing for my wife and I to have the chance to go back to the States for the holidays. Of course, more than anything else in life, we miss our children and our grandchildren, so anytime we have the chance to spend some quality time with them we are grateful!

As we have just left 2018 in the past and enter a New Year, Denise and I are so very grateful for your faithful prayers and financial support. And, above all, we cherish your friendship!

Happy New Year,

Johnny and Denise

“I believe that in each generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth. It is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond!”
― Isobel Kuhn

We have made quite a few changes here in our ministry. Some for security reasons, others simply to help us to reach more people and grow the ones that we presently have.  One of the changes that we recently instituted was changing from monthly “Celebration Services” to doing the service once every three months.

We recently had our first new “Celebration Service.” It was also the kickoff service for two weeks of emphasizing missions. We had such a wonderful time. We were blessed to have missionary Derek Thomas (Ukraine) speak for our service. The worship, preaching, fellowship, food, and games were great. And, how about the traditional outfits?

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR THREE CONGREGATIONS TO CONTINUE TO STAND FOR CHRIST AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS WITH THEIR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND OTHERS IN THEIR VILLAGES AND SURROUNDING VILLAGES!

It was also a blessing to have Brother Derek with us for a week in our college. He taught on “Progressive Sanctification” for four days. His teaching was both convicting and challenging, and Lord willing, life changing. It was a blessing to have our dear friend Pastor Kampai and a few of his Bible Institute students with us for all four days!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN DURING THIS WEEK TO BRING FORTH FRUIT UNTO HOLINESS IN ALL OF OUR LIVES!

Many of the young men and women who are former students of mine at Pacific Baptist School and Pacific Baptist Bible College are presently serving in the ministry, including on the mission field. One of the finest of these is Bounna Has. He and his wife Thy have been serving the Lord in Cambodia with our Team for the past seven years now. They are a wonderful couple, devoted servants of Christ, and are being used greatly in the country of Cambodia.

It was a real joy to have Bounna with us for the second week of our Missions’ Emphasis and to teach in our School of Ministry. His messages on Sunday were a tremendous encouragement and his teaching on “Cults” for our School of Ministry will be helpful for years to come, especially the teaching on Mormonism.

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO USE BOUNNA AND THY HERE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THAT GOD WILL WATER THE SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN BY HIM WHILE WITH US!

It’s always a blessing to have visitors from the States, but especially visitors from our home and sending church – Pacific Baptist Church of Long Beach. Recently, we had Donna Rollanza visit with us for a few days.  Many of you don’t know this, but for five years while serving at Pacific Baptist Church, I was actually the Pastor of our Filipino Ministry. Donna was one of our most faithful members. While visiting with us Donna was not only able to witness some of our ministry, she even had a chance to go shopping with my wife and Bounmee.

 

My wife and I, once again, want to thank you for your faithful prayers and continual and consistent financial support. We also thank you for keeping in touch with us and reminding us that you are praying. It mean much!

Johnny and Denise Esposito

ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please continue to pray that we will have the love, wisdom, and power of God in our lives and flowing through our ministries.
• Please continue to pray for our two village ministries and the ministry here in the capital city.
• Please continue to pray for our new Saturday English classes in the capital city.
• Please continue to pray for our upcoming Christmas parties for the school and in the three villages.
• Please continue to pray for the End of the Term for both the English School and the School of Ministry and the New Terms coming in January.
• Please continue pray for my ministry trip to Northern Thailand near the end of January!

“While we understand that not all will ‘GO’ to the uttermost parts of the world, all who claim the name of Christ and have experienced the wonderful grace of God in their lives, must be a part of this great undertaking of which we call missions.”

-Johnny Esposito, Peeking Through the 10/40 Window

My wife and I, along with the rest of our Team here in this “Creative Access” Nation, and the locals want to wish you all on the other side of the Pacific a Happy Thanksgiving!

Denise and I are so grateful for so many open doors and opportunities to be able to serve and share the love of Christ and God’s Word in this country where Buddhism (62% of the population) and Animism (34% of the population) are dominant. Whether it is our Church Services in one of three different locations, our Small Groups, Discipleship Groups, teaching the children and teens English and the Bible in one of the villages, our English School, Hospitality Ministry, Special Activities (like Sunday Night Volleyball), or our School of Ministry, we have been blessed beyond measure with many wonderful opportunities for service. We are ever mindful that none of this would be possible, but by God’s grace and your generosity!

AGAIN, WE JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR BEING A BLESSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA BY WAY OF YOUR PRAYERS AND YOUR GIVING AND ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR US!

Every month or two we have the privilege of hosting a special Midweek service with a dear friend of ours and faithful servant of God from Thailand. Pastor Pradit was reached over 30 years ago by another Thai man who was reached by our missionary friend Philip Pope. He has now been pastoring for 25 years and has had a great influence over many, not only in Thailand, but also in the “Creative Access” Nation where we are presently serving. It’s always a pleasure to have him and a few of the folks from his church in Nakhon Phanom, as well as some of the Bible college students from UdonThani, Thailand. The worship, fellowship, preaching, and food is always great. We thank God for Pastor Pradit and his ministry, and of course, we thank God for missionaries like Philip Pope who left all to come to Southeast Asia to bring the light where it is so dark!PLEASE PRAY FOR BELIEVERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE MEKONG RIVER TO BE A LIGHT IN THE MIDST OF THE DARKNESS IN THESE TWO COUNTRIES!

Every year our English School uses the American holiday of Thanksgiving to introduce our students to “Western Culture” and the meaning of Thanksgiving, as well as an opportunity to have food, fun, and fellowship with the young people. In other words, it is a really good opportunity to teach our Buddhist students why Americans celebrate Thanksgiving and about the God of all blessings. As it always is, it was a great time of bonding with the students, lots of good food and fellowship, and, above all else, a chance to introduce our Buddhist students to the God of all blessings and the God of Thanksgiving!PLEASE PRAY FOR SEEDS THAT WERE SOWN TO BRING FORTH FRUIT OF EVERLASTING LIFE!

It was a blessing to have Quamsay and Bpom and their children over our house recently for a wonderful meal and some fun. They work seven days a week and have little free time to themselves. They always look forward to coming over. We have known them now for about six years. We have had them over our house on quite a few occasions, have shared the Gospel with them, given them tracts and Christian literature in the past. On this past visit, we were able to talk to them about the differences between Buddhism and Christianity and share the Good News of Jesus with them. We also sent them home with a few Gospel tracts and an invitation for learning more about Jesus!PLEASE PRAY FOR QUAMSAY, BPOM AND THEIR CHILDREN TO COME TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD JESUS!

This past Sunday was a bit different than our normal Lord’s Day over here. Just a few minutes prior to leaving for the facility where our church family gathers all the electricity went out. Nothing unusual about that, but as I walked outside I smelled and saw smoke. In just a few moments, I saw people from all directions running towards the smoke. A house two doors from where we live was on fire. Within a few moments a fire truck showed up (nothing like the modern fire trucks we are used to in America). To make a long story short, three houses burned down and our village was thrown into a state of chaos. While we had no electricity (fans or AC), could not sing the songs of Zion for security reasons, we still gathered together to worship the Unshaken King of glory and we all rejoiced in the grace of God. God moved in the service!PLEASE PRAY THE FAMILIES THAT LOST MUCH, IF NOT EVERYTHING, IN THE FIRE!

ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please continue to pray that we will have the love, wisdom, and power of God in our lives and flowing through our ministries.
• Please continue to pray for our two village ministries and the ministry here in the capital city.
• Please continue to pray for our School of Ministry (Bible College).
• Please pray for our new Midweek Bible Study for teens. Please pray for our new Saturday English classes in the capital city.
• Please pray for our upcoming School of Ministry Intensives to be taught by two missionaries from the Ukraine and Cambodia. 
• Please pray for our Missions’ Conference next week.

My wife and Denise I want to thank you for your prayers, financial support, and friendship. As we try to mention in every update, all that we are privileged to do is by the grace of God and the generosity of God’s people.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Johnny and Denise