We have been blessed these last few days with Thieu, a beleiver from our first camp two years ago in Ban Yea. Sadly, her best friend was married at 14 to a boy the same age shortly after our first camp-they are now rice farmers which is honorable work, but very difficult in this land with little hope of a decent life. You can only divide land so many times before it is no longer enough to support the normal two families using it, Mom and Dad, and daughter and new husband.

Thieu hasn't had much chance to grow as a Christian. Our goal is to follow up this year in an effort to help her and the Christian youth from the camps get to know and meet with Pastor Manoon and his wife Ua-aree so that discipleship can occur, and perhaps some parents will also believe.

We are blessed that all five of Thieu's good friends attend the local junior college (even at 10th grade level) in an effort to learn a trade....accounting, but they are all from the village of evil, Ban Mueang. It turns out, thanks to our Lord, that On knew every mother when she was in school, and was very close with some of them. As we picked up these girls to bring them to Mukdahan, the mothers were ready for a weekend away too-we pray we can work this out with God's guidance.

We ate, we played, they cooked and cleaned, learned some American ways, went to church and fellowship, helped decorate for open house, learned a bit of English and heard the gospel at least three times, saw 1/2 of the film "The Hope" and want the other half. The picture is from land once occupied by the US military but later turned over the to city of Mukdahan, and now is a Buddhist temple-Laos is across the Mekong River. We visited a national park on the way back to their home yesterday. Some listened intently to our aunt and uncle talks and the gospel, and some are often somewhere else. Life is the same around the world, the language and local customs are just a bit different but God is always there, ready for all to say yes Father.
Back row: Ang, Tien, Oiy, Ja
Front: Thy, Thieu
Tien wants to teach since the government helps with tuition, and Thy wants to be a doctor because she sees they help people AND ARE RESPECTED.

Thieu is the leader of a group of ten. Pray that she will become bolder in order to share the gospel with the others.

We had an open house for the members of Mitrichit Baptist Church, our church away from Indian Creek Baptist in Mineral Wells. For many reasons, most churches in Thailand do not meet on Sunday evenings so a 5:00 pm start seemed good. Pastor Ekkalak and Bui and family helped us with tables and even brought a house warming gift. People slowly came as many work on Sunday afternoon. On and I told of our journey to get here, how God does things in his time and his way as evidenced in our lives, and he prepares us in advance for the work he has planned for us. We sangs several songs and then Pastor Ekkalak led the group in prayer and as often is the custom, many prayed at the same time.

We were, and are still blessed by the close kinship of the people of this church. Ying, a Southern California MBA grad and sweet servant of God, had to work in the family business but took time off to bring tables. Pastor Ekkalak brought two shrubs, his guitar and music books plus his extended family. Kuhn Mon brought her worker and member Noi who has been saved from a life that included being raised in a house of ill repute. One member works in accounting in the local hospital so spent time witnessing to some of our neighbors, many of whom also work there, and was joined in her efforts by Bui. A bit later, Gaay got off work from her job sellling wholesale eggs that begins at 3am and ends at 6pm, and she stayed with us to 10 pm and the final celebration. Our good friend Chee was able to come after closing his food stall at the night market and another at the Lotus big box store. Chee helped us negotiate the home price and also did the inspection prior to purchase. This was not a house warming but he brought pies from his bakery-we are blessed by his friendship.

Several other families came whose names are a bit difficult, and we had six college girls with us from the Ban Yea village area, only one of which is a Christian. The other five are from the village of the evil monk so pray for all of us as he invariably will want to spew out hate toward anyone who doesn't worship him.

We had sister Nong and her son who was first saved and told his mother who was saved some time later. We came by a very bad accident last week and it turns out it was Nong's brother's daughter. It was Wednesday so he came to the church to ask us all to pray for his 12 year old daughter who was in the hospital emergency room. She is better now, and this led to her dad also coming last night. Pastor Ekkalak witnessed to Chai but at a certain point felt some resistance and decided to wait for another opportunity to continue which is often the best thing. It turns out that at the very end of the night, Kuhn Mon began to speak with Chai and it again turned toward witnessing.

A few minutes later our sister Mon (great Christian businesswoman), her employee our brother Noi who now believes, recent convert sister Gaay thru Kuhn Mon's testimony, sister Uuan, and me, asked On to lead Chai to the Lord. She did quickly explain the gospel and led him to accept Jesus Christ. What a blessing to be in God's new home here and to be part of seeing God create a new creature!!!!

Rear Window

The view is from our "rear window" in the kitchen. Our neighbor behind us is a nurse and works in the ICU at the local hospital. She has an extra lot for a side yard so we have a view.

This reminds us of two realities here in Thailand: 1) outward appearance is more important than inward 2) Thai people prefer to go around a subject and enter through the rear.

Pray for On's mother, Boonthan, who contracted hives from working in the rice fields and perhaps made more severe by contious use of bettle nut with lime and tobacco leaves. She wants special attention even though nearly fully recovered-appearances, remember.

She is demanding that Na, On's Christian sister who is still recovering from a near death bus accident and 21 day coma, come and "take care of her because she is weak". She wants the "face" of having a daughter come from some distance away to be her maid.

Boonthan doesn't view Na's work as the manager of On's Christian Guesthouse as a job. Until she asked for this job, Na was barely surviving in Bangkok and had been in that situation since her bus wreck years ago.

Na did spend the first four days with her mother, one in the hospital and three at home. We have offered to bring Boonthan to Mukdahan and believe she may come. We pray she feels better and learns who Jesus Christ really is, not just another god to put into her basket of spirits, but the one true God that wants to change her from the inside, not the outside.

On and I are working with Pastor Manoon and his co-laborer and wife, Ua-aree, on how to reach the people of Leong Nok Tha. It has been difficult since there is another pastor involved with a totally different approach. We so appreciate IMB's Mark Caldwell who is moderating the dialogue and working to help these two pastors find God's plan for the lost Thai people.

Pray that Pastor Manoon and Pastor Deng can reach agreement on the activities that God wants us to use to reach the lost, and pray for patience and strength for On and I to be supportive of the process and the activities.

God's miracles surprise us

God is good, and so full of miracles. He gave us Tony to bring us to Mukdahan, and something even better too. On's sister asked if we needed help to move in, so On told her that I was looking for a special person for help. On told her we needed/wanted someone to care of our house while we are here so we can have much more time to witness, and who can keep it open for God's purposes when we are back in the states.

Na then asked if she could apply for that job. We were very surprised since she had been living in Bangkok more than 20 years and never wanted to leave, even when several Isaan pastors had asked her if she would return to her home area to witness to the lost. Their question to Na was who will tell them about Jesus if not you? You might remember that she has been a Christian since early 2005. She is a disciple of Jesus Christ. Her desire to move and to help us is a miracle long in the making. God's time?

We have been able to put our finger on air-conditioners that will be installed in part of the house today, and we have located much of the basic furniture needed to outfit the house so that mission teams of 8 or more can use this house as a Christian guesthouse. Na has been cleaning and cooking for a Christian family in Bangkok so has mastered the basics-On and God will work together on what is missing.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mukdahan%20home&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7DKUS_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

We enjoyed worship on Sunday with our Thai and American friends even with On's headache and a little upset stomach for me. :) Gary and Debbie from the Norman, Oklahoma area are now here as a Master's Couple to work with Tony and us. On and I both felt the need to begin a bible study with the new M's but before we could ask them at church, they asked us.

An American Youth With A Mission (YWAM) team has been working with Pastor Manoon and wife Ua-aree for the past 10 days and have worked in Loeng Nok the last two Sundays. We didn't go there yesterday due to being off our feed, but will work with them Wednesday before they leave this next weekend. Praise God from whom all blessings flow-we expect far too little from God who provides so much more.

In the Love of Christ,Larry & Bangon (On) Seale
119/51 Muang Mai Rd
A. Mukdahan, Mukdahan, Thailand 49000

Tel: 011 6687 692-2763
http://jesuslovesisaan.blogspot.com/
www.facebook.com/larry.seale
www.facebook.com/bangon.seale
www.facebook.com/thai.mission

Eph 3:17 and I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love,
Eph 3:18 so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love.

God's Plan

God brought a guest to breakfast at the Baptist Guesthouse late. On and I stayed to keep her company and found quickly she was not Christian. She worked for Air China out of Beijing and a Christian friend had told her about the guesthouse.

We were able to share the gospel with June for more than 45 minutes. She received it gladly but was still a bit reluctant to accept Christ. She had visited a house church (underground) in Beijing and they had told her all about the rules of our faith. I wonder if those in the house church gave her all 613?

We were able to share God's love which she acknowledged and the two commandents that Jesus gave us: "love the Father with all our hearts" and "love others like our selves". She admitted that Christians are "nice".

We found later she had spent the night at the airport the first night, and had come here and pleaded for a room as she didn't have a room or know anyone. Pray for June.

On and I were able to spend a good part of the late afternoon sharing the gospel with the guard here. He is held back by his committment to a "magic man" and his promise to his mother to spend time as a Buddhist monk. Our battle is spiritual. Pray for these Thais lost in darkness.

We are heavy with suitcases for the move to a house and material for camps. God blessed us since M Tony had to come for a crown and is here with us. We get to drive to Mukdahan with him today and not worry about toting all that luggage to the airport, save a $, and plan our work and yours together!

We pray like this and God answers:
Col 4:3 At the same time also pray for us-that God would open before us a door for the word so that we may tell the secret about Christ, for which I have been imprisoned. Col 4:4 May I reveal it as clearly as I should!

Gotta go as the 5:15 am alarm will ring any minute.

Our love in Jesus

Give Me These 7 Mountains

FINISHING THE TASK – TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
Churches starting spiritual movements everywhere

The Vision
To see every people group in the world with an indigenously led church planting movement

The Process
The FTT vision will be carried out through partnerships of local churches, denominational leaders, church planters, and indigenous mission agencies across the world.

Partner Churches (this is us) will develop partnerships with national churches near the unengaged unreached people groups (UUPG) and plan together how to reach them.

Evangelism, discipleship, and church planting will be carried out primarily by national workers living near the UUPG. They know the culture and the trade languages.

The Core Values
Partnering by Serving
Agencies serve partnering churches who serve national churches who serve local leaders in the UUPGs, indigenously-led Church Planting Movements. Nationals must lead the church planting movements among each people group without creating dependency on outside support.

The Status in Thailand
Less than 2% Christian overall & less than .2 of 2% in Isaan
Many miracles provide evidence that God is working among the Thai people
Restoration of unity of Christian organizations and prayer has led to an awakening that is being called:

My Hope in Thailand – Give Me These 7 Mountains
Christians in Thailand are coming together to fast, pray, and join the Billy Graham Crusade in an event spanning nearly three months leading up to a nationwide revival meeting beginning December 19th that will be televised across the country live on a major TV network. Christians will sponsor home gatherings with the lost to watch the revival together.

We are excited to have been briefed on last night with representatives from Youth With A Mission who are leaders in Thailand and the region (YWAM). The national director of Siam Care (HIV/AIDS) ministry participated as well (Mukdahan is a major location).

7 MOUNTAIN STRONGHOLDS IN THAILAND

(JOSHUA 14:12)

RELIGION

FAMILY

EDUCATION

GOVERNMENT
COMMUNICATIONS

ENTERTAINMENT

BUSINESS

As we asked how we could partner with YWAM, they asked how they could serve us, how they could help us reach lost Thais. We ate together, shared, laughed, cried, and prayed. We are excited to be part of God’s plan!!!

Amazing God Amazing Love

Monday was a day to move our tired minds and bodies 180 degrees due to this time zone earthquake. We were able to talk and share with M(issionaries) from Thailand, India, China, Burma, Cambodia and their beautiful children. We went to the bank for the grease the world moves on, rested, met with On's Christian sister Na and connected by cell phone with friends. One couple was on the way to Conroe, Texas and a slower pace after 16 years in the Philippines -not too long they said except they were over 50 when they arrived from an assignment in Ecuador. One young family was from Dallas. Another had relatives in Tyler, Texas.

The breakfast table was full yesterday here in the Baptist Hospitality Center, and the best part was sharing. We were blessed by a family of 9 from North Carolina who are independent missionaries, self supporting, who work in Isaan; the father is Ben who said he was a dentist when God came into his life and changed him radically-what a sweet man on mission with God. One husband and wife were missing from Monday-they were three blocks away giving birth to new life in a world class hospital. They live in a Chinese state of 67 million people with annual incomes on the farm of $400 per year to the cities of $1,200 per year.

Are you starting to see what you are missing on the other side of this great pond? :)

Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty strength. Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the devil's strategies. Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against a human opponent, but against rulers, against authorities, against cosmic powers in the darkness around us, against evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm.

Pray for God to open the eyes and ears of Thai people that have been closed by these dark powers.

Our love in Jesus Christ