This year, Thailand opened up the country to welcome more tourists from all over the world. Airports have become busy, hotels have had more guests, and many shops and restaurants reopened. Schools are filled with students again, and churches hold in-person services. People are happy to be able to see each other again in person. The rainy season will end in September; however, many areas of the county have faced heavy rain and floods this past month. Many schools, churches and businesses were affected by the flood.

As for Myanmar, the country is still under a high degree of lockdown. It is still struggling with conflict, the pandemic and poverty. The number of refugees keeps increasing. Many children are facing difficulty getting to school as well. The schools are not safe in some places. Quite a number of students tried to go to other countries to study. Unfortunately, it is not easy for them to get a student visa in many countries. The inflation of goods and currency has made life in Myanmar more challenging. Myanmar needs more of our prayers.

Pastor equipping ministries

Thailand Bethel Theological Institute has 18 graduates and 13 new students this year. The new semester started in May, and the students who live in Thailand could join the courses at the campus. However, about 50% of the students are still joining online courses since the border remains closed, and they cannot return to campus. I have finished teaching a 2-week intensive course during the first semester. There were 51 students in the class both in campus and online. Some of the teachers and students were infected with Covid-19 recently. This new school year is full of challenges. However, TBTI is determined to keep moving forward despite the obstacles.

Lahu ministries
A new church building was established successfully in one of the Lahu villages. This is the sixth church building built with the support from the mission project. Rev. Thaw Thu and the team have made several trips to the villages in the mountain area to provide free medical care for villagers and shared the Gospel with them. One of the villagers who received the medical treatment shared that he could not access medical care before that because there was no clinic or hospital in his village. He needs to travel to the town to see a doctor, but he can’t afford the travel and medical expenses. He was very happy to know Rev. Thaw Thu and his team were coming to their village to provide free medical treatment to the villagers. He is getting much better after receiving medical care from Rev. Thaw Thu, and he is very grateful. Jesus cared for the poor and sick people when he came to this world. He healed them and saved them. We shall continue to carry on Jesus’ ministry to embrace this broken world.

Support for underprivileged children
We partnered with Chen Guang and Zheng Zhu student centers to support 16 children from remote areas in Myanmar. The schools in Thailand and Myanmar started the new school year in May. Children went to school to meet their friends and join the lessons in person. Children are happy to be able to go to school, but at the same time, they are also facing the challenge of getting infected with Covid-19. Some of the children in the center tested positive with Covid-19, but fortunately, the symptoms were very mild, and they got better quickly. The pastors and teachers in the center guide and help the children to grow physically and spiritually in the centers.

New project
We are going to start running a new project in Myanmar this year. We are excited to work with our new partner Ps. James in Yangon. This project is to support training women in the region to sew. The project aims to empower women to be equipped and able to make an income to support their own families. In these few years, the unemployment rate in Myanmar is getting higher. As a result, people’s life is getting harder. Women in the region have fewer opportunities to find a job. This project is to support the women to learn sewing skills so they can work at home or in a factory.

We are looking forward to see how God will work through this project to bless the women in Myanmar.

My family has experienced some changes this year. My daughter has started her first year of secondary school. She was excited and happy to be able to step into the campus and make new friends. My husband and I have finally received our long-term visa in Thailand. This has made our life easier. I have decided to continue my part-time study for ThM degree this year and was accepted by the seminary. I will start to take online courses in September. This is to equip me to serve God and the local people better in teaching ministries. But it is also a new challenge for me. I believe God will guide and strengthen me as He always has. Our family is also planning a trip to Canada this coming October. We are still in the process of applying for visas. Hopefully, we will be able to make it happen and will have a chance to meet and share with Canadian churches.

• Please remember Myanmar in your prayer; let’s lift this country up in prayer to God’. Pray that God’s mercy and peace will come upon this situation of unrest.
• Please pray for teachers and students in TBTI, especially those who test positive for Covid-19 and are struggling with symptoms. Pray for God’s healing and protection to be upon them.
• Please pray for education in Thailand and Myanmar. Pray that the children in the communities will be able to study in a good and safe place.
• Please pray for the pastors who serve in the remote Lahu villages to have strength and wisdom.
• Please pray for our new project this year. May God use this project to bless the local churches and women in need.
• Please pray for me as I need to manage my time to fulfil my ministries and my study.
• Please pray for our Canada visa application process.

Thank you so much for your willingness to partner with me in God’s mission.

Your mission partner,
Lilian Yang