Streams of Light Piercing the Dark in Thailand
An Update from Our Team in Northern Thailand
Eighty-eight percent of people in Thailand have not had the opportunity even to hear the Gospel (Joshua Project Website). Our Love for Asia media team has been adding new team members and collaborating with others to create new videos, translate literature, and more! Check out the projects the team has been working on and how God has been working in their ministry.
Written by: Sisitak "Gop" Thyatira and Harvey Steck
Dear friends,
We would like to report to you about the recent work at the Love for Asia studio in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which Jesus for Asia sponsors.
We are thankful to God for His help in many ways. Without God's support through people like you, our work here would likely not exist.
In the past couple of months, we were blessed to have two new staff join our team. Jack Kosin has joined our translation team, and Wit has joined our video team.
Video Department
In our video department, we have aimed to produce at least four series of programs that we post on one of our Facebook pages.
On Friday evenings, we post "Sabbath Manna"—a devotional thought for the Sabbath.
On Sabbath afternoons, we post a children's program related to the Sabbath School lesson.
On Sunday mornings, we post a weekly program in "Lanna Thai" (the northern Thai dialect), filmed by two SDA pastors from northern Thailand.
On Monday mornings, we post a program originally titled "How Do Christians Think?" Some viewers claimed that our title was copying some other video programs, so we changed it to "How Do Adventists Think?" We are especially happy to see the good response and number of views from this series, which systematically presents our Adventist beliefs.
On Wednesdays, we post a short video entitled "Let's Pray." It features a child or older person praying, which gives Buddhists an idea of what Christian prayers are like.
We also post a daily Bible verse.
Our staff is also producing videos in the languages of the Karen and Hmong hill tribes.
We are also experimenting with short videos posted on the TikTok network. Some of these videos have received more than 300 views.
We praise the Lord for the increasing views of many of these programs. At least one of our newer series has had almost 2,000 views, and some of our other programs have had more than 20,000 views. We pray that these programs will be one of God's many methods of encouraging church members and reaching people in darkness.
Recently we were visited by workers from Hope Channel, based near the Adventist university here in Thailand. They shared with us that they really appreciate what we are doing. We were also encouraged when they told us that the cultural video sets that our staff designed for some of our programs inspired them to incorporate more of the local culture in their sets.
Translation Department
Brother Jack Kosin is translating the Bible study guide "Trinity" into Thai. This Bible Study will be used for deeper study for Thai believers.
Wanida is translating Last Day Events into the Hmong language. She's pregnant, and her due date is getting very close!
Baw Baw is translating a book on spiritual life and health into the Karen language.
Sa Sabaithip is reading through the final translation of Our High Calling in Thai.
Our new staff member Jack has experience in translation work, and we are thankful for the progress we have been making since he joined us. In the translation department, our work was going rather slowly because two of our main translators have had increasing administrative responsibilities as the work here in Thailand has been growing.
Our translation staff are producing work in the Thai, Hmong, and Karen languages. In the Hmong language, we are currently working on translations of Steps to Christ and Last Day Events. In the Karen language, we are working on a book that teaches spiritual and health principles. In the Thai language, we are almost finished translating two books that explain how to teach our Adventist beliefs using stories from the Bible. We are also pressing forward with Our High Calling and Man of Peace (a shorter adaptation of the Desire of Ages).
We are also thankful to see a stronger network developing between some of the primary Thai translators here in Thailand, who are scattered in different parts of the country. In the past, each translator has worked independently, and sometimes more than one person is unknowingly working on the same book. In recent months, our Love for Asia staff have been able to help proofread the work of other translators, and we pray that this effort will help all of our projects to move forward to God's glory.
Printed Literature
Jesus for Asia Missionaries have provided two photocopy machines. We keep these machines busy producing small booklets in the Thai and Karen languages, most of which are distributed by Bible workers in villages on both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border. In recent months, we estimate that more than 53,000 booklets have been produced here at the Love for Asia office.
Community Outreach
From time to time, our staff also reaches out to the community in different ways. Several weeks ago, we donated food to one of our local government agencies that helps people in need. More recently, we visited a family in a nearby village requesting help for a newborn baby whose mother is in prison.
We have also informed ADRA here in Thailand that we are available to help with flood relief work.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support for the work here in Thailand,
Your friends at Love for Asia
Please keep the Love for Asia team in your prayers as they continue to produce Christ-centered media for the people of Thailand. If you would like to support their ministry, please click the button below.