Time to Return
It’s time for us to make our yearly return to Thailand to reconnect with our family there. A lot needs to be accomplished in the short time we will be there. We will have a dedication for the new church in Na Khrai. Simeon has been waiting for this for quite some time. There will also be a dedication for another new house on Moses and Yuri’s property. We will be making plans for a new mission house in honor of my dad. We’re excited to begin working on the design for this building. Time will also be spent looking around the Chiang Mai area for new playground equipment to be installed at Gethsemane Home. There will also be a time we will get together with our older Gethsemane children and share an evening to reconnect with them. Many of them are university age and no longer live at the home.
We ask for your prayers that our time in Thailand will be fruitful and God will be glorified.
-Donella
Making Christmas Special
Christmas this year at Antioch Church was held on December 23rd. The church invited several other village churches and some area children’s homes to participate in the celebration. On Saturday afternoon games were played followed by a meal. That evening a worship service was held with a message based on John 3:16. The evening ended with the sharing of gifts. Titus said there were over 220 people in attendance.
The next day, Sunday, they had a harvest celebration, comparable to our Thanksgiving. Joshua, who is a good friend of Titus, preached during the worship service. After the church services, lunch was served before everyone went back home.
A special thanks to Moses and those who helped kill the pig and to Judah and Leah for overseeing all the cooking. Under the Son Ministries also helped make Christmas special at Antioch by supplying funds for food and gifts.
Transforming Lives
On October 13th through 15th, the first youth camp since before Covid was held at Antioch Church. This year’s camp theme was taken from Romans 12:2 with the opportunity for the 53 young students who were in attendance to transform their lives for Christ. The children who attended the camp were from Gethsemane Home, two other area children’s homes, and the village of Huai Pong where Moses and Yuri evangelize. The youth were divided into three groups: red, green, and pink. They rotated between three different teaching stations. The locations of the stations were Antioch church, the dining hall in the multipurpose building, and Moses and Yuri’s house. Games were played, and a total of seven meals were provided during the three-day camp. We’re so thankful to have the facilities and staff to make a camp like this possible.
Na Khrai House Church
As our return to Thailand quickly approaches, we know that the dedication of the new church building at Na Khrai will be one of our priorities. In our last newsletter we mentioned that they still needed to extend the concrete out about one meter around the outside of the building, and that has been done. Since the time the old church building was torn down, most of the functions that were held at the church have been held at Simeon’s house. In the Bible we often read about how the early church met in houses. Not only do the Christians meet in Simeon’s house for worship, but they recently held their harvest and Christmas celebrations there. The new building will be such a blessing for the believers in Na Khrai.
Christmas Homes Tour 2023
Our 7th Annual Christmas Homes Tour took place on Sunday, December 3rd, in Maryville. God gave us a beautiful day with temperatures in the 40s. We again set a new record this year selling 245 tickets! Ticket holders were able to tour four homes that day. A special thank you to Mike and Donna Buffa, Bryson and Bailey Fergison, Eric and Taryn Henry, and Dave and Dana Schmidt for opening up their homes.
This fundraiser has grown every year and has been a great addition to our Under the Son Ministries Educational Fund. With four of our children in university and two in vocational school at this time, these fundraisers are truly a blessing. We are grateful for your support! Mark December 8, 2024, on your calendar for the 8th Annual Christmas Homes Tour. We are already lining up homes you won’t want to miss!
