"Notes from our Mission Team, in Thailand since 1991."
"Notes from our Mission Team, in Thailand since 1991."
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Team History & Overview
From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16
Greetings from Bangkok!Spring 2002
Our team was originally made up of 4 couples: Steve and Samantha Allen, Steve and Tina Countryman, Russ and Tracy Pennington, and Tim and Sherry Walter. Most of the members of our team met while in college at Abilene Christian University. Most of us were surprised to find God calling us into overseas mission work. Even though we had participated in numerous mission campaign trips, only two of our team were considering full-time Christian service. The rest of us have degrees in accounting, art, social work, and education. Our sense of God's call on our lives for full time service in missions led to our participation in a one and a half year internship program after our graduation. This internship was an intense missions training program sponsored by the Mid-County Church of Christ in St. Louis, Missouri. Our training included trips to several different countries and it was on one of these visits when God first began to impress Thailand on our hearts. Thailand is a small country, about the size of Texas. Ninety-seven percent of the Thai people are Buddhist. Two percent of the Thai population are Muslim. Less than one percent of the Thai people are Christians of any denomination.
During our training in St. Louis our team came to the realization that the Lord was calling us to Bangkok. We made an initial five year commitment (October, 1991 - September, 1996) and moved to Bangkok in October, 1991. Our first year and a half was spent attending language school. We lived with Thai families during that time which gave us some interesting insights into the Thai culture! We learned to speak and write the tonal language. Children were born into all of our families. In 1993 we moved to a suburb of Bangkok called Thonburi where we currently live and work. We taught English at Siam University, tutored Thai students in English, began sharing the gospel with people in our neighborhoods, and established Siam Church. (Siam is the original name of Thailand.)
At the end of the first term, the Countrymans returned to the US. They continue to work with Asian people and have a ministry to Hmong refugees (the Hmongs are a tribal group from Laos who lived in Thailand for many years before moving to the states) in Minnesota. We appreciate their dedication and devotion to reaching the Hmong people with the gospel and pray God's blessings on their work! The remaining three couples continue to work in Bangkok.
We were blessed to be joined in 2000 by Laura Allen, Steve's older sister, who has made commitment to work with our team through the year 2006 to assist us in the schooling of our children. Laura was a member of a mission team in Connecticut, as well as a teacher there, before she joined us. Her expertise in teaching, combined with her love for the Thai people, and her heart to serve God and see His Name honored, has made her a tremendous addition to our team.
We are also very thankful to be joined by Nick Shores (two year intern in The Forerunner Training School) and Lonnie Holbrook (one year intern in The Forerunner Training School).
Currently, Tim Walter is the Senior Pastor of Siam Church, which is a congregation with approximately 40 members. The vast majority of our members are first generation believers. Growth and maturity have come slowly; raising up leaders has taken time; but just in the past two years we have seen the Thai people stepping into leadership positions within our church. Although the size of our church is small and evangelization has been slower than we would have chosen, we are convicted that the Lord is working mightily to draw people to Himself. Just since our arrival ten years ago we have seen measurable increases in openness, receptivity, and the number of believers around us. Our ultimate goal is to train up Thai pastors and elders to lead this congregation autonomously from missionary help and to start other congregations throughout the country. We feel called to continue our work here in Bangkok until the Lord directs us to leave. We can clearly see the Lord's hand at work in Thailand, and believe that we are seeing the beginning signs of revival. Specifically we feel called to begin planting churches in the northeastern part of Thailand which is where the majoirity of the people in our congregation lived before moving to Bangkok. With this goal in mind our church travels "up country" periodically to share the gospel with the small villages and neighborhoods there. In addition to the establishment of Siam Church our team is involved in the following ministries:
The Thailand New Life Foundation: Directed by Russ Pennington, this ministry has been established to help the poor, the orphans, single mothers, and those with drug and alcohol addictions. Currently we have established one home with Thai houseparents who have been Christians at our church for several years. They are caring for four orphaned children. The children have been living in the home for two years now and the changes in their lives have been dramatic. We are excited about future plans to expand this ministry and look forward to the day when many more abandoned, neglected, and unloved children can be cared for in loving homes by Christian parents.
Outreach to Asia University: Directed by Steve Allen, this ministry has been established to reach the University Students near us with the gospel. Steve has been successful in starting a Christian Club on campus and also forming relationships through assisting the already existing English Club. Visitors and interns often are able share their faith with Univeristy students through these two clubs.
The Forerunner Training School: Directed by Tim Walter, this internship was developed by Siam Church with the purpose of training both Thai leaders and interns from other countries for breakthrough ministries. This includes either beginning new ministries or planting churches. The unique focus of The Forerunner Training School is to equip people with tools that will enable them to minister effectively in the most resistant places, as well as establishing in them a passionate love for and strong relationship with the Lord. Both one and two year internships are available.
The House of Prayer: Since our college days the Lord has impressed upon us again and again the need for prayer. The longer we are in Thailand the greater our realization of this need and the more our hearts are convicted that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms..." Out of this conviction has been born the House of Prayer which, we believe sometime in the future, will operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with Christians from churches all over Thailand. We are beginning with two hours a day, five days a week, and pray the Lord will increase it. The House of Prayer is Directed by Tim Walter. Its three-fold purposes are:
1. To proclaim the worthiness of God. 2. To increase our joy as believers. 3. To expand the Kingdom.Summer In the Son: Directed by Steve Allen, this eight week internship program is hosted by our church every summer. We invite college students from the States to come to Thailand and assist our team in reaching out to University Students. The goal of our team is to help these college students develop a more passionate heart for God and for the lost. We emphasize time with the Lord in prayer and worship in the mornings with outreach in the afternoons.
For the Kingdom,
The Walters, Allens and Penningtons
Thanks for taking the time to read our web site. Take a moment to sign our guest book to let us know you have been here!
Tim and Sherry Walter
Russ and Tracy Pennington
Steve and Samantha Allen
Surface mail:
P.O. Box 111
Phasicharoen
Bangkok, Thailand 10160
011-662-444-3787
'Arise, shine , for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.'
Isaiah 60:1-3
