Thank you for praying with me during my November-December trip to Thailand!
Debby and I had a wonderful time relaxing on some beaches in Thailand during our holiday rest days. I especially appreciated swimming/snorkeling around an island and sailing a catamaran out into the Andaman sea. Our time with Evangelical Friend’s Mission’s Worldwide Missionary Gathering held in Chiang Mai was an excellent and encouraging time. I enjoyed connecting with our missionaries from all over the world. Debby and I participated in the first gathering in 2013, and it was wonderful to be there together again.
I especially want to share on my last week of coaching up in Chiang Rai with our wonderful Discipling for Development team with The Way Foundation (TWF). Scott Purser and I felt God leading us to focus on team building and helping Yosapa lead his D4D team well. We want Yosapa to lead by not doing everything himself, by relying on the strengths of others and by delegating responsibilities. BUT, three days before we were to begin coaching he tested positive for COVID-19 and stayed at home recovering. Who were we going to coach if our main leader was out? We are grateful he had a mild case and was able to recover quickly. On Tuesday we met outside at David and Marilyn Kibbe’s house were Yosapa could sit masked and away from us. The cool thing is that his teammate, Manat, hosted us and participated actively in all our coaching. Yosapa was with us for our last two days of coaching on Thursday and Friday. We saw Manat come alive by the way he answered questions, asked questions, and described the purpose for our key vision casting lessons. He showed a high level of understanding and ownership of his D4D ministry. Yosapa has an amazing team and was able to see Manat, MaoPa, and Jabo shine. God helped us reach our goal of developing Yosapa’s team leadership better than we could have figured out.
Julie did an amazing job translating for us between English and Lahu. We especially appreciated being able to connect well with Jabo and MaoPa and their wives. They are the D4D leaders as well as the local pastors in the two villages we are working in. They finished with a clear understanding of where we are, and the next steps ahead.
This was one of the “most interesting,” or “most difficult/unsure,” coaching times as we went into the week, but I felt like it was also one of our best coaching weeks as we finished. God is so faithful to lead us well. I also appreciate coaching with Scott Purser (Navigators D4D) who is able to ask excellent questions. I appreciate his different perspective from mine. We make a good D4D team.
Last June we helped the families of The Way Foundation team discover the “Curriculum” of the ten key subject areas and issues they want to be discipled in. They have been using their Monday, whole team meeting time to disciple each other in the priority first three subject areas on this list. It was encouraging to hear testimonies of growth, including greater interest in God’s word through establishing daily reading habits and monthly financial needs met as a couple tithed first thing in the month before paying for their normal monthly expenses.
Join with us in praying for David Kibbe (“Grandpa” to many) as he had a rough bought with COVID-19. Pray that his lungs and body fully recover and that he regains his weight and strength. David and Marilyn have a valuable ministry discipling, mentoring, and coaching leaders of TWF, and David is currently focused on the important task of training up teachers for the Pastor and Evangelist Training- PET-(a two-year discipleship training course that he and Chalee developed and with which they are training many Lahu leaders).
Thank you for praying with us! Your prayers make a difference! I am grateful for your support!
David Thomas