Discipling for Development trip – Thailand, Jan 7 – Jan 18, 2025
David and Debby spent the Christmas holidays in Thailand with their daughter Alandra. She is teaching for a year in South Korea. They visited her in Incheon and then brought her to a warm climate for the holidays. Debby returned home, and David joined Scott Purser on January 9.
What is going well with our Lahu, Thailand Discipling for Development team?
- Yosapa loves building relationships in the village. He has a great relationship with his wife, Abba, and their two sons. A lot of our success comes from his ministry over the years, especially discipling and mentoring MaoPa as he disciples new believers and pastors the new local church in JaSoPa.
- Mana chose a good wife. He is smart and likes to study and prepare lessons.
- Scott Purser & Ronald Mazune coached our D4D team well on two trips in 2024. Ronald is from Uganda and has a lot of experience. His participation during my sabbatical has been valuable.
Local JaSoPa village pastor, MaoPa (maroon shirt), washing his wife, Eme’s, feet, and Yosapa (D4D team leader) (grey shirt) washing his wife, Abba’s, feet. This is part of one of the lessons they have been teaching on how to have a healthy, God-honoring marriage.
Join us in praying for:
- Pray for unity on our D4D Team, especially between Yosapa and Mana.
- Yosapa leads through building relationships in the community. He loves to visit and join people in the fields or at whatever they are working at. He is practical and “hands-on.” He struggles with long-term planning and preparing lessons.
- Mana is more intellectual and can do well with lesson planning. Pray for him to grow in trusting God, in rejoicing, and in working well with Yosapa, his leader.
- Discipling in the Village of JaSoPa with marriage lessons.
- Pray for Christ’s transformation in the lives of these new believers, especially in their marriages. Pray for each couple to gain the specific insight they need to apply in their marriage relationships that will lead to growth.
- Pray for insight and thriving for MaoPa and Eme (the pastors) in their marriage.
How can we help the Thailand D4D project finish well within the next 1-2 years?
- Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” I am reminded how dependent on God we are for success. In Discipling for Development, we use key discipleship, coaching, facilitation, and community development skills, and we operate within well-reasoned and practiced Biblical principles. We do our best, and we depend on the Lord of the Harvest to multiply our effectiveness “way beyond all that we can ask or imagine!” Pray for God’s wisdom and favor to rest on us and on our Lahu brothers and sisters!
JaSoPa village families participating in D4D show the priority list of themes they plan to study, believing as they work through these areas using the Bible and a problem-solving process they will begin to move out of poverty and improve their lives. This priority list is what we will be discipling them through in the next couple of years ahead.
Thank you for joining us in prayer on this trip!
David Thomas
English (United States) 
Spanish