"Irons in the Fire"

Had a friend email me this morning and ask, "So, How'd it GO?" "How was your first service, How was the Thai language?" In the midst of so many "irons in the fire", I had not been able to update everyone on our activities. So I wanted to share with you, what I wrote.

We have met twice now for worship in Mae Sai. Both have gone great.

We had 12 people on our first Sunday. Of course 6 of those were our family, but that means that 6 of them were not!!! Yeah!! I was really nervous about teaching in Thai. I have never done that before, and reading the text proves to be very difficult. Especially when you read it in front of people But never mind that, they were all very forgiving. I think they understood the message also. The real challenge is that spoken language and "Bible" language are very different. There are lots of concepts in religion and Christianity that are not part of everyday language. I translated for myself, because we had an American friend come also. We taught about beginnings from John 1. I am very encouraged to know that God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and His Word, were all present at the beginning and remain even through today, to teach, and empower us to live and work. It is my prayer, that we will keep this at the forefront or our minds and work as we start a church here.

Meeting at the city park was interesting. We had a number of curious onlookers. My hope is that these onlookers might one day join us, rather than simply stand by and watch. Of course, after we finished, the kids played on the playground and had lots of fun.

The second week, we had 10 people. We are talking to lots of folks in the community, and trying to invite people. We obviously get a wide variety of responses ranging from welcoming, to fear, to obvious pressure and discomfort. We are trying to keep the format open so that anyone can come and feel comfortable (Buddhist, Islam, or Christian). We will let God take care of the rest. We have interviewed a man who graduates from seminary in Bangkok next month. He will intern with us in April and May. I am praying about either him or someone like him coming to serve here as a pastor. Long term we need a Thai pastor who we can disciple, train, and equip to do the task that God has called him to do. Be praying for that with us.

Everyone here is doing well. The kids got their grade reports yesterday and had all A's so I am very proud. Pattie is doing well teaching, and will be expanding and developing the math/science department to include an IT-Infrastructure course next year.

The Dairy Farm project is a crucial activity in the establishment of Narrow Gate Asia in North Thailand. As I talk to pastors, missionaries, and others about the need for self-sustainable / income producing projects performed in conjuntion with the local church, everyone gets very excited. One pastor from Malaysia expressed it this way,

"The church in Asia is quite large when you look on a world wide perspective. But, it is relatively weak because it relies on support from external resources. The concept of using projects like Narrow Gate Farm and Dairy to produce an income for church planting and support of pastors, is going to be the key to making the Asian Church self sustainable and reproducible in the future."

We are still working on finding land for the farm. I hope to negotiate something this week, but long term leases are very difficult and expensive. We purchased a "farm" truck last week. Its age is more than all my kids combined, but it looks pretty good and will serve us well in the field. I am still praying that we can start land and pasture development soon, so that we are in before rainy season starts. This will put cows on the farm in August or September. Lots of little steps though in the mean-time.

We continue to praise the Lord for his witness in our lives, for provision of servants to work along side us, and for the land, start up capital, and livestock that He WILL provide, as we seek to plant His church South East Asia.

Thank you and God Bless.

PRAYER REQUESTS -

* Pray for our Sunday Worship time this week.
* Pray God will provide the land for Narrow Gate Farm and Dairy.
* Pray for financial resources to begin construction of Farm facilities and Pasture.
* Pray that God will call national partners to join and lead our projects in North Thailand.
* Pray for our short term (individual and group) volunteers who are coming to Thailand to serve this summer.
* Pray for God to call out two long-term singles or couples to serve in the English and Evangelism ministries of Narrow Gate Asia for one or more years.
* Pray the God's Kingdom will come and His Will be done at Narrow Gate Asia.

To Become a Narrow Gate Asia Partner
Send Letters and Tax Deductible Contributions to:

Narrow Gate Asia
P.O. Box 260270
Plano, TX 75075 USA

Contact us on Facebook, or at info@narrowgateasia.org

Thank you for your prayers and support,
In His Grip
Harry and Pattie