Dear Melanie
While I was preaching at the opening of the Khok Pho Chay Free Church in Khon Kaen province this past Monday, November 17, I couldn't help but notice a lady in the front row who was absolutely full of joy. She seemed to be drinking in every word. After the service, I had to speak with her to get to know her story Her name is Yuli, and her story silenced me.
Yulia received a Bible at age 12. She read the Bible alone and believed the words she read but lived in isolation for four decades without any other believers or churches near her. She described her life as a long season of waiting for someone to arrive and teach her about Jesus. When our AFT team finally reached her village this year, the soil of her heart was already prepared. She was so excited that somebody actually came to her house to tell her about God of the Bible
Much like the woman at the well in John 4, she is eagerly sharing the Good News with others. She introduced me to her mother and her boss, both of whom have now come to faith because of her witness.
It was an honor to witness the start of this new district church, and an even greater honor to meet a believer who has waited forty years for this very moment. She didn't just join the church; she became a catalyst for it.
This testimony is extraordinary, yet it reflects a wider reality. Down the road and lanes of this nation, our teams meet countless others just like Yuli—hearts that have been waiting years, even decades, for the Good News to arrive in their village.
We ask that you pray for our church planters as they go out daily to find those who are waiting to hear the Good News!
If we don’t go, how will they hear about Jesus?
Blessings,
Dwight & Mary Kay Martin
President of the Association of Free Churches in Thailand
President of the eSTAR Foundation
dmartin@estar.ws
