DOWNLOAD PDF - NOVEMBER 2009 DAHLFREDS PRAYER LETTER

Dear Friends & Family,

This past Friday we started up the kids club in Nong Doan again.  There were only about 20 kids present but that’s to be expected since we hadn’t held any activities for a month.  My missionary helpers were not available and I was glad to have along two young Thai men from the PhraBaht church.  I want to bring them along regularly and make this a discipleship/ministry training time for them.  They have both been Christians for a few years but are quite young in the faith.  One of them, nickname Milk, has agreed to also meet with me once a week to read the Bible together.  We’ll start that up after our family gets back from vacation on the 24th of this month.  I have yet to ask the other fellow, nickname Top, to meet up with me to read the Bible but I hope to do the same with him.  There are a few women in the church that Sun would like to disciple in the same manner but she has not yet approached them.  With two small children at home it will be a bit more challenging for Sun to do this but perhaps one or two of the ladies would be willing to come meet her at our home.  Investing in the lives of individuals like this, and opening the Scriptures with them, will be perhaps one of the best uses of our time here in Thailand during the next 1.5 years until home assignment.

At the PhraBaht church, the church leadership committee has shown new interest in starting a church in Nong Doan.  Interest in church planting among this group rises and falls like the tides, though low tide usually seems to be much longer than high tide.  In any case, a group of Koreans came through last month and helped Pastor Jareun put on a worship concert as an evangelistic outreach.  They did this in Nong Doan and PhraBaht.  Afterwards they gave an offer of financial support to help with church planting in Nong Doan.  Pastor Jareun and the church committee are deciding whether to take them up on the offer and if so, how to use the money.  Renting a small building to start weekly worship and finding a Bible college intern are among the ideas on the table.  There is some merit to each of these ideas although I am not yet sold on either.  Some of the church commitee see the Korean money as a sign from God that now is the time to get serious about starting a church in Nong Doan.  However, it seems that lack of money is not really what is holding the PhraBaht church back from doing church planting.  If there were more Christian maturity, humility, seriousness about the gravity of sin, and commitment to reconciling existing relationships, then this little church could go far.  Yet weakness in all these areas hold it back.  We pray often for the PhraBaht church, that God would do an amazing work in the lives of His people, establishing them firmly in His truth and grace, and thereby enabling them to then go out in evangelism and mission.  Pray for a miracle.

Karl is rushing through his last language module and will have a language check on Nov 26th before his Year 3 exam on Dec 3rd.  I might need to do some Thai study while on vacation. We are also preparing for some Christmas outreaches in our neighborhood and in Nong Doan next month.

Sun continues to feel better and baby Caitlin is healthy, well, and gaining plenty of weight.  And sleeping fairly well!  Praise God!  Thank you for praying with us and for us, and for the Thai people.

by Christ’s grace,
Karl & Sun Dahlfred


PRAYER POINTS

• sufficient time for Bible reading and prayer
• New routines and balance between family and ministry
• Solid finish as Karl wraps up formal language studies
• God to grow the PhraBaht church in Biblical maturity
• Short termer Brent visiting other ministries while we are away
  

PRAISES

• Sun’s feeling increasingly “normal” again after birth
• Missionary Rene & Thai helpers will run the kids club while we are on vacation 10-24 Nov
  

CALENDAR

11/5         OMF Prayer Meeting
11/8         Karl preach PhraBaht church
11/10-24   Family Vacation
11/25       Sun video shoot
11/26       Karl language check