DOWNLOAD PDF - JULY 2016 DAHLFREDS PRAYER LETTER 

Dear Friends & Family,

The worst of the hot season has passed, and our family is enjoying the cooling rains of rainy season, despite some flooding in our road and an occasional leak in our kitchen roof.

After the school year ended at BBS in June, we were able to get away for a family vacation in June for a couple weeks. I (Karl), however, took the first week of that vacation to do some Thai church history research in the archives at Payap University in Chiang Mai.  I am honing in on a research topic in hopes of applying for a Ph.D program to begin some time after our home assignment in the States next year (Feb-Aug 2017). The school where I teach, Bangkok Bible Seminary, has encouraged me to pursue a Ph.D and I would like to do so because the knowledge gained would enhance my teaching in Thailand in the long-term. I’ll let you know if there are any major developments on this front. Please pray that God would grant wisdom and guidance to us in this matter so that the way forward is clear.

Positive Feedback on Thai Catechism

In our last prayer letter, I told you about the new Thai Christian Catechism that my co-worker Dr. Natee and I have written. Initial response from Thai Christians has been positive with comments like, “It is easy to read” “That is really clear.” Kanok Bannasan has been selling the catechism and reports that sales have been good, with many individuals, some churches, and at least one bookshop ordering copies. Dr. Natee is teaching through the catechism at church, with the videos posted online in hopes of other churches benefitting as well. If interested, you can find them on YouTube by searching for “Grace City Bangkok Thai Catechism"  

  DOWNLOAD PDF - MAY 2016 DAHLFREDS PRAYER LETTER 

Dear Friends & Family,

Greetings from the largest sauna in the world!  April temperatures in Thailand reached a 65 year high, with the “feels like” temperature reaching into the 110s ºF.  We have air conditioning in our bedrooms, but last month was still fairly miserable.  This month we are praising God for slightly “cooler” temperatures.

Introducing the new Thai Christian Catechism

For the past couple of years, I have been working together with Dr. Natee (pastor, Grace City Bangkok church) and Mr. Chaiyasit (elder, New City Fellowship Church in eastern Bangkok) to write a new catechism in Thai for Thai Christians.  I believe that the question and answer format of catechisms can be a very useful teaching tool to help people grasp the Christian faith, but translations of Western catechisms like Westminster and Heidelberg end up sounding clunky and unnatural in Thai.  For that reason, the three of us have written a new Thai Christian Catechism from the ground up, borrowing from Westminster at times, but organizing the catechism differently and covering slightly different ground in terms of what is included or not included, and how it is expressed, seeing as 17th century Britain is different from 21st century Thailand.  We wanted a biblically faithful and accurate catechism, that is readable and accessible for modern Thai Christians.  I hope we have accomplished that.  The catechism has been privately published with assistance from Kanok Bannasan, and our church will be teaching through the new catechism over the next several months.  It will also be available for purchase through Kanok Bannasan, and we hope that other churches will find it useful in giving their church members a solid foundation in the Christian faith.  Pray that this new Thai Christian Catechism will be a blessing to many people. 

  DOWNLOAD PDF - MARCH 2016 DAHLFREDS PRAYER LETTER 

Dear Friends & Family,

Thanks for continuing to pray for us.  I want to update you briefly on Grace City Bangkok church and Kanok Bannasan, and then share a bit of what is ahead for us.

Growth for New Believers and Church Re-Planting

In the past 6 months or so, we have had 3-4 people profess faith in Christ at Grace City but it seems that 2 or 3 of them are rather shaky in their faith, wavering between Christ and the world.  Please pray for them to become firmly grounded in Christ, and for wisdom for church leadership and members in following up with them, encouraging them in the right way.

Our church plant has also undertaken a bit of an experiment in church planting.  Another church in the city, Covenant Church, has been struggling for quite some time, unsure of how to go forward as it has been dealing with multiple issues and challenges.  After consultation between our 2 churches, Covenant Church has come to worship with Grace City church for year as a “sabbatical year” when they can rest, and learn how to grow into a Gospel-centered congregation, with better structures in place for membership and leadership.  In a year’s time, we hope to spin this group from Covenant Church out again into a church re-plant. Pray that the group from Covenant Church will be firmed up in their faith and learn more about what it means to be a church during this year.