Updates from Thailand

Graduation from Asia Lutheran Seminary’s Regional Theological Education Program

Celebrating a graduation in Thailand may look different, but it is no less exciting. The churches in Thailand just celebrated the graduation of three evangelists from the Pastoral Studies Institute program run with the assistance of Asia Lutheran Seminary’s Regional Theological Education Program (RTEP). Two of these men will continue their work planting churches in two different nearby villages. The third will help support the ministry of another church in the area. Lord willing, we will see more leaders trained in the future by them!

We thank God for these pastors’ many years of training. We thank God for their many teachers over the years, including, but not limited to, Pastor Robert Meister, Pastor Pheng Moua, and President Jonathan Bare. Ultimately, we thank God for his answer to prayers: “Then [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’ ” These men are God’s answers to this prayer. Let’s thank God that he continues to answer this prayer with a resounding, “Yes! Here they are!”

The Zondags move to Bangkok

Our family recently moved from Chiang Mai to Bangkok—a journey of about nine hours by car. After packing up our belongings, movers transported everything to our new home on the eastern side of the city.

The transition has felt like moving from the outskirts of Green Bay, Wis., to the outskirts of New York City—more people, faster pace, and more complexity. While much has changed, our mission remains the same: to bring grace to all in Asia-Oceania, including those living in Bangkok.

Here are a few reasons that led us here:

1. Around half of Bangkok’s population comes from outside the region.
2. An estimated 30-40 percent of Thai people will live in Bangkok at some point in their lives.
3. Bangkok is home to 11 million people, but only 1.1 percent identify as Christian.

This means many still need to hear about Jesus. And those who come to faith here often carry the message back to their hometowns—potentially spreading the gospel throughout Thailand.

Please pray for us as we settle into our new home, face new challenges, and seek opportunities to share God’s grace with those around us.

Written by Mark Zondag, missionary on the Asia-Oceania Team