Five
years ago we made a remarkable trip into a remote jungle area of Thailand. Village after village told us
we were the first foreigners to come to their village. The villagers hand dug a
46 kilometer trail into this remote area. Our first trip in was only accessible
by motorcycle. The next trip in we were able to squeeze a truck through the
treacherous path. Sheer drop offs only inches away were a constant reminder of
the freshly dug path. Rocks would tumble down the mountainside as we inched
along the trail.
The
Occasion...the dedication of Huey
Mana Church;
a beautiful teak wood church planted and constructed by our evangelism team.
The event itself was a bit subdued and it became obvious that "not all
the natives were friendly!" We found out that day that not everyone
gets excited about a new church. Only a handful of folks had come to Christ in
this predominantly animist village where spirit worship and animal sacrifice
was the common practice.
Miracles
Abound....our second outreach was a medical mission that became an
historic turning point for this region. Word spread from village to village
that a medical clinic would be conducted. The sick came....some walking days to
get there. Never in 23 years of ministry in Thailand
have we seen such a sick and afflicted bunch of people. The medicines we
brought were somewhat of a joke for the conditions we encountered. Surgeries
and in some cases amputations were more in line with what was needed.
God
Thrives On Impossible Situations....deep in the jungle that day we
treated the villagers with the simple medications we had brought. More
importantly, we introduced them to the Great Physician! We layed hands on every
villager believing God for the miraculous. To the glory of God, hundreds of
villagers received miraculous healings. In fact, every single person that
visited the clinic was healed. Word spread like fire, but it was not about the
"medicine." Instead, the villagers glorified God for their healings.
Five
Churches Already Planted In This Remote Region...for five years our
evangelist have been working this region. We also send short term mission teams
in every year. We have found over 50 villages in this isolated region. A
transformation is taking place as the Gospel brings life and healing to these
precious people.
Highlights
of the September River Trip....once again we journeyed
into this remote region. Landslides had rendered the roads impassible so we
took boats up the river. After three hours by boat we trekked in further to Ah-wi-jo
Village. The villagers were a bit
awestruck as most of them had never seen a foreigner before. We gathered around
a solar powered light that evening sharing the Gospel and singing praises to
God. The villagers opened their hearts and asked us about "our world."
It was quite an experience
realizing that most of these
villagers had never been out of this remote area and were relatively untouched
by the outside world. The next morning we conducted a clinic for Ah-wi-jo and
surrounding villages. Hundreds came to be ministered to....their hearts were
opened to the Gospel.
Four
Hours of Trekking To KhawThaa Village: Slipping, sliding, crossing rivers and
pulling off blood sucking leaches....it was a great trip! After hours of hiking,
verses like,
"Go
ye into all the world and preach the Gospel" and
"How beautiful on the mountains are the
feet of those that publish the good news" just seem to make more sense.
Through the pain and discomfort of our journey I really sensed the presence of
God and His "nod of approval!" It just seemed that this is what
Jesus would do.
A
Village Transformed....this was our second trip to Khaw
Thaa Village.
What a contrast from the first trip there. We saw the power of the Gospel at
work. Three hours by boat and four hours walking....we were deep in the jungle.
It was here that we encountered a vibrant group of Christians that worshipped
God and prayed with a vibrancy that was truly impressive. Another
transformation was the health conditions in the village. On the previous visit
to this village there was not a toilet in the village. Health conditions were
poor. LWMI launched a project to build toilets for every house. The result was
a remarkable difference in the health and hygiene of the villagers.
A
Gospel Lighthouse....as we ministered to the precious villagers at Khaw
Thaa Village
they shared with us about more villages deeper in the jungle. Villages are
being influenced by what is happening in Khaw
Thaa Village.
Invitations stand to go deeper and deeper into this region to share the Gospel
in village after village.
Jesus'
Words Ever Ring True... "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His
harvest."
Thank you for your part in this
ministry. It is an absolute privilege for us to represent you in foreign
missions. Together we are making a difference in the lives of people.
God Bless You Richly!
Charlie and Cathy Milbrodt
PS:
The refugee
outreach is going wonderful. We are making a food drop every two weeks. We will
continue to do so as long as we have funds. We had an organization donate a
large amount of clothing. We will be picking that up soon and hope to
distribute in November prior to the onset of colder weather.
