SPOTLIGHT ON MISSIONS: Brandon & Brittney Lingle • Thailand

Greetings from Sisaket Thailand! After an exhausting but exciting month, we are finally settling into our new location. Wifey said it was time to do a newsletter. She’s right. We are thankful for everyone who has been praying for our transition and supporting us. Here are some updates:

• Grace Kantharalak Church — Our first Sunday here was Easter Sunday. On another Sunday, we had guests visit us, and since we are a new church plant, our guests doubled our size. It’s exciting and a joy to have visitors. Jay and I are taking turns preaching and leading worship. We all recently decided on the church name “Grace.” We are thankful that projects with the building are starting to slow down, and we can focus on more important things. We hope to finish the outside of the building this week and put up a sign for the church. Even though the sleepless nights with a newborn are real, it’s good to work with our hands and let the kids “help.” We are thankful the Lord provided this building to live in and use as a place for the church to gather.

• New Helper/Thai teacher — Our family has been blessed to have Jen teach our kids Thai for the past four years. When people ask, “How did your kids learn Thai?,” we just point at her. She has recently moved back to Northern Thailand to be with her family and soon-to-be husband. We have all missed her, especially Joy. She has been with Jen since birth, and we consider her like family. Another adjustment our family has made this month is Ning taking Jen’s place. Ning is one of the believers here at the church. We are so thankful she wanted to come help teach our kids. She is doing a great job, and the kids love her!

• Jay’s Internship — The plan is for Jay to continue his internship at least until the end of this year. We are not sure right now, but Lord willing, he will be the pastor of this new church someday. I have been encouraged by Jay and his internship. He has shown humility in pursuing a greater knowledge of God and sharing what he is learning with his family, friends and church. Seeing God’s grace at work in his life is a joy.

I’m thankful for a partner in ministry that sharpens me and is a joy to work alongside. Pray the Lord would continue to provide for him and his family’s needs, and that the Lord would grow him into a humble and strong leader for the Thai church. May the Lord send more people to our new little church so that we can equip them for ministry. Thank you for praying for men like Jay who follow God’s leading even when family thinks it’s foolish. He is encouraged when I tell him people back in America are praying for him. God is good! Thank you to those who are praying. That is the most important work in Missions.

• Visiting Border and Temple — Where we live now is only a 30-minute drive to the Cambodian border. We didn’t cross the border, but we were high up on a mountain and could see straight across. We took a friend there and we were stunned by the beautiful view. Nature there was beautiful, but sin nature wasn’t. On the side of this mountain were many golden idols, and we were reminded again of how the majority of people here worship them. I have been thinking of God’s grace a lot lately. If it weren’t for Him, we would all be worshiping something other than our Creator. I am thankful for our opportunities to share the gospel here. I am praying for many more and that many would turn from these statues to the Savior.

• City Center — The center of the city we live in now is a daily reminder of how the worldview is centered on making merit and hoping it’s enough in the end. A Thai friend recently told me, “You know what I like about Christianity? Your God grants forgiveness of sins. That would be so wonderful.” Pray with us that they would put their trust in Him and experience how truly amazing that grace is.

Pray for us as we continue to settle in and meet people. We hope to have our church sign up soon and on Google Maps because people we have met ask where it is. Pray for Jay and me as we continue laying the foundation of this new church. The foundation is Christ, and studying through the Gospel of Mark with our people has been a joy. Pray that God’s Spirit will move in the hearts of the people here so they will turn to Him. Pray for Jay and his wife, Tee. Last night, she had to be rushed to the hospital to have her appendix removed.

Join us in praising God for the living/ministry space, for visitors and encouragement we have had during a challenging time, and for our faithful supporters. Lord willing, we will see some of you face-to-face toward the end of the year. We are planning to make a trip to America from October to December.