IMB missionaries Quintin and Kim Ratliff recently learned of a large area in Lamphun, a city in Northern Thailand, where there are no known believers. The Ratliffs say short-term teams play a pivotal role in introducing the gospel to new areas like Lamphun.
Volunteers from Westport Road Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, recently traveled to partner with the Ratliffs and IMB journeyman Mariah Barley, who is a member of Westport Road Baptist. Together, they hosted an English camp in a school in Lamphun. In their days at the school, the team shared Bible stories, supervised craft times, and taught games.
After volunteers shared a Bible story about Jesus, a Thai student told the team she wanted to look up videos about Jesus on YouTube.
“Other students were very open and said they wanted to be in heaven with God,” Quintin said.
As the week went on, the volunteers weren’t the only ones talking about Jesus.
“I walked out into the hallway to see a student telling the story of Jesus healing the paralytic to one of his teachers,” Mariah said. “That was such a sweet moment to see that the students not only remembered the story but also were excited to share the story with others.”
The team expressed how moved they were that they got to share the gospel with students who had never heard the name of Jesus.
“Many seeds were planted, and hearts began to open to the gospel message,” Quintin said.
Two IMB journeymen and a Thai Christian make frequent visits to the school to continue building relationships and sharing the gospel.
The IMB team is praying that a local Thai church will come alongside them in their ministry efforts in the school and in Lamphun. The province is home to around four hundred thousand people. Only 1.2 percent of Thais are Christians. Buddhists in Thailand account for 94.6 percent of the population. IMB missionaries and Christians in Thailand are praying these percentages will soon change.
Join the team in praying for the students and teachers in Lamphun to commit their lives to Christ. Pray nearby churches will respond to the call to partner in ministry in this school.
Check out our list of opportunities for you and your church to partner with IMB missionaries in Thailand and around the world.