Have you ever been told, "the longer you have to wait for something, the more you will appreciate it when it finally arrives"? This was the case for LHM's Thailand ministry center when it celebrated its 25th anniversary Nov. 11 - approximately one year after its official anniversary date. The original anniversary celebration was scheduled for November 2016, but was postponed due to the death of the Thai king a few weeks before the event.
This year's celebration dinner was attended by nearly 200 donors and supporters of the ministry. The event began with a time of worship and special songs and dances performed by ministry partners followed by Rev. Dr. Douglas Rutt, LHM's director of international ministries, sharing a message based around the anniversary theme of "Thank the Lord for He is Good." LHM President & CEO Kurt Buchholz provided an overview of LHM's worldwide work and Gunya Na Thalang, LHM's regional director for Asia and the original director of LHM-Thailand, thanked donors for their continued support.
"I feel joy and give thanks to God that we have been able to continue doing ministry for so many years without opposition," says Monta "Boom" Ekwanit Denow, LHM's director in Thailand. "I'm also thankful for the leaders and staff in our St. Louis headquarters who provide encouragement, prayers, and financial support and for our advocacy board, radio speakers, and staff who work so hard."
LHM-Thailand primarily concentrates on using mass media technologies to proclaim the Gospel to the Thai people and to support local churches and LCMS missionaries in their evangelism efforts. LHM's work is rapidly expanding out of Bangkok into the central, southern, and northeast portions of Thailand. According to staff members, there is great potential for bringing the Savior to millions of Thai people who don't yet know Him since the government and people are currently quite open-minded and receptive to this message.
The ministry has impacted thousands of people through its outreach activities over the last 25-plus years, but Denow says two memories immediately come to mind.
"We assisted victims of the December 2004 tsunami by providing kitchen supplies, life jackets, transistor radios, and fishing boats," she says. "We then worked together with two local Lutheran pastors and church members who continued doing follow-up activities with the victims. As a result, 35 people who received our help were baptized.
"I also remember how God used our radio ministry with a man who listened to our broadcasts on a transistor radio while selling ice cream from his motorcycle," says Denow. "He told us that he learned about God from our programs and he never felt alone while he was listening because He knew that God was with him. He got baptized and is now very active in his church."
We give thanks to God for blessing our work in Thailand and pray that He will continue to show us the
way toward the accomplishment of His mission.