Thursday 9 September 2010

latest news update

Child Sponsorship Program
This month will be the third month that we will be helping 18 children in the Burmese community with
the cost of attending school. Thank you so much to those of you who have contributed to this. We
believe that this is a small step towards big change in the community. We would like to see the kids stay in
school – and while we cannot make that decision for their families, we believe that helping to lift the
financial burden will help the parents to make the decision to keep them in school for longer. This past
week we were astounded when a donation came in for three children’s school fees from someone who had never met us, or them, and just happened to read about what we are doing on our website. Sometimes we feel like we are alone in this fight for the kids, but when we hear stories like the man who just read about what we are doing and gave, we remember all of you, and so many more, who belong to the same Christian family as the kids in our Sponsorship Program. Please continue to remember our small group of kids in your prayers and if you would like to help them financially (only US$30 per child per month).

Teams

During the month of August, we had a team of volunteers with us. It is always wonderful to see how the ministry opportunities just open up when we have more people helping us. The team spent a large amount of time in the Burmese community, not only with the kids, but also with the moms. We had a very special time together on Thai Mother’s Day.


We also had the opportunity to return to the local prison with the team – this time to teach the Bible. The prisoners who had invited Jesus into their hearts on previous visits took communion for the first time. The team also purchased a guitar for the group of prisoners that will gather together to worship.
We hope for many more opportunities to take teams into the prison.
   
                          


Family
Our family is excited to announce that this coming April, Noiy will be taking on the position of Central Region
Director of YWAM Thailand. This is a decision that we have prayed and sought council about for many months. Thank you to those of you who prayed along with us, encouraged us and shared your thoughts with us –we appreciate each one of you and are so grateful that we have such a large family that we can trust. If you would like to see more about the region that we are involved in, please go to the YWAM Thailand website – click on locations, and then central region to see all 5 provinces with their different ministries.
This does not mean that we will stop the work that we are doing in Ratchaburi. We will continue to live here and do what we were doing, but will also have added responsibilities with the new role. We will be doing a lot more travelling to visit ministries in other provinces. Something that we are praying about is possibly selling our family vehicle and purchasing a new one to help with the travels. Our vehicle has done us well in and around Ratchaburi, but some of the places that we will be travelling will be quite far out and we are concerned that our little car may not be so reliable off the beaten track. We have been looking around and the second hand cars that would best suit our needs are all around 350 000Baht (US$11 000). At the moment this is just something we are praying about as we don’t have a cent towards another vehicle. Please pray along with us and if you feel you would like to contribute towards this need – please let us know.
Something else that we are praying about is a trip to South Africa in Feb/March 2011. It’s been a while since we have been back to South Africa and we have planned a slightly longer trip this time in the hope that we can catch up with more of you. We are also hoping to be able to spend some time sharing about what God is doing here in Thailand in some churches/cell groups/youth groups – so if you would like to have us come to yours, please let us know and we will see if we can arrange it.
Naomi turned one this past week and Daniel is now almost 2 and a half. They are bundles of energy most of the time but they keep each other entertained quite nicely these days – making life slightly easier for Mom and Dad. We love watching them grow and look forward to see what new things they will learn each day. In Thailand, most children start school at the age of 3. As Daniel will turn 3 before the next school year begins, we have begun to pray about where he will attend school. There are not that many options in Ratchaburi, but we trust that God has the right place and timing for Daniel as He has placed us here. Please pray for wisdom for us as we consider this decision.
Blessings
The Prommathat family
Noiy, Bronwyn, Daniel and Naomi