Mong lies on a tiny bamboo bed for 24 hours a day. His head has a normal size, but for the rest he has a miniature body that he can hardly use.  So it is not miraculous that for years on end Mong was depressed. But the miracle is that this is no longer the case! Mong lives in Kaeng Khro, an Isaan district with over 90.000 people. A Thai YwaM team shared the Gospel with him, and he came to the Lord. Recently during an evangelistic outreach in his village some other people also expressed interest in the Gospel.

This week I visited Mong and his relatives. I explored whether Kaeng Khro would be a good place for a new church planting project.  I am looking for places that the Lord has prepared for Gospel proclamation. For there are five different OMF missionary couples who are preparing to move to Isaan to start church planting in 2010. There is not a single Protestant church in Kaeng Khro. The interest of Mong and his relatives seems a God-given opportunity to plant a church in this unreached district.

After visiting Mong I surveyed the rest of the district. To my surprise, I found a church building. People told me that once this church had dozens of members, but because of lack of leadership there are no worship services anymore. Some begged me to come to bring the scattered sheep together again.

The two things needed most in Isaan were again clearly on display this day: taking the Gospel to those who haven’t heard and development of Isaan leaders for the church. Clearly, there is more than enough to do for new missionaries here!

Photo: Flickr, From Real to Reel