LCMS World Mission Blog

“The Lord has been faithful to His work in Thailand among the Hmong people. On Aug. 15, 2008, Hmong International Mission (HIM) held the first HIM Conference in Thailand. Members came from the provinces of Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, and Phare. There were also members from Laos in attendance. In total, there were close to 150 people, mostly consisting of church leaders. The main focus of the conference was to bring together the Hmong Lutheran Thailand Synod’s (HLTS) members to learn about what it means to be servants of Christ. Topics covered included Christian life, stewardship, and evangelism. It was a day filled with blessings and joy because HIM also received into membership a new congregation of 200 people!

“In addition to the conference, HIM also had the privilege of ordaining two Hmong men into to the holy ministry. After four years of prayers, dedication, and hard work, Pastor Phongsouck Hang and Pastor Souphan Hang graduated from the Hmong International Bible Institute in Thailand. They passed their theological interview in May. Pastor Phongsouck is called to serve the congregation in Ban Klong Hoi Klai, where he was the vicar for the last four years. Pastor Souphan is called to be a missionary-at-large in Thailand among the Hmong people. His main responsibility is to travel and minister to the members and congregation in Chiang Mai and Tak areas. Rev. Ted Engelbrecht, LCMS’ Southeast Asia area facilitator, performed the ordination. Rev. Dr. Fungchatou Lo, HIM coordinator, led the commissioning. Please keep these two men in your prayers. Pray that they will faithfully serve the Lord in Thailand.

“We thank the Lord for being so faithful and gracious to include us in the work He is doing in Thailand. The church experienced much growth within the last two years. Currently, we are in the process of helping to build a church for one of our new congregations in Tak. Our immediate goals are to: continue sharing the Word of the Lord to the lost; train more leaders for the holy ministry; form a Hmong Lutheran Thailand Synod; and register the Hmong International Mission Bible Institute as a formal and recognized private theological school inThailand.”