From Jan. 14-25, 2008, Rev. Jeff Prewitt (New Hope, Neenah) and Rev. Yia Vang (Hmong Hope, Milwaukee) visited Chiang Mai, Thailand. Their purpose was to teach Thai and Laotian Hmong students who are studying to become mission pastors in Thailand and Laos. They taught the last course of a three-year program which included church polity, biblical leadership, Buddhism, Islam, other Christian denominations, how to prepare Bible studies, the Gospel of John, Christian discipline, Christian counseling, and how to a lead worship service. Two of the students will be ready to graduate in August 2008, while another eight are either in their first or second year of studying.

This visit was part of the Hmong International Mission (HIM), a ministry of the LCMS Hmong Mission Society. The mission of HIM is to develop Hmong spiritual leaders to share the Gospel and to plant mission congregations among the Hmong people throughout southeast Asia.

Prewitt and Vang spent six days teaching three two-hour sessions per day at a new training center. Vang served as interpreter for Prewitt, and was able to repeat it for the students in the Hmong language. The students then wrote the lessons down in their notebooks in Thai, Lao or Hmong. The students are anxious to learn about God and the Lutheran doctrines. When they return to their villages they share with their people what they are learning, and by doing this, more people learn about salvation through Jesus and want to be baptized to receive this great gift. 

During this trip nine people were baptized. Five of the new Christians are children and four are adults. Two were baptized at the training center and seven were baptized in the village. These people had been waiting to be baptized. There is no other Christian ministry in this village. Prewitt and Vang were told that many other people want to learn more about Christianity, but they want to wait until the village has a pastor and a church building for worship before they are baptized. They also want to make sure that our Lutheran pastors are serious about starting a church in their village and not just visiting them once in a while. They want to have their own Lutheran pastor to nurture them and to pray for them when they are sick or need pastoral care. There is a 22-year-old man from this village who is attending the training. He hopes to become the pastor in the village. His name is Fong Chang. Please pray for him!