Strengthening the Church in 2025

Your prayers have prepared the way. Every seminar held, every Bible distributed, and every life touched carries the imprint of your intercession. 

Thank you for your prayers!

 

Why 65% of Christians in Thailand Didn’t Grow Up in Christian Homes

Lorena and I are excited to be helping again, for the fifth time, with an Evangelism School run by Spirit of Revival Ministries in Thailand.  This is opening for the first time in the northern region of Chiang Mai. (The former ones were in Bangkok.) This region, home to many of Thailand’s tribal communities, has shown a growing openness to the gospel. Only 1.3% of Thailand’s people know Jesus and 65% of them didn’t grow up in Christian homes. They heard about Him because someone shared. In the U.S., only 4.2% of Christians come from non-Christian families. That’s why evangelism is so important here in Thailand.

Over the next five weeks, we will be helping to equip approximately fifty men and women who have generously donated their time and money to receive training. Some of these are even pastors who want to know more about the Holy Spirit and move in the gifts.

Lorena: “In prayer with my intercessors' group recently, I and some others saw similar visions of what God is doing with these students. We saw them as sparks after graduation, fanning out like fireworks – some back to where they came from, others to new places. They will ignite those around them with the fire of the Holy Spirit, bringing light to the unsaved and causing those who already know Him to shine even brighter with His glory and power.

We’re just in the second week of school (our first week), and already, we are seeing a new level of joy and freedom among the students. Some were traumatized by the earthquake a few days ago, especially one of the leaders. Her equilibrium was altered due to the shaking, and she felt sick ever since the quake.  But yesterday she received complete healing and is now able to function well! God is good!  This school includes many outreaches, some local, some farther away. Next week, we will return to Omkoi, where hundreds of youths will gather for two days of revival meetings with us. They are hungry to know God in a deeper, intimate, and powerful way.  

Please keep us, the staff, and the students in prayer as we teach, encourage, and pour into these students. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.”

In 2 Timothy 2:2, we read, “And the things you have heard me say, in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” This verse highlights the importance of passing on what we've learned to others who will continue the work.

Thank you for your friendship, prayers, and support. You are in our thoughts and prayers as well.

Video Links and Testimonies from Okinawa

Last Sunday - January 5th, 2025

Teaching at Okinawa Grace Church - How to enter, stay, and live in the presence of God this new year of 2025.

The Holy Spirit touched so many - His presence so beautiful in our midst. What an honor to serve our Lord.

Atsiko, our translator on the left, pastors of Okinawa Grace Church on the right.

Here are two links to our teaching sessions on Exodus 33: "If You Don’t Go With Me, I’m Not Going!"

Following the sessions, you’ll find direct testimonies translated and shared by our translator, Atsuko. In the translations, all of us are referred to as "Pastor," reflecting the Japanese cultural tradition of using formal titles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdPE8H0tk8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrX2ktNIVoY

Testimony from Hitomi Ikehara

The first Sunday service of the new year was a wonderful message and prayer as expected!

I hope you I will continue to have a good time in the presence of the Lord and see the Lord solve the difficulties as I walk with Him.

"While the pastors were praying, I felt that the stiffness in my shoulders was healed."

Thank you Lord for leading Pastor Brian, Pastor Lorena, and Pastor Atsuko to Grace Worship Church. 

I wish you all the best!

Testimony Pastor Masato 

It was a wonderful time to celebrate. "I was grateful that Pastor Brian and Pastor Lorena guided us through the message and mini-stories related to the theme of our church for 2025. "

It was also a blessing to have such amazing joy as people were touched by the Lord. *I am not the type of person who experiences joy, but it is a blessing to receive prayers and to see the peace of the Lord and the people being touched.

"I wasn't feeling well due to a cold but I was grateful . It was a learning experience that I let go and left it all to the pastors”.

The message is also about "presence of God” 

Indeed, we cannot move forward without the presence of the Lord. To be a friend of God… 

I think it was a prophetic message that Grace Worship Church needed, including myself.

Testimony Pastor Akiko

I would like to thank the special New Year guests that God has led us to our church.

I was encouraged and encouraged by the same message that I shared with several sisters in church saying the same things (staying in God's love, becoming God's friend).

In 2025, I want to seek God's rest as much as I can, even if my busyness remains the same.

I felt that if I was too busy that I won’t stop to love and care for myself, I would not be able to love my neighbors either.

I'm going to stop trying too hard and relax.

Always remember the mercy and kindness of the Lord, and I believe that this year will be a year when relationships with family and neighbors will recover more deeply than ever before.

It is a year when the Lord leads us to love just as he loved those around him until the end

Testimony Tamami

It was inspired that the three pastors were filled with joy.

I think it was a time full of love and joy.

While the pastors were praying for me, I received encouragement that 

"God doesn't show you everything all at once”.

The words pierced my heart deeply.

Let's just reach out for God's presence ! 

I say yes to that! 

To God's immeasurable love

Thank you

Testimony Sayaka

Thank you for yesterday's wonderful New Year's service ✞✨

I was so grateful that I was surrounded by God's great and strong love that my worries started to look small, and that I was safe because the Lord was with me ✞✨

✞ in the presence of the Lord

Glory to God!

Testimony Caleb 

Thank you for yesterday's New Year's service!

My anxiety about the New Year has disappeared and peace has filled me.

"When the three pastors prayed for me, I felt the power of God very strongly and I felt comfortable and grateful when they said that I could accept it more by relaxing and not being nervous."

I myself want to deepen my relationship with God this year.

Testimony Etsuko

May the Lord’s Wonderful Name be praised!

I praise you Lord ❣

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ✨

I was even more encouraged by the correlation of the message with this year's church’s theme for 2025. Thank you very much ✨

This time, I asked three pastors to pray for healing.

"Since 1/3 ( January 3rd) of this year, I had symptoms of discomfort in my left chest (around my heart), and my husband and I prayed together, and the symptoms disappeared the next morning (1/4), so I thanked God  for their quick healing, and gave glory to the Lord." Since that afternoon, the same symptoms have occurred again, and my husband and I prayed together and thanked the Lord for relieving the symptoms. Then we had church on 1/5. Through three pastors, I expected the Lord to move and heal. Through the prayer, I was got a warm feeling, peace of mind and peace at heart♥

I sometimes have symptoms but 

There is no anxiety or worry.

The Lord is full of peace.

All glory to God!

Testimony from Yurino

When the three pastors prayed for me,

When I was touched by God's love, I felt like I was being swept away. I was crying because of the accumulation of things , and emotions I had been holding back.

When I'm weak, God is strong

I thought why not , talk to Him and  tell God everything.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We hope you are enjoying this season and reflecting on the astounding plan of God to send Jesus to be born as baby boy so we could be reunited with Him now and forever!

So great to celebrate Christmas in Japan with our daughter Danielle, Cody, and our grandson Asher.

Lorena teaching the children English with Bible stories in East Timor

We recently spent a month in Timor-Leste, a small, independent, and economically challenged country nestled among the Indonesian islands. Due to religious persecution, many missionaries share the Gospel and discipleship through humanitarian aid and education. God is moving powerfully, especially among the youth. We were privileged to pray with many in the international, nondenominational church and witness Jesus heal numerous beautiful people. This display of God's glory and power was exciting and new for many of them. Truly, God is good!

From Timor-Leste, we journeyed to the Philippines, where we were blessed to engage in meaningful fellowship and ministry. Our time was enriched through our involvement with Kids International Ministry and Iris Global, alongside our dear missionary friends, Gene and Teissa Nicole.

 Brian is delivering a message to the congregation 

at a church in Manila.

We are honored to be pictured alongside the 

dedicated leaders of that church.

Moments captured during an outreach at a government free clinic in 

Manila, where lives were powerfully touched by the Lord. 

While Brian taught the men, Teissa and Lorena were invited to minister to this group of  pastors and pastors' wives at the end of their retreat. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully with refreshment, encouragement, and different types of healing. What a wonderful God we serve! 

Having fun proclaiming the gospel on the streets in the Philippines.

Onlookers watch and listen to the Gospel message

"We’ve never seen the power of God move so easily and mightily before!" (Lorena)

We enjoyed a wonderful month in Thailand teaching and helping at the Spirit of Revival Evangelism School in Bangkok led by Ryan and Audrey Aitkin This was followed by a large crusade with the same ministry in Omkoi. Above is a 2 min. video we made about the crusade and our experiences there. 

We’ve never seen the power of God move in people’s lives in healing, salvations, and deliverance so easily and mightily before! Many have received dreams, visions, and prophetic words from God about a revival coming to Thailand.

We believe it has begun!

After the crusade, the spiritual hunger and fire continued as Brian and I taught and ministered at a church in Chiang Mai. The pastor and his wife had just graduated from the Evangelism School in Bangkok and helped with the crusade. After the church service ended, we prayed for almost all the church members and saw many more healings. The Holy Spirit is really moving in a special way in Thailand at this time! A few days later, the pastor sent us a follow up on one of these healings

Somsak

Somsak suffered with intense abdominal pain from an intestinal issue. He had been unable to eat solid food for some time. As we prayed, Somsak described feeling as if chains were breaking off his stomach. Somsak is now pain-free and enjoying all his favorite foods again!

 Thank you for your continued prayers.  We are getting great reports from Mozambique, which we'll tell you about in the next newsletter.  

Prayer Requests for Thailand

 We have some very exciting news. Tomorrow we will be heading to the mountainous province of Omkoi, in northern Thailand, with a group of about 50 on-fire Thai believers to prepare for a huge crusade in this city of 50,000 unbelievers (mostly).  The crusade will be led by Spirit of Revival Ministries, with Ryan and Audrey Aitkins. We’ve known them for years and speak at their Evangelism School every year.  We’ve been with them these last two weeks as they finished up their current school. Everyone is praying and fasting for this coming outreach in Omkoi, many of whom have had visions, dreams, and prophetic words about what amazing things God is going to do – salvations, healings, deliverances like never before.  We would love your prayers too! 

Could you please pray for the following:

1. Our team – spiritual protection, anointing, health…

2. The people in Omkoi – salvations, healing, deliverances

3. The local pastors in Omkoi – we have been given the assignment of training as many as 100 local pastors on how to disciple the new believers from the crusade.  (Many of these pastors will be walking a full day’s journey from even higher mountains above Omkoi, where they mostly have small house churches.) 

Teaching at the School of Evangelism in Bangkok 

Thank you so much!  We’ll be posting on facebook during the crusade (if we have internet).  If not, you’ll see it after the crusade.  

First Harvest School in Cambodia!

We had an incredible time ministering at the very first Harvest Missions School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia! I had the opportunity to dive into topics like culture and language learning, the power of perseverance with 'If you don't stop, you win,' and how to hear God's voice. Lorena inspired everyone with her sessions on children’s ministry, the power of joy, and the story of Lazarus. What an amazing group of passionate missionaries and eager students! Tomorrow, we’re off to Thailand, filled with anticipation for what’s next!

worshipping and enjoying the glorious presence of God

Teaching at a neighborhood discipleship group

   

The Iris Phnom Penh Harvest Mission School Gang

A neighbor enjoys his delicious chicken feet!

The awesome students from 6 nations!

I was blessed to see these new believers healed!

Far left: She was beaten and couldn't walk without great pain.  Jesus took all her pain away and now walks fine. Middle: Filled with stress and anxiety, this lady had neck, shoulder, knee, and leg pain. As God lifted her anxiety and stress, all her body aches and pain disappeared.

We love you Jesus - you are so loving and kind.  What an honor to serve you and see your glory and power poured on all who come to you.