(August 12, 2024) Ross and Donna, Mandate Ministries, share from Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, including news regarding Ross’ health…

Health Update
Ross is continuing chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The PET scan on July 1 showed the oesophageal tumour is reducing as is the cancer in the liver, for which we are praising God.

We are not out of the woods yet but headed in the right direction. The next scan will be in September.

• Please join us in prayer for complete healing.

Karen People in Myanmar
We are currently back in Thailand for two weeks which has been a great opportunity to catch up with our ministry partners, particularly Brother W who is our project manager for our ministry to the Karen people in Myanmar.

We have been discussing the next stage of our ministry to the Karen people who are caught up in a civil war. Stage #1 was to provide food, tarps for temporary shelter, clothes, blankets, water filtration devices, and solar lights.

Stage #2 was to print Bibles in the Karen language, distribute them, and pray for the local people. God has been stirring our hearts about what Stage #3 should look like.

We want to see the Karen people hungry for God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and believing for miracles and healings. Brother W and I will be working with his team and encouraging them to have faith to see God move when they contact the Karen people, to preach the gospel of the kingdom, to heal the sick, and to cast out devils.

Many of the Karen people have been influenced by Christian groups that do not believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today.

• Please pray with us that there will be an openness and a hunger for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Provisions for the Needy

After their villages have been bombed by the Myanmar Air Force and their fields havebeen burned by ground troops, many Karen have had flee to find shelter in caves, foxholes,or in the dense jungle.

• This is why we continue to provide supplies and also distributeKaren Bibles.

The man in the top left in the collage above has been a Christian for decadesand yet has never owned a Bible. He was so excited to have his own Bible.

Rebuilding Lives and Structures
Why do we help?

I heard a missions leader speaking recently who said, ‘We must help people physically so they will come to Jesus.’

We have a different approach: ‘We help people because they need help.’ Do we hope they will come to Jesus? Of course we do, but what is our response to people we help who do not get saved? Do we stop helping them? If so, they will soon see that our help has strings attached and will most likely play the game by agreeing to pray the sinners prayer in order to continue to receive help.

Jesus’ love is unconditional. We help Christians, Buddhists, and Animists. We believe that displays of Christian love will move people closer to Christ, but we don’t ask for their religious affiliation before we help.

I doubt if the good Samaritan asked the injured man for his doctrinal statement before he helped him. Jesus came to help the helpless and hopeless.

Many Thanks
Thanks again for your faithful prayers and support of our ministry to Asia. Link: rossw@investeternal.com

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Ross and Donna, Mandate Ministries, have been missionaries to Asia for many years. Based in  Chiang Mai, they work with local pastors and church-planters, developing in-service leadership training programs that address challenges and issues unique to this area of Thailand. Link rossw@investeternal.com
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