by Dwight and Mary Kay Martin, IWs serving with The Alliance in Thailand

On Tuesday, July 12, 2022, the Association of Free Churches (AFT) was finally able to have a baptism service. Many of our church members have been waiting for two years to be baptized but were unable to due to COVID-19. This month, the government loosened COVID restrictions, and as a result, we were able to schedule a baptism service. 

We anticipated having 1,200 people, but many more showed up. The final number was 1,588 people. It was concerning that the night before the baptisms, it rained all night, and we wondered if the rain would discourage them from coming. It did not. 

Another concern was we scheduled the baptism service on the most “holy” day on the Buddhist calendar, the beginning of Buddhist lent. Would they show up? Before they knew Jesus, they would feel obligated to go their local Buddhist temple and make merit. But not this year! Instead, they chose to be baptized. They decided to turn from their old ways and instead follow Jesus. Isn’t that incredible! This shows how profoundly Jesus has changed their lives.

What was special to me was that I recognized many of the people from villages where I shared Jesus. They were in my line wanting me to baptize them. 

The next day, July 16, we opened another district church, the Wachirabarami Free Church. Please pray for “Arm” and “Niew” who are the pastors of this church. They are responsible for discipling the believers in the house churches located in the fifty-one villages of Wachirabarami district.

Please pray for the AFT over the next six weeks. In the month of August (on the 1st and 15th) we will have two more baptism services and two more district church openings. There are many more people wanting to be baptized, and others are excited about finally having a district church in their location. 

Thank you for being a partner with us in this ministry.  It has become much bigger than we ever imagined.