March 30, 2010
On April 18, 2010, join people from around the world in crying out to God for the Isaan people.
By Team Isaan
Editor’s Note: Team Isaan is an Alliance church-planting initiative among the largely unreached Isaan people of northeast Thailand. A prison ministry has introduced many incarcerated people to the gospel, and they have evangelized their home villages upon their release.
For decades, Alliance international workers have shared the gospel among the Isaan, and we have reaped some of the fruit of their labors. Men and women from our prison church groups have been released from jail with a passion to proclaim the good news and plant churches in their home villages.
Six years ago, we held our first annual International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Isaan. Today, we stand amazed at all that God has done—and we are confident that this is just the beginning of even greater things to come.
From Gangs to the Gospel
Here is the story of how salvation came to EQ, a former gang member who led his family to Christ and is training other believers to evangelize their neighbors:
It wasn’t until I was in prison that I began to realize what a mess my life had become. I had grown up in a family that tried to care for me. We didn’t have much, just rice fields and farm animals. My dad even worked overseas to send money back to the family.
Despite how much my parents sacrificed, I selfishly wasted their money and my life. After a confrontation with some other gang members, I was imprisoned for assault. With nothing else to do, I studied about Jesus when Team Isaan members came to minister in the prison in August 2007. Even after hearing all the stories about God, I turned my back on the truth.
Over the next few months, I continued to study with Montri, another inmate, and finally surrendered my life to Christ. When I was released from prison, I left with the vision that Team Isaan taught me. I returned home to share Jesus Christ with my family.
Six months later, I saw 12 men and women baptized in my village. We didn’t stop there-we took Christ’s message to another village and a different prison, and in June 2009, 20 more people were baptized and two more churches started. I praise God that He chose me, a former gang member, to share His truth with the Isaan. I look forward to continuing to serve Him.
We Need You!
We cannot stress enough the importance of your partnership with us in reaching the Isaan with His truth. Your commitment to pray is the very means God is using to reach the Isaan people with the light of Jesus. Thank you for your faithfulness!
For more information or to download IDOP resources, go to www.isaan.org.
Learn More
Check out our Alliance work in Thailand.
What You Can Do
Pray that Team Isaan’s ministry will continue to bear fruit for God’s Kingdom.
Impact your world: Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries to ensure that our international workers can continue setting prisoners free through a relationship with Jesus.