We Thank All of You!

A Letter from Myoungho Yang and Jiyeon Yoo, serving in Thailand

Fall 2023

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Dear fellow co-workers in God’s mission,

We hope all of you enjoy the peace of our Lord in God’s grace.

How was your summer? Was it unusually hot this year? In Chiang Mai where we are living, it is the rainy season now. We are supposed to have heavy rain every day. But it has not been raining much this year. Last year, we had too much rain, and many areas around the whole country were flooded. Lots of people had to go through difficult times not only in Chiang Mai, which is the second largest city in Thailand but also in Bangkok which is Thailand’s capital. This year, however, people worry about a shortage of water. Farmers are being advised to plant two rice crops instead of three. This is disconcerting. It should be hot when it is supposed to be hot, we need to have rain when it is time for the rainy season. Cool air should surround us when the hot season is over. But these days, we hear news that not only people but also animals are experiencing difficulties due to the abnormal climate. We are currently turning this matter over in our minds and thinking about how we have exploited nature and how badly we have taken care of what God has entrusted to us.

Dishwashing after lunch at a church

Jiyeon and I returned to Thailand after we visited the U.S. for two months in the Spring. The memory of our visits to churches and the fellowship we shared with brothers and sisters in the U.S. always encourages us and strengthens us so that we can continue our ministry here. Those precious times when we shared stories together, prayed together, ate a meal together, and were warmly welcomed with smiles and hugs remain in our hearts. We felt your passion for mission and were encouraged by the stories of your daily life living as Christians. We thank all of you!

There was one occasion that we couldn’t help but cancel a church visit scheduled early on. Due to a power outage caused by a severe storm, all flights were delayed and canceled at the airport. We had to return home after waiting many hours without success.

Traveling to church

After having returned to Chiang Mai, we have been continuing to learn Thai. Thai is still a foreign language to us. Thai has five tones. If we pronounce a word in the wrong tone, it communicates a completely different meaning. For those who speak English or Korean, tone is still a big challenge when learning a language. Another challenge is that Thai uses two different vocabulary sets for biblical language and the language of ordinary life. Nevertheless, we enjoy learning Thai very much. We are grateful to be able to do so. We believe that we will be completely comfortable with the Thai language very soon. We also hope that we will be able to speak and hear Thai like our own mother tongue soon as well.

The second semester starts in two months at McGilvary College of Divinity where we are serving. I am preparing to teach a worship class which I will teach jointly with a Thai professor. For this reason, I continue to visit different churches with students every Sunday. We worship together and discuss the ministry of those churches. It is a good opportunity for me not only to learn about worship and ministry of Thai churches but also to get to know and build good relationships with local church leaders and students.

McGilvery Divinity School orientation

McGilvary College of Divinity has a little over 100 students. Most graduates serve in churches while others serve in institutions such as hospitals. It might seem like the number of students is a bit low but considering that the Christian population in Thailand is only 0.6%, it is not that low. Currently, the population of Thailand is 72 million. The Christian population is about 420,000. In this sense, Thailand is a land that has lots of places where the seeds of the Gospel can be sown and reaped. I hope more students come every year to be equipped as servants of the Kingdom. As Acts 6 says, “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). I hope the Word of God will continue to increase in Thailand, and that the number of the followers of the Lord will multiply greatly so that the Kingdom of God will expand greatly and stand ever more solidly. Please pray for it and continue to join in God’s mission.

We thank you for remembering us in your prayers and supporting this ministry. Please pray for a great improvement in our learning of Thai. Please also continue to pray that we can maintain our health well in this hot weather. We ask you to pray for us so that we can walk every step in this land mirroring God’s heart. May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you and the people of Thailand.

Blessings in Christ,

Myoungho and Jiyeon

Please read this important message from Director of World Mission Rev. Mienda Uriarte

Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Matthew 25: 34-36

Dear friends,

Great things are happening in World Mission! As you know from the letters you’ve been receiving, our mission co-workers are at the forefront of showing us what Matthew 25 looks like in the U.S. and in the wider world. They are addressing issues related to eradicating systemic poverty, building congregational vitality and dismantling structural racism. Together with our partners, mission co-workers are engaged in life-transforming ministries in 80 countries around the world. Here are just a few examples:

As an education consultant in the Democratic Republic of Congo, José Jones assists the Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa (CPK) education department in the development, implementation and evaluation of strategic plans to strengthen the church’s primary and secondary education programs for more than 350 schools.

Based in Manila, Rev. Cathy Chang works closely with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and other partners in ministry to engage programs and networks across Asia that advocate for people vulnerable to forced migration and human trafficking.

Nadia Ayoub works alongside our Greek partners as they faithfully hold to the biblical call to welcome the stranger. Nadia serves with Perichoresis, a ministry of the Evangelical Church of Greece that provides housing and support to refugees; most of whom have come to Greece from Arabic-speaking countries.

Joseph Russ strengthens and supports a network of partners working in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to address migration issues in the Northern Triangle. Based on the needs people on the ground identify, Joseph empowers U.S. congregations to engage in advocacy related to Central America and immigration reform.

Revs. Drs. Noah Park and Esther Shin serve as professors at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC). ETSC graduates work toward revitalizing congregational ministries in Egypt and work with refugee and peace ministries in various countries in the Middle East.

Please consider giving an extra gift this year to support our mission co-workers as they walk alongside our partners and help shape a more life-giving, equitable and hopeful world!

Prayerfully,

Rev. Mienda Uriarte, Director of World Mission
Presbyterian Mission Agency
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

To give online, visit https://bit.ly/23MC-YE.

Honorary gifts can be made by checking the box and writing the mission co-worker’s name in the comment field online.