Thailand Handicrafts—Thai Village, Inc., working alongside the WELS Thailand Mission, produces a wide variety of handmade crafts. Proceeds from these not-for-profit craft sales benefit the students of the “It Is Finished Bible Institute and Seminary” in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

For crafts & general info visit the Thailand Handicrafts – Thai Village, Inc. site  

To arrange for a speaker on the Thailand mission at your event complete the request form 

Request the Thailand world mission display, contact Mission Information Center

For handicraft orders & display information, contact Nancy Huwe  at groovyhuwe@hotmail.com
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On Sunday, August 17th, Phil Gurgel was installed as vicar here at “Cordero de Dios” (Lamb of God) congregation in Torreón. He will be with us until next summer.

Phil arrived in Mexico in June of this year. He first headed to Puebla, a city in central Mexico, to study Spanish at a language institute. After about two months of classes, he hopped on a bus and headed north to Torreón.

Having a vicar here in Mexico is valuable for a number of reasons. For starters, Phil will be a great help at the mission congregation Mike oversees. This frees up Mike’s schedule, and gives him time to carry out his other duties as field coordinator, which currently include teaching at the seminary and visiting Mexican pastors and congregations in other areas. Having a vicar in Mexico also gives the people here a chance to meet a pastor-in-training. And it provides students from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary an opportunity to experience life and work on a mission field.

We look forward to having Phil with us this year. And we are thankful for the vicars we have had in the past – they are always a huge help on the field!

On Saturday, the English teachers here held their own version of the Olympics for their students. Some of the events included a fruit toss (pictured above), a coin toss, and rock-paper-scissors. About 50 students came and had a great time. Those that won the events received candies and other prizes.

Perhaps the best part of the day, according to Taylor Bentz, one of the teachers, was “getting everyone together outside of class so they could get to know the other students and Pastor Sanchez in a relaxed environment.”

Then on Sunday, a family from the English classes was confirmed. Luis and Carla, together with their teenage daughter Silvia, were received as members at El Redentor (Redeemer). The family had first come to the church to learn English. During one of the first classes, Carla began asking questions about the church and the Bible. Shortly after that, Pastor Sanchez started studying with the family, and on Sunday, they became members!

Here is a picture of the confirmation:

These two events are somewhat tied together. We offer English classes as a way to help out the community and meet more people. Holding events like the lazy-man Olympics help students to feel comfortable at church and meet the pastor. Often times, these people start asking questions and want to learn more. This gives us a chance to share the saving truths of the Bible, which are really the one thing needful in this life.

Just in case things weren’t busy enough after getting back on Tuesday after our furlough, this past weekend we packed our bags once again to go to our annual summer Bible camp.  We spent the weekend at a hotel in Utsunomiya with our Japanese church members.  We enjoyed time to worship and study together.  We also enjoyed the fellowship, especially reconnecting after our furlough this summer.

One of the major events of the camp this year was the Habben’s farewell.  Pastor Kermit and Margie Habben will be permanently returning to the US after serving in Japan for 41 years!  Many, many tears were shed this weekend as the Habbens said goodbye to the Japanese church family.  None of us can imagine Japan without the Habbens.  It will take some adjusting to life without them here.  Please keep the Habbens in your prayers as they re-adjust to life in the United States.  Also pray for comfort for everyone here as we are saddened by the loss of two very special people on the field.  We know that God will be with us all as we make the necessary adjustments.  Of course we all rejoice that someday we will live eternally in heaven together, where no more good-byes will be necessary![slideshow=71]

Now we’re gearing up for school to start.  Rachel starts back at yochien (Japanese preschool) on September 1st.  The other girls won’t begin until September 9th.  Our new teacher, Miss Beckie Gilbert, arrived in Japan with us last week.  In order for her to have time to prepare for the school year, we had to push back the start of school.  So the girls get about two more weeks of summer vacation to enjoy.  Pray for Beckie as she adjusts to life in Japan and as she begins her first year of teaching.

Lynnette Stahmann

“I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.” - John 4:35

It’s not called a “mission field” for nothing.  The Bible often draws upon the analogy of the work of God’s kingdom here on earth as being like a farm field, one that is ripe for the harvest.  The spiritual seeds are sown through the Word.  Despite the attempts of earthly weeds to halter growth, an abundant spiritual harvest will be gathered through diligent cultivation and the blessing of the Lord.

This spiritual truth is clearly evident in the blessings the Lord has continued to provide for the growth of the church in Hmong Village 9.  Situated near the foot of the Burmese mountains in Tak Province of western Thailand, the people of this Hmong village earn a living primarily from their work in the fields.  The climate and land allows them to have several planting and harvesting seasons within a given year.  The most recent harvests have included potatoes, peanuts, and avocados. [slideshow=70]

The Lord has also been busy at work in the fields of Village 9, but His harvest is one of people. This mission field was first planted in the mid-1990’s by missionaries from Chiang Mai and Minnesota who were led by the Lord to establish contacts with the Village 9 residents.  People gathered for worship in a large open area in front of one of the believing family’s homes.  These outdoor services had many passersby – whether people or wandering animals. Read more ›