Faith-With-You Christian Ministries

SITUATION IN MIDDLE EAST IS SENSITIVE

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:12:36 PST

Shalom All,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Hebrews 11 verse 8 says, “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going”.

In less than 10 hours, Jenny and I will fly from Bangkok to transit in Kiev (Ukraine) and then head towards Istanbul (Turkey). In total, it will take about 14 hours of flight time from Bangkok to Istanbul.

It is by no means easy to find accommodation in Istanbul, especially for a foreigner and one not already there. It has taken me almost a month to find a reasonable short term accommodation. Since the past 4 days, I have been able with considerable difficulty to find the lowest accommodation that costs USD 200 for two weeks and that also after much bargaining.

The weather in Istanbul is getting colder and some part of the day will be snowing.

After Istanbul, we will be heading towards Ankara (capital of Turkey) staying for a short period there to arrange for an Iraqi visa for Jenny ... no need for a visa for me as Malaysia has good relations with Iraq.

We will not give you the usual report while we are in the Middle East. Any reporting on our mission work would have to await our departure from the Middle East. We need to be cautious and wise.

We can’t say now how long we will be there ... it all depends on how long God wants us there. I also don’t know exactly why God has asked us to go there, just like His sending Jonah the Prophet. Only when Jonah reaches Nineveh, God tell Jonah to call on the local people to repent of their sins.

Trust and have faith is all that I can say. Will just have to wait and see what God wants me to do there. God knows and will always have a good reason for me to be there.

May God continue to bless and lead you.

Do pray for us as the tasks ahead will not be easy for us to carry through, without much prayer support. Thank you.

The Lord be with you and for you.

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok & Sis. Jenny Ruth P. Kok

For mission contribution : http://faithwithyou.blogspot.com/2009/02/mission-contribution.html

TRUSTING THE LORD'S MISSION

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:28:32 PST

Shalom All,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

We truly appreciate encouragement received from readers who emailed us as we prepare to leave for Turkey and Iraq for mission work.

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless...." (Philippians 1 verses 9 - 10).

This prayer of Paul is so wonderful and relevant, to this day and time even for today's believers. It is a good prayer for us to pray also.

Paul surely has the mind of Christ when he writes to other believers, "I pray for you with joy. I'm confident God will complete the work He is doing in your life. I have you in my heart and I long for you. I pray that your love would abound more and more, that you may be pure and filled with the fruits of righteousness."

As I have shared elsewhere, that was also how I felt as I prayed ahead of my departure to my new venture to the Middle East.

As I turned my thoughts towards God, He seems to assure me, "I have you in my heart and I pray for you with joy."

We know Jesus prays for us and the Holy Spirit prays for us. How do you think they are praying? Maybe much like today's prayer in Philippians and so much more ... what kind of persons will we be if God's prayers for us are answered?

On January 29^th, 2012, we will depart from Bangkok, at 6.00am and arrive in Istanbul, Turkey at 2.55pm the same day by Aerosvit Airlines (one of the Ukrainian flag carriers). I have spent a few weeks searching for the cheapest guest house but still have to get one, because every guest house charges between USD 15- 20 per night/person and renting an apartment will cost around USD 240 - 300 per month. This is too expensive for us and so there is a possibility that on the first night, we will sleep in the airport to save one night cost.

I have tried to make contact with the local Turkish churches but failed to get any response from them after almost a month. Today is miracle day, two local Turkish churches from Istanbul and Ankara replied and will welcome us to their country and assist us with accommodation and fellowship arrangements. Praise the Lord for prayers answered.

We may encounter difficulties ahead of us in our missionary journey, such as shortage of funds, culture shock and belief resistance but we will move forward to fulfill the calling from God, sustained by our faith in our God, the provider and the protector.

There is so much for us to write or report on a our mission activities from April - December 2011, the past year, but I regret that due to constraints of time, I am unable to write a long detailed account in this email.

Kindly read from the captions of the photo stories attached below, or through the mission blog : http://faithwithyou.blogspot.com.

Please continue to uphold us in your prayers. God be with you, too, as always!

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok & Sister Jenny P Kok

Launching New Revised Thai Bible (Thailand Bible Society) on April 2^nd, 2011

Preaching in Udomkarn Church, Bangkok on April 3^rd, 2011

Installed LPG (4 Valves Pump) on April 4^th, 2011

Sharing at the Cell Group in Bangkok on April 6^th, 2011

Easter Drama "Power of His Love" on April 10^th, 2011

Songkran Water Festival (Thailand New Year) on April 13^th, 2011

Pre-Easter Day in Lumpini Park on April 23^th, 2011

Launching New Jaisamarn Church Rama II, Bangkok on April 24^th, 2011

Teaching English and Cell Group in Aytthuya on April 28^th, 2011

Visiting friends in Amnat Charoen Province on April 29^th, 2011

Pakse, Southern Laos on April 29^th, 2011

Good News Church in Pakse, Laos on May 1^st, 2011

Lumpini Park - 7 May 2011 on May 7^th, 2011

Thailand Christian Congress 7.5 (1^st day) on May 10^th, 2011

Thailand Christian Congress 7.5 (Third and Last Day) on May 13^th, 2011

Sharing and Evangelism in Bang-Pa In, Province of Aytthuya on May 18^th, 2011

Giving out Honey Milk to the Homeless in the Lumpini Park on May 21^st, 2011

Dr. C. Peter Wagner - Equipping the Business Leaders on May 25^th, 2011

Preaching in Dayspring Church, Chonburi on May 29^th, 2011

Good News Church in Surat Thani on Jun 11^th, 2011

Cell Group in Penang on Jun 14^th, 2011

Nikos Cell Group in Klang on Jun 20^th, 2011

Preaching and Distributing Gift in Romklao Church (Minority - Hotspring), Betong, Yala Province on Jul 17^th, 2011

Preaching in AIT International Christian Fellowship on Aug 26^th, 2011

Cleaning the Romklao Church (City), Betong, Yala Province on Sep 23^rd, 2011

Preaching in the Romklao Church (Minority - Hotspring), Betong, Yala Province on Sep 25^th, 2011

Open Church During the Wet Market on Sep 26^th, 2011

Ipoh Pastors' Fellowship in Ipoh on Oct 5^th, 2011

Back to the Home Facing Flood on Nov 3^rd, 2011

Flood in Cheangwattana Road, Bangkok on Nov 3^rd, 2011

Flood in Phahonyothin Road, Bangkok on Nov 3^rd, 2011

From Home - Cheangwattana Road - Bangkhen Road - Phahonyothin Road (the next day) on Nov 4^th, 2011

Sharing in Taksin Park, Bangkok on Nov 5^th, 2011

Sharing the Word of God in the AITCF Bible Study, Baptist Conference Center, Pattaya on Nov 18^th, 2011

NEW MISSION IN THE MIDDLE EAST FOR 2012

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:18:41 PST

Shalom All,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

Let me start the New Year 2012 with an illustration.

Here is an open book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words into it. The book is now called Opportunity. Its first page, first chapter is entitled New Year's Day. First words. ": I will live for God, today, tomorrow and every day hereafter ... Last page, last word : "Amen".

In 2007, I responded to the call of the Lord to serve in the mission field. I started by first going to Thailand then India and later Thailand's neighboring countries, Vietnam and Cambodia. Still later, China.

In Thailand I met and then married my wife, Jenny in mid 2008. Jenny then accompanied me to serve in India, for my second mission trip.

Throughout my mission trips these past years, the Lord has made it possible for me to meet various local people, sharing with them the Good News, evangelizing, equipping, preaching and helping in whatever way I could in meeting their spiritual needs.

Looking back, when I took up this calling in 2007, my home church (the Assemblies of God, Pentecostal denomination) did not recognize or empathize my mission zeal. But I took the bold step forward nevertheless, walking by faith without the blessing and support of my church. It seems as if I and later with my wife, was simply too bold and foolish to go to places unfamiliar and foreign to me and her, to share with so many strangers and new people we have met along the way, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and without any connecting links whatsoever - Seems like quite a crazy thing to do!

But we drew strength from Matthew 10 verse 16 : “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves”.

The Lord also provided and protected us in the way of Genesis 28, verse 20, “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing”

It is so good to be reminded of the command and promise given in Deuteronomy 30, verse 16, “For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy”.

So my wife and I live in obedience to this command and promise and will give all Glory to our Almighty God!

Since early May 2010, we have been back to Thailand, serving the people here until our next calling.

There is now an open door for us ... Northern Iraq! A challenging opportunity.... who shall I send, the Lord seems to say ... but we will go boldly forth, Lord, if you direct us there!

So once again, we will be taking another bold step forward to walk by faith without much financial resources, heading to the nation of Iraqi Kurdistan Region (northern Iraq).

I am not sure why I need to go there, but I can sense the Lord speaking and calling me to go and serve the people there for past few years ago.

My wife Jenny will accompany me. I know that the situation in Iraq is not very stable, there has been reported are violence since the US - Iraq war and local churches have been targeted and bombed.

This challenge is testing our faith and we believe and trust that the Lord will protect us in our mission journey and work.

Early December 2011, we went to the Turkish Embassy in Bangkok and tried to apply for one year multiple entry for Jenny but the consular staff say that they need to submit her application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkey for approval and that will take at least 1 - 2 months. I have feared that the application for Jenny would be rejected and that would make me go alone to Turkey as I don’t need a visa to enter Turkey, leaving Jenny in Bangkok.

When we were in Kuala Lumpur for 6 days recently, I gave another try in the Turkish Embassy there, I have had a long discussion with the consular staff there, they saying my wife is Thai and she should apply in Bangkok, also the same procedures. I told them I have tried there, but their Bangkok embassy is not accommodating at all but I need my wife to accompany me. The consular officer then went in to speak to the Ambassador. Then he returned to report, “Ok, I will now issue you one year multiple entry visa for your wife with 90 days per entry." Praise the Lord!

So we plan to leave from Bangkok to Istanbul on January 29th, 2012 with the cheapest one way flight ticket we can get. We are not sure whether we have enough funds for the return journey. It is easier to go into Iraq from Turkey, rather than any of the borders like Syria, Lebanon, Iran and Jordan.

While in Turkey, I will try to get as much information as I can about the situation about their border entry into Iraq. We hope to reach Iraqi Kurdistan in March 2012.

Northern Iraq has a rich history of early civilization. In Genesis 10 verses 11 - 12, we find: “From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah)”.

It is interesting to note that the Garden of Eden is near there, see Genesis 2 verses 10 – 14; “A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates”.

Further on ion Daniel 10 verses 4 - 6, “Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.”

Interesting place and fascinating account, to say the least!

Because of the Christmas and New Year holidays, it might take awhile longer for the mission agency I am contacting for a confirmation reply from them on the opportunity of serving in Iraqi Kurdistan Region and also in Cairo, Egypt.

Below is our financial report for your review;

Nothing is impossible if we have Jesus Christ in us.

May God continue to put a new hope for you and a fresh New Year to serve Him.

God bless!

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok

** If anyone have any contact with any Turkish, it will be helpful for us as this is the first time we are going there and not easy to find a cheap accommodation. Thank you **

MERRY CHRISTMAS

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:39:14 PST

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father,

who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a

shifting shadow - James 1 verse 17.

MORE CHALLENGE WILL COME

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:46:54 PST

Shalom All,

Greetings in the name of Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

The Lord God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” - Hebrews 13 verse 5 (b).

This wonderful assurance from God gives us hope to move in life each day.

When Jenny and I left for Chiang Mai, we brought along a minimum-our passports, a computer notebook, ukulele, camera and some clothes ... all other non essential, we left them behind in our home since October 17^th, 2011.

We plan to go back to our home in Bangkok to retrieve a few more things this week, as we are not certain how long the flood will continue unabated.

We are still awaiting for confirmation from our mission agency when we should depart for Cairo to begin mission work there … it could be end of November, or early December 2011.

Between October 19^th to 22^nd, 2011, we were in the hometown of a church elder from Jaisamarn Full Gospel Bang-Pa In, in Phrae City, Phrae Province. This place was also affected by the flood.

The following day, Sunday, I was invited to preach the Word of God in Manebnoprat AG Church, Chiang Mai. One of the church elders offered us a room for temporary stay as they understand the flood situation in Bangkok. The church elder also provided us with an old motorbike for our use. Praise the Lord!.

During our stay in Chiang Mai, we also went to help out in a farm warehouse and also helping people to move house.

We took 3 days to complete the above drawing and gave this as a gift to the Manebnoprat AG Church, Chiang Mai the following Sunday.

Jesus' message in the Picture is sharing the Kingdom of God is, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near". Matthew 4 verse 17.

The church pastor also invited us to share our testimonies, to encourage and challenge church members to be strong in the faith.

I have made this video clip about Bangkok underwater. The situation in Bangkok the next few days or weeks is still uncertain.

I am told water has even reached areas near my home. Crocodiles and snakes have been sighted there.

The nation of Thailand is currently undergoing great strain and stress. Let us pray together for Thailand, and to lift up the Thai people to God for mercy from their hour of sorrow and despair.

The Lord has guided me to read the following passage.

“The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble” - Psalm 9 verse 9.

May God continue to give strength, faith, hope and love to the people of Thailand.

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok & Sister Jenny P Kok

FLOOD SITUATION IN BANGKOK WORSENING BY THE DAY

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:13:07 PDT

Shalom All,

“Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed”, Psalm 57 verse 1.

The flood situation in Bangkok is getting critical by the day, with relentless pressure of floods from the northern and northeastern provinces of Thailand above Bangkok.

Below are two pictures showing how floods in central, northern and northeastern of Thailand look like.

Last Friday, my wife Jenny had a vision from God about floods in Bangkok. She told me that we need to get out of Bangkok immediately on Monday, that is yesterday. But I felt that there was no urgency to leave Bangkok after listening to the news from government sources that Bangkok would remain safe, with little likelihood of floods.

Therefore I just ignored her urging.

Yesterday evening, Jenny spoke to her friend who works as a university lecturer. Her friend shared her flood experience in the Nonthaburi (the province to the west of Bangkok). She narrated that flood water came into her house within 3 hours from ground level to the chest level just a few days ago.

We also contacted a church elder of the Jaisamarn Full Gospel Bang Pa-In Church who lives on a higher ground of the Bang Pa-In area that has never before experienced floods. But late on last Saturday evening just before they were about to retire for the night, suddenly flood water came rushing into their house and within 2 hours, the water reached the level of their neck. They rushed out just in time to get back to the safety of their hometown, some distance away.

This afternoon, we also contacted another Christian brother. He told us that the flood water has already got into their home. This happened on Sunday late evening and the flood water level reached the chest level within an hour. They did not have enough time to save their car in time and so it is now submerged under the floods.

Radio and TV news from Bangkok are now getting more pessimistic. They broadcast news that the water barricade in Navanakorn District has been breached. Thus the situation is getting more serious and flood water may soon endanger the people in Bangkok and its surrounding.

With all this happening, I believe there is good evidence in Jenny’s vision. So we decided to pack our bags and rush to the Don Mueang Airport to catch a flight to Chiang Mai ... if we are able to get 2 tickets, by God's grace. While we were on the plane, Jenny took a few pictures from the air flying over Bangkok ... clearly, large tracts of land and many, many places near Bangkok are already being flooded. There is nothing much we can do now but wait for the floods to be over and then we will return to help the people to re-build their place.

On October 12, 2011, we went to the Relief Center in Thammasat Convention Hall to help flood victims there.

On October 12, 2011, a tornado hit Ayutthaya for two hours. Last week, there was an earthquake of 3.2 magnitude in Tak (below ChiangMai) and this quake shook the biggest dam of Thailand. Dozens of crocodiles have escaped from a farm in Ayutthaya's Bang Ban district after it was inundated by months of severe flooding and heavy rain.

Believe it or not, this is what we are told:

- Rojana Industrial Estate (Ayutthaya) has maintained that it has built the strongest embankment wall of 6m high ... yet this place is now under water.

- High-Tech Industrial Estate (Ayutthaya) also claims that its walls/embankments are made of solid soil capable of stopping rushing floods ... now this place sinks under water.

- Bang Pa-In Industrial Estate (Ayutthaya) also claims that it has protected itself with the strongest double layer sand bags ... now it is submerged by flood water.

- Navanakorn Industrial Estate also claims to be secure against any impending flood, because it has built a 5 m high wall, yet now it, too, is under water.

- Bangkok confidently says it has prepared for a worse scenario by making an embankment wall 50cm higher than all previous recorded flood water levels ... but could Bangkok save itself?

- Properties near Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok are also at risk, although the airport itself is said to be well protected. Let us wait and see.

What will turn up next for Thailand in the following days is entirely in God's hands.

We earnestly pray for His mercy upon this country, and that peace and serenity will return quickly to this land and its people by the grace of God.

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok

WORSENING FLOOD SITUATION IN THAILAND

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:53:14 PDT

Shalom All,

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

When we read at 2 Peter 3 verses 5 - 6 says “They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood”.

The flood situation currently in Thailand is getting from bad to worse and has hit almost every part of northern and central Thailand with unpredictable ferocity. About 33 provinces have been badly affected by the floods. The worst hit province is Ayutthaya province (former capital of Thailand). Certain areas of it have been under flood waters for about a month. With rising sea tide between 14 - 18 October 2011, the flood situation win Thailand can be expected to become worse The Thai Government is trying its best to pump the water out into the sea but to no avail as the water keeps on coming back.

The flood has also breached the embankment wall intended to prevent a back flow into Nakhon Sawan, the northern province.

Part of Bangkok is expected to be hit by the ongoing floods soon. Our home in Laksi, northern Bangkok, despite standing on a higher ground than the rest of the area nearby might also be affected, if torrential rains continue to pour. So there is a high chance that the floods from the north will push through even to Laksi. Therefore, residents in and around Bangkok should be prepared to face a worsening flood situation that would or might affect them.

The underground train, the Bangkok MRT has already started to build embankment walls to prevent water getting into tunnel entrances.

At the supermarkets and hypermarkets in Bangkok, food items are being snapped up and getting out of stock with price increasing because of panic buying.

Ayutthaya City, Ayutthaya Province, is experiencing the worst with the flood water reach the top floor of two-storey houses.

Yesterday, Jenny and I went to the Jaisamarn Full Gospel Bang Pa-In Church at Bang Pa-In City and the water increase 4 - 5cm. We are trying to find way how to help the people around and it is an opportunity to share the gospel to them. We are still looking at the floods situation in Bangkok first before taking another move to Ayutthaya City to help the floods victims otherwise we will help out in the Floods Relief Centre.

Even buying a small boat is very expensive that cost THB 7,500 (USD 244) and it is a long queue and early September 2011, the boat sold around THB 4,000 (USD 129) when the floods was not so serious.

Please do pray for the Christian brothers and sisters. Anyway, what do support financially, we will use the funds to help the floods victims.

Blessings and Shalom,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok

ANSWERING GOD'S CALL FOR MISSION WORK IN THE MIDDLE EAST

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:46:20 PDT

Dear Family and Friends,

“But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you” - 1 Samuel 12 verse 24.

Whenever I reflect on the great things God has done for me, I often think about the mission trips I have made to some six countries over the past 4 years. And I am often amazed at God's faithfulness and willingness to use me for His purposes.

To be involved with Mission work has been my desire for many years now, particularly since an unforgettable incident happening in Genting Highlands, Malaysia in 2005. In that incident, I was robbed and stabbed on my chest and then taken to the General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. One of my friends, a former Member of Parliament, has said to me then, “God has indeed been good to you, protected you and He has saved you from a terrible tragedy!”

From then on, I have felt I must surrender myself to serving God, not myself! Then God called me and I resigned from my previous employ to serve him fully from June 2007. It was very difficult for me in the beginning, as my meager savings was soon drying up.

But I kept my faith, trusting God for His Provision. These were the beginnings of a call on my life to be a part of God's Great Commission.

The first opportunity for me to go on a mission trip came in September 2007 and I was thrilled! God then used me beyond what I thought possible and He gave me spiritual strength that has continued on to the present.

After that first trip, God provided me with 6 more opportunities to share the Gospel to countries in East Asia. That calling has built me up spiritually over the years and has emboldened me to work more relentlessly for His kingdom.

For the last 4 years, I am blessed to be involved in mission work in Thailand, India, Cambodia and China.

I met my wife, Jenny, during my mission work in Thailand and we got married in April 2008. Then we served on God’s mission together as a missionary couple. The connection we have made with local churches everywhere has been truly amazing. Even with language barrier in some cases, it did not become a problem with us!

Let me now share with you a heartfelt desire and hope of mine to serve in another challenging ministry that God has presented to me since January 2007. It is to serve the spiritual needs of three countries: Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.

I believe God has opened my heart to serve His people in these three countries. The suffering of the people there has been tremendous.

You, too, can help share in the work of compassion for these people in several ways.

Firstly, you can pray for us. We will need prayers that God will indeed prepare us for this mission work and bless our efforts as we begin to prepare ourselves to minister to these people.

We also need prayers that our financial needs will be met. We require fund support to assist us in planning for a sustaining and longer mission stay and work amongst these people, as it will be difficult for us to return home once a year because the air ticket cost itself will be quite expensive.

Would you consider supporting us in this mission work? Luke 6 verse 38 says, ”Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back”.

For your gifts and donations, the details are as link to http://faithwithyou.blogspot.com/2009/02/mission-contribution.html.

Below is a videos capturing highlights of our mission work/ involvement in Thailand, China, India and Cambodia

Thank you for your prayers and support.

May God bless you, wherever you are In His Glory!

Our future work in Egypt, Jordan and Iraq will be similarly recorded and posted to you as has been done in the past 4 years.

Blessings and Shalom,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok /Jenny P Kok

CRUCIAL TIME

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 08:39:39 PDT

Shalom All,

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

Jenny and I have been very busy recently traveling to Southern Thailand to share the Good News, as well as returning to Malaysia for a short visit. I will update of my reports from April 2011 to July 2011 on the next email.

Towards the early of July 2011, we sought the Lord to determine our next mission destination, as the tempo of our mission work in Bangkok moderates and our missionary zeal seems to propel us to seek another direction, possibly Northeastern Thailand or Southern Thailand, as a missionary pastor. This possibility has come about when we were recently told that Betong in Yala Province (Southern of Thailand) is looking for a pastor to start a new church there. So we traveled all the way from Bangkok to meet up with the elder of the church in Betong, a distance of about 1,300 km.

The three southern provinces (Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat) have been under military rule for the past 6 years, under an Emergence Decree, due to civil unrest and drug related problems. Bomb explosions in the city and the outskirts are frequently reported in the local media. During our trip south, we encountered many Thai Army checkpoints. Getting there from Bangkok can be stressful. It might be safer and quicker to travel there from the Malaysian side, from Grik or Baling and then to Betong City, Thailand.

Betong was well known as a former hide out for members of the Malayan Communists in the 50s ,before peace finally returned to this once troubled era. In Betong recently, we have had a great fellowship with the elder of the church. He told us that the city is presently without a Christian church but on the outskirts there are 3 Christian churches. He has advertised in the Thailand Christian News need for a servant of God (pastor) for about a year now, but without success. It is probably because of the unrest or uncertain situation in the three southern provinces. The majority townspeople living in Betong City are Thai Chinese, speaking Cantonese, Mandarin or Hakka. The elder spoke encouragingly to us to seriously consider coming to Betong as a pastor couple and to help serve the needs of its church.

As we drove back to Bangkok, we felt a strong desire to take up this challenge to serve the Lord in Betong and to build up the church there. We then phoned the elder about our decision and he was very happy for us and gave thanks to the Lord. I have also mentioned this decision to some close Christian brothers and friends. Some have expressed concern about the bombing situation there.

A couple of days later, we appeared to encounter many unexplained problems and these appear to continue even up to the time of writing this report!

The car we have had for about a year now, recently broke down many times after return from Betong. I have sent the car to three different workshops but none of them could find the cause or source of the problem! Also the electric generator in our apartment has been down quite often since our return, sleepless night and there are many more other little incidents.

When I look back to early 2007, I remember facing similar problems. Just prior to that period, I had worked in an IT company, earning the salary of an average salary man of my age. During early March 2007, God spoke to me almost every day, asking me to resign from my job. I told God that I couldn't resign because I needed a paying job to provide me a living. One day, my salary was cut 50%. My electricity was cut off even though I have paid my bills and my car broke down every month! I had to spend about RM 500 to RM 800 (USD 170 - USD 266) repairing the car but thank God my boss paid for my repair then.

One day, I made a bargain with God. You do the first part, telling my boss about my resignation and I will do the second part. Then the following day, I received a call from my boss, He asked me ,"Do you want to resign?" I said "no". Then tons of work were piled on top of me.

In early June 2007, driving my car up a hill slope (near MidValley, Kuala Lumpur) and facing a horrible traffic jam, my first and second manual gear was unable to move and a loud noise came out from the gearbox. I stepped out from my car to check out. In desperation and resignation, I then told God, "I surrender, You win!". Then I phoned my boss, I have decided to resign from my job to serve God instead. He was very surprised to hear this and seemed worried for me. Finally, he agreed to let me go.

It seems that the situation I now face is similar to the events in 2007 for me. It is also not unlike the Prophet Jonah, trying to run away from God's calling. I seem to face a dilemma. Is it possible that God does not want us to go to Betong to serve Him there? If so, then where? Does God want me to stick to original plan 2007, to go to the Middle East with Jenny before end of September 2011? But it is not easy at all for us to go to the Middle East because everything there is so expensive and we can't afford it at all, even the flight ticket alone would cost a hefty RM 3,500 per person/return (USD 1,165). Not an easy option at all this! Please pray with us as we seek His direction.

At the same time, a mission agency from Australia that focuses on the Middle East has sent me some email last month to say it might have an opening for me to help out in a Christian work there. I have replied to this 2 days ago when so many of these happenings were taking place. I am still awaiting for their email for the details of their offer.

It is never an easy decision to surrender every earthly consideration to submit to God's Will and to walk by faith. Not for the past 4 years for me and now even for the next walking by faith, not entirely alone by me, but now together with Jenny, my wife.

Please continue to uphold us in your prayers. God be with you, too, as always!

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok

MISSION FINANCIAL STATEMENT FROM MAY 2010 TO APRIL 2011

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:34:09 PDT

Shalom All,

Greetings in the Name of Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

The favor which we had received, and for which we felt so much gratitude, had been received from you as Our Lord is the source of it, and we rejoiced of His kindness. Our heart lead with cheerfulness and joy up to God.

The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. He does not grants us superhuman ability to accomplish anything we can imagine without regard to His interest. As we contend for the faith we will face troubles, pressures and trials. At every step of life, Christ is able to strengthen us and can bring us triumphantly through.

Money measures our energy, it represents our day-to-day security. Giving money away put our work and our futures at risk. Not every charity deserves your attention and you are wise to scrutinize missionary appeals as well. But once you have determined that a project honors the Lord, do not hold back as you give generously and joyfully. You will be establishing an eternal partnership.

We can trust that God will always meet our needs. Whatever we need on earth he will always supply, even if it is the courage to face death as Paul did. Whatever we need in heaven he will supply. We must remember, however, the difference between our wants and our needs. Most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort or pain. We may not get all that we want. By trusting in Christ, our attitudes and appetites can change from wanting everything to accepting his provision and power to live for Him.

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:15:52 PDT

Shalom All,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

It gives me great pleasure to share my faith-work with different Christian denominations, from east to west, and north to south.

It is never easy to do mission work. Each step of the way, we walk by faith, trusting and depending completely on our Lord to carry us through, to bring the message of hope, as He has commanded us to do the Good News that “Jesus Christ of Nazareth is coming soon”.

With each passing day, time is getting shorter and nearer for all of us waiting for the return of our Lord .

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds” - Revelation 22 verse 12.

For the past 2 years, so many disasters have taken place in our earthly abode and they still continue to appear before us to this day!

In recent weeks, I have followed and read the Thai News about unusual foreboding signs, such as abnormal hysterical cries from panicked animals and wildlife in the forests or torrential heavy rainfall, or river water levels rapidly rising and even water in streams changing its color to match mountain soil. I believe the animals are much more alert and sensitive when disasters are about to happen or strike, because God's signals and voice seem to resonate with them and they seem to obey and respond more willingly and naturally!.

When God's voice or commands reach us, the humans, admonishing us, " Hey, time to abandon things here and now!", we tend to close our ears and our heart, not hearing His voice and still thinking and telling ourselves, that we have yet to achieve our earthly objectives and goals, of self and greed, and of our many needs that are yet to be satisfied!

“We want to strive for more and more each day, and there is, and never seems, enough!”.

At the end of the day, we truly become the “Lost Sheep” as narrated in the Bible!

But, in truth and as believers, we know it from our hearts, that is not God's plan for us at all.

Indeed, God’s love for each one of us is so great that He seeks each one one of us out and rejoices when each sheep is found. The Lord Jesus associates with sinners because he wants to bring back the misdirected sheep, people about to be totally lost, so that hope for them is within their grasp and they will turn around and accept the Gospel of God’s Kingdom.

So everyone must work towards the salvation, plan of God and strive to work in unity to become one with Christ. This means the entire church must work together to rid themselves of divisions and discord and to faithfully obey the command of Christ, our Lord and Savior. We must know what we believe and how we should live, in obedience to Him, especially when we are on our own. Be more like Christ, so that we won’t sidetrack..

Now the mission reports;

Let come to mission reports;

On February 1^st, 2011, we went to the House of Mercy and Khao Kao Church in Phetchabun (about 440km northeast of Bangkok ) and spent a prayerful quiet time with the Lord on my birthday. We also have had a good fellowship time with the Rev. Robert Dunk and his team at the House of Mercy, which is serving a great need and doing a great job. This planting provides free education for the disadvantaged children, from kindergarten to middle secondary school. It was established in 1985 and now has about 1,000 students.

We also brought some Christmas gifts from Bangkok to give away to the children of Hmong Hill Tribes in Khao Kao Church.

On Valentine Day (February 14^th, 2011), we visited the first Bangkok Christian International Library, also known as BCIL that was launched in February 2011. We donated our 5 books “A Journey of Life” to support this library. It is heartening to hear from the testimony of the managers of the library, Brother Sang and his wife, that they are only 14 months' old Christians ! Yet they are so willing to surrender themselves to serving God through this library.

“But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you” - 1 Samuel 12 verse 24. Praise the Lord!

We took a week's trip, from March 3^rd - 9^th, 2011 to Southern Thailand to share the Word of God, without any pre-arrangement to meet any church group or organization. On the first day, we went to Prachuap Khiri Khan province (about 180km from Bangkok) and distributed Christian leaflets, also shared the gospel with the local people.

There are many churches planted by Korean missions in South Thailand. We visited Bethel Thai Church on March 5^th, 2011 in South Krabi (about 590km from Bangkok) that concentrates on the Muslim community. During our trip south, we along with some church leaders and two young Korean missionaries, were invited to attend a Thai Muslim wedding. The following day, with my background knowledge as a Malaysian, I shared with the church leaders about Muslim culture and beliefs and the way to reach out to the community.

On March 8^th, 2011, we visited the Hatyai Baptist Church in Hat Yai (about 970km from Bangkok ) and had fellowship with the church pastor. The pastor told us about the flood last December 2010 that hit the city, reaching a height of 6 - 7 feet, fully submerging and damaging his car. By God's grace, he has now been able to replace this loss with a new pick-up truck. We gave this church our book 'A Journey of Life', plus a few copies of Christian News and evangelism leaflets.

The following day, we were invited to visit the site for a new 'Teen Challenge' centre in Phatthalung (about 100km nort of Hai Yat ) which will be led by Rev. Preecha who now uses his home as a temporary centre. Teen Challenge is an evangelical Christian drug recovery rehabilitation program and is also a Christian social and evangelizing work center. There is a 12-18 months program that serves drug addicts, alcoholics, gang members, prostitutes and people with relationships problems. We are in prayer how we might be able to assist in this outreach.

On the March 19^th, 2011, we were invited to attend a launching ceremony for a new church in Suan Phung, Province of Ratchaburi (Western Thailand, about 180km from Bangkok). This center will cater to the needs of the Burmese community.

The following day, we went to Nakhon Ratchasima (northeastern, about 300km from Bangkok) and attended the Miracle Night Conference. It is amazing to see God's hand in using the speaker, Pastor Henry Madava who pastors a church in Ukraine, to reach out to people in Thailand! In the morning, we have fellowship with Hope Church, Korat and then lunch with Pastor Henry and other church leaders. Early evening, we joined the conference in the outdoor stadium. The turnout was about 3,000 people.

Now back in Bangkok.

On March 29^th, 2011, we decided to take a walk-evangelism in Chinatown, Bangkok. Not many people there are ready or willing to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ or are interested in receiving and reading through the Christian leaflets. We notice that there are 2 or 3 churches around The Chinatown area. We don't know how active they are in sharing or evangelizing the Good News, with the local people there.

The biggest problems about the Thai Christian community is perhaps its zero growth rate, still standing at 0.5% -1%, for the last 180 years (less than 200,000 out of 67 million people). There are many reasons for this sad state of affairs; such as the sabai culture (easy-going), the church leaders do not want to change to be better, many cell groups never grew, or chose to close down, few were willing to serve; and lack of discipleship or leadership training. I believe that all Thai Christians need to come together, to pray for a wakening, a serious call to spread the gospel of salvation, good works, repentance, etc. As Jonah was called to go to Nineveh, so must the people of God heed God's call to serve Thailand in this century and age! Let us pray together for this to take place.

On March 31^st, 2011, we visited Sister Jeab, a sister-in-Christ, whose mother was admitted to a hospital for treatment of a tumor in her brain in Aytthuya City (about 100km from Bangkok). The doctor said that the survival chance was very slim and she passed away on May 8^th, 2011. Our condolences to Sister Jeab and her family.

In closing, it is my prayer that we will all continue to serve our Lord according to His will and plan for each one of us.

We walk with faith in our Lord. We believe that God has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to give us the Light and the Truth. As we walk in faith, our earthly problems will become small, dim and inconsequential. And as we surrender our troubles and ourselves to Him, He will lead us and give us peace and joy serving Him.

All Glory to our God.

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok

PICTURE DURING MY MISSION

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:27:16 PDT

Get set go...
----------------making friends
------------------making disciples
--------------------making great journey
----------------------sharing Good News
------------------------sharing Love + Joy
--------------------------sharing End Time News

UPDATE MISSION VIDEO CLIP

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:29:26 PDT

Dear All,

Greeting in the Lord's Name!

For almost everyday in recent weeks, I have been getting sleep for about 4 hours or less, as most of my time has been used for God’s work. I feel very tired each day, and so I hope to take a short break soon to re-charge. As with any overwork and stress, one could easily succumb to illness, but I want to praise God that he has so far enabled me to remain physically strong and spiritually uplifted Praise God indeed for that! Each morning and evening, I have helped out in counseling work, as well as prayer ministry, along with other team members from US, UK and Europe.

You can watch our mission video clip done up by Jenny (Before you start the video clip, do stop the Christian Music at the right side below as you can see Media Player).

If you desire to support our mission for our encourage report, this is the link "Mission Contribution" and you will blessed.

Take care and God Bless!

Regards,
Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok

70 metal books found in Jordan cave could change our view of Biblical history

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:55:21 PDT

Could this be the biggest find since the Dead Sea Scrolls? Seventy metal books found in cave in Jordan could change our view of Biblical history

By Fiona Macrae

Last updated at 8:36 PM on 30th March 2011

For scholars of faith and history, it is a treasure trove too precious for price.

This ancient collection of 70 tiny books, their lead pages bound with wire, could unlock some of the secrets of the earliest days of Christianity.

Academics are divided as to their authenticity but say that if verified, they could prove as pivotal as the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947.

Lines of inquiry: The metal tablets could change our understanding of the Bible

On pages not much bigger than a credit card, are images, symbols and words that appear to refer to the Messiah and, possibly even, to the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Adding to the intrigue, many of the books are sealed, prompting academics to speculate they are actually the lost collection of codices mentioned in the Bible’s Book Of Revelation.

The books were discovered five years ago in a cave in a remote part of Jordan to which Christian refugees are known to have fled after the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD. Important documents from the same period have previously been found there.

Initial metallurgical tests indicate that some of the books could date from the first century AD.

Revelation: Experts speculate that the tablets could be the lost collection of codices referred to in the Bible's Book Of Revelation

Hidden meaning: Scrolls, tablets and other artifacts, including an incense bowl, were also found at the same site as the tablets

SHEPHERD'S DISCOVERY THAT UNEARTHED A TREASURE TROVE

The Dead Sea Scrolls, counted among the most important archaeological finds of the modern era, were discovered in a cave (pictured) by a Bedouin shepherd in the West Bank.

The scrolls consist of 30,000 separate fragments making up 900 manuscripts of biblical texts and religious writings from the time of Jesus.

The fragile parchment and papyrus fragments have been the subject of intense study for more than half a century by an international team of scholars who are still trying to understand the significance of some 30 per cent of the texts which are not included in the Bible or any other previously known religious writings.

The scrolls include the earliest known copy of the Ten Commandments, an almost complete Book of Isaiah and many of the Psalms.

Some of the texts were damaged by well-intentioned restoration attempts since the 1950s that included the use of Sellotape, rice paper and perspex glue.

This estimate is based on the form of corrosion which has taken place, which experts believe would be impossible to achieve artificially.

If the dating is verified, the books would be among the earliest Christian documents, predating the writings of St Paul.

The prospect that they could contain contemporary accounts of the final years of Jesus’s life has excited scholars – although their enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that experts have previously been fooled by sophisticated fakes.

David Elkington, a British scholar of ancient religious history and archeology, and one of the few to have examined the books, says they could be ‘the major discovery of Christian history’.

‘It is a breathtaking thought that we have held these objects that might have been held by the early saints of the Church,’ he said.

But the mysteries between their ancient pages are not the books’ only riddle. Today, their whereabouts are also something of a mystery. After their discovery by a Jordanian Bedouin, the hoard was subsequently acquired by an Israeli Bedouin, who is said to have illegally smuggled them across the border into Israel, where they remain.

However, the Jordanian Government is now working at the highest levels to repatriate and safeguard the collection. Philip Davies, emeritus professor of biblical studies at Sheffield University, said there was powerful evidence that the books have a Christian origin in plates cast into a picture map of the holy city of Jerusalem.

A 16th century painting depicting Jesus's death. The metal books contain pages with images, symbols and words that appear to refer to the Messiah and, possibly even, to the Crucifixion

X marks the spot: The cave in Jordan where the artifacts were discovered

Dr Margaret Barker, a former president of the Society for Old Testament Study, confirmed that a sealed book is mentioned in the Bible

‘As soon as I saw that, I was dumbstruck,’ he said. ‘That struck me as so obviously a Christian image. There is a cross in the foreground, and behind it is what has to be the tomb [of Jesus], a small building with an opening, and behind that the walls of the city.

‘There are walls depicted on other pages of these books too and they almost certainly refer to Jerusalem. It is a Christian crucifixion taking place outside the city walls.’

The British team leading the work on the discovery fears that the present Israeli ‘keeper’ may be looking to sell some of the books on to the black market, or worse – destroy them.

But the man who holds the books denies the charge and claims they have been in his family for 100 years.

Dr Margaret Barker, a former president of the Society for Old Testament Study, said: ‘The Book of Revelation tells of a sealed book that was opened only by the Messiah.

‘Other texts from the period tell of sealed books of wisdom and of a secret tradition passed on by Jesus to his closest disciples. That is the context for this discovery.’

Groundbreaking find: A section of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were unearthed in 1947

Professor Davies said: ‘The possibility of a Hebrew-Christian origin is certainly suggested by the imagery and, if so, these codices are likely to bring dramatic new light to our understanding of a very significant but so far little understood period of history.’

Mr Elkington, who is leading British efforts to have the books returned to Jordan, said: ‘It is vital that the collection can be recovered intact and secured in the best possible circumstances, both for the benefit of its owners and for a potentially fascinated international audience.’

*British scientists have uncovered up to eight million mummified dogs, thought to have been sacrificed to Anubis, the god of the dead, 2500 years ago after excavating tunnels in the ancient Eygptian city of Saqqara.

BIBLE PROPHESY ABOUT RECENT TSUNAMI IN JAPAN

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:57:13 PDT

Shalom All,

Greetings in the Jesus Christ the Nazareth!

Here is the online news about the Tsunami in Japan on March 11^th, 2011 “The quake off Japan's northeast coast was the biggest in 140 years and triggered tsunami waves of up to 10 meters (30 feet) that swept across farmland, sweeping away homes, crops, vehicles and triggering fires” - Reuters. Japan’s recent 8.9 magnitude earthquake already generated a 15 foot tsunami that crashed its coasts - Digital Journal.

Where does the word 'tsunami' come from? 'Tsunami' is a Japanese word meaning : storm ("tsu") and wave ("nami") - Oxford English Dictionary. For the plural, one can either follow ordinary English practice and add an 's', or use an invariable plural as in Japanese.

On Sunday morning, my reading took me to the Book of Zechariah 5 verses 2 – 4, “What do you see?” the angel asked. “I see a flying scroll,” I replied. “It appears to be about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. Then he said to me, “This scroll contains the curse that is going out over the entire land. One side of the scroll says that those who steal will be banished from the land; the other side says that those who swear falsely will be banished from the land. And this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: " I am sending this curse into the house of every thief and into the house of everyone who swears falsely using my name. And my curse will remain in that house and completely destroy it - even its timbers and stones.”

Then I sought God for an interpretation of Zechariah’s vision. The following is revealed to me.

First, the flying scroll is like the opening of a roll of papyrus or paper and so tsunami or storm waves come like a flying scroll.

Second, Zechariah said the measurement of the flying scroll is 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. This describes pretty closely the March 2011 Tsunami of Japan

Third, the 'curse' refers to the sea waves (tsunami) that sweep everything away.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are indeed living perilously close to Judgment Day or End Time. God 's anger and warnings are clearly prophesized in the Bible. It is entirely up to us to see and interpret this in the reality and happening around us. Ignore and dismiss these warnings of doom, we merely deceive ourselves! Life on Earth is short. Eternity awaits us. But are we ready and prepared to accept Jesus as our only Savior? Have we really followed or obeyed God’s Will and His Commandments?

I remember vividly the following story a friend has shared with me. A wealthy man knew he would be dying soon. He told his son, "Please bury all my money with me ".The son nodded. When the time came for burying, the son said," I am not that stupid to put all the money in the grave because he can’t use it anyway." Instead he wrote out pieces of cheques as substitutes.

In the Book of Matthew 6 verses 19 - 20 we are reminded, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal”.

Another Bible prophesy also deserves our attention. The Book of Revelation 6 verses 12 - 14 says "I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places’.

Checking the earthquakes statistics in the website http://earthquake.usgs.gov, you will find that earthquakes are happening every second. According to the latest news, Honshu Island has shifted 8 feet or 2.4 meters and we don’t know about other places. Maybe you can start checking the measurement between your house door and the front gate to see if the distance is shifting.!

I believe that the prophesy of the sixth seal on the scroll is already opened and now we will be facing the seventh seal.

Those who wash their robes are those who seek to purify themselves from a sinful way of life. They strive daily to remain faithful and ready for Christ’s return. It is difficult to imagine how blood could make any cloth white but the blood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the world’s greatest purifier because it removes the stain of sin. White symbolizes sinless perfection or holiness, which can be given to people only by death of the sinless Lamb of God on our behalf. God’s Word assures us that if we are willing and obedient, Christ will forgive and remove our most indelible stains. Amen!

The last word will be God’s, his ultimate sovereignty will be revealed in the end. We cannot predict when that end will come, but we can have confidence in his control over the world’s events. The world’s history, as well as our own pilgrimage is in God’s hands. We can be secure in his love and trust Him to guide our decision.

We just want to share our apprehensions as the stark reality hits us.

So, brothers and sisters in Christ, be forewarned. The End Time is near. Be prepared. And Live!

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok

MISSION - GIFTS - EVENTS

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:01:38 PST

Shalom All,

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

We have received much encouragement in our faith walk with Christ as nothing is impossible with God’s call and Will. Now we have about 8,000 email readers and 6.000 page views per month on my mission blog. Praise the Lord for all that He has done!

We can almost sense the nearness of the End Time as mentioned in the Book of Matthew, chapter 24, where it is said we will never know when it will happen. For the past few weeks ago, I have been reading news about earthquakes, volcano eruptions, weather changing, riots within the nations, famines and wars between neighbors. We cannot predict when the end will come but we can have confidence in His control over the world’s events. The world's history, as well as our own pilgrimage, is in God’s hands and we can be secure in His love and trust to guide our destiny and life. Many are also “false prophets” with counterfeit signs of spiritual power and authority. One Jewish writing says that the story of Eve's temptation include Satan masquerading as an angel. Nothing could be more deceitful than Satan, the prince of darkness, disguising himself as an angel of light! In the same way, these false apostles were pretending to be apostles of Christ, while in reality they were agents of Satan. We must be alert to all these situation, stay close to God, believe that Christ has set us free and only the Word of God is truth.

God works so amazingly and our prayer is been answered. We have sought the Lord for a vehicle since August 2010 and finally we got a second hand car since late November 2010. The car costs us around THB 150,000 (USD 4,900) and the car condition is still new without need for much repair I took a hire purchase loan from the Christian Car Dealer and he requested my Malaysian Passport without any guarantor. Not only that, by now the car is almost fully settled. God is so good when we seek Him humbly and earnestly.

On the December 23rd, 2010, we published our first book called “A Journey of Life” in Thai Language. It is about our life testimonies of faith. Our book appears to have touched many readers, who share their thoughts with us after reading our book, one of them a devout Buddhist, who has decided to accept Jesus Christ as His Savior and many more. The Christian News also advertised our book in the newspaper and received tremendously orders from the readers. The book, 1000 printed copies, sells at THB 79.00 (USD 2.45) throughout Christian Bookstores in Bangkok. We decided to donate 100 books for free as charity contribution and one of the readers gave us an offering of THB 10,000 (USD 326) for one book. Praise the Lord! The Lord never returns less than what we are prepared to give Him, but more if we have faith in Him.

As reported in my last mail, we have earlier decided to become mission partners with Glad Tidings Assembly of God, Malaysia, and have been back in Malaysia to attend the Mission Committee meeting early January 2011. However, the Church has recently decided to delay this community project and church planting for the time being. This has affected our plans for work in Bangkok as we have been promoting the up-coming project and have also gathered more than 20 people to start the church. It is hard to continue to move along with this project due to these uncertainties and so we feel it best for us to withdraw ourselves from the earlier agreed arrangements. I believe that God has a greater direction for them as well as for us.

Since September 2010, Senior Pastor Dr. Sinchai has invited me to be part of his pastoral team in his Mahachon Church but I have declined the offer many times. In mid January 2011, Dr. Sinchai again offered me the position. In a mobile phone conversation, Jenny just said “yes” and so that was that. It could be God’s plan for us to help the church. The church appointed me as a volunteer pastor advisor while Jenny assists in the church.

The mission reports;

In mid December 2010, we decided to buy basic necessities (soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, body powder, noodle, biscuits, books, paracetamols, etc) to give to the homeless. I used the available mission funds to purchase around THB 5,500 (USD 180) and we were able to assemble about 120 packs for the homeless. We also bought 95 boxes of gifts for the children from the Australia Samaritan Purse with a sum of THB 1,000 (USD 33).

On December 18th, 2010, we joined the Lumpini Evangelism Christian Group at Lumpini Park There were about 80 homeless people there. I did not have the opportunity to share the Word of God on that day because the schedule was tight. An elderly man from Taiwan shared his thoughts about the Holy Gifts of laughter to rejoice God’s presence. After that, we distributed the prepared Christmas gifts. We also blessed other passerby with the remaining gifts. Proverbs 22 verse 9 says “A generous man will himself be blessed for he shares his food with poor”. Hallelujah!

Two days later, a church in Hua Hin invited us to their Christmas gathering. There were about 18 inter-denominational churches gathered there to celebrate the Christmas event in the Market Village. The Mayor of Prachuap Khiri Khan Municipality City came to launch the event and we were delighted he chose to spend almost 1 ½ hours to see through the exciting program. The church leaders had thought he would spend not more than half an hour after launching the event. Praise the Lord !

On the morning of December 22nd, 2010, we had Christmas Caroling in Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok. In this we were joined with a few other inter-denomination churches. I have an opportunity to share the Word of God with some of the patients. After that, I drove to Chiang Rai (about 900 km away from Bangkok ) with Jenny to help a Christian brother solve some issues. It was a tiring day traveling all the way, and I didn’t get to sleep much. But God freshed me each day for “when we are weak, He will make us strong”.

Early morning on December 24th, 2010, we were co-organizers of the Christmas Celebration event for the Lumpini Primary School and we arrived from Chiang Rai around 3.30am. Then we started to prepare the event around 6.30am. There were about 700 primary students in the school. We arranged many Christmas gifts and Ajarn Suchart assisted us to get sponsors for 700 packs of Vitamilk. The students were in great excitement, playing games and responding to questions giving us a wonderful opportunity to share the meaning and joy of Christmas. In fact, many of them don’t know much about the true meaning of Christmas, knowing only about Santa Claus, or waiting for Christmas gifts and not knowing who Jesus Christ is and why we celebrate His birth.. We also helped arrange the Australia Samaritan Purse boxes for distribution to students who won their games. The events lasted about 4 hours, then we returned home to rest.

The next evening that is on Christmas Day, we went to the Christmas Celebration organized by Mahachon Church in the Central World Mall, Bangkok. Many shoppers came to join the events. There were well known local pop singers (also Christians) singing there and a Korean dancing group to draw the crowds. After this we rushed to another Christmas event in the Avana Hotel (about 24 km away). A generous couple organized a grand buffet dinner for about 650 non-Christians and they shared their life testimonies. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay long enough as we returned to Central World Mall for the Christmas Celebration.

From December 30th, 2010 - January 1st, 2011, we were in Singapore to meet up with some Christian friends and stayed in a mission house that cost only SGD 20 per day (USD 16). Then we were in Kuala Lumpur for 5 days. We had a dinner meeting with the Mission Committees but nothing solid worked out. Perhaps the Lord has other plans for us. We were busy meeting up with Christian friends and had good quality time together. I have an opportunity to share the Word of God in the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship, Damansara Intan Chapter, Petaling Jaya.

During the month of January 2011, we were extremely busy organizing the HT Long - Elvis Malaysia’s concerts (The Golden Voice of Elvis) in the churches and hotel in Bangkok, from January 29th to 30th. On January 28th, we had dinner with the Elvis of Thailand together with HT Long. It was a pleasure to meet Khun Jaruek Viriyakit impersonating Elvis at the Asia Hotel as well as many other impersonators. Three Elvis impersonators sang together and thrilled the audience.

On the morning of January 29th, we were busy organizing the HT Long - Elvis Malaysia event in Avana Hotel, Bangkok. The hotel organizers invited many businessmen to attend this event. One high ranking government official who was not a Christian came to attend and to sing together with HT Long. During the program, HT Long took the opportunity to share his faith and the love of God. Later, this senior government officer and non believers was so touched by the testimony given that he decided to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. Indeed, God works in mysterious ways to touch a man's heart. The hotel management offered two free hotel suites for our use during the event. May God bless the hotel management for its generosity and giving.

The following evening, we went to Mahachon Church, Bangkok to arrange the program for HT Long’s concert. We invited many non-Christians, including Jenny’s uncle. When HT Long made an altar call, many people came out to the front. HT Long prayed for them, many were slain and healed. Hallelujah! The Lord uses simple ordinary people, including one with the gift of Elvis' voice, to touch and heal people .

The next morning, we went to the Acts of Christ Church, Bangkok where the same concert was arranged at the last minute. Due to the limited time, the church leaders allotted HT Long 15 minutes' singing time. The congregation was thrilled to listen to his impersonation of Elvis Presley, clapping and shouting for more songs. Unfortunately, that was all the time we had as we had to hurriedly leave for the next event and destination in 1 ½ hours.

Some of the members from Acts of Christ Church and other churches came to the Second Samyan Church, Bangkok to attend the HT Long’s concert. It was a 2 hours event. When HT Long sang his Rock’n Roll, one cripple with stick came up to the stage and danced. When HT Long took away his stick, he was healed totally. Again an amazing miracle of healing ... Praise the Lord! A few weeks later, the church pastor informed us that his church leaders were very happy with our program and they look forward to working with us for more such events in the future.

We wish to thank all of you for your continued support in our work in Thailand. Please continue to pray for our health and joy in serving the Lord. May God bless you and yours richly with His abundance!

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:47:22 PST

CHANGE THAILAND

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:50:31 PST

Shalom All,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Faith comes from trusting the Lord in every way ... for our daily needs ... for the work we do joyfully in His name … that it will bear fruits, and add more to His Kingdom .. How true ... so in Him we Trust and Obey. Hebrews 11 verse 3 says: “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen”. God called the universe into existence out of nothing, he declared that it was to be and it was. Our faith is in the God who created the entire universe by His Word. God’s Word has awesome power.

During the past 2 ½ months, we were extremely busy with all kinds of Church related activities and so we were unable to update our reports regularly. Most of the time, I was only able to update some of our activities in our Facebook wall.

Recently, my home church, Glad Tidings Assembly of God (GTPJ), Malaysia decided to place us as a mission partner in Bangkok, to help GTPJ to start a community centre, church planting and community outreach. As I prayed and looked for a suitable location to start our work, God answered our prayers in a mysterious way ... in no time at all, God provided us with about 20 local volunteers to help us in our planned ministries. Praise the Lord!

We sense that our Almighty God will bring us bountiful harvests in our planned Bangkok planting. So our vision and prayer theme for the coming year will be “Changing Thailand for God's Glory”. Together with existing local churches, we will strive to work hard in unity with them to bring the Good News to the local people. In John 14 verse 6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. We will bring this message to save souls. We will also strive to free sinners of the bondage that holds them back, so that the Love of Jesus will set them truly free!

The Christians in Thailand constitute less than 1% out of a population of 67 million. For 180 years, the Christian missionaries and local churches had tried many ways to spread the Good News but have, by and large, failed to find the key to open their hardened hearts. There has been a measure of success elsewhere, many mission workers have focused on the Hill Tribal people from Myanmar, Yunnan and Laos where more than 40% have been saved. Praise the Lord for that. But we need now to concentrate our focus on the majority of the Thai people themselves, where the needs are greatest. So let us together pray diligently for the theme adopted for next year to come to pass, for the greater Glory of God.

The mission reports;

On September 5^th, 2010, I was invited by Rev. Dr. Sinchai, the senior pastor of Mahachon Church to preach the Word of God to his congregation, with Jenny as my interpreter. This church, established here only less than a year ago, plans to build a brand new church building next to a river nearby, to be called the Ark's Church. It will be the first such new modern church building to appear in Bangkok in many years.

The church hopes to cooperate with existing local churches in as many of its activities as possible. Currently, I serve as a partner/mentor to the senior pastor and we work together on the same vision.

“Sharing knowledge is not about giving people something, or getting something from them. That is only valid for information sharing. Sharing knowledge occurs when people are genuinely interested in helping one another develop new capacities for action; it is about creating learning processes” ... Peter Senge.

On September 11^th, we celebrated the birthday of Bro. Kiert, aged 86, at the Lumpini Park. About 180 people came to celebrate the event. Brother Kiert is one of the founding members of the Lumpini Evangelism Group and Poukey Service Group together with his wife, also a church worker/evangelist originally from Beijing, as well as two other local Thai - Chinese co-founders. He had been unwell and weak after a recent operation. Let us remember him in our prayers for Jesus to strengthen him.

Usually on every Saturday morning, we will be helping out in the Lumpini Park on fellowshipping and sharing the Word of God with the poor to let them know how much God love them. Some of the poor sleep by the road, some in temples, never taking baths for weeks. Many appear to have lost the direction for living and are in deep spiritual emptiness or darkness. So we endeavor to give them hope and light through Jesus Christ, doing whatever we can with gifts of love and encouragement, including verses from the Bible and our frequent prayers and encouraging them to bring their friends to the park as well. We plan to start a pilot "Adopt the poor" project which will mainly focus on giving them simple jobs like polishing shoes, washing cars etc. This will help them to get some income. Let us pray for God's leading in this project.

Early in October 2010, I went on a short trip to Wuhan, China to meet up with Bro. Stone. A year ago, I had baptized him into the faith in Tianjin, China. We have had a good fellowship and reunion.

From October 29^th to 30^th, Jenny and I were invited to attend the Thailand Prayer Conference which was held for the first time in Thailand, when churches came together to pray. Unfortunately, many ministers of God were unable to come to the event due to the 60^th Anniversary Baptist Celebration. During the conference, I was asked to write down what I thought was needed most in Thailand. I wrote on the big board “Change Thailand for the Glory of God”. Many came to ask me explain how to do that. We shared our thoughts sand plans for the coming year. We said a big “Amen” to that dream, hope and trust with God, “anything is possible”.

In early September 2010, a member from The Hymnsmen asked me to invite the Hymnsmen group to come to Bangkok to do some church events. From November 8 to 12, they came to Bangkok to perform. I arranged for them to sing at various churches. At first, we were not too sure of how they would be received in Thailand, singing in English as they do, and whether their CDs would be sought and bought ... so only about 80 CDs were brought in. After their first performance at the Bangkok Christian Hospital, our optimism soared ... all the CDs were sold and we had orders for more! Despite our little faith, God did great things right in front of us, telling us to trust Him more each day. So when I next preached in Mahachon Church about the “Power of Change”. I was emboldened to make an altar call. About nine people came out and accepted Christ ... Praise the Lord!

In Luke 15 verse 7 Jesus says “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and have strayed away!” Hallelujah!

Preaching in House of Christ Church on “Healing through Christ”, with the Hymnsmen playing the music in the background, I again made an altar call. The whole congregation came out to seek Healing. One lady unable to walk, then walked, one lady unable to hear then could hear ... truly miraculous!

In Matthew 9 verse 35, Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness ... Praise the Name of Jesus ... what a Miraculous God we serve! All glory to Him!

From November 10^th to 13^th, we went to the Province of Surat Thani (South of Thailand) to distribute dried foods to flood victims using own funds. We were also able to fellowship with the local pastors and have had a good time together. We traveled by Airasia paying return ticket at THB 300 (USD 10) for two persons and everyone was surprised how we could travel so cheaply! The Lord provides and takes care of our frugal needs so that we may serve Him joyfully. Hallelujah!

On November 14^th, 2010 a few churches joined hands to organize a prayer walk and concert in Bangkok. About 3,000 people attended the event, mostly youths. This was the first such event held in Thailand.

We are praying to buy a new small car, a Chery QQ this month so that we will be able to get to places more conveniently. Currently we are taking the public transport and it is hard and time consuming. Our schedule of work has also increased; we have more commitments such as starting a community centre, outreach centre, church planting, public events and working with other local churches.

May God bless each of you wherever you are.

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok

GOD'S BLESSING

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:51:52 PST

Shalom All,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Paul wanted his readers to be generous on every occasion. We are reminded that God is the source of everything. In the Book of 2 Corinthians 9 verse 13 says “As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ”. All believers are called to be generous because of the example of the Lord of Life. Generosity proves that a person’s heart has been cleansed of self - interest and filled with the servant spirit of Jesus himself. That is why acts of generosity result in God being praised.

Since last Sunday, I have mild flu and sore throat due to abrupt changes in weather and the workload. Do pray for us, since all servants of the Lord will always be under attack from the Evil One.

From October 1st - 8th, 2010, I will travel to China, first to Guangzhou, and then to Wuhan, Hubei, for a short mission trip. My wife, Jenny, will remain in Bangkok. I will be preaching in various home churches and teaching Bible Study group on equipping the Christians.

The following month, November 2010, I will help set up a Hymn team to share testimonies and sing Hymns at two churches, a hospital, a primary school and in a park. With this event, we hope to reach out to many people around Bangkok. I sense that Thailand will experience a revival and the people will respond positively to a cleansing change. Let us all pray for Thailand to move away from idolatry worship and turn to seek God's true love - and turn to Jesus the SAVIOR who has died for our sins.

Presently, Jenny and I have decided to remain in Bangkok for a year to help out some ministries before planning to go to Mosul, Iraq and finally to Israel. We need to do lots of mission planning before going to Iraq, also to consider our long term visa status as well the security outlook of the country. Moreover, I am thinking of linking up with other missionaries with similar interests and directions.

After the US-Iraq war, there appears to be no permanent missionary teams in Iraq due to various problems. I believe God wants to change the people in the Middle-east countries, the so-called 10/40 window.

About future plans in starting a foundation in Thailand, we didn’t get much feedback from readers and supporters and so we have decided to shelve the idea for the time being. But we have been offered other openings. Two local Thai churches have offered to take me in as their pastor. I am still considering the option. Another has offered a piece of land to build a church. I have passed on this proposal to my home church which is actively considering the matter.

If the home church decides to help start the church in Bangkok, most probably Jenny and I will remain in Bangkok to assist in the work in this church for a year, such as equipping disciples, church planting and recruiting team leaders. Our plan to provide handicraft training for the poor can also continue as part of the ministry.

Let me now introduce our apartment.

We live a very simple life here, with no refrigerator but recently we bought a small TV. We put a blanket on the floor to make a bed to sleep on and also our room is very small. We thank God for this room because this room belongs to Jenny’s uncle who rents to us around USD 48 per month but when we were away, he never asked us to pay the monthly rent. Moreover, the electricity bill is currently free because our tariff usage is always below the average.

From July 8th - 13th, 2010, we were in Hatyai (Southwestern Thailand) and Pattani (Southeastern Thailand) together with Jenny’s father. We spent time with her family and they have not met for years. It was a good family reunion. We have the opportunity to share with Jenny’s cousin sisters about the Good News and they were very keen to find out more. So we propose them to visit the nearby church. We also visited the local AG Thai church and had a fellowship with the pastor and his church members.

Every Saturday morning, we join the Lumpini Fellowship Group where we share the Word of God with the poor and also fellowship with the people around. Since coming back from Kunming, we noticed that there were more people coming to this fellowship. The elders told us that when the red shirt protesters occupied the park from April to May 2010, they continued to hold the fellowship meet and the protesters started joining the fellowship. Amazingly, some were touched by the truth in the Word of God and some repented of their sins. Praise the Lord!

Every Wednesday evening, I made it a point to preach the Word of God in the church at Wireless Road, Bangkok and Jenny was my translator. There normally are three pastors (including me) taking turn to share the message.

On July 24th, 2010, we attended the Thai businessmen fellowship together with Dr. Kamjorn Chaowrat, a former senator. It is interesting to observe how the more affluent Christians share their faith with the less fortunate among them. Praise the Lord for this ministry. One of the brothers shared how he almost became a bankrupt and lost everything but the Lord brought him back. He said the US Coca Cola was trying to penetrate their market into China but the Chinese Government rejected this inroad many times. When this brother was appointed advisor to the Coca Cola of Thailand, he made good relationship with the Chinese Government, then brought the Coca Cola company into the China market. He urges that we need to always seek God’s wisdom rather than our own wisdom, then blessing will pour down from Heaven. God is always amazing!

From July 25th - 28th, 2010, Jaisamarn Full Gospel has invited us to attend the “Encounter through Inner Healing” conference in Pattaya and the guest speaker is from Prachuabkhirikhan (South Thailand). The senior pastor called on each leader of branch churches to attend this conference. Jesus has commanded us to extend his mission on earth. We are to go to all corners of the world serving God, serving each other and serving all people to whom we are called.

Matthew 16 verse 18 says: “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it”. This is the land I mentioned above where the land owner has decided to give it to build a church. My home church is evaluating the possibility. Praise the Lord for this donor, Hallelujah!

We thought that we could not go for Don Moen’s worship concert as we have limited mission fund. Therefore I said to God, if it is your will, I shall obey and I will not think about the concert again. A week before the concert, I received some funds from an unknown person and so I was able to buy two seats for the concert. Praise the Lord ... our God always works in mysterious ways! When we were at the concert, I could sense that God wanted me to “rest” and have a break for awhile before taking another step of mission work. Jenny also felt peace in her heart. Thank you God for your provision and guidance. Hallelujah!

We need your support in prayer as we hope to get a more convenient means of vehicular transport to enable us to move around in Bangkok more easily.

God Bless!

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY (CHRISTIAN STUDIES)

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:52:58 PST

Shalom All,

Greetings in the Lord Jesus Name!

May I first begin by sharing the happy news that I have been offered a chance to study towards a Doctor of Ministry (Christian Studies), that is, D.Min, on a scholarship.

I have 2 - 3 years to complete this correspondence course. Meanwhile, I can still continue my mission work. At the same time, I am also pursuing a Diploma in Healthcare and Social Welfare to further equip myself in counseling. Indeed, God is good all the time!

With regard to my earlier report “Future Mission Plan”, so far I have received little feedback from you all - can I have more feedback from you about this proposed plan I have?

We need to work together in step with God. So let us all work and pray together to reach our common goals in serving the Lord.

Proverbs 16 verse 9 says: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps”.

Jenny and I might not attend the Don Moen’s Worship Concert on August 3rd, 2010, as we are a bit short on funds, and it is an expensive event too!

The Word of God to remind ourselves, Proverbs 4 verses 23 to 27 said "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil". Our heart, our feelings of love and desire, dictates to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy. Solomon tells us to guard our heart above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path. Make sure your affections push you in the right direction. Put boundaries on your desires, don't go after everything you see. Look straight ahead, keep your eyes fixed on your goal, and don't get sidetracked on detours that lead to sin.

God bless!

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok

Candidate of Doctor of Ministry (Christian Studies)

THE FUTURE VISION MISSION WORK IN THAILAND

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:55:32 PST

Shalom All,

Greetings from Thailand once again, brothers and sisters in Christ!

This is just another brief report from me, to update and share with you about my upcoming work plans for the Lord. I pray that you will have the time to read it.

As you all well know, my initial calling 3 years ago originally was to evangelize to the Jews, but the Jewish Rabbis that you read at mission blog “Concentrate on the Lost Tribes” and “First Mission in Thailand”.. I had contact with did not open this door for me. Even so, I am certain the Lord loves and cares for the Jews, despite their steadfast stubbornness, and that one day, He will find a way for me to serve this community.

Then the Lord directed me to go to India. By faith and without much preparation, the Lord opened this doors for me, helping, equipping and teaching me to evangelize along the way, and even leading and annointing me to cast out demons in His name. (these activities have been covered in earlier reports). Isn't God’s amazing?

I am sure God has a plan for me ahead, as He never fails in His promise. But I am waiting for a clearer direction from Him. After 3 years even up to now, I have a burden and a desire to make contact with one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, to bring them back to the true Jerusalem and into the lasting Kingdom of God.

Yet the time does not appear to be now, as there are too many issues and obstacles for me in this path right now. For one thing, my government still imposes a very strict ban on its citizens from entering the State of Israel.

Then also, living cost in Israel is too high for me to be there.

And thirdly, Jenny is not ready for this journey just yet, even if I am ready. I can't just leave her behind in Bangkok - that would not be the right thing for me to do. No, we must work together for the Lord as a pair, since the Lord has joined us in marriage. Therefore, I am still seeking and praying that the Lord will work out a way, and find us an opening for both of us, if not for the Jews in Israel or elsewhere, then some other place.

The other option for us is to stay put in Thailand. Here, we also have a great desire to serve the Thai people, as there are many needs we can see. One vision we have is to start a "One-Stop-Mission Centre" (OSMC), in a shop house or any suitable place. We are particularly encouraged to have the boldness of this vision after our recent work of one year at the Olive Farm in Kunming.

As we see it, the objectives of such OSMC will be:

To provide handicraft training for the poor, such as in cross stitch, knitting etc. This work will help the poor to generate some income to support their family, as well as provide us an opportunity to serve the Lord.
We will have a place to sell the handcraft made, as well as to sell Christian books, gifts and music.
Once we have established a proper footing, we can and will open this venue to all Christian denominations visiting Bangkok/Thailand, in joint efforts to preach the Gospel and extend the Kingdom of God throughout the land.

We are praying for God's hand to make this come true. One way is to incorporate a company or a foundation, and to find a way to get the company/foundation, exemption from tax. This is not something we can achieve overnight. It will necessarily have to be a longer term plan, but we need to open it up for input of ideas, to deliberate, discuss and pray for God's leading, to bring about a project such as this to bear fruit for God's people.

Just another thought. Initially, we could plan to rent, say a three-storey shophouse in the outskirts of Bangkok … the ground floor to be used as the proposed handicrafts center cum coffee fellowship place ... the second floor to be used for children ministry, Bible studies place, library, prayer room and for worship service … the third floor to be used as guest rooms for missionaries/Christians on their way to or from Thailand, who can also contribute in some way to promote the activities of the center.

Last week, I have had a brief sharing about the above ideas with the pastor and elders of a sizable church in Thailand. They seem to find this vision interesting.

With prayer and the support of everyone, perhaps we can all work together to bring to fruition.

God is always great, Glory to the Name!

Blessing,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok

RETURNING FOR MISSION IN THAILAND AND BACK HOME IN MALAYSIA

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:54:29 PST

Shalom All,

Greeting in the Lord Jesus Christ’s Name!

The Word of the Lord lifted me up when I read 1 Timothy 4 verses 12 - 15 said that “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you”.

Most likely, so for many people around us. Each day we have many opportunity to support and inspire family members, fellow workers and even total strangers. People need help and affirmation all along the way. Paul modeled six important principles to help us to encourage others. Start with encouragement whereby people who know we will encourage them will be happy to work with us. Secondly expect of others only what you expect of yourself such like people resist being held unfair standards. Thirdly, we need to develop expectations of others with consideration for their skills, maturity and experience, it is important to be patient with slow learners and distracted. Fourthly, we require to monitor our expectation to others as changing circumstances something require revised or reduced expectation. Fifthly, to clarify your expectation with others. Lastly, end with your encouragement as people love to be thanked for a job well done.

Jenny and I will be in Hatyai from Bangkok from July 8^th till July 12^th, 2010 to renew my Thailand Visa at the border post. We will also be meeting my cousin’s family from Penang in Hatyai and also visiting Jenny’s relatives in the Province of Pattani before returning to Bangkok.

On August 3^rd, 2010, Don Moen, an American singer-songwriter, pastor and producer of Christian worship music will be having a Worship Concert in Bangkok. When Jenny mentioned this to me, I found it hard to believe until she showed me the website. We are so excited about this coming event as it is going to be a great concert. We trust the Lord will provide us the funds to see the concert.

Here is our mission report, with photos:

On May 18^th,2010, we were invited by a local church pastor in Kunming, China to spent a few days with a Thai community in Wangchan District, Province of Rayong, Thailand, close to the border with China. It was good to have this opportunity to fellowship with these people in a remote part of Thailand in their homes. We were brought to see an elder of the church ill with stomach cancer, who has not been able to attend church for many months now. The pastor asked me to pray for this brother. Using the olive oil for anointing, I called on the name of Jesus to heal this brother, laying my hand on his stomach. After the prayer, he felt better. On Sunday, I was preaching in the local church and this elder felt fit enough to attend church to worship the Lord. Praise the Lord for this. Give Him Glory .

We also celebrated Jenny’s birthday that Sunday. It was a big surprise to me that the local pastor has arranged for so many of his flock to celebrate Jenny's birthday. May God continue to give my beautiful wife strength and joy in serving the Lord, according to His Plan and Will.

During our visit in Wangchan, we also took the opportunity to visit a pastor serving in Pluakdeang, a well as another friend from Sa Keow. We were brought to a member's home for fellowship. One member in this family has not accepted Jesus. We shared the Word of God, the Love of God and the saving grace of our Lord, with this family and prayed for the Holy Spirit to be with them. Then the unbeliever was moved by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord, one more soul is won for the Lord's Kingdom. We heard from the pastor recently that every member of this family now attends church.

On May 27^th, 2010, we returned to Malaysia for three weeks. Thanks be to God for friends giving us free accommodation in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, as without such providence we would not be able to afford the accommodation for this stay .

The following day, we went to the Bible College of Malaysia to attend its Carnival Sale. It is good to meet up with some old friends at the Church We attended some of their cell group meetings, where I have the opportunity to share the Word of God and my walk with God in the mission field. I felt so good sharing my life and experiences serving God, also as an encouragement for them to serve God in whatever way they can Faith in action is one way to lead others to do more for the Lord.

I was also invited by a pastor from the Kelana Jaya to preach the Word of God in his church. After preaching, we went to the children ministry and spent time with children from different races. God makes us in different shades and colors, but we are one in Christ. Amen!

On June 4^th, 2010, while we were crossing the road from the prominent Kuala Lumpur Twin Tower Building to the Public Bank Head Office Building opposite, all of a sudden, a large crowd of about 15,000 people appeared in front of us, staging an Anti-Israel Protest and Pro-Palestine March. The demonstration was heading towards the US Embassy. We were caught unaware in the middle of this street protest. It was scary ,but the Lord protected us. Praise the Lord!

We had to rush back to Bangkok on June 13^th, 2010 to attend the launching of a new sister church in Nakhon Luang, Province of Aytthuya. There were about 20 members who turned up for the official opening. When we arrived, the people were happy to see us and told us they had prayed for us every day. Our God has touched and transformed their life. All Glory and Honor to God Almighty!

I have been invited by the main church pastor to teach English and to conduct Bible Study in English with the local people there, while Jenny will teach them handicraft. We are praying for God's hand in this area of work.

I have written to you briefly encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to all of you are in Christ!

Blessing,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok

BANGKOK NO LONGER THE SAME

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:56:18 PST

Shalom All,

Greeting in the Lord’s Name!

Before I share about the situation in Bangkok, just to inform that we will be returning to Kuala Lumpur for a short trip from May 27^th to June 9^th, and then to Kedah and Penang.

The purpose of this return is to visit my family members, friends and mission supporters. Also, I have been invited to share the Word of God and the mission experiences to business groups and cell groups. Moreover, we wants to share our thoughts on building the gospel through Christian handicraft works from the poor to the rich .

Thailand is no longer the same due to clashes between the red shirts protesters and the Thai Government. It is all about power, greed and money that destroys one another. God reminds me that this situation is like Jeremiah warning the King of Israel on idol worship, power and greed, and then calling everyone to repent of their sins. But the King and the people did not heed. In the end, the Babylonian Emperor took over the whole of Jerusalem.

On May 12^th, we went to Silom to meet up my friend studying in ABAC university. At 4pm, we left Silom and headed back home. Around 7pm, trouble started in Silom. Earlier, I had thought of staying back at Silom to do my mission report but thank God for pulling us off from Silom before bombing took place!

On May 14^th, we were going to a cell group at Bangkae from Bangkhen, our home. We took a bus to Din Daeng, then a BTS Skytrain. On the way, the Thai army blocked the highway checking all vehicles for weapons, resulting in a massive traffic jam. About 10 mins later, we were informed by TV news that the BTS Skytrain would stop operating at 4pm. It was then 3.45pm. Without much choice, we looked for another alternative. When we reached Din Daeng, we walked towards Victory Monument. We saw many local people very angry with the Thai army blocking the road as they wanted to use the road to go back. Then we walked along the Phayathai Road toward to MBK. About half way at Pretchaburi, all people walking towards MBK, were required to register their ID with the Thai army for security reasons. Without choice, we walked to Prantip Plaza, Pretchaburi Road, the road was empty without cars or motorbikes. We saw a 7 Eleven convenience store half closed, and a few foreigners walking towards their hotel. Then we were at the T-Junction of the Pratunam and Central World. We saw and heard the redshirts talking while the Thai army stood by. When we were walking towards Indra Square, all of a sudden, the red shirts and local people pulled us into a corner to hide ourselves as the Thai army were preparing to shoot. Nothing happened, so we went out immediately to run to the back lane of Indra Square. When we reached the main road, the Thai army began shooting at the people not caring whether you are local, foreigners or reds. It was so scary looking at the army shooting and when the Thai army stopped shooting, the reds started to throw empty bottles at the Thai army. Then we left the scene and walked towards Din Daeng. Half-way, the local were shouting at the Thai army about to shoot at them, and so they ran towards the streets. Finally, we were able to escape to Din Deang and the redshirts managed to take control of a military truck and planning to burn the truck. Then we managed to catch a bus from Victory Monument back home.

That night, we watched the TV news about the Thai army starting their operation to take control of Rajprasong (Prantip, Pratunam and Silom) area after 8pm. We would like to thank God for protecting us and taking us out from the area in time otherwise we could have been shot dead by the Thai army!

On the May 19^th, we were invited by a church in Rayong (eastern of Thailand, further up from Pattaya) to share the Word of God, and to bring encouragement to the members. When we left for Fortune Mall, we saw a huge smokes in the city. Then we took a taxi to Ekamai Bus Terminal and the taxi man told us, he was not sure whether the road was closed or not but he would try his best to bring us there. He shared with us that one lady was shot at directly to her head and the whole Rajprasong was full of blood and dead bodies. Then we reached Ekamai Bus Terminal and immediately took the bus to Rayong to avoid sensitive areas in Bangkok.

When we watched the TV news, the Thai army won the battles and took back Rajprasong area. Most of the reds leaders surrendered to the police. This made the red protesters very angry and now that they do not have leaders ,they could therefore do anything they like. So they began throwing petrol bottle bombs at various hotspots area such as Central World, Siam Square, and a few big banks, Stock Exchange of Thailand, National Electricity of Thailand Headquarters, Central One, temple, MRT sub station etc. Even the Central World (used to be called World Trade Centre) almost collapsed and the insurance cost around USD 103 billion. My home branch bank at Central One also collapsed.

We will be returning to Bangkok on Monday taking a train from Bangkok to Hatyai on next Tuesday night. We are not sure whether the redshirts will attack the Hua Lampong Railway Station or the train. Also we are not sure whether we could safely return to our home from Rayong. Please pray for our safety during these trying times.

God Bless!

Blessing,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok

MISSION FINANCIAL STATEMENT FEBRUARY 2010 - APRIL 2010

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:57:12 PST

Shalom All,

Greeting all the saints in Christ Jesus!

In the Philippians 4 verse 19 - my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be Glory for ever and ever. Amen!

Blessing,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok

FARM STAY

faithwithyou@gmail.com (Steve Peter H S Kok) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:58:15 PST

Shalom All,

Greeting in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Due to certain sensitivities, we are compelled to be low key in our reporting of our missionary activities in China.

As you can well appreciate, the government fears freedom of worship could have adverse influence and impact on its governance. Despite these constraints, however, I am happy to report that “three-self-churches” remain relatively robust in China, but they need to always remain careful to keep themselves within the limits of the law.

We want to give thanks to our Lord for protecting us from the Evil One.

We arrived safely in Bangkok, Thailand on May 4^th, 2010, and we had a short break settling our personal matters. Starting this week, we will have a tight schedule with local fellowship centers and churches. I believe many of you have heard about the red shirt protesters in the city of Bangkok, but in fact, the happenings are only confined to a limited area at Siam Paragon, Central World and Lumpini. There is massive traffic jam around this area because the Thai army are active in controlling the protest movement. So, if you are thinking of coming to Bangkok, there is nothing for you to worry about just avoid this area.

Now here is our mission report to bring you greater faith, love and joy.

This is the Olive Farm in Yunnan where we have spent time serving the farmers and the local community. It is a beautiful place. We were so fortunate to have been invited by the owners of the farm (Business missionary from Singapore) to join the farm. The owner has shared with us on how he received his vision from God to start this farm based on Deuteronomy 8 verses 7 - 9, “ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills, a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, peregrinates, olive oil, a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing, a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills”.

During our stay in the farm, Jenny and I started some activities such as teaching how to do handicraft, teaching English to the children and also playing games with the children. During these activities, I have always stressed on unity in the spirit-that is, working as a people and not creating conflict within the group.

There are many problems facing the farmers. In this, I sought the Lord for strength to solve the problems through counseling and motivation. As I walked around the farm, I would shout “Hallelujah”, and in return they would shout “Amen”, rejoicing in praising the Lord. Before we assist the farm as a volunteer, the farmers used to have morning prayer meeting around 8am for 5 minutes and I took a step forward to start an evening prayer around 6pm for 5 minutes. Everyone would be called on to come out to lead the prayer rather than the same person. Most of the farmers did not know how to pray and neither did they spend time to pray once they returned home. This is because they were always very busy with their daily routine, such as working in the olive farm from 8am to 6pm, then from 6pm - 9pm managing their own farm, from 9pm - 10pm cooking for dinner, and at 11pm cleaning up their own home. Only at midnight were they able to go to sleep.

I taught and encouraged them to always remember the Lord even when busy working, to pray and talk to Him when working, as our Almighty God is always there and listening.

When our food stock was low, we would go to the nearby wet market or the city to do our shopping. The distance to the nearby wet market is about 20km and to the city 80km. Last January 2010 at Carrefour in the city, a pickpocket took our Electronic Talk Dictionary without our realizing it, so we have lost it. Then in April 2010, traveling in the crowded bus to the International Trade Centre, two suspected pickpocket tried to cut my pocket jean. But my wallet was still there. Praise the Lord my wallet was not stolen!

During the Chinese New Year, we visited a few homes in our neighborhood and enjoyed the fellowship with the people. It is a great opportunity to share about the Gospel of Jesus to them. One of the families decided to accept Christ, and requested us to smash the idols they had worshiped and to pray for the repentance of sins. God works in mysterious ways, we just need to remain faithful to Him.

On the first Sunday of the Chinese New Year, we were invited to attend a home church (also known as the three-self-church). Here, women folk seemed to have a stronger determination to believe in Christ rather than the men. I was invited to share the word of God with the group and many were touched by the working of the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! I was asked to pray for each one and the Power of God, moved mightily around them. Let us give Praise to the Holy Spirit.

We would like you to visit our Covenant House and our apartment suite is part of our Covenant House. This house is only specifically for foreigners to stay and not for the local people. The beauty of our apartment is that it is a fully furnished apartment. Not like our apartment in Bangkok, we rented from Jenny’s uncle, where we do not have furniture, television, refrigerator and bed, and where we slept on the floor on a blanket. We also use the same room to cook our meals, and that's in urban city life Bangkok, in sharp contrast with rural Yunnan! But more importantly, it is not comfort we seek for ourselves, but the opportunity that will provide us to share the gospel of love, truth, joy and faith to everyone.

During our stay in the farm, we have the opportunity to help in the packaging of the olives during harvest time. The owner and his family were planning to go back to Singapore to sell fruits and olive oil, meeting with the board and share updated news about the farm.

As we were on 60 days per entry of a 2-year multiple entry Chinese Visa, we are required to exit from China in early March 2010. We took a sleeper class to Hekou (a Chinese border town) and walked across to Lao Cai (Vietnamese border). Then we took a short trip to Hanoi to meet up with my Vietnamese friends, with whom we used to stay together in Petaling Jaya, from 2003 - 2004. At that time, he had wanted very much to become a Christian, but his girlfriend then (now his wife) dissuaded him. When we met up again in Hanoi, I wanted to speak to him about my work for Christ, but did not get to say much about this, because something unfortunate happened. His son fell from the table and was cut by a table mirror. Thank God that the boy was otherwise unhurt. Let us pray for him and his family. His name is Hanh.

Towards late March 2010, I felt that the farmers needed more spiritual foods and decided to start an evening Bible Study class. I started with The Book of John and to make it easy for them I used lots of parable, humor, and wisdom from God. As they participated and became more interested, they requested for more classes, and even invited their non-believer friends to attend. I well remember that we have had so much fun and joy in class one day laughing non-stop for nearly 2 hours! God indeed delights us with his humor as well!

Let us all Praise the Lord! One young brother, aged 17 has already believed in Christ for 8 years, but not baptized. The Lord want me to conduct water baptism for him and this I did in late April 2010.

On April 30^th, 2010, the owner of the olive farm decided to have a celebration party for us as we are preparing to return to Bangkok. We have had a joyful party celebration. The Lord is always ever present, even at sad farewell and goodbye! Praise Him and Give Him Glory!

During our last Sunday morning service at the farm. I put on a movie called “Fireproof” translating for them and explaining to them the meaning behind the story that it is important to value our life partners through love and caring through Christ who died for our sins. Unity in the family comes first, then friends, church and work. Then we will be greatly blessed by Our Lord. In the evening, Jenny prepared the meals and we then gathered to eat our favorite Thai - Malaysia dishes.

When we left the farm, many of the farmers wanted us to stay back and their eyes were filled with tears . Their warmth really touched us but we could not stay as our mission work has already completed even though the initial plan was for one full year. God has cut short our stay, and I believe it is God’s timing and not our timing.

God is always great, Glory to the Name!

Blessing,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok