STAFFORD, Texas (ABP) — When Peter Leong was a boy in Malaysia, he never imagined he would end up in Texas. Now, as pastor of a Houston-area church, he is leading a team of Baptists back to Asia to help 82 pastors and their families spread the gospel.
The international mission trip is the second in three months for Southwest Chinese Baptist Church in Stafford, Texas, and it highlights growth in the Asian Baptist global community. In September, the 300-member church and Cross Pointe Baptist of San Jose, Calif., partnered with sister churches in Taiwan, Malaysia and Hong Kong on their third joint mission to Thailand.
This time, the church is partnering with Ching Mei Baptist Church in Taipei, Taiwan, to sponsor the first Northern Thailand Pastor Family Retreat for pastors, spouses and children. Members of the Stafford church collected funds to pay for travel, lodging, meals and books for the week-long project.
“We were blessed by God's provision,” Leong, 61, said. “This is the first-ever pastor retreat for these Thai ministers. Our classes will be held in a remote mountain area. Some of the pastors and their families will even have to make the trip on foot.”
While the Thai pastors will learn new preaching skills, the retreat will also develop fellowship among the ministers and their families.
The 36-member team has chosen to work in Thailand because Leong grew up in Malaysia and was pastor of a Hong Kong church before moving to Texas. Four years ago he delivered the keynote speech at the Chinese Global Baptist Mission Conference in Thailand, and it changed his life, he said.
“God spoke to me, saying you must not only have a mission in China but also in Thailand, so I decided to invite church members to go there on a mission,” Leong said.
Ministering to the needs of the Thai people has opened doors to new relationships in a country where most residents practice Buddhism. The Chinese Baptist mission team has worked to train pastors, teach parents and help children develop new job skills, conduct vacation Bible schools, and run camps in Asia. They have reached hundreds who are non-believers.
Focusing on youth evangelism has been another goal of the Thai mission, “including efforts to reach young girls and their families who believe their only means of survival is through human trafficking,” Leong said. He uses Kung Fu demonstrations to help open doors for a Bible study on campus. One principal was so impressed that he invited the mission team to bring in a preacher and Bible study every week, Leong said.
The team's understanding of the Thai culture, he added, has encouraged people to experience and learn about Christian love and beliefs. “We've found the Thailand people are more accepting of us because we're of similar ethnic backgrounds. We can do this great thing because they view us as more accessible,” he said. “We're doing God's work through our own cultural understanding.”
One of the best parts of the work, Leong said, is the special joy in his heart when he hears about people who have received Jesus — a joy that can't be squelched by politics or fear.
The mission team will return to Thailand only two weeks after tanks rolled down the streets of Bangkok and a military coup ousted the prime minister. That turmoil doesn't worry Leong, though. He's just happy to be making the trip.
“I am totally committed to the Lord, and I don't worry about going back there,” said Leong. “We've made a strong commitment to reach the Thai people, and this will not deter us.”
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