Jerry & Boonporn Thaprom
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Rangoon, Burma
Dadwi, Burma
Samaki Village, Thailand

Dear friends and supporters,

It has been some time that we were not able to inform you of the progress of the ministry in Myanmar (Burma) due to being very busy with the Bible printing of Rvwang Bible.  This does not mean the work does not progress. The Bible printing is completed and  the shipment is on the way to Burma and some to Thailand.  We are expecting to arrive cargoes in one or two days. The work of evangelism and church planting ministries in Yangon continued to grow at all locations with a satisfactory success. The Lord has added more believers to His churches.

The Burmese people continued to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and are being baptized almost every month. The ministries you have been supporting is being blessed tremendously so we give God the glory and we are rejoicing. Within this month of November 5 persons were made decisions and were baptized at Shwebyda, our evangelistic center, Yangon. Please see the pictures attached.

In spite of this successful progress some churches have decreased  their supports that it has made almost beyond we could maintain this ministry financially. We have been praying seriously for the Lord's will and with much prayers Boonporn and I have decided to make a trip to US one more time to seek for more churches to join us in this ministry.

Another very important reason for us to come is that many of our fellow Rvwang people have arrived in the US as refugees from Burma and have scattered in many States. More are scheduled to arrive in via Malaysia due to the unbearable hardships in Burma under the military junta. Many boys are being drafted to join army or to be porters for the armies and made them shields by sending them to the front lines at fight with the insurgents. The village girls are being raped continually. For this reason the influx of refugees continues to Thailand and to Malaysia. The refugee camps along Thai border are packed with those refugees. Hundreds of those refugees arrived in the US are our fellow Rvwang Christians from our Christian churches or churches of Christ. Many from Chiang Mai Christian Church also joined them in the US. Most of those Rvwang refugees do not speak English so they spend months without attending churches and many need help in adjusting themselves in the US. Those Rvwang refugees have repeatedly appealed to us to come and help. Therefore Boonporn and I feel burdened to visit and help them in whichever ways we could.

So for these two reasons we mentioned above we are tentatively making plan to make the trip in mid-January 2010 for five to six months.  While we are absent,  the ministry will be conducted by our daughter Rosalyn. Yangon ministry will be carried on by those native evangelists. They are very dedicated and trustworthy men and women. We just want to ask for your prayers on this regards. Boonporn and I will need some fund for air tickets so please pray with us that the Lord will provide this need.

For the first three months we will spend  with those Rvwang refugees scattered from California to Florida and find ways that we can help them. Beginning May we will be available to visit new churches for speaking but we are not sure whether we will have time to visit the current supporting churches. We will inform you later how our schedule will work. For the main time please pray for us as we making this important effort.

November 2009

Dear John and Kathy,

With great joy and thanksgiving we have received our new Rvwang Bible which the printing press sent us 4 advance copies. Because you have helped in this Bible printing I though I share this with you. Please see the picture of this Bible on the attached file. The picture show sort of distorted form because I didn't take it right. But anyway you can just see it. The cover is dark blue vinyl.

Dear friends everywhere,

The Rvwang Bible which is printed in Nanjing, China is scheduled to ship to Burma on October 25, 2009 by way of Laiza, a border town east of Kachin State, Burma. The major battle field between Kachin Independance  and Burmese troops  is likely  going to take place soon in that area.

Dear John and Kathy,

We hope that you are all well. Our family is well except we have the threat of H1N1 flu going around and it is spreading very fast. Since we can not do anything to prevent ourselves from getting it, we commit ourselves to our heavenly Father for His protection and watch care. In Thailand close to a hundred people died instantly of this epidemic disease. Please pray for us that the Lord will continue to guard us.

I am sending another four pictures of the Gabudam church building progress. They have completed this far. But unfortunately the monsoon season came that they no longer could bring further building materials to the site. The heavy rain made it impossible to bring needed sand and also the all the rivers flooded and could not get the sand.

For this reason they will complete necessary parts such as putting windows and doors and will stop the project till the dry season. That would be October on. They tried all they could to finish all building process before the rain season came, but they were overtaken by the rain.

We hope that all is well with you, with your children and also with all friends at Yukon. We have submitted our Rawang Bible for printing in China. We are so excited. Thank you for your continuous help in many ways. May God richly bless you.

Yours for His Services,
Jerry and Boonporn

.

Dear friends and supporters,
Enclosed attachment is the financial statements for January-June 2009.  Please open the attached file. (Contact ccy's office if you would like to see this statement.)

Dear friends and supporters,

Greetings to you all in Christ's name from Burma and Thailand!  I am wondering if you get to watch several video clips about our ministry in Burma which we have posted with the youtube.com. It is so exciting to see Burmese people continue to accept Christ and are being baptized weekly.

The Burmese Christians grow steadily at all ten places or communities around the city of Yangon (Rangoon). These places are Shwebyda, our evangelistic center, Aungzeyaq, Insein, Laydaya, Dadwi, Yugyi, Legu, Pazundong, Wadaya and three army bases.  We have ten evangelists and 6 Sunday School teachers working faithfully at those places. Most of their home churches are of thatch- roofed homes, and both church attendants  and Sunday School children are all packed at every meeting. Aungzeyaq, Shwebyda and Legu churches do not have enough room to accommodate church attendants. These churches badly needed to expend the worship rooms. Please pray with us that the Lord will provide fund for this urgent need. Aungzeyaq congregation hold worship services at a Christian family's apartment room, and this congregation had asked me to help them rent a separate room. The rent is $100 a month. All the congregation is extremely poor that they hardly come up with enough money for the worship room rent. If any of your church or Sunday school class would like to help it will be a great blessing for this congregation. Please pray about it.

In this coming December 21-25, the churches of Christ or Christian churches in the entire Burma, both the Lisu and Rvwangs are planning to hold Christmas convention in Rangoon to celebrate government's recognition of the churches of Christ or Christian churches as lawful bodies of churches. Several Christian leaders from Chiang Mai Christian Church are also planning to attend this convention. Please pray with us that all those Christian leaders who will make the trip to Rangoon from all parts of the mountain villages of north Burma will be safe on their travels.

Please find the attached pictures. Those pictures come with captions so they will tell you the stories of how the Burmese churches are growing by your prayers and financial support.

Thank you to you all from your continuous prayers and faithful financial support. May God richly bless you.

Your co-laborers for Christ in Asia
Jerry and Boonporn Thaprom
 

Dear Christian friends and supporters,

Once again we want to share further news about the ministry you have been supporting faithfully. As we have informed you in the previous news, the believers are increasing that the meeting places are getting smaller and needed to expand the current worship places. At the Aungzeyaq in the Insein township the home church began with two families. But now the regular church members have increased to 75 persons that the meeting place needed to be bigger and larger. Evangelist U Thangsai Sar and the church leaders have asked me to convey to you that they needed bigger place for worship because the members are increasing every day. They took me to an apartment room which is large enough to accommodate about 200 people. The top story room is cheaper and it is for sale for $6,000 US dollars. So if any church or even Sunday School classes would like to take this project for permanent worship room for Aungzeyaq congregation it will be a great blessing to them. Would you please pray about it?

Another place is our evangelistic center at Shwebyida township. The believers have increased from 50 to 187 people that the worshipers are overcrowded. Later comers to the worship meeting have to stand outside or sit around the steps of the door. But when it rains it is very difficult for those who have to sit or stand outside the house. They wanted to expand the outside within the building compound as a meeting room by putting the roofing and by building the wall around. They estimated they the cost will be around $5,000 US. Especially these two meeting places urgently needed to expand or buy the room. Please keep these two great needs in your mind and fervently pray with us so that our heavenly Father will provide the fund for this project. Please find the pictures about these places in the attached pictures.

Also we have four Sunday school teachers who travel every Sunday 10-20 miles to teach
the kids. They take bus and tricycles back and forth and they need transportation fees. These Sunday school teachers do not have any job to earn themselves for a living because of the economic condition in Burma. They need your help so that they will continue to teach the children. Most of the new believers  came to Christ through the children whom these Sunday School teachers have taught. Therefore teaching Sunday school is very important and it is the key to winning souls among the Burmese people. These Sunday schools needed Sunday school lessons and flanelgraphs. We need 10 sets of flanelgraphs. Sunday school materials are needed for ages from 4-12 years old kids. We will need only one set for all because we can translate it into Burmese and distribute to each home church Sunday school. A girl whose name is Anna is good in translating and drawing those Sunday school materials. Please find how she translated from English and draw pictures to use at Sunday school. She is a graduate of a Bible College in Yangon and so she is qualified to do the translation of these materials.
I have checked her translations and found that they were done very well.

All for now. God bless you as you prayerfully think about what we have presented to you at this report.

With Togetherness in winning souls for Christ in Burma
Jerry, Boonporn, Robert and Rosalyn (Broadhead) Thaprom

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It is a great joy to see the Lord has added more believers into His church. The Christians had been doubled at all 10 different locations where our evangelists have been working. Now our problem is the accommodation for worshipers. We badly need to expand rooms for all home churches at all the above mentioned places.

People come to Christ continually and are being baptized weekly. On the Lord's day July the 13th, 2008 we have witnessed 8 persons who were baptized. We do not baptized at hast but after months of teaching and only after they made genuine decision. We were thrilled with joy for what the Lord is doing among the Burmese people in Burma at the present time. The spirit of God is seen definitely moving among the Burmese people. Please join us through your prayers and the financial support in this soul winning ministry. Since some of our friends' emails
can not accept too many picture files so I close this part here now and will continue later. Thank you for being partners with us in this ministry. God bless you richly.

Prayer requests.  Boonporn is at the hospital for treatment of diabetes. She had never check her sugar level before and one day she suddenly collapsed so I had to rush her to the emergency room at Ram Hospital. Before she came to this situation she had two big boils- one on her back and one on her stomach. So the doctor had operated both of them two days ago.
Her sugar level exceeded 400. She will be at the hospital for another five or six days. We will appreciate your prayers for Boonporn.

In His Service,


Jerry and Boonporn

Dear Christian friends,

We want to put the continuous report of our work in Burma. We took over ten thousand dollars denoted by some churches and friends to help the Cyclone Nargis victims in Rangoon area. All of those people whom we work are hungry stricken and we have found their living condition very unbearable. Their urgent need is basic food such as rice, oil, salt, dried
beans for making curry and fish paste. So we bought those items and gave out to 150 families.

The passing out or the delivery of all food items are being made among themselves without us for the safety so that we are not being notice by the authorities.

About 15 bamboo homes damaged are in the process of repair themselves under the guidance of our evangelists. We are very cautious so that those helps or aids we gave would not appear as foreign helps. Those evangelists and church elders are trustworthy men for the accountabilities. So we delegated them to do all these works by forming a committee
among themselves.

Thank you to all those who have contributed funds the cyclone victim project. Your help literally saved many lives especially those new Burmese Christians whom we work. May God richly bless you for your generosity and love for your poor Burmese brothers and sisters in Christ.  We will put more report in a day or so.

With Togetherness in His Service,
Jerry, Boonporn, Robert and Rosalyn (Thaprom) Broadhead

Dear brothers, sisters in Christ and supporters,

Our children Robert, Rosalyn and I myself made a whole week trip to Yangon (Rangoon) Myanmar (Burma) from July 7-14. At Rangoon airport, I thought we would a have problem with customs for a large amount of medicines Rosalyn brought, and sure enough the luggage full of medicines was opened by the customs. They looked at all different kinds of medicines full of suitcase, their faces turned grimed. The customs on duty at that particular time were two young girls. Rosalyn and I explained to them that it was for the poor villages just for distribution free of charge. Then  one girl said to the other custom girl who was a custom on duty, "Closed that suitcase quick and let them go," in Burmese which I understood although my son Robert and Rosalyn did not understand. Then the girl turned to me and Rosalyn and whispered to us, "This time we let you go, but the next time please don't bring this much medicine". Then they let us take it. I assumed that those girls must be Christians or God had directed them if they are not Christians.

On the first day, the day we have arrived we were met by a crowd of evangelists and Burmese Christians at our evangelistic center at Shwebyida township. After greeting evangelists and Christians there, and prayer of thanksgiving for our safety arrival, while I was discussing and making plans with evangelists for the week, my daughter Rosalyn had sorted out all different kinds of medicines she brought for distribution to the Christians at different places we would visit  the following days. Many other girls and children helped writing descriptions of medicines- directions how to use those medicines as Rosalyn has directed them. Because Rosalyn is a graduate of medical assistant at Bryman College in California,
she is concerned with the poor villagers' health.

After we have discussed about the agendas for the week such as for buying rice,l oil, salt, beans for curry etc, to distribute to hungry and needy Christians, and the places we would visit, the next day we began visiting Christians where our evangelists worked, we asked them questions about their wellbeing and encouraged everyone to hang on to the Lord and prayed with them. Within those 6 days we have visited to eight townships around Rangoon which are far apart by at least 10-15 miles each, and these are the places where our ministry has spread. We have seen heartbreaking poverty and hardship those people are enduring everyday. In the midst of this terrible condition we have seen their glowing faces for knowing Christ and have peace in Christ. Their smiling faces are the result of the hope they found in Christ, and this the direct result of your prayers and financial support to this ministry of saving
their souls. Please find the attached pictures with descriptions at the attached files. For about 4 or 5 more times in the following days we will continue to write more stories to you with pictures attached. Please watch for the next days for the continuous report we will put on emails.

All for today. See you in the next email. God bless you richly.

Yours for His Kingdom,
Jerry and Boonporn Thaprom

Email dated June 9, 2008

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Again I want to share with you the recent news from Burma. The Irrawaddy delta remains to be the land of corpses. The decomposed bodies of humans and animals are still piled up and scattered everywhere. Please go to news at irrawaddy.org and read June 9, 2008 report. This news is non-government media which reports the facts about reality of both the Burmese military regime and the Cyclone Nargis.

According to irrawaddy news of June 8, 2008 2.4 million people are homeless without mentioning their need of food and medicines. The international relief groups are being restricted or barred from assisting the victims. Please see the attached pictures of the villagers' homes which have been destroyed and still unable to repair them. I attached only three homes out of tens of thousands of homes lay scattered till today. If you are interested to know the detail you can go to the website of www.irrawaddy.org. Let us intercede to God  in our payers on behalf of those cyclone victims.

The good news again!

Regardless of the cyclone disaster, the Burmese people continued to surrender to Christ and baptized weekly.  Our ministry continues to carry on the Great Commission of Christ among the Buddhist Burmese in Yangon (Rangoon) and other parts of Myanmar (Burma). Would you like to be a part of this ministry through your prayers and financial support? I would like to let the pictures speak to you all about what God is doing in the midst of disaster here
in Burma.

With Togetherness in His Service,

Jerry and Boonporn Thaprom

Email dated June 2, 2008

Dear John and all friends at Yukon,

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to hear from you that you have collected your love offerings for the cyclone victims in Burma. I am sure they will be in tears with joy and in gratitude when they receive this help from you.

You are the only friends who show love and care for your Christian brothers and sisters in Burma many times. Other churches told us that they sent help to IDES, but our folks in Yangon did not receive any help from this organization nor from others until today. Only Castle
Hills Christian Church sent $500.

Last night I called our co-workers in Yangon and told me that many of our church members need food to survive. They also need to repair their homes but they have no money to buy materials. So they still sleep on the dirt ground under the plastic tents or under the temporary paper cardboard roof. Due to this condition many are ill with all kinds of sickness. I am planning to visit to meet those Christian cyclone victims when the fund you sent has arrived.
Then I will send you the complete reports of what has happened and what has been done to help with your relief fund.

In spite of disaster in Yangon, people are still coming to Christ. They sent me pictures of several baptism which took place the last two weeks. I will be sending this pictures in a few days. Thank you so very much again to all friends at Yukon, and off course to you, John and Kathy. God bless you all.

Jerry Thaprom

An Email dated May 23, 2008:

Dear friends,

Burma is still a place of chaos. The International help is moving very slow. But all the helps are being channeled to Irrawaddy delta (and) those in the slums of Rangoon are being overlooked or neglected. Most of our church members ended up living in huts among the mud piles. They are
dying of hunger and many people are getting diseases. They are in an alarming danger of dying of both hunger and disease.

Immediate help is needed. If anybody wants to help the time is right now. If the help comes I am ready to make the trip to deliver the help myself.

Please find the attached pictures. These pictures tell more than words can. To show Christ's love to the people in need is now! Let us fervently (be in) prayer for these people who are in the worst hardship.

Also the good news is that in the midst of disaster people continue to accept Christ and are being baptized. Another word, the disaster does not keep us from winning souls for Christ.

With Togetherness in showing people of Christ's love -
Jerry and Boonporn Thaprom

Sent: Sat 5/10/2008 12:19 AM

Dear supporters and friends,

The attached pictures have just come in from our co-workers in Yangon (Rangoon) Myanmar (Burma). The damaged homes are the homes of new Christians whom we brought to Christ. Our evangelists Thangsai Sar and several others are in the picture with the cyclone victims. All their water supply, electricity, homes and all their belongings have been badly damaged.

The falling trees smashed the homes and some homes have been blown out and scattered in the air. Due to this disaster diseases have been spread so the medical help is also urgently needed. The people who are survived this disaster are without basic food because of the high rise of price such as rice and other necessary items. Please pray with us for these Christian victims of the cyclone in Rangoon and other parts of Burma.

Please find the pictures attached at the bottom.

Your co-workers for the Kingdom,
Jerry and Boonporn Thaprom

Sent:  Wed 5/7/2008 9:55 AM
Subject:  Words from an evangelist in Rangoon

Dear Christian friends and supporters,

I just got word from one of our evangelists in Rangoon. He said that all the new Christians and evangelists are survived physically, but most of their homes are gone. Most of the new Christians in the slum areas of Rangoon homes are thatched roof house. So you can imagine what had happened. Most of them do not have a place to live and they all end up sleeping in the open ground or around the streets. Food shortage is the worst one and the price of all food and other items went up 70%. Those Burmese Christians and evangelists need immediate help. So please prayerfully consider to help with whatever amount you can to save them.

We want to visit Burma in person but due to up coming referendum vote visa is being tightened and in most cases refused. So we can not make the immediate trip there yet. But we will keep update you.

If you are interested in the detail report please go to http://irrawaddy.org/

Jerry

Sent: Wed, 7 May 2008 9:20 am
Subject: Re: clyclone in Burma

Dear John,

Thank you for your email. Thank you also for your concern of the Burmese Christians there. I have just got word from our evangelist in Rangoon and told me that all the Christians there survived okay but their homes are blown out and scattered in the air. Most of the new Christians live at thatched roof houses built with bamboo and leaves. Most of them lost their homes and the food shortage made difficult to survive and the price of all food items jumped up 70%. They can not send the pictures via email because the military government will not allow pictures to go out through email.

At the time being all they need is tremendous help. I want to visit Burma in person but due to the the coming referendum vote visa is being tightened and most cases refused at this time. But I will try to get as much information as possible and will let you know in detail. Let us pray that the Lord will sustain them. I have no information yet about the building you have built at Dadwi.

All for now.
Jerry