Asia

Thailand

Mike and Sherri Morrissey, ordained elders in the Kentucky Annual Conference, serve as Directors of the Thailand Methodist Mission.  They were the first UM Elders appointed to serve in Thailand. 

 

 

 

 

Thailand Methodist Mission has four branches of ministry.

  • Pioneer Pastor Program – planting churches in unreached counties in Thailand.

75% of the counties in Thailand do not have a Christian church, being unreached throughout history.Less than 1% of the population of Thailand is Christian, and we believe everyone needs Jesus!In this program we work with Thai Christian leaders and pastors to plant self-supporting, self-leading churches in these unreached counties.

  • Blessing Home Centers – saving and protecting children from those who would enslave them in the child sex and drug trades.  Through prevention programs and Christian foster care programs, we provide education, food, and Christian nurture to children at high risk of being trafficked.
  • Bright Future Savings Groups – teaching skills in family and business finance through Savings Groups that meet weekly to save money and learn Biblical principles of finance and leadership together. 
  • Special Blessings Korat – a school for pre-school children with special needs.  The teachers at Special Blessing Korat teach life skills needed for the children to qualify to attend public school.

Shelby Gillespie with the Thailand Methodist Mission as Director of the Blessing Home Isan Center.  Blessing Home Isan is located in a region where many young teens are sent by their parents to make money for their family by serving as sex workers in the brothels in the large cities like Pattaya.  Shelby administers the scholarship and education programs of Blessing Home Isan and provides spiritual support to the families of the children so they are able to remain in school and be safe from traffickers.

Please visit the Thailand Methodist Mission website at thailandmethodist.org for more information.

 

India

 

India sits squarely within the 10/40 window, an area of the world where the majority of unreached peoples live.  Out of the country’s 1.2 billion people, roughly 95% do not know Christ.  In fact, as a nation it has the largest number of unreached people in the world, unreached meaning that they have no active body of believers operating in their community, and few if any present to share with them the Good News of Jesus Christ.  It is my passion and one of the callings on my life to work in an area of the world where unreached peoples exist.  This is why God led me to India, to serve those Christian nationals who are in the minority, and to share the good news of Jesus Christ with neighbors, friends, and others who do not know Him. 

Returning to serve with a Christian counseling agency in a major city in India, I am committed to a five year term of service.  My background includes working as a licensed counselor for 8 years, as well previous experience overseas and advanced degrees in both theology and counseling.  I will be training pastors, lay persons and parachurch workers in Christian Counseling, providing counseling to nationals at the home office, and supervision to counselors desiring to grow in their skills. 

Discipleship opportunities available through teaching Christian counseling take on added significance in a country where few people are believers in Christ.  Conversations around topics like the Trinity, suffering and healing, and forgiveness and reconciliation are incorporated into greater understandings of counseling theory and technique.  Furthermore, training counselors to operate from a faith based perspective means providing the skills and knowledge needed to serve others in the name of Christ, many of whom are struggling with issues ranging from suicide to marital conflict and depression to the overarching effects of globalization and a changing society.    

Living and serving in this city of several million people also means being open to those “divine appointments”, opportunities God arranges where conversations with those who don’t know Christ can lead to seeds being planted and lives being changed forever.

Because of the secure nature of my work in India, my name and other details have been left off the above information for my safety and the safety of those I minister to.  If you are interested in learning more, or possibly arranging a time for me to come visit your church, please contact The Mission Society at 800-478-8963 and ask for missionary #0320.  They will pass along your information to me and I will be in touch as soon as possible.  I welcome the opportunity to share more with you, and hope you can support me with your gifts and your prayers.