History

The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Psalm 126:3

You can see the creamy yellow buildings on the mountain for miles around. They seem to glow among the greenery of the surrounding fields and orchards. Church building, children’s dorms, staff housing — all built for one overall purpose. We are here to serve the Lord and to be a shining light to the people in Northern Thailand.

We have a comfortable mission complex, supplied by our gracious God through the generous gifts of His people. There is plenty of room for growth and lots of room for kids to play. We are thankful, particularly because we didn’t get here without trials and, yes, sorrows.

The story begins in 2004 when Paul and Susan Brown first visited Thailand. Something happened all those years ago. They fell in love with Thailand and with the LaHu people. They came here many times over the next ten years to help any way they could.

Meanwhile, Paul continued on with pastoring Sherwood Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. He was raised at Sherwood and saved in a revival meeting there as a child. He served as Youth Pastor and then as Assistant Pastor before being called as full-time pastor. He served there for 40 years, seeing the children and even grandchildren of those he led to the Lord saved and becoming a part of the church. The church was so much a part of his life that Susan joked that God would have to send an angel with a handwritten message and a crowbar before Paul would move from Sherwood.

Not an angel with a crowbar – but a definite call from God changed Paul’s mind. The Browns left their country, friends, and family behind in 2013. It was hard to part with loved ones, but they knew God called them here to Thailand. They came with joy.

When they arrived, though, they found that the situation was not what they expected. They thought they were coming to help with an established ministry. Paul would be teaching the men and Susan would be helping in the children’s home. When they arrived, they didn’t find a ministry. They found a mess. The people before them had a heart for Thailand, but they trusted the wrong person. They gave him support and authority and that man misused it to steal the money and to oppress the people. Before the Browns could do any of the work they came to do, they had to clean up the mess.

And that was God’s plan, too. They had a picture in their minds of what their life would be like, but God had other ideas. First, He sent Paul to deliver His people from that wicked man. It was hard and took several years fighting in court. But they knew God had called them. Nothing could make them turn back.

When the village churches were set free, they were able to start the work that was on their hearts. They started over from scratch. Paul began the preachers’ training with just a few men. They took in a few children from the children’s home that they had managed to close down. And God blessed. The very fact that Paul stood with the LaHu people against the abuser and would not be driven away was used by God to gain the trust of the people. They followed Paul with love and loyalty that would otherwise have taken many years to earn.

There were troubles and trials along the way, but they were blessed years, too. The preachers’ training grew from just a few to many with an influence that reached into three countries. Many of the children they raised and taught grew up to be Christian leaders who are a blessing to the churches today.

One major concern troubled them, though. They knew that, because they started so late, they would need help to carry on the work when they could no longer do it. Everyone prayed earnestly for years for someone to come alongside Paul to help. To learn the language and the customs of the Hill Tribes people. To learn how to teach them effectively. God heard those prayers and was preparing an answer – just not the one they expected.

Meanwhile, God provided for the mission over and over. People in America gave to buy the land and to build buildings. They trusted Paul. They saw the work he was doing and they gave to him generously.

Then Paul had his appointment with death on a dangerous curve of a mountain road on March 13, 2024. He was killed instantly when a truck hit his motorcycle.

That began the worst of times for those who loved Paul and for the mission. Many hard things happened and the future was uncertain. But God never failed those left behind.

Monthly support for the mission dropped like a rock as many supporters wondered what would happen to the work. But God provided. A man from a supporting church left an inheritance to Paul in his will for use in the mission. He had passed away the year before and the money arrived in the bank account just before Paul died. Paul also had saved back personal funds for an emergency from his small salary. That turned out to be a surprisingly significant amount. Those two reserves carried the mission through during those hard months. Susan and the staff were able to pay the bills and salaries, buy groceries, and provide for the nine children living with them at the time. There were a few churches and individuals who faithfully continued their support throughout those hard months. While the team at the mission understood the concerns of those who dropped them temporarily, how they thanked God for those faithful friends who stood with them in their time of need!

Meanwhile, everyone was still was thinking, “We need someone to come from America to take over and do what Paul did.” We were mistaken! God had a better plan. It was a plan He was preparing all those years the Browns and friends were praying for the “next missionary.” He didn’t intend this mission to be run by foreigners forever. His plan was to establish a church here and to raise local men to head the work.

When they were praying for someone to come to learn the language, God had people here who already knew the language. And the customs. Who understood the people here as foreigners could never do. They sat under Paul’s teaching for years and knew the Bible. They were wise beyond their years. All the time people were praying, God was already answering.

Wichai and Moses were already on staff as interpreters and assistants. With Paul gone, they stepped up and took responsibility for doing the work that needed to be done. Everyone pitched in and all the work of mission went on as before. Benevolence, Sunday School literature, medicine, visits to the villages, etc. They took turns handling evening family devotions with the children and preaching in the church services on Sunday.

Moses had already been called to preach and had a burden to reach villages where there were no churches and no Gospel influence. Wichai received a definite call from the Lord while he was preaching and teaching.

It wasn’t necessary for someone to come and take over. These guys could do it, because God called them and had prepared them for the job.

God led them to start a church, which had been planned for many years. Because Paul had been so devoted to the pastors he served, Sundays were always spent traveling to the villages. You can’t have church services if you aren’t there every week. But now we have Wichai who is called to pastor and Moses who continues the outreach to the villages.

Friends from Sherwood Baptist Church in Oklahoma came to talk with Wichai and Moses and to ask questions. The visitors were impressed with the hearts Wichai and Moses have for the Lord and for their strong convictions and their Bible knowledge. God had prepared them and called them. We thank Him for that!

The Grace and Peace Baptist Church was formally established and these two men were ordained as pastor and evangelist in November of 2024. They were already doing this work and continued on with zeal.

At their request we expanded our ministry to children, applying for a children’s home license. We finished the building to house the extra children and prepared for them. We now have 18 children and an official children’s home. Wichai serves as the head of the home while Moses and Mali are house parents. Susan has stayed on as a volunteer to help with the children. All of them have a love for these children and serve them as an expression of their love for the Lord.

The preachers’ training that was so dear to Paul’s heart was paused for a while and it looked like it would not be possible for it to continue. Yet, the impossible is no problem with God. In January 2025, we were able to begin that continuing education ministry to the village pastors again with the help of guest teachers.

So, all the things that Paul began are going forward. God has been faithful to supply our needs and to bless our efforts for Him. He brought us through times of trouble and established this work which was begun for His glory. We are thankful for what He has done in the past and we know we can depend on Him to guide, protect, and supply our needs in the future. He is good, and we praise Him!