(a recent prayer letter from Shane and Kayti Salmon, Thailand)

It’s hard to believe it’s April already! With our son’s 10th birthday coming up, as well as Thailand’s famous water festival, Songkran, there is a lot to look forward to. But it’s also our joy to look back with you at the last three months, which have brought many opportunities for sharing the Gospel, growing in the Lord, and seeing our church, BenTai Baptist, serve the people around them. Take a look and praise the Lord with us for all that He has done the past three months!

This year started out the best way we could have wished, with one of Kayti’s Sunday School students coming to her after church and asking to speak with her about getting saved. Justin, a seven-year-old boy, had been coming to our church with his mom Kung (Goong) since 2023. Kung trusted Christ in 2024, and Kayti knew he was getting close to making the decision as well. We are excited to tell you that after their conversation, Justin prayed to trust Jesus that day – the first Sunday of 2026! He was baptized in February, the day before his eighth birthday. Please be praying for Justin and Kung as they grow in their faith, and pray with us for Kung’s husband and college-aged son, JJ, to come to know the Lord as well.

In addition to Justin’s spiritual growth, we have been happy to see growth in our children’s ministry this year. Our sons, Judah and Quinn, started playing soccer on Saturdays last fall, and they have eagerly invited their soccer friends to church. Because of this, we have seen several friends and their families come to special events, and three new children begin attending church weekly. One boy named Martins, has brought friends with him almost every week! Also, as the children have grown physically, this year we realized it was time to start a new Sunday School class for 10-12-year-olds. There are only a couple of children in this new class, which meets every other week right now, but we are looking forward to seeing this class and these children grow.

February and March were full of opportunities for our church to reach in to encourage on another, as well as to reach out and serve people in our community and beyond. In February, we held our annual missions month, emphasizing the need for each one of us to share the Gospel and to support others sharing the Gospel in other places. Our church currently supports two Thai church planters in other provinces. In March, we talked about God’s purpose for the church, and members got involved in a church clean-up day where we painted, cleaned, and prepared for our upcoming anniversary celebration, one of our biggest events of the year. It’s a joy to see the church family serving the Lord together.

In March, instead of hosting a kids’ English outreach, we taught a kids’ dessert-making course, focusing on desserts kids can make without using an oven, and teaching a few English words along the way. Thank the Lord, the course went really well! We had a great turnout of returning and brand new students, and everyone who came heard about the Lord each week (including several parents). Kayti and I were also really encouraged to see how many of our church members got involved to help with the course each week. The kids had a great time, and several kids have expressed to their parents that they want to start coming on Sundays to the children’s Sunday School Class! Please continue to pray that the Lord will continue to draw our students and their families to the church, and most importantly, to Him.

On March 22, our church celebrated its fourth anniversary! In Thailand, anniversary celebrations are bigger than almost any other celebration throughout the year, which makes this event a huge opportunity to invite people to church. This year, students from our kids’ course sang a song, I preached a Gospel message, and Kayti and I recognized our church team and ministry volunteers. Many unsaved friends came to the service, including students’ families, as well as many who were invited by our church family. As we looked around during the event, it was a blessing to see many who have been at BenTai since the beginning, some who have gotten saved over the last four years, and some whom we are praying to see trust Christ in the days ahead. We want to thank you so much for your prayers and support that enable us to be here, doing what we love iwth people we love!

The Friday after the anniversary service brought us to a first for our church. A group of ten of us left Bangkok on BenTai’s first ever mission trip! Our team, ages six to sixty-something, piled into the church van and drove eight hours to the northern province of Phrae, where a Thai pastor we support has a young church plant. During our time there, we were able to pass out flyers, host a children’s outreach, sing and pass out tracts at the local market, and sing and teach at the church, Phrae Baptist, on Sunday. We praise the Lord for the safety He gave us as we traveled, and for the mutual encouragement He gave our team, the pastor, and the church in Phrae. It was such a fun and wonderful opportunity to serve others, and to serve together. We’re thankful for the goodness of the Lord, and for the work He is doing here in Thailand. Please be praying for the seeds planted during the trip.

Please pray for:

1. Our next kids’ English course, which begins in May. We are hoping to have an adult course as well.
2. Our boys as they continue to study Thai.
3. For seeds planted on the mission trip to Phrae to take root, bringing people to the church and to the Lord.