A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

March - May 2026 Newsletter

“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭18‬:‭28‬ ESV‬‬

To our partners in the gospel, family and friends,

Hello from our family! We’re excited to share ministry updates and pictures with you all from the last few months. Our prayer is that each of you reading would be encouraged by the way the Lord is truly moving in Thailand.

For this newsletter, I've borrowed the phrase, "A long obedience in the same direction" from Eugene Peterson as a fitting title for this season of our lives in the Lord and the minstry He is calling us to. Day after day, month after month, year after year, our resolve remains the same: to see the nations come and magnify the Lord. In order to see the obedience of faith among all nations, we must do first then teach. We must ourselves be holy living sacrifices of radical obedience to the Father so that we can call others to imitate us. We must be set apart, and we must stay the course. No turning to the right or to the left but continue going in the same direction. As Paul said, "One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14). We pray that you too may be encouraged and emboldened to stay the course of obedience to Christ. Again, we continue to be so thankful to you all for the love and generous support that directly contributes to making Jesus known here. We consider you partners in the gospel and we are so grateful for the many prayers and practical help that is so necessary to sustain on us the field.

In this newsletter we will share pictures and updates about:

• Support Raising for a New Car

• Pickleball Ministry Growing

• Preparing to Lead the Next DTS

• EFT Conference

• Hosting More OutreachTeams

Did you read our last newsletter? We shared the significant news that Ethan and I have committed to serve with YWAM Trang as elders of our team for the next seven years. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek to minister among the Thais and shepherd this team as the Lord desires.

My favorite photo of Abigail recently. She loves the aquarium and especially Nemo!

Support Raising for A New Car

Almost four years ago when we moved to Thailand, we bought a used car with the money we were gifted from our weddings. Praise God that it has served our family until now but unfortunately it frequently gives us many significant problems. With the hope of growing our family in the years to come and the reality that we need a reliable vehicle, we've prayerfully decided it is not wise to continue pouring money into our current car and should rather sell it and support raise for a new one that would be able to accommoate our family's future. If you would like to donate to this need please let us know! Our prayer is that we would be able to buy the car before October of this year, when we will be totally focused on leading the next Discipleship Training School.

Pickleball Ministry Growing

Upon coming to Thailand, Ethan surrendered his hobby and love for Pickleball. He jumped into the thriving basketball community here as he saw an opportunity to minister and practice his Thai language with local friends. Around a year ago, the Lord began to bring Pickleball back up to Ethan. Believe it or not, this sport is taking off in Asia; there's something about Pickleball's accessibility to people of all ages and athletic abilities that invites community and bridges cultural and social divides. Because of this, Ethan has felt that Pickleball truly presents a unique opportunity for ministry. Ethan has slowly and steadily been working in the margins to share the sport with friends and, as you'll see in the pictures, a community is truly forming! The last few months we painted two Pickleball courts at a local stadium with the help of our team here and some generous donors who gave towards the nets and paint. Also, over the course of the past year Ethan has connected with many other Christian Thais throughout the country who are in Thailand's growing Pickleball scene. These connections we know are from the Lord and we see how He is making a way for this ministry to truly bear fruit for his glory in the future. Our prayer is to see Thais to encounter the truth and love of Christ through playing Pickleball.

Even with Pickleball ministry taking more of a focus, Ethan still plays in the basketball tournaments in Trang and stays connected with the friends he has made there. These pictures are from one of those recent tournaments!

From no Pickleball Courts in Trang to Playing on Painted Courts:

Preparing to Lead the Next Discipleship Training School (DTS)

Last newsletter we shared that Ethan and I will be co-leading the next Discipleship Training School (DTS). As many of you know, DTS is an intensive eight month school focused on discipleship: raising up young people in their faith and maturity to launch them into a life of following God faithfully. DTS isn’t just a school where students come to learn in a classroom setting and receive information, but we are focused on real-life change and character growth that results from revelation of God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Right now this looks like organizing curriculum and preparing for our roles of teaching in the DTS. Our team is also focusing on some much needed renovations on the base: adding a large storage unit and making the main floor kitchen space more functional for when the base is filled with young people running after Jesus together!

Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand (EFT) Conference

We recently attended a conference with the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, which functions as an umbrella organization that helps to support, oversee and facilitate unity among the protestant evangelical denominations, churches and ministries in Thailand. Our missionary visa which allows us to work and minister longterm is through EFT. We are so thankful to God for this visa and the provision He continues to supply through the staff and leaders of EFT. The pictures below represent some of the pastors and ministry leaders who gathered together for this conference. We are honored to work alongside these men and women and we pray that God strengthens His shepherds for the work He has called them to throughout this country.

Photos from the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand Conference:

Hosting More Outreach Teams

We have recently hosted quite a few teams: YWAM Bangkok, YWAM Salem, YWAM Harpenden, YWAM Idaho, YWAM North Cascades and a couple from YWAM London who are scouting South East Asia to discern where God is calling them to serve longterm. Ethan plays a significant role in hosting teams, helping take them through cultural orientation, translating during evangelism and other outreaches in the city. We rejoice that during this time a young Thai man was baptized and has since been a part of our discipleship community, joining us for times of worship, Bible reading and intercession. He is interested in doing DTS with us this coming year as well. Please pray for his walk with the Lord and for faithfulness to Christ, and as well for his family to follow the Lord as well. Below are the pictures of his baptism in the ocean.

Prayer Requests

Many of you continue to faithfully pray for us. We know that this prayer covering is essential and a crucial part of empowering the work God is doing amongst us. Thank you. 🙏

Our Lives in God

Psalm 16

. That we would know intimately, enjoy and glorify God, living devoted to His global purpose

Our Marriage

Colossians 1:9-14

. we would walk in sacrificial love and humility

. we would be prepared and strengthened for the next season of ministry

Abigail/Our Parenting

Psalm 119:73-77

. we may raise Abbie in the ways of the Lord

. she may know and love Him from an early age

. she may be learning to live under God’s loving authority and worship Him

YWAM Trang

. we would minister out of our overflow of love to Christ

. walk in unity and intimacy as a community, marked by fear of the Lord, humility, oneness of mind and joy

. victory over the schemes of the enemy

Next DTS

. May the students God is calling to this DTS come and not be dissuaded by the enemy

. May each student learn to live out genuine faith and experience intimacy with God that results in lasting obedience to the Lordship of Christ

. May every student come to understand God’s global purpose and participate in a significant way to bringing the gospel to the Unreached

. Provision for every DTS student and staff

. May the DTS produce world-changers who are courageous to pursue the will of God completely

. May these students endure the tests that will come before, during and after the DTS

. That DTS would be a vessel for sending and mobilizing multitudes

Thailand

. radically transformed by the power, peace and freedom of the Gospel

. many more pioneer workers would respond to the call and go

. Thailand would become a great sending nation and used by the Lord to reach the unreached

Extended Family

. May all of our family grow in the knowledge of God, know His unending love for them, and come to a full and total surrender to His Lordship over their lives

. Protect the marriages and children in our family, may our future generations praise You and speed Your coming

Missional Community and Hospitality

. every individual and family on our street may hear the Gospel

. we would be given opportunities to encourage, bless and minister in our neighborhood and our other relationships in Trang

. that our hearts, hands and home may be ready to welcome in and share the love of Christ

We love you and are thankful for you.

Blessings,

The Parks Family

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope."

‭‭Hosea 2:14-15a

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