Meet Linus the Van.
Yes, we named him. Specifically after the Peanuts character. Our van is well….. kind of pathetic.
God placed it on all of my teammate’s hearts PLUS our translator, Ooh’s heart, separately before Caitlin brought it up this past week that we can do something about this van situation! And fortunately, our organization, Adventures in Missions, gives us a platform for Racers to raise money if we see a need that our ministry hosts or their ministry has!
SO! My team is asking YOU, whoever you are, to help us raise the funds to purchase a new van for our hosts!
Our ministry hosts were able to buy the van at an extremely discounted price. At the time they bought it, it was already old and breaking down, but they needed a vehicle for ministry purposes and Linus was the only feasible option.
In the two weeks with our ministry, the van has broken down at least twice. Once leaving us stranded at a gas station for an hour. Every morning it takes about six tries to get it started. The van will randomly shut off while driving, and often dies while it’s in reverse.
But, to our ministry hosts, Linus is the only option. Our ministry hosts consist of a married couple, Pirot and Meow. Pirot is a pastor and as a pastor, he does not take home any salary. He fixes air conditioner units and other home appliances on the side and Meow makes and sells handmade purses. They make just enough to pay the bills.
They are a couple who have dedicated their lives to God. They have given everything they have to Him and aim to love the people in their community. Their passion is in evangelizing and sharing the Gospel to unreached people in a predominantly Buddhist area and investing in children-at-risk.
My team with the students we taught at a school on May 16 where we performed a skit from the Bible and taught English
They spend their time running English camps, visiting schools to teach English and the Gospel, running Bible Study and worship out of the building next to their house, and being a safe space for children-at-risk in the community to come and hang out.
In order to run their ministry and be effective, they need reliable transportation. The church Pirot pastors is a twenty minute drive from their house, they visit schools within a thirty minute radius all the time, and evangelism is a huge part of their calling. Since good ole Linus isn’t holding up his end of the bargain, we feel compelled to help them get more reliable transportation. We only have a week left with them so this new van would be a huge investment that would live on after we leave and would transport future World Race and other ministry teams that come work with them for years to come!
Pirot and Meow would never ask for anything, but they have become family to us and we want to bless them. They have no idea that we are trying to do this!
What we are asking is a tall order, but we believe that God will provide.
A new van costs about $45,000. The pastor has said that a nice used van goes for about $15,000. So this is our goal!** This is what we want to raise, in order to ensure that they can continue running their ministry effectively. We only have until May 25th to raise this money because we leave our ministry site on Sunday, May 28th and the funds need to process!
We are Americans that are blessed with a lot more resources than the Thai people. This can be a simple task with God through people who have generous and obedient hearts. If the World Race has taught me anything, it’s that community is God’s gift to us to get God’s will in Heaven done on Earth! Every little bit helps, whether it is $5 or $10. And all donations are tax deductible. If you cannot help financially, please share this post on your social media!!
To donate please go to:
https://give.adventures.org/campaign.asp?campaignid=4119
Please help us bless this sacrificial and passionate pastor in Thailand and his calling to his community!
**The crowdfunding site used by Adventures in Missions has a 15% fee, making our actual goal $17,250, in order for Pastor Pirot to receive the full $15,000.
