She Was Our Lydia: Pastor Khumi Was Called Home to the Lord After a Battle with Malaria, Yet Her Fruit Remains

God Is Raising Leaders in a Land of War and Refugees

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,

Grace and peace to you from Southeast Asia.

Near the Thailand-Myanmar border, in the town of Mae Sot, a small classroom recently became a holy place of worship, hope, and calling.

There, Chapman International College (CIC) opened its 2026 academic year with a special worship service for students preparing for ministry among Myanmar diaspora and refugee communities.

From the outside, it may have looked like a simple gathering in a modest classroom. But to those of us who were there, it was a powerful reminder that God is still at work among displaced people, refugee families, migrant communities, and churches living in the shadow of conflict.

A Classroom Filled with Calling

About 20 students joined the opening worship service. They came from Mae Sot, Umphang, and the area near Mae La Refugee Camp, where many Myanmar refugees have lived for years.

Many of these students have personally experienced the realities of war, political instability, poverty, migration, and refugee life. Some crossed the border in search of safety. Others continue to serve their own people and communities in the middle of great uncertainty.

Yet what stood out most was not despair. It was faith.

On their faces, we could see a deep sense of God’s calling. They were not simply students beginning another school year. They were men and women responding to God’s invitation to be trained, formed, and sent to serve their people.

When Theological Education Once Felt Impossible

For many of these students, theological education once seemed like an impossible dream.

Financial hardship, language barriers, displacement, refugee status, and lack of access to ministry training have all made it difficult for them to study. Many have already been serving in local churches without the kind of training they longed for.

But by God’s grace, and through the partnership of the global church, a door has opened.

Now these students are able to study God’s Word, grow as disciples, and be equipped as future leaders for churches and communities along the border and beyond.

Entrusting the Gospel to Faithful People

The theme Scripture for the opening service was 2 Timothy 2:2:

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

This verse beautifully describes the ministry of the CIC Mae Sot Center.

This work is not only about teaching one student at a time. It is about spiritual multiplication. One faithful disciple is trained, that disciple teaches others, and those people go on to serve churches, disciple new believers, and carry the gospel into their own communities.

During the service, I reminded the students that theological education is not just academic study. It is preparation for a lifetime of mission and service.

“God is still calling faithful men and women, even from difficult places. Many of these students come from communities marked by suffering and uncertainty, but they are responding to God’s call with faith and courage.”

The service included worship, prayer, student presentations, and a time of dedication. Leaders and faculty members gathered around the students and prayed for them, asking God to form them into Christlike leaders for His church.

Why Mae Sot Matters

The Mae Sot Center is becoming a very strategic place for ministry in Southeast Asia.

Mae Sot is located near the Thailand-Myanmar border. It is close to refugee camps, migrant communities, and many displaced families from Myanmar. Because of this location, the center is able to provide practical theological education and leadership training to students who would otherwise have very limited access to formal ministry preparation.

Many of these students are already serving in local churches, discipleship groups, compassionate ministries, youth ministries, evangelism, and church planting efforts.

In this area alone, there are currently 12 Myanmar diaspora churches. These churches may not be large, but they are deeply important. They are places of worship, discipleship, care, and gospel witness for migrant and refugee families.

For many people who have lost home, security, and stability, these churches have become spiritual homes.

God Continues the Mission of Acts

After the worship service, one leader said something that captured the heart of the day:

“Through people scattered by war and migration, God is still continuing the missionary story of the Book of Acts.”

That sentence stayed with me.

To many people, this border region may look like a place of crisis, poverty, trauma, and instability. But in God’s eyes, it is also a mission field where new leaders are being raised, churches are being strengthened, and the gospel is being carried to the next generation.

What others may see only as a place of hardship, God sees as a place of calling.

A Space for Training and Hope

We are also grateful that God has provided an important space for this ministry to continue.

In order to sustain theological education and leadership training in Mae Sot, we were able to rent a building for two years. We were also able to prepare desks and needed educational equipment so that students can study in a more stable and welcoming environment.

This was made possible through the generous support of Nampa College Church and Nampa First Church in the United States.

Through their prayers and giving, a path has opened for the next generation of leaders from refugee and migrant communities to be trained in God’s Word.

We are deeply grateful.

Your Partnership Is Bearing Fruit

Dear friends, your prayers and support stand quietly but deeply behind this kind of ministry.

Students who once thought theological education was impossible are now studying Scripture, preparing for ministry, and growing as leaders who will serve their own people and communities.

God is still building His church in Southeast Asia.

Even in lands marked by suffering, even along borders shaped by displacement, and even among refugee communities facing an uncertain future, God is calling faithful workers “for such a time as this.”

Where many see only difficulty and brokenness, the gospel continues to move forward with hope, healing, and transformation.

Please Pray With Us

Please join us in prayer:

1. Pray that the students at the CIC Mae Sot Center will be deeply formed by God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.
2. Pray that the Myanmar diaspora churches will stand firm in faith, even in the middle of hardship.
3. Pray that doors for the gospel will continue to open among refugee and migrant communities.
4. Pray that faithful leaders will continue to be raised up to serve the next generation.
5. Pray for God’s blessing upon the churches and partners who have supported this ministry through prayer and giving.

Thank you for your prayers, generosity, and partnership in the gospel.

With deep gratitude,

Bill and Mill Kwon