What Our Missionaries Are Planning In Thailand, South Asia, & Costa Rica
Litchfield’s – Thailand
As we are approaching our one-year anniversary of returning to Thailand, we are grateful for the Lord’s blessing on this past year of our ministry here as well as in Rees’ cancer treatment. The doctors have set February 6, 2026, as his last day for therapy. We are thrilled about this! Although certain parts of his development and growth have been slowed by the chemo, there has been steady improvement over the last year. We are looking forward to having an open house celebration to rejoice in what God has brought Rees through in the two and a half years that he has been receiving chemo.
A burden that has been on our hearts for a long time is to do marriage and family conferences in Thailand to build up Christian homes. There is significant brokenness in Thai families and little instruction or good examples to follow. Multiple people have expressed an interest in this, so during summer break Jake and some other brothers are planning a conference or two for families. If the Christian family units are not strong and passing the faith down to the next generation, so much will be lost.
As well as preaching regularly at the local Thai church, we plan to open new SGC study groups around Thailand. Currently we have groups in 5 provinces, including a high school group at a children’s home where they hope to start a Bible college using SGC in the next couple of years.
One of our biggest needs this past year was getting a longer-term visa to stay in the country. The Lord kept closing doors, but the one that He finally opened wide is exciting! I got a visa to study in the master’s program at Chiang Mai University. CMU is where I previously received a bachelor’s in Thai and I’m happy to be back in classes. This gives me the opportunity to advance in my Thai language studies as well as study Buddhism, the national religion. I am thankful for the various discussions I have already had with my professors about spiritual things. We are eager to see what the Lord will do with this time of instruction at the university.
Tyndale’s – South Asia
We reached over 3500 youth with the “Two Hours of Truth” seminar in 2024-2025. There are millions more who need this message just in our city. We want to continue recruiting and developing a speaking team to connect with all the 15-25 year olds in our city and beyond. Alongside, we want to build and train a network of churches that can help with the follow-up and discipleship process of those who want to learn more.
We are planning to host several guests from the USA this year. A couple of young ladies are already committed to joining us by January and we are also engaging with some men for the software company. A small team is being formed to come for a summer vision trip.
In June we are scheduled to hold the 11th national pro-life summit with an emphasis on reaching medical professionals who have a conscience. We also plan to help strengthen local pro-life ministries and servants around the country. We are praying for a good way to link with pastors to adopt the pro-life ministry as a Gospel ministry. Local churches are the key all around the world to ending the problem of the murder of innocent children. If your church is not yet engaged in a pro-life outreach, let me challenge you to join the battle!
Finally, Tom will continue to serve daily as an HR consultant for a software company that is reaching people through business. We will keep praying for and making disciples on the job as we demonstrate how Biblical values work on the job. These are college educated, “upper crust,” people who typically are hostile to the Gospel. But at work, we have a great bridge to share life and cultures and values together.
Robberts’ – Costa Rica
As we enter a new year, I am excited to see what the Lord has for the work here in Costa Rica. God is opening doors of opportunity, and we want to walk through them, expecting great things! Our vision for this coming year is three-fold: training, prayer, and outreach.
One of the great needs in our congregation is theological training. In 2026, a major focus of our ministry will be teaching Shepherds Global Classroom courses within the local congregation. These courses will provide a strong foundation in doctrine, discipleship, and personal spiritual growth. Our desire is to cultivate discipleship whereby men and women discover their calling, develop biblical convictions, and learn to serve with humility and excellence. Our desire is to prepare the church in Costa Rica for decades of fruitful ministry.
Another key component of our vision is launching a public prayer ministry in several strategic locations in Paraiso and Cartago. There are many who will never walk into a church but are still open to receiving prayer during a moment of need. By being physically present in public spaces, we hope to encourage others and show the love of Christ in a personal way.
We have identified a couple of places that show real potential for evangelistic outreach and church planting. In 2026 we want to begin regular, intentional visits to these areas—building relationships, offering prayer, sharing the message of Christ, and learning the unique needs of each location. Ultimately, the long-term vision is to see new believers discipled and new churches formed in these neighborhoods.
We are trusting the Lord for great things in Costa Rica in the coming year. Our hope is that God will be glorified and souls will be saved through consistent training, prayer for the lost, and outreach into new communities.