January 2026 Newsletter
- Dallas Vaughn
- Feb 2
- 6 min read
Now you can listen while you read! Just click play. (It's not AI, my mic just sounds weird.)
I'm finally getting back into the routine of going to the gym and lifting weights every weekday again, and last week, I saw something amazing. I noticed a lady in her 50s or 60s, lifting weights, walking around on crutches. It took me some time, though, to realize, that she only had one leg. I have been thinking about that for several days, because it's a perfect picture of perseverance and steadfastness. Proverbs 24:10 says, "If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!" The lady at the gym reminded me that even though physical strength is very important for our spiritual and mental well-being, our inner strength is even more important. And where does inner strength come from? Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And Psalm 27:14 reads, "Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!"
Grace Language School
This past month, both Liz and I started teaching at Grace Language School again. I've been really happy about this. When we were in Bangkok, I missed teaching and investing in the lives of these students. Because of the nature of GLS, we are always gaining and losing teachers, and right now was the perfect time to jump back in because the Pipers, who I mentioned in the last newsletter, will be moving soon, so there are a lot of needs again for running the school and its various programs.
Men's Group
Over the past few months, one of my favorite times of the week has been getting together with a group of American and Thai Christian men for our informal men's group meetings. Some guys smoke cigars and drink beer (yes, I'm a teetotaler for anyone wondering), and we talk about life, family, ministry, and theology.
Christmas at MFU
This month, we had our final Christmas celebration at Maefahluang University. I love this university because it's right down the street from us, and it draws students from all over Thailand and the world. Not only do we have students coming from the southern and northeastern regions of the country, along with plenty from Bangkok, but we also have students that attend our church from Africa. The Christian club on campus hosted the Christmas celebration this month (they usually host it in January for some reason), and there were at least 100 students there, by my count, if not 200.
Baby Shower
I didn't attend this all-ladies event, but Liz was able to help bless our Filipino sister who serves with us here in Chiang Rai, and is expecting her first baby soon. Please pray for good health and a safe delivery for this young family.
Akha Brother from Myanmar
A few weeks ago, I met with an Akha brother who lives in a mountain village in Myanmar, about an hour from our border town. He's a retired teacher and now runs a Christian children's home. He asked me if I could do a Zoom lesson for them once a week to bless the kids. Pray for their ministry, and all the people of Myanmar. (If you don't know how difficult life is for the citizens there now, look up some information about what has been going on over the last decade. It's heartbreaking.)
Meeting Neighbors
Our neighborhood continues to be a great place to build community, especially for the kids. I'm writing this newsletter on a Monday, and yesterday, I was amazed that three different people from our neighborhood were at church with us. And this week, I had two notable encounters during my walks. First, I met a Thai lawyer who practiced law in Chiang Mai for many years. He's not a Christian but he asked if I could teach private English lessons to his wife or girlfriend (I didn't catch if they were married or not). I'm not sure if this will materialize, but I've given her some info about our English school and there might be opportunity for a new connection with both of them. Yesterday, I was walking around the pond in our complex, and I was stopped randomly by a Thai man who started asking me questions. His English was good, and I explained to him that I teach English and serve at Baan Athitaan Church. I noticed that he was asking a lot of questions so I asked if he was a Christian. He told me that he was but that he wasn't in church and he was looking for one. He later explained to me that he had actually been out of church for forty years (you read that right) and wanted to go back. This was on Saturday, and the next morning, he actually picked us up in his car and we all rode with him to church. Pray he either continues to attend church with us or finds another one in the city that he resonates with.
A Big Need
This past year, my biggest life lesson was about money. As you know if you've followed along with our updates, we moved to Bangkok expecting to plant a church, almost ran out of money (I was afraid of being homeless in a foreign country with two young kids at one point), and had to return to Chiang Rai where the cost of living is 1/3 of Bangkok. During that time of extreme financial insecurity, God did some miracles to bring us the funds we needed just to survive, including putting us on the hearts of people we hadn't talked to in years, who sent us money right when we needed it, whether that was when we were bleeding money in Bangkok or after unexpected medical bills from Theo's seizures.
The whole picture is multifaceted and complicated, but one of the reasons we ended up in the situation we were in was because Liz had an unexpected medical issue that ended up costing several thousand dollars. Liz has had dentures for two of her teeth since she was young. She had a rare condition that caused two of her adult teeth to never developed when she was in the womb, so when her baby teeth fell out, there was nothing to replace them. She has been wearing dentures since she was in 9th grade. One day in Bangkok, her dentures went missing. When I say "missing," what I mean is that she woke up one morning and they weren't in the cup she put them in with their solution. We searched everywhere (including the trash) and couldn't find them, so we gathered that they had to have been flushed down the toilet. So she went to the dentist and had to start the long treatment process necessary to get dental implants installed, followed by two implants. In total, all of this will cost about $8k by the time it's over.
Right now, I'm in the process of finding new partners so we can finally get the funding we need, rather than living "paycheck to paycheck" and only surviving on miracles from God. So there are two things I want to ask from you. First, would you help us find new monthly funding partners? And second, would you consider making a donation towards this big medical need we have?
Prayer Requests:
We've been praying for the son of some friends of ours, who has been having seizures. They think he may have had encephialitis, but aren't 100% sure. The latest update was that he is finally starting to "be himself again" but please continue to pray!
A friend's dad just had a kidney removed. If I understand correctly, the doctors were concerned it might have been cancerous.
Liz's dad, Michael, is taking a trip to America by himself. He'll be speaking at a missions conference in Alabama and visiting the grandkids (our neice and nephew). Pray for his trip.
Right now, there are still many people without power in Tennessee and trapped because of ice on the roads. It seems like the ice/snow storm was pretty brutal, at least in our state.
THANKS FOR BEING PART OF THE TEAM!
By God's grace, we have witnessed many lives transformed, and some family legacies changed forever. But the story is not over yet, and we are anticipating and believing for even greater things moving forward. Consider becoming a funding partner so you can play a significant role in sharing the gospel, serving those in poverty, and creating Christian resources.
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