In late January and early February 2026, Daniel Sims, director of WELS Christian Aid and Relief, and Paul Biedenbender, pastor at Christ, Denver, Colo., and a member of the WELS Christian Aid and Relief Commission, traveled to Thailand to meet with WELS missionaries, administrators, and other church leaders from the Asia-Oceania Team. WELS Christian Aid and Relief works with WELS missionaries in this large mission field by providing funding for humanitarian aid and disaster relief programs.
While there, Sims and Biedenbender also attended the dedication of the new training facility for Thai Village in Chiang Mai. More than two hundred friends, artisans, donors, and partners gathered at the dedication to support Thai Village’s mission to train and employ low-income people; support Christian outreach and education; and create opportunities to share God’s love in the community. Thai Village, an independent nonprofit organization, is a WELS-affiliated ministry that works closely with the Asia-Oceania Team.
WELS Christian Aid and Relief contributed funding for the outreach pavilion at the new facility—the place most used by the community. Sims shares, “We support this mission wholeheartedly! It was a joy to meet their artisans and hear their testimonies about how Thai Village and the gospel shared there changed their lives.”
