King Over Every Spirit | May 2025 Newsletter

Erik Gonzalez
May 1
6 min read

“Where the Word of God is preached and obeyed, there the enemy trembles.” – Unknown

In Thailand, it’s common to see small spirit houses outside homes and businesses. These shrines are carefully adorned and maintained with daily offerings of food and drink. Locals believe they house spirits who must be appeased in order to avoid misfortune.

I once asked a shop owner why she faithfully placed a bowl of rice outside her business each morning. She smiled and said, “If I don’t feed the spirits, they’ll put a veil over my store and then no one will come. It’s better to keep them happy.”

At first glance, Buddhism may appear to be a simple, even peaceful religion. But underneath many of its traditions is a deep fear—fear of unseen powers, of curses, and of never doing enough. That fear holds millions of hearts and minds in its grip. But it will not last forever.

In Mark 5:1–20, we encounter a man tormented by demons—so fierce that no one could subdue him. He lived among the tombs, isolated, crying out day and night, cutting himself with stones. But Scripture says, “When Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him.”

From the shadows, the possessed man ran to the light. The demons didn’t fight—they recognized the presence, power, and authority of Jesus the moment His foot touched the shore. And instead of resisting like before, the man bowed and begged for mercy. With just a word, Jesus cast them out and set the man free.

This isn’t just a story from the past—it’s a spiritual reality we are witnessing here in Thailand. Since our arrival, we’ve seen the destructive influence that Buddhism brings to those who follow its path. And as we follow God's call, bring the Gospel, and march forward into the darkness, the more we see this evil influence.

Still, we press on with joy. Because Jesus has all authority. And He has given that authority to us—His followers.

After being freed, the man begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus sent him back, saying, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” The man obeyed, and Scripture says “everyone was amazed.”

This reminds me of two things:

We are not led by our desires or emotions, but by the Word and Lordship of Christ.
We are not meant to be passive observers, but active participants in God’s redemptive plan.

We are sent to proclaim freedom, to cast out darkness, and to see captives restored to their right minds—just as the man in the story was.

As we work to bring about the obedience of faith among the unreached, we want to say thank you. The Kingdom of God is advancing in Thailand. The light of Jesus is shining in places long held in darkness. And that’s because of your faithfulness—prayers, generosity, and partnership.

You’re not just supporting “missions”—you’re helping tear down strongholds, bring healing, and establish the name of Jesus among the unreached. We believe that—just like the man in Mark 5—many in Thailand are having their identities restored, their minds renewed, and their purpose realigned, so they too can be sent out as living testimonies of God’s mercy and glory.

Blessings, The Gonzalez Family

🙏 Prayer Points

OTM Students – Pray that their hearts would be awakened to God's global purpose and that they would step into His calling with boldness.
Oliver & Parks Families – Pray for rest, refreshing, and divine appointments as they visit the States.
Missions Teachings – Pray for anointing, clarity, and lasting fruit as we teach on God’s heart for the nations.
YWAM Bangkok Visit – Pray for unity and powerful partnership as they come to serve alongside us in ministry.
Discipling Thai Relationships – Ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment as we invest deeper in our local friendships.
Family & Friends Back Home – Pray for encouragement, provision, and continued connection with those who support and love us.
Our Marriage – Pray that our relationship with each other and with God would deepen in intimacy, strength, and joy.
Personal Spiritual Growth – Pray for continued growth in humility, maturity, discipline, and Christlikeness.
Erik’s Leadership – Ask for wisdom and vision as Erik leads the communications ministry and trains for future DTS leadership.
Upcoming DTS & Students – Pray for the right students to be called and prepared, and for God to shape this upcoming school powerfully.
Spiritual Awakening in Thailand – Pray that many would turn to Jesus. Lift up the city of Trang specifically, for Gospel transformation.
Parenting Hudson – Pray for grace, wisdom, and patience as we raise Hudson in a way that honors God.
Missional Communities & Local Favor – Pray for deeper relationships, Gospel opportunities, and favor in our neighborhood.
Team Unity – Ask God to strengthen our team with humility, love, and shared vision.
Spiritual Warfare – Pray against strongholds such as apathy, miscommunication, sexual perversion, and loneliness. Pray for protection and breakthrough.

UPDATES

1: Hudson’s Health

Poor Hud was sick for 6 days with a bad bacterial infection. Praise God he is over it now with just some lingering diarrhea. We went to the doctors twice before realizing we would need to spend the night at the hospital. Hudson was NOT a fan of being hooked up to an IV, but we praise God that the antibiotics worked and that we have access to some of the best health care in all of SE Asia. We are very grateful to everyone who prayed for Hudson’s recovery 💜

2: Missions Teaching

Erik and another YWAM Trang staff named Nicole have been working for months to prepare a teaching on missions for the YWAM Montana team. Each team that visits us receives a teaching, and with our leader Brandon and another staff visiting the states, Erik and Nicole prayerfully decided to be the ones to share this time. I’m very proud of Erik as I’ve seen him work and study for months and I believe the Lord will bless their hard work.

3: Outreach Team: YWAM Montana

It’s been so fun getting to host the YWAM Montana team. They’re a very talented group with musicians and artists who have been using their skills to help us share the gospel in Trang. We have been going to tons of schools to teach English and share gospel stories with kids, do market evangelism and worship, service projects, serving at local churches and much more.

With me (Makayla) staying home to take care of Hudson while he’s been sick, Erik has been taking most of the ministry photos. He’s been doing a great job too! Here is a link to a shared google drive folder of the photos he’s taken while the teams been here. You’ll see rural village ministry, church ministry, kid’s activities and more —> Photos

4: Jericho Walk

A while ago there was an idea shared to map out a route around the whole city of Trang and do a prayer walk. Thus sparked the Jericho walk. Erik and his close friend Connor woke up at 3 am to walk 20 miles around the whole city! This surprisingly only took 6 hours and they were able to beat the mid day heat by waking up so early. I took this quick picture at about 4 hours in when I met up with them to replenish their water and snacks. Along the way they fought off some street dogs, saw a big scorpion and witnessed the terrible death of a big crane (the person who hit the crane with their car proceeded to jump out and take it home, likely for their next meal.) Life in Thailand is always an adventure 🤣

Special Message for Our Friends and Family

Hello friends and family, we pray you had a wonderful Easter! He is risen!

We just want to once again say thank you to everyone who supports the work we’re doing in Thailand. We are so grateful for your partnership in the Gospel and humbled by your trust in us to steward God’s recourses well. We pray that the Lord would bless you and your family. Know that you’re always welcome to shoot us a text if you’re ever needing prayer and of course, you’re always welcome to come visit us on the field.

We love you all!

Blessings,

The Gonzalez Family

February Financial Update

Recurring support: $2,425

Monthly costs: $2,300

One-time donations: $323

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