Big Announcement & Lots of Ministry

Expecting Baby #2, Nicole is pregnant!

We are overjoyed, grateful, and honestly still in awe of what God has entrusted to our family. Nicole is now 14 weeks pregnant, feeling strong and healthy, and we don’t yet know the gender. This baby is such a gift, and we are deeply thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness in every season. As Psalm 127 reminds us, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him.”

We also want to share a quick update on Elouise. She is growing fast, healthy, and full of life. Most days, she is either eating or running, and sometimes, somehow doing both at the same time. She is starting to talk a lot more now and will occasionally try to put a few words together, attempting the beginnings of a sentence. Watching her learn, grow, and discover the world around her in the middle of such a full season of ministry has been one of our greatest joys.

During this season, Nicole has been an incredible mother to Lou and a strong, steady anchor for our family. In the midst of very full ministry schedules and the responsibilities of hosting teams, her support, wisdom, and faithfulness have been essential. She carries our home with so much grace, and her strength behind the scenes has helped me navigate all that OTM requires. I am deeply grateful for her partnership and the way she supports both our family and the ministry God has entrusted to us.

What does that mean for the next year

With this joyful news also comes some important planning ahead. Just like with Elouise, we will need to travel back to the United States in order for Nicole to safely give birth. Nicole has an O-negative blood type, and negative blood is extremely rare in Asia. In the event of any complications, we do not want to take unnecessary risks. Returning to the US is the safest option for both Nicole and the baby.

Because of this, we will need to prepare for the costs of international travel, medical expenses, and extended time in the United States. We are trusting the Lord to provide, just as He has so many times before. If you feel led to give toward these upcoming expenses, it would be an incredible blessing to our family. If you do not feel led to give financially, we would be so grateful if you would consider sharing our situation with your local church, small group, or community and inviting them to pray with us. We are also open to any creative fundraising ideas or opportunities you may know of or be willing to help with. Above all, we ask for your prayers as we step into this new season with faith, wisdom, and gratitude.

OTM Season in full swing

Over the last few months, through OTM, we have had the opportunity to influence and engage with hundreds of students across multiple local schools through English teaching and Gospel-centered skits. These moments have become some of our most meaningful points of connection with the Thai community, where trust is built, and the message of Jesus is shared in simple, joyful, and culturally appropriate ways. We continue to believe that “the harvest is plentiful” (Matthew 9:37), and we are grateful to be laboring faithfully where God has placed us.

One of my favorite memories from this season happened during a large school assembly. A YWAM team had just finished performing a skit of the Christmas story, and after that, I stood in front of a lot of kids and asked a simple question, “So, children, what is Christmas all about?”

Without hesitation, the entire group shouted back in Thai, “พระเยซู!” (Pra Yesu, Jesus). That moment stopped me in my tracks. To hear the name of Jesus proclaimed so boldly by children in a Buddhist context is something we will never forget. It was a powerful reminder that even the simplest truth can carry eternal weight.

These are the students who shouted out Jesus

Alongside these outreach moments, we have spent countless hours in intercession for Trang and for all of Thailand, believing deeply that prayer is foundational to everything we do. We have taken prayer walks all over the city, lifting up the people and places we encounter. We have prayed in and around temples, asking God to reveal His truth and love. We even went to what many consider the spiritual epicenter of the city and prayed bold prayers for Trang and its people, crying out for revival and for more worshipers of God to rise up here.

I have also had the privilege of leading many orientations and teachings for incoming teams, helping them understand Thailand, Buddhism, and the spiritual landscape they are stepping into. Over the years, we have learned so much through trial and error, the do’s and don’ts of ministry among the Thai people, and it has been humbling to see how God has used those lessons to shape the way we now serve. Getting to help these teams begin from a stronger foundation, equipped with cultural understanding and a heart that reflects God’s love for the Thai people, has been one of the most beautiful parts of my ministry with OTM. I truly love being able to impart the passion God has given me for ministry in Thailand to these young DTS students.

Recently, we had the joy of sending a team from YWAM Montana to their second location of ministry in southern Thailand. Please continue to pray that God does great things through their time there and that He deepens their impact and faith as they serve. At the same time, we have already received a team from YWAM Harpenden, who have been here for just under a week so far, and we are also expecting another team from YWAM Salem soon. It is both a joy and a responsibility to host these teams, and we desire to steward each opportunity with excellence, love, and endurance.

What has been especially encouraging is that the fruit has not only been seen among local Thais, though we rejoice deeply in every life surrendered to Christ and every seed planted in a heart, but also in the lives of the YWAMers themselves. We have watched short term experiences spark long term vision. Many have shared that being here has stirred a deeper desire to live with greater lordship and obedience in their own lives. It continues to affirm Jesus’ words that “whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).

Another huge blessing from this season was the YWAM event we hosted at our base on National Children’s Day in Thailand. We opened our base for a few hours with one simple goal, to pour love over kids we already have relationships with. We hosted games, snacks, food, and face painting, creating space for kids to feel seen, welcomed, and genuinely cared for. We were reminded again that “let the little children come to Me” (Matthew 19:14) is not just a verse, but a call to action.

One of the most meaningful parts of the day was that six kids from our neighborhood, part of our missional community, came to the event. This was the very first YWAM event any of our neighbors had ever attended. The kids absolutely loved it, and the parents were deeply blessed by the love and care they saw being poured out on their children. It built trust in a way that is hard to put into words and marked a major step forward in deepening our relationship with these kids we love so dearly.

After the event, the parents allowed us to take many of the kids to a local stadium to play pickleball together and share a simple dinner of cup noodles, which they were very excited about. In the weeks that followed, the kids began coming over to our house, asking to practice pickleball so that next time we go to play, they can beat us. Watching relationships grow through consistency, presence, and simple joy has been incredibly rewarding.

For a long time, Nicole and I felt like we were doing a little bit of everything at YWAM Trang, constantly filling gaps and doing whatever needed to be done. But over the last eight months, our focus has shifted almost entirely to OTM, and honestly, it feels right. I genuinely feel that God has shaped me for this role. I absolutely love this ministry and being able to give God glory through the work we are doing here.

Final Thoughts

As we look ahead, we invite you to pray with us intentionally and faithfully. Please pray for continued open doors in schools and communities, for endurance and wisdom as we host teams well, and most of all that we would continue to live fully surrendered and wholeheartedly for the Lord in all that we do. Our desire is not success, comfort, or visibility, but obedience to the one who is worthy of it all.

Thank you for standing with us, praying for us, and partnering with us in what God is doing here in Thailand. Your prayers, encouragement, and generosity truly matter. We do not walk this calling alone, and we are deeply grateful for the way you walk with us as we seek to obey the Lord and make His name known.

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

With love and blessing,

Connor and Nicole Holloway