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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, FEBRUARY 1, 1982
PAGE 2
forsaken raising vegetables and foodstuffs and turned to poppies for the
opium traffic. Through the AICF, we provided six portable schools to teach
them, and educate them to drop poppy raising and go back to food. Last time
I saw the king, six years ago, he told me we had wiped out 90% of the opium
raising.
But on this visit he had a new problem and worry.
We had
virtually wiped out the poppy raising of the Thai hill tribes. But now
Communists and underground agents were smuggling in opium and heroin from
neighboring countries, using Thailand as a means of getting these drugs
smuggled out over the world. Even the United States government and the
United Nations are seriously concerned, and threatening to use force to
stop this drug traffic.
When we returned to the hotel in Chiang Mai from visiting the king, the
evening newspapers were off the press, and my picture, landing at the air
port, was prominently on the first page. My picture also appeared with a
news story in the English-language Bangkok newspaper.
At Chiang Mai a
supreme court justice and other officials of high rank were at either the
airport or the hotel to welcome me.
Yesterday, Sabbath afternoon, I held a 1:30 p.m. service for PLAIN
TRUTH subscribers in the ballroom of The Oriental Hotel.
About 250
interested readers came, and I spoke for about an hour and 20 minutes.
This, as well as the Hong Kong speech, was recorded for television by our
own TV crew. Portions of these meetings will be seen on our own TV program
within a few weeks.
As I proceed along,-! am growing more and more bold in proclaiming the
corning Kingdom of God, and Christ's return as the world's only hope. And I
think people are more willing to listen to God's truth than they were seven
to ten years ago. As conditions worsen all over the world, Christ's message
seems to strike a more responsive chord.
I find it may even be possible to put The WORLD TOMORROW on TV and/or
radio in Bangkok.
Truly we are becoming a WORLDWIDE church!
Satan's
opposition will increase, but more and more people are becoming reachable.
As usual Madam Sunirat Telan, the wealthiest woman in Thailand, put
her Rolls Royce car at my disposal. She's a little wisp of a woman, only 4-
feet eight inches tall (or short). It was through her that God first opened
the door to meet the king. I hosted a dinner in her honor on Thursday even
ing, and she hosted me and our party at dinner last evening. Along with the
Buddhist Abbot, she met us at the plane on arrival, and saw us off at the
plane.
ABOUT THE ENCLOSED CALENDARS
Mr. Armstrong requested that the enclosed wallet-size calendars be designed
and printed for the ministry of God's Church. The idea came about after he
had seen a Church member's business card with a calendar on the back listing
the Holy Days separately. Mr. Armstrong wanted to share the basic idea with
the ministry because of the convenience of combining two calendars into