That adds up to very large numbers of disciples who were being baptized to begin learning from Jesus. I suggest that everything important for the Kingdom of Heaven is an aspect of prayer. Prayer is a personal heart to heart communication that begins with God and reaches out to the whole world. Jesus taught his disciples to love God, and love is first a conversation. Love for others includes praying for them.
Thanksgiving is a prayer to express one's gratitude in words.
Joy is the expression of praise. And faith is a prayer response to God. Prayer is therefore the main activity of Christian disciples. I keep meeting people who are way past my age learning to use e-mail. This is possible because they have become disciples of the Internet.