DAY 26 – “Lighting Up the Darkness BEACH HEAD Vision - December 26, 2013

We are seeing God’s hand at work in the heart of South East Asia changing peoples lives. As you have joined us in this season of prayer these last 25 days you have seen God responding to those prayers. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church.” One of the places God is building his church is in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

God has chosen to use a small group of people living in Chiang Rai to make disciples of hundreds of people, most of whom are 1st generation believers. 1st generation believers are normally the first people in their entire families to become followers of Jesus. What started as a small group of 8 believers in the Johnson home some 12 years ago has blossomed into a growing, thriving, community focused church made up of people from over 23 identifiable people groups and involved in outreach/evangelistic ministries related to teaching English, caring for those affected by HIV/AIDS, caring and ministering to various children’s homes, reaching out to the community and neighboring countries, and most importantly very committed to making disciples of all the nations God brings across our path.

We are very grateful for the partners and friends that God has surrounded us with including our partnership with various churches, and individuals all over the world who support the Johnson family and their team of Thai partners in God’s work here in Northern Thailand.

 

Several months ago I shared with a group of volunteers from Mississippi from another awesome partner church (FBC Florence) about our focus for the last 12 years we have lived in Chiang Rai. This is what I said to them, “God loves these people in this part of God’s world very deeply and we are glad that God has called our family to serve here long term making disciples and trying to plant a strong community focused church that allows people to serve not based on ‘ethnic background’ but upon gifting and callings as God has shaped people. We have spent the last 12 years investing our people and resources in making disciples, building a flock and creating various outreach platforms and ministries. Now we sense that it is God’s timing to now say to the darkness that ‘we are here to stay’ through the purchase of land and then by building a multi-purpose facility that will facilitate a greater ability to reach the nations for Jesus and will strengthen the integrity of the outreach platforms we have created already and will create in the days ahead as God leads.”

We have been using rented property for the last 12 years and we sense that it is time to tell the darkness we are here to stay by raising enough funds to purchase land and complete phase 1. 

God has planted the “church body” in a place in Northern Thailand that is strategically located between two major universities in Chiang Rai – Mae Fah Luang University and Rajabhat University where there are approximately 30,000 students between the two campuses. We are anticipating the need to purchase between 2-3 rai of land (2.5 rai = 1 acre) for this specific project and estimate the cost of land to be somewhere around $166,666 U.S. dollars. We also anticipate partnering with good friends from another mission agency (ABWE) to purchase additional connecting land for them to build a “sports complex/student Center” they will call the “CLAY CENTER (Changing Lives Among Youth) as a ministry outreach that will partner with our ministry and we will share our facilities and resources for the expansion of God’s kingdom in this part of God’s world.

PROJECT NEEDS – The first phase (PHASE 1) of this project is related to the purchase of land.

The second phase (PHASE 2) of this project is related to partnering with construction type teams from the U.S. and Australia and wherever God raises up partners to build a multi -purpose facility that will house Grace Language School, Baan Athitaan Church, NTIM/Channel of Blessing Foundation Office, and partner offices like Hearts & Hands Foundation. This will tremendously cut our overhead expenses and move us greatly down the path to more self sufficiency.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT– WE WANT YOUR HELP. WE NEED YOUR HELP. WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE. We are asking all of our friends and partners to please pray about giving to this very strategic cause. We are requesting that all funding from the U.S.A. or other countries outside of Thailand for this specific project be routed through NTIM. All of your donations to NTIM are tax deductible. Checks can be made out to NTIM, P.O. Box 26115, Birmingham, AL 35260 or you may donate online at www.gontim.org

 

Prayer Example: “Lord, we have been reminded today of how You are at work building Your church in Northern Thailand. We thank You for allowing us who have been praying to be a part of seeing young people give their heart to Jesus. We thank You for allowing us to see how You are using 1^st generation believers to reach and disciple other 1^st generation believers. We thank You for Grace Language School and how you are using them to reach out not only to Thai people but to Chinese people and Laotian people, and Burmese people and many others.  We do sense that it is Your time for them to establish a more permanent beach head and to say to the forces of darkness that God’s work through NTIM is there to stay. We ask that You would open the storehouses of heaven and provide NTIM with the needed resources in money and personnel to do all that You have put in their hearts to do. And Lord, start with me. Please let me know how much You want me to send today. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.”