As I write this update, I still have jet-lag and am sitting
in the mission house at SMBC in Vestavia Hills in the great state of Alabama. I
am reflecting on the good news we received a couple of days ago from Thailand.
The good news is that Jesus is still transforming lives today! What a great joy
it brings to my heart to realize that God invites ordinary people like you and
me to join Him in what He wants to do all over the world. I want to introduce
you to “Nok.” This is a picture of Nok and Phet, my Administrative Assistant in
Thailand, that was taken just this last Sunday, June 7, shortly after the
Sunday service at Baan Athitaan Church. Yes, I am here in Alabama for the
summer, but for the last 16 years we have lived in Thailand. God has planted us
in an area where there are numerous unreached people groups.
One of my “vocational/work” roles in Thailand is serving
as the Director of Grace Language School (GLS) and as a teacher. Last week, before we left for America, I was teaching the
level 4 class. Nok, who is one of my students, is sitting on my left in the red
shirt in the picture below. Ball, who gave his heart to Jesus recently, is
sitting to my right.
Nok received a scholarship to study English with us when
she came to our large Christmas program at Baan Athitaan Church this past
Christmas 2014. Nok is a university student at Rajabphat University and is from
an unreached people group known as the Lu Mien or the Yao.
There are about
44,000 Lu Mien people in Thailand, but including those living in Laos, Vietnam,
Myanmar, and mostly China, there are some 1,604,000 Lu Mien people. They are
one of the largest ethnic groups in Asia. The Joshua Project website indicates
that this is one of the least reached people groups in the world. Yet, God is
at work among this unreached people group in Thailand. Most of you know that Phet
is also from this unreached people group.
We have known Nok for over a year now and for most of
that time she has been “learning” about Jesus and studying the Bible with Phet
and studying English with me as well as with others. She has been very open to
hearing about the gospel and God has been working in her heart helping her to
see and embrace the truth of our great Savior. Jesus has been knocking on the
door of her heart wanting to come in and this past Sunday, Nok opened that door
and Jesus went in. I want you to understand one of the things that I know from
living and serving in Thailand. Nok’s decision to become a follower of Jesus was
not an easy decision. If my memory serves me right, like most of the people we
see come to know Jesus, Nok is the first person in her entire family to become
a Christian! Friends, like Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, “We are not in
Kansas anymore, Toto.” What do I mean by that? Let me tell you a little about
where I live.
We live in the
most thoroughly Buddhist country on the planet. It is also considered one of
the most gorgeous places on the planet with both beautiful mountainous areas as
well as some of the prettiest beaches you will ever visit. It is a country that
is rich in culture and history and made up of over 66 million people from over 110
different ethnic/language/culture groups that all consider themselves part of the
“Thai” people. Many of these ethnic groups are some of the least reached people
groups in the world. When one of these precious people gives their heart to
Jesus like Nok did this past Sunday, we rejoice and thank God that He is
allowing us to be a small part of His mission to transform lives. Please take a
moment and pray for Nok as she begins her new walk with Jesus and for Phet as
she meets with Nok each week for Bible study and discipleship. Please continue
to pray for us as we seek to be ordinary people whom God is pleased to use for
His purposes for such a time as this.
STATESIDE TIME FRAME FOR
JOHNSONS – June 3rd – August 23, 2015
We are here in the Alabama area for most of the summer to
rest, and to reconnect with family, friends, supporters and supporting churches
on what God is doing and to expand our partnership base. If you know of any
small groups or churches that would like to know more about what God is doing
in Thailand and would like to have us share or speak, please let us know. You
can reach us by email at pray4ntim@gmail.com.
Another reason we are here in the US is because we have
planned our “stateside” times around our children’s graduations from high
school. It’s hard to believe our oldest son who was not quite 2 when we left
for Thailand has now graduated from high school. Just a couple of weeks ago
Joshua graduated from Chiang Rai International Christian School and will begin
a new chapter in his life this August at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.
We are very proud of Josh. Please pray for Joshua as he adjusts to life here in
the USA and to life at Liberty University.
Update
on NTIM’S Land Situation
May 6, 2015 was designated as our day of prayer and
fasting for our land situation. We feel that we are at a very critical and
pivotal place in our ministry and are in need of establishing a more permanent
“Beach Head” for our work. May 6 was indeed a
day of Prayer and Fasting and on May 7, I gathered all of our staff together to
see what God has said to each of us. I was expecting for God to do something
spectacular and show us a piece of land, but man’s thoughts and God’s thoughts
are sometimes quite different.
What I heard God say to me was more in the form
of a question something like this: “Why do you continue to get ahead of My
leadership on this. Be patient. Trust me with all of your heart. When I am
ready, I will show you this piece of land but for now, live out Proverbs 3:5-6
and wait on Me.” Wow! That was surprising, but was at the same time refreshing.
As our staff discussed things it became clear that the Lord wanted to establish
this “Beach head” but we were going just a little too fast and getting ahead of
the Lord’s timing. Please continue to pray for us as we “wait upon the Lord.”
TEAM
FROM FBC FLORENCE, MS – AWESOME PARTNERS
We are very grateful for the partners and friends from
various churches, and individuals all over the world who support our family and
team of partners in God’s work here in Northern Thailand. One of our key
partners is from the great state of Mississippi from a town just south of
Jackson, MS called Florence. FBC Florence is made up of folks who love Jesus
and who have fallen in love with the Thai people as well. Folks from FBC
Florence have traveled to Chiang Rai numerous times to serve with us, including
one partner who has come out 8 different times. We are deeply grateful for FBC
Florence and their commitment to help us reach the Thai people for Jesus’ sake.
FBC sent a team in May to help us expand our ministry at Grace Language School
and Baan Athitaan Church. Thank you FBC Florence for your partnership with us
for the sake of the gospel. Here are a few pictures of our time together.
LAST
BUT NOT LEAST – FINANCIAL PARTNERS NEEDED
Most of you know
that we are Southern Baptist Missionaries but do not receive any support from
the Cooperative Program or the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Like most
missionaries today, we have to raise our own support. God has graciously provided
us with supporters who give financially so that we can do what He has called us
to do, but we are in need of additional financial supporters who would be
willing to support us on a consistent monthly basis. The reality is that we
cannot do what we do without financial partners like you. If you are not one of
our monthly supporters already, please consider becoming one and joining us in
a very practical way in what God is doing to reach some of the least reached
people groups in the world?
Prayer Example: “Lord, we have been reminded today of how You are at work building Your
church in Northern Thailand and using NTIM to reach into some of the least
reached people groups in the world with the gospel. We thank You for allowing
us to be a part of seeing many young people give their hearts to Jesus. We
thank You for allowing us to see how You are using 1st generation
believers to reach and disciple other 1st 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, Laotian, 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 and land to do all that You have put in their hearts to do.
Please guide them as they seek for the piece of property that can best be
utilized for Your purposes in that part of Your world. We also ask you to raise
up more financial supporters so the Johnsons can continue the work you have
called them to do. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.”
Your Servants to the
Nations in and Around Northern Thailand,
Michael for the Team
Donations can be sent to:
Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM),
Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM),
P.O. Box 26115, Birmingham,
AL 35260 USA
or given online at our main website:
www.gontim.org
or given online at our main website:
www.gontim.org
NTIM is a non-profit
501(c)(3)charitable organization based in the USA. We are committed to
connecting people in need with people who care and are focused in the heart of
Southeast Asia where poverty is high, education is low, needs are great,
darkness is everywhere, and the love and message of Jesus is needed to
transform lives.
Reaching, Teaching,
Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving People in God’s World in the heart
of Southeast Asia through acts of love and compassionate is what NTIM and our
ministry team is all about. Here is a video summary of our work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBYHjbnn8zE#t=60
