GOD IS WORKING IN THAILAND – Day 3 – November 26, 2018

Today is Day 3 of our Season of Prayer and Spiritual Adventure of getting to know and then actively praying for Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and all of the various unreached people groups in and around Northern Thailand.

One of my favorite passages is found in the book of Habakkuk. Listen to what God’s Word says in chapter 1, verse 5. “Look among the Nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5

We want to testify of the truth of Habakkuk 1:5 as it relates to Northern Thailand. God is doing some amazing things in our day in this country we call Thailand. Many of the former missionaries in Thailand saw very few people come to know Christ even though they worked very hard for the glory of God, but let me say very clearly and for the Glory of God THAT IS NOT WHAT WE ARE SEEING. We have seen hundreds of Thai people give their heart to Jesus in the last 19 years we have lived here. Not just Thai people, but we have also seen dozens of Chinese, Laotians, and Burmese give their hearts to Jesus as well.

We studied the Central Thai language in Bangkok for the first 2 years in Thailand and then moved to the city of Chiang Rai in the far northern part of Thailand to begin new work among some of the least reached people groups in our world today and we have lived in Chiang Rai now for 17 years.

Before we first moved up to Chiang Rai, we sensed God wanted us to begin His work planting an urban based purpose driven model community church by opening an English language school that started as the Lighthouse Language Center. We called our vision “OPERATION CHIANG RAI.”

Our prayer warriors were praying, God was listening to those prayers, and we on the field were working hard to rent and renovate a building, get all the right paperwork in order and submitted to the government and with the blessing of God, we officially began teaching English at the Lighthouse Language Center on September 17, 2001.

The Lighthouse Language Center was the beginning of what has now become Grace Language School (GLS) which is now managed and lead by NTIM’s sister foundation in Thailand called Channel of Blessing Foundation all for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.

After two years of living in Chiang Rai and utilizing the platform of the Lighthouse Language Center, and having a great team of American teachers and Thai nationals faithfully teaching English and reaching out into the community and sharing the love of Jesus, and people all over the world praying for God to move in the hearts of our students, we finally saw the first two Thai people – Peat and Mint - give their hearts to Jesus through our ministry during one of our first Christmas celebrations in Chiang Rai in 2003. Here is a picture that was taken on the day that both Peat and Mint gave their hearts to Jesus. That was for all practical purposes, the beginnings of what we now call Baan Athitaan Church. At that time we had no idea just how significant the celebrations and evangelistic efforts at Christmas would be to God’s work here in Thailand.

What a great day that was. The angels in heaven rejoiced and so did all of us who were working the fields for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom. Today Peat in married and now in her 30s and works as an English teacher in a local school. But on the day she gave her heart to Jesus, on that day, Peat was a teenager and a student at the Lighthouse Language Center and became the first person in her entire family from one of the least reached people groups in our world today to become a Christian. That was 15 years ago. There are two pictures below. The first is a picture of one of our ways we used English and reached out into our communities. This was in November 2001 and the teenage girl with the glasses is Peat and the two Western looking girls sitting and talking and playing games with her are our two daughters Jessica and Elizabeth. Oh, what good memories we have. The second picture below is a picture of Baan Athitaan Church’s first baptism. This baptism has a special meaning to us for many reasons: one because it was our first baptism of our new church plant with Peat and Mint in it, but also because our son Joshua was also baptized on that day in the Mae Gok River in Chiang Rai, Thailand just minutes from where we live today.

Since that beginning move of God in 2003, we have seen many hundreds of Thai people give their hearts to Jesus and most of them are like Peat, from one of the least reached people groups in our world today – the Khon Muang UPG – and also the first person in her entire family to become followers of Jesus. Think about that for a moment. Never, ever, ever had their ever been a Christian witness as a family member in Peat’s family line  … not even a great, great, great, great, great grandfather.. no, none. But GOD IS WORKING. Now Peat is a bright shining light for Jesus and God has truly changed her life and I am also happy to say that she faithfully shares the love and light of Christ wherever she goes.

We want you to get a glimpse of one aspect of God’s working and that is God has opened this super highway to build bridges to the hearts of Thai people through the teaching of English and pulling that fruit of evangelistic and intentional efforts into a body of believers now called Baan Athitaan Church. We are a church that is very diverse with over 2 dozen different people groups represented. We are a church that is truly full of people who are first generation Christians. Many of them the first person in their entire families to know Jesus as their personal Savior. As a matter of fact, we have 6 full time Thai staff and all 6 of them are first generation believers representing 4 very different unreached people groups.

We have truly seen God moving here in Northern Thailand. We have also included a link for you to watch a short baptism of a dear friend we know as Pii Pete who was baptized several years ago so that you can get a glimpse of what God is doing. Pii Pete is also a first generation believer and the first in his entire family to receive believer’s baptism and God has now sent Pii Pete to another province with his work and he is learning what it means to walk with God and to be a fisher of men. The link is found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYjM93EldyY&feature=youtu.be  

As I am writing this prayer update, I am sitting in my office listening to the sounds of laughing, singing, and lots of fun from a special camp we have going on for young people. We are calling it “Love Seeds 3 Youth Camp.” Including the staff, university students, and teenagers, we have somewhere about 40 young people in this camp. Most are followers of Jesus but some are still seeking and have not made that decision to personally follow Jesus. Pray for us. God is at work and we are busy fishing for men, for women, for young people, and for children. We are trying to be about our Father’s business.

God is truly working here in Northern Thailand. Would you pray for God to continue to move in this part of God’s world and that these first generation believers would follow Jesus and become great fishers of men to their families, friends, neighbors and even be willing to take the gospel to neighboring countries. Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matt 4:19

Prayer Example: “Oh, Lord of Heaven and earth, we sense that you are moving in

Northern Thailand. We want to ask that you would be pleased to use these new first generation believers and help them to become good followers and disciples. We ask that you would help them to grow in their love for you and reach out to their families, friends, and villages and even go into other neighboring countries in this part of Your world with the love and message of Jesus. We pray that you would continue to use Grace Language School and the teaching of English to reach this new generation of young people. We also thank you for the community church You have established in Baan Athitaan Church and ask that you would use them this Christmas season to take the message of our Savior to thousands who have never heard. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.”