Dear Family, Friends, Partners in Ministry,
We have not updated you in quite a while so this is a little long. We are excited about what God is doing here in Northern Thailand. One of my favorite verses is Habakkuk 1:5 which reads this way, “"Look at the nations and watch-- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
We serve an incredibly amazing God who is at work all over the world drawing people to our Lord Jesus Christ and this amazing God invites us to join Him in His great work of both reconciliation and discipleship. Here are a few highlights of what God is doing here in Northern Thailand.
1) UPDATE: God is Building Up People Who Will Use their Talents To Draw Others into a Deeper and More Meaningful Time of “worship” and singing Praises to God – Our First Worship Night of Giving Thanks in our new building on November 18, 2022.
What a wonderful night that was set aside as “A Night of Giving Thanks” to the God who is worthy of our Worship. We put together a video of this awesome event. It is a little long but know that it would bless you and give you a glimpse into the moving of God’s Spirit in the heart of lostness drawing worshipers to Himself and lifting His name up High so that all men would be drawn to Jesus Christ. Here is the video link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvrZlOn6x2A
2) Update: The Months of November and December Have Always Been “Natural” times for Us to Reach Out with Christmas Outreaches.
We started off the “Christmas Season of 2022” on November 1 helping the Christian Club at Mae Fah Luang University reach out to the university community with the good news of Jesus. We also had a great Youth Christmas Outreach at Baan Athitaan Church on December 2. On December 9 we gathered up several truck loads of people and went “Singing Christmas Carols” in the community. After we received an Awesome Volunteer Team from FBC of Florence, Ms on December 12 and the second Volunteer Team from Crosspoint of Gulport, MS, we began to go into a couple of schools with what we call an English Fun Day focusing on Christmas on December 14 and then another one in the province of Payao on December 21. During the time the Volunteer Teams were with us we also helped the Christian Club at Rachabhat University with their Christmas outreach and on December 17 we did a Children’s Christmas outreach for Grades 1-6. Our largest Christmas outreach was on December 16 and God was truly moving in the hearts of People through these outreaches. Here is a short 3 minute video clip of our main Christmas Program on December 16, 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Ad5i6VEZo
3) Update God has Opened the Doors Again for Volunteer Teams From Churches to come on a mission trip.
We are so grateful for our partnership with so many churches in the USA and around the World and because of the Covid Pandemic have not been able to receive teams like we normally do but let me say very clearly, Please come on a mission trip to Northern Thailand and work with us to reach some of the least reached people groups in our world today. If you have an interest and would like to discuss opportunities, please write me (Michael) personally at pray4ntim@gmail.com and let’s see how God leads our steps. Thank you FBC Florence, MS and Crosspoint Church of Gulfport, MS for joining God in His work among the unreached peoples in and around Northern Thailand and partnering with NTIM for the expansion of the kingdom of God.
4) Update – Following The Lord In Baptism at Baan Athitaan Church
Even in the midst of millions who still have never heard the message, God is at work drawing people to himself and transforming their lives.
It is impossible to write into words the joy it brings to my heart, when God allow us to be a part of God reaching down into the heart of a person who comes from a family where there has never ever been a follower of Jesus before and then they follow our Lord in Believers Baptism. Several people in these baptisms are genuine first-generation followers of Jesus. Some of them representing some of the least reached people groups in our world today. Not only does it give me great joy that God has allowed us to be a part of what He is doing to expand His kingdom here in Northern Thailand, but it also gives me great joy to say to all of you who are partnering with us and supporting us through prayers, through finances, through encouraging messages from time to time, and through sending teams, that God is using you to make a difference in God’s kingdom in this part of God’s World.
Here is a recent baptism on September 25, 2022 with 3 followers of Jesus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2ZYV3IDWew&t=205s
Here is a recent baptism on December 11, 2022 with Nate and Aim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAC1fkjw7aY&t=102s
Here is a recent baptism on December 11, 2022 with Nong Thi thi and his Father Ajarn Nikorn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NuFj_itJkU
Here is another recent baptism on January 1, 2023 with Nong Pong who is the first person in his entire family to be a follower of Christ from the Mien unreached people group. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2jWiQaskrw
5) Update – Pray for our New Series of Studies through Proverbs at Baan Athitaan Church.
One of the important things that I get the chance to do is to Pastor and model for 1st Generation believers what a Pastor is suppose to do and one of those important things is to Feed God’s Sheep.
On January 1, 2023 we started a new series of
messages taken from the Book of Proverbs. These are very helpful messages
targeting “God’s Wisdom for Life.” Please pray for all of us who either preach
or translate including Gary Pena, Jay, Ball, and Boom and many others. Here is
the video clip of the “kick off” message on January 1 on “Teach us to number
our days.” It is just a 30 minute clip in English with a Thai translation. Please
take a listen to God’s Wisdom for Life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-Z6k3J_8lg&t=8s
6) Update - Building Thai National Leaders
One of my roles here is to sense God’s direction for the ministry and provide vision and training to help equip our Thai leaders and others to do all that God wants us to do.
5 of our 6 full time Thai national partners are
studying “on-line” part time at the Baptist Seminary in Bangkok with our 6th
one starting soon. We at NTIM believe that providing scholarships for them to
study is something God wants us to do to invest into our Thai leaders for the
future direction of God’s work through NTIM, GLS, CBF, and Baan Athitaan
Church. We would love for you to join us in that effort. Please see the attached
flyer to see how you can help.
7) Closing Personal Thoughts from Michael.
My heart is full today as I have taken some time to reflect over the last 46 years that I have been a follower of Jesus Christ and I just want to say to the Lord in this public setting "Great is thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me.” Thank you for letting me be a child of God and letting me be an ambassador for You to this great country of Thailand for the last 24 years of my life. (January 13, 2023 made 24 years). I can truly say from my heart along with the writer of Lamentations that "The Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease and His mercy never fails. They are new every morning and great is His faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23. I can also affirm what Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 17:7 that "Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him." Here is a short song that reflects my heart this morning and wanted to encourage you with it today as well.” Just click on the link and take 4 minutes and worship the Lord with me before reading the rest of this update. You will be glad you did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7gb8LmiTyg
I hope you took a moment to listen to the awesome song about God’s Faithfulness. He deserves all the praise that we can give to Him. Amen? “The Lord is good.” “All the time.” “The Lord is good.” “His mercies never fail and they are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.”
Please remember to pray for us as we continue in obedience to seek to join God in what He is doing and wants to do here in Northern Thailand.
Today we wanted to update you on God’s work here and we wanted to thank you for your prayers and for your financial support as we together join God in His great work of Redemption of the Nations, especially here in the heart of lostness in Southeast Asia.
Until the People in and around Northern Thailand know Him,
Michael for the team
“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5
Coming Soon: 1) Update on Grace Language School, 2) Update on Hope’s Work through CRIS, 3) Update on Needed English Teachers for Grace Language School (GLS) with a “ministry heart.”
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Financial support can be given through NTIM....
Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM), P.O. Box 26115, Birmingham, AL 35260 USA 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,
unreached people groups (UPGs) are all around us, and the love and message of
Jesus is needed to transform lives.
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