“URGENT PRAYER for Teenagers in Thailand” - A NTIM Field Update -July 03, 2026

Dear Family, Friends, Partners in Ministry,

God has been doing an amazing work in Chiangrai, Thailand for the last 25 years (as of Sept 17, 2001 when Grace Language School through the name of The Lighthouse Language Center opened the first day of teaching English in Chiangrai). We have just begun a new work in the province of Payao and are currently laying the ground work for an extension of GLS in Payao with a new English language School that is being registered with the government in the name of “The Bridge English Language School.” Please pray for Doug and Paulette Piper who are leading NTIM’s Field Efforts in Payao. But that is not the main purpose of this urgent prayer update. Let me set the background for the urgent prayers needed and then ask you to pray for two very important events coming up in the month of July here in Chiangrai, Thailand.

1)   Background for God’s Working among the teenagers in Thailand.

Praying for teenage outreaches in Northern Thailand is vital because this region presents unique spiritual, cultural, and social battles that only divine intervention can breakthrough. Your prayers provide the spiritual covering needed for ministries to reach teenagers who are navigating complex cultural identities and severe economic vulnerabilities.

Here are a few of the reasons that your targeted prayers are urgently needed for these teenagers:

Breaking Spiritual and Cultural Barriers As A Result of Animist and Buddhist pressures:

Most teenagers in Northern Thailand grow up in deeply rooted Buddhist communities, often mixed with ancestral animism. They face intense family and societal pressure to conform to traditional rituals, making the decision to follow Jesus Christ incredibly costly and difficult. Many of the teenagers we have seen become Christians are often the first or second person in their entire family heritage to become a follower of Jesus. 

Identity confusion: Many teenagers in Northern Thailand belong to various hill tribes (such as the Karen, Hmong, Mien, Akha or Lahu just to name a few) and struggle to balance their tribal (people group) heritage, Thai national identity, and the call of the Gospel. Tribal teenagers often face systemic discrimination and lack citizenship rights, leading to legal vulnerability and a deep sense of rejection that only God’s love can heal.

How to Focus Your Prayers This Week

1)   For Spiritual Courage: Pray that Christian teenagers stand firm in their faith when facing isolation or persecution from their families and villages.

2)   For Ministry Protections: Pray for organizations like Compensate or local church hostels providing safe housing, education, and discipleship to high-risk youth.

3)   For Freedom from Addiction: Pray that the power of drug addiction and trafficking networks over these mountain communities is broken in Jesus' name.

4)   For Openness to the Gospel: Remember that in Thailand, 99 out of every 100 Thai people do not know or have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But God is moving in the hearts and lives of these teenagers. Pray for Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) as we seek to use English through Grace Language School as only one of many platforms to reach these teenagers. Pray for the many children’s homes that seek to provide a Christian witness to thousands of teenagers in and around Northern Thailand. 

5)   The First Urgent Prayer Request is for July 5 – University Outreach Event Called “Welcome Back University Students”

We have two very important teenager outreach event coming up over the next days and weeks in July.

Our first urgent prayer request is for and important event happening on July 5^th. It is an outreach event targeting university students specifically at Rajabhat Chiang Rai University. We are calling this event “Welcome Back to School Party.”

Here in Thailand the Summer was over in May and it is the beginning of the new school year. The k-12 schools, with the exception of the “international schools” are all back in session and so is the university of Rajabhat. This is a critical time for us to provide them with an understanding of who we are and what we can help them with through our “University Ministry” through our Church we call “Baan Athitaan Church.” We have no idea how many university students will show up for this event but as you pray, would you pray for the presence of God at this event and for God to send us lots and lots of students. Pray that their hearts will be open to the gospel and wanting to know more about Jesus. Pray for all of us who will be involved in this event but especially for Pii Ball who is designated as our University Student Leader and for Pii Pat who is designated as University Student Assistant Leader. Here is what we provide for every university student. 

Please take a moment and pray for this July 5 Welcome Party before you read on.

6)   The Second Urgent Prayer Request is for July 28-30 – Jr. High & Sr. High discipleship camp called “Same Same But Different.”

This camp is targeted for Jr. & Sr. High students but training ground for university students to serve in some leadership roles.

God has blessed us at NTIM with 5 full time Thai nationals that serve along side me and each of them have leadership responsibilities in our church called Baan Athitaan Church as well as teaching and or leadership responsibilities in our English language school called Grace Language School. These Thai partners in ministry are absolutely gifts from God and they are “all in.” Some of you may be thinking what is with the “Same Same But Different” theme. And that is a great question. Basically the idea started out when we thought about the discipleship idea of when Jesus told us we are in the world just like everyone else (hence, “same same”) but we are not to be like the world (hence, “but different”). All of our camp teaching and activities which will be incredibly fun, will also challenge these teenagers to not want to be like the world but be transformed to reflect the “salt” and “light” of Jesus to the world. We want to have t-shirts and good food and would welcome any donations you would like to make to NTIM to help. Just make sure all of those donations on line are designaed to the “general” button Online on our website at www.gontim.org so that those funds are routed to our team in Chiangrai to help with these expenses. Here is a copy of our promotional brochure for our camp for July 28-30, 2026. Please take a moment now and pray for this youth camp and then continue praying for this camp and for the teenagers God has sent into our lives.

* OTHER AREAS OF PRAYER WE WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU

You have heard me say on many occasions, one of the most significant things that I do while serving as God has shaped and gifted me is to faithfully, boldly, gently, and clearly teach God’s truth almost every Sunday morning to our church family that is made up of over 23 different people groups from all over the 10-40 Window and is also a mix of several international groups. Here is a recent message that I shared with our church family that is very relevant in our world today and would ask for each of our family, friends, and supporters to listen to this message I have titled, “40 Days of the Fruit of the Spirit” Teaching Series Framework For Biblical Understanding” Here is the link to that message which is in English and translated into Thai.

The translator for me was the first person we led to Christ after we moved to Chiangrai, Thailand 25 years ago this month from living two years in Bangkok to complete full time language acquisition. My translator was my first English student at the Lighthouse Language Center and she is from the largest unreached people group in Northern Thailand called “The Khon Muang People” (which has 7 million people) and Kru Peat became the first person in her entire family heritage to become a follower of Jesus. As you can see, she is no longer a teenager but she is an excellent English teacher at Maejai Wittayakhom School in Chiangrai. Please pray for me as I have just begun to preach and teach through a new sermon series, we started by calling it 40 Days of the Fruit of the Spirit, but it is actually more like 10 or 11 weeks of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for praying for us and your partnership with us in the Work of God in Northern Thailand.

Until the Least reached peoples in and around Northern Thailand know Him,

Michael for the NTIM team

Vice President and Director of Field Operations

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

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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 going to the least of the least reached people groups primarily 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.                  

You can send donations to support God’s work to NTIM. All donations made are tax deductible and can be made either online at www.gontim.org or mailed to NTIM, P.O. Box 26115, Birmingham, AL  35260 If made online, you can click the “general” button and these funds are directed to the NTIM team in Chiangrai and overall finances that I personally manage, or you can click the “project Payao” button and these funds will be directed to the NTIM team in Payao led by Doug Piper.

If you would like to get on our email update listing, please send me an email at pray4ntim@gmail.com