We are pleased to provide for you a short video update of the construction on The Lighthouse Learning Center here in Chiangrai. Two days ago we sent you a long written version update with lots of pictures but today we wanted to send you a video update. It is only 2 minutes long so please take a moment and watch it and then take some time and bring us before the throne of grace where with God, all things are possible......
Please pray for God's Work of transformation here in Northern Thailand and remember the words of Corrie Ten Boom who once said, "The wonderful thing about praying is that you leave a world of not being able to do something, and enter God's realm where everything is possible. Nothing is too great for His almighty power. Nothing is to small for His love." From the Team, Bro. Michael
Praying Friends - God is at work in mighty ways here in Northern
Thailand and today I want to encourage all of you who pray for us with a quote
I recently read from Corrie Ten Boom talking about the very strategic nature of
prayer. Corrie Ten Boom once said this "The wonderful thing about praying
is that you leave a world of not being able to do something, and enter God's
realm where everything is possible. Nothing is too great for His almighty
power. Nothing is too small for His love."
Please continue to pray for us, the funds needed to complete our first ever building project we are calling "The Lighthouse Learning Center," and for the continuing outreach and discipleship ministries that go on every single day here in Chiangrai, Thailand.
We are pleased to announce that the construction on
The Lighthouse Learning Center here in Chiangrai is continuing to progress.
Most of these pictures were taken today but a couple of
them taken last week. We are at the stage of beginning to pour concrete for the
second floor structure and wanted you all to see the progress being made - even
in the rainy season!!!!! Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to press
on with construction and as we continue to raise funds for this very strategic
building that say to the darkness here - God's Work of transformation is here
to stay!!
Please continue to pray for us, the funds needed to
complete our first ever building project we are calling "The Lighthouse
Learning Center," and for the continuing outreach and discipleship
ministries that go on every single day here in Chiangrai, Thailand remembering
the words of Corrie Ten Boom, "The
wonderful thing about praying is that you leave a world of not being able to do
something, and enter God's realm where everything is possible. Nothing is too
great for His almighty power. Nothing is too small for His love."
"For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against
the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces
of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12
"Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." 1
Corinthians 15:58
September 11, 2001 is one of those days
that is now a significant day in world history, especially for those of us who
consider ourselves either Americans for friends with Americans. It was a day that
culminated in reflecting a deep hatred in the heart of a small, but very powerful
group of people who hat America and despise some of the values that are
reflected in America like freedom, liberty, love, and tolerance of others. This
day was a painful day in the lives of many but it was also a day where the
courage of men stood strong and where people gave their lives to protect and
defend others who only sought after harm and destruction.
Not only is September 11, 2001 a day that all
of us at NTIM will remember, but 2 years after this horrible attack of 9/11
something very positive happened in the heart one of the great states of Alabama
that reflected another value that most Americans share and that is the value of
the freedom to take the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ into all the world. You
see, on September 11, 2007, two of board members – David Howell and Michael Johnson
– went down to the Jefferson County Office in Alabama to register the Articles
of Incorporation of NTIM as a charitable, non profit organization committed to
taking the love and message of Jesus to some of the least reached people groups
in our world today living in and around Northern Thailand.
After almost two years of seeking God’s face,
praying, planning, casting vision, organizing, recruiting, installing board
members, and writing up Articles of Incorporation, God birthed NTIM. September
11, 2007 was that day and since that day some 12 years ago, God has allowed friends,
family, churches, volunteers, and NTIM personnel to join Him in transforming
the lives of thousands of people, one life at a time.
My family has now lived and served our great
Savior, for 20 years and we are so thankful to all of you who have supported us
through your prayers and financial donations to the work the God has placed in
our hands to lead.
As I sit at my office this afternoon on September
11, 2019, and write this update, I want to encourage each of you to do all that
God has called you to do.
Words cannot express the great joy I have
in my heart when I reflect upon the last 20+ years our family has lived in
Thailand and the awesome experiences we have had. We have had so many
opportunities to learn how to walk with God in obedience in the work He has put
in our hands to do. God wants to use
ordinary people like you and me to respond to Him in Obedience and join Him in His
work to reach the nations and all the unreached people groups in His world
today.
PRAY, GIVE, and GO.
Would you also please consider giving a
special donation to NTIM as a “birthday gift” and help us continue to make a
significant impact in this part of God’s World.
To
God be the glory for the great things He has done.... and is doing.... and will
do in the days ahead! Not for the glory of a man or of men, nor for the glory
of an organization, but for the glory of the One who chose to leave His throne
in heaven and become a man, to go to the cross and pay the ultimate penalty for
the sins of all men, and then to empower His followers to go to all the unreached
people groups of the world today with the message of our Savior, remembering
that "all authority has been given to Jesus" and that Jesus said He
will build His church "and the gates of Hell will not be able to stop
it."
May
God continue to be pleased to use ordinary people like us for His glory and the
advancement of His Kingdom.
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
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 reaching some of the least reached people groups in our world
today and are focused in the heart of Southeast Asia where poverty is high, educational
needs are great, unreached people groups (UPGs) are all around us, and the love
and message of Jesus is needed to transform lives.
Today is one of those days that the tears of joy continue to flow from my eyes as I reflect on the goodness of God and how much God loves Thai people and is moving here and transforming the lives of people and has allowed me and my family to join Him in His work here in Northern Thailand.
5 years ago today, Nong Boom was baptized.
As I think about that day 5 years ago and I think about how God is continuing to truly transformed this young lady's life, I am humbled to have had the honor to Pastor this young lady for the past 5 years and now to have her on my Thai staff. She is not perfect just like the rest of us, but one thing is very clear: she is not the same person she was a little over 5 years ago before she gave her heart to Jesus.
God wants to transform our lives, let us yield our hearts to Him and let Him make us into more authentic followers of Jesus Christ more every day. We love you Boom and are joining God in helping you become the woman of God that He desires in your life. Here is Boom's Baptism 5 years ago today.
God is at work. We have joined God in this work and ask for your partnership with us in this great work of God.
Thanking God for the confirmation He chose to give us through the International Mission Board in our response to our sense of God's leadership to obey His leading to move our family to Thailand and begin following His leadership of learning how to love Thai people, to adjust our lives to live in harmony with Thai people, to learn one of the most difficult languages in the world, and to begin the process of planting a church in Thailand that God had in mind.
What a joy it was today to worship with that church family that we now call Baan Athitaan Church in Northern Thailand made up of over 23 different ethnic/linguistic people groups and some of the least reached people groups in our world today. What a great journey of faith this has been for us. We have stumbled from time to time and not always done everything right. We have had hardship and pressure to change the course, but God has been faithful to allow sinners like us to be a part of His great plan of redemption among some of the kindest, gracious, and most gentle people you will ever meet but among a people where 99 out of every 100 persons do not have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We are grateful to have had a small part of serving an awesome God but we are not done!!!!! and are looking forward to serving God for as long as He allows us to serve Him. We are grateful for the awesome Thai partners God has placed in our lives for such a time as this.
Have I told you lately I love my church family! Let us work together for the advancement of His Kingdom in and around Northern Thailand with all of our hearts for the glory of God. Much Love, Pii Michael
P.S. The news article write up was from the Goshen News in Goshen, IN after IMB Appointment July 21, 1998. Our family landed in Thailand on January 13, 1999 and at that time our family of 6 (Hope was 7 months pregnant with Caleb so we included him) landed in Bangkok along with about 15 or 16 pieces of luggage and began our awesome journey of joining God in His work of redemption in Thailand. Jessica Davenport was 9,Liz Vaughn was 6, Josh Johnson was 1+ and Caleb Johnson was "in the oven" and was born two months later on March 10.1999 in a hospital in BKK. We want to declare as the Psalmist declared, "The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3.
We have all heard it said a million times, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Well, we thought we would do a different kind of update today with very few words but with a host of pictures taken today in Chiangrai, THAILAND.
Thanking God for HIS Provision, the Generosity of His People, Supporters, Partners, Friends, & Family, and the opportunity to bring the message of Jesus to millions of the least reached peoples from dozens of the least reached people groups in our world today.
TODAY WE POURED CONCRETE.......PRESSING ON FOR THE EXPANSION OF GOD'S KINGDOM .... IN GOD'S WAY......IN GOD'S TIMING....and FOR GOD'S GLORY.
Please keep us in your prayers and yes, we are still taking donations toward "The Lighthouse Learning Center" either on line at www.gontim.org or by sending a check to NTIM. Thank you.
This update will be a little bit different
than our regular updates. Today, I want to share some thoughts with you that I
have been reflecting upon regarding what I believe is on God’s heart and how
that relates to us and God’s work here in Northern Thailand.
Many of you reading this email do not get
Facebook and that is fine, but those of you who do have Facebook are much more
aware of what great things God has been doing in this part of His world. We
have chosen to use Facebook primarily for ministry purposes so that you will
better know what is going on here and how you can join God in what He is doing
in this part of His world.
A couple of days ago, I shared some of
these thoughts on Facebook as I do quite often but realized that many of you do
not use Facebook and thought these thoughts would be a blessing and an encouragement
to you. Our Great God is alive and well transforming people’s lives in Northern
Thailand. Many of these new followers of Jesus are the first persons in their
entire family to follow Jesus.
Words cannot express the great joy I have
in my heart when I reflect upon the last 20+ years our family has lived in
Thailand and the awesome experiences we have had. We have had so many
opportunities to learn how to walk with God in obedience in the work He has put
in our hands to do.
I want to ask that you would stop reading
and take a moment and click on this video clip and watch it first. Then come
back and read the rest of my comments.
Please watch the video before reading on if
you can.
This video reminds me that God has been at
work in and around Northern Thailand long before we ever knew where Northern
Thailand was. But this video reminds me that God has been at work in tremendous
ways since we moved to Thailand 20+ years ago.
This video also reminds me that
God is currently at work, and He will continue to be at work in reaching some
of the least reached people and people groups in our world today until the Lord
Jesus comes again. But at this time, in this place, at this moment, God is at
work changing lives in Northern Thailand and invites ordinary people like you
and me to join Him in His great work whether that is through praying, through
giving, through advocacy and mobilization, through going short term, or like
us….going for as long as God wants you to go.
This
video reminds me of the strategic nature of teaching English through a
legitimate platform like Grace Language School and how teachers and volunteers
play such a vital role in being the hands and feet of Jesus. During this time
this video was produced, we had a team from our home church - Shades Mountain
Baptist in Birmingham, AL and another team from Hunter Street Baptist in
Birmingham, AL working together with us for the glory of God.
PRAY
FOR 2 VOLUNTEER TEAMS THAT ARE PREPARING TO COME IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS
Please
pray for the team from our home church – Shades Mountain Baptist Church from
Birmingham, AL - and the team from another partner Church in Mississippi from
Gulfport named Crosspoint Church. Both of these teams will be with us in less
than 2 weeks. We love volunteer teams from churches. They help us in so many
tremendous ways.
This
video also reminds me that God has been calling people from all over the world
to join hands together with us - originally through the IMB, but after 2005
through the formation of NTIM, Grace Language School (previously the Lighthouse
Language Center), and through the establishment of a new type of church in
Northern Thailand called Baan Athitaan Church. God is truly transforming lives
and we want to thank you for your faithful partnership with us.
This
video reminds me that God is in the business of making disciples and transforming
lives every day like Nong Faa and Nong Ao as the first followers of Jesus in
their entire families. Both of them are from the third largest unreached people
group in Thailand, the Khon Mueang, where not even 1 in 100 people know Jesus
as their personal Savior. This 3rd largest unreached people group has
7 million people living in Northern Thailand.
This
video was shot on March 16, 2008 - during a time of great growth and expansion
of God's Kingdom here in Northern Thailand. A few years earlier, we went
through a very difficult transition time of leadership and direction and great
uncertainty about the future, but we had a confident faith that we were being
obedient and faithful to God’s call to pour out our lives into the people here
in and around ChiangRai and stay the course God had set for us. One of our life
verses has been Proverbs 3:5-6 which says, "Trust in the Lord with all
your heart, do not lean on your own understanding but in all your ways
acknowledge Him, and HE WILL DIRECT YOUR PATHS." God has truly directed
our paths.
GOD
HAS DONE GREAT THINGS. We consider it a great honor that the Lord has allowed
ordinary people like us to join Him in what He is doing. We are very excited
about the great things our Lord is doing and will be doing in the days ahead
for the expansion of His great kingdom.
As many of you reading this email know,
we here at NTIM are in the process of saying to the darkness here in Northern
Thailand that "God's work is here to stay." We started making that
statement after we purchased land in 2017 and are currently making that
statement as we have begun the construction process of a permanent multi-purpose
building called the Lighthouse Learning Center. Here are a few pictures that we
just taken this morning as I walked and prayed around the property.
We
are still in need of raising about $300,000 USD to complete the building. We
thought we might be able to be in the building before Christmas but looks like
it will be the first of next year if things go with the current plan and the
Lord provides us with the additional needed resources. Please pray for us as we
seek to expand God’s Kingdom among the Unreached In greater ways in the days
ahead and say to the darkness very clearly “God’s work is here to stay.”
Thank
you for your love and partnership with us over the years. Some of you reading
this have prayed for us every day since before we arrived in Thailand on
January 13, 1999. This has been God's idea and vision and He deserves all the
praise for the hundreds of lives that have been transformed by the cross of
Jesus in this very unreached part of God’s world. We are so thankful we didn’t
quit when times were difficult, but by the grace of God we have stayed the
course and tried to be faithful to obey all of God's directions for our lives.
May God be honored and pleased with both our lives and the work He is doing in
and around Northern Thailand.
To
God be the glory for the great things He has done.... and is doing.... and will
do in the days ahead! Not for the glory of a man or of men, nor for the glory
of an organization, but for the glory of the One who chose to leave His throne
in heaven and become a man, to go to the cross and pay the ultimate penalty for
the sins of all men, and then to empower His followers to go to all the
unreached people groups of the world today with the message of our Savior,
remembering that "all authority has been given to Jesus" and that
Jesus said He will build His church "and the gates of Hell will not be
able to stop it."
May
God continue to be pleased to use broken vessels like us for His glory and the
advancement of His Kingdom.
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
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 reaching some of the least reached people groups in our world
today and are focused in the heart of Southeast Asia where poverty is high, educational
needs are great, unreached people groups (UPGs) are all around us, and the love
and message of Jesus is needed to transform lives.
