N.T.I.M.

Taking the Gospel to the Heart of the 10-40 Window

Living Sent Into The World – Update June 5, 2020

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This week I ran across an article by Debbie McDaniel called "Remembering Ravi Zacharias: 31 of His Most Powerful Quotes." For many who do not know Ravi, he recently went to be with the Lord but while he was living with us here on this earth, he became what I would call one of the greatest Christian thinkers and apologists of the 21st Century. 

As I was looking through some of his quotes, I ran across one that just moved my heart. He is quoted as saying: “But the greatest dream of all is to know God and to know what he has intended for your life.” As I read and reflected on that quote my heart kept affirming the truth of this quote but just keep sensing that it was missing one final aspect that has rang true for me over the last 21 years that I have lived my life serving God here in Thailand. While embracing the truth found in Ravi's quote, I would like to take the liberty to add something to it and bring it more out of the “knowledge” realm and more into the “application” realm and modify his quote this way, "But the greatest dream of all is to know God, to know what He has intended for your life, and then to embrace and live out your life according to His intention."

 

Going to the ends of the earth from where I was born and staying here for as long as God desires that we stay here regardless of the obstacles that have come our way, have taught us to know God experientially, to understand His purpose for our lives more clearly, and the joy that has come into our hearts through embracing God's intention and plan for our lives and living out that intention through daily dependence upon the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit of God has been the greatest dream come true in my life.

It has been our honor these past 21 years to join Him in His great work of redemption among the Thai people and some of the least reached people in our world today. But let me be clear. Yes, hundreds of Thai people have become the first and second persons in their entire family to become followers of Jesus Christ. Yes, they are from some of the least reached people groups in our world today. Yes, God is raising up a new generation of authentic followers of Jesus and Yes, through your prayers, through your partnership, through your giving to NTIM, you have joined God in what He is doing in this part of God’s World. Through your sacrifice, God has given us a piece of Land that is dedicated to raising up this new generation of authentic followers of Jesus. Through your sacrifice, God has allowed us to begin construction on this building that will be used for discipleship, training, and sending others into the field. However, since January and the situation with this Corona Virus that has hit us, our building progress and our donations to this building have been halted for the time being. We believe that it is time to come together and sacrifice again until this building is complete. Will you pray for us that construction teams would begin coming back to help us finish this project. Would you pray that God would provide us with $300,000 US Dollars that we believe would get our construction back on target. It is still within reach that we could be in this building by the end of this year if we all pull together and tell others about this great opportunity to help reach the Nations for Jesus.

To God be the glory and may He continue to be pleased to use ordinary people like you and me for His great purposes. As my Pastor, Danny Woods, at my home church of Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Vestavia Hills, AL reminds us quite often: "We are to live sent into the world."

May God richly bless you. Thank you for your generosity and for sending us to Thailand. Any gift you are able to make no matter how small of how large, will be greatly appreciated.

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

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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.

Reaching, Teaching, Caring, Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving People in God’s world through acts of love and compassionate is what NTIM and our ministry team is all about.


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Encouragement in the light of Ravi’s Passing

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Thanking God for the reminder of 4 very important truths from this great man of God.
1) One life lived fully for God's purposes can make a huge difference in our world today.
2) The starting point for successful ministry to others for God's purposes is the complete and utter surrender of our will to God's will as Ravi did in the hospital that day after he had attempted to take his own life at the age of 17.
3) God has a wonderful plan for each of our lives to make an impact on others for the sake of the gospel but we cannot do this without the meekness and boldness of Jesus Christ.
4) Now, is the time God has given us to make an impact because one day, those opportunities will come to a halt and our lives will become a part of history.
Let's do everything God wants us to do before we "fall asleep." Just as Ravi "fell asleep" and as King David fell asleep having completed the purpose of God for their lives, so one day we will "fall asleep" and become part of history.
My PRAYER - "Lord give us a heart that thirsts to be all that you want us to be and to do all that you want us to do. Give us a heart that overflows with gentlness and boldness, and a heart that advances Your kingdom and joins you in what you are doing in this world. Thank you for the life of Ravi and for all of those great men and women recorded in your Word that inspire us to be all that you want us to be and to do all that you want us to do ..... all for the glory of God. Here we are Lord, use us too. I pray in Jesus name.
Here is a link to the obituary of Ravi Zacharias. 

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Remember the Challenge of Our Lord Jesus

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Remember the challenge of our Lord Jesus when he spoke these famous words, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, ….”
As we begin to see signs of "normalcy" coming back to Chiangrai city here in Northern Thailand, we are reminded that we are in great need of "workers in the harvest." We are also deeply reminded of the powerful words that our Lord Jesus spoke after his heart was distressed by seeing all of multitudes like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus, after his heart was “troubled,” then turned to His disciples and spoke these famous words, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

Please join us in "beseeching" the Lord of the harvest, to send us some "workers" into these fields that are ripe for the harvest. We have come a long way in the 21 years we have been living in Thailand, but we still have millions in our neck of the woods who have never been to a church service, know very few Christians, and have never heard the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

"Please Lord, put your heart for the Thai peoples into some peoples hearts today to join you in your great work of redemption amongst some of the least reached people groups in Your world today, and send these people our way as workers in Your field, willing to do anything you ask of them to do, willing to endure hardships and overcome cultural and language barriers so that we can advance Your Kingdom in the coming days in a way that brings honor to your name and more Thai people to your throne of grace.

Please take a moment and watch the 4 minute video clip "Who Will Go?" (19,631)


If you would like more information on how you can be involved, please write Michael Johnson at pray4ntim@gmail.com

Until the People in and around Northern Thailand know Him,

Michael for the teamd

“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 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.

Reaching, Teaching, Caring, Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving People in God’s world through acts of love and compassionate is what NTIM and our ministry team is all about.



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God is Transforming Lives In Northern Thailand and We Need Your Prayers

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Wednesday, May 13, 2020

God is Transforming lives in Northern Thailand and we need your Prayers.

Dear Friends, Family, Supporters, Partners, and Prayer Warriors,

We have an URGENT PRAYER for you. Urgent in the sense that we believe that “the effective prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much” according to James 5:16b.


Because of the better control over the spread of the Corona virus, the government of Thailand has recently announced that church can begin meeting together again as long as those meeting have 49 or less than 49 people in attendance. We have sure missed our church family gathering as a whole church these last few months and we are very happy that we are beginning to see signs of “normalcy” coming back.

We need your prayers for smooth transitions as we begin to have open services here in Northern Thailand beginning this Sunday.

There is another reason we are asking you to pray. God is doing an incredible work reaching into some of the least reached people groups in our world today and changing the lives of people in a major way here in Northern Thailand. God’s Word is alive and sharper than any two-edged sword and penetrates even the coldest of hearts and causes the hearts of Thai people to melt at the truths of God’s love demonstrated by Jesus on the cross but also demonstrated by the changed lives of 1st generation believers who are taking the message of Jesus and being doers of the Word among their family, friends, neighbors, and villages.

This Sunday is a very, very important Sunday for God’s Work here Northern Thailand. This Sunday we are beginning a new series of sermons/teachings from the book of Ephesians. God has been opening my mind to some truths recently that I believe will lead us to a greater advancement of the gospel than we have seen before. We have seen hundreds of Thai people give their hearts to Jesus and begin the process of learning to live a life as an authentic follower of Jesus but there is still so much to be done to truly expand God’s kingdom here in and around Thailand.

Much like our church at Baan Athitaan here in Northern Thailand, the church in Ephesus was also a church that was filled with what I like to call “First Generation Followers of Jesus.” These are people who are the first or second persons in their entire families to become followers of Jesus. I would guess that about half of our congregation who are Thai nationals are also 1stgeneration followers of Jesus. Also, all 6 of our Thai staff are 1stgeneration followers of Jesus. Some of them are from some of the least reached people groups in our world today.

As 1stgeneration believers, they were not raised in a Judeo-Christian culture but in a culture quite different. It is so different in many ways because of the influence of various different religious and cultural teachings. As such, what we consider core concepts of “love,” “friendship,” “relationships,” “the use of words,” “views of life,” “values of life,” and even “concepts of God” are quite different for these 1st generation believers in Thailand.

What we call the book of Ephesians is actually not a book at all but a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the 1st generation followers of Jesus in Ephesus to help them to better know how to live a life with integrity as an authentic follower of Jesus in the midst of people all around them who did not share their beliefs or values. We, here in Northern Thailand, have many of these same tensions and differences that the Ephesians experienced in their life and believe God will grow these 1stgeneration followers of Christ in Thailand even to a deeper level of discipleship as we study through this letter that is so applicable to our people.

We are very excited about beginning this new study in Ephesians beginning this Sunday, May 17 at Baan Athitaan Church and ask you to pray for us. Pray for us now. Pray for us later today. Pray for us later tonight. Pray for us often…we need your prayers. God want to hear the prayers of His people on behalf of the 60 million Thai people who still do not know Jesus as their personal Savior.

We are opening our doors this Sunday and need to keep our group time smaller than 50 people. We would love for you to join us online. Our 10:30 Am Sunday morning is the same time as 10:30 PM on Saturday night. Please keep us in your prayers.

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
-----------------------------------------------------------
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.

Reaching, Teaching, Caring, Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving People in God’s world through acts of love and compassionate is what NTIM and our ministry team is all about.

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Joining God in Reaching Some of the Least Reached People Groups in Our World Today – Update Apr 28, 2020

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Dear Friends, Family, Supporters, Partners, and Prayer Warriors,

Please take a moment and look at this picture that was taken sometime in January 2015. This picture was taken 5 years ago with my “level 5” class at our English language school called Grace Language School (GLS) where we have the privilege of serving as Founder, Director, and Teacher of this awesome school.

When I look at this picture, I am reminded of several very important things that we want to share with you today.

The first thing that we want to say is that when this picture was taken 5 years ago, I was the only follower of Jesus in that room on that day. I was there in my role and in my vocation as an English Teacher. I have not always been an English teacher but God has convinced me over the last 20+ years that one of the ways I can join God in what He is doing among the least reached people groups in our world today is to be willing to teach English with the best of my ability and with intentionally seasoning my words so that trust is built and I am allowed to be the salt and light of Christ and help direct conversations  in the direction of spiritual things.

You see God wants to use ordinary people like you and me to join Him in His great work of reaching the Lost, especially the “Panta Ta Ethnae” (“all the people groups” in every nation) that Jesus referred to in His Great Commission. God wants us to go into the world with the greatest message that can ever be told. Please take a moment and watch this short clip “Go into the world.”

You have to understand, we live in Northern Thailand which is a place in God’s world where only 1 person out of every 100 persons know Jesus as their personal Savior. We live in a country that is made up of almost 70 million people. All of these people are Thai citizens but that does not mean they all speak the same language. No, as a matter of fact, according to Joshua Project, there are 113 different language/people groups living in Thailand. Some of these people groups are made up of millions of people and are some of the largest unreached people groups in our world today.

I didn’t really know it on the day this picture was taken, but God was at work in a mighty way in the lives of at least two of the four students in that classroom. God was using many different people (including some former colleagues Josh and Jessie Grammer and many others), some through our language school and others not related to our language school at all. God was using all of us to play a part in helping two of these four university students take steps closer to Christ.

Little did I know that 5 months after this picture was taken, that the young man sitting on my right in the picture – Nong Ball – would give his heart to Jesus and become the first person in his entire family to become a follower of Jesus. 

Not only that, out of the 100+ people groups that make up the people of Thailand, Nong Ball is from the 3 largest Unreached People Group (UPG) – The Khon Muang or Northern Thai. This UPG is made up of about 7 million people mostly living in Northern Thailand but some also in Laos and in Burma and possibly in Southern China.

Since Ball graduated from Rajabhat University over a year ago, God led us to bring him on staff with us and he has been serving in many different roles and has been growing deeply in his walk with our great Savior. He is learning how to serve the Lord with all his heart and we are very glad to have him as part of our team. Here is a short video clip of Nong Ball’s baptism on September 13, 2015.

Not only was God at work in Nong Ball’s life when this picture was taken, but God was at work in the life of another university student that was sitting on my left. 


About 7 months after this picture was taken, the young lady that was sitting on my left – Nong Nok – gave her heart to Jesus and become the first person in her entire family to become a follower of Jesus. Similar to Nong Ball, out of the 100+ people groups that make up the people of Thailand, Nong Nok is from another unreached people group called the Lu Mien or the Yao. This UPG is made up of about 1.6 million people primarily located in China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.

Nong Nok has since graduated from Rajabhat University and became a teacher and last year spent her first year after graduation teaching at the school she went to as a child in her home village. She is now teaching in a school in the Chiang Saen area about 1 hour from where we live. She is continuing to grow in her relationship with the Lord and is active in sharing her faith with her family, and with her students and with those around her. Today – April 28 -  is her birthday. Happy Birthday Nok!!!!

God is using Grace Language School in a very powerful way to truly reach into some of the least reached people groups in our world today and to make an impact in the lives of young people especially those studying at one of the two universities that are near our work.

Please remember to pray for us and for our team as we seek to be used by God in greater ways in the days ahead and pray for all the Thai and international students that we come in contact with that their hearts will be open to hear the greatest message which is “good news for all the people.”

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
-----------------------------------------------------------
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.

Reaching, Teaching, Caring, Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving People in God’s world through acts of love and compassionate is what NTIM and our ministry team is all about.



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BREAKING NEWS THAILAND – Corona Virus Impact – Apr 2, 2020

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Dear Friends, Family, Partners in Ministry,

As everyone now knows, our world as we knew it has been turned upside down as a result of this Corona Virus.

We are trying some new ways to communicate and we have chosen to make this update an 11-minute video clip. It is a video clip that we did on Facebook Live yesterday morning. However, many of you do not use Facebook so we found a way to save this file and upload it to youtube so that everyone can see this update.

Consider this an update on the impact on God’s Work here in Thailand as a result of the Corona Virus as well as an update on our Building project.

Here is the 11 minutes update on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr72W7IN0go

Please take 11 minutes and you will be blessed with our update and then take a few moments and pray for God’s Work of redemption among some of the least reached peoples in our world today.

After you have prayed, please forward this update to several friends that have a heart for missions and being informed on what God is doing in some of the darkest places in our world today.

Much Love & Prayers,
Michael, for the Field Ministry Team in Northern Thailand

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


-----------------------------------------------------------
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.

Reaching, Teaching, Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving People in some of the least reached people group areas of God’s World today through acts of love and compassionate is what NTIM and our ministry team is all about. 

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URGENT PRAYER FROM NORTHERN THAILAND – STORMS COMING – February 8, 2020

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Hello Family, Friends, and Prayer Partners. We have an urget prayer request for you all. This is the time of year when we have seen some pretty terrible storms in this part of God's World. Over the past several years during this time we have even seen winds strong enough to blow the roof off of a church. We do not have tornadoes here - praise God - but we do get really strong winds. Please begin praying for us as we are beginning to anticipate them coming possibly even as soon as tomorrow. There is an article below that provides more details that was posted today. Please click on the link and Please pray for us.


https://www.chiangraitimes.com/thailand-national-news/chiangrai-news/northern-provinces-warned-to-brace-for-tempestuous-weather/?fbclid=IwAR2khMQFireriPl4Y133s3_7C4T1KB_MWCr7Ki88dN_Yea83-CuOfxjM4CE

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Reflecting on 21 Years in Thailand – January 15, 2020

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Dear praying friends,

Twenty-one (21) years ago on January 13, 1999, the Johnson family landed in Bangkok, Thailand. Our oldest daughter Jessica was 9, Elizabeth was 6, Joshua was almost 2, and Caleb was 7 months in the oven. Wow, what an adventure this past 21 years has been for us. We have been blessed beyond measure as we have faithfully served God these last 21 years in Thailand.

We started our journey with the International Mission Board and served faithfully with them for the first 7 years. (We are still SBC missionaries just no longer with the IMB). Those first 7 years were good years and we are grateful for the IMB's investment in our lives. BUT THESE LAST 14 years have been nothing short of “incredibly amazing.”

We have been on an awesome journey of faith with a sense of great freedom and blessing from God to follow God’s leadership to use the gifts and abilities God has given to us to reach some of the least reached people and people groups in our world today. We are so grateful for the godly board members of NTIM who love and support us and help keep us on the right path. We are ever so grateful for the financial supporters that donate to God's work every month on our behalf. We are also thankful for the hundreds of volunteers that have come to help God's Work flourish in Northern Thailand. We are deeply grateful to all the partners both Western and Thai who have come along side us to work together to advance God’s kingdom over the last 21 years.

This is my prayer this morning,

"Lord, we want to thank You for these last 21 years. You have blessed, lead, provided, and given this ordinary family a chance to see a Faithful and Extraordinary God at work in and around Northern Thailand and allowed us the awesome privilege of joining You in Your work in seeing dozens and dozens of people become the first persons in their entire families to become followers of Jesus. Our hearts are grateful that You are our God and that there is no one like you in all of creation. Help us to continue to be your hands and your feet in this very needy part of your world and help us to continue making disciples from some of the least reached peoples here in and around Northern Thailand."
This is very similar to a post that I posted on Facebook two days ago but I have also felt compelled from the Lord to also share with you 7 lessons that we have learned over the past 21 years. We have learned hundreds of lessons but today we simply want to share 7 of these with you and hope that they will encourage you in your walk with Christ.

7 LESSONS LEARNED WHILE SERVING GOD IN THAILAND
OVER THE PAST 21 YEARS.


When we think about how much God loves us and how much He has done in our lives, sometimes our heart is overwhelmed and we want to do something for God. I am not saying that is all bad but what I have learned is that if I truly want to be pleasing to God, I will recognize that He already has a plan for our lives and what gives Him the greatest joy is when I recognize those plans and then embrace them as my own and live out the life that God has already planned for me to live. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11 and I think applies to this very concept and lesson that I am sharing with you. Jeremiah 29:11 says this, “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”


When we really are honest with ourselves, we recognize that we are all a work in progress. We still have so much farther to grow when it comes to being made into the image of Jesus but oh, we are not the person we used to be. This man named Michael Johnson today is so very different than I was some 40 years ago. What is truly amazing to me is that God does not give up on us but is committed to conforming us into the image of Jesus and we need to not give up on others so quickly just as God doesn’t give up on us. I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul shared with us in Romans chapter 8 when he said, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son….” Romans 8:29



It is human nature to want your life to count for something important. We all want that but God has created us to give glory to Him and to live for Him and He has told us in His Word that if we want others to know if we are authentic genuine followers of Jesus, then we must be known by our love for one another.  Remember what our Lord Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

LESSON 4 – Organizations and leaders who seek to make a name for themselves more than they desire to make Jesus famous, often find themselves placed on a shelf where God will not use them while God chooses to use those organizations and leaders whose heart is completely His.

Sometimes we let our success go to our heads and forget that God does not desire to share His glory with anyone. We must be constantly aware of the temptation to think more highly of our ourselves and our organizations than we ought to think. I am reminded of a great passage in the Old Testament that says this, “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His….” 2 Chronicles 16:9a


We live in a place where only 1 person in every 100 people know Jesus as their personal Savior. We live in a place that is so unreached that most of the people who come to know Jesus as their personal Savior are the first persons in their entire family to become followers of Jesus. Oh, how we pray that God would stir up His people all over the world to take this great message to the least reached people group populations in our world today. How will they be saved unless they hear. How will they hear unless someone sends them? How can those who are sent stay and serve the Lord if they have no resources? Let us renew our commitment to missions, missionaries, and reaching the least reached people in our world today for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom. Please consider giving regularly at www.gontim.org

LESSON 6 – Keep your eyes and heart focused on Jesus and obeying His will for your life.

People are people and will make mistakes from time to time and cause your heart to be disappointed. This is why we need to keep our eyes fixed on the author and finisher of our faith. I am reminded of something the writer of Hebrews wrote when he said, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

LESSON 7 – “Relationships” “Staying the course” “obedience” and “Finishing the race” is very important to God.

There are times in our lives when God allows circumstances to come into our lives that force us into a place where we are at a fork in the road where we have two very different paths to choose. One path is the path that sometimes is the harder path but the path of obedience, faith, and perseverance. The other path leads us down the road of disobedience, the comforts of life, and is a much more heavily traveled road. As we reflect on these past 21 years, we are so grateful for the grace of God, the Spirit of God, and the people of God who have helped us make some of those hard choices of the path of obedience, faith, and finishing the task God has given us to finish. We are not there yet but we have come oh so much farther by the grace of God. I am reminded of a passage tucked away in Acts 13:36 that talks about David completing all of the purposes of God for his life. Notice what God’s Word says, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay.”  I want to finish my life much like David did having done everything that God wanted him to do and then “fall asleep.” What a great reminder of this important lesson I have learned over these last 21 years of the importance of relationship, the importance of “staying the course” the importance of “obedience, and the importance of “finishing the race.”

What a great journey God has allowed us to be on these last 21 years and we look forward to serving the purpose of God in our own generation well. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to complete this next phase of ministry here in Northern Thailand.

We are also so very thankful for those of you who realize that we could not live and serve here in Thailand without your financial support. Thank you for loving us enough to give. Thank you for loving the Lord enough to give to missions because you want to see the precious Thai people have a chance to be blessed by the one true God we serve.

Here is a reminder of just a few of the ways in which NTIM reaches out into this part of God’s world with the love and message of our great Savior. Remember these as you bring us before the throne of grace in your prayers.

"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

Michael for the team.

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Ending the Christmas Season with a Full and Happy Heart – update Dec. 26, 2019

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Dear praying friends,

As I write this ministry update, my heart is full and very happy. Last Saturday, I flew down to Bangkok To visit our second daughter Liz Vaughn and her husband Dallas and our newest granddaughter Mary Ella who made her entrance to our world on December 18. WELCOME MARY ELLA. Here are a couple of pictures of this precious Christmas gift. Hope was able to be with Liz and Dallas for the past week to help with Mary Ella.

My first trip down to BKK was a quick one because we had been planning a baptism at the church so I caught a flight early Sunday morning (Dec 22) back to Chiangrai to perform and oversee the ceremony for 6 people. I was able to return to Bangkok and celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the family in Bangkok and Hope and I returned to Chiangrai the evening of the 25th.

God is truly transforming lives and it has been so incredible to be a part of reaching so many of the least reached people groups in our world today.

Would you believe that all 6 people who were baptized are from 6 very different people groups? Let that sink in. 6 baptisms with each person representing a very different ethnolinguistic culturally distinctive people group. That is just cool in itself. But not only that, like most of the people we have seen come to know the Lord Jesus over the last 20 years we have served in Thailand, 4 out of these 6 people that were baptized this past Sunday are not only the first persons in their entire families to become followers of Jesus, but 4 out of these 6 people are also representatives of the 4 largest unreached people groups in Thailand today!



     
My heart leaps with joy to think about how God has chosen to allow a small group of ordinary people living in Chiangrai, Thailand to significantly impact some of the least reached people groups in our world today. 

One of these 4 we call “June.” June is from Sukhothai and is from the largest unreached people group in Thailand called the Central Thai people UPG which if you include the ethnic Chinese-Thai living in Bangkok in this mix is made up of over 25 million people. June is the 1st person in her entire family to become a follower of Christ. As I talked to June and prepared her for baptism last week, she shared with me that she believed that she was most likely the first and only believer in her whole “Ampur” which is like a whole county in the USA. God is moving my friends and this is just the beginning for June’s family and God has chosen Baan Athitaan Church to be the church family with the opportunity to equip, train, and disciple June with the knowledge and heart to share her faith with her family, with her neighbors, with her unreached people group, and with her world. Please remember to pray for Baan Athitaan Church, for June, and for Boom who will be June’s mentor to help her grow in her relationship with our Lord Jesus.

The second of these 4 we call “Nicha.” Nicha is married to a Western friend of ours from the Netherlands and her family of origin is from the second largest unreached people group in Thailand called the Isaan people.This Isaan UPG is made up of over 18 million people and Nicha is also the first person in her entire family of origin to become a follower of Jesus. Please pray for Nicha for Baan Athitaan Church, and for Pii Mem as Pii Mem begins to meet with Nicha each week for Bible study and prayer and helps her to grow in her relationship with Jesus and begin to reach out as an authentic follower of Christ and fisher of men.

The third of these 4 we call “Jupjaeng.” Jupjaeng is from the 3rd largest unreached people group in Thailand called the Mueang or the Northern Thai UPG. Jupjaeng is the first person in her family of origin to become a follower of Jesus, but God willing, she is just the beginning. Please pray for Jupujaeng as she has been meeting with Pii Ja as her mentor for several months now and learning how to grow in her relationship with Jesus and become the salt and light of Jesus in our world. Please pray for Pii Ja and for our church as well as we help these new believers become connected with our church family.

The last of these 4 we call “Nampueng.” Nampueng is from the 4th largest unreached people group in Thailand called the Southern Thai UPG. She is from a very strong Buddhist family and is the first person in her family to become a follower of Jesus. Please pray for Nampueng and for Pii Mem as they begin to meet together as Pii Mem serves as her mentor and helps her to grow in her relationship with Jesus.

These 4 people, June, Nicha, Jupjaeng, and Nampueng have no other people in their entire families of origin that know Jesus as their personal Savior and they will go through some very difficult times of adjustment as they begin to share their faith with their families of origin. Please pray for a softening of the heart that the seeds of the witness of these new followers of Jesus would take root and many in their families become followers of Jesus in the days ahead.

God is truly moving and allowing all of us here at Grace Language School, Baan Athitaan Church, and NTIM to be a part of raising up a new generation of followers of Jesus who love Him with all their heart and who are gentle yet bold in sharing their faith with others.

God also gave us the opportunity to celebrate baptism with Nong Art who is Jon and Chrissy Espy’s adopted son from the Akha people group. We also celebrated the baptism of an English teacher from England named Jack. What a great Christmas Sunday! The Bible declares that the angles in heaven rejoice over 1 sinner that repents and puts their trust in Jesus Christ. All of us here in Northern Thailand celebrated with the angels over 6 that recently surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our hearts are truly full. Thank you for sending us to Thailand and supporting the work God has put in our hands to steward.

Before we move to give you an update on our building project, we wanted to ask for your prayers for our youngest son Caleb who is getting married in just a few days in Grand Rapids, MI to a very special young lady Gabriell Brusseau. They met while studying at Calvin University and got engaged a year ago. Caleb will continue studying at Calvin University for another year and one half. Hope and I will be making a very quick trip to Michigan and would appreciate prayers for us as we travel and for all who will be traveling as well during this very cold time of year.  We will be leaving Chiangrai headed to Michigan on Dec 28th. Caleb’s wedding is on January 4th. Hope and I get on a plane headed back to Thailand on January 5th. Please pray for us.

Before we give an update on the building progress, we also wanted to just give a praise update on a great team from Gulfport, MS who came to help us reach out into villages, schools, and with our main Christmas Evangelism event where we had somewhere between 500 to 600 people. Here is a link to a video clip that Gahn put together for us of that main outreach event.


Thank you Crosspoint Church of Gulfport, MS for your continued partnership with us as we reach deeply into the unreached people groups in and around Northern Thailand with the gospel of our Lord Jesus. More to say on our Christmas outreaches in a later update.



BUILDING UPDATE

Please continue to pray for us on our first ever building project we are calling "The Lighthouse Learning Center.” There are three areas we need help: 1) Finances – we are still needing about 175,000 U.S. dollars to complete the project, 2) Volunteers to help in the final phase of construction, and 3) Advocacy – We need God’s people all over the world praying for the redemption of millions of the least reached peoples in our world today. Please also pray for our continuing outreach and discipleship ministries that go on every single day here in Chiangrai, Thailand.

Here is a Video update that we recently put together. Please click on the link below. It is only 5 minutes long but will be very helpful for you to see in video form.


Some of you reading this are family members wanting to keep up with us and what God is doing in and through us. Most of you reading this are friends who know us personally and support us as we seek to do all that God wants us to do as we continue to serve God on your behalf in the country where over 99 out of every 100 people do not know Jesus nor have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. 

We are also so very thankful for those of you who realize that we could not live and serve here in Thailand without your financial support. Thank you for loving us enough to give. Thank you for loving the Lord enough to give to missions because you want to see the precious Thai people have a chance to be blessed by the one true God we serve.

Here is a reminder of just a few of the ways in which NTIM reaches out into this part of God’s world with the love and message of our great Savior. Remember these as you bring us before the throne of grace in your prayers.

"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

Michael for the team.

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