Today is Day 7 of our 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. With all the business of the holidays, we must confess that we have skipped a few days in updates but are back on track again. Thank you for being patient and for joining us for this great time of seeking the face of God on behalf of millions who have never heard the message of our Lord Jesus.
DAY 7 – December 16, 2020 – “Reaching The Unreached – Muang UPG – Part 1”
One of the great joys that God has graciously allowed me to experience on a regular basis is the joy of seeing 1st generation believers grow in their relationship with God and become true fishers of men and mentors for other 1st generation believers. Jesus said in Matthew 4:19, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”
As I write this update, I am sitting at my desk in my office thinking about what goes on every single week. Just a few moments ago, Pii Ja just left the church on her way to spend some discipleship time with another 1st generation follower of Jesus named Gatii. Gatii is the first person in her entire family to be a follower of Jesus and is originally from the Isaan Unreached People group but moved to Chiangrai with her husband.
The picture above is a picture taken a couple of years ago of something I see going on every single week rain or shine. You may see one thing but let me tell you what I see. I see one of our awesome staff – Ja (who has served in partnership with us for over 17 years and who is the first person in her entire family to become a Christian, and who is from one of the least reached unreached people group in the world called the Muang or more popularly known as the Northern Thai) disciplining, teaching the Bible, praying with, encouraging, counseling, mentoring, and investing her life into the life of a university student named Nice.
God has allowed NTIM to be a part of helping not only reach 1st generation believers, but also to help equip them to reach and mentor others. I don’t know what you think, but I really think that makes the heart of God smile.
So that you will know how to better pray for us, let me share with you a little about this 1st generation mentor named Ja. Ja gave her heart to Jesus as a university student and shortly thereafter came on staff at our English language school as our accountant. We began discipling Ja and helping her know how to grow in her relationship with the Lord 17 years ago when she was 23. She deeply loves the Lord and wants to serve Him with all her heart.
Ja serves God in several different roles. She serves as one of our key mentors for new believers. She also serves as our “minister of finances” at Baan Athitaan Church. She serves as one of our staff at Grace Language School where she helps with any legal paperwork for the school and manages all the finances for the school as well as helps teach English to Children on Saturdays. She also serves as one of our staff at Channel of Blessing Foundation which for all practical purposes is NTIM-Thailand. Here she serves both as a board member as well as our treasurer and accountant. Here is a link to a video clip of her testimony we did a year ago.
Today we would ask that you join us in praying for Ja and for NTIM’s work among the unreached people group of the Muang. Please p
ray for many of the outreaches that target the Khon Mueang that we are involved in. Tomorrow I will share more details about this very strategic unreached people group. But for now, let us join together in prayer for this 3rd largest unreached people group in Thailand called the Muang UPG.
Prayer Example: “Lord, thank you for loving us enough to send someone into our lives to tell us about the gospel. We thank you for loving Ja enough to send someone into her life to tell her about the gospel. We thank you for loving others enough to send people like Ja into the lives of others to tell them about the gospel. We want to take this moment and ask you to bless Ja in a very special way. Help her to be salt and light in all that she does. We ask that you would be pleased to use her to help reach her family, her friends, her neighbors, her own people group, and even other people groups. Thank you for her work with NTIM and how she faithfully serves you each and every day. We pray that you would give her great love and wisdom as she pours her life into discipling young university students and as well as young adults there in Northern Thailand. We pray this in Jesus name.”