The Bible encourages us to live with an acute awareness that one day – probably soon – Jesus will come again to this earth and will usher in the beginning of the countdown of the earth as we know it. The beginning of the end of the time when men, women, and children all over the world and from every unreached part of God’s World will no longer have a chance to believe in Jesus and become a citizen of heaven. Now, we still have the opportunity to go into all the world and share the greatest message of all time -that Jesus has paid the penalty for sin and invites everyone to accept this payment as their own and trust Jesus as Savior and Lord. One day – soon – the time will come when that invitation will no longer be made available.
Since this is true, I want to plead with all of our Christian friends all over the world to do 4 things: 1) Consider praying more intentionally, 2) Consider giving more regularly, 3) Consider going on a short term mission trip more often, and 4) Consider going on a longer term mission assignment joining others who have committed their lives to seeing the UPGs of this world have access to the gospel message and discipleship transformation.
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.
Most of you reading this know Phet because Phet has served on our staff at Baan Athitaan Church, Grace Language School, and Northern Thailand Impact Ministry for over 10 years now.
Hope and I have lived in Thailand for over 20 years now and almost 18 of those years we have lived the city of Chiangrai. Before moving to Chiangrai, we spent our first 2 years in Thailand in full time language study in the capital city of Bangkok. While in Bangkok we received what we believe was a vision from God to move to Chiangrai in Northern Thailand and begin working among some of the least reached people groups in our world today. We felt God’s leadership to establish a legal and legitimate English language school as a platform for reaching some of these least reached peoples with the gospel of our Savior through the relationships that we established through our school. We believed this would be the starting point for a church plant that has now become what we call Baan Athitaan Church.
Hope and I have lived in Thailand for over 20 years now and almost 18 of those years we have lived the city of Chiangrai. Before moving to Chiangrai, we spent our first 2 years in Thailand in full time language study in the capital city of Bangkok. While in Bangkok we received what we believe was a vision from God to move to Chiangrai in Northern Thailand and begin working among some of the least reached people groups in our world today. We felt God’s leadership to establish a legal and legitimate English language school as a platform for reaching some of these least reached peoples with the gospel of our Savior through the relationships that we established through our school. We believed this would be the starting point for a church plant that has now become what we call Baan Athitaan Church.
In those early days, we began forming relationships with several high schools in our city as well as with the two universities in our city. We began reaching out to many, many students whom we would call “seekers of truth.” Phet was one of those seekers of truth that we met almost 18 years ago. When many of us from the language school would go onto the university campuses, we would have great conversations and shared the love and message of Christ quite openly and freely. One of those people that we began to get close to was Phet. She was not interested in becoming a Christian at first and we had many discussions about that, but soon after she began to come to Baan Athitaan Church and see how we all related to each other, her heart began to soften. I remember the day that Phet finally surrendered her heart to Jesus and became the first follower of Jesus in her entire family. That was 17 years ago.
One of the things that I want you to understand about Phet and about this part of God’s world is that Phet is a Thai citizen. Her nationality is Thai but make no mistake she is not from the ethnic majority of the Central Thai people. Phet is from one of those least unreached people groups in our world today known as the Mien or Yao. From the time Phet gave her heart to Jesus some 17 years ago as a university student, I have been the only Pastor Phet has ever known. She has been a part of Baan Athitaan Church from almost the very beginning and has served as one of my key staff members and mentors/disciplers for new believers for the last 10 years.
God is truly transforming the lives of some of the least reached people in our world today. God has given us a unique role in joining God in this great work amongst the unreached people groups living in and around Northern Thailand.
Out of the 67 million people living in Thailand, 20 – 32 million of them (if you include the “Thai-Chinese” from Joshua Project into the group) are from the Central Thai UPG. The second largest unreached people group (UPG) in Thailand is the Isaan people group and they make up ab
out 18 million people. The third largest unreached people group (UPG) in Thailand is the Northern Thai (Muang) people group and they have about 7 million people here in Thailand mostly living in Northern Thailand. Phet is from one of the smaller unreached people groups in Thailand with about 45,000 people living in Thailand but with over 272,000 living in Vietnam and over 1 million living in China.
out 18 million people. The third largest unreached people group (UPG) in Thailand is the Northern Thai (Muang) people group and they have about 7 million people here in Thailand mostly living in Northern Thailand. Phet is from one of the smaller unreached people groups in Thailand with about 45,000 people living in Thailand but with over 272,000 living in Vietnam and over 1 million living in China.
There are over 80 different unreached people groups living here in Thailand. God has given NTIM and its awesome partners the opportunity to be involved in seeing hundreds of Thai people, Laotian people, and Chinese people from these various unreached people groups come to know Jesus over the last 20 years. Most of those who have come to Christ during our tenure have been either high school or university students and have been the first or second persons in their entire families to become followers of Jesus.
Even though we have seen God do some amazing things over the years, we feel very much like we are on the precipice of something new. There is so much more work to be done and the focus of our work is moving more in the direction of training and equipping and putting down a solid foundation for future growth with a permanent presence through our current building project (which I will give an update on soon).
Last Saturday – May 18, 2019 – Pii Phet married a man from England named Jonathan Coombes. Most of you reading this update from the other side of the world who know and love Phet, were not able to be here so I have included a video clip link for you to be able to see part of this ceremony. Pii Gahn did a very good job in putting this together and capturing what a joy it was for us to celebrate their marriage together.
Please remember to pray for Jonathan and for Phet and their adjustments to life together and for all of the paperwork for Phet to be able to get a visa to be able to go and live with Jonathan in England in the days ahead.
Please remember to pray for these unreached peoples and for the work of NTIM, Grace Language School, and Baan Athitaan Church which are the ministries that I have the honor to lead. Please also pray for our partners in ministry as well of which we currently are partnering with Crave International and Send International.
Remember these words from our Lord Jesus who said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38
For more information on the work that God has allowed me to lead through NTIM, please write me at pray4ntim@gmail.com or go to our website at www.gontim.org
Thanking you in advance for your prayers and for your support. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
Please ask others to pray and forward this email to them.
Grateful and Happy to be Serving Our Awesome God in Northern Thailand for such a
time as this.
time as this.
Michael Johnson
“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5
P.S. AN UPDATE ON THE BUILDING PROJECT COMING SOON….
AN UPDATE ON A SPECIAL INTERNSHIP WITH CRAVE INTERNAIONAL & BAAN ATHITAAN CHURCH COMING SOON as well….
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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 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.