I am in the planning stages of traveling to the Global Impact Conference (GIC) that I have the opportunity to participate in at my home church in Birmingham, AL at Shades Mountain Baptist Church every February. I am very grateful that my home church provides the resources needed for one of my family members to make this trip each year. Thank you Jeremy and Pastor Danny. It is a great time to celebrate missions and be renewed in our heart to serve the Lord in this very needy part of the world.
Over the last three years, at least one of our Thai staff has been able to travel with us to this conference. This has been a very good thing. It gives them a chance to be exposed to “church life” in America, new ways of doing things, and helps them work more effectively with our partner teams and volunteers that come out to Thailand to help the ministry.It is a very practical time of training our awesome Thai ministry partners.
This year as we prayed about whom the Lord would have us consider taking, the Lord made it clear to us that it should be Jay. The Lord gave me the privilege of baptizing Jay as a university student on October 21, 2007. Here is a video clip of that day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7c6R_dYflI&list=UUQxuqAaL4rlZJ_eAu2XotLQ&index=32&feature=plcp
Jay is from a Hmong Village called Huay Khu where we have been parting with a small village church over the past several years at Christmas time to help their church reach out and win their village for Jesus.
Jay is a very bright young man that graduated with honors from Rachabhat University and felt the leadership of the Lord to join us on staff at Grace Language School and at Baan Athitaan Church after he graduated. He has been an active part of our team since November 17, 2009.
God has used Jay in tremendous ways while serving these past two years and we pray that God will continue to give Jay a heart to serve Him with us in the years ahead. Jay currently serves as our key Thai leader for Grace Language School as well as one of our key leaders at Baan Athitaan Church.
Recently we partnered with another organization to send Jay to Singapore for some leadership training. Now we would like for him to accompany me for some “on the job training” and be a part of several mission speaking opportunities where he will get to share firsthand what God has been doing in Northern Thailand.
We are writing to all of our family, friends, and supporters to give you a chance to be a special part of sending Jay to America through your prayers and through your giving. Even before I put this update together, God has been opening the door for Jay to go. Two weeks ago Jay traveled down to Bangkok to request a tourist visa from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok and the Embassy granted him 10 year visa!!!!
It will be a great blessing in Jay’s life and help him to know, to understand, and to serve our Lord better alongside internationals and international teams that come out to Thailand. We are anticipating that the total costs associated with Jay for this trip to be approximately $2,500. Would you like to express your love and affirmation of sending Jay to America by sending a donation to NTIM with the note “Send Jay.” It would really mean a lot to us and to Jay if we were able to raise all of this before we depart for the U.S. next week February 13. Thank you for helping provide the resources needed for NTIM to train Asians like Jay to reach our world for Jesus.
Your Servant to Nations in and Around Northern Thailand for Jesus,
Michael Johnson for the team
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Donations can be sent to: Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM), P.O. Box 26115, Birmingham, AL 35260 USA Main Website: www.gontim.org
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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, darkness is everywhere, and the love and message of Jesus is needed to transform lives.