Today is Day 22 of our 36 Day 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. Thank you 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.
As we shared with you on Prayer Day 2, when God is about to do something extra ordinary, He looks to see if He can find some ordinary person whose heart belongs to God and who will be obedient and do the thing God wants to be done. We see this when we look at the life of Abraham, or the life of Noah, or the life of Moses, and the lives of many men and women God used in the Bible.
God’s Word says, “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 16:9.
When God finds someone who is willing to do what God wants to get done, God extends an invitation to that person to join Him in what God is doing. We at NTIM believe that God extended that invitation to Josh and Jessie Grammer and we are very happy to say that they arrived here on the field in Northern Thailand this past September.
Josh and Jessie Grammer are just two ordinary people from Tuscaloosa, Alabama who have been touched by an extraordinary God and given an incredible opportunity to join God in what He is doing in and around Northern Thailand.
Even before Josh and Jessie met each other, God was shaping them and building in them a heart for missions. Both grew up in musical families and both spent time as young people praising God throughout their community and even foreign countries. It was no surprise to anyone when the two met and soon found a combined love for God and people.
Although they have worked in many different fields, Thailand has had a special place in their lives. Shortly after they first began to date, Josh spent the Summer of 2010 in Chiang Rai, Thailand working with NTIM. It was in that time that he found the exact spot he knew he would propose to Jessie. The next year, both came back and spent a summer together working for God’s glory. The proposal went smoothly and they later married back in the States.
From the beginning, their marriage has been dedicated to God. It is for that reason they could not escape the call to missions. They served in some other places before submitting to God’s call to return to Thailand for a two year stay.
Since returning to Thailand in September 2014, the Grammer’s have been able to serve in ways they could have never done with full-time jobs in the U.S. They have found that the mission field in Thailand is a busy place with incredible opportunities to reach out into the community that is made up of dozens of different ethnic/language/people groups. As native English speakers living among people who want to improve their English skills, God has given Josh and Jessie lots of opportunities to build good relationships and build bridges of friendship that will lead to sharing the greatest story man could ever tell to people. What a great joy it has been for them already to have been able to share the story of Jesus with hundreds who had never even heard the story of Jesus before they shared it.
From the very beginning of their return to Thailand this past September, they not only have begun studying the Thai language but have jumped right into ministry in many different ways. They have started a new version of “English Corner” at Rajabhat University where they spend several hours each week meeting with university students and helping them with their English. They are also very thankful for what they learned many years ago from Joe Isaakhan as he modeled another way to reach out to University students. They are also very thankful for Fai, who is a student at Rajabhat University that they had build a relationship with from previous trips out to Thailand. She has been a great exa
mple of God’s marvelous plan in helping Josh and Jessie get connected with other students on campus.
mple of God’s marvelous plan in helping Josh and Jessie get connected with other students on campus.
Josh and Jessie have also build relationships with lots of students at Mae Fah Luang University (MFLU) as well and have seemed to really “click” with some of the international students that study at MFLU from Indonesia and other countries. Here is a picture of one of their “times together.”
Josh and Jessi are very active in the ministry of Grace Language School (GLS) both on campus where they have their own classes that they teach but also off campus where they teach as representatives of GLS at Chiang Rai International School (CRIS). God has opened the door for both Josh and Jessie to even get to teach the Bible in English and lead chapel services to all the students at CRIS, most of whom do not know Jesus as their personal Savior.
Josh and Jessie also work as part of the staff at Baan Athitaan Church. Josh enjoys teaching Sunday School, working (really playing) in our soccer outreach, and has a deep passion for starting a new discipleship ministry to men. Jessie enjoys serving in various aspects of our music ministry and had the opportunity just this past Sunday to lead our worship service for the first time. Jessie has an infectious smile and personality and enjoys telling others about Jesus.
One of the major struggles that most of us missionaries have has to do with the sense of being “overwhelmed” with how much needs to be done and how few “workers” there truly are for all that God is doing here. Pray for Josh and Jessie as they seek to use their time as good stewards and to do those things that will accomplish God’s plans. Please also continue to pray for them as they continue to raise the financial support that they need to live and serve here in Northern Thailand.
God is using ordinary people like Josh and Jessie Grammer. We are convinced that God truly wants to use ordinary people like us, but we must be willing to make our lives available for Him to use them. God isn’t interested in us coming up with some great thing we want to do for God. No, God is more interested in us being willing to embrace the great plans He already has for our lives. It reminds me of when Isaiah said to the Lord, “Here I am Lord, Send me.” In other words, “Lord, if you want me to go, I am willing. Whatever you want from my life, I am willing to do that because I love you and because I recognize that your plans are better than my plans.” Prayer Example: “Oh, Heavenly Father, thank you for placing a little of your love for the Thai people in the hearts of the Josh and Jessie. Please continue to lead them and guide them as they seek to serve you and work with their NTIM team on the field. Help them to understand your plans for reaching the nations in and around Northern Thailand. We ask you to help them to follow your plans and to encourage others to join you in what you want to do through NTIM in the days ahead. We pray that you would use Josh and Jessie and their NTIM team do reach these fields that are ripe for the Harvest. We pray you would provide for all of their spiritual and physical needs. We pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.”