Today is Day 7 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.
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 1stgeneration 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 thinking about what goes on outside my office, every single week, not 10 yards from the door of my office. The picture here is a picture 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 my awesome staff – Ja (who has served in partnership with us for over 11 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 Fai.
Fai is also the first person in her family to give her heart to Jesus and is from a very different unreached people group called the Lisu. Both are Thai citizens but from very different cultural, linguistic, and ethnic backgrounds. In other words, I see a 1st generation believer from one unreached people group mentoring another 1st generation believer from a very different unreached people group. God has allowed NTIM to be a part of helping not only reach 1stgeneration believers, but also to help equip them to reach and mentor other 1stgeneration believers. 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. She deeply loves the Lord and wants to serve Him with all her heart. Ja serves as one of our key mentors for new believers, as one of our staff at Baan Athitaan Church, as one of our staff at Grace Language School, and as one of our staff at Channel of Blessing Foundation which for all practical purposes is NTIM-Thailand. 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. Tomorrow I will share more details about this very strategic unreached people group. But for now, let us join together in prayer.
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 there in Northern Thailand. We pray this in Jesus name.”