A little update

We echo once again the prayer of Paul for the Philippians expressing our gratitude for your untiring partnership.

In all our prayers for all of you, we always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

As of the moment, our mini-orphanage ministry is being sustained because of your prayers.

One morning, as we watched happy children happy and excited preparing for the first day of school, we could not help but thank God for his faithfulness in looking after His children and for connecting us to you as our ministry partner.

Who would have thought that two months ago we almost gave up in getting them to school? One reason is that the Thai schools are giving priority to Thais but because our children are from the Myanmar, they were initially rejected.  Another reason is that our support for their education is very limited nonetheless; we experienced how God provided.

God is answering you prayers for us and we can feel it every moment. Thank you very much.

Children’s Camp in Kok Noi

When we were invited to organize a Children’s camp in Kok Noi, we gladly accepted the challenge. Anyway, we already organized two camps in Mae Sai and Tachilek. This one would be easy thinking that the lessons and the materials were already prepared.

However, we were in for a big surprise. We did not know that Kok Noi although located in Chiang Rai is in the middle of the jungle 45 kilometers from the city with no electricity (although solar panels have been provided by the government) and can only be reached by foot or by a four-wheel drive truck.

God provided a way for us to get there. A Good Samaritan we met along the way gave us a ride on our way to the village. And then a 4-wheel drive truck owned by Compassion International brought us back to the city.

It was a wonderful camp with the children learned English and listened to Bible Stories. Some children from the neighboring village walked for couple of hours and joined the camp.
During our ministry there, God gave us a vision of planting churches in the nearby animist villages. We also see the need to provide home for the children from Myanmar who were given shelter by the villagers to study in the village school.


Seminary Education by Extension (SEE) at Grace Home Kindergarten Center

After Jimi taught music through SEE, the students could not wait for another class. When the Lacquian Family left for home, the burden of continuous theological/biblical education for church leaders falls on my battered shoulders.

When the school opened two weeks ago, we did not anticipate how busy it would be for us bringing and picking up the children from and to the school.  As parents, we need to attend school meetings, talk to the teachers and bury materials and uniform the children need. Hence, we really don’t have the time to offer another SEE class.

Fortunately, another team from Asia Vision Short-Term Missions came and helped us out. My sister Dadai, came back with two short-term missionaries. Longtree Limtag taught “The Panoramic View of the Bible” and Enjae helped in teaching the children Grace Home Kindergarten Center  (GHKC). Incidentally, GHKC hosted SEE for five days. We are thankful to Aye Phet for being a gracious host.
GHKC will host SEE classes in the future.

Narlin Volunteers in Municipal School

Since Aye Phet has been doing a great job at GHKC, Narlin does not need to be around in the center all the time. She now has free time to do other ministries.

Narlin is teaching English at Rong Rian Tesaban 1 every Tuesday and Thursday for two hours each day. This is the same school that our 7 children are studying.

We thank the Lord for this opportunity to be a witness and a blessing to the community.

Prayer Requests

Our visa extension is now being processed at the Rainbow Covenant Foundation. We will receive a phone call anytime now to come to the immigration office. Up to this time, we don’t have specific entity that helps us with our visa expenses. However, God’s provision is always on time.

God has given us the ministry of discipleship and mentoring. We will leave Mae Sai with peace knowing that we were able to train and disciple people to continue the work of the gospel ministry.
Pray for the SEE students. We are making seminary training available to church leaders and workers while they are doing their respective ministries. Please continue to help us to pray for SEE office and training center near the border.

Pray for Narlin as she volunteers to teach in a Thai school. We are expecting to organize more English camps before this year will end.

Pray Jared, Jillian and Reuven’s home schooling. We thank the Lord for School of Tomorrow for making our life easy with our children’s education. But we still have a lot of struggles.

In the last couple of months, God has brought us to different places namely Ban Klang, Mae Salong and a village 14 km from the City of Chiang Rai. God is challenging us to expand our vision.  He is summoning us to get involved in children ministries, church planting and discipleship to the hard reached villages. We will train and mentor locals in starting and sustaining these ministries. This can be done on a regular basis at least twice a month.

Help us to pray for resources. Teaching materials, equipment and a vehicle. Pray also for knowledge, wisdom and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Diversity in the Church

I am having similar thoughts lately.

Philip Yancey put it this way in an article in Christianity Today just this last November. He writes, "As I read accounts of the New Testament church, no characteristic stands out more sharply than [diversity]. Beginning with Pentecost, the Christian church dismantled the barriers of gender, race, and social class that had marked Jewish congregations. Paul, who as a rabbi had given thanks daily that he was not born a woman, slave, or Gentile, marveled over the radical change: ’There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’

"One modern Indian pastor told me, ’Most of what happens in Christian churches, including even miracles, can be duplicated in Hindu and Muslim congregations. But in my area only Christians strive, however ineptly, to mix men and women of different castes, races, and social groups. That’s the real miracle.
Yancey continues, "Diversity complicates rather than simplifies life. Perhaps for this reason we tend to surround ourselves with people of similar age, economic class, and opinion. Church offers a place where infants and grandparents, unemployed and executives, immigrants and blue bloods can come together. Just yesterday," Yancey wrote, "I sat sandwiched between an elderly man hooked up to a tank puffing oxygen and a breastfeeding baby who grunted loudly and contentedly throughout the sermon. Where else can we find that mixture?

"When I walk into a new church," Yancey says, "the more its members resemble each other—-and resemble me-—the more uncomfortable I feel."

Source: Philip Yancey, "Denominational Diagnostics," Christianity Today, November 2008, p. 119.

Complete Commitment

Text: 1 Timothy 4:1-11

A college man walked into a photography studio with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted the picture duplicated. This involved removing it from the frame. In doing this, the studio owner noticed the inscription on the back of the photograph: “My dearest Tom, I love you with all my heart. I love you more and more each day. I will love you forever and ever. I am yours for all eternity.” It was signed "Helen,” and it contained a P.S.: “If we ever break up, I want this picture back.”

It means that Helen is obviously not completely committed to the relationship.

In this letter to Timothy, Paul mentions about the different teachings that would bring confusions among the believers. In the midst of the confusion created by this spread of false teachings, we must not forget that Christ calls us to a life of commitment. Commitment is to be the mark of our lives. But committed to what? That is the question Paul answered in our text.

I. COMMITTED TO CHRIST (Verse 6)

First, we are to be committed to Jesus Christ. Paul warned Timothy of a time of falling away from the faith and of discouragement for the church. When that happens, this is what Paul suggested in verse 6. Our commitment must go first, not to a certain church or to a certain program or to a certain style of music or to a certain preacher, but our commitment is first of all to Christ. He is to be Lord over our lives.

There's an old story about St Augustine. Early on in his Christian life, he was intensely absorbed in the writings of Cicero. And around this time, he had a dream that he had died. And now he was standing at the pearly gates. And the keeper of the gate said, "Who are you?" And he said, "I'm Augustine." Then the keeper said, "What are you?" Augustine said, "I'm a Christian." The gatekeeper said, "No, you're not a Christian. You're a Ciceronian!" Augustine said, "What are you talking about? I'm a Christian!" And the gatekeeper said this: "All souls on earth are judged by what dominated their interests. In you, Augustine, it was not the Christ of the gospel. It was the Cicero of Roman literature. You are not a Christian. You cannot enter here!"

Augustine was so startled that when he woke up, he resolved then and there to be fully committed to Jesus Christ for the rest of his life and to live for Him.

When we become a Christian, we are no longer our own. We belong body and soul to Jesus Christ. We are completely committed to Christ.

II. COMMITTED TO A CONSECRATED WAY OF LIFE (Verse 7)

This commitment to the person of Christ will lead then to a commitment to a consecrated living. Paul urged Timothy in verse 7. A Christian is committed not only to Christ but also to the way of living Christ laid out for us. That way is one of holiness, purity, and godliness.

The world in which we live in is committed to pleasure and self. Consequently, the life-style of the world is that of immorality and selfishness. That way of living is totally opposite to the life-style commanded by Jesus. On one hand is the world's way. On the other is the way of Jesus Christ. A Christian is committed to the way of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Wilbur Chapman once gave this rule of thumb for determining our way of living. He said: “Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work more difficult is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it.”

So must every true Christian. We cannot call ourselves by Christian and still be free to do our own thing. When we call ourselves by his name, we are committing ourselves to do his thing.

III. COMMITTED TO THE CHURCH (Verses 6, 13)

We are also to be committed to the church of Jesus Christ (vv. 6, 13). Translated into today's terms, Paul said that a Christian is one who spends time with other believers in the study of God's Word in the church.

One of the first and foremost acts of obedience that you and I should perform as Christ-followers is to become a part of a local church body.
As believers, we need to pray together, learn together, serve together, give together, grow together, cry together, repent together, worship together, and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ together!

Man was never intended to hold onto God alone! The church is to be the believer's life-support system, from which strength comes for the living of these days.

IV. COMMITTED TO THE COMMISSION OF CHRIST (Verses 10-11)

A Christian is also to be committed to the great commission. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Verses 10-11 express the same idea in other words and different context. As Christians we should be committed to preaching the gospel, making disciples and teaching Christ's command to the people who will come under our sphere of influence. We should maintain this commitment throughout our life.

Those who drive a car or a motorcycle know the importance of maintenance. As long as we faithfully maintain our vehicle with regular change oil and check up it will last longer if not forever. It is the same with our house, maintaining our house properly involves painting, cleaning, repair of plumbing and electrical, replacing the leaking roof. If we do not do these things then our house will soon broke down and it will not be a good place to live in.

As Christians, we are commanded by Christ to maintain our commitment as his disciple and to maintain our discipleship ministry. Discipleship follows after we accept Christ and this is not a one-time event of being saved. We need to maintain our Spiritual vigor so that we can go on sharing the gospel, making disciple and teaching the Word of Christ. We should have a total commitment to the great commission.

That is a portrait of a Christian. We commit ourselves to Christ. Then, we commit ourselves to a consecrated way of living.

And then we should commit ourselves to the local church in this world to extend his kingdom.

Finally, we commit ourselves to the commission he himself established for making disciples of all nations.

First Quarter Highlights

It has been a very busy month for us. I really have not been updating this blog as I should. Summer camp is going on now on the other side and we will be preparing for another camp in the mountains of Chiang Rai next week.

The first quarter of 2010 is over. Just like the previous years we are not certain how the year will end but God has shown us how it will look like. He constantly made us aware of His presence, power, protection and provision in our life and ministry. Your constant prayers make all these things possible.
We are sharing to you the  first quarter highlights.

•  A breakthrough happened this year when we were permitted to hold an English Camp in Pamuad School. More than one hundred seventy students heard the Word. Moreover, we have started a good relationship with the School's officers, teachers and staff.
•  Eight young people are ready to be discipled because of the camp. They are Noot's classmates who helped us to interpret for us. The young people became very close to us and consider us a family.
• Grace Home Kindergarten held its closing and recognition program last February 26. As usual the event was well-attended by the parents. Many of the parents are now Christian.
• Fourteen Wa Pastors and church leaders came to Mae Sai for a three-day retreat and we were humbled to be invited as one of the resource speakers.
•  As you are reading this, a PBTS Seminary Education by Extension is going on. Jimi and Nori have come to help us in this ministry. We envision to continuously provide quality training to qualified potential pastors and church leaders both from Myanmar and Northern Thailand.
•  Mae Sai Grace Church celebrates its sixth anniversary  on the 28th of March.  We were with them when they were just a young struggling congregation and we are proud to be with them as they are becoming a vibrant and growing community of believers in Mae Sai. It's ministry has expanded to include nursery, migrant primary school, children's home and micro finance for its members. We were flattered when Pastor Maung introduced us to his friends and visitors as the "Best Missionary Friends" of the church. Having said that, Pastor Maung requested Narlin to resume teaching and training the teachers of the primary school. A ministry that we gladly accepted.
•  This summer many Thai students are flocking to different tutorial centers in the town to study Chinese and English. This strengthen our resolve to start the training center in our house which we have been praying for since the first day we arrived in Mae Sai. However, this is a ministry that we can not do on our own. We need help. We are praying for people to come and commit their lives to this kind of ministry.
• Last February,  we were surprised to receive an email message from SEND International-Philippines. A team of eight people came to help with the English camp. The director told us that they have been considering North Thailand as one of their target areas and they will send missionaries in the near future. We hope we can be of any assistance to them.
•  God has given us opportunities to become "receiver" for short term missionaries from different Philippine based missions organizations.  We are expecting two teams from the Philippines next month including Asia Vision.

Desperate for rain

Today I started coughing badly as my lungs are trying to get rid of the smoke that accumulated in there. All of the people in the house were coughing weeks before I did. I think, physically I am stronger but the smoke has been getting heavier each day and even the stronger ones are starting to succumbed to the pollution. We have not seen the sun and the blue sky for two weeks now. And because the sun could not penetrate the thick smog, it is still abnormally cold for supposed to be a hot summer.

The smog came from the farmers in Myanmar and Northern. They are burning the fields on the mountain in preparation for the next planting season. The people in Mae Sai are used to it. This kind of farming is traditionally being practiced for centuries.

We are desperate for rain. A whole day of heavy rain will clear the sky and clean up the air. It rained last night but it was a drizzle which is not enough. However, it is a good sign that rain is coming soon, we are praying that it would be sooner.

Encouragements to Keep Going On (Acts 18:1:11)

It had been told that Satan's most powerful weapon against Christians is "discouragement". He can use it to work his way into the hearts which otherwise is not accessible. When a person is discouraged, Satan is open to plant anything there that he desire.

Christian workers are always subject to discouragement. There is no shortage of discouragements to hinder the work of God. The Bible is full of stories of men of God who at times became discouraged. You and I get discouraged from time to time.

Looking at Paul's life and ministry in the Bible, we can surmise reasons for his discouragement in the ministry.

Firstly, he had to work very hard. Corinth is one of the most wicked city in Greece. It was the center of the idol worship of the goddess of love. Those who practice sexual immorality went there. There was a lot of work to be done and the largeness of work is sometimes very discouraging.

Secondly, he had to experience failures. Now we can say that it is required of us to be faithful and the success is up to God and that is true, but we all like to see growth and success in the work of the Lord. Paul had been successful in some places, however, he experienced failures and rejection in other places. That was discouraging.

Then finally, he had to work alone. Although there were times when one or two worked along his side, Paul would be more happy and excited to work with more people. Most of the time when we work for the Lord, we find ourselves working alone. It is discouraging.

But we should grateful that while our enemy is active in discouraging us. God is equally if not more active to encourage us. While the devil is trying to drag us down, God is working to lift us up. While the devil aims at getting us to quit, God is working to encourage us to keep up the good fight.

And here we are given “Three Encouragements to Keep Going.”

The Partnership Of Friends (verses 1-5a)

If you want to be encouraged, think of your friends. Friends are one of the greatest God given encouragements. It is always harder if you have to do things alone. But things are a lot easier if we have friends helping us.

Remember Silas and Timothy are still in Macedonia. So God knew that Paul needed someone to help him shoulder the burdens of the work. So what does God do? God sent Priscilla and Aquila out from Rome. It seems that Aquila and Priscilla had a tent making business that they set up in Corinth. Paul just so happened to be a tentmaker and so he began to work with Aquila and Priscilla in their business. This gave him the funds for his support so that he could go into the synagogue every Sabbath and reason with the Jews and Greeks for Jesus Christ. What a blessing Aquila and Priscilla were to Paul. They became his best and closest friends.

Then God sent Silas and Timothy from Macedonia to Corinth to reunite with Paul. So God has not only blessed Paul with two new friends but brought back to him two familiar friends. And their return must have greatly encouraged Paul for the scriptures say that Paul was pressed in his spirit to testify to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

I think you ought to stand for what is right even if you have to stand-alone. But I want to add, it is a whole lot easier to stand for what is right against the pressure of opposition if there are those who will support, strengthen and stand with you. Thank God for friends who God puts in your path and in your life who will encourage you in the work of the Lord.

As fellow laborers with Christ, we are friends. We are here to be encouraged.

The Positive Results (verses 5b-8)

When Silas and TImothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was greatly encouraged. Not only that, he was able to give all his time to preaching and teaching. He tried his best to persuade the Jews that God had sent Jesus as their Saviour.

However, the Jews rejected Paul and his message. In in effect they actually had rejected Jesus as their messiah. The Message says that "all they did argue contentiously and contradict him in every turn. They insulted him.

Paul totally exasperated finally gave up and shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the other people groups.”

As God's worker, I believe there is no worst situation to be discouraged. Paul was in that situation but he chose not to dwell on it. Instead he went to the Gentiles and shared the gospel to them. The result was that many Gentiles in Corinth became believers and were baptized.

Paul had made a choice not to dwell on his failures and he knew that there must be a positive results in every bad situation.

The choice is ours. We can either dwell on the negative and be discouraged or we can encourage ourselves on the positive results. Look and see even though many don't believe, many don’t grow an inch, some have grown. Many lost people still remain lost, but some trusted in Jesus as their Savior. The church may remain basically the same but then again it may take off like wildfire. Don’t look at what God has not done but dwell on all that God has done.

The Promises Of God (verses 9-11)

While it is true that friends encourage us and positive results encourage us the greatest encouragement of all is the Lord himself. One night in a dream the Lord Jesus spoke to Paul. Jesus said, “Keep it up, and don’t let anyone intimidate or silence you. No matter what happens, I’m with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. You have no idea how many people I have on my side in this city.”

Here God gives us the the promise of His presence. It is all the encouragement that we need, to know that God is on our side.

Another promise is made, "no matter what happens... no one is going to be able to hurt you. It is not encouraging to know that we have God's protection. Not only will God be present but also he will be there to protect. And they tried. In verses 12-17 they try to come against Paul. But it all came to naught as the matter was dismissed.

There is a third promise here. Not just a promise of presence, and protection, but a promise of power. God says, “for I have much people in this city.” What did that mean? It meant simply that there were those who were lost who under the power of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of Paul would come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. There were those who were to be saved by the power of God.

Friends are great encouragers and results are encouraging but when God comes to you and promises his presence, protection, and power, you have every reason to keep on going forward.

*Based on the outline by Michael Belcher