The last couple of weeks have been a challenge, as Leeza and I have watched so many of you, our friends and family, endure the emotional and physical turmoil of Hurricane Irma. We remember what things were like after Charlie in 2004; I think things might be worse this time though. We have been praying for you all, and I hope you are experiencing the peace and grace of God in the midst of all the chaos.
That said, I thought a little good news from Bangkok might be a welcomed distraction right about now. Things are back in full swing here. Leeza and Tripp are doing well at school, and ministry in Bangkok is picking up again. We are currently in the process of starting a campus outreach program at one of the local universities in partenership with a fellow missionary here and one of the university staff members. We are hoping to have this program launched within the next month. We have found that university students are one of the "soft spots" in the city. Most Thais are generally uninterested in Christianity, since they see it as a Western religion. University students, however, seem to be much more open and even inquisitive towards Christians and conversations about the Bible. Please be in prayer for us over the next few months as we begin spending time every week hanging out with students, building relationships, and starting a Bible study. We believe God has chosen ones at this school who will not only be His followers, but the future leaders of the Church in Thailand.
I've spoken a few times in the past of the Asian Leadership Institute (ALI). The last two weeks we have hosted a total of 23 men who are being trained and equipped with seminary level training, in order that they may be able to continue to serve their churches more faithfully and grow the vision to reach every man, woman, and child in their regions. We are thankful the Lord has allowed us to expand this training this year to include brothers from Cambodia and Ukraine as well as many new brothers from India. This group is a great picture of the global nature of God's Church. Pray that they would be blessed by their participation in this two year training program, and that their lives and their ministries would bear fruit because of it.
But the most exciting news is in regards to our Pakistani Brother and Sister whose story I wrote about a few months ago. Brother and Sister received very good news back in July. There is a ministry in Canada that was willing to sponsor them to immigrate to Canada. The only problem was the ministry didn't have the funds necessary. Private sponsorship for Brother and Sister was going to cost them clost to $20,000. So the ministry would take responsibility for them and help with all the paperwork, but Brother and Sister needed to raise all the money... in just 2 months. Otherwise, they would be put back on a waiting list for another year. When I heard this news, I was very excited about this opportunity for Brother and Sister, but, I must confess, I also doubted whether it was possible for them to raise that much money in such a short amount of time. But Brother reminded me, God would provide for them in His own time according to His will. If you spend any amount of time with Brother it becomes clear that he is a man of great faith. Well friends, I am happy to report that dozens of strangers, many of whom Brother and Sister had never met, began to give generously. The deadline for funds to be submitted was August 31st; on August 29th Brother and Sister had raised about $16,000. It seemed like they were going to have to go back on the waitlist for a while. But our God IS the provider, and a generous couple made up the difference on the final day! I'm telling you, this was a miracle! I don't have the words to express how glad my heart feels for Brother and Sister. Their suffering and trials are not over. It will take them another 9-12 months finish all the paperwork before they can relocate to Canada, but the process has been started. I'm thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to witness His provision and power through these circumstances. I am humbled, I doubted. But God is much bigger and greater than my doubt. He is a good God, and we are thankful for this great work He has done for our friends. Please continue to pray for Brother and Sister as they go through this process. Pray for their protection and for there to be no hangups with paperwork. Immigration to a country is a beuracratic mess, so we are praying for a smooth and painless processing of their case.
Thank you for continuing to follow our story as we seek to serve the Lord and His people here in Bangkok. We will continue to pray for those of you who are recovering from the hurricane. I hope this was the good distraction I intended it to be.