Posted on Feb 29, 2016 in Burma, Cambodia, Laos, News, Thailand | Tags: 10/40 window, corazones en fuego, Cross Street Mission team, discipleship, evangelism, fisher of men, fishers of men, great commission, Indigenous missions, Jim Randall, Message Ministries, messageministries and missions, mission quotes, Missions, peru missions, prefab homes, southeast asia, unreached people groups, upg, upg's
SE ASIA MISSION by Brian Weller
Phil Kurpe and I riding in a Songteaw.
On our recent trip to Southeast Asia, God continued to open my eyes to the spiritual and practical needs of the 10/40 Window. There is such a need for the gospel to go forth. These people must hear about Jesus Christ. There are so many people needing practical help to in that part of the world, from the desperately poor inhabitants of the slums of Pnomh Penh to the countless children being trafficked in all of these countries.
On our visit to these dark places, we were privileged and honored to work with Jim Randall once again. Jim has a great love and passion for the Lord and for helping indigenous pastors and missionaries reach their countries with the Gospel.
He took Phil Kurpe and I on a very busy missions adventure, in which we visited four countries – Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. We traveled by plane, Tuk Tuk, songteaws, bus, and truck.
CAMBODIA with James Sann
 James Sann and I, in the Andong Village slum community in Pnomh Penh. |
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We started in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with James Sann. James took us to the slum communities where he ministers around the garbage dumps.
This was my third visit to the Steung Meanchey slum community and my first visit to the Andong Village slum community, which isn’t too far away. These areas are desperately poor and in dire need of the hope that can only come through Jesus Christ.
In the picture on the right you can see that people live over the stagnant water. When we were there it was dry season so the conditions weren’t all that bad, but it was still infested with disease-carrying mosquitoes. By Gods grace and the donations of our mission supporters we were able to provide mosquito nets for 200 more families. We want to help James continue to reach these dear people!
THAILAND, MYANMAR & LAOS
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A village transformed by Jesus Christ
and the Power of God!
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We visited the children’s home that we support in Laos and visited two others in Myanmar.We are not able to show pictures of those for security reasons. We also were able to meet up with a couple of the indigenous missionaries that we support on a monthly basis.
David S. of Free to Serve ministries has a very fruitful ministry of discipling and training indigenous pastors, evangelists, and missionaries which they send out into Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and China. We will be working with them more, and seeking to raise support for these indigenous missionaries. If you would like to help, you can fully support one of these missionary families for only $100 a month. We have seen their ministries firsthand and they are doing some amazing work.While with David we visited a village outside of Chiang Rai, Thailand that they’ve reached with the Gospel. They went and preached Jesus, prayed for the sick, and the sick were healed. In response to that, the witch doctor committed his life to the Lord and others followed. They have established a local church there and sent in one of their missionary pastors to disciple the people there. Our hope is to help them build a building that could act as a meeting place for the church and a home for the Thai missionary pastor.
The cost would be about $4500. Please write us if you would like to help with that need.
MAE SOT, THAILAND
Human Trafficking on the Border
ONE AREA ON THE BORDER WHERE HUMAN TRAFFICKING TAKES PLACE
We had the opportunity to visit Mae Sot, Thailand which is right on the border of Myanmar (Burma). We met with Lana V. of Life Impact International, a ministry she started that rescues children and youth from human trafficking. She has an amazing story of faith and courage and is an inspiration to be around. She took us to a location on the border of Thailand and Myanmar where a lot of human trafficking takes place. My heart was broken to hear first hand stories of what was going on there.
Later that day, we met many children, youth and young adults who have been rescued from human trafficking by Lana and this very amazing ministry. What really touched my heart about this ministry is that their lives have been transformed by the Love of God. They aren’t just being rescued out of something – they are being rescued into the loving arms of their Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That night, as we ministered to the children, youth and young adults, I didn’t see broken people in need of a transformation in front of me. I saw a group that had been transformed by God’s love. I truly was blessed and amazed! The fruit of this ministry was obvious.
They were sitting right in front of us.
MINISTRY TIME AT ONE OF THE LIFE IMPACT CHILDREN’S HOMES
I believe we will be working more with Life Impact Intl. in the future. We had an awesome time ministering to the youth, although going through two translators was something I will need to get used to in the future. They translated from English to Thai, and from Thai to Burmese. I was pleasantly surprised that some of the Burmese youth were quoting the scriptures out loud from memory as they were being read by the translator. Like us, this ministry desires to disciple and send youth and young adults out to the neighboring nations with the gospel. Please pray for them.
While we were there Jim Randall trained their staff of 54. This ministry is growing and is looking for ways to be more fruitful and to prepare for growth. Jim is gifted at helping people and ministries get to the next level. He actually returned a week after we left to do more training.
PERU MISSIONS UPDATE
Corazones en Fuego Discipleship Group – Leadership Team
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The 2016 Corazones en Fuego leadership team
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The whole ministry in Peru is strong and going forward at a fast pace under the leadership of a great group of leaders. They are of one heart and are in constant communication with each other and our home office.
We are all excited to report that our Corazones en Fuego (Hearts on Fire) Discipleship Training Ministry is back up and running again in Peru. These youth and youth leaders come from some of the churches that we work with and they are being trained to help reach their nation with the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are also being trained to help train other young leaders. We believe this ministry is going to grow and be stronger than ever before. Pastor Jose and Amanda Amaya started CEF many years ago in their home and are leading it once again. We are expecting exciting things from these youth and leaders in the next year and in the years to come. Please pray for the Corazones en Fuego group.
JIM RANDALL MISSION UPDATE
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| Brian Weller and I with a Thai Village Pastor |
Hello from Southeast Asia.
I have been very busy for the past couple of months. I have been in Cambodia three times, in Laos and Myanmar once, northern and western Thailand twice each. I have spent little time in Chiang Mai.
I had to leave the country before the first of the year to re-enter Thailand so that I could apply for a new Retirement Visa. After two days of red tape, I received a three-month visa. I will need to re-apply next month and will be given a one-year visa. I will also need to buy another multiple re-entry permit. The visa and re-entry permit cost around $300. It’s all part of the cost of doing the Lord’s work.
I was in Cambodia and northern Thailand doing pastor training for national pastors. They have no time for formal Bible School so this is the best way for them to learn the Bible and become more effective for the Kingdom of God. In Thailand, they come mostly from Myanmar and Laos. It takes time when you have multiple interpreters. In Cambodia, some of the pastors are illiterate so they have to listen carefully. It is interesting to watch them listen. Pol Pot killed all the educated people in Cambodia in the mid to late 1970’s so for a generation after that, there were almost no teachers.
I will return to Vietnam to do more pastor training for a week beginning on 14 March. I will meet with the pastor who has translated my leadership booklets and arrange for printing. A missionary has already committed to buy 500 of each title. These booklets will help to multiply the lessons I teach and raise up more effective leaders. I will either sell the booklets at cost, to help pay for the next printing, or just give them away. If you would like to help with the printing cost, please let me know.
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Teaching at a Burmese Church.
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I was in Western Thailand twice in the past few weeks at Life Impact International. They have a ministry that rescues children from prostitution and slavery along the border with Myanmar. Tribal children are often sold because their parents can’t care for them. Some are drug addicts and sell their kids for a few dollars for more drugs. I went to take Brian Weller to minister to the kids there and they got me to do some staff training while I was there. The leader immediately asked me to come back for a week. I was with them all last week and will go again soon to develop a leadership training program. They have a staff of 54 people, from Burma and Thailand. God has given the leader, Lana Vasquez, great favor with the government. She has the same authority as the police to go into any place on the Thai side of the border to rescue children who are being sold and used. She is the only non-Thai person with that kind of authority. The kids at her facility are full of life as the healing power of God transforms their lives through the ministry received there. I have seen LOTS of children’s homes in this part of the world and life Impact has a program worth imitating. Lana’s work is so successful that she has been asked to go to Brazil to set up some homes there. She wants her staff well trained before she thinks about going.
I will return to the US in May for the birth of Stephanie’s second child, a boy this time. I fill the role that a mom usually fills because her mother died in 1999. I will look after her and the family for a couple of weeks till she is up to it herself. I will go to Texas and Alabama to visit family and friends there. I have been asked to go to Colorado Springs meet people at a Missions Conference. It would be really beneficial in making connections for BAM Nigeria. We just had a conference call yesterday with people from Asia, Africa and the US planning for projects in Nigeria and a BAM Conference in October.
Thanks for praying for me and for supporting me so that I can expand the Kingdom of God through training and mentoring leaders in Asia and Africa. Honestly, If I had had this kind of training 20 years ago, I would have been much more effective. One person says it is like the difference between a hammer and a nail gun. I do lots of training here in Thailand as well as coaching and mentoring leaders locally as well as via Skype. Thanks for supporting me financially so that I can help them do what God has asked them to do. Every bit helps because I am doing LOTS more travel. Having been a missionary most of my life, my SSI check is small but it covers my living expenses. Missions donations are all used for travel expenses, training materials and ministry expenses. Also, please pray for continued good health.
God Bless, Jim
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