"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." Galatians 2:4-5 (ESV)
Ministry Update Counseling + Lahu Trainings update (from Jason)
I (Jason) have continued with encouraging the local
church to reach out to ones struggling with substance
abuse. A fellow co-worker (Yo-sha-pa), who works in
agricultural development in a few different Lahu and
Akha villages has a heart of compassion for ones that are
trying to live life with a chemical dependency.
I've been able to meet a few times with Yo-sha-pa and
discuss how to go about ministering the gospel to this
population. Recently, he has felt burdened for a husband/father that has found himself bound up in
the messy cage of a meth addiction. Yo-sha-pa has
asked for advice on what he should do to further the
relationship with this man. My reply was to continue in
relationship building with him and his family—showing
the warm welcome of Father's love, and that when our
love is genuine the next steps follow. We hope to travel
to this man’s village together and share a meal with
him, and slowly begin the process of walking
alongside. Showing that Christ is the “yes” in our quest
of finding meaning and deeper pleasures.
Jay has been able to do more teaching during the Foundations PET (Pastors, Evangelists, Trainers) Ministry, which is a ministry that offers monthly trainings for two years to Lahu people. A lot of the teaching is to help Lahu people to grow in their understanding of who God is and the gospel. Jay has been able to do one of the sessions on addiction ministries. This has been a great opportunity to encourage and equip Lahu believers to reach out to hurting people, and an opportunity for Jason to grow in this area of focus.
Family News School update (from Jenn)
Moriah and Isobel have been attending school since August and overall it's been a great experience! It is quite a shift from homeschooling but we are seeing them grow academically and socially in a Christian school environment. The spiritual climate at the school is AWESOME and this has been so encouraging after living pretty isolated for several years. I (Jenn) am volunteering at the school every day of the week (half days) and it's been great to get to know the staff and the parents. Isobel has made a best buddy named *Lily. Lily was born in Isaan (where we used to live) and her mom is Isaan. Jason and I have been able to spend some time getting to know the mom and Jason is enjoying speaking Isaan again. God is good, isn't He? Please pray for this relationship and that Lily's family would come to know Christ.
End of Year Giving
Our monthly gifts make up 60% of our yearly budget. We still need to raise the remaining 40% for the 2022 year. Please pray for the funds to come in!
Holy-days + Prayers for you With all that's gone on in the last few years and our not being able to come to the States to visit, we mean it when we say WE MISS YOU and so look forward to seeing you, whenever that is! We would love to hear about what you've been up to and how we can pray for you. Finally, we hope you have a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our Redeemer and Friend, Jesus!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Jason, Jenn, Moriah, Isobel & Titus
Praises 1. We received 100% of the funds we needed for this school year. Thank you for praying and giving!
Prayer Requests 1. One-time gifts and new monthly givers to join our team. We are currently at 60% of our support. 2. Ministry for addiction work would continue to grow and more materials for counseling will be produced in the Thai language. 3. The Holy Spirit would work in mighty ways during the PET trainings. 4. Strength to finish Masters classes. 5. Relationships with parents at the girls' school.
