Mango Season - March 2022

Greetings from Thailand! 

We are almost at the hottest time of the year. Instead of "Hot Season" we've always liked to call it "Mango Season" as that just sounds more delicious (and not so miserable!). We hope this update finds you and your loved ones well and finding your strength always in Him. 

Family News... International School/School openings Now on an American school schedule, we only have 6 weeks left until summer break! We are so thankful that it was possible for our girls to attend this year. Do you have a teaching/education background? Interest in missions? Any interest in moving to Thailand to make an impact in students' lives for a season of your life? The girls' school, Chiang Rai International Christian School (CRICS) is looking for teachers for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Please let us know if you have any questions! Here is CRICS website: https://crics.asia/

Ministry Update Counseling internship/Ministry with The Way Foundation- update from Jason 

Jason’s internship has been going well. He has been able to take on some counseling cases and started assisting in a monthly biblical counseling training for local believers. After the completion of the internship (May) Jason will begin his final class before graduating in July. We are all thankful for the opportunity to further education and excited for the closure of this chapter. Leadership transitions and internal re-structuring for the Way Foundation has recently come to completion.

The Way Foundation is now under indigenous (Lahu) leadership. Since the transition from western leadership to local, Jason has been asked to join the leadership team. He will serve as a liaison for the office and the foundation’s independent projects. Jason will also evaluate proposals of new ministries/projects that want to come under the foundation. Jason is getting more involved in the foundation's two main projects: PET (Pastors, Evangelists, Trainers) and D4D (Discipleship for Development). The PET program is a Bible teaching ministry; D4D is a holistic discipleship/community development project. It's based off the books Walking with the Poor and When Helping Hurts. D4D trainers from the US recently visited our team for training. Jason served as translator for both Thai and English for the 2.5 days of training, which was a new experience (a sink or swim type of situation!). Jason and a new young Lahu co-worker, Achi (future PET teacher), have begun to meet weekly with a senior missionary (founder and author of the PET curriculum) in order to learn the curriculum together. The PET curriculum has been very instrumental for Lahu people in understanding the Bible. Someday, we hope to get the material translated into Thai and revised in Lahu. To read more about The Way Foundation and its two main projects please visit: https://www.theway.foundation/ Thank you for taking the time to read the update. We are thankful for the prayers and financial support. May we all take this season to remember and meditate on Jesus’ words: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). 

Happy Resurrection Day! 

Jason, Jenn, Moriah, Isobel & Titus

Prayer Requests: 

1. Rhythms of rest, recreation, and renewal for both Jenn and Jason. 

2. Wisdom and time for Jason to put together addiction and recovery lessons for the PET and D4D programs. 

3. Good time for family rest during holiday in June. 

4. Wisdom and means for a visit to the USA. 

5. The Thai church would continue to be strengthened and grow in their knowledge of God and love for others.

End of Year Newsletter 2021

"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)

Sa-wat-dee-kha from Thailand! I hope that you will find this update encouraging and helpful as you pray for un-reached peoples around the world--that the nations would turn from their broken cisterns and learn to drink from the Spirit. 

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.

August 2021 Rainy Season Update

Greetings from RAINY Thailand! 

Dearest Family and Friends, We are now entering our 8th year in Thailand and granted a 1 year visa with the new foundation (The Way)! Some of you have partnered with us since the beginning and some have come along the way. We always had long-term missions in mind but it is through your support, prayers, and the Lord's sustaining grace that we have stayed on. Thank you for joining our family, we very much miss you! 

Family News... International School...here we come! When we moved to Chiang Rai, our desire was that our children would have friends they could see on are regular basis and that they would attend the international school. The Lord has provided them many friends...and just yesterday we received the news that now BOTH of the girls have been accepted into the school. (See crics.asia to view the school, called Chiang Rai International Christian School). Though a huge blessing, this is a huge SHOCK to us as we had not been accepted originally back in April and therefore didn't fundraise for their tuition. This is a pretty large jump in support for our family. Jenn will be volunteering at the school one day a week (lowers the tuition some), but the amount we have to raise is still significant. Will you join with us in praying for the funds to come in? If you specifically feel led to give, a giving card is provided or you can give online (www.cten.org/jasonbyers). 

Next US furlough/home assignment? Currently, it is still very difficult to get back into Thailand if we visited the States. Next tentative visit will be Summer 2022. We want to see you all IN PERSON!

Ministry Update Good Soil Community Center/ Covid/ Counseling Work + Lahu Trainings update (from Jason) 

I continue to volunteer at Good Soil Community Center (a project that is under the Way foundation) and work alongside the team as an English teacher. Jenn and the kids join when they can. The Covid situation here in Thailand is the worst that it's been. Rules and regulations are constantly changing, with the center closing and reopening several times. This can prove challenging to minister to the community that is very fearful. The team has been continuing to visit parents of some of the children, elderly, and the sick. This visitation has proven to be fruitful for the team. I am getting to know the guys at the Way Foundation (the new foundation we work under). Some of them have a heart for ministering to those stuck in addictive habits. Many have loved ones that have been caught in ongoing cycles of addiction for decades and have felt the grave effects. It is a privilege to come alongside these young men to encourage the process of forgiveness and healing. One young man in his early twenties, whose father has been struggling with meth and opioids for years, stated, “I have never been hugged by my father.” The emotional pain and cognitive confusion that takes place when the ordained protector of the house is physically present, but affectionately distant—rarely does that not leave deep cuts to the ones who yearned for his love. The young man continued by saying, “I want to help my dad. I think the drugs will kill him soon.” There is a young generation who have been affected by the drug pandemic here in Southeast Asia but have a desire to change it. It seems like the time for addiction counseling in the local Thai church is ripe. Join us in praying for the captives to be set free! I will soon be joining The Way's PET (Pastor, Evangelist, Trainers) project. This team provides monthly Biblical training for Lahu pastors and evangelists. I will be sharing at these trainings starting on August 2. Amid this Jason is continuing part-time with his Master’s degree work in Pastoral Counseling (Addictions and Recovery) and still hoping to be finished in 2022. 

Blessings, Jason, Jenn, Moriah, Isobel & Titus

Prayer Requests 

1. Funds for the school year and overall yearly support (we are roughly at 55% of our budgeted 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.

Chiang Rai update - March 2021 - Smokey Season

Hello from Chiang RAI!

Dearest Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. What a year it's been! We hope you can read this letter with a good cup of coffee or tea in hand!

Family Life/Next USA visit

update from Jenn:

We have now been in Chiang Rai for a few months and we are really enjoying our new town! Chiang Rai is a mountainous city and home to Northern Thai, many hill tribes (Akha, Lahu, to name a few) and to many expats. Our kids have been making friends and our girls are meeting with some other homeschool students for Thai classes and an Art class. We are now entering the HOT season (fondly known as “Mango season”) and we are also in what’s called “Smokey Season.” The air quality is at unhealthy levels so we are mainly indoors with air purifiers and special masks for when we go outside. This should stop sometime in May. Because of the Covid situation, we still have no idea when we’ll be able to return to the States for a visit. The process to get back into Thailand is very complicated, inconvenient, and expensive! We are trying to ride out this wave as the Lord gives us the grace to do so. We miss you and our families very much!

Ministry in CR

update from Jason

Training believers in addiction and recovery work

The first week in CR our family attended a Lahu church. Some of the men knew about my current counseling studies in addiction and recovery They are eager to talk about how to help drug users and their families among the Lahu people. Since the Lahu people have been overwhelmingly impacted by drug abuse, they have been praying for a recovery ministry to take place. Therefore, I (Jay) have been able to meet with three Lahu men and provide some basic training in addiction recovery. Our first session involved looking at some of the aspects of our inner man-cognitive, volitive, and affective-emphasizing that the goal is heart change, not just behavior modification. The second session we focused on counseling families who are impacted by addictions. For session three the guys have suggested that we create an action plan for ministry!

Good Soil Community Center (GSCC)

Good Soil Community Center (GSCC) is a new community center located in a Tai Yuan (Northern Thai) area. The Tai Yuan are the majority peoples in Northern Thailand and historically were the ones who set up the Lanna kingdom. Unlike many of the hilltribes, the Tai Yuan are unreached. Our family helps at the center two times a week. We help develop relationships and teach English during after school programs. I (Jay) have the role of getting to know the community, history, and needs.

Isaan Communities

To our surprise and joy, we have discovered a multitude of Isaan migrants living in CR; also, Isaan migrant communities that have settled in CR over sixty years ago and still function in Isaan language and culture. This discovery has opened opportunities to do some basic ethnographic records in these communities. This gives Jenn and I joy that we are still able to mobilize and work with Isaan peoples while living in CR.

The Lord be with you and keep you!

Jason & Jenn

Moriah, Isobel & Titus

Christmas 2020- On-our-way to Chiang Rai!

Seasons Greetings to our Family & Friends,

 By the time this letter gets to some of you, the holidays will be over and we will be settling in our new house. We are actually writing this letter as we are driving/moving  to Chiang Rai! We pray you had a Spirit filled Advent season and that you are continuing to find your joy and peace in Him alone. Here’s a little recap of this whirlwind of a year!

Kalasin, Thailand (Isaan):  In July of this year, we said good-bye to the area we’ve called “home” for the last several years. We are thankful for the time that God gave us there and also for the confirmation/peace to leave. These rural, unreached areas are often isolated and not easy places to live, but our experiences have taught us much!  We are thankful for technology and that we can still stay in touch with Bethlehem Church, Jason’s Lao student Mike, and our good friends/Thai teammates that are still there.

Chiang MAI Detour:  After not being able to move to Chiang RAI because of the Covid situation, we decided to move temporarily to Chiang MAI with our current foundation. Our kids THRIVED in Chiang Mai as they played with TCK friends and made good Thai friends at church. Jason was able to get in at a Christian English Center where he tutored/ministered to a Thai dating couple.  Because of the Covid situation, we met many Christian workers in CM that are waiting to return to their country of service or home country. We also have many friends still stuck in the States and still unable to return to Thailand. Please pray for these displaced workers/families as they continue to ride this uncertain wave.

Chiang RAI:  With Covid restrictions, we still are unable to change our visas and help out at the international school. However, our foundation found another avenue for us to move to Chiang Rai on our current visa! Jason will be working with The Way Foundation in the meantime. The Way has many projects among Northern Thai peoples. Jason will work at their “Good Soil” Community Center and do some ethnographic research on one of the Isaan groups in a neighboring district. Please pray for us as we start over in this new region!

Family update: Moriah is in 4^th grade and has enjoyed dance and gymnastics this past year. Isobel loves practicing her ninja skills and loves Science. Titus loves dinosaurs, trips to 7-11 and playing with/antagonizing his big sisters.  Jenn continues to homeschool the girls and enjoyed being in an English speaking Bible study while in Chiang Mai.

 Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we serve in Thailand.

Blessings on you and your loved ones!

Jason, Jenn, Moriah, Isobel and Titus

                                       

MOVING TO NORTHERN THAILAND

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope you all are hanging in there during these interesting times. Overall, we are doing well. We were supposed to be in the States right now but we cancelled our trip and we are still here at home in Kalasin, Thailand. The COVID cases in Thailand have significantly lowered this last month, but Thailand remains in a state of emergency.

We have some sad and exciting news. This month we will be moving on to a new chapter of our ministry in Thailand. We have spent most of our time living in the Northeast region (Isaan) since 2014. As our kids are getting older, providing for their social and educational experience in an isolated region has become very difficult. Jenn and I have worked hard to try to find solutions that would meet our family’s needs and allow us to continue to live in the Isaan region, but to no avail. We have felt that God has shut the door on Isaan and allowed us to move on.

I was accepted in March as a part-time teacher at CRICS (Chiang Rai International Christian School) in Chiang Rai province. Our family would have the international community and ability to serve missionary families for the next 2 years. In the meantime, I would continue to complete the Masters degree in Pastoral Counseling and we would be seeking Thai ministry opportunities for our family to serve in. But Covid-19 has put these plans on pause. In order to teach at the school, we have to acquire new visas in a different country and enter back into Thailand. This is almost impossible at the time being, with facing 14 day quarantine in the country we cross in to (say Laos), then 14 day quarantine in Thailand, and many other challenging requirements.

In light of all of this, we have decided to move up North to Chiang MAI. We will continue to work with our current organization, FCF (The Family Connection Foundation) until borders open up/when it’s a wise time to make a move to Chiang Rai. We are very thankful for FCF’s kindness and their leadership! We are already familiar with this city, as both Isobel and Titus were born there and we spent 6 months there in 2016/2017.

Please pray for us. Moving out of the Isaan region is a big move. And though we are excited for what’s ahead (especially for our kids), we are sad to say good-bye to our friends and church family here.

Please send us an update on how you’re doing and how we can be praying for you!

-Jason & Jenn
Moriah, Isobel & Titus

Byers Spring 2020 Update

Dear Friends & Family,
 

Byers Family Financial Update

Over the years we have been very blessed by faithful, ongoing financial support from many of you, THANK YOU! As we have come in to this new year, we have realized that though our monthly giving is steady and makes up a large portion of our budget, we are lacking in our pool of one-time gifts that will carry us through the year.  Titus is now an extra plane ticket, our Christian Healthcare sharing ministry will go up in April, and our aging cars are very frequently in the shop for repair (thankfully repair here does not cost much!). Eventually we will need to raise money for a more reliable vehicle that can travel long distances. We know God is able and will provide for all our needs as He has in the past!
 

We ask that you prayerfully consider giving to our ministry this spring, either by a one-time gift or monthly giving. Our online link is www.cten.org/jasonbyers.  To send by check, please see bottom of email. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: lukafour@gmail.com (Jason) or mrs.jenn.byers@gmail.com (Jenn)

Student Story
 

 “They all just need to believe in the one God who loves them!”

By now my ears are perked, my heart somewhat shocked, and I’m thinking, “Did she just say that?!”

Thank you for joining us as we are using English tutoring to connect with college students at Kalasin University. There are two students who are very keen to develop their English skills. One is a Kalasin local that we call “Jessica.”

Jessica speaks English very well. Therefore, we can dive into deeper topics, such as depression, suicide, family life and so on. Gradually, I have been able to introduce Jessica to some key elements of the Christians faith, such as monotheism, intelligent design and divine love. During our discussion on potential root causes of suicide, to my surprise, she zealously proclaimed, “They all just need to believe in the one God who loves them!”  Coming from a girl who only has contact with maybe three Christians (myself, my coworker Neung and possibly another student on campus), appeared to me as evidence that God is doing something in her life. May the Lord continue to use simple means like English tutoring to reveal Himself to the unreached! Please pray for Jessica!

We thank you our friends and supporters for continuing with us in the work in Isaan!
 
In Christ,
Jason & Jenn
Moriah, Isobel & Titus

 

Family Update

The kids are doing well. Moriah is in the home stretch of her 3rd grade year, loves her new dance class and drawing. Isobel is learning to read, enjoys math, and loves doing dance class with big sister. Titus is a busy 2 year old, loves chasing the cat, climbing, and fixing things with his tool kit. Jenn continues to homeschool the girls, study the Thai Bible and exercise.
 
We love getting snail mail, so if you or your kids want to write letters to our kids (or us), please do!
 
Jason Byers Family
66/2 Saneha
T: Kalasin A: Mueang
Kalasin 46000
THAILAND
 
Birthdays: Titus- Jan 31, Moriah-Feb 9, Izzy-June 11