The LORD has given me recent opportunities to teach the story of creation in Thai to a group of four women, three of whom are very mature in the faith and are moving towards leadership in the body of believers. They learned the story and seem ready to share it with others! In January, I will begin teaching again, but this time to women who have just left the sex industry and have very little, if any, knowledge of Jesus and what He has done for them. I am so privileged to be able to share with them about the Savior Who loves them so much!
Prayer Necessities:
1. Please ask that God would grant me wisdom to know how to craft the stories specifically for this group of ladies who know nothing about Him. The stories need to be easy enough for them to understand and learn but without watering down the truth that can change their lives. Please pray that I would devise them well.
2. Pray for the women who will learn these stories, that their hearts and minds would be open to the Truth as it is presented to them. Pray that the god of this age, who blinds the minds of unbelievers, would be bound and unable to perform his work on them as they come face-to-face with the One True and Living God.
3. Pray for the nation of Thailand during a time of great political unrest and violent government opposition. Pray that the uncertainties will cause many to question their Buddhist beliefs and come to trust in the One True God and in Jesus Christ, Whom He has sent.
Inquiring Minds Wanna Know:
For five years now, I have been privileged to be prayerfully and financially supported by Southern Baptists (and a few others as well) through the International Mission Board (IMB). I've realized that I don't do a very good job of communicating my thankfulness for your sacrificial giving or in expressing how this process works, and I wanted to do so now.
First, let's keep in mind the task that we have: To go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). Currently, the world is just shy of 7 billion people. Did you know that more than half of those, nearly 4 billion people, have no or limited access to the Good News about Jesus? The IMB, the largest missionary-sending agency in the US, currently has about 5000 missionaries serving in 134 countries around the world. That's not nearly enough to accomplish the Great Commission, but it's a pretty good start.
Second, your giving allows those 5000 missionaries to go forth and concentrate fully on accomplishing the task they've been given, without worrying about how to feed and clothe their families. Your giving provides for that for each of us. You provide for our medical care, our visas, our language study, our housing, our transportation. The IMB is the ONLY missionary-sending agency that provides fully for its missionaries in this way. I can't begin to express how thankful I am to you for what you give so that I can be here doing what God has called me to do.
But the most important thing of all is that your giving allows ministry to happen. Your giving provides Bibles to those who don't have them, provides for disaster relief in events like the recent typhoon in the Philippines, provides for us to get to those who need to hear. Your giving funds getting the Gospel to those hard-to-reach places where we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
So are you wondering how this all works? I hope so because I want to explain it a bit. :)
If you are a Southern Baptist who gives regularly to your church, a portion of that typically goes to the Cooperative Program. Each church determines its individual giving to the Cooperative Program, so I can't give you exact numbers for your local church, but I can tell you this: Half of Cooperative Program funds go to the IMB. That amount makes up about 30% of the IMB's operating budget each year.
So where does the rest of the money come from? Well, I'm glad you asked. :)
Have you ever heard of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering? If not, then I haven't done my job very well, and neither has your church if you are Southern Baptist. :)
The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is named for one of the first Southern Baptist missionaries, a lady who died of complications of long-term starvation after serving in China for 39 years. She gave her food to the people to whom she ministered and died at 72. She was a heroine of the faith, and I get to stand on her giant shoulders in going now.
Every year, this offering is collected in December and 100% of it goes to support IMB missionaries on the field. Not one cent of it is used for overhead expenses or anything other than direct support of field personnel. This offering is the heart and soul of our support.
For the last several years, despite a pitiful economy in the US, you have continued to give faithfully to Lottie Moon. I am so grateful for your sacrifice, and I think about it every time I have an expense that needs to be paid, knowing that others have made the sacrifice so that I can be here. It is humbling, and I want to honor your faithfulness by being a good steward of the funds you have entrusted to me. Thank you.
If you are interested in giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering, there are several ways you can do so:
1. Give directly to your local church. It is almost certain that your church has a Lottie Moon goal for this year, and this is a good way to help them meet it.
2. Give online directly to the IMB. Click on the Lottie Moon page. The gift is tax-deductible and can be made in any amount.
3. Give to a specific IMB project here in Southeast Asia or in another part of the world. Click on the strategic projects page and browse to find the right project to which you would like to donate.
4. Give while you shop online at Amazon.com. Click on this specific Amazon Smile link, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. This is such an easy and great way to give to the task.
Together, we will get the job done and will see Christ's Kingdom established here on earth. Let's keep our eyes focused on eternal things, and persevere!
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| Thanks from Riley and me for your faithful giving! |
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