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August 2022 Building Update

Greetings from Thailand, August 2022

Special Building Update. Our building project is still progressing very slowly. We sit at $95,000 as of August and praise the Lord for the many contributions, both large and small. We are, however, still short about $70,000. These figures are not taking into account the current strength of the dollar which gives us almost 20% more buying power at present. We desire to finish this project by the end of the year and are asking you to help us reach our goal by making a special gift or pledge as soon as possible. This project seems insurmountable, but we know that the Lord can provide. 

A question that is often asked concerns how we will purchase the property. I assure you, this property will not be purchased by an individual or group of individuals. The property will be purchased in the name of our foundation and therefore, cannot be sold by any individual for gain. Our foundation is audited by the Thai government yearly to ensure our receipts and expenditures are properly accounted for. As an additional safeguard, the Thai government requires a board of directors who are registered with the Thai government. Our board consists of both foreign and Thai Christians who are responsible for the actions of the foundation. Our Thai board members are long standing members of the New Life Baptist Church and are all college graduates. I know there can be a distrust of funding a property allocated for national use, but we have taken every safeguard to ensure the proper use of all funds with or without our presence. 

We have an unofficial deadline of the end of the year to purchase this property. We are pursing other avenues, such as vacant land where we could build our own facility, or other appropriate existing structures. Nothing comparable to the building we desire to buy has presented itself as yet. 

If the Lord burdens you about helping with this much needed project, please send a special offering to the Central Missionary Clearinghouse https://cmcmissions.org/donate in our name, designated “Building Fund” or contact me to let me know of a pledge via email or phone (stateside number 864-561-5217). The completion of this project will be a huge factor in the long term viability of this church plant and secure the financial stability of this church for years to come.  Please pray with us that the Lord’s will be done. 

Your missionaries,

Michael & Francisca Frederick

Thailand

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Frederick Update from Thailand May 2022

Greetings from Thailand, May 2022

Building Update. The building fund fund has been going rather slowly, but I can honestly say that we have placed this in the Lord’s hands and are content to wait for His provision.  We have had several churches and individuals give recently, for which we are very grateful. A sister church in a neighboring province has been taking special offerings for us and recently presented us with $800 toward our building. As of today we are at $87,000 of the $165,000 needed.  It is great to be over halfway, but we still have a loooong way to go. If the Lord burdens you about helping with this much needed project, please send a special offering to the Central Missionary Clearinghouse https://cmcmissions.org/donate in our name, designated “Building Fund” or contact me to let me know of a pledge via email or phone (stateside number 864-561-5217). We are actively looking at other properties and the possibility to build our own facility. We have seen nothing as cost effective or with as good a location as the property we are pursuing, but we are ever watchful.  

Bible Institute. The Bible Institute is preparing for our fourth graduation ceremony in June. The school is growing in enrollment, with two more new students applying to study online. Our current enrollment is thirteen students. I am sure there will be some attrition as time goes on, but it is exciting to see the growth, not just numerically, but in the range of locations students are studying form. 

Pastor. Pastor Dtom was installed as co-pastor in February and is doing a great job thus far. He has some great new ideas about developing the men of the church and has been managing the day to day tasks of the church efficiently and appropriately. This has mostly freed me (Mike) to place most of my emphasis on the Bible School. It is exciting to see what the future holds for Pastor Dtom and New Life Baptist Church

Prayer Requests: Please pray for several unsaved who are coming to services regularly. Especially the man whose family are all saved and he continues to come faithfully but still won’t accept the Lord. Also pray for two members who are starting to stray because of sinful desires. I hope you understand that I do not use names to respect their privacy. Also continue to pray for our building project and for the students is the Bible school to be faithful 

Your missionaries,

Michael & Francisca Frederick

Thailand

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February 2022 Update

February 2022

Greetings from Thailand,

Building Update: Great News!  We were able to contact the seller of the building directly and it turns out he is a Christian! He offered to sell us the building at the previous price of approximately $165,000.  He promised to not raise the price for us this year. In addition, he has offered to pay the transfer fees which will be about $3000. This is great news as we are at $80,000 towards purchasing this property.  We are halfway there!  As an aside, after sharing the price increase with a supporting pastor, he said he would pray that the Lord would reduce the price, to which I scoffed that, “this is Thailand, that never happens.” Two days later the owner agreed to the old price!  Sometimes we need to be reminded who is on the throne!  We would love to be able to finish this project in the coming months. We are ready as the Lord provides the remaining $80,000. If you are interested in helping us purchase this building by the end of the year, you can send special offerings of any amount via PayPal https://paypal.me/thaimissions?locale.x=en_US or direct a donation to Central Missionary Clearinghouse (our preferred method)  https://cmcmissions.org/donate or contact me to let me know of a pledge via email or phone (stateside number 864-561-5217). 

New Life Baptist Church. February 25th we had an ordination service for Dtom. He was unanimously approved and moves into the position of associate pastor. We will co-pastor for the coming future to help him transition into the role of pastor. There are numerous cultural hurdles that we must pass in order for him to have legitimacy; especially in the community. This was an exciting time for our church. Missionaries and pastors from throughout Thailand honored us by attending this special event. One missionary described it as “actually seeing Big Foot.” 

Please pray for us to have wisdom during these difficult times of ministry, to be faithful in God’s appointed task, and not be weary in well-doing.

Your missionaries,

Michael & Francisca Frederick

Thailand

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January 2022 Update

January 2022

Greetings from Thailand,

Building Update: As of January 1, the Lord has provided over $76,000 towards our building need of  $165,000. The realtor notified us of the seller’s plan to raise the cost by about $30,000 soon. We are ready to make the purchase as soon as the Lord provides. We are waiting to see what the new price will be and what our options are. If you are interested in helping us purchase this building by the end of the year, you can send special offerings can be given via PayPal https://paypal.me/thaimissions?locale.x=en_US or directing a donation to Central Missionary Clearinghouse https://cmcmissions.org/donate or contact me to let me know of a pledge via email or phone (stateside number 864-561-5217). 

Bible Institute. We have been working with other missionaries to try and expand the Bible school and after many months of preparation and planning, we are expanding to include a learning center in another province as well as several more online students. It is exciting to see the expansion. Please pray with us that the classes will be helpful for training nationals across Thailand and be a source of strengthening local churches.

Foundation. There have been some administrative glitches which have delayed the first missionary to come from overseas to work with our foundation. Nothing that is a permanent roadblock, only the typical bureaucratic minutiae typical with immigration departments around the world.  Lord willing, she will arrive to start her language learning and ministry in Chaiyaphum province soon. The lessons learned in acquiring her visa and work permit will pave the way for many others who are currently raising support in the Philippines to come to Thailand. 

Church. February 25th we will have an ordination ceremony for Dtom. He has assumed almost all of the pastoral responsibilities. We welcome any letters or video congratulating him. They can be sent via email. 

Please pray for us to have wisdom during these difficult times of ministry, to be faithful in God’s appointed task, and not be weary in well-doing. Thank you for faithfully standing with us as we reach the Thai people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Your missionaries,

Michael & Francisca Frederick

Thailand

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September 2021 Update

Greetings,

Building Fund: After a little more than two months we are excited to report that we are a little over $30,000 of our $165,000 goal. We are making progress. We still have four months to try to raise the remaining funds before the price potentially goes up. As I stated in our last letter, if your church would like to participate, feel free to contact me with a pledge. We will then contact those that have pledged to transfer funds once we are ready to purchase. 

Bible Institute. Another student is on the home stretch and will be ready to graduate in the spring of 2022. The term which just started includes 11 students who have registered to study with us from around Thailand. We are doing a combination live/on-line class this term. Our graduate from last year, Dtom, has just completed recording an intro to the Bible class that will be used for incoming students. 

 Ministry: COVID, COVID, COVID.  I know everyone is tired of hearing those words. We are as well. We have been closing and doing online services, opening for in person services, then starting the rotation again. We had to cancel our yearly family camp again and our outreach has been severely impacted. It is getting tiring, but we are so thankful for the faithfulness of our members. To date we haven’t lost anyone and in a certain sense the situation has drawn people closer together. One area of ministry we are working on is using our foundation to facilitate new missionaries coming to Thailand. There are several Filipino families waiting for the COVID situation to ease in order to come to Thailand and begin ministry here. They will obtain visas and work permits through our foundation which will make the costs of moving and living in Thailand more bearable for them. In preparation for this, we have started three new branches around the country.  

Health: I (Mike) had my one year checkup after my heart attack last year and am happy to report that the doctor gave me a clean bill of health. My heart function is on the low side of normal, but the doctor was pleased with the results. It is a relief to have a good report.

How to Help: You can pray for us and the ministry here. Please pray specifically for the man who has been coming to church for over 6 years but has yet to be saved. Pray for our two teen girls who faithfully come, but are very lonely (one is 13 the other 18). Because they are Christians, the other kids at school tend to shun them and it is difficult making friends. Please pray that we will be able to restart outreach ministry soon. Lastly, pray about the building project.  Time is moving quickly and we don’t have much time left. If you can help us to secure this great property, you can give via PayPal https://paypal.me/thaimissions?locale.x=en_US , directly to our missions clearinghouse Central Missionary Clearinghouse https://cmcmissions.org/donate , or please contact us with what you would like to pledge to the project.  I am happy to answer any questions about this project via email or phone at 864-561-5217 (12 hours ahead of Central Daylight Time). My sending pastor, Mike Jones of Grace Baptist Church, Panama City, FL would happily answer any questions as well via email pastor.gbcpc@gmail.com or phone (850) 818-3883. 

Sowing the seed together,

Michael & Francisca Frederick

Thailand

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Why is it so Expensive?

property in Thailand is not as cheap as imagined. In Chiang Mai, property is amazingly high considering the average monthly wage. The building we are trying to purchase was originally selling for over $200,000 but has been reduced to $165,000 because of COVID and a glut of properties on the market. While this still seems high, similar properties are selling for 200,000-300,000 dollars. When looking for a potential lot/building, we were frustrated because fo the very high costs. An empty of similar size lot across the street (within 1/2 kilometer of our proposed property) sold over over $300,000 a few years ago. So as you can see, this property is a great deal!

to give, you can give an offering of any size (every bit helps) through

Central Missionary Clearinghouse

or directly through PayPal

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Purchase Church Facilities

We have recently started a project to raise funds to purchase a building for our church. New Life Baptist Church was started in 2004 and has been in the same location since 2006. The membership has been faithful for many years. As the church moves into the last phase of becoming an autonomous church we desire to alleviate the burden of monthly rent by purchasing a building. leave the church with a building, free and clear. In order to see this vision become a reality we are moving in a two pronged approach. First, New Life Baptist Church of Chiang Mai is doing a fundraising campaign to encourage the membership to give towards the project. Our goal is to raise 1,000,000 Baht (about US$35,000). These funds will be used to renovate and make necessary repairs on the building. The second prong is asking churches in the US to contribute towards the purchase of the building. The current price of $165,000 is guaranteed until the end of the year. This is a great opportunity for our church and we are excited about how the Lord will work in this program.

You can donate through our mission clearinghouse https://cmcmissions.org/donate Or via PayPal

You can find out more detailed information on the Purchase FAQ page

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June 2021 Update

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June 2021

Dear praying partners,                           

Greetings from Thailand. We have a fabulous opportunity to purchase a building and plot of land that is perfect for our church. We are hoping to find a way to purchase this land as soon as possible, as the Lord leads.  

Several years ago, we realized that the cost of our rent (about $450 a month) could be allocated towards a pastor’s salary if we had a debt-free building. As a result, we started a building fund several years ago, but real estate prices continue to increase in Thailand and our goals shift further away. Two shophouses similar to what we currently rent typically cost over $250,000. Needless to say, we’ve been discouraged.

However, due to COVID, several lots have come for sale, many at reduced prices. For example, two shophouses (still smaller than where we currently rent) are for sale for $270,000, reduced from $300,000. Last week, we saw a building and lot for sale (used previously as a church building, since closed) for sale for only $175,000. After we inquired about the price, we found that it has reduced to $165,000. It is located in our district so we would be still reaching the same neighborhoods and it’s as large as the facility we currently rent and has better parking. The building is conveniently located, close to the main highway and across the street from a major landmark. In short, it is a fantastic property at a fantastic price. Unfortunately, although we can hold title to the property as a church, we cannot obtain financing. A cash sale is our only option.

We have diligently tried to keep our ministry expenses at a level where they will not prove to be a burden to the local congregation, in keeping with our goal to plant a local, reproducing New Testament church in Thailand. As a result, the church takes care of 100% of all the recurring expenses. We have saved $6,000 over several years toward a future land/building purchase. With our average church member making about $500 per month, raising $160,000 is likely out of reach for us. To secure the future we are asking for your gifts and prayers in acquiring this property.

It is not a coincidence that my preaching schedule has brought me to Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand. Jesus used the little lad’s lunch to feed many. We likewise have brought our meager resources to the Lord asking Him to use them as He sees fit so this small lighthouse of hope can stand for many years after our passing.

Attached are our initial pictures of the property. I am scheduling a Facebook live session for Saturday at 8 PM Central Time. You can access the event at https://fb.me/e/1wJoEcAlD.  You can also access the event on our Facebook page. I will send more information as well as some video footage later.

Please send all donations of any amount to Central Missionary Clearinghouse https://cmcmissions.org/donate under our name (a note can be added that it is for building fund).

God Bless you and thank you for your continued support and prayers,

Mike & Francis Frederick

www.thaimissions.org  

facebook.com/thaimissions.org   

mike@thaimissions.org    864-561-5217

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Figure 1 Office, at front of the building

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Figure 2  Main Auditorium.  Twice the capacity as our current building

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Figure 3  Main Auditorium platform.

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Figure 4  One of three large classrooms

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Figure 5  Large kitchen.

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Figure 6   Building front.  On a major road.  Plenty of parking in back

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Frederick December 2020 Prayer Update

December 2020

Dear praying partners,                             

First of all, Frances and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas. It is such a blessing to know that the Lord made way for us to be reconciled to Him.  COVID lockout update: The year is coming to a close, and we are still no closer to returning to Thailand.  The government has opened the country for select visa classes, but our visa category is still not permitted return. We continue to wait. It is easy to complain, but we have seen the Lord work in our delay. We have been able to raise some much-needed support, hopefully, encourage the churches we have visited, and we have had time with our family. We have reported to most of our supporting churches in the last two years but would be happy to visit if y desire. My stateside number is 864-561-5217. Until we are ready to return to Thailand, Mike is also available for pulpit supply if needed.

Ministry in Thailand: The ministry continues in Thailand, thanks to Dtom’swillingness to be used by the Lord. Even with COVID-19 and the many social restrictions in place, the church managed to have our annual family camp in October. The church’s sixteenth anniversary was celebrated in November. There weren’t many visitors, but it was a time of encouragement to see how the Lord has worked in many lives. The membership will celebrate Christmas with our annual Christmas party as well as Christmas caroling on Christmas day. Mike teaches weekly in the church through online video. While not ideal, technology is a real blessing and makes the distance easier to tolerate. Outreach ministry has been severely hampered. Despite this, there have been several visitors.

A group of people posing for a photo Description automatically generatedBible Institute: Mike has recently finished the Bible school term. The next semester begins in January via zoom until we can return. We have partnered with a sister church (30 minutes away) to help train future leaders. Weare blessed to be able to work together for the Lord’s purpose.

Travels: This fall, we have maintained a fairly busy travel schedule. We have had three more churches partner with us in our ministry to Thailand. We are now about 80% supported. Unfortunately, the dollar has dropped another 10% against the Thai Baht. If you have a church that you’d like to suggest we contact, please send the information to us.

Health: Mike had a follow-up with the Heart doctor, and all is well. The doctor wasn’t concerned and gave mike has a clean bill of health. We finally got the bill! $120,000, the majority of which was covered by our military insurance! Almost to the day that we got the bill Crow Baptist Church in Beaver, WV called and asked if we needed any help. They covered a significant part of the expense, with the remainder paid for by Trident Baptist Church in Charleston, SC, and the generous love offerings of the churches we have visited. As of right now, we owe nothing. Praise the Lord.

Prayer Requests.  Salvation: The husband of a member who has been attending for six years. Family and friends of church members. Those contacted in various outreach ministries. Fruit from Christmas outreach activities. Faithfulness: Pray for the Bible students to continue steadfast in their studies. Especially pray for Dtom that the Lord would give him wisdom and perseverance in leading the church. Pray for a new couple in our church for spiritual growth in being newly married but separated as they wait for her visa to the USA to be approved. Please also pray for other Thailand missionary families and us as we wait for Thailand to allow our return.

May the Lord bless you richly as you continue to serve Him,

Mike & Francis Frederick

www.thaimissions.org  Facebook: thaimissions.org  

mike@thaimissions.org    864-561-5217

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October 2020 Update

October 2020

Dear praying partners,                             

Current Situation: Several months have passed, and we are no closer to returning to Thailand than when we arrived. We are patiently (sort of) waiting on the Lord to re-open our country so we can quickly return. Although impatient, the Lord is still in control. Events like this make us keenly aware of His sovereignty and the necessity for us simply to wait on the Lord. We are so thankful for Sumter Baptist Temple, allowing us to stay in their missions home rent-free. This generous assistance has been a tremendous blessing as it removes financial pressures and gives us a bit of normalcy. Although we have recently visited most of our supporting churches, we can report if you desire. My stateside number is 864-561-5217. Mike can also provide an extended pulpit supply if needed.

Ministry in Thailand: Dtom, who has been watching the church since May, has done a great job. He was supposed to start apprenticing at the beginning of 2021, but the Lord has allowed him to begin earlier under “real world” conditions. The church family has responded well to his leadership, and it is a blessing to report that attendance is up, and the faithful are still faithful. It is a shame that he has yet to receive his Bible diploma and participate in our Bible School’s graduation ceremony. Ceremonies are important in Thai culture, so we are still planning a grand ceremony upon our return.

Bible Institute: The Bible Institute continues via online instruction by myself and a fellow missionary in Thailand. We are thankful for technology, which allows us to continue instructing the students. While technology can be a blessing, slow internet and intermittent outages have hampered our classes somewhat. There are currently four students actively pursuing a degree while several others are in the “look and see” stage. Several of the students are from a sister church in a neighboring province. It is great to be able to work together for a common purpose.

Travels: Since our last letter, we have traveled over 7000 miles and have visited several churches, including several new churches that have committed to supporting us!  We are still under-supported, but because of the Lord’s closing Thailand, we have been able to gain slowly. We are currently about 75% of needed support. If you have a church that you’d like to suggest we contact, don’t be shy; please send the information to us.

Health: As you probably know, in August, Mike had a severe heart attack. He was airlifted from Sumter, SC, to a significant heart center in Columbia, SC. Recovery has been swift and the doctor has been pleased with the progress thus far. Please pray for continued healing and progress in adjusting diet and exercise. We haven’t gotten the bill yet, which is worrisome, but the Lord has met all of our needs thus far.

Prayer Requests.  Salvation: The husband of a member who has been attending for five years. Family and friends of church members. Those contacted in various outreach ministries. Faithfulness: Pray for the Bible students to continue steadfast in their studies. Especially pray for Dtom that the Lord would give him wisdom and perseverance in leading the church. Pray for a new couple in our church for spiritual growth in being newly married but separated as they wait for her visa to the USA to be approved. Please also pray for other Thailand missionary families and us as we wait for Thailand to allow our return.

May the Lord bless you richly as you continue to serve Him.

For Christ in Thailand,

Mike & Francis Frederick

www.thaimissions.org  Facebook: thaimissions.org  

mike@thaimissions.org    864-561-5217