Frederick February 2020 Ministry Update
Dear praying partners,
Visas It is that time of year again, and we are starting the process of renewing our visas and Mike’s work permit for another year. We don’t have an avenue for a long term visa, so we must renew every year. The process is lengthy and getting more complicated every year. We don’t anticipate any problems but appreciate your prayer for a smooth renewal.
Ministry in Thailand: Mike is working with a Filipino missionary in Thailand to recruit Filipino’s for Thai church planting. We will be using our non-profit to facilitate their visas and work permits, enabling them to minister in the country without substantial startup costs. This endeavor is an exciting opportunity as there are many Filipino’s that are interested in going abroad to start churches. Filipino churches support all of these missionaries with no outside funds. Please pray about this endeavor, especially for Bor. Angeles who is currently in the Philippines on furlough and recruiting new workers. To help relate how difficult witnessing can be in Thailand, I would like to describe a recent answer to prayer. Last week, after more than six years of witnessing, the adult brother of one of our members told her that he realizes that there must be a creator, and he wants to come to church to learn more. He attended for the first time and was surprised at how easy it was to understand. He still isn’t saved, but Lord willing, it won’t be long. This situation is typical of ministry here. We witness and witness with nothing, and then after years of waiting, a light is sparked. Of all the attributes necessary for ministry in Thailand, patience ranks as the most important.
Bible Institute: Last month, we did a nation-wide facebook advertisement about the online Bible School. The responses were encouraging. There were hundreds that engaged with the School’s Facebook page, resulting in five students from around the country registering to study via video correspondence. These results were much higher than we expected. The advanced Bible students are acting as proctors for the online students, which encourages a Thai-Thai interaction. Once these students are firmly in the program, we will do another round of advertising and continue to expand until we reach a capacity of about twenty students. In residence, we have five students in total, three of which attend from a sister church. We are still on track to have our next graduation later in the year and hopefully, another graduation in 2021 and 2022 as well.
Prayer Requests. Salvation: The husband of a member who has been attending for five years. The brother of another church member who attended last week. Two members who have not been faithful to church for several months. Continue to pray for Mike’s students and fellow teachers at University. Faithfulness: Pray for the Bible students to continue steadfast in their studies. Pray for a new couple in our church for spiritual growth in being newly married as well as her visa application to the USA. Please also pray for wisdom and faithfulness while we serve the Lord. The longer we serve the Lord, the more we understand how weak we are.
May the Lord bless you richly as you continue to serve Him.
For Christ in Thailand,
Mike & Francis Frederick
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