Jill hosting wife of a MIT faculty member
Pray with Us
We give thanks for:
1. Life-changing experience for Catholics and Protestants who participated in the Chartres spiritual retreat we led in September. 2. A warm reception here in Myanmar, eager students, grateful junior faculty members, and joyful reunions with friends. 3. Tim's elective class filled up almost immediately, maxing out at 25. 4. Deepening relationships with Burmese faculty members and friends, with new opportunities to encourage them and pray together for their growth and for God's continued leading and working in their lives. 5. The generous, ongoing support of our home church, Christ Presbyterian Church, along with some new monthly donors, including the Highline Community Church in Colorado. 6. Protection from heat exhaustion and dehydration when teaching 3-8 hours/day with a very high heat index Pray with us for: Student Leader
1. IN GENERAL: Approximately 10% of this Buddhist nation of 50 million people is Christian. The church is growing, but is in in urgent need for more, well-educated professors and teachers of theology, pastoral practice, and leadership. Progress is being made, but the challenges are immense.
2. THIS WEEK: Spiritual revitalization and increased leadership capacity for the 20-25 pastors and faculty members from up to 14 different denominations, who are participating in Tim's "Spirit-Led Leader" leadership training course, October 24-28, in Yangon, Myanmar.
3. Ongoing: Life-change and deeper understanding of Scripture for Burmese theological students preparing for ministry in Tim's New Testament Theology class.
4. Ongoing: Insight and encouragement for students, faculty, and other individuals meeting one on one with Tim or Jill.
5. Myanmar Institute of Theology seeking $865,000 to finish building their new administration and classroom building (pictured below).
6. Complete healing for Jill and an ability to resume her photography work and speaking while in Burma.
7. Strong year-end giving to balance our budget and provide needed funds for ministry in South East Asia, France, and the Congo, January-June 2012.
New administration and classroom building
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Tim enjoying a moment with a student
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More Photos from Myanmar Jill and S' Princeton Inya Lake, Yangon Faculty department chairwoman Construction workers atop MIT's new 5 story building |
Faith, Hope and Love Global Board of Directors Rev. Dr. Cheryl F. Dudley Mr. Thomas Erickson Rev. Jill K.H. Geoffrion, Ph.D. Rev. Timothy C. Geoffrion, Ph.D. Board of Advisors Mr. Jim Deanovic Mr. Ron Hoffman Mr. John March Mr. Mark Thompson We deeply appreciate your prayers and support. We cannot sustain, let alone expand, this important work without your ongoing help. Thank you! Tim and Jill Geoffrion |
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Greetings!
Two weeks in, and God is already blessing our teaching and personal ministry with over 100 students and numerous fellow faculty members, individuals, and families. Our hosts are warm, welcoming, and overflowing with appreciation. In answer to our question whether we will still be needed in future years, the academic dean was unequivocal. "We are going to need what you have to offer for a very long time," he insisted. The future of the growing church depends upon better equipped pastors and leaders, yet the seminaries lack sufficiently educated professors, and there is a critical need for greater leadership development. It will take many years to develop the capacity needed to address all these needs well. At the moment, Tim is the only professor with Ph.D. level education in New Testament on campus-and maybe in the whole country. No one else offers a full course on spiritual vitality and spiritual leadership. And in a nation where women have generally been considered second class citizens, Jill provides an urgently needed, positive role model and highly effective ministries, especially with women faculty members and leaders one on one.
Tim teaching New Testament Theology In this newsletter, we want to let you know more about what we're doing and how you can pray with us for the people of Myanmar (the new, now universally accepted, name for Burma). We are also developing more ways for you to be involved, and would like to invite you to participate more actively in the ministry in various ways, as Andrew has detailed below. We greatly appreciate your concern for the well-being of the church around the world. Thank you for partnering with us as we seek to teach, inspire, and encourage students, faculty, pastors, and leaders every day. Serving Christ with you, Tim and Jill |
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What's Happening Now?
* Teaching "New Testament Theology," a weekly, required class for 80 seminary students
* Teaching "Spiritual Vitality for Life and Leadership," a weekly elective for 25 students
* Teaching "The Spirit-Led Leader," a 5 day intensive workshop for 20-25 faculty members and pastors from various denominations through the Association for Theological Education in Myanmar (ATEM). (October 24-28)
New Testament Theology Students
* Hosting individuals, couples, and families in our apartment over supper. We listen to their stories, share ours, and offer whatever counsel or encouragement they are seeking from us. Before they go home, we always ask, "How can we pray for you?" And then we pray together.
Jill demonstrating how to use a finger labyrinth
to the delight of one of our guests
* Mentoring and encouraging junior faculty members and students, one on one
Tim with former student, now junior faculty member
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Get More Involved!
Save the Date! -- November 14th Young Professionals Gathering
We minister in large part to young ministers and seminarians around the world. Learn how our ministry connects you with other faithful servants of God. Please contact Andrew if you are willing to help with the evening or want to participate. Otherwise, stay tuned for more details!
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See pictures, hear our stories, experience what's happening through our global ministry almost instantly!
Please consider making a contribution this month.
Your tax-deductible donations to
Faith, Hope and Love Global Ministries
are both needed and greatly appreciated.
Minnesota Givers:
November 16 - Give to the Max Day!
Minnesota's biggest charitable giving day sponsored by GiveMN.org. Your donation dollars have a chance at a $1,000 add on!
See our GiveMN giving site to donate on Nov. 16
Host an Informational Meeting
Tim and Jill will be in Minneapolis Nov. 10 - Dec. 22
To suggest your ideas
or invite us to speak, please email:
Tim - [email protected], or
Andrew - [email protected]
It's our deep desire that you would feel the tangible love of Christ by engaging with our ministry. Wherever you are and wherever we are -- let us be connected in a way that teaches, inspires, and encourages each other to serve Christ more effectively.
Andrew Lonsbury is the Assistant to the President
for Faith, Hope and Love Global Ministries
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An Update on Jill's Health
Thank you for your continued prayers! It's been nearly one full year since Jill suffered a pulmonary embolism last November 4 (see "To Live or To Die"). Her recovery has been slow and erratic, but we are very thankful that she is doing so much better today. She still needs to rest every day, but is increasingly able to participate in the ministry. In France, she co-led a spiritual retreat with Tim (see below). Here in Yangon, she has been entertaining individuals, couples, and families in our apartment, and starting do some photography again. Your continued prayers are most appreciated!
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Chartres Spiritual Pilgrimage Retreat What a week!
Rest, renewal, listening, growth, healing, awe, laughter, release, challenge, refocusing, and deep prayer are words that pilgrims from the Faith, Hope and Love Pilgrimage used to describe their week spent in Chartres.
God was given time to move in each person's life in unique and important ways through silence, teaching, visual presentation, cathedral tours, and time spent alone and with other pilgrims in both the cathedral and the town. Highlights included an hour spent meditating on the encounter of Jesus and the woman at the well (John 4) near the ancient well in the crypt, an after-hours evening of song and prayer in the cathedral and on the candle-lit labyrinth exclusively enjoyed by the pilgrim group, and many opportunities to meet and interact with French Christians for whom the cathedral is "home."
God's love reached out and touched us all in many different and beautiful ways! We fell asleep each night with the prayer, "Thanks be to God!" on our lips and in our hearts.
Lighted labyrinth walk at Chartres Cathedral A Special Thank You! We wish to extend our deepest gratitude to the many that made the Pilgrimage Retreat a wonderful experience.
MJ McGregor
who volunteered to handle so
many of the details all week long.
Rev. Dr. Cheryl Dudley
a Board Member
who graciously offered musical leadership
Alain Louet who guided pilgrims through the Crypt, and readily provided practical assistance for various programs in the Cathedral
Odile Blanchon, Fran�ois and Monique De LaGarde, and other members of
the Chemin Neuf Community
who housed and helped to welcome our pilgrims
Committee of the Bercheres Carri�re who came en masse (15 strong) to welcome the retreatants to the quarry where the stones for the cathedral were extracted. Their warm welcome and hospitality was warmly appreciated by all!
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For Your Reflection
Full Moon over Yangon, Myanmar
Take a moment to dwell on the wonder of God's creation.
What comes to your mind?
What speaks to your heart?
What prayer comes to your lips?
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