See Faith, Hope, and Love's ministries around the world from Jill's artistic vantage point by visiting her photo blog
Through Jill's Eyes--------------------------------- Read the latest news on the crises in Myanmar and DR Congo:
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Praise God
- For the many ways God was at work in the lives of the students and leadership team during the Spirit-Led Leader course at Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS).
- For a number of significant opportunities to go very deep with some of the individual Christians leaders and pastors during the week in Ukraine.
- For Dan Geoffrion's help all week long at UETS!
 - For the reception and response of the Ukrainian congregation, where Tim preached on God's loving presence in our past, present and future. More than two dozen people asked for special prayers at the end of the service.
 - For God's working in many expected an unexpected ways during the Chartres Cathedral Retreat (stories, photos, and testimonials to come in June's Enewsletter).
- For opportunities to encourage and coach former students who are now serving as instructors in various Christian colleges in Myanmar.
- For some very encouraging developments with our YangonPoor ministry to at-risk teenagers in Yangon. (See update in right-hand column.)
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Pray With Us
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For the 18 pastors and Christian leaders who participated in the Spirit-Led Leader course in Ukraine as they return to their ministries and families. Ask that the work of integration will continue and that the fruit of their experience will multiply in their congregation.  - For safety, strength, and courage to our partners and others suffering in Eastern Congo, and for peaceful resolution of conflict between rebels and government.
- For immediate cessation of all violence against Muslims in Myanmar, thousands of whom have been displaced, whose homes have been burned, and dozens of whom have been killed.
- For peaceful conflict resolution throughout Myanmar, especially in Kachin State, as Kachin soldiers are barely holding on in their resistance against government forces.
- For God to protect the at-risk Muslim youth we have been reaching out to in Yangon (due to risks stemming from Buddhist-Muslim conflict throughout the country), and to touch their hearts and that they will want to seek God and want to make constructive changes in their lives.
 - For scholarship funds for numerous faculty members seeking advanced degrees to better serve their seminaries and colleges. For a list of young scholars we know personally, see Jill's blog post, "If You Won the Lottery".
- For significant progress for Tim as he continues his intensive Myanmar (Burmese) language training in Yangon through June 11.
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Tim's Recent Essays and Sermons
In the following essay, Tim talks about what's involved in learning how to listen to and cooperate better with the Holy Spirit from day to day:
(Essay #1 in current series on Spirit-led Living)
Are you struggling with confusion, doubt or disappointment from actions you've taken that you thought were prompted by God? Read Tim's most recent essay to find clarity and healing in the midst of your uncertainty.
When torn between various inclinations, motivations, and ideas, what do you do? Find out how to differentiate the leading of the Spirit from all the other "voices"?
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Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries Board of Directors Rev. Dr. Cheryl F. Dudley Mr. Thomas Erickson Rev. Jill K.H. Geoffrion, Ph.D. Rev. Timothy C. Geoffrion, Ph.D. Mr. Peter Strommen Board of Advisors Mr. Jim Deanovic Mr. Daniel E. Geoffrion Mr. Timothy Charles Geoffrion Mr. Ron Hoffman Mr. John March Mr. Warren Staley Mr. Mark Thompson
Staff 
Timothy C. Geoffrion President and Teaching Minister 
Jill K.H. Geoffrion Artist and Minister of Hospitality 
Josias Hansen Assistant to the President  | Bar Hso Ghay
Youth Worker and Volunteer Coordinator (Myanmar) |
We deeply appreciate your prayers and financial support. We need your ongoing participation to both sustain and expand this important leadership development work. Thank you!
  
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Greetings!
In April, Jill, Dan, and I had the privilege of teaching eighteen pastors and other Christian leaders in the Transformative Leadership program at the Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary in Kiev, run by Fyodor Raychynets. About a dozen of the students were from Ukraine, and the remaining six serve in Central Asian countries: Ukraine, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, all former Soviet-bloc countries.
Protestant seminaries in Ukraine have only been in existence above ground for the past 20 years, since independence from the Soviet Union. For some of our students, traveling a thousand or more miles to study here in Ukraine is their only option for theological and practical leadership training from a Christian perspective.  We saw the Holy Spirit at work among us on many different levels throughout the week. Participants were challenged to go deeper in their relationship with God and to consider new ways to serve as Spirit-led leaders. At the end of the course, the students worked together to build a temporary labyrinth that we used for a spiritual prayer walk that was deeply moving and meaningful to each walker. The week was everything we had hoped for and more. At the end of the week, one participant after another told us how God had touched their lives in profound ways. (See the testimonials below.)  Though most of our work is in South East Asia each year, God keeps opening doors for intensive, one week courses in various countries all over the world, such as in Ukraine. Please pray that God will continue to lead us and use Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries to bring spiritual revitalization and Christian leadership training to pastors and leaders wherever we are most needed around the world.
Serving Christ with you,
Tim Geoffrion
President and Teaching Minister
"What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well."
-2 Timothy 2:2, NRSV
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Testimonies From Ukraine
It was amazing and deeply moving to hear how God had been at work in the lives of our students during our week of ministry in Ukraine. One by one, they shared how their lives had been changed and what they most appreciated about the Spirit-Led Leader course. God used the highs and lows, the teaching, the spiritual exercises, reflection, conversations and prayers to open up new ways of thinking and being in the world. Below are just a few of the many thoughtful responses to the questions posed.
1. What teaching or experiences had the biggest impact on you this week?
- "Honesty. The honesty during the whole week. The most important thing is to be honest with ourselves before God.)
- "I really liked your personal testimonies. They were sincere and moving. The spiritual discipline of listening. Taking a risk. The stages of spiritual growth and development. The skill to listen to the Holy Spirit. Mission, Vision and Plan."
- "I like this spiritual practice of the presence of God. As you walk, you sense the presence of God with you."
2. How will your leadership or ministry change because of your experience during this course?
- "Thanks for this material (guide). In my case, I can only take an electronic version. My feelings related to this course are very mixed. At this point, I'm not ready to say anything clearly. There are some things I agree with wholeheartedly. There are some things I disagree with. There are many questions that I will need to work through to decide on my own. I will prayerfully consider these ideas. I will come back to this guide. There are many things I will take from this class. It will transform my leadership."
- "I really like these stages of spiritual development. I like the wall that divides these stages. I have not yet hit the wall, but at least I am warned. The six stages reveal to me in a fresh way what it means to completely devote my life to God. I want to be that more fully."
- "My life and my leadership will change. I know that. It pushes me to go back to my foundation. I know that the foundation will not be shame. It will be something else. It certainly will be the grace and love of God. If God is present in our lives, the changes will come."
3. What is the main message that you want to take to others from this course?
- "Appropriate, absorb, apply. I have already decided to get my leadership together from different parts of the country. We will review the whole material with them. I've realized that I myself need to change. My character needs to change. I have to reconsider and revalue my relationship with my son. I will stop to consult from my point of view and my perception. I've realized that I am not very attentive to people and I don't know how to listen. More often I would say to them not what they need to hear, but what I know. I also see that I need to be a better person. I really like this plan, mission, and vision. This helps us understand how to do it gradually."
- "The key moment was when we had ten minutes to listen to the Holy Spirit. This is something I have been avoiding for the past several months. The Holy Spirit reminded me of my vision, my calling. He reminded me how I am taking a sidetrack from it."
4. How did your labyrinth walk touch you?
- "In the beginning, I saw my Christian life. I saw some turns as turns in my Christian life. People change, but God stays faithful. While I was in the center, I experienced his presence. I felt like John and James who say it is so good to be here. Then God said, "Go and preach" I realize that I need to go out and carry that word. I also realized that wherever I am in my life, the Lord is with me, he loves me, and the grace of God."
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Yangon At-Risk Youth Ministry
Who did you sit next to during Sunday worship? In my pew this past weekend, sitting by me were two Hindus, two Muslims, and one Buddhist. In a land where there has been increasing violence between Buddhists and Muslims, one of the benefits our new direct service ministry to at-risk youth in Yangon is to bring kids from different religious backgrounds together.
Among the dozen or so boys in our informal program, many of the boys are Muslim, one is a Hindu teenager who lives on the street with his mentally ill mother under a tarp, and a couple of the newer kids are Buddhists. Our simple goals are to bring the light and love of Christ in ways that help teenagers who are, for the most part, fatherless, extremely poor, school dropouts, and vulnerable on the streets of Yangon.
One of the boys' mother, step-father, grandmother, and one of his aunts have just been sentenced to 10 years for trafficking. His birth father died seven years ago. When the news broke a few weeks ago, he was so distraught that he became very sick and lay in bed for days. Since my return, we were able to help him and another one of the boys find a job. They both started working last week, a big step forward for them, offering them so much more hope for the future under the mentorship of the man who runs the furniture staff where they were hired.
Please pray that God will continue to use us to bring the light and love of Christ to them in life-changing ways, and that they will want to know God for themselves, be able to know God as a loving Father, and come to a genuine faith in Christ.
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Upcoming Schedule (May-June)
- Chartres, France (Chartres Cathedral)
- Yangon, Myanmar (Burmese language training for Tim, and leadership coaching)
- Minnesota (June 15- end of August)
Visit our online Program Calendar in order to follow our activity throughout the year.
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Your Support Makes a Difference
By teaching pastors and leaders in Ukraine, we have a unique opportunity to further the Gospel throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Our students are coming away from our classes spiritually-renewed and better equipped to serve God in their own respective countries, some of which are overtly hostile to Christianity.
This year six different former Soviet-bloc countries were represented in the Spirit-Led Leader course. Many of these daily come in contact with massive societal corruption and radical religious ideologies. Learning to be Spirit-led is crucial for these leaders as they navigate through these treacherous waters. Please pray that these men and women will be able to live as agents of God's restorative work in their own contexts by confronting corruption and radical religious ideologies with the truth and grace of God.
Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries is being given many opportunities to work with Christian leaders in some of the most challenging places in the world. Your support is needed and greatly appreciated as we continually explore ways to further the unique mission God has given us. Please consider contributing financially at this time to help sustain and ad
vance our work. For more information on how to give online or by mail, just click on the "Donate" button below.
Serving Christ together,
Assistant to the President
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We greatly appreciate your support.
THANK YOU!
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For Your Reflection
Take a moment to contemplate this photo.
What comes to your mind?
What speaks to your heart?
What prayer comes to your lips?
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