This summer has been another rich season for the ministry, filled with many blessings and significant progress on multiple fronts. God continues to lead, provide, and work in wonderful ways. Here are some of the developments that I feel most thankful for:
* We have hired a new staff member in Myanmar. Swe Maung, a former student of mine, is providing much needed, on-the-ground help to keep the ministry advancing even when I am elsewhere.
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Swe Maung, Myanmar Administrative Assistant |
* We now have in hand over 900 copies of The Spirit-Led Leader translated into Burmese. Swe Maung has already distributed several hundred of them to various schools, bookstores, students, and faculty throughout Myanmar.
We are praying that God will use this translated version of the book to expand our ability to promote Spirit-led leading among the 3 million Christians in Myanmar, and to open new doors for leading workshops for Christian leaders and professors.
* Hope Haven, the newly constructed Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT) staff quarters, is finally open! MIT faculty have already moved into the first two floors. The third floor will house the Faith, Hope, and Love Office and will provide an apartment where visiting faculty members and other important guests can stay while serving MIT.

We still have a long ways to go to furnish and set up the apartment ahead of my arrival in October, but we have come so far. I'm very excited about the opportunity to live on campus and expand my ability to minister and serve there in many informal as well as formal ways every day.
* My colleague and friend, Dr. Samuel Ngun Ling, President of MIT, had the opportunity to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi this year. The school is seeking to develop its strategic educational role in the country. MIT has a vision of creating a Christian university in Yangon.
* Just this past month, I received permission from my publisher, Rowman and Littlefield (who purchased The Alban Institute), to translate The Spirit-Led Leader into Urdu for distribution among Pakistani Christians in the Punjab region of Pakistan. We are deeply grateful for the generosity of Rowman and Littlefield. The work has begun!
* God is working powerfully through the spiritual life coaching I'm doing for Christian leaders in the United States this summer. Over and over again, I am seeing God lift up these individuals to give them new perspective and hope. As they humble themselves before God, look to the Spirit for guidance, and trust God for each step along the way, they often wind up hearing a fresh word from the Holy Spirit. Suddenly they feel new motivation and strength to proceed forward.
As we look ahead, please pray with us for our ministry priorities for the coming months, which are listed in the section below. We depend on the spiritual and financial support of our "team" as we work together to teach, inspire, and encourage Christian leaders around the world, equipping them to serve Christ more effectively. Thank you for partnering with us!
Sincerely, in Christ's service,