Thank you for your interest in Christian leadership development globally. 
Together we can help meet a very pressing need for the sake of Christ and his kingdom.
September 2016 E-Newsletter
We need to be praying
Myanmar Institute of Theology students praying together (July 2016)

Will you pray with me? I need your prayers. You need mine. The world needs the prayers of us all.
 
Going to God is not escapism or an excuse for inaction. In fact, it's just the opposite. It's the most constructive action any of us can take.
 
When we pray, we are seeking to connect to the ultimate source of truth, goodness, justice, and grace so that our minds may renewed and we may be transformed (Romans 12:2). In prayer, we are led to a place of humble dependence on our Creator. Our hearts soften. We find grace to repent of our sins. We are motivated to stand up for what's right and to take responsibility to make the best choices available to us. As C.S. Lewis has been quoted as saying, "I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God-it changes me."[1]
 
When properly understood as tapping into the flow of God's Spirit, prayer empowers us individually and collectively. We are asking God give us discernment to wade through all the conflicting messages and misinformation bombarding us, so that we can make good choices. We are seeking courage to make the best decision available to us, even when we feel we must choose between two evils. We are tapping into God's wisdom to see what it is within our power to do, individually and collectively. We are coming to grips with our limitations, so as to know when we must ask God to do what we cannot do on our own.
 
The appalling, disturbing, beyond-belief American presidential race is down to the final weeks. It may very well turn out that neither major candidate is fit for office, by one measure or another. (One recent national poll indicated that over 50% of voters consider both Clinton and Trump as unfit to serve as president.) We need to be praying. We need to know how to best steward our vote and how to be involved.
 
The movie, Snowden, was just released. If you read the book or saw the movie, you know how far the U.S. government has gone to invade the privacy of its citizens and friends, in the name of fighting terrorism. We need to be praying. We need God to expose governmental corruption and set us on a better moral course as a country.
 
ISIS is being defeated in the Middle East, but die-hard loyalists are now said to be scattering to establish cells in America and Europe. We need to be praying. We need God to deliver us from evil, and we need to know what we can do to overcome the alienation and hatred felt by so many on the margins in our own country and globally.
 
As I pray, I'm hearing that it is more important than ever that I not lose heart or slack off in fulfilling my Christian duty and service. Every day is a gift, but that gift is not just for me. I'm here to share the love and light of Christ in every way possible, and to do so as consistently and extensively as God opens doors for me to do so.
 
We need to be praying. We need to be listening.
 
What are you praying for? When you pray, what are you hearing?
 
Faith, Hope, and Love Global
This coming Thursday, I will be returning to Myanmar (Burma). These are historic times there. Aung San Su Kyi just concluded important meetings with Barak Obama, culminating in the promise to lift the remaining sanctions against Myanmar. This movement raises hope in this beleaguered country to new levels. The potential for good is great, while dangers come with it. Clearly, the situation there is way outside the control of any of us, but we can still make a difference. We can pray. And we can serve.

Aung San Su Kyi meeting the U.S. president Barak Obama (Sept. 14, 2016)

While I am in Myanmar, please pray for fruitful ministry for me as I teach, mentor, and encourage students, pastors, and other Christian leaders in Yangon and the Chin Hills. Here are the highlights of my responsibilities (so far). I will be ...
1. Conducting a leadership workshop, Spirit-Led Living for Leaders (Falam, Chin Hills, Sept 30-Oct 7)
2. Preaching in two churches (Falam, Oct 2)
3. Co-leading a workshop for faculty members through the Association of Theological Education in Myanmar (ATEM), Reading the Bible in Today's World (Yangon, Oct 12-14)
4. Teaching the first half of three seminary courses at the Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT): NT Theology, Exegesis of Philippians and 1 Peter, and Spirit-Led Living: The Spiritual Journey. (Insein, Oct 17-Nov 16; Jan 9-March 11, 2017)
5. Preaching a four week series, Crossing Bridges, at the New Life International Fellowship (Yangon, Oct-Nov)
6. Offering a weekly spiritual coaching group on MIT campus (Insein, Oct-Nov)
 
Jill and Nant Win Tin Tin, who visited us in Minnesota with her husband, Joseph, and son, S'Princeton. Joseph and Tin Tin are MIT faculty members, currently in the USA as PhD students at Talbot Theological Seminary (Biola), preparing to return to Myanmar to serve as much needed professors in Christian education.
 
On a more personal note, please pray for Jill, too.
 
In case you didn't hear, Jill was visiting Iceland with her eighty-two-year-old mother on a special mother-daughter trip. They were hiking, and Jill fell over a cliff after the earth gave way underneath her feet. She fell approximately 25 feet. God miraculously saved her life. She could have broken her neck, had a compound fracture, or worse. Instead, she has only a fractured ankle, a broken rib, a gash on her forehead, and several bruises. She is going to stay in the USA this fall to heal. As you feel led, please pray for her complete healing and that she would be able to mine the spiritual depths of this experience for her own growth and future ministry. So many have you have already sent words of encouragement and are praying. We are both deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support for her. Thank you.
 
There are so many needs, concerns, and opportunities for each of us. We need to stand together. We need to be praying. We need to be listening. We need to be taking action, as the Spirit so leads. That's what so many of you are doing, and one of the reasons you are so dear to us.
 
Grateful for your support and partnership in Christ's service,
 
Tim

 
A Word About Our Finances: Please pray that we will be successful in raising an additional $30,000 this year. (So far, we have raised $10,125 toward this goal, with another $5500 pledged.) Whether you are an existing contributor or would like to join the support team for the first time, please follow this link to make a contribution or to sign up to become a monthly donor. Thank you for your prayers and support!

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Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries |  www.fhlglobal.org
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