Merry Christmas

I think it is noteworthy that both the Old and the New Testaments begin with families. In the Old Testament it was with Adam and Eve and in the New Testament it was with Mary and Joseph. God created two institutions that being the family and the church. Well this was my second Christmas with my wife and my first with my wife and son Jeremiah. I am a blessed man. We had a wonderful Christmas with my wifes family and also a great Christmas eve service with our church family here. I have a wonderful family (Mom, Dad and brothers and sisters)at home in America and also a church family at the Word of Faith in Bismarck and Victory Life in St. Albert Canada. If you are child of God ...then God has a family for you to be part of. So plug into a local church and be part of what God is doing in the earth today.

Commit To Faithful Men (Women)

In II Timothy 2:2 it says, "And the things you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
For the past four weeks I ministered to the students on two subjects; Intimacy with God and Pastoral Theology. The students learned the importance of how they viewed God would determine how they would view themselves. One student Joseph from India stated that even though he grew up in a Christian home "God was so distant and that the rules and regulations he put in his life only made himself more frustrated and discouraged." Over the past two years his image of God has changed and he has found his identity in Christ. He continued by saying,"doubts, unbelief and confusion have left my life since I have gained a whole new image of who Jesus is to me." Of course our image of God is always unfolding before us and it is important that the right image of God is continually implanted on the inside of us. In my Pastoral Theology class one of the students Christine said, "I had no idea of the great responsibility that the Pastor has." She continued, "I learned alot about leadership,character and the responsibility of the congregation." Another student, Prem from Nepal stated that, "this class gave him the knowledge that he needed to begin his pastoral work in back in Nepal and that God is really beginning to speak about being a servant of God for his people." I enjoyed teaching this class to the students as we all learned of the great calling that God has on the local church pastor.

Prayer Class

The scripture in James 5:16 says, "The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" or you could say, "releases great power." Two weeks ago Pastor Barb Billet and Dr. Al Billet left a deposit of prayer on the inside of the students. For two weeks the students were enveloped in the school of prayer. The hearts of the students were filled with faith, strength and a desire to see God move in answered prayer. You could see the expectation of a touch of God on the faces of the students and the increased desire to spend more time in prayer. Time in believing and fervent prayer is never wasted time. God honors His Word and God Honors believing prayer. Thank you so much Pastor Barb and Dr. Al Billet for your ministry to the students!

Thank You Partners

The scripture in Hebrews 6:10 says, "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister." With the support of my partners in prayer and finances I have been able to buy a car and also I have been able to enroll both my sister in-laws and my brother in-law in Bible School here in Thailand. In Philippians it also says,"...you all are partakers with me of grace." I believe God will minister His grace to those who have shown their support to me and my family here on the field.

Thank You Very Much

Tom

Our New Family Member And Students

This is our new son Jeremiah John, he was born on September 22nd and he is so beautiful and we feel so blessed by God. Some of our friends have said that Jeremiah looks like me and some have said that Jeremiah looks like my wife Elizabeth. We do know that as he grows up his DNA will begin to emerge. As Jeremiah gets older he will take on the characteristics of both Elizabeth and myself. I am really without words of what it feels like to be a father. I can only express my gratitude that God would give us a son to raise for His purposes.

When I think of our own individual physical DNA I am remined that we each have our own spiritual DNA. Here at VBCI Thailand we believe that it is part of our job as leaders to allow the spiritual DNA of the students to emerge. God has a unique plan for their lives and the practical experience with the class room instruction will help set the stage for their spiritual to come forth in their lives. During the month of November and December I will be teaching to different classes to the students. Believe with me that I become an instrument in the Lords hands to shape the lives of the students that will propel them higher in the Lord.

Some New Beginnings

The new semester of Bible School here at VBCI Thailand just began a couple of weeks ago. As for me it is a new begining. A few weeks ago the Leadership of VBCI Thailand asked if I would become the Dean of the Bible School. After sometime in prayer I decided that I would take the position. I have been ivolved in Bible Schools ministering for numerous years and I have a strong conviction of what Bible Schools can put into the lives of new believers and even those who have been around awhile. This past summer I spent sometime ministering at a Bible school in northern Thailand called Living Word Bible School. Putting foundations into the lives of students is quite an honor. Because of my belief in Bible Schools I enrolled both my sister in-laws and my brother in-law. Last year I had my wife Elizabeth(from Myanmar) enrolled but now because she is about due with our first child she will have to put off school for a little while. I am a strong believer that Biblical spiritual truth can carry you into all areas of life. One of my goals is to bring maturity into these believers. In I John 2:13-14 it tells us three things about these young men 1) they were strong, 2) they have God's Word abiding in them and 3) they have overcome the wicked one. Lord grant me the strength and anointing to impart this into the lives of these students.

Now for me and my wife, we are about to have our first child ANY DAY. The checkups have went well and my wife has been strong and healthy (praise God). Elizabeth has been a real trooper during the times when I have had to do some traveling. Right now I have my mother in-law with us and will be with us for about 3 months. I will keep you posted about the students, my travels and of course my new family!