August 2021
Update on Gift Matching
Thank you to everyone who has supported the 2021 Giving Match. We currently have received over $680 each month, which is matched with over $15,000 for the year. We praise God whenever we think of you. Your generosity is a huge help and makes it possible to sustain our work without pause. There is still money in the matching funds if you would like to make a new gift or increase an already existing gift. Just use the link here: internationalministries.org/monthly-giving-match/
New Master's Program Opens Near Border
When I woke up on Monday morning, I had no idea that within a few hours I would be loading luggage into a van and driving west for nine hours to help establish a new master’s program in a Karen village near the Thailand-Burma border. Several students have embarked on a two-year program in peacebuilding. We knew the program was being established, but issues related to Covid kept pushing back the opening, so we took this unexpected opportunity to get started. Many of the young people in this program have first-hand knowledge of the need for peacebuilding. Some of them have recently experienced violence, and others had to flee their villages when they were children after their homes were burned or bombed. Peacebuilding is not just an abstract idea for any of them.
During the week of getting the program started, we focused on learning how to use technology to share and educate others about the context in "M" and their experiences. In other words, we taught how to tell their story in the 21st century. Our team of seven was amazed by how quickly the students learned and produced such high-quality work. It felt great being back in a teaching/training role. Our office will play a continuing role in this new program. For my next trip in the first week of July, I am planning to focus on helping students develop conflict transformation skills.
Your prayers and financial support are what make this work possible. Please continue to pray for the 11 students in the program, as well as for the program itself. And please pray that we are guided by the Spirit as we build the curriculum and that our students will be empowered as they build a better community for future generations. On Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Kyle
Other Prayers: Please pray that the vaccine rollout will go smoothly and quickly. Thailand desperately wants to reopen its borders. Katrina is being asked to teach more classes, so please pray that she is able to discern how much more work she should take on. And please pray for us as we work to raise up supporters who understand and share our vision of freeing slaves around the world.
Adi and Ian have decided to try out a new school next year. The teaching method is a hybrid between home school and a more traditional school. Adi and Ian will travel and be together with other students for one week each month for intensive courses. During that week of being three hours away from home, they will be staying with our colleagues and friends in the city of Chiang Mai. This upcoming adventure for them will be a big step toward their independence.