Humbly serving our Lord in Thailand

What drew us to e3 Partners was the focus on training nationals, establishing churches and connections to opportunities in unreached areas. Since joining e3 God has graciously continued to grow us, teach us and give us experience on the field in these areas. Immediately upon getting involved, I felt called to the unreached people in Asia but didn’t have a specific people group in mind, however during times of prayer and meditation Thailand kept coming up. In sitting in on the Asia group discussions at the 2009 E3 World Conference, someone suggested that I read Back to Jerusalem (afterword referred to as B2J). Immediately the B2J vision resonated with Jenni and me. Last year the Lord began to put a call on my heart for a longer term stay in Asia and after we returned from 3 months in South America last summer I felt more and more drawn to Chiang Mai, Thailand but for no specific reason. My faithful and loving wife was not prepared to discuss such an assignment so since then I’ve prayed that God would either prepare her heart or remove this burden from mine. Three weeks ago during a trip to China, the Lord did a work on my wife’s heart and she knew that He was confirming this monumental step for our family. With fear and trembling, we prayed and awaited further direction.

The Connection
Two months ago I was, at last minute, pulled into a meeting in Colorado Springs with a Chinese pastor who I had heard of before. His church in East Asia has grown to approximately 20 million members today. This pastor has been imprisoned for years at a time on several occasions, tortured and slandered more than any other Christian leader in China, yet he remains a faithful and humble man of God.
During the meeting, this pastor laid out the vision of B2J and the importance of training Chinese missionaries and developing leaders. He shared of his vision of a project in Chiang Mai, Thailand. My heart jumped as he explained that they were working to develop a training center to train B2J field missionaries who would be sent along the southern Silk Road. When asked, I shared who e3 Partners were and what our mission was. This pastor was immediately interested as he had often trained on the same things that e3 emphasizes. Several weeks later, after reviewing the e3 materials he mentioned he really liked our training material. Upon returning home from a recent trip to East Asia, this pastor contacted us and asked to meet regarding an urgent matter.

The Project
Wednesday, April 7, 2010, Jenni and I met with our Chinese brother and his translator. The pastor shared in more detail his plans for training missionaries outside China including the project in Chiang Mai. His goal is to develop a training center there that would begin with training 20 missionaries, for 3 months, 3 times a year. His ultimate goal is to continue to create these training centers along the Silk Road until 100 to 200,000 Chinese missionaries have been trained and are on their way back to Jerusalem. He asked us if we’d be able to help. We, in return, shared how the Lord has been preparing our hearts. We rejoiced and prayed that God would continue to guide us in next steps.

The Proposal
Jenni and I have been assigned by e3 Partners to partner with Back to Jerusalem for two years in Chiang Mai, Thailand with the following goals in mind:
* Help to develop B2J missionary training
* We would teach various courses
* Coordinate other teachers in various topics
*Assign and/or lead B2J missionaries in on the job training (i.e. short term mission trips) to the Chinese refuges in northern Thailand with the goal of establishing churches and raising up more workers to be trained
* Help to develop a training center prototype that could be reproduced by national leaders along the Silk Road
* Be available to receive short-term mission teams in Thailand and other East/Southeast Asian countries

Summary
If you are like ourselves you may be asking, why the Jessens? That has continued to run through our minds many times over the past few weeks. As we have confronted this question and our own inadequacies with tears and prayer, the only thing in which we can boast is in our weakness. We don’t have the most experience, we are not the best teachers or trainers, we are not the best missionaries. But we are willing. We are willing to give God our small offering of loaves and fish and wait to watch Him do great things. What we do know is that Jenni is a prayer warrior. I have the gift of administration. We are faithful and obedient and feel God is leading our family in this direction and look forward to seeing God use our inadequacies for His opportunities. We are excited to be involved in laying the foundation for equipping national missionaries to reach the lost between China and Jerusalem and be a part of Christ establishing His church for His fame and glory.

For His Glory, The Jessens

How can we help you get to Thailand?
We are so glad you asked!

We need prayer as there is lots to do to move the other side of the world. Prayer for unity and collaboration in developing a training center. For health and protection for our family. To be on our newsletter/prayer list you can email join-jessen-ministry-partners@lyris.e3partners.org to receive our updates.

Would you be willing to pray about a one-time gift to help us get to the field in Thailand?

God has so clearly led throughout this process, with things dramatically falling into place on after another. We have no doubt that He has arranged for the necessary funds to be provided as well. If God is putting into your heart giving toward our transition to Thailand, for setting up a home, training, a new laptop, supplies and other necessities, then feel free to head on over to www.e3partners.org/jessen-support to find out how to partner with us on this amazing journey.

Visiting an unreached village in East Asia*

Heading out from base to a different village we went northwest and were quickly overwhelmed by the majesty of the Himalayas. The shear steepness of the mountains was breathtaking as we switched back and forth down 5000 feet to the Yangtze River below. Once we reached the bottom we crossed a 200 foot high bridge and then began the ascent up the other side. Paved road soon changed to cobblestone, with no guardrails and plunging drop-offs.

Travelling with us this day was Missy*, a 21 year old “Catamount”* who has a violent history of abuse. She gave her life to the Lord several years ago and cannot get enough of learning the Word. Her heart is to learn so she can reach her family and her people. On the way there she told of a dream she'd recently had where she saw her father, presently not a Christian, taking a stand for Jesus.

After four hours of travel we arrived at Missy’s village which is a large “Catamount” village with a couple believers. A water project completed by North American believers has given access to visit and work in this village. Walking into her parent’s home we found ourselves sitting around the typical “Catamount” kitchen with a fire and tea being poured. They were very happy to have us there. The “Catamount” people are very welcoming and are honored to have guests. When people visit, tea, sunflower seeds and other snacks are a must. If they are glad you are there they might butcher a chicken and feed you dinner. If they consider you an honored guest then they will butcher a pig. Both are very generous and costly gifts; a chicken is the equivalent of one week’s wages and a pig, the equivalent of 6 week’s wages. After sipping on tea and catching up I heard the sound of a squealing pig outside. Yep, they considered us honored. Very honored.

Out in the courtyard we saw the entire process from squealing to ready to cook. Back around the fire, we, the honored guests were served the best parts...like the feet and the liver. Glad it was dark. Ham and beans followed as conversation picked up.

With dinner finished and tea still flowing we were joined at the fire by the village chief, the village shaman, the local area communist leader and Missy’s parents. The communist leader was an older man who had served in the army and fought many battles and lost an eye in the service of chairman Mao. With his face glowing in the fire light, he began to slyly attempt to discredit Americans, Christians and Jesus. The conversation was in a different language so we were getting updates on what was happening on the side but I was overwhelmed with God’s presence and the need to pray. I began praying God would do something big, reveal Himself and hard hearts would be pierced. As the communist’s propaganda increased, Missy’s father spoke up. In a calm, quite, yet strong voice he began to defend Jesus. He said he had been reading the Bible and believed Jesus did exist, did live on earth and did die. Our American contact jumped in and shared the gospel of Jesus. What an amazing privilege to see Missy’s dream come true and to see God glorified. I believe and pray it will only be a matter of time when Missy’s father begins a personal relationship with the Jesus whom he defended.

Villages of unreached people are scattered all over the mountains of East Asia. Many are friendly, many are open but they have not yet heard.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14-15

Please consider praying, giving or going to take the Good News to the unreached.

*(Names, location and people group have been changed for security)

Working in the Jungles of Peru

After a long cold winter heading to the jungle of Peru was a breath of fresh air. Okay, maybe fresh is an exaggeration... more like 90 degree 100% humidity air. Our sports team of 10 joined a medical team to work with four mother churches to help each begin a new church. The four areas were in squatter villages where living conditions were very poor but the people were friendly and welcoming.

A typical day was to go home to home in the mornings sharing Christ alongside a local church member. For many people the news of Jesus Christ was new as they had never heard the whole story before and for those who had heard of Christ had a desire to know more and more about Him. Many times our team would spend and hour or more talking with and discipling families. After lunch our team would set up for a time of sports which drew people of all ages. In the evenings we would have an evening service or training time.

One of my favorite moments on the trip was our second location, where during our time of sports, a massive downpour started. That didn't stop the young men playing soccer which turned out to be a hilarious slip fest. However due to the large amount of rain the roads were flooded and that meant only the faithful showed up to the evening service. The delight was that the 12 that were there were hungry to learn how to use the Evangecube so I had the precious privilege of teaching how to do evangelism. After the end of the time the very humble pastor asked the group to stay later to begin to strategize how to use their new evangelism tools to reach their neighborhood during the upcoming Holy week.

As a leader of many short-term mission trips I always like to say that the trip is usually just as much about the people that go as the people we reach. It was very cool to see a mom and two teenage sons be stretched into obedience and by the end of the week serving boldly. Or the young married couple on their first mission trip who wanted to serve together. Or the young man who is pursuing a career in missions. God is always at work in each of us so that ultimately He'll be glorified.

In the end our sports team did 361 in home visits where 145 people gave their lives to Christ. We also had a great time building relationships, sharing Christ and beginning discipleship in our sports clinics with 510 people in attendance. With the Holy Spirit guiding us we were privileged to see Jesus build four new churches who are now well on their way to making disciples and reaching their neighborhoods.

Working ourselves out of a job...

That is certainly not the mindset of many people these days but as missionaries that is what we are called to do.  The Lord has given us the privilege to train and equip national pastors and their churches.  Through Leadership Development Conferences (LDC) we, by God’s grace, train them in prayer, evangelism, making disciples,  developing leaders and multiplying new churches.  Shortly after an LDC our short-term teams arrive to provide on the job training and  walk alongside our national brothers and sisters as these activities are MODELED.  As the week moves along we slowly begin to turn it over to them by ASSISTING them as they do the work of disciple making.  Then we step a little further back and WATCH providing praise and suggestions afterwards.  As they embrace the Great Commission and begin to personally get involved in reaching the lost in the community we then LEAVE them to continue the work while we move on to start the process all over again in a different location.

                When we are in Lima, Peru our home church is Eterna Roca.  We have been in relationship with this church for the past 4 years.  We worked in their local area, they’ve come with us when our North American teams have come, we’ve prayed with them as they moved to a cell group model and we’ve helped train them in evangelism and making disciples.  We love this body of believers.  As we were returning home this past August, the pastor said he appreciated the heart we’ve shown to reach the lost and they were going to begin praying about going on mission to reach their country….on their own.  Not without Christ of course, but without the assistance of North Americans.  They began praying.  A couple months later I got an email and the pastor mentioned that they had been praying and the Lord had led them to a location in the jungle that would take a 30 hour bus ride each way.  So they began  raising funds for the project as they continued to pray.  Then the day came to ask who will go?  Of this small church of 100 people 30 members raised their hands and committed to going.  30!  Almost a third of the church!  They continued to pray as they prepared, made plans and trained.  Last week Eterna Roca took that mission trip to the jungle where they did evangelism, made disciples, encouraged the local believers and made a difference for the Kingdom in that area by helping to start 6 new cell groups!  You see that’s the goal, train and equip then let them go.  Following Paul's model we do stay in touch, provide additional training when needed, encourage them, but we’ve removed the mindset that it takes North American involvement to do missions work.  We love Peru, we hope the Lord allows us to continue to work in other areas, but He has also allowed doors to open where we can begin working among unreached people groups in Asia.  Once we, the Church, reach all nations then Christ will call us home and we’ll be out of a job.  I’m good with that.

 

Praising what we saw in 2009

As we looked back at 2009 over the past couple weeks we were completely amazed.  Here’s what we are praising the Lord for as we look back at 2009:

Equip.
With your help, we saw 263 national leaders equipped in 2009 with the training, materials, Bibles and sports equipment to reach their own communities with the love of Christ.

Evangelize.
Your support allowed us to work with teams in 6 locations in Peru and Ecuador, seeing 7354 hear the amazing good news of the Gospel.

Establish.
We became first hand witnesses as Matthew 16:18 came to life. Truly, Jesus built his church! In 2009 we saw 32 new churches spring to life. Thank you for being a part of reaching the lost for our Father’s glory! 

Can't wait to see what He does in 2010!