News Archive

Update of Beth’s Ministry at
Northeastern Bible Seminary in Khon Kaen, Thailand
August 27, 2009

Dear Prayer Partners:

I want to share this story that you might be encouraged and inspired to trust God because "He is good, all the time."

A story of pain with great gain…

When I graduated Bible College 32 years ago, I knew the task before me was not easy. It was going to be a journey of faith and failure, trust and trembling, pain and prosperity. I am reminiscing the year of my graduation, which is just about this time.

On March 16, seventeen men and women have completed the four-year Bachelor of Theology degree at NBS. Four of them have been out of school for a few years and have decided to return to complete a degree, which they have started at NBS.  One of them is Jindaphon. She is married to a pastor and presently doing church planting in Nakhonratchasima province. Jindaphon travels on weekends to help her husband who stays alone on weekdays. Why would Jindaphon leave her husband to come to NBS? To earn a degree is not really her priority, but she believes that she needed to be equipped to do ministry more effectively. She did not have anyone promised to pay her tuition fees. I told her to trust the Lord to supply her needs. In just a few weeks before graduation, I asked her about her unpaid tuition since last semester. The following day someone had telephoned to ask for NBS’ bank account number to deposit for her tuition fees.

Last week, I had to deal with a very difficult situation. A couple was about to get a divorce due to unfaithfulness in the marriage relation. It was a painful event to witness a man in tears because I seldom or never seen such a thing in this culture. Only a weak man shed tears, so they say!  However, this was not the case; the tears ended in victory and unspeakable joy because they were reconciled very quickly.  They realized that the teaching of Jesus was to forgive seventy times seven, and they have encountered just one time. What a marvelous testimony of a spiritually mature decision. It is possible though painful; choose to imitate Christ in releasing forgiveness, in the same manner we have received.

NBS’ theme of the year is imitating Christ has yielded reality in our midst. As we end the school year 2008, NBS has experienced the truth that imitating Christ includes pain but it does not stay on because in Jesus we also experience abundant life He gives to us daily. I believe pain is part of growing up to spiritual maturity.

Please pray for these needs:

1.      The 17 seniors who have just graduated are quite excited and yet cautious to enter into full-time ministry. Please pray that they will trust God every step of the way.

 2.      There are 15 juniors interning for ten months beginning in April.

3.      The freshmen and sophomores are excited to be on another level.

4.      New recruits of students next school year.

5.      Financial stability for NBS, supporters and partners will continue to give.  

6.      Faculty and staff mission exposure trip which is part of NBS’ faculty & staff career growth and development program.

7.      NBS to keep growing in all levels of its vision and mission: to become a center for training those who are called by God to transform communities through the gospel of Christ.

Thank you for remembering us in your prayers and for sharing your financial resources to NBS to enable us to do the work of Christ more effectively.

Blessings,

Beth C. Limare