UNRESTRAINED IN 2024
Welcome to our first-quarter ministry update! Our family is bursting with big dreams for our ministry here in Chiang Mai, and we’re fully aware that it will take God’s mighty power to bring them to life. Get ready to be blown away as we share how God has been smashing obstacles left and right, allowing us to move forward with unrestrained passion in doing His work. So grab your seat belts and get ready to dive into the highlights of the past three months!
– VISA UPDATE –
Finally! Our entire family has secured a Thai visa, granting us a long-term stay here in Thailand. The past year and a half has been challenging regarding our visa status. Despite facing three denials from different Thai embassies, we persisted. Last January, we traveled to Vientiane, Laos, for our fourth attempt.
Anxious about the possibility of another rejection, we turned to God’s word, recalling His calling for us to move from Manila to Chiang Mai. We trusted that if God called us to Thailand, He would make a way. And indeed, He did. Our application was swiftly approved, and we were asked to return two days later to collect our passports.
Our eyes welled up in tears as we walked towards the exit door of the embassy, knowing our application was approved. We know it was God’s favor and power that made it possible. After three denials in three different embassies, we can finally relax and breathe because we now have a visa for a long-term stay here in Thailand.
With the visa secured, we can now fully concentrate on establishing our family in our promised land, Thailand, and carrying out the ministry work the Lord allowed us to start. We are grateful for all your prayers for our visa approval.
– BIRTHING CAMPUS MISSIONARIES –
In October of the past year, we started our second Student Alpha Course, bringing together a total of 35 high school students from diverse backgrounds—locals and foreign students alike. Over eleven weeks, the students were able to establish relationships and good connections. The Alpha Course was also an opportunity for the students to ask some of the biggest questions in life like, Who Am I? or What is my life’s purpose? Through these questions, the students are pointed to Jesus as the answer to their life’s biggest questions.
The highlight of this journey was the Holy Spirit Weekend on the 11th week. This overnight fellowship focused on the Holy Spirit and culminated in baptism. The atmosphere was charged with the presence of God as our 35 students engaged in prayer and ministry. After the ministry time, students shared testimonies, recounting moments where they felt Jesus standing in front of them and touching them during the ministry time. This encounter with the presence of God made the young people unrestrained in pursuing growth in their walk with God.
This experience birthed a youth group at Victory Church Chiang Mai, the community we actively support. Presently, we have 35 youths every Friday, and this community continues to grow. Our strategic focus moving forward is to equip and empower these young ones and build them into a campus missionary. We are excited for all these young future leaders to make an impact on their respective campuses.
– THE FUSION STUDENT CENTER –
We’re almost there! Despite some bumps in the road with contractor delays, we’re thrilled to announce that our student center is nearing completion! It’s been amazing to see how God has provided encouragement and support along the way, reminding us of the incredible impact this center will have on students in Chiang Mai.
The Fusion Center is located between two prominent universities–Chiang Mai University and Rajhamangla University and has a combined student population of 50,000. We aim to speak life, identity, and purpose to students through our evangelistic programs and leadership training.
The Fusion Center is designed to offer students, the local church, and missionaries a non-threatening environment for students to have fun and have an opportunity to hear the gospel of Christ.
We are making a bold claim over these universities and committing ourselves to labor tirelessly to harvest the souls of this young generation.
We invite you to stand with us in prayer as we prepare to launch the Fusion Center this month of May 2024.
– THE MAC FAMILY –
The Bible says, “Children are arrows in the hands of a warrior”. Our kids are such a blessing to our ministry! It’s been very encouraging to see them get plugged into healthy communities like the youth group at church and the group they were able to form where they minister. Witnessing our children dive in and embrace God’s calling alongside us is a huge blessing. Even our littlest one, Reese, at just 6 years old, understands her role in God’s big plan. Their enthusiasm is contagious!
Amidst all the excitement of ministry, we’re grateful for the strong foundation of our marriage and family. By God’s grace, we’re thriving together and staying rooted in Him. Your prayers mean the world to us as we embark on this new chapter with the Fusion Student Center in the city and church planting in Lamphun province among the Karen Tribes.
– HILL TRIBE MINISTRY –
Our ministry in Chiang Mai is moving forward faster than we ever imagined! This month, we’re thrilled to kick off our church planting work in the Karen village of Huaihia. This project was made possible with the help of our partner church in Melbourne Australia, Alabaster Church.
It’s a privilege to build relationships and dream up ways to make a difference in this community. We have met the village chief and we are so excited to establish a lasting relationship and partnership with him. Soon, we will initiate community projects to help improve the living conditions of the villagers. This will be our platform to share the gospel to this predominantly Buddhist community. The end goal for this village is to establish a thriving church that will help the community grow in the Lord.
– CITY MINISTRY –
At the beginning of this year, we teamed up with Victory Church Chiang Mai to kick off the School of Leadership. Our goal? To equip and empower young leaders for various church ministries. Every Wednesday, we gather with these emerging leaders, hungry to learn and ready to serve the Lord in any capacity.
The transformation we’ve witnessed in these individuals over the three-month leadership training is truly remarkable and very rewarding. It’s incredible to see many of them stepping up into leadership roles and actively seeking growth and maturity in their walk with God. We’re filled with encouragement and excitement as we witness their journey unfold.
– URGENT PROJECT –
As our ministry expands, so does our need for mobility. Our minivan just recently reached its capacity as it broke down in the middle of our drive. We can only use this vehicle for city driving and not for mountain trips. For this reason, we are praying & raising funds for a vehicle that has a bigger engine and capacity. We are praying for $17,000 – $20,000 to be able to buy a pick-up truck or an SUV that can take us anywhere we need to be.
To learn more about how to partner with us for this project, click the link at the bottom of the page.
You can also email us at john.mac@withinreachglobal.org for more details.
MINISTRY
The Fusion Center
-Wisdom upon our leadership in building The Fusion Center.
-Continuous provision and funding.
Alpha Courses and Discipleship
-Please pray for continuous expansion, to empower more pastors and leaders in using The Alpha as a tool for evangelism. Pray that the local churches be on fire for discipleship and that the Lord empowers us in this movement.
FAMILY
Constant Covering and Protection
Please continue praying for our family’s protection and good health. John now travels weekly to Lamphun Province conducting discipleship training for the local pastors. Please include in your prayers our parents’ health and daily protection in the Philippines.
Provision for Finances
We need financial partners to sustain our work here in Thailand.
- Children’s Education. Jethro and Kari started going to a Christian school here in Chiang Mai (also an A.C.E. school). It has helped much with their adjustment. Soon Reese will be attending the same school. We are praying for constant provision for their tuition fees.
- We also need health insurance. This will help us tremendously with our medical needs.
Anointing and Godly Wisdom for the Ministry
We are dependent on the Holy Spirit’s empowering to do the work of preaching the gospel and discipleship in this place. Sometimes it feels like Thailand is such a hard ground for the gospel but we also know that it’s a kairos moment for this nation for the gospel to explode and bring many souls to the Kingdom of God. We need so much of God’s guidance and anointing to do the ministry.
