30
Dec '15
2015 Merry Christmas from Jim Randall
30
Dec '15
Hello from Thailand,
May this Christmas be full of love, Joy, Peace and may 2016 be your very best year so far! This will be my first Christmas without a single family member.
This has been a busy and eventful year traveling here in Asia and Africa doing training and mentoring leaders who will also train others (II Timothy 2:2). So far this year I have been in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and S. Korea, some multiple times. I was also in Nigeria for the month of August doing leadership training and setting up a new mission organization, BAM (Business As Missions) Nigeria. The board is now functioning and looking for business opportunities that they can launch. These board members are all leaders of large organizations and/or large churches. One is a lawyer/pastor who plans to run for president in the next election. God gave me connections and favor with key leaders in August. I am the only foreigner on the board. There are 40 million evangelical Christians in Nigeria but less than 1,000 missionaries have been sent to other nations. We plan to change that in the coming years by empowering self-supporting missionaries.
I will continue to do leadership training and mentoring in SE Asia but will return to Africa periodically to do training and other ministry. I plan to return to Africa in mid-February. A delegation from Nigeria will arrive here soon. I will take them to Cambodia to see some BAM projects and meet with leaders there who are using businesses successfully to make a difference in their country by reaching the lost and supporting orphans, new churches, etc. The goal of BAM is to transform a country by using businesses to reaching a new level of people who are outside the church. We will also meet with some BAM leaders here in Thailand. When I return to Nigeria, we will hold several one week training schools for leadership development and organizational management. I also plan to do some short training sessions in Liberia, Ghana, Uganda and Zimbabwe this year. This is part of the fulfillment of promises the Lord spoke to me many years ago about Africa. He is faithful to keep His promises.
I went to Phnom Penh, Cambodia for a few days and secured a 30 day tourist visa and prepared for three more trips in January and early February. I am now in the process of getting a new Retirement Visa in Thailand. Please pray that all will go smoothly and that I will be able to get my Retirement Visa before Christmas. Retirement Visas are easier to get than missionary type visa. Also, there is a strong movement by Buddhist here to send all Christian missionaries home. A Retirement Visa would not be affected by this but I need favor with the Immigration officials. A Missionary Visa in your passport can stop you from getting into some countries. The list is growing.
I have written another booklet that is not yet on the website. (www.leadership101.asia) Please feel free to download any of these booklets at no cost to you. The first two have been translated into Vietnamese. I need to have them printed but I don’t have the funds at the moment. They will cost about $1 each and will be given to leaders as the funds permit. Other languages are in the process of translation. If you would like to help with that, please go to: http://www.messageministries.com/asia-jim-randall/ – 100% of these donations come to me to use as designated and you will receive a tax exempt receipt.
God bless you and Merry Christmas. May 2016 be your very best year so far, Jim
