Thank you for considering and for your prayers.

Ben Kibbe

The post June 2022 EFM Thailand Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Throughout this year we will continue laying the foundation for our partnership in the gospel. That means meeting together via Zoom as well as another onsite visit at the end of this year. Even though Ben and his family are retiring from full-time missionary service as of May of this year, Ben will continue to be involved in various ways, including fundraising. The Thai leaders are already part of planning a Luke 10 Exploration Trip to Southeast Asia which will likely take place this coming December. They are planning it along with Ben and leaders from Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region (EFC-ER). Together we are praying to the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into this region of the world.

Below is a message from John Ryser, Senior Lead Pastor at Damascus Friends Church, the sending church of the Kibbe Family.

Dear Friends, Ten years ago, Damascus Friends Church took the initiative to send Ben and Charity Kibbe to Thailand to minister to the Lahu people, a tribe of vastly unreached people. Since that time, they have laid a strong foundation of national Lahu leaders and disciples. They have done this through evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. In this past year, both Ben and Charity have sensed God leading them away from Thailand as full-time missionaries. They will remain a part of our church and we at DFC will remain involved in the ministry to reach Lahu people. We have strong ties to our churches there as well as leaders like Charlee and Solomon. The future of their ministry is as bright as it has ever been as the Kibbe’s have made contacts with Lahu tribes in Laos, Myanmar, China, and Vietnam. It is for this reason that I ask you to prayerfully consider helping to fund this great mission. The opportunity for significant church planting effort is within reach as God opens doors throughout Southeast Asia. Thank you for praying about this and considering what your church might do to help financially. Your generosity will help expand this ministry by plant churches for Jesus in this part of the world. John P. Ryser Sr. Lead Pastor

This ministry in northern Thailand is still fairly new to EFM. This may be the first time you have heard about it. I trust that you can see already what a valuable partnership this is when it comes to carrying out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ in Southeast Asia. I recommend it to you whole-heartedly as worthy of your prayers and financial support.

Together in Christ’s service,

Dan Cammack

Field Director

There are two ways to support EFM Thailand, through prayer and through financial giving. Both are needed and appreciated!

If you would like to partner with EFM Thailand financially there are a few ways to do that:

• Donate online on EFM Thailand’s webpage here.
• Donate by credit card over the phone at 303-421-8100.
• Mail a check marked with “EFM Thailand Support” to EFM, PO Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277.

The post Kibbe Family Announcement first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

The post December 2020 Kibbe Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Introducción al ministerio

Ben y Charity fueron enviados por primera vez a Tailandia por la Iglesia Amigos Damasco en 2012, para unirse a un equipo ya próspero, iniciado por los padres de Ben: David y Marilyn Kibbe junto con sus compañeros nacionales. Cuatro años después Ben Kibbe establece la Fundación El Camino, siendo una extensión del Ministerio Evangélico de los Amigos en Tailandia.

Después de pasar casi cuatro años en estudios de lengua y cultura llegó el momento de formalizar la organización y registrarse ante el Gobierno Tailandés. Desde entonces, el favor del Señor ha sido con La Fundación, tanto en su relación con comunidades, como su posición siendo una organización cristiana, con el gobierno tailandés.

Enseñanza de la Biblia

Desde 2011, David y su compañero Lahu, Charlee, han estado desarrollando y enseñando un currículo bíblico para hombres y mujeres que desean obtener una comprensión más profunda de la palabra de Dios y que desean enseñar a otros. Pastores, evangelistas y hacedores de discípulos, han estado estudiando cuatro días al mes, durante dos años para crecer en su relación con el Señor y estar mejor equipados para estudiar, enseñar y lo más importante, aplicar la verdad de Dios en su vida diaria. Actualmente hay 35 estudiantes. Charlee también está comenzando con dos nuevos grupos en dos lugares, ambos a unas cuatro horas de Chiang Rai.

Actualmente hay tres grupos que representan varias aldeas, reunidos en tres lugares diferentes en el norte de Tailandia. Aproximadamente 40 estudiantes asisten a estas sesiones mensuales. Charlee está entrenando a cinco hombres para ayudarlo en la enseñanza.

Plantación de Iglesias

La Iglesia El Camino se encuentra en la ciudad de Chiang Rai y tiene dos propósitos principales. El primero es llegar a las personas (tanto tailandesas como lahu) en cada ciudad que no tienen una Iglesia. El segundo es ser una Iglesia modelo así como una Iglesia misional. La visión de los líderes de la Iglesia es capacitar y apoyar a equipos que irán a las comunidades de las montañas y harán discípulos y plantarán Iglesias. El Pastor Solomon y el equipo han plantado una segunda Iglesia en el pueblo de Ja Saw Pa y actualmente están trabajando en dos comunidades adicionales.

Desarrollo Comunitario De Por Vida

Creemos que El Camino al desarrollo sostenible es a través de ver la vida completa de una persona y toda la comunidad en la que viven. Jesucristo no separó las necesidades físicas y espirituales de las personas, tampoco se limitó a dirigirse a ellos como individuos, sino como una comunidad más grande. Todas las personas del mundo sienten los efectos de la caída en cuatro relaciones rotas: la relación entre nosotros y Dios, entre nosotros y nuestro prójimo, entre nosotros y el medio ambiente, entre nosotros y nosotros mismos.

Durante los últimos tres años, nuestro equipo ha estado trabajando con D4D (Disciplina para el Desarrollo) y Los Navigators. Nuestro equipo ha aprendido la teología del desarrollo y los resultados de los modelos de dependencia y cómo muchas veces las buenas intenciones conducen a una relación malsana entre los forasteros y las comunidades necesitadas de desarrollo. Hemos crecido mucho como equipo y comenzamos a adoptar un enfoque diferente para las comunidades con las que estamos conectados.

Desarrollo Agrícola

La Granja El Camino, dirigida por YawSaPa, es una granja educativa utilizada para aprender mejores técnicas agrícolas y nuevos cultivos comerciales que pueden ser utilizados por los nacionales en el ministerio para complementar sus ingresos y hacer un ministerio más sostenible como pastores bi-vocacionales y evangelistas.

Orar por favor…

• Por sabiduría para cada líder. Queremos escuchar al Señor, especialmente sobre cómo priorizar nuestro tiempo y energía.
• Por fondos adicionales. Nos esforzamos por ser buenos administradores con los recursos que Dios nos ha dado. Ahora mismo, especialmente necesitamos financiamiento adicional para becas de formación para voluntarios.
• Por la familia Kibbe, ya que consideramos un posible viaje a los EE. UU. 2021-22. Viajar todavía es muy incierto, especialmente cuando estamos considerando un cronograma para regresar a Tailandia al final de un año.

Lee mas…

The post Carta de Oración de Diciembre 2020 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

The Kibbe Family | Serving in Thailand

Ministry Introduction

The Way Foundation was founded in 2016 by Ben Kibbe as an extension of the Evangelical Friends ministry in Thailand. Ben and Charity were first sent to Thailand by Damascus Friends Church in 2012 to join an already thriving team started by Ben’s parents, David and Marilyn Kibbe, and their national partners.

After spending almost four years in language and culture studies it was time to formalize the organization and register with the Thai government. Since that time the Lord’s fav

or has been with The Way Foundation both in their relationship with communities and their standing as a Christian organization with the Thai government.

Bible Teaching

Since 2011 David and his Lahu partner, Charlee, have been developing and teaching Bible curriculum to men and women who want to have a deeper understanding of God’s word and who want to teach others. Pastors, Evangelists, and disciple makers have studied four days a month for two years in order to grow in their relationship with the Lord and be better equipped to study, teach, and most importantly apply God’s truth to their daily lives. There are currently 35 students. Charlee is also starting with two new groups in two places, both about four hours from Chiang Rai.

There are currently three groups representing a number of villages, meeting in three different locations in northern Thailand. Approximately 40 students are attending these monthly sessions. Charlee is training five men to help him in the teaching.

Church Planting

The Way Church is located in the city of Chiang Rai and has two main purposes. The first is to reach people (both Thai and Lahu speakers) in the city who don’t have a church. The second is to be both a model church and a missional church. The leaders of the church have a vision for training and supporting teams who will go out into the mountain communities and make disciples and plant churches. Pastor Solomon and the team have planted a second church in the village of Ja Saw Pa and are currently working in two additional communities.

Whole-Life Community Development

We believe that The Way to sustainable development is through looking at the whole life of a person and the whole community in which they live. Jesus did not separate the physical and spiritual needs of people. He also did not just address them as individuals, but also as a larger community. Every person in the world feels the effects of the fall in four broken relationships: the relationship between us and God, us and our neighbors, us and the environment, and us and ourselves.

Over the last three years our team has been working with D4D (Discipling for Development) and the Navigators. Our team has learned the theology of development and the results of dependency models and how oftentimes good intentions lead to an unhealthy relationship between outsiders and the communities in need of development. We have grown a lot as a team and started to take a different approach to the communities that we are connected to.

Farm Development

The Way Farm, directed by YawSaPa, is an educational farm used to learn better farming techniques and new cash crops that can be used by nationals in ministry to supplement their income and do more sustainable ministry as bi-vocational pastors and evangelists.

Please Pray…

• For wisdom for each leader. We want to hear from the Lord, especially on how we prioritize our time and energy.
• For additional funding. We strive to be good stewards with the resources that God has given us. Right now, we especially need additional funding for training scholarships for volunteers.
• For the Kibbe family as we look at a potential 2021-22 trip to the US. Travel is still very uncertain, especially when considering a timeline of returning to Thailand at the end of one year.

Click Here to Download Full Prayer Letter…

The post December 2020 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.