Alise and Mark will serve at the House of Love and House of Blessing in Chiang Mai, Thailand. These ministries were established by IM missionary Kim Brown to serve tribal women and children coping with problems caused by AIDS, disabilities and migration from their rural villages to urban slums. Working through longtime IM partners Integrated Ministries for the Ethnic Minorities Foundation and the Thailand Karen Baptist Convention, Alise and Mark’s ministry will focus on the discipleship and spiritual development of children and staff, administrative responsibilities and community development. They will be moving to Thailand with their three children, Sydney (age eight), Gavin (age six) and Kolin (age three).

They write – Greetings! This is our very first journal post as newly endorsed global servants for International Ministries. We have been on this journey toward global service for the past thirteen years; longer than we have even known each other. So naturally, this milestone is very exciting for us. It means we are one step closer to moving to Thailand. It means we are officially tied to an organization with cross-cultural experience and a strong presence in Thailand. But it also means we have a long road and a lot of work, time, and growing to do before we can actually go. What we must remember is that we already are global servants.  …

We are very excited about the future, but seeing how much there is to process, consider, pray about, strategize, and put into action is exhausting already. But we also have already recognized a problem within our own mindset: we are global servants, we are already IN ministry. All the things we need to do right now: visit churches, build partnerships, and preparation are all a part of being servants. We aren’t servants to people, we are servants to the LORD and our role as servants is about strengthening the Kingdom. It’s all so exciting to us, the temptation is to try to do it all right away – to fill every evening with researching, preparing, designing, and strategizing. What we are trying to recognize, however, is the importance of balance and pacing, of spending time for renewal so we do not get burnt out – even at this very early stage in our mission.

Earlier this week my home church hosted a “Night of Worship and Renewal”, which are two things I can always use more of. As I was there praying, one particular song really spoke to me: “Your Glory/Nothing But the Blood” – which is a blend of a newer song and a classic.

…And the heartbeat of my life,
is to worship in Your light.

…What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Those two sentences especially reminded me of what gives me life, and where I need to go for renewal – Jesus. …  Seeking renewal in the Lord reaffirms within ourselves who it is we serve, and where we must go for renewal. …

So when will we be going to Thailand? We have a long road ahead of us still. Everything is dependent upon the % of monthly support we have coming in. Most global servants take between 18-24 months to gather up the required support – and we are just now starting month one. We have now spoken at our very first church as Global Servants: Mountain Christian Center in Oakhurst, CA. Thank you for your prayers as we go to churches and seek individual and church partnerships. Thank you for encouraging us to remember that this is God’s mission ahead, not ours.

Read their full journal at https://internationalministries.org/excitement-renewal-global-service/