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Well, we have finished our first week of itineration and WOW, what an amazing week. If the next 51 weeks are anything like this past one, it is going to be an amazing time of blessing in our itineration.
We started the week last Sunday with two amazing services at
For Sunday evening, we were able to visit one of the churches that currently supports our ministry – Bushnell Assembly of God. This little town on I-75 has one of the most powerful and anointed Pentecostal churches you will find anywhere. It was a personal and spiritual blessing to be able to return to Bushnell and update them on our past work and on what’s to come in T
The week continued with the 2009 Peninsular Florida District Council meetings on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We shared the missions table with the Wade family on Monday. They are dear friends and fellow missionaries, heading to a very difficult country that is in the news almost daily. I consider it an honor to share time and space with this amazing family. Dr. George Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, gave Monday night’s Council message. Prior to his service, we were blessed to attend the Speed the Light banquet where Rebecca and her wheelchair accessible van were part of the headline promotion for the event.
Tuesday was a day of honoring others at the District Council. It started with the memorial service in the morning to honor those AG pastors who passed away since the previous District Council. Then there was a missions luncheon in the afternoon and the missions service on Tuesday night. All the missionaries at the District Council paraded before the assembly and were announced by our District Superintendent. That was followed by a very moving missions service and offering for our 2009/2010 missions focus on
Wednesday was the final day of District Council. The morning was filled with a Wisdom Conference where my friend Pastor Russ Jones made a presentation on using media and technology in ministry. He was followed by several other speakers, including a great presentation by Pastor Max Yeary. Wednesday night was the annual ordination service and our dear friend Jaimee Silva was among those receiving her ordination. We enjoyed a celebration dinner with her, her parents, and her grandparents. These are three generations of Assemblies of God missionaries serving in the Asia Pacific region. Amazing!!!
We finished our week off with a special surprise birthday for a very dear friend of our family – Dawn Dick. It was a full week with lots of ministry, lots of reconnecting with friends we have not seen in four years or more, and lots of driving. Things will get back down to normal on Monday when
Our next presentation is in chapel at OneHope on Wednesday, followed by a service on Sunday morning, May 17, at Way of Life church in
It was a very special night, with each of the three families given a time of honor, presented with gifts, and given a special award that Tammy is holding in this picture.
In Christ,
Wayne
http://YourWorldMissionaries.org
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Pastors Wayne & Tammy Brown and Rebecca
Assemblies of God Missionaries to Thailand
PO Box 770274
Coral Springs, FL 33077-0274
Financial Support: https://secure1.ag.org/contributions/detail.cfm?LedgerID=D228E68B-633B-45AC-8D69-12C1E4146351
The Monthly Budget
Our monthly budget provides the funds we need to meet the month to month expenses associated with our ongoing ministry work. These expenses include housing, food, basic living, transportation, office, communications, security, health care, and AGWM administration. In the case f our Thailand budget, it also includes some expenses for field ministries.
Before we will be authorized to move to Thailand, we are required to have enough signed monthly commitment forms to cover this monthly budget. The typical missionary will invest twelve months in itineration activities between terms. We are attempting to raise our budget for Thailand in under eight months. At the current time, we need to raise over $4,600 in new monthly support in order to meet our monthly budget goal.
The Cash Budget
The cash budget covers our expenses for getting to the field, moving expenses and household setup, language study, and any other initial costs related to settling into our assignment. During our short itineration period, we must raise a $22,550 cash reserve, while covering our itineration expenses, before we can leave for the field.
The Project Budget
We have one project for our next assignment for which we are currently raising funds. That project is a construction project to build the living accommodations for our family and for the university students who will be serving with us in Bangkok. The budget for that project is $35,000. Like the Cash Budget, our Project Budget is generally raised through one-time donations and offerings, and must be raised before we can leave for the field. Since this money is going to pay or construction that directly impacts our living accommodations, it is actually important that we raise this budget early in our itineration cycle.
How Can you Give to The Brown Family?
You can help us with one or more of the above mentioned budget needs by giving an offering now and committing to support us on a regular basis. For more details on how to give to our ministry in Thailand, CLICK HERE to visit our How to Give page.
Wayne Brown
PO Box 770274
Coral Springs, FL 33077-0274
Checks should be made payable to Wayne Brown. We will issue you a receipt as soon as we receive your check. If you wish to send a check directly to Assemblies of God World Missions, you can sent it to
Assemblies of God World Missions
1445 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802-1894
These checks should be made payable to Assemblies of God World Missions. It is very important that you put our name account number in the memo section of the check. That account number is 293917. Assemblies of God World Missions will issue a receipt for checks they receive directly and for all online donations.
Thank you for partnering with us and helping to address this urgent need. Together, we will finish strong in this first term of our ministry and be prepared to start our second chapter of our work from a position of strength.
Happy New Year!
Our December 2008 newsletter is now available online. Click here to go immediately to this newsletter. This month’s newsletter includes a special announcement about a change in assignment that is coming in 2009 as well as our itineration announcement. I hope that we will see you during our 2009 itineration cycle.
This cancer update is one that is very much a pleasure to report. I (Wayne) completed my chemotherapy on December 8. This is the same chemo that I started on November 14, 2007. For over a year I have had a twice-daily routine of taking drugs that are designed to destroy any remaining cancer cells in my body. For a man who has never really been sick in his life, this year of chemo was a major physical challenge. I had pain everywhere, but especially in my hands and feet. And then there were the digestive problems. I'll spare you the details, other than to say that I lost nearly 60 pounds during those many months of chemo. It is very easy to loose weight when everything you eat leaves you at the most unexpected times and in the most undesirable ways.
Yes, it was a very difficult year. However, I did not walk through this challenging year alone. The Lord walked with me through the challenges that each dose of chemo brought to my body. With the exception of the times every six weeks when I was scheduled for a visit to the cancer center, I was able to travel all over the world while taking my chemo with me. You see, this chemo was not the traditional IV in the arm or chest kind of chemo. I was on two drugs that came in pill form. I took one drug every morning and every evening for the entire six-week cycle. The other drug was only taken in the morning and only for the first four weeks of the cycle. There were nine cycles in all. Because the chemo was in pill form, I could take it with me anywhere I traveled. And the Lord enabled lots of travel during this year of treatment. I've taken chemo in the cold of Siberia in central Russia, and in the warm summer sunshine of Saint Petersburg Russia. I've carried my chemo with me to Brazil and Haiti, to Kenya and eastern Europe, to Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. Me and my chemo have been on nearly ever continent on the face of the earth this past year. It wasn't always easy, but the Lord was always there with me to see me through any challenges.
Oh, but now it is all over. Within a few days of completing the chemo, I was no longer getting sick. I could eat a meal and not worry about how much time I had before I would be sick. Within a week I had put back on 10 pounds of the weight that I lost. I'm taking up running and bicycling to try to stop that trend.
It has now been nearly three weeks since the end of chemo. I'm feeling great! No more pain in my feet, no more pain in my hands, no more sickness. I feel stronger than ever and I'm planning to tackle some tasks that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. Lord willing, I will run in a 15k race in Jacksonville in March with Amanda and some of her friends. Lord willing, I will travel to Haiti to hike a mountain with a very dear missionary friend. Lord willing, I will take a week or two before itineration starts and hike a section of the Appalachian Trail. And Lord willing, I will go back to riding my bicycle between 50 and 100 miles each week.
The Lord has given me a new opportunity at good health so that I can continue being effective in my ministry. I plan to do all I can to remain healthy and effective for Him. My final chemo-related visit to the cancer center is on January 12. There is one last CT scan and one last heart scan (called a MUGA) and one last check-up and last set of lab work that I have to complete for this final visit. Then, when the all-clear is given, I will simply need to come back for a CT scan and physical once each year for about 10 years. My doctor tells me that if I make it past the two-year point (coming up in August 2009), it is highly unusual of my type of cancer to ever return. Please join with us in prayer for a great report from the cancer center on January 12. And thank you for all your prayers that have seen me to this point.
In a few hours, the people of Thailand will awaken to Christmas Eve. As in most of Asia, the dawning of Christmas Eve for over 60 million Thais will mark the beginning of two days of very secular celebration. They will celebrate Santa Claus, they will celebrate Mickey Mouse and all his Disney friends (that's another story), and they will celebrate with gifts and Christmas trees. However, for all but about 0.7% of the population (yes, less than one percent of the total Thai population), there will be no real meaning to all the celebrating. Although Thailand is one of the most accessible areas in all of Asia, it is also one of the most unreached. While the secular traditions of Christian culture have penetrated Thai culture, the true reason for the season is still lost among most of the Thai people.
It is said in Thailand that to be Thai is to be Buddhist. It is against this backdrop that believers across this beautiful country, both Thais and missionaries from other lands, must work to share the good news. It is our prayer that all believers in Thailand will use the secular celebrations over the next two days as an open door to explain the true meaning of Christmas. We are asking everyone in our international prayer network to join with us in prayer for the people of Thailand. Pray that believers throughout Thailand will recognize this special opportunity to share the good news. Pray that they will have the courage to share with everyone they encounter over the next two days. Pray for protection from attacks from the enemy as they share about Jesus. Pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of everyone they encounter to hear the good news. Pray that the message of who Jesus is will break through the cultural and spiritual strongholds that prevent the Thai people from knowing the truth about Christmas. Pray that those who hear the truth about Christmas will be receptive to the good news that is being shared with them. Pray that all who hear the good news will be open to an invitation to become a Christ follower. Pray for Thailand and for her people during this very special time of year.
The first term of ministry for The Brown Family is quickly drawing to a close. Our next itineration cycle will begin in May 2009. In less than six months our assignment with Book of Hope will be complete and we will be back in the Peninsular Florida district, going from church to church to share the great things that God has done and is going to do through our ministry.
Our current term of ministry has been exciting and productive. In spite of a difficult fight with cancer, Wayne has been able to travel the world with Book of Hope, coming alongside pastors and lay ministry leaders on nearly every continent. Those travels have seen him reaching out to various communities with teaching and preaching, encouraging believers to reach their own communities for Christ and equipping them to use the Book of Hope movie called The GodMan in their evangelistic endeavors. Through The GodMan, we have seen over 15 million children and youth reached with the gospel message.
Our transition from ministry to itineration will also include a major change in assignment – an assignment that will result in our moving to Bangkok, Thailand. In Thailand, Wayne will be able to leverage his experience at Book of Hope to help the Thailand Assemblies of God and our Thai missionary fellowship to develop a media ministry program. That new media program will provide powerful new tools to reach the people of Thailand with the gospel.
The Brown family will have the additional blessing of working with the Mobilization International Ministry Experience. MIME will be a full-time internship program for Assemblies of God university students in their sophomore or junior years. The program allows students to gain practical missions and ministry experience while completing their educational requirements through distance learning. We will be working to build a family environment where students work, play, and minister together. This part of our assignment will allow us to serve as house parents to these college students while they are away from home. Those who know of our nearly 20-years as foster parents know how much this opportunity means to us.
The start of our itineration will be here before we realize it, so it is time for Wayne to start the process of calling pastors to scheduling services and meetings. Due to the urgency of the needs in Thailand, our new Area Director has asked us to shorten the upcoming itineration cycle and be on the field by the end of 2009. We will be working aggressively to schedule every service opportunity from May 1 through mid-December 2009. We need to be in services every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening throughout this period. We are also looking for opportunities to minister in banquets, conferences, and small group meetings throughout the week and on the weekends. Finally, we are looking for opportunities to come and visit with pastors and ministry leadership who can help us in reaching our schedule and support goals.
We need to raise about $4,000 in new monthly commitments and over $40,000 in cash during seven months of itineration. In addition, we have been asked to raise $35,000 toward the construction program that will build the residentual facilities for the students and for our family. We must raise all of these funds by the end of November 2009 in order for us to receive our field clearances in time for a year-end departure. There are three things you can do now will help us to reach our scheduling and support goals:
Thank you for helping us to bring the good news to all the people of Thailand. We look forward to connecting with you very soon. If you have any questions, please contact Wayne at 954-673-6946 or 954-724-3026. We appreciate any help you can give us in this effort.
Tammy and I want to inform you of a change in our ministry assignment with the Assemblies of God. Our first term as Assemblies of God missionaries will end on April 30, 2009. At that time we are scheduled to go on itineration to raise funds for our second term of ministry. Our second term of ministry will be served in Bangkok, Thailand, where we will be working with a college internship program, directing a new media ministry work, as well as working with youth ministries across the country. We are excited about the new doors the Lord has opened for us and the opportunity to serve on the filed.
Please continue to lift us up in your prayers. This is a big move for all three of us. We are being asked to shorten our itineration cycle and be on the field by January 2010. With a $40,000 cash budget and over $4,000 in new monthly commitments that we must raise, this shortened itineration cycle will be a very busy and difficult cycle. Without the Lord's intervention and provision, the fundraising goals we have set will be impossible to meet. If you would like to help us reach either of these budget goals, please visit our website at http://yourworldmissionaries.org/, then click on the Support link and go to the "How Can you Give to The Brown Family?" page. And pray for us as we work to quickly fill up our itineration schedule and look for other opportunities to gain the support of churches and individuals throughout our district and across the nation.
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