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Pacific Rim Missions Update

Mark Kittrell, the president of Pacific Rim Missions International (PRMI)–the agency which oversees Haven of Grace Seminary–recently wrote an update sharing how God continues to expand the reach of PRMI. Our seminary in the Philippines (Haven of Grace) is growing both in the number of students we train, and in the number of locations we host our classes. In fact, we are presently training more men at Haven of Grace than ever before! Now, starting in June, PRMI will launch its 3rd seminary in Northeast India. This seminary will be strategically located close to countries like Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, and the rest of Southeast Asia. I am looking forward to teaching an online course on 1 Corinthians to the students there!

Please take a moment to read Mark’s update detailing all of the exciting things happening in the ministry of PRMI.

Dear Partners and Friends,

This will probably evolve into a lengthy email due to so many good things happening on the missions front. The gospel truly is “good news” and gospel related events are as well. I would like to start by thanking all of our prayer and financial partners for their continuing support of God’s Kingdom work through PRMI. God is hearing your prayers and multiplying your dollars for the advancement of the gospel in Asia. Your love for Christ is encouraging and your donations keep meeting real needs in tangible ways. The following report is a testimony of what God is doing through the teamwork of His people.

Philippines-Typhoon Relief

Our gospel partners responded with overwhelming generosity to the needs created by the devastation of Typhoon Odette. The southern part of Negros Island was hit especially hard. Many churches were either partially or completely destroyed and a fair number of them were pastored by Haven of Grace Seminary students. To date we have received $40,500 which has allowed us to supply humanitarian assistance (water & food) to hundreds of families. In addition, we have been able to help 50+ churches partially rebuild. For most of them, it would have taken years but thanks to you, they now at least have a roof overhead and can resume worshipping together. Thank you for your love and sacrifice for the brethren. Donations are still being received through our Disaster Relief Fund and we will continue supporting these efforts as long as funds are available.

Philippines-Haven of Grace Seminary

God is growing our seminary despite the challenges of the last 2 years. Recently, we started a 3rd location in Hinobaan in the far south. This is a mostly mountainous and rural area and many of these pastors have never had the opportunity for seminary training. In a short time it has actually become the largest class (30 students) due to the excitement for this caliber of training. Between Bacolod, Pulupandan, and Hinobaan, we now have 65-70 students. We could not have predicted this kind of growth but word is spreading about the quality training that we are providing. Presently, we are offering a course on the Pastoral Epistles which has been a tremendous help to our students. The feedback is very positive and our live, interactive, online format is being well-received. This method is actually allowing us to reach more students than we could have otherwise. It is still difficult for foreigners to get into the Philippines so this is our best option and we thank God that it is working smoothly.

Philippines-Summer Camps

For now, there is a 50-50 chance that we might be able to resume camps in mid to late April or early May. The health protocols are still stiff but loosening up bit by bit. Permission has been granted to use the facility again but there are other restrictions on group activities that may not make camp feasible. We are still pursuing the possibilities and ask that you pray for wisdom as we make our decision. 

Myanmar-Doulos Theological Seminary

Praise the Lord! The new President of DTS, Stephen Hang Kim, and the faculty have decided that the seminary will re-open in June 2022. I have been praying for a long time that God would bring them to a decision of their own making, and, after much prayer they decided that things have stabilized to the point where we can bring the students back safely and the environment around the campus is relatively secure. So, we are “all in” for year 2! Presently, 7 students are returning and will be joined by 5 new first year students. Please pray that God will guide our new leadership, that students will return safely, and that He will supply the needs (food and housing costs have greatly increased since the military coup). We are also praying for 15k to build a new kitchen and dining hall (picture attached). The old one is literally collapsing and in a completely unusable condition. Pray for Myanmar and DTS.

India-Seminary

After much prayer and consultation with our PRMI team, we have decided to launch a 3rd seminary in Dimapur, Nagaland, India starting in June 2022. I visited this area on my last trip before covid locked down the world. God connected me with a wonderful and capable Indian pastor, Tia Longkmer. He and his church have been praying for a Bible-school/seminary to be started in this area for a long time. NE India is a strategic location for two reasons; 1) most Bible schools are located in southern India so there is a great need for one here; 2) it is tucked between Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, and China–countries that need to be reached with the gospel. For now, the plan is to start with a live, interactive, online format with the potential for in-person modules when the country is fully open to foreigners. Presently, we have received interest from around 15 students. Please pray with us about this new venture. New opportunities like this one excite me because they fulfill the main reason for our PRMI existence–training nationals to reach the nations with the gospel.

I am constantly amazed but not surprised at what God is doing around the world and specifically in Asia. In the midst of a world-wide pandemic, wars, increasing violence, and chaos–the gospel is advancing, the Kingdom is growing, and God’s name is being glorified. Be sure to visit pacificrimmissions.org to find out more, and as always, thank you for praying, giving, and partnering with us in the gospel.

Blessings,

J. Mark Kittrell

PRMI

[the picture below is of our class on Pastoral Epistles in Hinoba-an]

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