Focus on the Unreached: Three Fields of Thailand

There is no doubt that the Lord has led School to the Nations into the Buddhist world, where, out of billions of people, less than 2% are evangelized even after 200 years of missionary work in these areas. The true essence of Buddhism is complex: it is a meld of humanism and animism, not based around a deity, yet full of idol worship.

The concept of a living God is very far removed the mindset of the Thai people. This human-centered worldview is coupled with a strong social solidarity, which makes missionary work a challenge.

In this difficult and exciting new work, we know that God’s timing and his providential work among the nations is to be highly considered. Many people have gone before us to sow the seed and we are confident in God’s timing – there will be a great harvest in the days ahead. School to the Nations is blessed to be a part of this, as God has opened door after door in the last 18 months to allow us to move into these new fields for the message of the cross of Christ. Once again, He has been faithful in this calling, which is spelled out for us in Matthew 28:19, that we should “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.

 This winter, we are mobilizing 22 people to four separate Buddhist fields, 3 of which are in Thailand. They are currently being trained and equipped to communicate the message of the cross in the Buddhist culture specifically. One team will be in Bangkok working with university students, a work which began last winter on our first Thailand outreach. This particular campus has more than 100,000 students, most of which do not know the name of Jesus. Another team will work in Bangkok to pioneer the deaf ministry to the Thai culture. Unlike our work with the deaf of Botswana, that is concentrated on deaf schools, the Bangkok deaf outreach will focus on finding deaf in the human trafficking trade and other areas where the deaf tend to congregate in the Thai culture.

Because we have a large team for this outreach, we are opening a new field in Chiang Mai to accommodate the outflow of disciples. This team will focus on strategic evangelism to the Thai, working in a variety of locations.

 Pray For:

 -The 23 disciples working in Thailand to be spiritually prepared, well-equipped, healthy, and that they would trust in God for the finances for this trip.

-          - An influx of prayer partners for the Gospel to spread throughout Buddhism.

-         -Our new field among deaf field in Bangkok; This is heavy on our hearts as the deaf are the least reached among the unreached worldwide.

-         - The peoples’ eyes to be opened to the hope of the cross.

-         -That our partners, the full-time missionaries who follow up and disciple those we will work with long after we are back home, would be strengthened and encouraged.

-         -A great movement of the Holy Spirit to open the eyes and hearts of the Buddhist people all over Asia so that the glory of Jesus will shine upon these nations who wait to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

To read a true story of God’s hand on the Thai people during our trip last year, read this post.

A Work in Progress: Asian Training Village Update

We are anticipating a finished project as the Asian Village is coming along. So many people have put in countless hours of work and skill into creating an incredible place where future teams traveling to this type of culture will have the cultural experience before going overseas. We foresee many wonderful nights of worship and learning in this training village. Please join us in praying for the future of this facet of School to the Nation's mission in training the next generation to reach the unreached for the Glory of Jesus! Pictures of the progress: 

Breaking ground and placing the poles. 

Working up high! 

Framing the Walls

Roof and walls nearing completion 

Walls nearly complete along with the roof

This guy has given countless hours to this project, thanks Jim! 

Most current picture, front entry way complete! 

Thank you to everyone who has a had a part in designing and constructing this project! It will be a great tool as we continue to reach the nations for Jesus. 

Ministry Update: Sowers & Fields Festival

In April, School to the Nations gathered our board members, partners, and staff families to celebrate the adoption of three people groups - the Deaf of Botswana and two Mountain People groups in Asia. In a small room at Remington's, we took part in a time of worship,  talked about where we're headed, enjoyed a beautiful worship dance, and prayed together for our three new people groups. This celebration outlined the continued need to share the name of Jesus around the world and reignited the passions of the staff and our board and supporters alike! What follows in this post is a recap of the message that was shared; it is a challenge to us and we hope you will feel encouraged and passionate about spreading the name of Jesus throughout the nations after you read it!

Isaiah 12:2-5: “’Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.’ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: ‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted.’”



This scripture reveals a lot about His name (and thus His nature) and His desire for people. This winter on an outreach trip in a large city in Asia, our team met with college students for English as a second language training. While reading with one of our team members, a young student asked  "Is this a name?" pointing at the name of Jesus. How deeply this ought to effect us! In a culture full of constant fear, hopelessness, and meaningless religion, people do not know and have never even heard the name of Jesus.

What does His name mean in our lives?

•  His name is our salvation, which gives us peace with God.  The scripture from Isaiah also reminds us that our salvation is not only for ourselves, but to "make known among the nations what He has done". 
• His name is our strength and our song. Abiding in Christ means we are connected to God's peace and we are comforted by His people and His Living Word through all of the trials and pain we all experience throughout life. He changes the lives we had into a new song and strength to thrive through every storm!

What do we do with all of this? We share it! He calls us to share His name where it has never been heard, to plant churches so that believers can grow and support one another in the driest spiritual desert. There are more than 6,400 unreached people groups and 70 million deaf worldwide who have not heard the name of Jesus. Truly, His name - His love, grace, mercy, hope, and life - must be exalted among the nations! 

What does this mean for you? We invite each and every one of you to partner with us in this work of making the name of Jesus famous throughout the world. Know Jesus intimately. Get to know His name more deeply today. Surrender your talents, skills, gifts, prayers and ability to reach the nations so that His Name can be the salvation of 3 billion unreached people around the world! At the end of our celebration, we officially adopted 3 more people groups with signed certificates showing the commitment of our leaders and staff to this movement of God. It signifies our passion and commitment to serving the unreached and sharing Jesus with them. We'd love for each of you to join us in this calling by praying, supporting, and even going with us!

Psalms 8:1 "O Lord our Lord, how majestic is Your name throughout the earth!"

Lifting the Fog: A New Field in Southeast Asia

A new adventure and a new day are beginning for School to the Nations as we live out our mission statement to “Penetrate the final frontiers for the glory of Jesus by mobilizing the next generation to the Nations.” Recently, we sent a group of twelve people to Asia for two purposes, one to work with University Students and two to explore a new mission field in L country. Three of our leadership staff, partnering with the IMB traveled into this country in order to find possible inroads for future efforts to penetrate the unengaged, unreached people in this region. They were told that they were the first Caucasians that these people had ever seen! We believe that these are God-ordained relationships with the people here and our team was captivated by the surreal environment they experienced:

“Nestled on the side of a mountain in the extreme upper highlands, is a long house, living in this house are precious people created in the image of God. Shut off completely to any knowledge of God and the access to even hearing of the mercy of their Creator found in Jesus. These people live in fear and seek to appease the spirits and because of some communist ideology, extreme mountainous terrain, animistic worldview, and Buddhism permeating every aspect of their lives a fog covers their eyes that must be lifted, much like the fog rises each morning from the valleys.”

Our team was successful in creating lasting relationships with key figures in this region and potential creative access inroads with the government. The future is hopeful, as this new field has opened up! During their visit they came in contact with two specific unengaged people groups that we will identify as "the mountain people." Both of these people groups are in desperate need of the Gospel, and School to the Nations along with a local church are fully engaged into a strategic long-term church planting movement among these precious people.

In the midst of the first contact they were able to clearly see the governing hand of God by giving them favor with key contacts and government approval to be in this region, something that cannot be handled carelessly. We must be as strategic and as creative as we have ever been to continue a healthy relationship with those in L country. So where do we go from here?

As with any unengaged, unreached people group the mountain people will not be reached unless the church marshals a strong prayer strategy. We, the body of Christ, the church must pray that the fog that blurs their spiritual eyes be lifted, and only by the power of the Cross. Missions among the unengaged and unreached are more about prayer than they are about strategy; prayer produces strategy, but prayer must supersede all efforts.

Will you join School to the Nations in praying Ephesians 1:18, as we begin a prayer movement for the mountain people in L country?

 “I pray that the eyes of you heart will be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his  glorious inheritance in his holy people and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV

**For more on what an “unengaged & unreached” people group is, read this article from the latest issue of Mission Frontier: “The Most Abomidable “Word”.”

Training Report: Botswana Team

Last Saturday we spent the day training our team headed to Southern Africa (Botswana) to work with the deaf people in that area later this month! Our Extreme Adventure Challenge Course is a great way to build team unity, learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, and come together as one unit in preparation for the upcoming trip.

Many of our team members are deaf, and we are excited to see how God uses their gifts to cross cultural barriers and minister to the deaf in Botswana, who in many ways are just like them. We saw clearly as they conquered the ropes course on Saturday that communication comes in many different forms, and when a team has a unified goal, anything can be accomplished.

Please join us in prayer for the team as they prepare to leave. Pray for their families they are leaving at home, for their jobs, for their protection, and for their ministry while they are in Africa.

If you would like to join the prayer update list please email theabicopeland(at)gmail(dot)com or visit here for a specific prayer guide for the trip: Prayer Guide 

October Outreach Prayer Guide

Join us in praying for team partnering with us from Ridgecrest Baptist Church and First Baptist Church in Midland, TX traveling to South Africa in October. 

If you would like to be on the email list for trip updates and prayer request please email: theabicopeland(at)gmail(dot)com

Click Here to View & Download the Prayer Guide 

“Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way, say

to those with fearful hearts, “Be

strong, do not fear; your God will

come … Then will the eyes of the

blind be opened and the ears of

the deaf unstopped.”

~Isaiah 35:3-5

Sailing the High Seas: A letter from Randy & Maureen

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”

–William Shedd

For the past six weeks we have been in a season of new beginnings, docked in a safe harbor. After nine years of our focus primarily being on Mali, West Africa, specifically two un-reached tribal groups, we have seen much fruit including at least two solid church plants. However, in late March, Mali was thrown into turmoil as a result political upheaval and the violent nature of radical Islam. Sadly, this has sealed off most of the missionary work within the borders.

My heart was broken. We have a deep love for the Malians, and not only that we were in the process of training two teams to travel to Mali in the fall, one to work with the deaf and the other to work in the tribal regions. I was very frustrated to say the least! My calling is to work on the frontier mission fields, yet now I did not seem to have one! But God was at work, although at the time I simply could not see the hand of God moving.

The months of April and May were busy on our School to the Nations U.S. Base Campus with projects and the normal day-to-day issues of a mission organization, yet as the months passed I grew more anxious and frustrated. It seemed as though the frontiers came to a screeching halt! Daily I sought the Lord’s leading, but nothing seemed to develop. For example, I had been pursuing a new field in Southeast Asia and had been in correspondence with mission partners in that region since last July. Even though they wanted us to come, because of some leadership restructure on their end, nothing seemed to be happening. It was during this time in my daily devotions that a direct word from the Lord came in Paul’s similar story in Acts: “When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.” (Acts 27:7-8) Reminded again of the value of learning to “wait upon the Lord,” I identified with this story, relieved my anxiety and frustration and simply said to the Lord, “I surrender, you lead. I will wait upon you in my own ‘Fair Havens’.”

Astonished once again at the mighty hand of God, in late May the winds of the Spirit began to blow again and School to the Nations discovered two new opportunities, two new fields in need of the Gospel! In the words of my wife, “we have already adopted but now are finding out we're pregnant too!” Only through God’s divine workings, our deaf team is now traveling to Botswana, Africa to evangelize and church plant among the deaf in that part of the world. A few days after hearing this news, a phone call from Southeast Asia came and we now are very close to sending our first vision team into a remote area of jungle to explore at least three options of tribal unreached groups that we anticipate to adopt as a new work begins.

As we come to a time when we are pulling up the anchor and leaving the safety of the harbor to sail the high seas of God’s global purpose, we are amazed at the work of the Holy Spirit which has made it possible to “Penetrate the Final Frontiers for the Glory of Jesus by Mobilizing the Next Generation to the Nations!”

“My soul, wait silently for God alone…”

Psalm 62:5

For His Glory,

Randy & Maureen Copeland