Templeton’s in Transition

Dear friends and family,

                After four great years in Thailand we are facing a new transition.  We have loved our time of ministry here.  I have taught Theology, Ethics, Church History and Spanish during our four years here.  I have especially enjoyed the discipleship aspect of teaching the Christian Ethics classes.  My students have been great and I have loved seeing them mature and begin to live their faith for themselves.  I have also greatly enjoyed the opportunity to coach both girls volleyball and boys volleyball and soccer.  Gina has appreciated being able to work in the high school and elementary libraries over the course of our four years here.  God has been faithful and good to us.  We have seen our oldest son Nate, graduate last year and Josh will be graduating in May 2014.  Together with our youngest son Lucas, they have had wonderful cross-cultural experiences, have traveled in Thailand and made many international friends.

                And now it seems that a new adventure awaits us.  We have been invited by our mission organization to assume a leadership position at the New Tribes Bible Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin.  I will be transitioning into the Dean of Education position after our year of home assignment.  I was able to discuss this potential opportunity with NTBI leadership, this past summer when I took Nate back to the United States following his graduation from high school.  Over the past months we have prayed and sought the Lord’s guidance and believe Him to be leading us to accept this position.  Though we will miss many aspects of our current ministry in Thailand, we are excited about being directly involved in the discipleship of believers in a Bible School setting and also in the training of missionary candidates.

                We praise God for the relationship we have with you as our family, friends and financial and prayer supporters.  We praise God for supplying our needs through your financial partnership with us.  We trust that you will continue to partner with us financially and through prayer as we make this new transition. 

As you may know, student debt is a painful reality for many, and perhaps most, college students.  At NTBI we will continue to serve as missionaries with New Tribes Mission.  In order to offer an affordable training program for missionary candidates and eager disciples of Jesus Christ, NTBI does not charge tuition.  Students pay only for room and board since all staff members are full-time missionaries who are supported by local churches and committed individuals.  This allows students to receive Biblical training and to graduate without incurring debt.  After their two years at NTBI many students continue as missionary candidates with NTM, others transfer to four- year Christian or secular universities while others return to their local churches and use the Bible training they have received to nurture and encourage their local church body.

We will finish out the current school year at Grace International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand and will return to America in June 2014.  We will be on home assignment until May 2015.  During this time we hope to visit many of you, share our new ministry focus with interested individuals and churches and get reacquainted with American culture after spending the last 9 years living Brasil and Thailand. 

We would love to receive any feedback you may have for us regarding this new ministry opportunity that we will be pursuing.  We praise God for the role you have played in our lives over the years and trust that God will allow us many more years of partnership as we seek to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

                                                                              Sincerely,

                                            Andy (for the Templeton family)