Readjusting Back to Idaho Life

The big move has officially happened! As mentioned in the last update, Tina and I are making the transition to full-time pastoral training. To be able to do this financially, we decided to reduce our expenses by moving back to Boise, Idaho (where we lived from 1994-2003).

So 850 miles, 2 moving trucks, and three stitches later (I lost a fight with the sheet metal vent on our dryer), we find ourselves at our new home...Well, it’s actually our kids’ home, they are letting us live with them. ;)

God’s goodness was on display, not only for allowing such a wonderful place to live but in how He also provided so many people to help with the move from our Calvary Bible Church family when we left Burbank and by our new church family from Faith Community Bible Church when we arrived. It was a great encouragement to then attend FCBC on Sunday as I was on the elder team when the church was founded over 18 years ago. So, in some ways it was more like a homecoming.

Exciting Training Opportunity in Pakistan

Since I have transitioned to full time training, two opportunities have come up for which I am very excited. The first opportunity is to train about 20-30 pastors from Pakistan, coordinated by Pastor Morris. I met this dear brother in the Philippines where he was attending seminary. After our first meeting, here is what he posted on Facebook:

The response was overwhelming as he received a large number of requests from men desiring to be trained. Please be praying for this great opportunity to come alongside these pastors. Pastor Morris had been asking me for a while to come and train but my schedule has since prevented me. But now that I am full time and with the prevalence of Zoom, we will be able to begin training toward the end of September, Lord willing.
Pray for the provision needed for these men to participate as well as the logistical issues to make the class optimal for training. Pray also for the many brothers and sisters in Pakistan who are suffering greatly in the current Covid-19 crisis.

The second meeting with Sean and Devraj from TEA and two additional Pakistani pastors

Training in Malaysia

Another opportunity to do training with some men in Malaysia is also in the works and may start in the next month or so as well. This is a smaller group of men who want to receive more advanced training in how to accurately and clearly preach the Word of God. Please pray for this opportunity as well.

Zooming Through Classes in the Philippines
After taking a week off to prepare for the move, the weekly online training workshops with pastors and church leaders in the Philippines are back in full swing. We have been doing these classes for nearly four months and there are still 40 to 45 men who still attend the training sessions. Their desire to be faithful to the Scripture and to shepherding those in their churches continues to humble and inspire me.

Here’s where the three groups I’m leading are currently at:

1&2 are in the modular program going through studying and preaching from the poetic genre
3 is a group of mainly graduates who wanted to take a refresher class. They are going through narratives.

Pray for Direction with Current Travel Bans

Once the workshops are completed in the next month or so the two currently enrolled groups will complete their assignments for their current module and prepare to move on to the next one. To complete the module they will be preaching two sermons. But since it appears unlikely that the travel bans will be lifted anytime soon, we need to figure out the most effective way to conduct the preaching labs so that they can be evaluated. Please be praying for wisdom in how to do that.

Prayer Requests

Be in prayer for the two new training opportunities in Pakistan and Malaysia, especially for all the preparation necessary and for the men who will be attending
Pray also for those pastors and leaders currently in the workshop class in the Philippines – that God would use the classes to make them more effective shepherding the flock.
Please pray for our family as we continue to settle in to our new surroundings.
I would also appreciate prayer as I adjust to my new routine of studying in the mornings and doing training in the evenings. With the 14 hour time difference I am usually teaching well past 10pm.
Pray also for additional support and for ministry partners. We are getting close to meeting our needed monthly amount.

If You Wish to Support Us

If the Lord leads you to support this ministry, you can do in several different ways:

Credit Card: go to our GMI link. Note that GMI covers all online expenses so that 100% of your donation goes to our support.
Direct Deposit: print out the form from this link and follow its instructions. The missionary/project name is “Tim Carns”.
Check: make it payable to “GMI” and write “Tim Carns” on the memo line. Then mail it to Grace Ministries International, 13248 Roscoe Blvd., Sun Valley, CA 91352.

August '20 Update