Dear Friends,

This is the last of the six letters to promote this year's World Mission Offering.Thank you for reading them.It is humbling and at the same time very gratifying to have heard from a number of you that you and your churches have set ambitious goals for the offering.We'll continue praying with you that these goals can be met or exceeded!

In the 1920s, there were over 850 American Baptist Missionaries serving around the world.Last year, there were 137 and currently there are 120 missionaries in all. Three years ago IM had a 3 million dollar deficit.Due to the miraculous response last year to the World Mission Offering, representing a 34% increase, this deficit was cut in half.Now, in order to trim away the deficit even further and maintain the staff and missionaries at the current level, we need to see an additional increase of 10% this year over the total giving to the WMO in 2004. The goal for the 2005 WMO is $5.4 million.

Sadly, today only about half of the ABC churches participate in the World Mission Offering each year and an estimated 80% of total international mission contributions of ABC churches go outside the denomination.

Looking ahead, a new system will be phased in emphasizing the building of personal relationships between missionaries and churches or regions.However, the World Mission Offering will remain an important source of funding for keeping missionaries on the field and the work of our international partners going around the globe.

In Thailand, population increases of indigenous peoples, immigrants fleeing unlivable conditions in neighboring countries combined with government policies are causing a large migration of people leaving the rural areas coming into the cities.They leave not only their homes and traditional way of life, but their faith and social system that helps keep them grounded.Ministries reaching out to these newly urbanized people are playing a vital role in addressing these needs and IM is committed to supporting this work.

Several of our letters have highlighted the stories of local leaders that God has called to work with their own people. We are helping these local leaders and evangelists reach out to these, often in difficult areas.One hundred and fifty thousand refugees are living in a series of camps along the Thai/Burma border.Many of these are our Baptist brothers and sisters and we desire to bring them hope and encouragement.

In our current position, we work with all the Baptist work throughout Thailand so these six letters have only touched on a small part of what God is doing here.We work together with 6 different mission organizations from 5 sending countries.There are about 40 full time missionaries and 10 short term missionaries and volunteers representing at least ten nationalities. There are about 100 programs and projects supported by these missions and volunteers.It is amazing to see how God takes people and resources from around the world and weaves them together to work in the lives of individuals in obscure corners of the world in order to accomplish His will. This indeed gives us reason to "Abound in Hope!"

We hope you feel that this is your work as much as ours or any one else's because you make it all possible.Thank you once again for supporting the World Mission Offering this year and thank you for your prayers and interest.We look forward to seeing where God will lead us all in the future, as we seek to remain faithful to His calling in our lives.

Yours Co-workers in Christ,

Duane & Marcia Binkley