God Moments

We just spent the past two weeks touring I-5 between Eugene and Seattle. It was great seeing friends and family that we hadn’t seen in awhile, and it was cool experiencing God’s amazing sense of humor. We had several “God Moments”, but one stands out. (Editor’s note: “God Moments” refers to those times when God shows up in surprising ways).

I had sent out a request via email for folks to talk to their pastor/mission committee/anyone who would listen and ask if there was a chance we could share a bit of the vision God has given us for the people of Thailand. Several responded, among them, my aunt. She had passed our name on to a man I knew from a Bible Study 20+ years ago (Kip), who had passed us on to another gentleman from the Mission Committee of their church (John). They wanted to meet with us on Sunday the 15^th.

On Sunday, we went to this church – Shoreline Community Church in Coos Bay – without my aunt. Now mind you, I haven’t seen Kip in more than 20 years and I’ve never met John. But we trusted that God would do what needed to be done. In this, we weren’t disappointed!

Upon arriving (unannounced), we were given a bulletin. The Scripture for the morning included this passage from Romans 15: “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written: ‘Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.’” This is one of Pioneers’ theme verses. We were also given a “Welcome Gift”. It was a DVD talking about the wonders of God’s universe, subtitled in Thai. There was fudge too.

We knew we were in the right place. However, we still didn’t know how we were going to find Kip or John.

After the final song, the pastor stood back up. He started talking about a fund-raising dinner. Then he asked the organizer to come up and talk about it… Kip. Kip spoke for a few minutes, then directed the man that everyone was supposed to pay to stand up… John.

I could almost hear God chuckling.

We received a couple more churches that are supporting us, and more family and friends as well. It was a wonderful trip. For those we were able to see, it was wonderful! For those we missed this time, you haven’t entirely dodged that bullet. But perhaps more than anything else, this two weeks was another chance for God to confirm and affirm that we’re going where we’re supposed to be going. Our hearts are more than ever with the people of Thailand, and our hopes to be there soon remain undimmed.

Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers, and for standing with us as we raise the necessary finances to soon be overseas.

Technical Difficulties

I had hoped there would be a video here. La Cabane.

I have been trying unsuccessfully to upload a video of an interview that Andrea did with Paul Young, the author of The Shack. It’s a really cool video too. Here’s how it all came about…

A couple of months ago, a friend of ours - Ted Angell - suggested to Andrea the possibility of interviewing Paul, and translating the interview into French. Ted and Paul had done similar interviews into Spanish and Portuguese. After a bit of anxiety, she agreed.

We met Paul in Portland on the 18th of July. They started out by chatting a bit about Third Culture Kid stuff and just kind of getting acquainted. She briefly mentioned some of the questions that we had kind of thrown around as ideas. While they were doing that, I was busy setting up a small handheld video cam and doing a back-up with the webcam on my laptop.

The conversation was entirely spontaneous. Paul presents first in English, then Andrea translates into French. He managed to incorporate every question and idea into pretty much a monologue, on the spot. I got two really good videos of the interview.

Unfortunately, I am only a “Level Four Geek”. Apparently there is something wrong in the code… or it’s too long… or I’m simply inept. I don’t know. But for the life of me I cannot get the video (almost half an hour long) to load to YouTube or this blog, either in MP4 or Windows Media File formats. I have tried multiple times and get error messages each time.

Needless to say I am greatly disappointed. I plan to give it a few more tries (and if anyone with a higher “Geek Clearance” than me wants to offer advice I’ll happily listen). Hopefully soon! In the meantime, I might be able to send it as an attachment if you want to see it, although I make no guarantees. It really is a cool vid.

Zero Known Believers

(by a Pioneer in East Asia)
“I just returned this morning from a ten-day trip teaching English in small, unreached villages in Central Asia. After multiple instances where we thought we wouldn't even make it across the border, the Father opened the doors for us to enter and remain for longer than initially intended! We spent the mornings teaching and the remainder of the day enjoying milk tea and traditional meals with various families.

“While this small, unreached people group (with zero known believers) is by far the friendliest culture I have ever met, the soil of their hearts is hard and rocky. This discouraged me throughout the time there. Why have I heard the gospel over and over, and they have never heard? What impact can we have in the few days we are here? He reminded me that, ‘It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy’ (Romans 9:16).

“And God is working! A couple of trips ago, a young girl had a dream three nights in a row that Jesus was on a cross in her front yard. When her mother discovered that her daughter was talking to foreigners about this she beat her and forbade her to speak of the dreams again.

“So let's pray for a long-term presence in these villages! It was a privilege to work alongside an East Asian sister who passionately taught and loved the children and families there. She would love to work there long-term. Pray that God would provide a partner to go with her.”

While the number of known believers in the area we’re hoping to go to is larger than zero, it is still a disturbingly small number. It is still one of the least evangelized areas in the world today. And it’s not going to be for just a few days. While the shortest time Pioneers will support a team in the field is two years, we anticipate being in Thailand for a longer period of time than that. Because even though the intention is to raise up leaders to pass the ministry on to, even that takes time. 

Around the world, almost one third of the people on earth have never heard the Good News that many of us take for granted. Many of these people live where we want to be. 

Will you help us get there?

Unengaged and Unreached

“We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the First.” – Oswald J. Smith.

In reality, it’s about a third of the world that has never heard. Of the seven billion people that call earth home, more than two billion of them have never heard the Good News. They are the Unreached. Of those, most live in areas that don’t have any kind of Christian presence, or at least not of sufficient numbers to possibly share that Good News. They’ve never seen a missionary or had access to one. They are the Unengaged Unreached.

One of the core values of Pioneers is to try to see that everyone has a chance to learn about Jesus for themselves. Their focus is sending missionaries to these Unengaged Unreached. 

The videos paint a pretty dim picture. And I feel like I need to print a bit of a disclaimer. There is nothing wrong about missionaries going to serve among those who are already Christians. Paul reminds us that one plants, another waters, still another harvests. All of those roles need to be filled. Discipling new believers is vital. Training them to be missionaries themselves is vital. But discipling and training can’t happen without there being any initial contact. And two billion people right now have no need for discipling or training. They haven’t heard the Good News. 

In the Isaan region of Thailand, there are some 21.5 million people. On average, 1 out of every 634 people in Isaan is Christian. In some provinces, the ratio is as high as 1 out of every 1303. If a thousand people in Isaan gathered to watch a football game, on a good day two would be Christian. Think of it this way. Visualize Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. Safeco Field has a seating capacity of 47,860. If every one of these seats were filled with a person living in Isaan, 132 of them would be Christian. That doesn't even put one Christian in each section. 

These are the Unengaged Unreached.

Isaan is the driest and poorest region in Thailand; all of Thailand’s ten poorest provinces are in Isaan. It has a history of being dominated and oppressed by various regimes over the last 800 years. It is a socially outcast area. It is looked down upon by Thai’s because of its Laotian and Cambodian influences. In Isaan, 70% of the population is considered impoverished.

We’re hoping to work at planting churches, finding people who are open to hearing the Gospel. This is not about going to convert or Christianize people. This is about going and telling them about who Jesus is. But also, we go to serve the people in the Name of Christ, following his mandate to care for “the least of these”.

Some are called to serve the church here, bringing Christ to their immediate sphere of influence. Some are called to serve the church in another part of this country, in another city or state. Some are called to go to those who have come to Christ, but who need to be trained in how to live their faith out. And some are called to bring the Good News to a place that it has never been. We believe that is where we are being called. 

Will you help us get there?

Charity Begins at Home

“Why do you want to go to the other side of the world? There are poor people / people who need ministry right here in Idaho/Oregon/Washington/the United States. Why not stay here and do ministry?” After questions about life and culture and ministry in Thailand, these are the most common questions we get. Why not care for our own people and their needs? Charity begins at home.

When I was doing Youth Ministry and Campus Ministry and people talked to me about Missions, that was usually my response too. I have always thought of Youth Ministry as being like “Domestic Missions”. I haven’t really changed my mind about all that. I think sometimes we make overseas mission work sound more holy than domestic ministry. It isn’t. Just because we’re getting involved in foreign ministry doesn’t mean we think it’s somehow godlier. And ministry to our own is not less important. Jesus was pretty specific about telling us that we need to care for the poor and downtrodden. He wasn’t very specific about which poor and downtrodden. 

We’re trying to be straightforward in asking for support from people in our quest to minister to the people of Thailand. But I feel like I need to make a disclaimer here: if you already have a habit of giving to ministries and outreach here in the States, we don’t want you to stop. We don’t want to take money being given to someone else. If, however, you aren’t involved in supporting a specific ministry, please consider us. Please.

In the Great Commission, Jesus talks about making Disciples of all nations. At the beginning of Acts, he speaks of sending his disciples to Jerusalem; where they live, the people they see every day. He talks about Judea; the people of their culture, but in the wider countryside. He talks about Samaria; people of a somewhat different culture, but who are still close by. Then he throws in the “uttermost parts of the world”; which is pretty much everywhere else. Every one of these groups is supposed to be touched with the Good News. Every one of them is supposed to be given the hands and feet of Christ. He didn’t place any kind of hierarchy of importance or blessedness. He doesn’t like one better than another. But he does want them all to be done. 

For whatever reason, the Holy Spirit has placed it in our hearts to go to an unreached people group eleven times zones away from where we are now. We have been called to share with and care for a people in that “uttermost part of the world”. That same Spirit has placed in some of your hearts to partner with us in this; to be a blessing to a people you might never meet. “Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field (Luke 10:2).” 

We’re ready to be sent; to the uttermost parts of the world.

Keep to the Code

A little over two years ago, I preached a sermon about lessons learned from Captain Jack Sparrow. It included several points; you determine who you are, aim high, wait for the opportune moment and seize it, never apologize for who you are, keep a sharp eye, and keep your sense of humor. But perhaps the most important lesson to take from Captain Jack Sparrow is the last one: Never give up.
 
Persistence is all the more impressive when the odds are clearly against a person. From the time of the mutiny aboard the Black Pearl to the time Jack regained control of his ship, ten years passed. An entire decade. Sure, he may have taken some detours, but he always returned to the goal of getting his ship back. With patience and a bit of assistance, Jack succeeded. And through this he shares the most important lesson; never give up on what matters most to you.

I have to confess, there are times when we have a little trouble with that last point. 

If you’ve been following this blog for very long, you’ve realized that we’re preparing for overseas mission work. We’re selling off unnecessary possessions, learning all we can about the culture and the language (hence the blog title), telling everyone who will listen about what we hope to be doing, interacting frequently with the Thailand team we hope to join and with our pre-field coaches, and trying to raise up people to support us in prayer and in finances while we’re there. We have many people who have agreed that they want to come alongside us in this venture. 

Okay, honestly, we’re not losing hope. No cause is lost if there is but one fool left to fight for it. And we feel your prayers being lifted for the people we hope to soon be serving, as well as for us and for our support. We feel the excitement that many of you have for our missionary journey. Many of you have said how passionate we sound when we speak of our impending work in Southeast Asia. But the most difficult thing ahead of us at the moment is waiting. 

We had been hoping for this coming August for several reasons. We want to get through Language School and begin working as soon as possible with the team in their new area. We had hoped to be there before the new school year starts for the boys. Now, it seems like it might not be that soon. We’re thinking more along the lines of October for a Survey Trip, and after the New Year for our deployment. But who can guess what God’s time frame might be? (Hopefully, not an entire decade…) In order for us to begin planning our departure, our funds need to be at 80%. In order to purchase our tickets, we need to be at 90%.

We know that God is behind this whole thing, and that God will get us there exactly when he wants us there. We know that what seems insurmountable to us is nothing to God. And, like Captain Jack, we’re not giving up on what matters the most to us. 

We’re thankful for the many of you who are standing beside us, who also sense the hand of God in this. With patience and a bit of assistance, we will succeed.

The World is My Parish

Our dishes keep breaking. Every week or so, one more of them ends up being dropped or damaged. Plates, cups, glasses; we’ve lost some of each. We still have enough to get by, but we’re wondering how soon it’ll be before we don’t have enough for a full dishwasher load.

We’re hoping this is a sign, some “still-small-voice-ish” way of telling us we’ll be departing soon. God doing away with stuff we don’t need, getting it out of our way. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves every time we hear another crash. We can leave behind our broken dishes. We’re far more concerned with broken lives. 

The trafficking of human lives is a strange thing. Sometimes it’s done out of greed; parents want more stuff. Sometimes it’s done out of necessity; the family simply cannot afford to feed and care for all their children. Sometimes it’s done out of family loyalty; the child might even agree in order to help financially. And sometimes it’s done out of faith; agreeing to be used and exploited in this life for the hope of a better next life. But no matter what the motivation, it leaves behind a wake of human wreckage. 

Often the family will begin to worry and realize just what they have done to their child. Often the child will escape with nothing left of who they were. They’re left with picking up the broken pieces of a life tragically misused. 

Caring for these is only part of what we hope to be soon doing in Thailand. Pioneers is committed to planting churches. We will be working with the team meeting people and introducing the Gospel to them. These won’t be the kinds of churches we’re familiar with. We’ll likely be meeting in homes or other small places; worshiping, learning, and discipling. Loving the people and showing them Jesus. 

John’s Gospel records the Great Commission this way, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” “The Church is and always has been about mission. That we are sent and how we are sent are equally important. Jesus has it in his heart and mind that we go in both word and deed to proclaim the good news of the Gospel: that Jesus Christ is Lord and has been raised from the dead. All our going must correspond with the way he came. (Jon Brown, "Words of Hope" Devotional, April 14, 2012)."

And in case you’re wondering, we’re all ready to go anytime. It’s a matter of when not if. Every day our hearts break more and more for the people of Thailand. Every night the boys pray for the funds to come in soon so that we can be in Thailand soon. We have been chatting at least once a month via Skype with the team we hope to join.  We’re learning the culture, learning the language, and learning of the challenges we will be facing. We’re planning to head off on a survey trip this coming July, and we intend to be there full-time by August of this year, but we need your help to accomplish that goal. Please consider partnering with us in this ministry.