A letter from Barry and Shelly Dawson in serving as Regional Liaisons for Southeast Asia, based in Thailand
September 2014 -Visiting Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand
The Hills Are Alive …
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Pastor and Yao church members welcome us with their locally grown coffee
We were climbing a mountain where the only sane choice was a 4-wheel drive vehicle. It was not like the steady, straight-up climb of a roller-coaster inexorably inching its way up a steep incline high above the flickering rainbow lights of an amusement park, with chains and gears making that unmistakable clanking sound, as riders with white knuckles grip the shiny silver retainer bars and a barrel of butterflies is released inside your stomach before the downward plunge that leaves you screaming with a strange, emotional concoction of unbridled, childlike joy and unmasked adult fear. Rather, ours was an ascent mixed with sharp, hairpin turns and innumerable switchbacks that ultimately led us to a summit that provided a commanding vista for the verdant hills and valleys of northern Thailand.
Yet what captured our attention upon reaching the mountaintop village was not the tidy church building that is a sacred space for 80 baptized believers, but rather the living church community—a gathered people—waiting expectantly, patiently, for us to arrive. Dignified, elderly women of the Yao hill tribe—one of Thailand’s indigenous people groups—welcomed us and immediately shared generous gifts of hospitality. We learned from them that the hillsides in their community are ideal for growing coffee and macadamia nuts. Their pastor explained that one of their lofty dreams is to increasingly market their brand of locally grown coffee. But, before that can happen, the community needs a processing machine that will cost in excess of 100,000 Thai Baht (more than $3,000). The pastor and church leaders seem undaunted in their hope that the day will come—some day—one day—when their prayers will be answered and their household incomes will rise from increased sales of their coffee. With quiet confidence and deep faith in Christ, they wait in a perpetual season of Advent, trusting that one day—some day—somehow—the Holy Spirit will reveal a bigger plan for their coffee and let them see tangible evidence of their belief that “God’s kingdom is now.”
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Sharing a fellowship meal with Karen church leaders in northern Thailand
In another village inhabited by the Karen hill tribe, the most Christian of Thailand’s indigenous people groups, we sit on the floor as we receive the gift of warm Christian fellowship from the pastor and local church leaders. During our cross-legged lunch we hear stories of how the church works with the community to protect the forests and fish, two of their most valued resources. Since 80 percent of the people do not own their land, the Church of Christ in Thailand works with the local community—and a GPS system—to help them determine which lands they can legally use. When we hear that the local church has a Land Mapping Committee, we marvel at the creative yet practical ways that community-based, Christian ministry provides life-enhancing help and indomitable hope for the Karen villagers. Their stories of using the land wisely, so that future generations can also benefit from the fertile soil, are imbedded in their collective psyche and shared community values. They understand themselves to be stewards of God’s creation, and remind us that all land is a sacred trust from the Creator.
Our northern Thailand journey continued with a visit to a Bible training school for pastors and church leaders of the Lahu hill tribe, yet another indigenous people group. On the expansive grounds of the school the emphasis on bi-vocational education enables pastoral students to learn not only to teach the Scriptures, but also best practices for raising chickens and pigs, planting and harvesting rice fields, as well as gardening techniques that will produce higher yields in nutritious vegetables. In this Lahu-based model of theological and bi-vocational education we see a beautiful example of how the PC(USA) can address the critical global initiative of evangelism through pastoral training for indigenous church leaders.
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Farming rice fields (background) is also taught at the Lahu Bible Training Center near Chiang Mai, Thailand
As we joyfully interacted with our Christian brothers and sisters in northern Thailand, the picture of the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT) that emerged was one of a multi-cultural mosaic, composed of unique ethnic groups including the Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Yao, Akha, Wa, Hmong, and Tai Yai. These indigenous people groups account for as much as one-half of the total CCT membership of 190,000 baptized believers, and their numbers are steadily growing. Of course, daily struggles and ongoing challenges remain for them. They need more bi-vocational training for pastoral leaders and additional resources for a rapidly expanding membership, as well as Thai citizenship papers and identity cards for indigenous people that will allow them greater access to healthcare, education and employment.
Yet, the most indelible impression from our sojourn among native villages of northern Thailand crystallized when we saw not what they need from the wider Church for their future development, but rather what they already have to give—now—in this present moment—to the global Church and its people who hunger for purpose and inspiration. This very day the Christian indigenous people groups of northern Thailand stand as symbols and signs, as living reminders that:
…. Unashamedly sharing the gospel can lead to the birth of new believers.
…. We are called to care for hallowed ground because “The earth is the Lord’s.”
…. Patience, persistence, and prayer are the way to reaching what seems beyond reach.
…. With or without a land mapping GPS, God has a plan, a grand design.
In northern Thailand the hills are alive with the presence, the peace, and the power of God.
Prayer Requests: Please remember to include the indigenous people groups of northern Thailand in your prayers. We ask you to pray for pastoral training scholarship funds, and for creative ways for ethnic churches to share their stories of the new life and growth that God is giving them.
Invitation to Share in our Ministry: We invite you to share in our ministry in Southeast Asia through your prayers, financial support, and correspondence with us. Your support is vital to our mission work in the nine countries of our region.
Our Mission Interpretation Schedule in the U.S.A. in 2015: We expect to be in the United States for approximately three months (June, July, August) in 2015 to speak in churches and meet with mission committees, pastors, and individuals interested in learning more about Christ’s mission in Southeast Asia. Please contact us at bdawson5@gmail.com for more information about having us visit your church in 2015.
Serving joyfully in Christ,
Barry and Shelly
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 224
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