With Progress.... Always Problems

We laid our hands on the ailing machine--and it was vibrating violently. There was no backup for this hammer mill in our production line, the machine that turns our Cheetos-like chunks of puffed soy and rice into fine flour. When it starts up it sounds like a jet engine, the old, 60's vintage fuel-guzzling kind.

Earlier, we had become concerned about the tremendous noise levels. So we set about building a room around this machine to contain the noise. To do that, we had the help, for about a month, of one of our board members from our FUF-Lao days. For many nights Dave Welander (Pomeroy Covenant Church, IA) and I worked after the mill shut down at 9 PM and the cleaning crew had done their work.

But when the vibrations started sending cracks all through the housing, we knew we had a major problem. So, Wessel managed to get a technician up from Bangkok and set about, with our young mechanics, tearing it apart. What they found was not pretty--ball bearings shredded, hammers worn and unbalanced. In the end, praise God, they were able replace all the worn parts and put it back together. Amazingly, the noise levels dropped by 20 decibels. Our screaming jet engine became a became a purring cat.

But now we faced a new problem. Our mill generates a fairly strong odor, not unlike popcorn. Several of the neighbors said they liked the smell at first, but after weeks of it-was there not something we could do? So we set about building a room in the back of the mill to contain the exhaust and filter out the smell.


That system is now in place and working fairly well. The smell is not gone, but is much improved. Visits to all our neighbors, bouquets of flowers and progress reports on the improvements we are making-all of these have helped with this issue.

Finally, about personnel issues: Don't you wish that people problems could be as easily solved as technical issues? Well, they can't..... So, we just said good-bye to two of our key Thai team-members. Their issues with other members of the team had been simmering for more than a year. But finally they decided it would be better to leave than continue. Ruthie and I were heart-broken. These were the people we hoped would manage the company. These were our good friends.

Such is life in the Kingdom, we're finding out. Often a struggle, often messy. But God can use all of that, and does. Meanwhile, we praise him for all the many answers to prayer-orders and work, new staff members (we're holding at about 30 employees), and the resources to see MVF Co. become a reality and blessing (a sweet aroma?) to those around it.

Asia Covenant Consultation VII

"Planting Communities of the Faithful" was our theme for this year's Asia Covenant Consultation, our seventh meeting in 14 years. Covenant church leaders from all over Asia gathered in the heart of Issaan--Roi Et, Northeast Thailand--for three days of presentations and prayer, information exchange and encouragement.

Welcoming Committee

This was also the occasion for celebrating 40 Years of Covenant work in Thailand. Our current Thai church leadership put together a large program honoring missionary Jim Gustafson, Bunphote Wechkama, Tongpan Phrommetta for their visionary leadership down through the years.

For more information about this gathering and some great pictures, please check out Jim Peterson's blog postings... Jim Peterson's Blog

Working with our Thai church committee to organize this event was a great experience and an opportunity to deepen relationships we have had for many years. Though I am a somewhat reluctant networker and meeting-attender, this event has confirmed, again, that we should not "give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. " (Hebrews 10:24).

The Little School that Could

We've shared in the past about an English school in East Asia for which we share some responsibility. A little school, we have said, but with a big impact. Apparently we weren't the only ones who noticed, since in early September they were ordered to close down and cease operations within a month. Suddenly a team of about 8 people were out of work--lives turned upside down, plans and trips put on hold. We decided we needed to leave for an immediate visit, to see how everyone was coping.

Christ & Diane Wiebe

Amazingly well, we found out. Now, a month later, the school is all packed up. Some of the staff members have made their way back to the States. Some are exploring other options for ministry in Asia. Through out this whole crisis we have been part of numerous Skype conversations, prayer, & processing. And we will be joining a gathering in November for a time of celebration, grieving, and planning for the future.

Christy Taylor & Dennis Choate

Please pray that this school, God willing, will be re-born in a different place, even better organized, and with an official standing under the laws of the land. We are convinced that God has purposes even in these seemingly difficult, depressing events. If you know those who have been working in this school, pray especially hard for them over the next months as they go through transition and adjustment...

Dianne Williamson

When were not HERE....we're THERE

( As of May 15, 2011 )

At home in Chiang Khong (May 15-22)

A few days home to catch up...

Mongolia (May 24-28).

Visiting Sedore family and attending the annual meeting of the Joint Christian Services.

At home in Chiang Khong (Ruthie, May 29 - June 4; Peter, May 29 - June 9)

Ruthie to India (June 5-10).

Ruthie will join a vision trip to India planned by supporters and sponsors of "Covenant Kids", a child scholarship program.

Peter to Vietnam (June 10-17).

On the 100th anniversary of the protestant church in Vietnam, Peter will seek to take the pulse of the work there, renew ties, and check out sites for a possible Covenant Asia Retreat in February, 2012.

USA (June 19-July 31) .
Annual meeting in Denver. Then Ruthie will begin work on her spiritual director certificate at North Park (a two-year program). Peter will work on other RC-related work and may visit some churches.

Points for Prayer

( As of May 15 , 2011 )

Please read our new requests and updates below (in italics)

2011-007. We travel tomorrow to China to visit Peter & Anna Kim and OTC. Please pray for us and the team there as we help make plans for the future.

• We've just returned from a great trip to China. We had productive meetings with the team at OTC and saw some very impressive work at the organization in which Peter & Anna are working.

2011-004. MVF is still waiting for permission to import vitamins and minerals to go in our blended flour.

• Permission was granted, but we are still waiting for the vitamins to arrive and be cleared through customs. Please keep praying with us till the day we actually begin producing blended food.

2011-003. Missionaries and churches in Japan are mobilizing to bring relief and care for the suffering people of northern Japan.

• Keep praying for the relief efforts under way in northern Japan. The United Project has brought together the Japan Covenant Church, Covenant World Relief, and several other church groups to bring relief supplies and short -term teams to help do relief work.

Points for Prayer ( 2 May, 2011 )

Please read our new requests and updates below (in italics)

2011-007. We travel tomorrow to China to visit Peter & Anna Kim and OTC. Please pray for us and the team there as we help make plans for the future.

2011-006. Eric & Karyn Sorenson are praying about future directions in their ministry. They have been at Pacific Islands University & seminary four years as project missionaries.

• Please keep praying for Eric & Karyn.

2011-005. Pray for Jun Pejji and his family as they live in the midst of a mess while their house is renovated to become the future meeting place of the Pasig City church in Metro Manila.

• Jun writes that the church/house remodel is moving along well after some holidays when the workers took off.
  

2011-004. MVF is still waiting for permission to import vitamins and minerals to go in our blended flour.

• Answered! The Thai FDA finally gave approval for 2 of the 3 products we needed to import. The last one, also, is not expected to be a problem. We hope to clear these products through customs in a week or two. Thanks for praying!
  

2011-003. Missionaries and churches in Japan are mobilizing to bring relief and care for the suffering people of northern Japan.

• Dave Husby, Director of Covenant World Relief, made a quick visit just before we arrived in Japan. Curt Peterson and Gary Walter will be traveling north this week. Rolling Hills Covenant Church sent a team, including their senior pastor, Byron MacDonald, paid a visit and are considering making Japan and this relief effort one of 3 strategic foci. Samaritan's Purse, Food for the Hungry, and many other quality organizations have teams in the field. Praise God for this quick response! Please keep praying for the thousands who have lost family members.

2011-001. Kevin and Ramona are searching for jobs now in L.A. After a year working in Laos, our son and daughter-in-law, are back in Orange County contemplating further studies, and looking for work.

• Answered! Both Kevin and Ramona have found jobs. Kevin will be working as assistant manager in a branch of Starbucks. Ramona will be working with an NGO which responds to people around the world in need of wheel chairs.

Town after town after town...

I've often been suspicious of news reporting scenes of vast destruction. Haven't they exaggerated? Haven't they taken one picture and implied destruction greater than the reality?

But when it comes to the devastation visited on the northern coast of Japan by the recent earthquake-tsunami, quite the opposite is true. It's impossible to photograph or describe the extent and capriciousness of these waves as they moved through town after town shredding everything in their wake.

We drove through town after town starting in the north at Miyako and ending in Sendai: the striking beauty of the Sanriku coastline alternating with scenes of utter desolation. Whole neighborhoods reduced to matchwood. Cars, buses, and ocean-liners up-ended, strewn about, balanced on the remaining half of a building, deposited unceremoniously in graveyards clinging to the side of a hill.

The sheer scale of the disaster--devastation up and down nearly 500 miles of coastline--can be mind-numbing. But as we listened to the stories of several families during that fateful day--3/11, as it's referred to here--the terror and tragedy strike home.

We talked to Mr. Abe and his wife, the 70+ year old who has lent his small guest house for use as a base of relief operations. He was pinned in the first-floor kitchen of his house by a collapsing wall; his fragile wife swept into the basement by the waters. But both survived. Broken bones are healing and they are moving around with surprising strength.

We visited another family in Ishinomaki--a mother and her six year old son. With a wall of water advancing, they ran down an alley-way and into their home, climbing frantically to the second-story, wondering if they would be high enough to survive the rising water. There they sat for more than three days while husband and father searched desperately through every evacuation center. He was overjoyed, finally, when he found them alive. Their elderly neighbor had died in the entry-way of her home a few feet away.

The news reports have moved on quickly. The war in Libya, the Arab uprising, the tornadoes in Alabama, and--just a few minutes ago--the final operation against Bin Laden.

But the story of this disaster is really just beginning. Some estimates say the losses will go as high as 40,000 lives. For the families of each, those few hours of terror and destruction may mean a life-time of re-building and coming to terms with loss. Will we who call ourselves followers of Jesus--both in Japan and elsewhere--respond with love and sensitivity to this hurting part of our world? We have an opportunity now, with God's power, to write this story.

Lost in Tokyo

Not really. We have had excellent guides the whole time. But if we were on our own?.... Yes, we'd be lost by now. Anyway we have had some good meetings here with the Japan Covenant Team. That was yesterday. Then the day before, a great Easter service in Isesaki church in Gunma, north of Tokyo. See a few pictures below! The good ones were taken by our friend, Jim Peterson.

The Japan Covenant team (left to right): Jim Peterson, Gaius Berg, Kyung Ho Park (and 2 daughters) Gary Carlson, Peter Dutton, Jay Haworth, Ellen Haworth, Pauline Carlson, Ruthie Dutton, Miho Bucholst, Grant Buchholtz, Martha Berg, Andrea Johnson, Tim Johnson.

Ruthie making a point (not sure what it was, but definitely important!).

A couple of key members of the church in Gunma...

The building in which the Isesaki Church is currently meeting--shared with a Brazilian congregation.

Will the true Guamanians please stand up?

All the bumper stickers advertize "Guam, USA".

Indeed the wide, wide streets, the B-52's and F22-Raptors in the air, and the $10 meals reminded us that yes, in fact, this island is part of the United States. But when we finally laid our hands on a map and located the little speck in the middle of the Pacific, we saw that Guam's closest neighbors are Japan and Philippines. That would explain why all our fellow-tourists were unmistakably Japanese, and the staff in the stores mostly Philippino.

So, would the true "Guamanians" please stand up? "Not possible," we were told by Eric & Karyn Sorenson, Covenant project missionaries serving at the Pacific Islands University (and Seminary). The Chamorros, original inhabitants of Guam, have so inter-married and enculturated that it is virtually impossible to tell who a Chamorran is. All the more reason, they said, for the fierce pride of ethnic identity they are struggling to preserve.

Then there are the Yap-ese, Chuk-ese, and Palauans from the nearby Federated Micronesian States--all of them mixed together with a few "haoulies" (whities) and Philippinos in the Sorenson's little island school--the only private, accredited institution of higher learning on Guam.

Okay, so we're beginning to get the picture: this place only looks like the USA--it's actually a complicated, ethnically diverse mix of Pacific, Asian, and American culture. Of course, you could say the same about L.A., but put this mixture on a beautiful, tropical island teetering on the rim of the Marianas Trench, and you have a unique ministry setting with challenges all its own.

Those challenges and the rewards of ministry--at times tragic and ironic--were the topics of our conversations with Eric & Karyn over a period of three days. A recent trip to Yap Island--a place where, according to some estimates, up to 70% of pre-teenage girls are subjected to some kind of sexual abuse--was weighing heavily on Karyn's heart. As a credentialed counselor specializing in post-trauma counseling, Karyn feels she is just getting to the point, after 4 years, where she is beginning to understand the culture and dynamics of the young people with whom she and Eric are working. Ideas and plans and passion have been converging in her heart: maybe it's time. Maybe God can use her to make a difference in this tragic situation.

We watched as Eric taught his class on Revelaton. I thought, "I don't think this guy has taken very many classes on cross-cultural communication. But he has learned to communicate cross-culturally!" Yes, he was speaking in English. But as he put words out there we watched him carefully guage the reaction of his students. When blank stares came back, he stepped back 5 and went to a pass instead (by the way--that's an analogy from American football--and NOT the kind of communication that works well cross-culturally). He rephrased, used alternative words, and waited for feedback.

Pray for these servants! Passionate and talented. Perhaps a little too busy. But they've hit their stride and are praying about future directions. One Philippino waiter told me he was born and raised in Guam and was "dying to get off this stinkin' island". That was definitely NOT the sense we got from Eric & Karyn. They want to be used wherever God calls them and places them.

Our expanding household (no, we're not pregnant)!

Our household has once again expanded to two families.

Recently Peter and I were talking about a need to be more intentional in mentoring a few key relationships we have here in Thailand. But how to do this with our heavy travel schedule? When we get home we just want to "veg-out" and stay at home. Who are we kidding? This isn't likely to change, we decided.

The following day the Thai-Hmong managers of MVF, Tanadon and Yu, came to discuss some personal concerns. And the thought occurred to both of us--"Why not invite them to live with us?" It could be beneficial to both our families. Last year we'd invited them to join us, but they'd said no. The timing wasn't right. Then we realized that had they said yes, we wouldn't have had the special time we'd had with Dennis and Heather Choate over the past months.

But this time, the answer was "Yes". So we're back to being an extended family--the 4 of us and two precious little girls, Jamie 4, and Salapao 1. We didn't look for a big house--this was the only one available. But God has used it well. We've shared with Wessel, then Janet and Alan, Kevin and Ramona, Mary Jo, Dennis & Heather, and now this young family.

With this move, Peter and I realized, again, something about ourselves. Our best experiences, our deepest friendships, our most profound impact on lives has come when we shared closely with others. It was delightful to feel God's affirmation this morning in my reading. Henry Nouwen wrote in Gracias, "It is a privilege to have the time and freedom to practice this simple ministry of presence...I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn't be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them." We are looking forward to these shared times when we are home. Ruthie.

Visas, bureaucracy, and Silver Shadows

Yesterday, Peter and I found ourselves applying for a visa at the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. We arrived 15 minutes before the doors were to open, only to discover a long line of people snaking down the block. About then a vintage Rolls Royce Silver Shadow pulled up and an impeccably-dressed woman stepped out in her high heels. Hmm, we thought. I'll bet she won't be waiting in this line all morning like us...

Once inside, we found ourselves in a crush of people surrounding a man handing out forms. Were we American? Yes. We were given double sets of some papers, quadruples of others. We were quite confused. Apparently there were some printed notices on the walls, but we couldn't see for the crush of people. We were lucky enough to find some seats and started filling out forms.

Four pages of detailed information is what we were obliged to give. Where have we been in the last 12 months? What dates in each place? Why did we travel? Yikes...this is a bit tedious, flipping through the passport trying to find the in and out stamps! Half way through the process we realized we'd failed to get our queue number. So, Peter drilled his way through the crowd came back with numbers # 199 and #200. This was going to be a long morning. They were at #39...

I saw #197 flash up and I turned to glue my picture onto the application. When I glanced again the number was #202. I'd missed it--but rushed to the window to ask for mercy. I was met with a shake of the head--and a finger pointing to the queue machine. Now we were # 505 and #506. Yes, we'd be here all morning, for sure.

I have to confess that a few uncomplimentary words passed my lips--and a few unspoken negative thoughts. But I was brought up short as I remembered the experience of a Thai friend at the U.S. embassy. The consular officer tore her application into pieces and told her to not waste his time. There was no chance she'd ever get to visit the US.

That afternoon, as I went back to pick up the visas, I again saw the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow pull up. This time I was gratified to see our 'fancy lady' take her place in line, standing in the heat, getting crushed like the rest of us.

All this was a good reminder how easily we can slip into a sense of entitlement--and how unimportant we are, really, in the big scheme of things. But it was also a reminder of the importance of treating people with kindness and grace in all situations--even those with whom we don't have a personal connection. Ruthie.

Points for Prayer

April 17, 2011. Please read our new requests and updates below (in italics)

2011-006. Eric & Karyn Sorenson are praying about future directions in their ministry. They have been at Pacific Islands University & seminary four years as project missionaries.

2011-005. Pray for Jun Pejji and his family as they live in the midst of a mess while their house is renovated to become the future meeting place of the Pasig City church in Metro Manila. Pray also for the church pastors and leaders in the Infanta and Mindoro Island who are sacrificially serving in small, remote churches.

2011-004. MVF is still waiting for permission to import vitamins and minerals to go in our blended flour.

• More problems! The Thai FDA has rejected the paperwork from our supplier in Germany! Please pray for break-through. We are at our wits end!
  

2011-003. Missionaries and churches in Japan are mobilizing to bring relief and care for the suffering people of northern Japan. Please pray that they will come together in unity and have the funds to make a real difference in the communities in which they work.

• Jim Peterson, Jay Haworth, and and Tim Johnson have recently traveled north to some of the affected areas and are working closely with pastors and lay-people in the Japanese Covenant (NSKK) as well as other churches. Praise God for this united effort! We travel at the end of this week to visit missionaries and churches in Japan. The church will be celebrating its 60th anniversary on May 3. Gary Walter and Curt Peterson have made plans to be there. Pray for God's blessing on this celebration even in the midst of Japan's worst disaster since W.W.II.

2011-002. We're headed for the Philippines and Guam. Please pray that we will have productive visits and that God would use us to bring encouragement to his workers on the front lines.

• We're now back from these visits. Thank God for meaningful productive visits to both these places of ministry!

2011-001. Kevin and Ramona are searching for jobs now in L.A. After a year working in Laos, our son and daughter-in-law, are back in Orange County contemplating further studies, and looking for work. Please pray that their interviews would go well and they would both find the jobs they need!

• The job search is going well for both our children, though nothing definite has turned up yet.

What's the Covenant Doing in the Philippines?

Having spent almost 40 years in Asia, Ruthie and I have had the joy of working alongside Philippinos in many different settings--in refugee camps, in Laos, in the States. But last week we finally had the opportunity to visit their homeland.

A week ago Friday, Pastor Jun Pejji met us at the Manila airport and warned us we'd better get some rest. We'd be traveling long hours for the next two days. Three small churches had been established through networks of friends and family. And we would visit them, he told us.


The story of these churches begins in Taiwan. The Covenant has no missionaries in the Philippines, but Philippinos working in factories in Taichung began meeting in a Covenant church there and a small Philippino church was established. The Taiwanese Covenant agreed to help develop pastoral leadership for this church by assisting in the seminary education of Jun Pejji, one of its promising leaders. When Jun's labor contract in the factory ended, he returned to Manila where he completed his studies and began a new church in Pasig City, one of Metro Manila's sprawling sub-cities. The Philippino congregation back in Taichung continues strong with another young pastor and the active involvement of Don & Lillian Dwight who also teach at Morrison Academy, an international school.

Today there are three small churches. So, starting at 6 each of the next two mornings we made long trips by car, bus, jeepney, motorized "tricycle", fast-moving "super-cats", and a lumbering ferry.

The "mother" church in Pasig City is in transition--the small, cramped facility in which they had been meeting fronted on a busy street with no parking and little room for meeting. And rent payments were high. So Jun and his church leadership have decided to move the church to his house located on a quiet side-street. They are currently in the process of moving out of one-half of the house and renovating it to be used for regular church meetings.

The Infanta church is located in a small coastal community directly east of Manila. The church leadership sent a talented young couple, their worship leaders from the Pasig City church, to take up the reins of this small congregation. We were impressed by the dedication and sacrifice this young couple is making--living in one room at the back of the simple church building. Pictured below is their simple "parsonage" under construction. When it is finished they will move out of their one-room quarters at the back of the church--into this.

The final church we visited required a five hour journey from the heart of Manila to the heart of the southern island of Mindoro. Located in the middle of beautiful banana and coconut plantations, we worshiped with about 20 Tagalog and tribal speakers, dedicated 3 children, and extrapolated a wonderful sermon from the 4-5 English words we understood. After a delicious meal and reception at the home of the lay couple who spear-headed this church, we headed back to Manila, arriving just short of 2 AM.


What's the Covenant doing in the Philippines? Through the sacrificial service of Philippino pastors and lay-leaders, churches are being established with virtually no outside funding and resources. Pray for our brothers and sisters in this unique and colorful place.

Points for Prayer ( 7 April , 2011 )

• MVF is still waiting for permission to import vitamins and minerals to go in our blended flour. Please pray that permission would be granted this week! When that happens, we give the green light to a company in Germany to ship the vitamins. Hopefully in a week or two we will be able to produce food for our first contract!

• Missionaries and churches in Japan are mobilizing to bring relief and care for the suffering people of northern Japan. Please pray that they will come together in unity and have the funds to make a real difference in the communities in which they work.

• We're headed for the Philippines and Guam.

Please pray that we will have productive visits and that God would use us to bring encouragement to his workers on the front lines.

• Kevin and Ramona are searching for jobs now in L.A. After a year working in Laos, our son and daughter-in-law, are back in Orange County contemplating further studies, and looking for work. Please pray that their interviews would go well and they would both find the jobs they need!

Books We've Been Reading....

Radical by David Platt.

When Peter & I were first married we wanted to pursue the "American Dream"--right down to the beautiful house with a white picket fence. But God had other plans--and we're glad we said "yes" to him at that time. Now David Platt comes along and forces me to examine my life again and face the question "Is there more that the Lord asks of me today? Will I still follow him out of my comfort zones?"

I read this book in late December--an easy read, but one which takes lots of processing. I've been led to reflect on the issues of financial security and personal safety for myself, my family members, and colleagues. As a result we've made changes in where our money goes and the advice we give to colleagues and friends. We realize we can't tell friends and family to stay away from unsafe places if they feel that's where God is calling them. Jesus never promised us we'd always be safe. But he did call us to radical obedience to his agenda. Don't read this book if you don't want some of your assumptions challenged. Ruthie.

Why Business Matters to God (And What Still Needs to be Fixed) by Jeff Van Duzer.

Ruthie and I have been working as missionaries "in business" for more than 10 years. And while I like, in theory, the effort to keep dynamic tension between seemingly conflicting demands and priorities--for instance, working hard to make a profit without making that our end goal OR trying to treat people with grace and love while the business demands we fire them OR trying to run a 'successful' business while being a 'successful' missionary.

But as I read this book I realized that one of the things we don't need--which can become an added stressor, is a certain fuzziness in our theology of work and business. Being in a BAM (business-as-mission) enterprise is hard enough. But having nagging doubts about whether God approves of our efforts to "bless" the communities around us by providing meaningful jobs and concrete economic and social benefits, is one of those "needless pains we bear".

Jeff Van Duzer, Dean of the School of Business and Economics at Seattle Pacific University, has done a wonderful job helping us sort through many of these questions by developing what I believe to be a solid theology of work and business. Rather than picking and choosing individual texts, leading to distortions--something which has been done repeatedly--he examines the big themes of the story of God's redemption--from Creation, to the Fall, to Redemption, and the final Consummation, to develop the themes of this theology. In so doing he challenges both the paradigms of business ("profit is king", "maximum return to shareholders") and the assumptions of mission & ministry ("business is not real ministry", "ministers should not get embroiled with money matters").

Reading this book was a liberating experience for me. I realized that God created me with an entrepreneurial spirit and values the work I and many, many others are doing in the world of "kingdom business". Working in BAM is not for everyone; but I wish all my friends and supporters would read this book. Peter.

Blogs from the Front Lines

Covenant missionaries are posting some incredible pictures and stories from the front lines Japan's tsunami-affected communities. Jim Peterson is writing and posting from communities he is visiting in the north while Andrea Johnson reflects on some of the beauties she sees around her in the midst of stress and difficult times. Check out these blogs and those of other Covenant personnel....

Jim Peterson's blog...

Andrea Johnson's blog...

When we're not HERE... we're THERE

As of April 3, 2011...

• At home in Chiang Khong (March 30-April 7). We have a visiting guest from the USA for part of this time.

Philippines & Guam (April 8-16). Visiting churches in the Philippines then the Sorenson family in Guam.

• At home in Chiang Khong (April 17-21). Renewing our visa to Thailand in this window.

Japan & East Asia (April 22-May 14). Visiting Japan personnel, attending the 60th anniversary of work in Japan. Then flying to Pingliang to help plan and organize for the future of Oasis Training Center.

• At home in Chiang Khong (May 15-22.) A few days home to catch up...
  

Mongolia (May 23-30). Visiting Sedore family and attending the annual meeting of the Joint Christian Services.

• At home in Chiang Khong (June 1 - 15). Time to catch up on writing...
  

USA (June 15-July 31). Annual meeting in Denver. Peter will visit churches. We will stay with our daughter, Erin, in Colorado Springs during this time. Contact info: 571 2283539 (Peter's cell); 571 2283538 (Ruthie's cell).

Listening

I sat on the porch with our L. daughter. It had been a good eight months since I'd last seen her but we slid easily in conversation. I heard about the struggles of being the main financial support for a broad and extended family. In a culture where you don't say no to family, what do you do when you have older nieces and nephews staying with you to complete their high school and the promised support for a food allowance and electricity just doesn't come? So we talked about some creative ideas to generate extra income. I heard about the translation work she and her husband are working on. A bit bogged down, she said.

After spending the afternoon with my L. daughter I went to dinner with a young couple who were responsible for the bakery and cafe where I volunteered last summer. Again it was great to sit and hear how things were progressing It was good to catch up on a team I'd been involved with for a short time and hear about their growth in leadership. It was fun to hear about future dreams and to encourage them not to give up on those dreams in the face of some large obstacles.

Next I moved to the south of L. and stayed for a week. My primary purpose was to help set up a new accounting package for a struggling agricultural company. This too required listening: "What information do you want a report to give you?" I asked. "Will the program give you that information?" In the midst of the discussion I went to their pig and fish farm to see their operations. There I spent my time listening to how things were going, how tasks were being done. I was able to share some ideas for some small changes to be made so that productivity in the fish department might be increased.

Listening. How often do we forget to do this because we are so intent on providing solutions? How often is the solution right at hand within the grasp of those to whom we are talking? Far too often we fail to take the time to listen well. Sometimes just allowing a friend to voice needs, successes, and challenges is enough to realize a solution right at hand.

Tsunamis & Amazing Movements in the South

Remember the tsunami? No, not the one which just devastated Japan, but the one just over 5 years ago (Dec. 26, 2004) which swept into Sumatra, Thailand, and other Indian Ocean countries?

As we contemplate the destruction in Japan, as we marvel at the sheer force and power of earthquakes and water to alter the landscape of countless lives, it is hard not to question why God allows such things to happen. But as Ruthie and I have dealt with personal tragedy and asked the questions, "Why, why, why?", we've not always gotten the answers. But, we've come to peace by settling on this question instead: "What for?" What does God want to accomplish in us and in his Kingdom as we respond and grieve and grow?

For us, this is the important question for Japan right now, a question I know is much on the minds of our friends there. I believe that as God's people in Japan and elsewhere respond in love and care and hard work, amazing things are going to happen.

I saw this reality in the south of Thailand in January. I had an opportunity to travel with Curt Peterson and Kyle & Lyndsey Small, pastors and members of the World Mission Committee in the Covenant, as Jim Gustafson took us to visit the work of SDRF (Sustainable Development Research Foundation), the Thai organization of which he is a part.

Here's the story. Shortly after the tsunami hit, Jim and Nujon Singpila, the President of SDRF, felt God directing them to visit the communities in the south to see if there were some ways they could help with the recovery. SDRF, though the years, has gained much experience in fresh-water fisheries--spawning and raising tilapia fish as a way to generate income and liveihoods for communities in Northeast Thailand. Was there a way that this experience in fisheries could be used to help fishing communities in the south?

This was the question they felt God asking them. And they posed this question to the local fisheries department where they were visiting. "Yes, come and help us--you're welcome," is the answer they were given. "But don't just come for a short time and then leave. We want to know that you're committed to us long-term." So SDRF went into action buying fishing nets and material needed to re-build the livelihoods of fishing communities on the island of Koh Yaow, just across the bay from Thailand's famous Phuket resort.

Jim Gustafson showing some of the products MRI is working on as a source of income foor tsunami-affected communities.

Then, in a seemingly-unrelated development, two women, Toon and Srinuan, heard through a network of friends that Nujon was traveling in the south. They were suffering from HIV-Aids and knew many people in the same predicament. They virtually dared Nujon to care--and to pay a visit.

When Jim and Nujon did visit, they prayed for them and brainstormed about ways they could help. Toon and Srinuan came to faith. Nujon encouraged them to start attending meetings for government programs distributing anti retro-viral drugs, and through this they started to build relationships with many in this community. When Toon finally succumbed to the aids-related illnesses in her body, Srinuan took up the mantle of leadership and continued sharing her faith to the many people she was meeting.

Srinuan, the woman on the left, tells the story of how God has saved and changed her and her husband, and used them to reach out to many people in this extended network

One of those was a man whose health had wasted away, reducing him to nearly half his normal body weight. He had already made arrangements for his funeral and prepared the portrait that would sit in front of his casket. When the team prayed for him he took on new hope. He started gaining weight, his countenance changed. And within a few short weeks he was a totally different person! Eventually he married Srinuan!

As we sat and listened to these stories and heard of how God's grace has changed the lives of these leaders, I was amazed, again about the power of the gospel to transform us! Then, as we visited the Marine Research Institute on Koh Yaow island and saw some of the interesting projects SDRF hopes will be sources of income for fishing communities, I am thankful, again for the creative energy of God's faithful servants.

Curt Peterson and Jim Gustafson on the floating platforms of the Marine Research Institute, Koh Yaow

Here are a few things I took away from my visit to the South...

• We need to be opportunists for God! Jim and Nujon and SDRF saw a need and responded. They didn't sit around and debate the issues for weeks on end but got close to the situation, met the people, and came up with some practical plans that lay within the abilities they had as an organization.
• As they moved, God provided the resources. Many churches had a part, many people gave money and time.
• This effort was a true partnership of "outsiders" (Jim and Nujon)--and "insiders" (Toon & Srinuan and others in those communities).

A lot more could be said, but this is an on-going story. At present there are about 500 new believers; many of them have been baptized during several big gatherings. Many lives have been transformed through the power of the gospel. Amazing.

I'm just wondering what plans God has for the people of Japan!

AKBA 2011 -- Advancing Kingdom Business in Asia

Every year for more than 10 years a unique group of Jesus-followers have gathered for mutual encouragement. Many believe that it is not necessary to give up their culture in order to be a follower of Jesus. LIke the early church in Acts, they ask, "Is it necessary to become a Jew in order to be a follower of Christ?"

Or in today's terms, they ask, "Is it necessary to become culturally 'Christian' and give up one's identity as a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Shintoist? In many countries throughout Asia one's identity is closely tied to one of the major religions and to give that up often means cutting one's ties with family and community. The result, many would say, is that Christianity has made it "too difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God," (Acts 15:19) and has distorted the meaning of the gospel.

At the same time, because of the often restrictive environments in their countries, many of these friends have started businesses and are working to bless their communities by carrying on productive work. So, out of these meetings has come a consultation about how to advance kingdom businesses--those where relationships and socially-responsible economic activity are as important as profit and money-making.

This year I was asked to help organize this part of the gathering. Since this has been the focus of our lives for more than 10 years now, I welcomed the opportunity. Through my contacts and those of friends, we invited a wide variety of business-owners and entrepreneurs to tell their stories.

It was an excellent time of sharing and story-telling. The mutual lessons we learned, the best-practices, the challenges of truly being a Christ-follower while conducting a business--all of these were a tremendous encouragement. As this movement of serving Christ while carrying on socially responsible businesses continues to grow and deepen over the coming years, we expect we will need many more times like this to help us sort out the issues and sharpen our perspectives.

Vitamin fortification: sapping my energy!

Let me tell you about our little saga with Thailand's FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Since we returned to Thailand on February 7 we have been working to get permission from the FDA to import a vitamin and mineral fortification for the contract we won recently from a major international organization. Four times the documents have been rejected, four times they've been sent by overnight courier from the vitamin company in Germany.

When it comes to this kind of thing, every jot and tittle is important, apparently. The latest issue, requiring a re-do and re-send: we were told the product specification for Potassium Chloride needed to have the words "Test for Sodium...Negative Test". "Sodium...Passes Test" was not good enough! That's Thai bureaucracy. Then, the company in Germany, too has not been cooperative. They refused to change the wording. So we ended up with "Sodium...Negative Test."

Praise God. This morning they finally accepted all the documents and are waiting "for the big man upstairs" to sign... How long will that take? Normally it's 35 days. But we're praying for 3! This may seem like a small thing, but our whole food mill is lying quiet and still, waiting for the day it can begin to make food! Wessel and the team interviewed employees and got totally geared up a month ago. Then Pffttt the wind went out of our sails. Why is this happening this way? I'll let you know when I find out from the Man upstairs.

The Joy of the Lord? A meditation...

So, I read about joy this morning. Ezra called all the people together and read from the Book of the Law of Moses. And all the people rejoiced. They stood as one before him in the square; others stood around and explained the Law so that it was understood by the people. And their response after listening attentively was to praise God, fall down and weep--a great release of emotion. Then Nehemiah and Ezra told the people not to weep, but to rejoice, to celebrate, to enjoy choice food and drink--and to send some to those who didn't have them. He said not to mourn or grieve, but to rejoice--"for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

What is the "joy of the Lord?" It seems that this joy first of all, springs from a heart that is forgiven--a knowledge that my sin is "regarded no more." I remember my mother telling me that my sin would be removed, as far away as the east is from the west. And I tried hard to imagine it. I thought of those long plane rides, with overnights in Hong Kong or Honolulu, between Vietnam and California. Those rides have gotten shorter. But they're still far too long...

It seems too, that that Joy springs from a heart that knows who God is: how great and powerful and high and different he is from us. Knowing who God is, who I am in comparison--and that he still loves me--this is joy.

Finally, the joy of the Lord springs from a heart that takes comfort in God's law: in the limitations it places on us, in the way it guides us, in the way we discover a new determination to obey all that He has commanded, all that he has laid out for us.

This, I think, is the joy of the Lord. Help me to live in your joy today, Lord.

Good News from MVF!

On December 30th we received official word that our bid to produce Rice-Soy Blend for a major international customer was accepted. Thank God for this answer to months of prayer! Then, just this morning we received word that our team in Chiang Khong has cleared the final hurdle to HACCP certification--this is certification as a food factory that measures up to international standards. Wessel and our Thai team have been working long hours producing the documents, procedures, and tests that were needed. We are so thankful for the resources and prayers of so many of you which have made this possible. It is with hope and prayer and thanksgiving that we move into this new year. Pray that the food supplement we make will meet all standards and be a great source of nutrition for young children.