On the Home Front

On the home front

As you can see below, our grandkids (with whom we spent time in October) continue to delight us with their incredible genius and precocity.

Thanksgiving!  We celebrated a week late because on the day we were moving into our house.  As you can see, however, Ruthie put on a spread.  I don't know how she does it. 

 

 

China & Japan

Relations between China and Japan, at least politically, are a sensitive subject these days.  Trips to both places became, for us, a study in stark contrasts.  In both places we visited churches with faithful members.  In both places we drank in large doses of two wonderful cultures.   

Our time in China was very instructive as we participated in a ceremony to dedicate a church building which was a joint project between the Chinese government, the Covenant Church in Taiwan, and Covenant Church in the USA.  This was not something we expected.  We sat with government officials as they made speeches; and our Taiwanese brother was also given a chance to speak.  We were given a true red-carpet reception and cultural show.

 

In Japan, our primary purpose for going was to meet with our Asia Regional Council to plan for the next year and to strategize.  Along the way we attended services in a couple of NSKK churches and had the pleasure of witnessing a classic Japanese tea ceremony, reinterpreted and infused with Christian content.

 

Visitors Bearing Gifts

Another of the new realities we're excited about is this--the increasing frequency of short-term teams and "vision trips".  The world has shrunk and Thailand is no longer that far away. 

In October we hosted, at Mekong Valley Foods,  a group of visitors from Crossroads Covenant in Loveland, CO.  They came.  We gave our shpiel.  We showed them our work, we told them our story...then it was time to turn the tables.  We grilled them a bit.  And we told them about the needs--and that we're looking for quality, dedicated people.   

This was a group of seasoned, mature leaders with a heart to serve.  By the time our friends left, we were fairly certain we were going to see some of them back in Thailand at some time not too far in the future.  They came bearing gifts--and the gifts were these:   themselves and a big dose of encouragement!

We make them wear goofy hairnets not only because its company policy, but so if they never show up again, we can bring these out and blackmail them.  Pam & Larry Moeser.  Jane Peterson.

Back to Issaan

Here's some good news.  Ruthie and I have been very encouraged by growth--both in numbers and maturity of some of Thai Covenant friends and churches in the Roi Et area.   

In September we joined a moving ceremony requested by Pho Souw--"Father Souw"--one of the early evangelists and church leaders in the Udon area.  At somewhere near 92 years old (or "possibly 101", he said--"I can't really remember") he wanted to hold a ceremony to admonish all his grandchildren and relatives to "stand up for Jesus".  And so he did.  And he fed us a big meal afterwards.  Many of the Udon church leaders were there and celebrated with him, including Acharn (Pastor) Tongpan and many others.   

Father Souw and A. Inchai at his valedictory

New life in Roi Et--Siang has a new car too

From there we went to Roi Et for a board meeting of the Life Foundation (Lower Issaan Foundation for Enablement) and we heard and saw how all the fish ponds are operating back at capacity and the camp is holding sports events and the work of church planting and enablement is moving forward.  And here's the real encouraging part--this is all happening without support funds and significant input from outside.      

Updated! August, 5, 2012

We updated our Points for Prayer and Travel Schedule pages on this blog....  We have had a couple relatively quiet weeks at home in Chiang Khong catching up on correspondence and work.  Now we head out for a couple of weeks in China!  Please pray for us as we go!

Points for Prayer

___________________________________________________________________

( As of  July  16, 2012  )

Please read our new requests  and updates in italics below. 

2012-006.  Peter’s knee & shoulder.  I continue to recover from surgery to my knee and shoulder which I had in April.  My shoulder is much better finally, now in July.  But I am still hobbling around with pain in my knee.

2012-005.   Pray for Covenant personnel who are in the States after a short term and working hard to return overseas…. I think of Christy Taylor, Diane & Chris Wiebe, and Neil & Liz Peterson.  Many of them are finding fund-raising to be challenging in this economy.  Liz & Neil are dealing with many issues related to Liz’s obtaining United States citizenship.  Christy and the Wiebe’s are doing on-going education to enhance their teaching skills.  Please pray that these times would be refreshing  times of rebuilding and encouragement.

2012-004.  Praise the Lord for the strong church growth in Taiwan and for the many ways the churches are reaching into their communities and countries around them.  Pray that the new sanctuary for the Xindian church would be completed in time for a 60^th anniversary celebration in October.   

2012-003.  A house, a visa, and energy to make the move back to our former country of service.  We hope to move sometime in October or November.  Please pray that all the important things will come together.

2012-002.  Ruthie and I are in the States for two weeks for meetings and study.  Please pray for Ruthie as she continues her program in Spritual Direction at North Park Seminary in Chicago.  Peter will be returning to Thailand on July 16, Ruthie on July 26.

2012-001.  The smell from the mill that was such a big problem last year….

·        Has now been solved!   Thank the Lord we were able to find an environmental engineer who was able to help us design a system that totally eliminated the smell.  We closed down the mill in mid-January and then worked hard to make many changes in the ventilation system.  When we turned on the system it worked!

Returning home

MVF is doing great in Thailand.  But still our hearts have remained in a neighboring country.

Earlier this year we paid several visits back to our former home.  First we accompanied two twenty-somethings to let them have an opportunity to see opportunities there.  Then we accompanied two Thai friends from Bangkok who wanted to use their gifts and resources for good...

In earlier trips I had struggled with feelings of anger over how we had been treated.  After giving some of the best years of our adulthood, we were "invited out" and we lost everything we thought we had been building.  But during these trips back, we realized that we felt at home--and I wrote about it in one of my blog postings.  God was doing a work in our hearts.  We realized:  This is where we would like to finish up our last 10 years of active work/service!  Almost concurrently, we received an invitation from a national friend to help him in his company.  For her part, Ruthie has a standing invitation to return and help mentor a number of Lao and foreign friends.  

We have now received the go-ahead to return.  We hope to be living near the capital city by the end of the year!  Please pray for a visa, a house, and energy to make the move.

What will happen to MVF?  It is in the good hands of Wessel and our Thai management team and will continue strong, we hope and pray.  At some point in the future we may move the food mill too.  But that is still too far in the future.  We'll update you as events happen! 

Stateside..for meetings & study, friends & family

The Covenant Annual Meeting was held in Irvine, CA this year.  And the theme was right up our alley:  "Remaining Faithful, Serving Globally".  Our friends and colleagues, Bob & Grace Shim, set a great tone for the meetings in their two morning devotionals.  They shared how God had allowed them to connect with friends in Kyrgyzstan on levels which surprised and humbled them--in pain, in disappointment, and unfulfilled expectations.   

We spent many hours in meetings and were not able to attend most of the main sessions.  But we realized, again, how blessed we are to be part of this organization and team.   

Prior to the meeting and after we had time with our extended families in SoCal and Colorado.  Good, good times.  The night we reached Colorado Springs was the night when the Waldo Canyon fire took 346 homes.  We lived with smoke and ash for days, but it didn't ruin Colorado's natural beauty.  A few pictures...

Darcy Quinn, Ruthie, Mary Jo McCurry, Erin Dutton Quinn, Peter, Don McCurry

Heading out to the park with Dominic & Darcy

3 McCurry sisters: Mary Beth, Ruthie, Jo Ann

Taiwan again...this time Peter

It has taken us nearly two years, but we have finally visited all the countries where we have personnel and active partnerships.  Taiwan was the last--simply because it was the least urgent.  Ruthie and Nancy Jo visited Covenant expat personnel more than a month ago.  Now it was my turn--to visit Taiwan Covenant churches.  I went not so much to encourage or catalyze, but to listen and learn.   

Amazing!  Taiwanese Covenant churches are growing like crazy!  There are now four churches with close to 1,000 members.  One church--the mother church at Xindian--is just finishing a new sanctuary.  They are not into thinking small or being timid.  In order to take the church to the people, they decided to buy a building designed for a shopping mall.  The first three stories are, indeed, going to become a shopping mall.  But the fourth story...a 3,000 seat sanctuary, visible from one of Taipei's most important freeway interchanges.  

Xindian church taking shape in a shopping complex

Looking down on the shopping mall

  

Three more things really caught my attention:  the way churches are reaching into their communities, their mid-week prayer meetings attended by hundreds of people, and the bridges they are building into the mainland. 

Nearly every church I visited has afternoon tutoring programs for children from the neighborhood.  Many churches were actively involved in public schools in their neighborhoods where they have been asked to teach classes on ethics and other relevant subjects.

Teaching in a public school

A restaurant operated in a shopping center as an outreach to ex-prisoners

And those prayer meetings!  Hands stretched out.  Praying out loud, speaking in tongues--these were unlike any other Covenant church I have been in.  But why shouldn't they be?  Different is good.  The Apostle Paul said,  "Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?"  I take it the answer is "No."  But then he said, "Now eagerly desire the greater gifts."  As for me, I just sat there--enjoyed the worship and the praise.  And I prayed again, "Lord, give me those gifts you want me to have."  (I Cor. 12:30-31)

 

Now about those bridges.  Nearly every pastor I met is involved in active ministry in the mainland.  When I was growing up we talked about "the iron curtain, the bamboo curtain"--those barriers separating the communist/non-communist world.  This is not news, of course, but...those things don't exist anymore.  Hundreds of bridges have been built.  It's hard to escape the conclusion--that's a good thing, an amazing work of the Spirit.     

  

A new ARC for us

Trying to visit all the personnel in Asia last year, on top of many consuming issues here in Chiang Khong, was a bit much for us.  

We asked Curt Peterson and the WM Leadership Team if we could bring a few other experienced cross-cultural workers together on a Council to help us with the work.  And so was born, early this year, the Asia Regional Council (ARC).  We asked Nancy Jo Hoover (China) to assist us with China & India and Bob Shim (Thailand) to take responsibility for Kyrgyzstan & Mongolia.  Tim Johnson (Japan) agreed to help, along with two Country Coordinators, Randy Bevis (Thailand) and Gary Carlson (Japan).

So, how does this help?  We meet together once a month by teleconference.  We talk about strategic directions and placement of personnel.  When we take trips, it isn't always just Ruthie and me.  One of us can stay home and a member of the Council travels with the other.  Already this has been a tremendous blessing to us and to those workers we are visiting (more on that in a bit).

Mongolian Mixup

Bob Shim, one of the people we have asked to serve on our Asia Regional Council, agreed to help us with Mongolia.  Together we made plans to visit Jim & Liz Sedore, our Covenant workers in Ulaan Bataar.  With Bob's five years in Kyrgyzstan, we thought, "Similar culture, similar issues.  Goats.  People.  Lots of medical work and interesting projects.  This could work!"

Of course just getting there-and getting out--presented its challenges.  From Beijing we were an hour-and-a-half in the air.  Then they said the Mongolia winds wouldn't let us land.  China Air put us up in a hotel.  Bob took Korean Air via Inchon and arrived no problem.

For the first day Bob was singing one tune:  "Wow.  This is so much like Kyrgyzstan it's incredible.  Once you've see one post-Soviet Asian republic, you've seen them all.  Same spiky lamps down the middle of the road.  Same ugly apartment blocks.  I feel right at home!"  That made me feel good.  I hadn't dragged him into the world of Genghis Khan for nothing.

So, we sat through 4 days of meetings.  Bob agreed to take my place on the board of Joint Christian Services.  And yes, we took an extra day each waiting for the winds to die down so we could fly home.  

But here's the bottom line:  So much about this place is unique and interesting!  Jim & Liz are part of a unique organization-an umbrella organization under which dedicated workers from scores of backgrounds and traditions are working together to bring positive change and assistance to the people of Mongolia.  Jim is charged with liaising with government and other international organizations.  Liz pours herself into the lives of women at a shelter for commercial sex workers.  The women there turn out some beautiful jewelry that you can find on their blog.

And this is a unique time for Mongolia!  The church there has grown rapidly over the last 20 years.  But with the world's fastest growing economy and major mining companies vying to exploit newly found mineral wealth, the challenges of this place are tremendous!  If you like that and you sense God urging you to a new frontier, think about joining Jim & Liz and the other JCS people in Mongolia.

Taiwan for two

Nancy Jo Hoover was a far better companion for Ruthie than me, I'm sure.  As our most versatile, experienced veteran, Nancy Jo has worked in more countries, adjusted to more contexts, than almost anyone I know.  And you know what she's really good at?  Being a catalyst-without "taking over".  That's a rare gift.

She went with Ruthie to visit Don & Lillian Dwight and Caryn Camp at Morrison Academy in Taejon.  Some have asked:  "Why are we supporting people to serve as teachers in a school that no longer serves our cross-cultural workers?  Shouldn't we rather place people out on the front lines?"  

Here's what Ruthie found out:  This is the front line!   

Morrison's student body is more than half Taiwanese.   Every year, scores of students find Christ.  Like Carl Groot's work at ICS school in Bangkok, this school has a tremendous impact in the community.  Don & Lillian, Caryn Camp, & Carl Groot--these folks work hard in their schools.  And in their "spare time" they're busy cultivating relationships, nurturing small groups of believers, teaching, and helping.  Ruthie said it was a real blessing to see these friends "in situ".  Now I'm jealous I didn't go.

Home, home on the mill

MVF is humming along.  We produced our one-millionth kilo of blended flour on March 20th.  Always there are glitches-like when we found clumps in our potassium chloride, one of the mineral additives we have purchased from a new supplier.  Not good!  Can't have clumps of salt in our food.  So, we closed down the whole production line and declared a sifting party-we don't have a machine for this. Hours later we had enough mineral additives for our next week's production.  When Wessel was satisfied, we were back in production!

 

Then there was the issue of cash flow.  On top of our standing orders, we received a large order from Burma.  Just a few days before I'd repaid loans, a month early.  Now we didn't have the funds to buy rice and soybean.  We were maxed out.  

But you know what? Someone was looking out for us.  We asked and a couple of our suppliers gave us a month of credit.  Now...our warehouse is bursting with flour, waiting for their vaunted logistics teams to get the shipments scheduled.  We've made our deadlines.  But our big customers are...well...cumbersome, slow to pay.  

Like Dr. Seuss's little turtle, Mac, we're at the bottom of the pile and we're squeaking.  "We're dyin' down here!"  Yurtle, the big Turtle up top, says he hears us.  But we're not so sure.  Stay tuned.  We feel a burp coming on.

 

Back in Laos--and feeling blessed!

Last time I was in Laos I left in kind of a hurry. Don't know what came over me, but something just felt so oppressive. I had to get out of here. I guess I was still carrying some baggage from our time here, maybe a bit of anger about how we had been treated, at how our lives had been disrupted after so many years of pouring our lives into the people and problems here.

This time it's different. Feeling once again that God is at work here (of course he never stopped) and that the last chapter for us, as far as Laos is concerned, is not yet written. I am here with two twenty-somethings--the children of good friends of ours. They are wondering what God wants them to do with their lives. So I have the joy of showing them parts of this little country, of introducing them to some great work going on here, of giving them a window on the issues and opportunities of this place. This is great!

One great blessing has been to see how they agricultural machinery and equipment we worked so hard to bring into Laos is once again being used to bless the people of this place. A good Lao friend of ours bought the equipment from us and has transported it to an area outside of Vientiane where it is part of an evolving plan and growing vision to set up grain harvesting centers in many of the poorest parts of Laos. So, once again the grain bins are full of corn. Once again farmers are growing for the market. Once again committed people are being placed in places where they can be salt and light.

This does my heart good. I feel good.

Kristina & Erik Amundsen with Iona Rogers

The few grain bins we had have now proliferated! There's a great story here.

A Shot of Encouragement

"So, why did You bring us back to this small town on the Mekong--out of the main stream and far from parts and needed supplies?"  This is a question I have asked God many times as we have faced difficulties and problems these past two years...

Well, the main reason, we felt, was so that we could be here for needy people from across the river--believers and villagers, farmers and friends.  This week that reason was once again borne out as one of our friends showed up with two of his family members in need of medical attention.  We were able to help them get settled into a provincial hospital where tests were done and medicines prescribed.  This morning I took them to the border where they returned home.

Last night we talked and prayed.  And then again this morning.  We laughed and talked and prayed some more.  We talked about our friend's 6 months in prison.  We laughed at his mother-in-law's persistence and stubborn-ness--at how she bothered the prison officials and begged for our friend's release, at how she, a simple villager who hardly speaks Lao went all the way to the vice-governor to get the shackles removed from her son-in-law's ankles..

What a shot in the arm!  I saw pictures of Christmas celebrations in seven villages.  I heard reports of former persecutors coming to those celebrations, of changes of heart.  I gently asked if this or that group of believers was still meeting--afraid that I might be disappointed.  But in every case they were still meeting!  They have grown.  Yes, some have fallen away and there has been discouragement.  But as I read in Psalm 135 this morning, I was able to assure them that "the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants."  Just like that persistent widow in Luke 18 who finally gets justice from a corrupt judge, we can rest assured that God hears and understands our every need--including our need for a shot of encouragement every now and then!  

     

Finding Our Growing Edges

 

Many churches in the U.S. have found new direction with the help of John Wenrich and the Covenant's Department of Congregational Vitality.  After hearing John speak at the Covenant Annual Meeting this past July, our hope was that with his help we could also find new vitality and passion, as Asian Covenant missionaries, in the work God has given us.

As well, there has been another issue which has repeatedly bubbled to the surface as we have traveled and visited and observed missionaries in many different settings--that of "Cross-Cultural Partnerships."  Almost all of us are involved in partnerships with national churches and friends.  Some of those have been good partnerships filled with mutuality, love, and respect.  But all of us have at times experienced dis-functional partnerships.  We asked Mary Lederleitner, a Wycliffe researcher and consultant to speak from her book of the same name.      

Worship time at the retreat--Carl Groot, Lillian Dwigh, Grace Shim, Tim Johnson

So, last weekend we met in a beautiful setting in Cha-Am, Thailand where John and Mary led us though much relevant material.  Through small-group discussions, questions from the floor, and a lot of time just to talk outside the meetings, the 50+ missionaries who were there shared how they have been challenged and blessed through that time.  Ruthie and I felt the retreat went better than we had dared dream and hope.  We're thankful for these times of reflection, fellowship, and retreat which the Covenant makes possible every 3 years.    

A Prisoner is Set Free

The last time I saw "AD" he was standing by the Mekong River over 13 years ago!  As a Communist Party member and a former district governor, he was a leader in his ethnic minority.  When he came to faith in 1998 he began to actively share his faith in the many villages he visited.  Many found Christ, including his own family.   

Just a few weeks after I met him he was arrested.  Within a short period of time was convicted of "treason" and sentenced to 15 years in prison.  For all of the years we worked in FUF Co. we prayed for this family; when their house burned down we were able to help them re-build.   

Life in prison was harsh and we had reports at various times that his health was failing.  Two of the other Christians arrested with him died in prison.  Many times during the years "AD" was told he would be released from prison if he just signed a statement renouncing his faith--something he refused to do.   

Right around Christmas this past year I received a call from his wife.  "AD" would be released soon, she said, if she bought a goat and some cases of beer and put on a party for the officials.  She bought the goat and waited.  As had happened many times before, this was another cruel trick.  Days and weeks slipped by.  We, and many concerned brothers and sisters around the world, waited.

Finally, at the start of this month we received a call to say he AD was home and free!  We rejoice in this news!  We're thankful for this testimony of patience in long-suffering, of faith and perserverance.                 

Saved by a Good Scrubbing

Mekong Valley Foods Co., the small company we've been building the past couple years, was just taking off.  Orders were coming in, machines were humming, our 20 + new staff members had learned their jobs and begun to jell as a team.

It seemed like the significant milestones were flying by--we finished 2011 with more than $800,000 in sales and with several large orders which would keep us busy for much of 2012.  We made our first net profit on the year.   

But then one of neighbors complained repeatedly to local authorities about the roasted rice and soy odor coming from our mill.  He circulated a complaint in the neighborhood.  We stopped the mill and worked hard to eliminate the smell.  But still the phone calls came from our village head man.    

  

All new ventilation

The Scrubber

A series of meetings finally culminated in an agreement that we could continue producing until Jan. 15 after which we would need to close down the mill and fix the problem.

We finished our contracts on Jan. 13, two days before the deadline.  With the help of an industrial engineer from Bangkok, we had designed and ordered all new ventilation systems for the mill, the heart of which is an "Odor Scrubber".  I canceled a planned trip to the U.S. for leadership team meetings and worked with our male staff members to install all this new equipment.  

Wessel, in the meantime, concentrated on getting our administrative systems ready for our first HACCP renewal inspection, also pending.   

So, here are some of the many reasons we are rejoicing now!

• The scrubber actually works!  The smell is gone and our neighbor is quiet.
• We passed the HACCP certification for the second time, with only a few minor corrections needed.
• We managed to get back in production in time to meet our February deadlines for our major customers.
• A huge amount of pressure has been lifted!  Wessel and his family have taken a long-delayed, much-needed vacation.  Ruthie and I are enjoying some quieter days after a season of intense busy-ness!  

Thank you, Lord!