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.    

Wessel's Wedding

So, you know we have this great friend and colleague--who decided to get married at 42. For almost a year he and Ut have been patiently waiting for permission from the Lao government (well, not entirely patiently). We imagined permission might come through in August or September and the wedding might happen in November.



Not so--also, not surprising given our experience in Laos. Nevertheless, the day finally came and we had two beautiful weddings--a church wedding here in Thailand and a Lao-style wedding across the river. Almost a week apart, with hundreds invited here in Thailand, more than a thousand in Laos, this was a big event in our lives. Ruthie and I, Kevin and Ramona, all had big parts to play--preaching, translating, facilitating, fetching lost singers. What a lot of fun!

The Covenant Crew in Chiang Khong for Thanksgiving

A long, Thanksgiving spread.

Wessel and Ut Huisjes.

Kathy & Averill Allen

Bob & Grace Shim

Randy & Cheryl Bevis

Kevin & Ramona Dutton

Bob Shim getting a presentation ready

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Kathy Allen & Cheryl Bevis

Amanda Shim, Elsie Bevis, Kara Shim

Ruthie in the kitchen

Bob doesn't look too convinced.

Sunset over the Mekong. Laos on the other side.

In it together--Post Retreat Visitors

Undone by CHIC

Ruthie and I just put 5 wonderful people on the plane back to Bangkok last night—an advance team of planners and videographers for the CHIC conference to be held this summer (this is a nation-wide gathering of high-schoolers from Covenant churches held every 3 years).  We flew down to Bangkok, met them, and accompanied them to many sites around the city, then Chiang Rai, and Laos.  Why CHIC?  Because two of our Covenant ministries here in Thailand will be the subject of the CHIC project offering this year—our Mekong Valley Project and the Abundant Life Center in Bangkok (Karen and Carl Groot)—and these creative people are concerned that this offering be more than just another “missions moment” in the life of the CHIC week.  Like us, they are concerned that young people catch a vision for the needs in the world around us and a conviction that God has “good works that he has prepared in advance for them to do” (Eph. 2:10)—a way that they can become involved in showing Christ’s love.  Though we are tired, it was a great time of discussion, travel, visiting—the whole of which was very encouraging to us.  Praise God.  And please pray that this project will come together in the minds of planners and video-editors over the next months.  

An Added Blessing

We had the joy of officially welcoming Jim Gustafson back to our meetings after a long season away.  In case some of you have lost track—Jim has been working in Thailand all along, with the same passion and creative energy as ever.  But now our executive director of World Mission, Curt Peterson, has asked Jim to help with strategic direction both in Thailand and Covenant world mission at large.  Jim related some of the exciting things God is doing among Muslim, HIV-positive people in south Thailand, as well as among tribal people near the Lao border not far from us here.  As young missionaries—and all through our careers, Jim has been a special mentor and friend.  It was good to have him back!

 

California Swing!