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.

Incredible India

India was almost like returning home for me after all my years growing up in neighboring Pakistan. Ironically, my birthplace in the Punjab became an issue as we applied for a visa, but permission came through and we were able to visit three very different ministries-each reaching out to many Indians.

The passion of Truth-Seekers in New Delhi is to see the caste system truly eradicated from India. Like many westerners I was not aware of how deeply-rooted it still is. It was an eye-opening experience to see individuals from many different faiths gathering together in the unity of the One who claimed to be the way, the truth, the life.

Before that we visited the slums of Mumbai and Pune with social workers from the Hindustani Covenant Church. We saw thousands of children, gathered in cramped little rooms, given the opportunity to learn to read. The hope, we were told, was to persuade parents that education will pay out more in the long run than having their children pick through the dumps to recycle plastic and metal.

Then we visited the brothels. Many of the women had been sold by their own family members. The streets were dingy and squalid. I was humbled as I saw the love of the workers--one, herself a redeemed prostitute--seeking to rescue women from their miserable circumstances.

I was reminded how much I take the love of my family for granted. I was reminded that Jesus didn't shy away from the outcasts and prostitutes. Yes, the circumstances were depressing, but the compassion of the Hindustani Covenant church shone brightly.

As we ended our trip in southern India, I was delighted to learn that what I took for legend about St. Thomas and his days there is considered part of local history--including the hill where he was killed.

It was inspiring to see the dedication of the staff of India for Christ Ministries as they handle hundreds of children in multiple settings. We watched enthusiastic children play, sing and practice their English. Where in America would I ever see such respectful, enthusiastic kids singing their hearts out? Maybe we need to have our privileges taken away so we can learn a little gratitude?

A Small Language School with a Big Impact

I stood there and gave thanks. On our first visit to this Covenant-affiliated training center in a small Asian city, I was on the 4th floor of a vocational school looking at a map of the nation on a billboard. On it were pictures of scores of students. Each picture had an English name the student had taken when he or she entered this 2-year program. And each picture was linked to a different city or province. Equipped with English-language skills I had been told, these students were finding jobs in almost every province.

As the students have gone out, many of them have also taken with them new outlooks and values as a result of the unique educational environment they had experience. English immersion and small class sizes--two of this school's distinctives--have made it possible for many close friendships to develop between students and teachers. I thanked God for a core of visionary people who had opened this school and developed the programs to this point.

The impact of this school has been significant in every way. While some of the teachers expressed regret that they could not follow up on these students in a more intentional way, it became clear that many long-lasting friendships have been made between teachers and students, and many teachers have made efforts to stay in touch with students after they have left the school.

Much work has been done to develop a quality curriculum, systems, and structures to ensure that students gain a good grasp of English. Furthermore, much work has been done to enable North Americans to come for short periods of time, to teach, to live without undue stress in what could be an intimidating environment. Comfortable apartments, a well-organized program, and good orientation materials ease the transition of North Americans from many age brackets into life and work in this rural Asian city.


The testimony and return of many of these teachers for multiple periods is evidence that they have found the experience fulfilling and life-changing. One retired ethics professor from a school in the U.S. said to us: "I am almost embarrassed to admit to my peers back home how much fun my times at this school have been." He talks about what a joy it is to teach students who are motivated to learn and who treat him with respect and gratitude. While most of the team is considerably younger than this professor, they have a strong desire to continue to improve the program even while occasionally struggling with the challenges of living in a difficult environment. We praise God for the faithful service and commitment of this team.

Urban to Rural: Diversity in Context and Ministry

The month of October was one where we were stretched and challenged by visits to Covenant personnel working in radically different contexts and ministries: first Japan, then a rural setting in one of Thailand's neighbors. Covenant missionaries in Japan gave us a warm welcome as we spent a minimum of a few hours with every couple there--seeing the churches in which they are serving, the school their children are attending, and the cutting edges of their ministries.


Several new mission ventures caught our imagination: one of the key pastors had recently left to serve, with his wife, as missionaries in Detroit, Michigan! They are hoping to reach the large Japanese population in that area who are connected with auto-making industries. One church had recently welcomed a young Korean missionary woman to work in their congregation--and she was having a significant, positive impact on the congregation. Then, almost the same day we arrived, Grant and Miho Buchholst arrived to take up their ministry of working with youth ministries in the churches.

From that experience, our trip to visit the country we lived in for so many years was like, once again, taking a step back in time. We were visiting short term personnel working in the southern part of the country, running a farm with pigs and fish and personnel issues to deal with--all very familiar to us. It was wonderful to see two good friends who, despite some initial personnel problems, seemed to have found a niche and passion in ministry. We were able to brainstorm with them, help with with accounting issues, talk to some of the staff about their issues--and, generally encourage them in the good things that are happening.