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.