We awoke this Sunday morning to the bright sun shining, cool soft breezes, but unlike Bangkok with its oppressive humidity, it is quite pleasant here. We had breakfast together at our hotel, the Downtown Inn, and we Skyp-ed home to talk with our families from Kerry’s laptop brought by him to the restaurant.
Our first stop was to visit the Karen (Tribal) Siloam Bible Institute (SBI) where we were greeted by their Director/Principal Mr. Glad. I am most amazed at the Karen and Thai people, they are quietly gracious and shy, and Mr. Glad is no exception. He proudly took us on a tour of the campus.
We are told that there are 150 churches in the Karen Baptist Convention. Even though this Karen seminary is 50 years old, many of their buildings are fairly new having been completed in 2007. We are told that only 20 percent of the funds came from the Karen people, with the other 80 percent being donated by other organizations including ABC-International Ministries. There is a large educational building with four classrooms and a gathering hall, a woman’s craft building, the library and book store, and on-campus homes where theology and English teachers missionaries Eiji/Emi Osato (supported by the Japanese Baptist Union) and UK missionaries Peter/Lisa (supported by the Church of Christ) live. There are two old buildings that are the dormitories, where men share one and women are in another house across the way. SBI presently has 71 students. It is a four-year program, three years in the classrooms and 7 months on the field. This year they will have 18 Karen graduates, where half of them already have placements in ministry. We are told that next year they will be teaching English to the Karen students, because all the theological resources they get are in English, very few are written in the Karen language. They have a need for more theology books.
We are told that there are 150 churches in the Karen Baptist Convention. Even though this Karen seminary is 50 years old, many of their buildings are fairly new having been completed in 2007. We are told that only 20 percent of the funds came from the Karen people, with the other 80 percent being donated by other organizations including ABC-International Ministries. There is a large educational building with four classrooms and a gathering hall, a woman’s craft building, the library and book store, and on-campus homes where theology and English teachers missionaries Eiji/Emi Osato (supported by the Japanese Baptist Union) and UK missionaries Peter/Lisa (supported by the Church of Christ) live. There are two old buildings that are the dormitories, where men share one and women are in another house across the way. SBI presently has 71 students. It is a four-year program, three years in the classrooms and 7 months on the field. This year they will have 18 Karen graduates, where half of them already have placements in ministry. We are told that next year they will be teaching English to the Karen students, because all the theological resources they get are in English, very few are written in the Karen language. They have a need for more theology books.
Mr. Glad shows us his simple accommodations where he lives with his wife (who is expecting their first child in May), his brother and sister-in-law. There are two rooms: one a kitchen, with table chairs and stove, no cupboards, the houses the new sewing machine that his sister-in-law just bought to do her work as a seamstress. There is also a small bedroom on the first floor. His brother and wife sleep upstairs. Their simplicity of living grossly exaggerates our homes filled to the brim with all conveniences. 
We then went to their worship service. It is a large windowless room. There are 40 students who are in the choir and whose singing blesses us with their enthusiasm and harmony. The Sunday School teacher lays out a big mat and all the children gather around to sit on it. Children are the same here, the boys restless, playing around and need to be shushed, the girls quietly drawing with pencils and paper. The pastor who is preaching is from Korea and is the theology professor. He is warning the students that when the Karen people leave their villages and go the USA or into the big cities they loose their faith….and their culture. We join them in singing familiar hymns, not knowing their words, but knowing the songs. Prayer is the same world wide and we join them in praying to “our” God, who has been most gracious to all of us. They have prepared lunch for us and we eat with another professor from Sweden and some of her friends who have come to visit.
We next decided that we want to see the tigers. We joined with many other tourists to go into the cages of the tigers to pet them. Being a little squeamish, we think it more “prudent” that we go into the baby tiger cage, instead of the large cats. They are rather docile and lay there as we all gather around to pet them. As we walk out of the building a man playing with a baby python wants us to pet his animal….eeuuhh!!! Along our way, we meet many tourists from other countries and who stop to speak, asking us where we are from. 
We stopped for meals eating in open air restaurants. Our next stop is to attend the large Chiang Mai Community Church service where all our American Baptist Missionaries attend. Here we join in with over 300 English speaking people, mostly Caucasian, from around the world who gathered together to worship and praise our Lord.
Sandy and I decided to go to the night market, the others head to bed. The streets are lined for miles with tall cages that hold the wares of the many international vendors and Thai people and tourists who come to barter. There are also many men from around the world who have blatantly come to buy the services of the Thai women. It was very disturbing to us to view this. We learned when we went to visit with Annie and Jeff and their NightLight ministry that seven out of ten international men who come to Thailand with the purpose of buy sexual services from these young women. They need our prayers and support.
We ended the day tired and grateful that we are so blessed to live in the U.S. We are also excited that after many changes of plans, we are leaving for the Karen and Akha villages to do our mission trip projects. We’re looking forward to this adventure and to see how God is at work here.
Thank you for your prayers! We feel the peace and presence of God with us. We are a good team and Kerry has planned well, where with a team spirit of “adaptability”, all is going well.
Arlene Bowie
No comments:
Post a Comment